Author: communications

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Join us as we visit a program driving students to find success in the car care business.

On this episode of the Supercast, we stop by the Auto Mechanic Shop at West Jordan High School. That's where we meet the Auto Shop teacher and a student who just placed among the best in the country in a car repair competition. This truly is a class that is jump-starting careers.

We're here in the West Jordan High School Auto Shop to talk about the SkillsUSA competition. Thanks for taking time. Introduce yourselves and let's talk about the competition.

Bryan Liddell:
I'm Bryan Liddell, Mr. Liddell, the automotive teacher here at West Jordan High.

Eli:
I'm Eli Atwood.

Anthony Godfrey:
And Eli, tell me about the competition. What does it involve and how did it go?

Eli:
So during the competition, we did brake inspection, we did tire inspection, we looked up service data, did a job interview, electrical stuff. So we diagnosed an electrical circuit, we had to build an electrical circuit. There's a written test and it went pretty well. I got 14th place out of 30.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. Where was the competition?

Eli:
It was in Atlanta, Georgia.

Anthony Godfrey:
Atlanta, Georgia. And your competition was from all over the country?

Eli:
Yeah, there was one person from every state. Well, not exactly, but there was-

Anthony Godfrey:
Roughly.

Eli:
Yeah, roughly one person from every state.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's interesting to me that they add all of these other layers to it. It's not just about working on the vehicle, it's also about the interview and the written test, tell me about that part of it.

Eli:
Yeah, so the interview, you're pretty much interviewing to apply for a shop or something like that. And then the test is just an ASC test that they take. There's 50 questions and you got 20 minutes to do it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Twenty minutes to answer how many questions?

Eli:
50.

Anthony Godfrey:
50? Well, I would get three of them answered and they'd all be wrong. That’s how much I know about auto mechanics. Tell me what got you interested in auto mechanics. I know from personal experience just how good you are at this.

Eli:
Thank you. So I've just always been interested in tinkering at home and then I came here to the high school and Bryan really got me involved in it. I've just been interested ever since. I'm working at an auto shop right now and I love it.

Anthony Godfrey:
So what type of work do you do at the auto shop? Just whatever comes your way?

Eli:
Everything, yeah, just automotive repair.

Anthony Godfrey:
And is that what you want to do as a career? You want to continue with that?

Eli:
Yeah, I'd like to be a mechanic and then one day own a shop.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's fantastic.

Eli:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
So tell me a little bit about this program. What do students do to qualify for this national competition?

Bryan Liddell:
We have a district competition, and then we go to the state competition. And each state gets to take one student in MLR, which is what Eli went in, which is Maintenance and Light Repair. And then there's also the ASE test. So you can take two students in the competition from each state. So for him to get to that level was amazing.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the ASE test.

Bryan Liddell:
The ASE test is actually what they use in the industry. All of the mechanics that get ASE certified have these tests, and they're all automotive-based tests. And they're mechanic A and mechanic B tests. So there's a lot of tricky questions. And it's something that he did really well. I'm master certified. I owned a shop for 18 years. So I try to run it like a shop and make it so that they understand what they're getting into the industry.

Anthony Godfrey:
And did this prepare you well? This program and this competition for working in an actual shop?

Eli:
Yeah, it definitely did. So Bryan, in the shop here, we'd be working, doing live work. We do stuff in the classroom. They really prepared me for what actually we're going to see in the real world.

Anthony Godfrey:
What is the hardest work that you do on a vehicle? What's the most difficult thing to do?

Eli:
Diagnostic for sure, and electrical stuff.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Eli:
Trying to figure out electrical.

Anthony Godfrey:
Just figuring out what the problem is to start with. Tell me what vehicle this is.

Eli:
It's a Chevy Tahoe.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. Talk me through the elements of the engine and the different components you would be working on in the light maintenance competition.

Eli:
So on something like this– So we had a car that we needed to pull a code on, and it had something with a crank signal. You had to pretty much take the code, you had to run through the diagnostic sheet on when you put it in the service data, and you test certain components on the engine with a multimeter and stuff like that.

Anthony Godfrey:
The multimeter, is that the little device that–tell me about what the multimeter is.

Eli:
Yeah, so the electrical device, you could test voltage with it, continuity, just different things like that.

Anthony Godfrey:
So it was an electrical issue?

Eli:
It was, yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Are you trying to solve the problem as quickly as you can?

Eli:
Yeah, so you only got 10 minutes, yeah. You have a worksheet, you have 10 minutes to do all that, so you gotta fill out the worksheet, diagnose the thing. Usually, you don't get through the whole thing, but–

Anthony Godfrey:
It would take 10 minutes just for me to do the search on YouTube to try to figure out what I'm supposed to do. So does everyone have the same problem that they're trying to solve? Everyone in the competition?

Eli:
So each time they reset the station and you gotta figure out the same thing. So it's all even.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, and what are some of the other aspects of the vehicle that you had to understand in order to be successful in a competition?

Eli:
Se we had to do tire identification, so you had to use a TPMS tool, the tire pressure monitor, and you had to trigger the sensor, see what all the pressures were at. You had to look at the tread on the tire, look if it's good or not. You had to measure the tread depth. You had to check brakes, you had to measure the brakes, look if they were good, check if they were warped or anything.

Anthony Godfrey:
Did you get to meet some people from around the country that were kind of fun to get to know?

Eli:
Yeah, I got to know some kids in my competition. We had a deep– like before the competition, we did a thing and I got to meet some of the kids and just met them. There was a kid from Oregon, got to talk to a little bit. There's kids from all over the US.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me all the different sounds that people make when they come in and describe what's happening with their car.

Eli:
Probably a--

Anthony Godfrey:
It makes this thunk-thunk-thunk-thunk-thunk sound or what are some of the others?

Eli:
Clunk-clunk-clunk-clunk-clunk-clunk.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're trying to diagnose, initially at least, I know it's all computerized for many vehicles, but you're trying to get the best description out of the customer also.

Eli:
Yeah, yeah for sure.

Anthony Godfrey:
So now you said that there's a mechanic one and mechanic two aspect to the competition. Tell me about what that means.

Bryan Liddell:
The difference is in high school level we teach MLR and at the college level they teach the AST, so each state gets to send two competitors.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, so it's a college level competitor and a high school.

Bryan Liddell:
And a high school level competitor, yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Bryan Liddell:
This is my first time going to nationals, so seeing all of the competitions. And I mean it's everything that is– you know from cutting hair and doing nails all the way up to building homes, automotive I mean there was–

Anthony Godfrey:
So all all the SkillsUSA competition is at the same time.

Bryan Liddell:
It's at the same time.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Bryan Liddell:
Yeah. There’s so many people at the competition that we have the Staples Center full. I mean, there's, I think, 430,000 SkillsUSA members across the country between advisors and students.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, I think it's really exciting for us to be represented at that national level in various categories. And like I said, this is so far out of my realm of expertise that I'm very impressed at your skills and just your passion for the work.

Stay with us when we come back more at West Jordan High School.

Break:
In Jordan School District, we like to support students in and outside the classroom along with their families. That's where the Jordan Family Education Center comes in, offering support services and a wide variety of classes for students and their families, free of charge. You can take a class called Blues Busters for children feeling sad or worried. Just Breathe is a class that helps students reduce stress. Or how about a class that supports parents in helping their children make and keep good friends. There are also support groups and free counseling, all provided by Jordan School District school psychologists and counselors. To find out how you can benefit from free family support services offered by the Jordan Family Education Center, call 801-565-7442 or visit guidance.jordandistrict.org.

Anthony Godfrey:
What would you say to a student who's thinking about getting into a program like this?

Bryan Liddell:
It was really great to hear Eli say that he enjoyed being in here, he loves working on cars and that he wants to own his own shop one day because that's exactly how I started out. I was sitting on the fender well of my grandpa's truck while he was doing stuff to it and I just decided one day I was going to own my own shop, and luckily all the cards were laid out right and I ended up owning my own shop for 18 years. And then I got the opportunity to come and help train technicians for the future, and I jumped on that. So I would say, even if it's something you're not into, you should take Intro to Auto because that's going to help you maintain your car a little bit so you're not spending a lot of money in the future. And then just take the more advanced classes and work your way up. There are a lot of students who take my class because mom or dad says you don't get a driver's license unless you take Auto.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah.

Bryan Liddell:
And then they find out that they really like auto.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love the idea that you get to drive a car only if you know how to maintain and repair one.

Bryan Liddell:
Yeah, well I think that's, you know, the basic maintenance, you know, being able to change a tire or something like that is very important.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Bryan Liddell:
Even if this isn't something you want to do for a career. You should want to do this for a career. It's an awesome career and we can't all do the same thing.

Anthony Godfrey:
Sure.

Bryan Liddell:
You know, so.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, and it's a skill that, I mean, most people are going to end up owning a vehicle at one time or another and all of those vehicles need maintenance and they're going to need repair. What is it that made you want to go into education?

Bryan Liddell:
That one's kind of a funny story. When I was in high school, I took auto mechanics and I fell in love with it. I mean I already was because of my grandfather getting me into it and everything. But I ended up my senior year, I was able to take three of my periods were Auto Mechanics and on A day and then on B day I had Auto Mechanics for two periods and then I had woods and then I had work release. So I spent a lot of time in the shop my senior year. And when I graduated, my teacher actually wrote me a three page letter about how I should go to school and be a teacher. I kind of laughed at him. And then here I am, oh, I was 40, 42, I believe, when they came. When one of the teachers here, who I happen to work on her car all the time at my shop, came and said, "We need an auto teacher." And I thought about it, and then I came down, and this has been probably one of the best decisions I've ever made. I love my job.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love hearing that. That's a great story. And did the teacher who wrote you that letter find out that you ended up teaching?

Bryan Liddell:
No, it's kind of sad. He had passed away already, but that was pretty neat. I never even saw that in me back then, but it was great that he could.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's amazing that he saw that potential, and ultimately, that's where you ended up. And how long have you been here at West Jordan now?

Bryan Liddell:
Next year, I think, will be my seventh year or eighth year. You know how the years are different.

Anthony Godfrey:
The years blend, yes. All those COVID years contract. After students graduate from this program, where do they end up? What are some of the things they do with the skills they've learned?

Bryan Liddell:
There are a lot of shops out there hiring right now. Eli works at a great shop, but there's also post-secondary. You can go to, there's a bunch of technical colleges that you can go and get some degrees in. I know that because of the competitions that Eli has some scholarships to go to college also.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now you've got a variety of vehicles here and it catches my eye that you've got a golf cart up on a lift. Tell me about what's going on there.

Bryan Liddell:
That one is the baseballs.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, baseball's golf cart.

Bryan Liddell:
Baseball's golf cart.

Anthony Godfrey:
So if it has wheels, they're going to bring it into you for repair.

Bryan Liddell:
Well, and I love that, especially when we teach the oil changes. I send out a thing to the teachers, and then they're able to come in and have their oil changed. And the kids get to work on live work. And it also makes them happy, because they can go to math and say I'm the one that did your oil change.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now that does not hurt your grade if you're able to help out a teacher's car. Eli, have you found that to be true?

Eli:
I have found that to be true.

Anthony Godfrey:
(laughing) Suddenly they're relying on you and that doesn't hurt when they're calculated grades. (laughing) And you know what, you probably will have to protect yourself the rest of your life from people who say, “Hey, Eli, you're a mechanic, any chance you could come over and take a look at this?” How do you handle that?

Eli:
I just try to help out people. If I know them, good. Might as well.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's awesome.

Bryan Liddell:
That is something that's great about this, because at the current moment, I have three cars sitting in my driveway because it's summer and everybody knows I'm not here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Bryan Liddell:
So yeah, and it's great to be able to not only have a skill that helps you pay your bills, but also to be able to help out friends and family who are in need.

Anthony Godfrey:
My dad was a mechanic in the summers. He was a university professor, and in the summers, he worked as an auto mechanic at Sears in their automotive. And it's been really awesome that I can always call my dad and say, “Hey, my car's doing this or my car's doing that.” And people have come to him over the years for some help. So that's a nice thing. And it's a nice connect with people in your neighborhood, family, and friends that they know they can rely on you for some help. I think it's awesome. Well, you're going to make a lot of friends with these skills, Eli, and have a great career ahead of you. I've known you for a long time and it's really exciting to see you at this stage and see all your accomplishments. So congratulations.

Eli:
Thank you, appreciate it.

Anthony Godfrey:
And thank you, Mr. Liddell, for providing such a great experience for our students here.

Bryan Liddell:
You're welcome. Like I said, I love my job. Keep 'em coming.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm grateful for all those circumstances that brought you here.

Bryan Liddell:
Me too.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right, thanks guys. Thanks for the time and good luck with everything.

Eli:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you out there.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. She has taken the Bingham High School girls' softball team to multiple state championships in her time as head coach. But when the state title proved elusive for years in a row, someone close to Coach Jackson, didn't give up.

On this episode of the Supercast, find out how, despite his own battle with Alzheimer's, Coach Jackson's dad stood by the team and was in the stands cheering them on to victory once again at the last game he would ever see. It's an inspiring story you don't want to miss.

We're here with head softball coach, Mikki Jackson at Bingham High School. Mikki, thanks for taking the time.

Mikki Jackson:
Thanks.

Anthony Godfrey:
We are now up to nine championships for you here at Bingham in softball. Is that right?

Mikki Jackson:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about why this particular year was so special.

Mikki Jackson:
I think there's a lot of reasons. I have personal reasons and then I have the actual coaching reasons. It's been, it feels like a long time since we've enjoyed being on top and having the escort home, all the excitement of that.

Anthony Godfrey:
When was your last state championship?

Mikki Jackson:
It was 13 years ago.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Mikki Jackson:
We've been in several state championship games since then but we just didn't get over the top. And so to finally get back on top feels awesome.

Anthony Godfrey:
And I understand you've had eight close calls, right?

Mikki Jackson:
Yeah. (laughs)

Anthony Godfrey:
Eight close calls where you're almost there.

Mikki Jackson:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
And tell me about this team this year, what happened over the course of the season

and what got them over the hump finally?

Mikki Jackson:
Yeah, I think this group, you know, there's always that mix of talent and effort, but then there's gotta be that, I call it the magical ingredient, and that's loving each other. And this group definitely grew close. They came in close, but they learned to care and take care of each other in different ways as the season went on. Plus they are young and so they were maturing. The more experience they got, understanding that their character is not, who they are isn't based on an error or a success. But that's icing on the cake, but who we are makes us the results that we get.

Anthony Godfrey:
Softball is of course a team sport, but it's a team sport where your individual errors or shortcomings are on full display. (laughs) Tell me about some of the things that you've had to overcome, some close calls in the season maybe, where you really saw what the girls were made of.

Mikki Jackson:
I think you're right, that the focus is on those individual successes and failures, but overall, you know, all of those come together to make that. And we had some times when we didn't get over the bump. You know, we are one strike away against Riverton in that first game this year.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Mikki Jackson:
And our sophomore pitcher's on the mound and she's doing great, fouling off, and they got the better of that at-bat and they end up on top. That's, you know, it's a game of inches, you know, half an inch fair foul. And just from that game on, just helping the kids understand how to work through those moments and that maturity that kept growing stronger and stronger. Sometimes those failures make that strength later on. And I think we saw that with this group. They got stronger because of it.

Anthony Godfrey:
What was the makeup of your team? You said that they're now more experienced than they have been. Did you have a lot of seniors this year?

Mikki Jackson:
We had three great seniors. Shelbee has been on the mound for us. She pitched almost everything last year for us. This year we had Brecka come in as a sophomore and she took some of that load off of Shelbee so Shelbee could play elsewhere. And then we have Braxtyn who can play pretty much anywhere on the field and is primarily a middle infielder. And then Charity, our catcher and left fielder. So all three of them are significant players. Beyond that, we had one junior that was playing most of the time and the rest of them are sophomores and freshmen.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh wow. So there are great things ahead for being a sophomore.

Mikki Jackson:
Yes, and the kids that played behind those guys got a lot of time this year. Behind Charity is a sophomore, now a junior catcher, and Braxtyn has another kid sitting right behind her that's been working into her spot as well.

Anthony Godfrey:
Good, that's great.

Mikki Jackson:
I can't say they're all perfectly replaceable, but that group coming up is working hard and has the ability to do it.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's great to hear. Tell me about how the tournament works for those who may not be aware. It's double elimination. Tell me about the journey this year.

Mikki Jackson:
Well, it's double elimination, but they do break it out into the brackets. We have a four-team pool, and then there's a second four-team pool. We went in as the four seed with Riverton being the one seed and we had PG in there. The seeding is how that's all broken out.  So you play the same teams three or four, it's almost like the women's college World Series. In fact, it is. You have your seedings through the regionals and then if you drop that game you're going to come back to that person that sent you to the losers bracket. That team is going to come back at you.

So we had PG and in that game, even more opportunities to grow because our backs were against the the wall multiple times with runners. Our pitching helped us a lot. Hitting kind of came around. Then we had Riverton, who had already beaten us two times several years in a row.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, psychologically, that's pretty tough to face down someone who's beaten you in this situation more than once.

Mikki Jackson:
Because they've had great teams for years down there. And there's been a mutual respect of our two teams in that we know that we've got two great teams coming at each other each time we play. And so, you know, I just watched, it just felt like the kids were different this time. I think the two losses earlier, they were like, okay, we're done, we're done with this. But then they will have five to one on us. And we clawed our way back, oh, and the second game, I guess it was. But getting through that one.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you're down five one in the second game. What was the final score?

Mikki Jackson:
Seven to six.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, wow. (laughs)

Mikki Jackson:
Five to one, I think it was five to three.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. I can't remember exactly, but I know we were still down one, 'cause I remember thinking, do I want to give up this out and bunt? Or do I want to bring them around? We bunted and we brought two around and we scored two more in the next inning and we had to hold them that bottom half of that inning, 'cause we were visitors the entire way through the tournament 'cause of our number four seed.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's been 13 years since you had a state championship and we've talked about why that was exciting this year for the team. Let's talk about why that was exciting for you personally.

Mikki Jackson:
My dad has Alzheimer's, and we've been going through the late stages with that. And especially about– I guess it was the second week of May, he was pretty close to leaving us. He was in really rough shape. I spent about five nights with him by his side in the hospital. And I kept thinking, we're so close, Dad. Hang on. I just want you to see us play again one more time. And our game times for the afternoons don't work with somebody with Alzheimer's, with the sundowners. And I knew that an 11 o'clock game in the championship was the way he was gonna be able to come.  But unfortunately, those couple of days ahead of time, he wasn't drinking or eating anything, they couldn't get him to wake up. It just wasn't looking like it was gonna happen.

Anthony Godfrey:
And he's been in the hospital all this time?

Mikki Jackson:
Well, he went back to the care center that he was in. We got him healthy enough. He had a few infections and things that week that he was there. My sister happened to be in Europe at the time. Finally takes the family trip that is overdue by years and about four or five days after, I'm thinking he can't pass while she's gone. We've got to keep him alive long enough. And we got him to where she got home just a few days before state and she said “Well, we'll try. Let's do everything we can to try to get him there.”

So we start the game and then I heard my sister's voice in the stands. I couldn't see where she was, but I could hear her, and she stood up and waved her arms and she pointed down. My dad was right there, and so my dad got to attend that game. She told me later that that morning the nurse called and said “You're not going to believe this but your dad got up this morning. He ate his breakfast, he drank his juices, he's sitting in the chair. If you want to come get him I think we can make it work.”

And so after the game I went back up to him, I ran up to talk with him and I said, "Hey Dad, it's Mikki." He didn't really respond too much, you know, a little bit of his little quirk that he acknowledges you there. And I said, "Dad," I said, "my girls are champs." I leaned down to his ears. I said, "My girls are champs." Just like everything you've always taught me to be. And his eyes came open. He smiled. The first smile, the first acknowledgment. And he reached out for me, grabbed my hand, and then put his other hand over the top of mine. And that is more purposeful movement than we've seen in the last three months from him. It's a moment that I will never ever be able to replace.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's miraculous that you were able to have him there. It's the time of day it worked and he held on through that. How's he doing right now?

Mikki Jackson:
Unfortunately, we're probably going to take him home tomorrow to California. I'm going to do the parade with the girls and then I'm heading out. We don't know how much longer we'll have, but we got through that game. We got through a happy moment for him. I could see him watching and scanning the field at times, even from down at third base. I'd look up there. A couple times, he was sleeping, which is fine.

Anthony Godfrey:
Sure.

Mikki Jackson:
But a couple of times I could see him scanning and my sister said, "Mik, he's not been that alert the whole time she's been back."

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.

Mikki Jackson:
And it's been great. So, you know, we don't know if we have days with him next week or if we have a month, we don't know, but we're gonna bring him home.

Anthony Godfrey:
But an additional moment of pride in his daughter and her accomplishments.

Mikki Jackson:
Oh yeah, and he was the kind of dad, I mean we know, as educators, we know how much parents put into their kids. And you can appreciate this, when we moved from Southern California, we moved to a town of 200 people. It had a K-8, one-room schoolhouse in this town.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow, wow.

Mikki Jackson:
And so at that time we lived 20 miles out of town. I'm too young to drive still, and I'm doing a pentathlon, so he built me a long jump pit, and we did a bunch of mattresses, and then we have a high jump pit. That's the kind of dad-he was always making ways for me to be successful and my siblings as well.

Anthony Godfrey:
So he really went out of his way to create opportunities where in a small town they weren't just available around the corner.

Mikki Jackson:
Yeah, yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about some of the other ways that he impacted you as a person, as a coach, as a teacher.

Mikki Jackson:
I think he always had an expectation that we would do our best, but it wasn't a pressure, it was just the way he lived himself. And he was so selfless that I personally, I can't even think of things that were his love. Things that he liked to do because everything was always taking us to. Like we have this lake that we go to. My sister and I run a youth camp up in the mountains by this lake, or my sister does and I help her out sometimes, but the family is up there. And my dad, when we go to this blue lake, he's always the one fixing their campers and boats and stuff like that. He's just always doing for others. There was a joke- we were out there celebrating his 70th birthday and one of the persons got up and said well you know he just travels around to all the widows and he's always taking care of all the widows in town. He had this little circuit that he would drive around he was just he's just a very selfless person. I think that you just internalize that when you live around it, you just internalize it and I think that's the biggest gift he's given me personally.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's amazing. How did he impact you as an athlete and as a coach? Are there some philosophies that you bring to coaching that came from the way that your father has lived his life?

Mikki Jackson:
I think probably some of it is. Like I like to break skills down to teach them and I think that comes from him. He was a mechanic and so you know, this part goes with this part, goes with this part, and maybe that's why my mind is a science mind too. But I think, you know, I'm the one that tries to see what skills need to improve and how to fix those. And then I think the way he was always patient teaching us how to do something, like even fixing a car or something like that, which I'm not very good at, 'cause he always did it for me.
(both laughing)

Anthony Godfrey:
But his patience in talking you through that and teaching you has translated into the way that you interact with your athletes.

Mikki Jackson:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sometimes I'm probably not as patient as my dad was with me. (both laughing) But I try to remember that every one of those kids out there is someone's daughter. And that person is a kid that's growing up, that may not understand the game. I look back at things that I know about the game now that I never even thought about. There's a maturity that goes on and what we're ready to learn. It's like in math, like in science, some brains are ready for this right now. Others are gonna take three more years before their brain's ready for that. And you just try to take wherever those kids are at that time and build the best you can inside of them. And I think that comes from my dad and my mom. My mom's pretty wonderful too.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, I don't doubt it.

(soft music)
Stay with us when we come back, more with Coach Mikki Jackson.
(upbeat music)

Break:
Does your student want to become a veterinarian? Commercial pilot? Programmer? Maybe they want to make a difference as a dental assistant. These are just some of the programs offered as part of Career and Technical Education. CTE in Jordan School District. CTE provides the technical skills needed to prepare students for future employment or for a successful transition to post-secondary education. Career and Technical Education provides work-based learning opportunities. We partner with industry experts to offer apprenticeships and internships with students working in the real world at real jobs while going to school. The CTE experience starts in our elementary schools with the Kids' Marketplace and grows through middle and high school. To explore all CTE has to offer in Jordan School District visit cte.jordandistrict.org today and let's get your child started on the pathway to a profession.

Anthony Godfrey:
What got you started in softball? What got you interested in softball to begin with? I assume you played when you were younger?

Mikki Jackson:
I did when I was younger. I wasn't in a big city area where we had summer and travel ball. I just played and I loved it. My mom was one of my first coaches when I was little and the funny thing is the first team I ever played on, I found out later we won one game by forfeit. I was a catcher, yeah I had no idea about stealing even was. I I didn't even know stealing existed. I didn't know what it was.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, sure

Mikki Jackson:
I kind of have a goofy start to that whole thing, but I was in Southern California at that time, then we moved up to another area. I actually played other sports too. My parents encouraged me to do other things. I played soccer and I have to think I must have been pretty good because I was scheduled to go to Japan and Europe and stuff like that as a fairly young kid and then we moved so I didn't. And then track, I ran pentathlon I was a miler when I was in elementary. And then through middle and high school, I did the pentathlon. So I was a multi-sport athlete. I heard somebody say once when she figures out softball, her thing, she's going to go a long way. And I guess-- I don't know if that influenced my decision to go that way or not. I actually did not play softball my junior year in high school, or my senior year. I actually wrecked my ankle my junior year playing, but I went back to track in my senior year. And then I came out to BYU as a walk-on.

Anthony Godfrey:
For the softball team.

Mikki Jackson:
Yeah  and tried out and got to play.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great. Tell me about your teaching career. Where have you been throughout the years?

Mikki Jackson:
I actually was headed to medical school and I was accepted to medical school and my husband wasn't quite done with school yet, so I requested a deferment. I also had some family reasons to stay. I got it. I started here at Bingham. I did my student teaching here and then I just loved it. I loved being in the classroom and when I was in high school, they had a cross-age tutoring program to kind of prepare kids that they thought had leanings toward being great teacher material. And I was invited to be in that class and I think that was where some of those seeds were sown, that it was there. But then from there I've been at Bingham. I taught at Copper Hills for a little while. Over there primarily chemistry, anatomy, physiology, biology. I have zone now so I've had a little bit of everything. My favorite though probably was action chemistry when I had the kids that had one foot in the court system and one foot supposed to be in the classroom but not quite there. That was early in my career and I really loved that experience with those kids

Anthony Godfrey:
So how many years have you been at Bingham now?

Mikki Jackson:
At Bingham itself, I started in 89-90 with my student teaching and then I was trying to figure that out earlier, someone asked that. In the middle stretch I was gone for about five years.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, okay. What do you hope your girls take away from the experience of being on your softball team?

Mikki Jackson:
I think particularly this group, the relationships are the things that last. That trophy will always be special to them and it's just really special to be able to say you're a state champion. But every year my hope is that they walk away proud of having been a Bingham Miner, but also that those relationships are the ones that they're sending the invitations to each other's weddings. That they're following up. Our 2009-10, that was the three-peat. Those guys still are so in contact with each other. They still are friends with each other and other groups too.

I also kind of find it exciting, I don't know if you're aware of it, but Herriman had three previous Bingham players on their coaching staff this year. Nicole just graduated a few years ago. Heidi and Pam played for me in the 90s on state championship teams. And I kind of hope that the impact of having to go through challenges and lead yourself, and be an example to others grows in the long run. Mylei Zachman is an administrator from the Davis District. She's out of our program, she came through our program too. I look around and I see so many people that have come through and they're successful. And I'm not saying our program made them successful because I feel like they also made the program successful because of the traits they brought, but you look at that and you're just excited to see them being happy and successful in their life. And you hope that you have a little bit of a piece of that.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love that. Well, thank you very much for taking the time and thank you for all the time you've invested in these athletes over the years. I have no doubt it's a lasting positive influence on everyone that's been on your team.

Mikki Jackson:
Yeah. They've been an influence on me too. I'm who I am because of the things I've learned from the families and the kids that I've been fortunate to have crossed my path along the way. And I just hope that they know how much I love them. And there's been people that have been happy, sometimes people not so happy, but I love one of them regardless of what experiences they had.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm sure they know that without a doubt. Well enjoy your parade, enjoy that victory and my best to you and your family. Thanks for the time.

Mikki Jackson:
Thanks for everything you do for us too. I feel like you really engage with us and you really appreciate us in our district.

Anthony Godfrey:
You guys are amazing, thank you.

Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you out there.

On this episode of the Supercast, as our state holiday Pioneer Day approaches on July 24th, we sit down with two history teachers who have a passion for studying the past, bringing it back to life, and educating kids in the classroom about Utah's rich history.

We're here with two of our Utah Studies teachers here at Hidden Valley to talk with them about some Utah history given that our state holiday of July 24th is coming up. So first just introduce yourselves and tell us a little bit about how you got into teaching Utah history.

Christina Jacobs:
I'm Christina Jacobs, and I'm the Utah Studies teacher at Hidden Valley Middle. And I got into Utah Studies actually kind of by accident. I was originally supposed to be teaching US History in a different district. And last minute, they moved me to Utah History. And so I had to actually learn it because I wasn't born and raised here. And so that was a fun experience of being able to learn alongside the students. And then when I moved districts to Jordan the next year, I then just taught Utah Studies and I've taught it ever since.

Anthony Godfrey:
Fantastic.

Madison Feist:
My name is Madison Feist. I teach at Fort Harriman Middle School. I've been in the district for nine years now. I started teaching at a high school and then switched over to a middle school. Always thought I would switch over to US History at some point, but I just fell in love with Utah history and I never want to switch. It's the best.

Anthony Godfrey:
What are some of the things you love about Utah history?

Madison Feist:
I, like her, did not grow up in Utah. So I was like, what is Utah history about? This is gonna be so boring.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now I'm gonna triple down on that because I was not born and raised in Utah. And then I came here, I'm like, you mean everybody studied Utah history?

Madison Feist:
I know!

Christina Jacobs:
Exactly.

Madison Feist:
In 7th grade? There’s a core?

Anthony Godfrey:
I did not study Indiana history in seventh grade.

Madison Feist:
There was no California history.

Christina Jacobs:
There was no New Jersey history.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, see? From three different states. It’s alright, here we go. And so I've always felt a little bit behind. It's like I had my own personal pandemic during Utah studies itself, and I didn't get a chance to learn that. So that's partially why I've been so excited to talk with you guys. It's like, all right, let's fill in the gaps for me as much as anything else. So anyway, you again, were not born and raised in Utah, so you were interested in learning.

Madison Feist:
Yeah, and starting off again, I thought I would move to US history or go back to a high school, but I fell in love first with middle school students and that age group and second with Utah studies and the fact that it was not boring. It proved me wrong. It’s very interesting.

Anthony Godfrey:
Let's just talk about a few of the maybe misunderstandings about Utah history. Are there some things that people generally think are true of Utah history that are, in fact, inaccurate?

Christina Jacobs:
Yes. I mean, and I know that I was guilty of this, too, especially in college when I had to take a Utah history class. I always just thought it was Native Americans, mountain men, and Mormons. And that was it. And there is so much more to that, too. And even when you dive deep into those topics, there's so much more that meets the eye. And then when you kind of dive deeper and get into the early 20th century and then start learning about the different groups that come here and learning about inventions that are made here, learning about, like the progressive movement, learning about how we mobilize for war and how uranium was used with the uranium boom down in Moab and things like that, I then realized there's so much more than just those little generalizations we just throw them into.

Anthony Godfrey:
So there are there's a deeper, richer history than some might believe. How about for you Maddie?

Madison Feist:
I'd say very similarly I have a lot of parents come very concerned to back to school night, or the first parent-teacher conferences thinking that this is going to be some sort of Sunday school class and it could not be further from that. It is not only religious history. It goes through the lives and experiences of so many different groups of people and it's really interesting to sit it next to general US history because the Utah experience is a little bit different and just to see how Utah became part of the United States and how they contributed to world events is really interesting.

Anthony Godfrey:
Let's talk a little bit about statehood. One of the things that has reminded me of that process a little bit is this discussion about the flag and the change in the state flag. Because the state flag to me seemed to represent how American we wanted to show that we were here in Utah with an American flag on our flag and lots of symbolism around the United States of America. So tell me a little bit about Utah becoming a state.

Madison Feist:
Utah wanted to be a state so bad. Just a few years after the pioneers arrived, they applied for statehood. They applied, I think it was seven times for statehood over--

Anthony Godfrey:
Seven times.

Madison Feist:
Seven times.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's like the story about the movie script that was shopped around and all the studios said no, and finally somebody said yes.

Christina Jacobs:
Yes, and they were rejected six times.

Anthony Godfrey:
Rejected six out of seven, yes.

Madison Feist:
And it was over a span of 50 years that they were applying for statehood and they came back every time and said that there was something wrong that they had to fix. And that was really disheartening for the people. And it's an interesting story because they fled, these people who are applying for statehood fled the United States for religious freedom. And two years after they get here, they switch and they're like, we love the United States and we wanna be a part of them. Obviously, they become a territory just a year after they get here. But they tried so hard to become a state, and it wasn't until eventually, polygamy was illegal in the state that they were able to become a state. There were other issues, but that ended up being the largest issue.

Anthony Godfrey:
And I've never heard it said quite that way. Of course, if you think about it, it's absolutely accurate, but they fled the United States. Because ultimately the territory became a state, it doesn't feel that way, but that's exactly what happened. Christina, other thoughts about statehood?

Christina Jacobs:
Well, I agree with Maddie 100% on all of that. And one thing that was interesting when she said that they had been fleeing the United States, which was true because their religious freedoms weren't protected, even though when you look at the First Amendment, they should have been. What's interesting is that the US Army approaches them while they're on their journey west to say, “we need your help in fighting the war against Mexico” when they were literally fleeing to what would have been Mexican territory because they were looking at getting away at that point. And so then, in turn, some of them decided to go with the US Army and go and fight for the US freedoms and everything else. And when one looks at it, it's like they– it's not that they hated the United States. And it's not that they were fleeing because they didn't  believe in it anymore. It was just that their rights weren't protected, so they were trying to go to a place where they could be. They still believed in those principles. I think that's very evident when immediately they become a territory and they immediately want to apply for statehood

Anthony Godfrey:
In other words, they were trying to go somewhere where they felt like they could follow the law that was actually in place.

Christina Jacobs:
Yeah

Anthony Godfrey:
So let's talk about people. Who are some of your favorite figures in Utah history?

Christina Jacobs:
Martha Hughes Cannon is one that comes to my mind,

Anthony Godfrey:
Let’s talk about Martha.

Christina Jacobs:
Mainly because, and this is just a fun fact that I know, is that she was a polygamist wife, but she also was very interested in politics. And when Utah became a state she actually ran to be a senator. More of a state senator, not at our national level because that couldn't happen yet, and she was running against her husband and she won. And there's a statue of her up at the Capitol building and I read that they're going to be putting it in the US Capitol as well. But there was no animosity between them afterwards, which some people would think that there might be with some political tension and whatnot, but instead, they seem to have a decent marriage. But then also kind of see how she was able to kind of break through that glass ceiling, which was kind of unheard of at that time.

Anthony Godfrey:
And she could not have been a Utah or a Senator representing Utah at the national level at that point. Like it was not possible.

Christina Jacobs:
Yeah, not until 1920 with the 19th Amendment.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's right. That's right. That's the fascinating thing for me is it was a state senator position, but that was the highest she could achieve at that point. And I've seen that statue, I think it's a really cool story. And you're right you would assume that that would create some serious marital tension but apparently not. Tell me about some of your favorites of Maddie.

Madison Feist:
Brigham Young is so interesting. He has some interesting views and just the way that he set up Utah I think is so impressive, and is studied across the world as an incredible method of setting up a city. One of the projects I have my students do that's really fun is they are put in the shoes of Brigham Young. They have 5,000 people with them, they have a blank plot of land, and they have to create a city. And what they come up with is insane, like Donutville. They have some weird ideas, love them. But his ideas were so brilliant and so visionary for the future of what Utah could become. A lot of what we have now is thanks to Brigham Young and his forethought on a lot of these ideas.

Anthony Godfrey:
So he was an urban planner in addition to a list of many other things.

Madison Feist:
Yes, exactly.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me some of the things that we're still benefiting from that initial design and those initial ideas.

Madison Feist:
Yeah, so the grid pattern that Salt Lake City and a lot of other cities are based off of all the way down to where I teach in Herriman and here in Bluffdale.

Anthony Godfrey:
Streets that are as wide as this school.

Madison Feist:
Exactly, right? They are still - the number system still goes back to Temple Square, even down here, which is really interesting that it has stuck around for so long. And then again, the wide streets. So I don't think we have as much traffic as we could in downtown Salt Lake and historic buildings didn't have to be torn down to put in a bike lane or a turn lane or multiple lanes where previously, it was just wagons. You can see in front of the Governor's Mansion, there's still a step in front of the house, like right along the curb that was the step that they used to get out of a wagon.

Anthony Godfrey:
Really?

Madison Feist:
Which is so interesting. There's a few along, what street is that? North Temple?

Anthony Godfrey:
I've been there before, but I've never noticed that so I'll have to take a look, yeah.

(upbeat music)
Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back, I'll look at Utah history before the pioneers arrive.

(upbeat music)
Anthony Godfrey:
What are some of the things that kids learned in this class that surprised them the most, do you think, about Utah State history?

Christina Jacobs:
One thing I love to show them is historic lands of Native Americans past and present. And we have a discussion about reservations and the different treaties that the Native Americans were forced to sign or that they signed thinking it meant something, but instead that it meant something else, or the US going back on their word. But to me, it's really interesting having them see that because then we talk about, you know, different places that they've been here in Utah and how they've found arrowheads, like even in their own backyards or other things too, then recognize that Native Americans did live here and they still do, just maybe not in the same capacity as they did back in the 1700s and previous to that.

Anthony Godfrey:
I would imagine that's a pretty good portion of Utah history curriculum is pre-territory, pre-statehood, the native population and the impact that settlers had on those populations.

Christina Jacobs:
And also learning about the different conflicts that happened. There were hundreds of conflicts between the Native Americans and the settlers here. But we mainly only focus on about the big five, if you will. Like Bear River, the Goshute War, the Posey War, which was the last grandstand, if you will, and then a couple of others. We don't go into as much details on some of the smaller conflicts just because if we did, it would have to be its own class because there were so many clashes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about one of those.

Christina Jacobs:
We'll talk about Bear River just because that's probably the one- that's the one I know that I use for a document analysis. And, Maddie, I think you might do that as well. It's an incident that occurs up at Bear River, pretty much in the present-day Utah-Idaho border, between the U.S. Army and the Shoshone. And there's a lot of things that end up factoring into it, like conflicts between the Mormons and immigrants moving west, conflicts between the Mormons and the Army, conflicts between Mormons and the Shoshone, and the Shoshone and immigrants and things like that. It all comes to a head in January of 1863 where the US Army goes through and pretty much the entire Shoshone tribe is destroyed there. Historians technically debate this and the US Army still holds to its official report saying that it's a battle, but the Native Americans on the other hand, specifically the Shoshone tribe, say that it's a massacre and there's evidence to support both sides depending on which documents you look at.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tragic no matter how you look at it.

Christina Jacobs:
Exactly. And so I have my students do an analysis, like a document analysis, going through different documents and then writing their own argument of saying, "Here's what happened there." And then they determine whether it's a battle or a massacre. And I only--and I refer to it as an incident in class even though that downplays it because I want them to figure out where they lie based on the evidence that they pull out, where do they feel that it is?

Anthony Godfrey:
And what you're talking about is a document review of primary documents that students use to make up their own mind. And I love, like you said, it's downplaying a terrible tragedy to call it an incident, but it provides that opportunity for students to make up their own mind based on the direct evidence that others would use to make that determination as well. Yeah, that's what a great learning experience and I'll bet it's very sobering for them to consider that.

Christina Jacobs:
Yeah.

Madison Feist:
Yeah, there's a few days that my English teacher asks, "What are you talking about today?" They're so sad and that is definitely one of them. I think students are surprised that Utah history is not just like sunshine and rainbows. There are really, really tragic and dark parts of history that are hard to stomach. Like Bear River Massacre, like the Mountain Meadows Massacre, like different aspects and sections of polygamy and what the US thought of Utah and what Utah had to say about the US. There's just like a lot of stuff in our curriculum that is surprising to students.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now you have a couple of posters here as well and we have the benefit of being at your school so I know you have some of these things in your classroom here. Tell me about these posters.

Christina Jacobs:
So my students are also asked to do an ancestor project. We tie this into two of our standards. One which asks about how our own family history is kind of connected to Utah's history, and then one that deals with people and culture and learning about different cultures. And so I kind of combine the two into doing an ancestor immigration project where our students find an ancestor who immigrated to the United States from another country in their family line. And I give them a month to do it mainly because the hardest part, honestly, is finding that ancestor.

Anthony Godfrey:
Sure.

Christina Jacobs:
I know for some families it might be a little bit easier than others. And so then I just have them answer basic questions like who were they? What did they do? When did they immigrate? Did they come with people? Did they come by themselves? And kind of tell their story a little bit. And the country that they came from, tell me a little bit about that country's customs and like traditional foods and things like that. To kind of bring in that cultural piece because sometimes students realize like, "Oh, that's why we have, we participate in this tradition or that's why we make this dinner and whatnot." And then the last question I ask is how and why did your immediate family come here to Utah? Some students, their families came with the pioneers in 1847 or a little bit later, and then others, many of them came here just recently, whether it is for asylum or whether it's because families got jobs here or they wanted to be closer to other members of their family and etc.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great. Well, that personalizes learning at a very deep level. So let's do that project for ourselves. What brought us all to Utah? I'll tell you, I'll start. What brought me to Utah is my grandpa lived here, my dad grew up here, he went to Ogden High School and moved away and went to school and had jobs and then when I was in high school we moved back here so I lived here since I was in high school.

Madison Feist:
I went to school, college, in Idaho and it was far too rural to have enough student teaching in place so I student taught in the Jordan District and here I stayed.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, awesome.

Christina Jacobs:
Growing up in New Jersey, obviously, that's a little ways from here, but I came out here for school. I attended BYU and then kind of like Maddie, we did student teaching, but I ended up doing a teaching internship instead down in a Nebo District and then I stayed because my teaching license was here and I got jobs in Alpine District and then later on I moved here to Jordan District and I've been here in Jordan District since 2016.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well whatever brought you here, all these things that got you to this point, I'm really grateful for. I'm glad you're here and glad you're doing such a great job teaching our students Utah Studies. And thank you very much for taking the time this morning.

Christina Jacobs:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. If you are in the market for a new job, you're in luck. Jordan School District is hiring.

On this episode of the Supercast, we explore the many opportunities for you to work in our schools and buildings; working and making a difference in education in careers like teaching, school counseling, and custodial, driving bus, and dishing up delicious food in our cafeterias. If you're in the market for a job, tune in and let's talk.

We're here with Brent Burge, one of the administrators from our HR department, and with Tammy Rajczyk, one of our special education administrators at the district level here, to talk about some of the job opportunities available in Jordan School District. Thanks for joining me.

Tammy Rajczyk:
Thank you.

Brent Burge:
You're welcome.

Anthony Godfrey:
We have the good news from the board that there's a 7% pay increase for our education support professionals. So I know we have a lot of interest in the positions that are out there, but we always have a lot of positions to fill. We need a lot of great people. So I thought I would talk with you about some of the things that are, some of the positions available and what we're doing to connect with potential candidates out there. I know we have a job fair coming up. Mr. Burge, talk to us a little bit about that.

Brent Burge:
Well, this is a great opportunity. Many people think that during the summer things slow down a bit, but this is the time when all schools are trying to fill those open positions for the upcoming year. And it's a great time to get your application in for those positions if you're interested.

Anthony Godfrey:
I know we have a job fair coming up in August, but we have a lot of opportunities to apply between now and then. If someone is looking for a job, tell us the mechanics of hopping online to see what's available.

Brent Burge:
The best thing for you to do is to go to our website at employment.jordandistrict.org. There's many links based on the information that we have and if you click on the APPLY HERE button, that will take you directly to our application portal where you can see all of the available jobs that we have available throughout the district at each school, at each department. And it's easy to complete an application and submit that for whichever jobs you're interested in.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you can, you know, if you're interested in working close to home or at a particular location, you can sort jobs that way or you can also look for something in a particular job family as we call it with a, you know, custodial nutrition services, information systems, those sorts of positions.

Brent Burge:
Absolutely. There's a great way to just sort. A lot of people like to work at schools close to their home and that's a great way to sort through those postings.

Anthony Godfrey:
Another way to connect with a job is just to call the school and see what they have available. And some folks may only want to work very close to home or where their children are attending. And just a quick call to the school to see what openings they have is also a good way to get that taken care of.

Brent Burge:
And you can also call our HR department, 801-567-8150, and we'll be glad to help you get your application submitted.

Anthony Godfrey:
That number again.

Brent Burge:
801-567-8150.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, call now. Operators are standing by in our human resources department, ready to connect you to the job of your dreams. Now Tammy, let's talk a little bit about special education. There are lots of different positions in special education and one of your responsibilities has been to help find great people and match them up with the jobs we have open. Tell me a little bit about some of the jobs that are available in special ed that people might be interested in.

Tammy Rajczyk:
Sure, right now we have 14 teaching positions in special education. That ranges from resource positions to self-contained positions in a variety of different schools including elementary, middle, and high school. We also have itinerant positions that are also available so we're looking for teachers of the visually impaired, teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing, and SLPs, speech-language pathologists as well. If you're looking for a job, Jordan's the way to go. I highly recommend Jordan School District to all of our candidates. please come to the job fair. We will be there with our booth and ready to answer any questions that you have.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now you talked about resource and self-contained. Will you describe the difference there for those who are listening as well as itinerant positions?

Tammy Rajczyk:
Sure. So our resource positions we have full-time and part-time and it looks a little different in each school. So our elementary is usually for our mild-moderate students and it can be a pullout or a mainstream or an inclusion classroom. We also have in our secondary, our middle schools and high schools, resource as well and those are for mild-moderate students with a learning disability typically sometimes other health impairments it just depends on the students' individual needs we try to match that.
So we also have our self-contained classrooms that we're looking for teachers and our self-contained students might require a little bit more additional support and we have opportunities available for you to teach in those as well. Usually typically a little bit smaller classroom sizes and you get the more individualized support there.

Anthony Godfrey:
So there are opportunities part-time full-time to help students who have greater needs for support, less need for support. You may even be helping in a regular education classroom but helping support them to make sure they're successful there. Just lots of different opportunities and when you work closely with students, then you really get addicted to having that connection with them and it's really important. Having great people is the difference between students being successful and not, so those are really important positions.

Tammy Rajczyk:
Correct, yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about, what is it that's rewarding about working with special education students and supporting our teachers as an ESP for example?

Tammy Rajczyk:
Working with students with disabilities is extremely rewarding in all aspects. Whether you're a teacher, an instructional assistant in the classroom, you really get to know those students and get to build those relationships. And not only are you helping them build the skills they need to become independent, you're also establishing those relationships with them as well as the families. You get to work with a team of people you're never alone and that team you work very closely with because we want to make sure we're meeting those needs of each student.

I've worked in special education for over 20 years and I've never turned back. It's something that I hold near and dear to my heart. I love each and every student that I have worked with, each staff member, each family. I still keep in touch with some of them. It has impacted my life tremendously with my own family and my own children at home and just looking at the benefits of giving each student what they need to be successful.

Anthony Godfrey:
Anyone who's thinking, "Maybe I would be interested in that," give it a shot. There are some great kids that you get to work with and some wonderful educators. And if you have any questions regarding special ed, please feel free to call myself or Mike Trimmel at 801-567-8904. And we're happy to answer any questions.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're here with Nathan Morgan, the head custodian here at West Jordan High School. Nathan, thanks for taking a few minutes with us.

Nathan Morgan:
Yeah, no problem, it's great to be here.

Anthony Godfrey:
You were described as best of the best and I've only been here about 90 seconds and somebody already told me that.

Nathan Morgan:
[LAUGH] Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
I know you do a great job and you've done a great job for us for a long time. Tell us about your career as a custodian in Jordan's school district.

Nathan Morgan:
Okay, so I started in 2004.  I was just barely married and we had two kids. I was going to school at the time and I just needed a job with insurance. So I came here and was actually placed here as an assistant custodian at West Jordan High. And then I worked here for about eight years. And then in 2012, I got a head custodian job at Fox Hollow Elementary. And I was there for about a year and then I went to Valley High in 2013.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh wow.

Nathan Morgan:
Yeah, and I was there for about, probably another eight years and then 2021, I moved over here to West Jordan High.

Anthony Godfrey:
I say a while because I knew you at Valley as well and it doesn't seem like it's been that long since you were there.

Nathan Morgan:
Time just flies.

Anthony Godfrey:
Time does fly.

Nathan Morgan:
Yeah, I've been here for 19 years total, so.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's fantastic. I'm glad we've had you for so long and like I said, you do such a great job. Tell us about some of the opportunities for custodians in Jordan School District.

Nathan Morgan:
Oh, there's a lot of opportunities. So you start out as an assistant custodian, and our director, Steve Peart, has made a lot of positions open. You have assistant custodian and then after that, if you take some training classes, you can move up to lane three. There's JCOS Basic and JCOS Management. And then after that, you can get a lead custodian at a middle school, and then you can also move up to a lead custodian at a high school, which is a little bit more pay. And then you have head custodian at an elementary school, and then a head custodian at a middle school, and then they have the custodian specialists that go out and, you know, they're just kind of, they help you.

Anthony Godfrey:
They rove and help and train and support when somebody needs to be there. And they are substitutes for all of those positions as well.

Nathan Morgan:
All those positions, yep.

Anthony Godfrey:
I also want to mention the sweeper positions that are available. It's one of the few jobs that you can start when you're 14 years old.

Nathan Morgan:
Exactly, yes. You have the sweeper positions.  We have at West Jordan High, we have about 12 sweeper positions. We have eight regular ones that come in every day and we have four subs that come in as well and they check in with me. The subs are kind of like the ones that are in band and they can't show up every day or football.

Anthony Godfrey:
But they can come by when you need them sometimes.

Nathan Morgan:
Yeah, exactly.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's perfect. You mentioned JCOS and that's the system that we use to organize the jobs, explain exactly what's involved and what's expected and to do the evaluations. So there's a lot of training, there's a lot of clarity about the job. You can come not knowing anything about the job and we're ready to train you and get you ready.

Nathan Morgan:
Oh yeah, the district does a great job of prepping you. I didn't know anything about custodial when I first started and they sign you up day one on those JCOS classes. Anthony Godfrey:
And tell me what would you say to those who are considering possibly getting involved and seeking a custodial position?

Nathan Morgan:
It's a great job. Jordan School District is a great place to work at, and you know every day I come to work I'm happy. And the students, the students make it even more great. That's why we're here. Without the students, we really wouldn't have a job.

Anthony Godfrey:
I know you're happy every day because you're always smiling and you always bring a high level of positivity wherever you go so I really appreciate that.

Nathan Morgan:
Thank you so much. And we're standing here in the Commons at West Jordan High School it looks fantastic I know things are underway and you're working hard but this is an old building that looks really good.

Nathan Morgan:
This is our last hall. Yeah. We have done all the waxing. This is it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, you can see your reflection everywhere you look. It's probably kind of a nice time when the building is more empty. It's never empty. By the end of the summer, you're itching for the kids to be back.

Nathan Morgan:
Oh yeah, we miss them.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, thank you very much for your time Nathan and thanks for all your great work over the years.

Nathan Morgan:
Thank you so much. Appreciate you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Take care.

Stay with us when we come back. We'll tell you about Jordan's upcoming summer job fair. A fair where you just might get hired on the spot.

Break:
Hello, I'm Sandy Riesgraf, Director of Communications for Jordan School District, and we want to invite you to connect with us. So many exciting things are happening in your child's school, your neighbor's school, in every school here, every day. Don't miss out on following the fun or simply staying informed when there's important information we need to share. Join us at jordandistrict.org, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @jordandistrict. We can't wait to connect.

Anthony Godfrey:
If you are thinking that maybe I'll be interested in a job in the fall when my kids are headed back to school. We also have the job fair coming up in August that we mentioned. Tell me about where and when that's happening and what that looks like.

Brent Burge:
Yes, we have our second job fair coming up August 16th. It will be held at Oquirrh Hills Middle School from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The address for that is 12949 South 2700 West. We had a lot of great response the last time we did this and we are inviting everybody to show up and find available positions.

Anthony Godfrey:
Part-time, full-time, every job family. We have 9,000 employees total in Jordan School District. Last year there were 11,000 W2 forms created for all of the people who worked for Jordan at one time or another. There are a lot of opportunities as a result of that. And it's a great environment to work in, working with kids, working with other great people who've chosen education, they're just, whatever your skills are, we have a spot for you and we have a way to help make good use of those abilities and talents and experience that you're bringing. We have a lot of other education support professional openings, classroom aids, this is any position that doesn't require a license. And we have 13 job families that those positions are organized into. So, Brent, can you talk to us a little bit about some of the opportunities there?

Brent Burge:
Absolutely. The education support professionals keep the schools running. We have bus drivers and bus attendants who get the kids to school. The custodians are there before everybody else preparing the school.

Anthony Godfrey:
And long after everyone else.

Brent Burge:
And long after... There's a lot of cleaning that goes on in the buildings. Our nutrition employees who are preparing those nutritious meals for our students, along with those that are classroom assistants, those who work directly with students. We also have a lot of office assistant positions, whether part-time or full-time, that do a variety of jobs within the district.

Anthony Godfrey:
What's really nice is for a lot of the positions you have a schedule that may match your child's schedule. Not for all positions, but a lot of them you can only work during the day after your child has headed to school. You'll be home by the time they get home. But it's also a great retirement position. We have people who have retired from a lot of different careers that decide to come to education. If you're looking for a connection with great people, kids are a great way to do that. Being around students is energizing and can be really really rewarding.

Brent Burge:
Absolutely, the schedule works really well with a lot of our employees. It just fits to what their family needs and it works well for them. One of the additional things that we have is we're offering a sign-on bonus for certain positions within the district that we consider hard to fill. For example, our assistant custodians, some of our six-hour nutrition workers, our bus drivers, and a few within the facilities department. So there's a $500 sign-on bonus if you stay with us for a certain amount of time.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell everyone about those positions. Let's start with custodial assistant.

Brent Burge:
Yes, this is a position that does not have any minimum requirements. In essence, you are working at a school either during the day or a majority of our positions are in the evening where you are cleaning hallways, restrooms, preparing the school for the next day.

Anthony Godfrey:
And that's a full-time position?

Brent Burge:
It is full-time, but we also have some part-time positions at elementaries in the afternoons to supervise the student sweepers as well. We also have the six-hour nutrition position. Their job is to do the heavy baking.

Anthony Godfrey:
Heavy baking.

Brent Burge:
Heavy baking.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's not a term I use very often.

Brent Burge:
As we bake most of our own breads and things like that, they do a lot of the baking and preparing of the food. And not only that, but serving and then cleaning up afterwards. Very rewarding career as well.

Anthony Godfrey:
And that's six hours a day, but that's a benefited position.

Brent Burge:
That is a benefited position, correct.

Anthony Godfrey:
As is the full-time custodial position. What are some of the others that you mentioned? Bus driver, let's talk about that. And you mentioned bus attendant. You don't have to drive a bus to work on a bus.

Brent Burge:
No, you do not.

Anthony Godfrey:
Just to help students manage that trip. Generally students who are on an individual education plan, there's an attendant that helps make sure that everything goes well on the bus. So bus attendants but also we always need bus drivers.

Brent Burge:
Absolutely. So our bus attendants, like you said, are there to help the driver while the driver drives. They're there to watch after the students and to help them get on and off the bus. We do have full-time positions. We also have substitute bus attendants as well. If you're not looking for a full-time job you can help out when you're available. Our bus drivers, the great thing about bus driving is we provide all of the training for your CDL. It does require CDL and so the district is willing to pay you to go through that training program. Bus drivers arrive early in the morning, pick up students, drop them off, and then do the same thing in the afternoon.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about some of the other jobs that you listed?

Brent Burge:
I talked about facilities positions. We have frequently different positions with the facilities. This group takes care of all of our HVAC, our plumbing, our electrical, anything that's heavy-duty work dealing with the facilities.

Anthony Godfrey:
Not heavy baking. Heavy-duty work.

Brent Burge:
Not heavy baking, heavy duty. Yes, absolutely. And so they are there to handle all of the things that maybe the custodian isn't trained to do or might require a little more skill or expertise.

Anthony Godfrey:
And any other thoughts about some of the positions we have open or just general tips for those who are interested in a position in Jordan?

Brent Burge:
Like Tammy mentioned, we have a lot of special needs positions that are available both

hourly and contracted. We also have classroom assistants that work mostly with regular education students, helping them read, helping them on the playground to make sure they're safe, a whole host of positions.

Anthony Godfrey:
And the walk-to-read positions are really important positions. Every position is, you said it earlier, every person we hire in this district ultimately makes the education of children possible. Thanks for joining me on the podcast and we really look forward to all the great new people we're going to be able to hire this year.

Brent Burge:
Thank you.

Tammy Rjaczyk:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you out there.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It was a music video made from the heart and souls of some very talented West Jordan High School students under the direction of choir teacher Keith Evans.

On this special 200th edition of the Supercast, meet members of the West Jordan High pop group Encore and find out why popular music artist Jason Mraz reached out to them with a message the students will likely remember for a lifetime.

We're here at West Jordan High School in the choir room with choir director Keith Evans and with members of the Pop Vocal Ensemble Encore. Now I've seen your work over the years as people have enthusiastically emailed me the videos that you've put together out on the salt flats if I'm not mistaken. Those are amazing videos, high production quality. At first, you're taken by the scenery, but you're very quickly mesmerized by the vocal performance, it's really incredible. I always look forward to that. People generally know that I'm a music fan, so I always get it from various sources. They always send me your video each year, which is really cool for me. And I'm really excited to finally get to talk with some of you about it. So we're gonna talk with the director here first and tell me a little bit about Encore’s history and purpose.

Keith Evans:
Yeah, so when I took the job from my predecessor, Kelly DeHaan, he's a very well-known--

Anthony Godfrey:
You took the job from your predecessor. You wrestled him to the ground and said, “It's over, I'm taking over.”

Keith Evans:
As a matter of fact, he texted me and said, “Hey, I'm moving high schools, would you like to throw your hat in the ring to be the replacement?” And I thank him forever more for that text. But Kelly is well known in the community as very classically trained. I am not. My background is pop music. I sang with a pop group at BYU as a student, and I've mostly worked in that realm. And so when I took this job, I said, “I can't be another Kelly DeHaan, and I shouldn't try to be. I’m going to be me.” And so I took one of his one of the choir ensembles which was called Junior Madrigals and I said we're gonna do what I know instead and we turned it into Encore which is a pop a cappella ensemble. It's small. There are 11-12, there have been as many as 16 members of the group.

Anthony Godfrey:
You don’t combine it into Pop-a-Pella or something?

Keith Evans:
No other groups have done that before and it's a little cringe. But we came up with the name Encore and we said what we're gonna do is what I know, and it's covers and occasionally original music of contemporary music. I feel like there's a lot of contemporary music that purists kind of turn their nose up to and ignore.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you.

Keith Evans:
For whatever reason.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes, it gets overlooked.

Keith Evans:
It does. People say, well, you know, it wasn't written 400 years ago by a person in a powdery wig so why should we care?

Anthony Godfrey:
Right.

Keith Evans:
And I think that there's a lot of great music that gets missed because of that. And so Encore focuses on this newer stuff, and frankly, that's one thing that gets the kids so excited is they're able to sing stuff that, "Oh, I listened to that guy already in the car. That person's on my playlist," or whatever. Our other choirs are very traditional, like you'd expect a choir in any high school to be, but Encore is a little bit different. For the last three years, we've been focusing on that. One of the elements of Encore's mission is to engage the students in all aspects of music production including music videos which is a huge element in any musical artists, you know, oeuvre they do these days.

Anthony Godfrey:
Ever since I was in middle school it has been an important component of pop music.
Keith Evans:
Thank you MTV.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes, exactly. So I'm going to butcher the quote but I agree with you that there's so much great music overlooked. The quote from Duke Ellington that I've always liked is “If it sounds good, it is good.”

Keith Evans:
Oh, I love that. I've never heard that before but that's I'm putting that in my phone when we're done today.

Anthony Godfrey:
There's a lot that sounds good out there, and that is good out there, that gets overlooked like you said. I'm a huge pop music fan and so that's only part of why I'm excited to talk with you.

Keith Evans:
No, I'm so glad. I didn't know you were a pop music fan, Dr. Godfrey, that's cool. So am I. And hopefully, at the end of the year, I can look at my students and say that they are too even if they weren't as familiar with it at the beginning of the year.

Anthony Godfrey:
So let's talk with some of the members of Encore about what being in Encore has meant to you. Introduce yourself and tell me a little bit about your experience.

Nate:
My name is Nate. I joined Encore this year as a junior and kind of joined this class. I had a couple of the seniors that were in it just kind of tell me, "Oh, you’d do kind of well in it, I think, and so you should audition." And I did and I got in and I was terrified because I am more of a musical theater performer and much less of a pop music and I'm not super familiar with it. But I got into the class and just the minute that we stepped into that class, it was basically just a family. We were able to connect really well with each other because it was so small. And we just like the first day just kind of huddled around the piano and started like singing together. And it was just a really cool and magical experience just to like connect and create music with each other. And it was just really awesome and magical.

Ellie:
I'm Ellie. Encore was the first choir I did. I didn't want to do choir at all, but then I went to one of the pop concerts and I was like, “Oh wait, this is actually kind of cool. I kind of want to do that.” So I saw Encore and I was like, “OK, maybe I should try it.” And I did. And it was really fantastic.

Antonella:
I'm Antonella and honestly, Encore is my favorite music class. For somebody that loves music, I love all kinds of varieties, and it's just amazing. But Encore has just been such an amazing experience. When I heard that I was finally allowed to audition for Encore, some people actually told me that they didn't think I was fit for Encore because I'm more of a classical kind of girl. Yeah, I'm more of just like a musical theater, more of like opera kind of, you know. And honestly, I was like, you know, I think Encore is actually fitting more for me 'cause I love reading music and it gives such a big opportunity to read music. So I joined and I don't regret it at all and I just wish everybody could do it, you know, it's so fun. And I'm really grateful that we have this opportunity and it just, it brings us all together and gives us a lot of friendships, so yeah.

Xander:
I'm Xander. I got thrown in like two weeks after they got together. So they were already a family by then.

Anthony Godfrey:
So they adopted you, but how did you get in without an audition?

Xander:
Oh, there was an audition.

Anthony Godfrey:
Antonella said that they were even discouraging her from the audition. So there are some layers to getting in. How did you make it in after it started? I mean, I took classes because there was an empty seat, not because my talents brought me there. So tell me about how you got into the class after the family had formed.

Xander:
Well, they needed an extra guy and Keith during Madrigals was like, "We need an extra spot for Encore." And I didn't have a class during that period, so I'm like, "Might as well." So I auditioned and so did a couple of other people and I just got it apparently.

Anthony Godfrey:
Apparently, because you are here.

Xander:
I am here.

Anthony Godfrey:
A year has lapsed and you have been a participant throughout that year.

Xander:
Yes, and it was quite the experience. I didn't expect any of it. I'm not very good at making up music on my own. I usually go by the books and try to read the music and do my best on that.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm best at making it up on my own because then there are no rules at all. So I haven't broken any rules. I've just made the music that I want to make.

Keith Evans:
No one can tell you you're wrong.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, that's right, that's exactly it. Now, tell me about a song that you have loved this year that you did not expect to or that you didn't know before you were a part of Encore.

Nate:
There was a song that we just kinda did at the beginning of the year, and it was called Lose Somebody by One Republic. We did this song for the last like two years.

Keith Evans:
Every year that Encore has existed, I wanted to do Lose Somebody by One Republic, and finally this year, we were up to snuff to be able to do it.

Nate:
And so it was probably the second day that we were in this class and we're like, we're gonna start creating it. No sheet music, no tracks, it hasn't been done before, we're just gonna do it. And so we started talking about parts and who's gonna sing what, and we just started doing it. And I was really skeptical of how this was gonna go because we just had created it on our own. And then we performed it at the first concert and people just loved it and I ended up just falling in love with that song. It was so much fun to sing. And I think for a lot of us, it was just one of our favorite songs, because it showed us how we could create something on our own and together as well.

Anthony Godfrey:
And it helps that every performance is an encore performance, and people seem to clap more loudly for an encore performance.

Keith Evan:
It's a subconscious little prodding to the audience, too.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're getting an encore performance right from the start.

Keith Evans:
That's right.

Anthony Godfrey:
This feels amazing. Okay, tell me about a song that you discovered through Encore.

Ellie:
Well, it wasn't really discovered, but my favorite that we did was probably Cruella De Vil. We started working at it in like September of last year, but we're like, "This is too hard. We're not gonna do it." But we all just loved it so much and we pushed so hard to like perform it, but like he didn't trust us, I guess.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now I'm sensing a lot of trust, but I'm sensing a high bar, a high standard. We are not going to massacre this song. We are going to do it justice.

Keith Evans:
Well, to clarify, so I was the faculty director of a performing ensemble at BYU for several years called Noteworthy, and this was one of their arrangements. So this was an arrangement that I had given to collegiate level, some who were literally music majors, right, and that had put together this really tricky jazz piece. And I said, "I wonder if we can do it in Encore, if we can take this collegiate piece and have the high schoolers do it." And it took a little bit of doing is all. You were able to get there and it sounded fantastic by the time we were able to get it. It just took a little bit longer. Jazz is more tonally complex and the chords and everything like that. So ultimately I was really proud of you guys for being able to take a piece that high schoolers shouldn't be able to do because it's meant for a much more advanced ensemble and you guys still did it.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's like the bumblebee flying. You can't explain how it works, but it works.

Keith Evans:
It does.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right.

Keith Evans:
It's a mystery.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about a song that you discovered or had a deeper appreciation for it because of Encore.

Antonella:
Honestly, I love all the songs, but when I first joined Encore, I actually thought it was gonna be more of a modern pop culture kind of songs. Just like, you know, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, you know. I was like, are we about to sing "Baby" by Justin Bieber?(laughs) But--

Keith Evans:
We would never sing "Baby" by Justin Bieber.

Antonella:
That's why I like this class. No, but one of the songs that I truly enjoyed was Autumn Leaves by– sung by Nat King Cole. And I am such a '50s girl. I am such an 'oldies. And I just-- I appreciated how all of us were able to just serenade with the melody. And all of us just– I could see all of the connection that we all had, the eye connection and everything. And I just felt so connected with that song.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's a great one.

Antonella:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Even Bob Dylan's version works for me. It probably doesn't work for you, but it works for me.

Keith Evans:
I actually didn't know Bob Dylan had covered that song. Now I'm interested in that.

Anthony Godfrey:
The melancholy, it's dripping with melancholy and regret. It's such a great song. You and I need to talk about more 50s songs Antonella. (laughing) Okay, tell me about your song.

Xander:
Cruella De Vil was really fun to me 'cause I got more into it 'cause I am a huge Disney fan and I grew up watching 101 Dalmatians and I loved that show so much. So it's more of like a mentality and a personal connection with that.

Anthony Godfrey:
What does it mean to have Mr. Evans as your choir director? What impact has he had on you?

Keith Evans:
Be kind. (laughing)

Nate:
I mean, in so many ways he's given me just like the love and drive to succeed in music that I hadn't really had before. He showed me as, and just being an example of somebody who was able to make music work for him as a career, and also just who just had a genuine love for it, and a desire to share it with other people, and just to make us the best that we could be as people. Not even just musicians and as singers, but as humans as well. And just, it's meant so much to have him, and just be a mentor and a guide, and just an inspiration to be just the best that I can be.

Ellie:
Yeah, he's made music fun, I guess, for me. Usually, it's so serious and competitive. And if you're not this great, then you can't do music. But it's just like, no matter what level you're at, you can still sing. You can still do whatever. And it can be fun. You don't have to make it so serious.

Antonella:
I definitely agree. I think he's put a balance in what we love most. And also just for those that want to just do it for fun as a habit or for people that actually want to do it professionally. He gives us the opportunity but still gives us fun. And honestly, I think he's definitely gave us a huge love for this, and especially for acapella, because a lot of high schools don't do acapella. So I'm just really grateful that we have a teacher that has come from a more professional background, especially BYU. And he's just brought it to us. And I think I'm so grateful for having that opportunity.

Xander:
He's pretty cool. Since he is young, he's more in tune of how we're aware of what we're going through.

Anthony Godfrey:
I mean, kind of like me. The young guys, we get it.

Keith Evans:
Yeah, absolutely. Which, again, it just means that I'll become less and less capable as a teacher, the older I get it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, because you basically built in an expiration date for his effectiveness. But, you know for now, it seems like things are going great.

Keith Evans:
Yeah, it's fun here at West Jordan. I know that most of the kids that come into the choir program aren't planning to become professional musicians, right? They plan to do other things. They're here to have fun. And the two lessons that I hope to instill in my students is that you have more fun when you're good rather than just when you're goofing around, right? But that also you have more fun when you trust each other and trust yourselves. And that's, I think, one of the things that has made our program kind of make this shift in the last couple years toward more inclusivity, more broader range of genres. You heard we've got an opera singer and a musical theater and a more traditional, conventional guy. We can all still sing together because in the end it's just music.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back Encore performs and it is something you simply don't want to miss.
(upbeat music)

Break:
Hello, I'm Sandy Riesgraf, Director of Communications for Jordan School District, and we want to invite you to connect with us. So many exciting things are happening in your child's school, your neighbor's school, in every school here, every day. Don't miss out on following the fun or simply staying informed when there's important information we need to share. Join us at jordandistrict.org, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @jordandistrict. We can't wait to connect.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about how you came to choose this year's song and what resulted from that recording and that video.

Keith Evans:
Yeah, the way we chose this year's song, it was all kind of serendipitous. We go on tour every year and as part of that, we fundraise. And so in the fall, we had a fellow come to organize one of our fundraisers and just kind of by happenstance, he started talking about how his dad had had this dream of co-writing a song with Jason Mraz his whole life. Ever since he'd seen Jason Mraz as an up-and-coming artist, his dad had said, "I'm gonna write a song for that guy to sing." And that he'd spent 12 years kind of in the industry on the fringes trying to make this happen. And then finally, he was able to connect with Jason Mraz and he co-wrote "I Won't Give Up" which has gone six times platinum with Jason Moraz, like he was able to fulfill his dream.

And I said, "Oh, I won't give up, I love that." And we all started kind of like singing it and making it up on the piano as we went and it blew this guy's mind. And he said, "Oh, you've gotta put that in your show somewhere this year." And we said, "We will, and we'll let you know." And he said, "I will send it to Jason Mraz when you do."

And we followed through, we decided to make our music video this year in Encore was a mashup of "I Won't Give Up" by Jason Mraz and "Hey Jude" by Paul McCartney. And once we'd made the music video, we sent it to Lennon Natter, who sent it to his father who had written the song, who lives now two doors down from Jason Mraz.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh wow.

Keith Evans:
The royalties allowed him to retire and build a house in the neighborhood that Jason Mraz lives in, they're neighbors now. So by that sort of like friend of a friend of a friend, we sent the link to, and it got into Jason Maraz's hands and he saw it. And according to the sign photo that he sent to us, he was impressed by it and he liked it. And it's just kind of cool to know that we put this thing together and the guy that originated it saw it, right? And to let him know, I mean he knows it's being covered by a million different artists, but to let my students know, you're now part of a bigger world. It's not just in the classroom, right? The education and what you're learning and what you're experiencing exist in a bigger sphere. And that was a cool thing, I hope, for you guys to experience.

Anthony Godfrey:
And it's a lesson in the impact that music can have.

Keith Evans:
Yes, absolutely. You never know who's gonna watch that music video and be like, "Man, I needed that today." And that sounds silly, but that's the responsibility you have as an artist, as a musician, is to put your best foot forward always, because you never know who's listening.

Anthony Godfrey:
Speaking of the photo, You've got it here. It's a big nice framed photo of Jason Mraz performing. Read what he wrote on there for us.

Keith Evans:
Yeah, so he wrote on the photo to Keith Evans and West Jordan High Choir. Let's take a deep breath together. Inhale. (exhales) And exhale. Thank you for your breathtaking performance. Keep singing. And then he signed it. As Lennon, the fellow whose dad worked with Jason on this song said, he's sort of a kind of a Bohemian fellow and so this inscription is very on brand for him apparently. But it's cool again to know that he's supportive of this. I'm sure once upon a time he was a kid in a high school band or choir saying, "I hope I make it one day."

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. I think it's fantastic and it's exciting. I'm envious of this interaction you've had with Jason Mraz or as I like to call him, Mr. A to Z.

Keith Evans:
Mr. A to Z, that's right. Is that his real last name?

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, it is.

Keith Evans:
It is? That's cool, man. It's like that's such a marketable last name.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes, it is. I'll bring a link to the video in the show notes.

Keith Evans:
Cool.

Anthony Godfrey:
Watch for that. Click on it. It's a great video. Like it is every year. Like I said, I always look forward to it. Thank you so much for providing this rich learning experience that I'm sure these students will never forget. And thank you for putting your own personal twist on this music program. And thank you for the annual videos that I'll continue to look forward to and those are just the great performances coming out of this program. So thank you.

Keith Evans:
Thank you, Dr. Godfrey.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now here's a little clip from their music video.

Encore singing:
When I look into your eyes
It's like watching the night sky
Or a beautiful sunrise
There's so much they hold
Just like them old stars
To see how you've come so far
To be right where you are
How old is your soul?
And I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
Still looking up

Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you out there.