Author: communications

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They didn't hesitate to come to the rescue when a Jordan School District teacher found herself in a serious situation while driving along Bangerter Highway on her way to work.

On this episode of the Supercast, meet Trevor Bradley and Sean Vick, ground crew employees in Jordan School District's Facility Services Department. Find out how the two men saved the stranded teacher with a small child in the car, fearing for her safety on the side of the road. And listen in to find out what happens when we bring the three together for a sweet reunion.

We're headed down the hallway at Foothills Elementary to Mariah Nilson's classroom to surprise her with Trevor and Sean. Here we go.

Hey there, how are you?

Mariah Nilson:
Good.

Anthony Godfrey:
We just wanted to come talk with you this morning, interrupt your class a little bit with a couple of people I think you know.

Mariah Nilson:
Oh, yes, hi.

Anthony Godfrey:
I know, you're backing away from me.

Mariah Nilson:
Sorry, I'm just like really caught off guard, but yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
We talked to your principal, she said you could take a surprise.

Mariah Nilson:
Oh, yes, so that is good. Is this why, okay, I like said hi to you in the hallway, and I was like, wait, that's really weird that you're here, but that was really cool.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you did see them, okay. Can you tell me what happened, kind of talk me through that morning?

Mariah Nilson:
Sure, so it was last week and my daughter and I were on our way to Foothills. We were on Bangerter and something had happened and my tire completely blew. But like did not just die, like it really died, like multiple pieces are flying everywhere, it was really dead.

Anthony Godfrey:
So what was the sound like? How did it feel when that happened?

Mariah Nilson:
It was this huge boom and then my car started swerving and I like freaked out. And then my daughter, she's one and a half and she started screaming. And I didn't really know what was going on. I was like, something is happening. Am I losing control of my car? And so it was very scary. And I started-- like, I put my hazards on, started pulling over all these things. And in my head, I'm like, I don't know how to change this. I don't know how to do anything. I wasn't even sure if it was the tire. I just knew something was wrong. I'm not a very big car person. And so I pulled over. And little did I know that these two lovely gentlemen, they pulled over right behind me. They saw it blow, the pieces flying everywhere and came over and pulled right next into an empty parking lot with me and changed it. Which was super helpful because I was able to tend to my daughter who was very scared still from the sound and then they were able to help me. And again, I didn't know how to do anything and they just immediately took it. They're like, “Oh, we got it. You help your daughter. We'll help you and make sure that you are safe.” So that was really cool.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, it's very fortunate that these two were behind you instead of me, because I would not have been much help. So did it surprise you that it was a couple of Jordan School District employees that happened to be behind you?

Mariah Nilson:
Yeah, that was really cool, a happy coincidence, because I didn't realize until they pulled off that they had a Jordan District vehicle, and then I had my badge on, and that was the first thing that Scott said, is he goes, "Oh, you work for the district too.” And I was like, "Yeah." So then we realized that they are the ones that mowed the lawn here at Foothills, just like a happy coincidence. Like we're like coworkers, but we didn't know it. So that was cool.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you're not just three of the 9,000 employees in Jordan School District who happen to run into each other, but you have this Foothills connection as well.

Mariah Nilson:
Yeah. So that was kind of cool.

Anthony Godfrey:
So they changed the tire. How did it feel driving away?

Mariah Nilson:
So there's another thing my spare tire was flat and I didn't know that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh wow.

Mariah Nilson:
And then when they changed it, they said it was flat. So they followed me to the nearest gas station and then they filled my spare tire with air like completely by themselves. They did all of it, which was really nice because again, I don't know how to do that either. And they made sure that my daughter and I were safe. And I think that was the biggest thing. Cause I was like a nervous wreck. I was really like freaking out and my daughter was still upset. She ended up crying for like almost an hour afterwards at the babysitter. She was really scared.

But like they made sure that my daughter and I were safe and that we could get back to Foothills safely. They even showed me like a side road so I didn't have to get back on Bangerter because I was scared of Bangerter at that point. That my car had gone crazy. But they just went out of their way to make sure that my daughter and I were safe, which was really cool.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's amazing. Now, let's get to know you guys. Introduce yourselves.

Sean Vick:
I'm Sean Vick, work on the grounds.

Trevor Bradley:
Trevor Bradley, yep on the grounds.

Anthony Godfrey:
And so tell me about your experience that day. Who was driving?

Trevor Bradley:
I was driving. Yeah, we just kind of were heading off to go do some work at South Tech. And we saw, you know, the car in front of us, she's just, the tire was kind of shaking a little bit and we could smell it kind of burning at first. Yeah, and then we're like, “oh, I hope she pulls off.” And then it, you know, completely, we just tore right off the rim. And then the tire's rolling down the road. So she pulled off the exit and we just kind of followed her. We had no idea she was an employee. We're like, “well, let's see if they need some help.” We want to help them out if they need it, and then we just pulled over. She got out and I saw the badge and I was like, “Oh, you're a district employee.”

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, that's pretty cool. That's amazing. And that's a good reminder. It's that you pulled over for whoever was in trouble ahead of you. It wasn't because they're a Jordan District employee.

Trevor Bradley:
No, yeah, definitely not.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're driving around a lot as a part of your job. Have you seen this type of thing happen before? Have you helped other people in the past or have you not encountered something like this?

Trevor Bradley:
This is my first time.

Sean Vick:
Yeah, I haven't. This is my first time also.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. So tell me about the experience from your perspective.

Sean Vick:
Well, like Trevor said, we were just driving down the road and I could see the tire was smoking and thought, what's going on with her tire? I didn’t know it was her, but.

Anthony Godfrey:
Which is kind of a bad sign for those listening.

Sean Vick:
Right. That's not a good thing.

Anthony Godfrey:
If your tire is smoking, unless you're a drag racer. Then you’re ok.

Sean Vick:
Right, yeah. And that's when, like he said, pieces started flying off of the tire and then the outer shell rolled off the side of the road and thought, uh-oh, we just thought we'd follow her and make sure that everything was okay. And Trevor's like, “Should we help her?” And I'm like, “Yeah, we better help her.” So that's what we did. We just went in there and it was kind of like a NASCAR pit crew, you know. I just went in the back of her trunk and took out the jack and gave it to Trevor and he immediately knew what to do, over there and started jacking up the car and I got the spare tire, brought it out to him, he took the old tire off, I gave him the new one, he put it on while I put the spare tire back into the trunk and closed it up. I tried to soothe her daughter a little bit because she was a little frightened and was crying but it was just really fast, five minutes and we were done and got her on her way and that was it. We were just glad that we could be there to help her.

Trevor Bradley:
Yeah, definitely.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, it's pretty remarkable because I'm afraid we're moving as a society away from connecting to each other and away from helping each other and thinking, “oh, it's a stranger, I'm sure they can call AAA. I'm sure they have somebody they can call” rather than diving in to help in the moment. So I'm really impressed and proud that two Jordan District employees on the job are gonna pull over and help whoever needs them.

Trevor Bradley:
Yeah, definitely.

Sean Vick:
That's why we're here.

Anthony Godfrey:
As you thought back on this, how have you felt about these two?

Mariah Nilson:
I've just been really grateful for them. When I got to school, I was like, I'm sure you're curious on how I figured out who you were. So you told me your first names, but I didn't see your badges. I just saw your first names. And I talked to my secretary and you know secretaries are really good at getting information. So I told her I was like, “hey, like this crazy thing just happened. I would love to be able to reach out and like to thank them and to like tell their boss or somebody that they did a really good thing for me today.” Because it was again like as soon as I got out, I was like I don't know how I'm gonna get to work. I don't know how to change anything. I'm on my own. I don't know how to do this. So I figured out who they were, my secretary gave me their bosses emails, so I sent this like big email to their bosses and just said like these are amazing men and I'm very grateful for them. And I still am, even like a week later. And I will forever be grateful for them 'cause they helped me when I needed it and when my daughter needed it. And that was really cool.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, I'm really glad you tracked them down and took the time to write that email. That's how we found out about it. And I couldn't wait to meet you and to meet them and to talk about this.

You know, my motto for the district has been, ‘Be curious, be intentional, be united’. And this just epitomizes being united, being someone who's gonna reach out and help. And then on your end, you're gonna make sure that you find out who they are so you can thank them. That's the amazing part, it's like, you know their first names and that's it, and they just kind of disappear into the day and everyone goes about their work. But that's a lasting impact. I'm sure it's something you won't forget.

Mariah Nelson:
No, definitely not.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hopefully it's something your daughter will forget.

Mariah Nelson:
Yes, hopefully so. I would like her to not remember this.

Anthony Godfrey
(laughing) Well, that's remarkable. Thank you for everything you guys have done to support her, like I said, it just, this gives me fuel for a long time. It doesn't surprise me. That's the type of people we have in Jordan District, but it's really exciting to hear about and to meet all of you.

Stay with us. When we come back more with our kind employees taking care of one another.

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:
So tell me a little bit about your time in the district and the job that you do.

Trevor Bradley:
I've been with the district for about two and a half years now so kind of a newer employee, been on the grounds crew the whole time. You know, we kind of just take care of you know, in the summer times we take care of the lawns and all the landscaping and wintertime we’re out there keeping the parking lots cleared and salted.

Anthony Godfrey:
So it's been a pretty smooth year this year?

Trevor Bradley:
Yeah, oh yeah. Not much to do.

Anthony Godfrey:
Nobody watches the weather like you guys do.

Sean Vick:
Oh yeah, just tons of snow.

Trevor Bradley:
Yeah, nobody does.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you work some long and some early hours.

Trevor Bradley:
Oh yeah, yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
In fact, tell me about that.

Trevor Bradley:
Lots of 2:00 a.m.’s this year, 3:00 a.m. and long hours. 14, 15 hour days.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, no, I know. We've relied on you guys more this year than ever before. And people think grounds crew, and they don't realize the wide range of jobs that you have and the things we rely on you to do. Really, safety is at the center of what you're doing too. Now tell me about your time in the district.

Sean Vick:
Well, I've been with the district for 27 years. I left for a few years, went to Arizona, and then came back recently. And I was fortunate to get back on at the district. I was in custodial prior to this, but I thoroughly enjoy the place and I was able to get on the grounds with what a great crew, you know, with Easton as our supervisor. It's good teammates and everything. I love the job. And I love being able to go out and help and, like you said, make the schools safe for all the students and teachers and parents.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, I really appreciate it. Your jobs are essential. We just, we honestly can't function without you. And I'll bet you were missing Arizona this winter.

Sean Vick:
I surely am. I am.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're glad to have you back and, and we're glad to have you joined Jordan a couple of years ago. Anything about being on grounds crew that people might misunderstand about the job or not realize is part of the job?

Sean Vick:
Your school's not the only school.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah, that’s true.

Sean Vick:
Because a lot of people would like to have their lawn mowed first, you know, or their parking lot plowed first and somebody's got to be last, unfortunately. So people get a little upset and, you know apprehensive, when are they gonna be here?

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Sean Vick:
So, we try our best to get there as quick as we can.

Anthony Godfrey:
Honestly, I think we've got the best crews in the state and I talked to a lot of superintendents. We really do. Dedicated people like you who take the job very seriously, love the job.

Sean Vick:
Love it.

Anthony Godfrey:
And it's and it's obvious that you love doing what you do. So, thank you for that. And tell me about your career in Jordan.

Mariah Nilson:
This is my seventh year teaching and my fourth year in Jordan. And I've been at Foothills the whole time under Cherie so she's been great.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what grade do you teach?

Mariah Nilson:
I am currently teaching second. I've kind of bounced around a little bit. I've taught fifth and sixth and now I'm in second.

Anthony Godfrey:
And how are you feeling about the younger kids compared with the older?

Mariah Nilson:
I love them. I love all kids. I've realized like finding there's like fun things in each grade but second grade is really fun.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, that's great. Well, I admire the work that each of you is responsible for in the district and the hard work that you put into it, the early mornings, the late nights, and just thank you for being a part of Jordan and for being such great people.

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

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It is a fun before-school program fostering curiosity and creativity in students at Eastlake Elementary School. On this episode of the Supercast, we hear from members of the “Young Poets Society” and have them read some of their original works. It is a society sparking a strong passion and appreciation for reading and writing poetry.

We're here with the “Young Poets Society” at Eastlake Elementary School. Tell me your name and what grade you're in.

Ellie:
My name's Ellie and I'm in fifth grade.

Shayla:
My name's Shayla and I'm in sixth.

Jennah:
My name is Jennah and I'm in sixth.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me, what is it that you love about poetry? Why did you want to be part of this group?

Ellie:
I think writing poetry is just really fun. It's kind of calming. Yeah.

Shayla:
Yeah, I agree with Ellie and it's like a nice way to get your emotions out without getting angry or sad at something.

Jennah:
I also like how you can, when you read it, it kind of just flows out of your mouth, kind of soothingly.

Anthony Godfrey:
The best poems do. Now do you guys read and write poetry as a part of this group? Tell me a little bit about what activities you're involved in with this group.

Shayla:
Mainly we write poems but occasionally we read the poems to understand how we write them so we can do it better and more effective.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you're learning from other authors. How about for you? What are the activities that stand out for you from this group?

Jennah:
I like how sometimes even when we will write poetry but there's also a ton of different kinds of poetry. Like we'll do blackout poetry where we just color in some of the other words and you can read the words that aren't colored in and it forms a poem.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, so you start with a poem and then black out some of the words to make make your own creation. Is that how that works?

Jennah:
Yeah pretty much.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay how about for you? What are some of your favorite activities with this group?

Ellie:
We used a colored pencil on black paper and we wrote down personification.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about personification.

Ellie:
We used onomatopoeias. We also make things that aren't like people or animals have like people like things I guess.

Anthony Godfrey:
Can any of you remember some examples of when you wrote something that involved personification or read something?

Ellie:
Like the flowers danced in the breeze.

Anthony Godfrey:
Very nice. Flowers don't actually dance but that's a great image. I love the sound of that. We also have Piper Wise here, the media assistant, who started all of this. Tell me why did you want to start the “Young Poets Society”?

Piper Wise:
When I was in fifth grade, a long long time ago, kids, I had a teacher that started a poetry group. And I was very shy, which no one believes these days but it was a great way for me to express myself, and I loved words ever since. And talking with Mrs. Blockburger and Mrs. Burr about how fun that was, we just decided wouldn't it be fun if we started one here? We thought maybe we'd have a couple of kids, but we have 25 kids and they're all very different from each other. So it's cool to see all different interest types and all different groups of kids coming together and learning about the power of words and taking that power for themselves because these kids have a lot to say.

Anthony Godfrey:
I was super impressed coming in early, early to school to read poetry and to write poetry. As a former language arts teacher my heart skips a beat when I see this. It's really exciting. So you were pretty surprised at the turnout it sounds like.

Piper Wise:
Yes, yes it's way bigger than we thought it would be and we love it. It's the best part of the day when we have poetry first. When we have our “Young Poets Society” at the beginning of the day because these kids are just so good and kind and smart and funny. And I don't think you guys realize how much we love it and I'm glad that you guys do too.

Anthony Godfrey:
I was impressed at how quickly students were connecting with the poetry. And I love that the discussions are structured in a way that pulls out their personal reaction to it. Have you been surprised by some of the reactions over time as you've met as young poets?

Piper Wise:
Yeah, and some of the stuff they write as well. I mean, working in the library, you get to know students because of what they read, but you can get even more knowledge about them and their souls and their hearts and their desires and their fears and their hopes and by what they write. So it's really interesting how we can give one cue, one assignment, and then everybody's poems are so different. And we're learning all different types of poems so they can see, if I don't like this type, I can try this type and there's no wrong poem. Nothing they write down is wrong. So that's really encouraging too. I think they're just free to write whatever they need to.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's true. It is nice to start the day knowing you're going to be right no matter what.

Piper Wise:
Right, yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
And with poetry, as you've described, you learn more about the world around you, you learn more about other people, but you also learn more about yourself, and you test your own emotions and your own needs and interests. So, and that was evident. That was on display. It's really, really impressive to see this group.

Piper Wise:
They're a really good group.

Anthony Godfrey:
How does it make you feel to know that you've inspired these students to love poetry the way they do?

Piper Wise:
It makes my heart three times bigger. I just, I feel so proud of these kids and I think they're wonderful and it gives me hope for the future as someone looking backwards. As an adult looking backwards, I just think the world's gonna be okay with these guys in charge because they have a lot figured out.

Anthony Godfrey:
Did it take a little while for you to feel comfortable in the group sharing your emotional reaction to poetry?

Students:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
So over time as you get used to the group a little bit, is that a little bit easier?

Shayla:
Yeah, because you know these people aren't gonna judge you over it.

Anthony Godfrey:
How about expressing your emotions through poetry? Was that difficult at first or is that something that came naturally?

Ellie:
I think it really just depends on the person.

Shayla:
Yeah, because for me it came a little bit more naturally because sometimes it's harder for me to display emotions other ways so going through poetry is a fun and easy way. And when you come to like these you gain new friends.

Anthony Godfrey:
So there's a deeper connection with others and that allows you to express yourself in ways that you might not have otherwise.

Piper Wise:
We work to make the library a safe place this should be the most peaceful safest place in the school in my opinion. I'm biased but that's okay and so it makes me happy to know that kids can come in here and feel safe writing things also. So I like that too.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love that. Thank you for everything that you're doing to make that possible.

Piper Wise:
You're welcome.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're here now with Aliya and Bennett. Aliya, tell me what you love about this poetry group.

Aliya:
I love that everybody can just access their feelings without being shy and the teachers are wonderful. And I just love doing poetry every other Wednesday. It's just a great group and I love the things we do together.

Anthony Godfrey:
Did it take a little bit of time to warm up to feeling comfortable sharing those feelings?

Aliya:
I mean it didn’t take long because I know most of these people here. I mean they're all great and the teachers, Miss Burr was my fifth-grade teacher and Miss Wise and Miss Blockburger were and are our library teachers, so it didn't really take long for me.

Anthony Godfrey:
And have you gotten to know the other students in the group well over time as you've met as young poets?

Aliya:
I mean yeah, we've sat together sometimes and we've talked together we've got to know each other a little bit.

Anthony Godfrey:
How about for you Bennett? What do you love about being here?

Bennett:
Because I like doing poetry and it's fun. Ms. Burr is my fifth-grade teacher and so it's pretty fun and I just like it a ton.

Anthony Godfrey:
So it's pretty fun and I like it a ton. See you just rhyme naturally. The poetry just flows from you Bennett. Tell me what is it that you like most? Is it reading or writing poetry?

Bennett:
I like writing poetry.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. What were some of the poems you've written? Tell me about them.

Bennett:
I wrote a shamrock. I wrote a letter tree.

Anthony Godfrey:
Sorry.

Bennett:
A letter tree.

Anthony Godfrey:
A letter tree? Tell me about a letter tree.

Bennett:
It's where, I'm pretty sure it's where like, so there's the first two lines rhyme, the first two words.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Bennett:
And then the next two lines, they rhyme, and then the last rhyme rhymes with the first two lines.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, okay. Do you kind of like the structure where there are rules that you have to follow and make the imagery and make your words fit the rules?

Bennett:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, I kind of like that too. There are forms of poetry that I've really liked over the years where you have to use the same words kind of in different order and kind of move things around. How about you Daphne, what have you loved about being in this group?

Daphne:
I love this group because I'm not much of a reader, but the words just naturally flow in me. So I've always just, I mean I joined late in the year so I just really enjoy this.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you like Shel Silverstein's “Invitation” this morning?

Daphne:
It really gave inviting you to a warm fire and talk about books and fantasy.

Anthony Godfrey:
Any poems that are favorites of yours, Aliya?

Aliya:
I really love the whole book Where The Sidewalk Ends. I feel like that book just has a bunch of good ones.

Anthony Godfrey:
And sometimes there's a little surprise in the poem that I really like. What other poetry do you like.

Aliya:
I love, I love poetry that's funny, but I also love poetry that makes, that's quite literal and like not sad but like it has like a true meaning that's what I like.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm so impressed that you guys have delved into this. What do your parents think of the fact that you want to come early for a poetry group?

Aliya:
My mom, she likes it. She thinks it's pretty cool and my dad thinks it too. They think it's like cool and I think they think that it's good for my mind and soul.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think it's a great way to start the day. How about you Bennett?

Bennett:
I think they like it because I used to like not be involved in anything and now I'm involved in a ton of things and I really like it. And I think my parents like it too.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think it's fantastic. I'm really impressed with you and the whole group. And who knows? I may have to just stop by and start my day this way again because it's pretty awesome.
Stay with us. When we come back our young budding poets share some of their original works.

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:
Do you have some poetry that you've written that you can read for me? Any of you.

Shayla:
That’s why we brought our folders. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. Sounds good, Shayla. How about let's start with you? Tell me before you read it, can you tell me a little bit about this poem and what you were hoping to accomplish with it?

Shayla:
I just wanted to write a funny poem about leprechauns.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, and who doesn't?

Shayla:
I know.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right, so let's hear it.

Shayla:
They travel from town to town,
they are green and wear a black crown.
To be small is to be
able to see
all the people frown.

Anthony Godfrey:
Very nice, I like it. They seem impish in this poem. Okay, let's hear yours.

Ellie:
Okay, this is an onomatopoeia poem.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Ellie:
In a big winter city, I hear children play,
yell, squill, giggle, laugh, cry.
In a big winter city, I hear people walking in the snow,
crunch, crush, slush, splish, splash.
In a big winter city, I hear a band play music,
ooh, mmm, blah, whistle, tap, ring.

Anthony Godfrey:
So tell me, for those who are listening, what does onomatopoeia mean?

Ellie:
Just sounds that sound like, that sound like what they mean.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, exactly. So can you read, let's go back through that and tell me some of the examples of words that sound like they're meaning.

Ellie:
There was crunch.

Anthony Godfrey:
Crunch. You can just hear the snow. Crunch.

Ellie:
Yeah. Splish splash. There was ooh and mmm.

Anthony Godfrey:
All packaged neatly in a poem that flows really well and makes the most of those sounds. I think that's really cool. Do you have one that you can read for us as well?

Jennah:
This is one of my first onomatopoeia poems.
The bird in the forest, a little bird jumps, thud.
In a forest, a little bird squawks, squawk.
In a forest a little bird flies, swoosh swoosh
In a forest a little bird lands on a tree, creak creak.
In a forest a little branch goes crack, crack, crack.

Anthony Godrey:
Very cool. What are some of your favorite words in there?

Jennah:
I liked it when you can use swoosh and crack because it really shows how the way it's moving.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's great in the poem even when you say swoosh and crack you can just you can really hear the meaning of the word. That's awesome. Do you guys notice words in a different way now that you've been reading poetry and writing it? Are there some words that kind of leap out at you as having a particularly interesting sound or interesting meaning?

Jennah:
Hope.

Anthony Godfrey:
No?

Jennah:
I like hope.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hope. Tell me about the word hope.

Jennah:
Because it really shows like if something's sad you can really you can go read a poem with hope or something, like with the bird poem, that one. With the bird is hope, that one.

Anthony Godfrey:
Have you been reading and writing poetry for a while now? Was it before this year or did you just start this year?

Shayla:
Before. I started writing them when around I was nine, because I was encouraged by one of my teachers at my old school to write a poem about basically anything. So one of my first poems was about fire, because that was when we were getting a lot of fires and smoke from the California and Oregon fires.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Shayla:
So yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
And do you remember feeling like that lit a spark for your poetry love?

Shayla:
Metaphorically and literally.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, very well done, thank you, yes. And how about for you, when did you first start loving poetry?

Ellie:
It was last year. I just thought it sounded fun, so I decided to join Poets Society.

Anthony Godfrey:
What does it mean to you that the adults in the building here are so willing to spend their time and create this experience for you?

Jennah:
Honestly, I think it's really nice of them though because a lot of us are actually really annoying sometimes, so to be fair.

Anthony Godfrey:
Does the poetry make you less annoying?

Jennah:
Yeah, probably.

Anthony Godfrey:
One more benefit of poetry.

Shayla:
I also think it helps to give them a break from the rest of our classes. That can sometimes be a bit of a handful.

Anthony Godfrey:
So this is a good reward for them to get to spend some time talking about poetry.

Shayla:
It's also a good reward for me so I can get a break from them.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's good for everybody. It's good for me. I actually feel energized getting to hear those discussions. We were going to hold this interview and I just couldn't resist. I keep looking through the window like, "Hey, there's some other poems that I'm missing out there. How about for you? What do you think?

Ellie:
I just really like it.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's great. That's the best endorsement you can you can give. What would you say to students who might hear this and think about starting one of their own or other adults who might want to start this up at their elementary school?

Piper Wise:
I would say do it. It's worth your time. It's worth every second you spend extra working on things and working on lessons because as you feel the reward is giant and it's a feeling is the reward and it's it's really good. What would you say if someone's thinking about being part of something like this.

Shayla:
Yeah I mean if you don't like it you don't have to come but if you do it's another thing that you get to love.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well thanks for spending time talking with me about your poetry and most of all thanks for spending time on poetry. Sitting together, writing, reading, and just having this great experience that I'm sure you'll never forget.

Students:
Thank you.

Shayla:
Thank you for coming.

Piper Wise:
Thank you.

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

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They are a valuable resource for families dealing with complicated challenges, including stress, depression, anxiety, and even suicide. On this episode of the Supercast, we sit down with the Cook Center for Human Connection to find out how they are helping families access some of the very best programs available in fostering strong mental health. They are a force for good in the community and Jordan School District is a partner, hoping to help families in need of life-saving and life-improving services.

We’re here with Anne Brown, the President and CEO of the Cook Center for Human Connection. Anne, thanks for joining us.

Anne Brown:
Thank you, Dr. Godfrey, for having me.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm looking forward to talking with you about some of the resources that are offered to our parents and employees through the Cook Center. And I know that we recently had a representative come and speak with school community council chairs at our district-wide school community council meeting. And they were really enthusiastic to hear about some of the things that are being offered. We've emailed the information out before and we've shared it on our website, but I thought this would be a good chance for us to sit down and talk a little bit more about all the great things that parents have access to, to help them with their kids.

Anne Brown:
Yeah, absolutely. We are happy to be providing these services to you. We have two things. One thing is on your website, there's a little circle medallion that is called parentguidance.org. Parentguidance.org is a place for parents to go and be able to find information when they might be dealing with difficult parts of parenting. Things like my child struggling with anxiety or depression, or perhaps their child is cutting, or they could even be experiencing some suicide ideation.

There's courses that are directed specifically for parents that are struggling with these needs and every course is done by a licensed therapist or a psychologist or a psychiatrist. So it's kind of like finding that friend that you could really get some great advice from when you're struggling with something that might be very difficult in your family. So that's available on your website for any family in your district to access, to be able to have. And that's done through a grant from the Cook Center, we make it available to any school district anywhere in the country.

Anthony Godfrey:
And that is really like having a very informed professional friend that can help you with some very specific concerns.

Anne Brown:
Absolutely, yes. And in addition, it's not all about just the problems of parenting. There's also courses on there, there's one called Parenting with a Purpose, and that just, you know, one of the things I always talk about is that not every parent has had child development courses. So you're an educator, I'm an educator by trade. I've had child development courses, but perhaps if you were a young mother, you maybe never had an opportunity to have a child development course. But also, if you're a Harvard MBA, you may not have ever had an opportunity to have a child development course. So it really, it really stretches the gamut. Every parent can always use a little tune-up. So this is things like the tone of voice that you use, how to set boundaries, how to just be more present for your child. That's some of the parenting with the purpose things.

We also have courses on there that are things like how to understand the emotional development of your child at certain ages because as kids go through different stages, their emotions change. What's going on with a child who's five to eleven years old may be very different than a child who's nineteen to twenty years old. And so we have courses at these different stages in their life. I think there's a whole series that's five or six courses, to help parents kind of level set and know, you know, what are emotions you should be concerned about and what are emotions that are just present because that's the age that the child is.

So we have, you know, not everything is about negative things that are happening in your life as a parent. Some things are just about the normal every day and how can you help and understand more. And then also on parent guidance, there are courses that are kind of self-help for the parents, so how to calm your anxious mind, how to rewrite self-beliefs, how to find everyday happiness. Just some of those kind of things, just to kind of help with your mindfulness and helping you find peace in your own life. So it's a really nice collection of resources, and everything is designed specifically to be talking to you as a parent.

Anthony Godfrey:
I really like that it's private, that it's anonymous, and it's on demand.

Anne Brown:
In their home.

Anthony Godfrey:
In their home. So you can really choose how you want to engage and I would really encourage anybody listening to take a look because there's a long list of options. Options you probably wouldn't think about even as you mentioned some of the offerings. It's just something you might not think there would be specific help for. And really, it's nice to be able to access information that is well vetted, comes from an expert, because when you're just searching randomly online for help with certain problems, you don't know whether you can trust that source. And this is a trustworthy source.

Anne Brown:
It is. And also, when you're looking online, it may not be directed to you as a parent.

Anthony Godfrey:
Right.

Anne Brown:
And so this is directed to you. What we say is that at Cook Center, we help educators, which is you, Dr.Godfrey, help parents, help their children. And we're very specific with that because we know where families are is in the schools. Parents are in the schools, kids are in the schools, and families are more likely to access resources when they're available from schools. But parents may not be quite ready, given whatever situation they're dealing with at home, they may not be quite ready to go ask for help. So having this privately on demand in their home makes a big difference, but having it available through their school website makes it accessible to everyone in your district.

Anthony Godfrey:
And as we've talked about ways to help parents and to help employees, one of the obstacles is not wanting to ask for help, not wanting to lose the anonymity. And that's what I love is that you can engage with parentguidance.org at the level that you'd like.

Anne Brown:
Yes, yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Let's pull it up really quick and let's just take a look at some of the topics that are available. Okay, so I'm clicking on courses at parentguidance.org. I mean the splash page is, Are You Worried About Your Child? And we all are to some degree or another. We're just worried about making sure that we're doing the very best we can for our child. Here are a few of them.

Connect with your child by parenting with purpose.

Helping your child when they're bullied.

What parents need to know about suicide prevention.

Understanding your child's emotional development, like you said, five to ten years, eleven to fourteen years.

Protecting our children by staying aware and involved.

Social media, everyday happiness, stopping the yo-yo food cycle. I don't know what that is, but I'm probably on it.

Finding yourself when you're feeling lost.

How to let go of your deepest regrets.

These are some great topics and it's so nice to have all this accessible right here. So I hope that anyone listening will take a look and I'm sure there's something for everybody here. You can also look at the library by topic.

Fatigue, resentment, school, business, frustration, technology, teenager, parenting tips, grief and loss. It's a wide range of topics that you can just click and access and it's really remarkable that this has been pulled together. It's very generous of the Cook Center to make this available.

Anne Brown:
And you can also build your own playlists through different topics. So if you're the parent of a young child, I believe there's a preschool section that you can click on and then it will build all of the courses that might have to do with preschool.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, I just tried that out. Tap on depression, tap on exhaustion, and it just pulls up a list of relevant classes. It's fantastic.

Anne Brown:
And every class is about an hour long, but they're separated into about five-minute segments. So a family could or a parent could sit down and listen to the whole course start to finish, but they may just have one section that they really want to focus on and be able to click right to that section so they don't have to watch the whole thing at once if they don't want to.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back, find out how families can benefit from the parent coaching offered by the Cook Center for Human Connection.

Break:
Are you looking for a job right now? Looking to work in a fun and supportive environment with great pay and a rewarding career? Jordan School District is hiring. We're currently filling full and part-time positions. You can work and make a difference in young lives and education as a classroom assistant or a substitute teacher. Apply to work in one of our school cafeterias where our lunch staff serves up big smiles with great food every day. We're also looking to hire custodians and bus drivers. In Jordan School District we like to say people come for the job and enjoy the adventure. Apply today at employment.jordandistrict.org

Anthony Godfrey:
Jordan School District has contracted with the Cook Center to provide parent coaching and we have quite a number of families who are using that. And the families who've signed up have continued to use it once they've started. Tell us about what is involved there and what's available to families.

Anne Brown:
Yeah, so family coaching is available to any family in the Jordan School District. It’s made available through the school district, through the Cook Center. And how Family Coaching works is right on parentguidance.org you can go to a section called Parent Coaching. You fill out what's called a confidential questionnaire. That questionnaire goes directly to our therapy team. It is HIPAA protected. It's completely anonymous. It doesn't get reported back to the district. No one has access to your information other than the coach that you'll be working with.

Within 24 hours, a family will be contacted by the coach, and that coach can provide up to a half an hour a week of service to any family in the Jordan District. You just identified that you're from Jordan. And we've had about 80 families access this over the past year, and they have received about 2,900 sessions to support the families in the Jordan School District.

The coaches work with the families on whatever they're struggling with at the moment. Some families stay in for a month and some families stay in for a year, and that's fine. They get access to an app, and that app gives them communication access to their coach. So it's not a crisis line. It's definitely a preventative line, but if they need to get in contact with their coach, they have a way to do that through this app, and the coach will contact them within 24 hours. And then the coaches work on the family schedule, and just, you know, work forward from there to help them with whatever their needs are.

Anthony Godfrey:
And like you said, this is, this is not an emergency access, the sort of program. This is a program to help provide coaching and support to families who may be going through some difficulties.

Anne Brown:
Yes, yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
So they don't have to be severe difficulties. It's just, “Hey, I need to talk with someone about how best to approach this particular situation.”

Anne Brown:
Absolutely and we've had everything, you know, we've had everything from families that are going through divorce to we've had young families say, "How do I get my child to use an inside voice.” So the inside voice one might be, you know, you have one coaching session but the family who's going through a divorce, you know, the coach might be by their side for the, you know for six or nine months or even further.

And then you know we've had some severe ones and if it's too severe we ask them to reach out to the 988 lifeline and you know get that crisis intervention when they need it. But for the most part, we're helping families just be stronger, helping parents be stronger parents and feel more confident in their parenting. It's not therapy. We're very clear about this is not therapy.

Anthony Godfrey:
Right.

Anne Brown:
It's coaching to be able to help the—it's just like if you were a ski racer, you're going to have a coach that's going to help you go faster, help you become a better ski racer. This is just the same thing. You have a coach that helps you know some of those tricks of parenting that can help you be a stronger parent.

Anthony Godfrey:
And I think it's important that you emphasize coach. Everybody has a coach. The best players have a coach. You're always trying to get better. You're always trying to tweak your game and increase your abilities. And parenting is not a specific science, so having someone to bounce things off of and get some coaching is a big help.

So that's the other thing about it, is it's anonymous, but it's for a wide range of purposes. And there are the preset classes, there's the individual coaching. I'm just thrilled that we have this range of options available from the Cook Center for Parents.

Anne Brown;
Thank you, and we are so happy to be your partner in your mental health journey for your families. Thank you for having us.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the evolution of the Cook Center. You've been with them from the start.

Anne Brown:
I have.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think it's a remarkable story, and a lot of people will be interested to know that it's based in Utah, started right here.

Anne Brown:
It was, just started down the road in Utah. So the Cook Center for Human Connection, we're a nonprofit, we're focused on mental health and suicide prevention, as we've been talking about. We were started by Greg and Julie Cook. Greg is one of the founders of doTERRA Essential Oils. And Greg and Julie have had the opportunity now to consider how to give back to their community.

One of the first places that they decided to give back was many people on this call probably know, but there will be a new primary children's medical center built in Lehi, Utah, and they were approached to be the first donors to that. So they donated $10 million to bring Primary Children's Medical Center to Utah County. And when they did that, they wanted to give anonymously and the people who were doing the fundraising said, "Please don't, because when you are public about your donation, that provides a halo effect and will bring others to the table to help donate.” So their $10 million donation has now helped spur $450 million that's helping build that, will be the amount needed to build that hospital.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.

Anne Brown:
And why that story plays into mental health is when Greg and Julie made that donation, they were asked to direct it into something so it could have been, you know, emergency room or cardiac or, you know, pediatric orthopedics or something like that. But they were given a chart and it had this little teeny, teeny, tiny sliver and they said, "Well, what's that one?” And they said, "That's behavioral health. That's the hardest place to get funding.” This was 2018, so this was before the pandemic. And they just, from that, they reflected back on early in their marriage when a young boy who was 11 years old in their neighborhood died by suicide. And they thought, "How can that be the hardest place to get funding when this is happening in our state?”

At about that same time, a report came back on Utah Mental Health from the Kemp Gardner Institute and it talked about how the fact that 60% of people in this state that need mental health services can't find them, and also in most states in the country, suicide is the second leading cause of death for 10-year-olds to 24-year-olds, but in Utah it's the first leading cause of death. All of those things came together at once, this donation to the hospital, this reliving of this young boy dying by suicide in their neighborhood and them being involved in that moment because the father was out of town and Greg had to help the mother at that time. And then this report coming out and finding out that Behavioral Health is the hardest place to get funding, and they said, "Wow, this is the cause that we need to put our resources behind.”

So they went beyond just that initial donation and created the Cook Center, brought me in as their first employee, my background is all in schools and education and working with superintendents as well as Ed Tech. And we just did some research and discovered that there is a real marrying point that we can provide these resources to parents, get more people on the team of mental health, provide more access to mental health through our parentguidance.org and through the coaching through schools.

Anthony Godfrey:
Right.

Anne Brown:
Reduce stigma, because if we're talking about it with families, we're reducing the stigma. And you know, we were just able to bring together this whole plan. And interestingly enough, our U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, he didn't come on the scene until 2020, but when you look at the things that he's laid out, it's like what needs to happen. He talks about we need more people, we need more access, we need to support schools, and we need to reduce stigma. And we're doing that. And so, you know, we know we're on the right track to be helping in this space.

So at the Cook Center we do two things. We give and we serve. So a lot of what we've talked about right now is the things that we do to serve.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes.

Anne Brown:
Parentguidance.org and My Life is Worth Living. We also have a grants program. Our first year we funded about 60 Hope Squads around the country. Last year we funded about twenty schools with a program called Choose Kindness that helps schools change to a culture of kindness. And this year we're really proud that we funded twenty-six calm rooms around the country. One of those schools was here in Jordan. I think it was Bingham High School, correct?

Anthony Godfrey:
I think it was, yes.

Anne Brown:
And so, you know, super proud to be supporting. I know we did five schools in the state of Utah and then nationally with the other twenty or so grants that we funded, there were about 14 other states represented.

Anthony Godfrey:
It makes a big difference. We've seen a huge decrease in referrals to the office, especially at the elementary level.

Anne Brown:
Yes, really proud of both the things that we do to serve schools and the things that we do to be able to give to schools. And it's all made possible through the generous donations of the Cook family to the foundation.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, it's great to have you as a partner and it's a great complement to the school psychologists, and counselors, and teachers, and other social workers, other professionals that we have at the schools. This is an important component to that overall plan of helping support students, families, parents, and employees. So, thank you for being an important part of that.

Anne Brown:
Thank you. Thanks for allowing us to be part of it.

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

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. She is living her dream, working as a special education teacher at South Jordan Middle School, making a difference in the lives of students every day. But Lauryn Macedone saw another dream come true not too long ago when she was a contestant on the wildly popular show, “The Voice”, selected to be a part of Alicia Keys' team. On this episode of the Supercast, we meet this superstar teacher and musician who has a heart of gold and a voice that turned heads around the nation and turned the chairs of judges on “The Voice”.

We're here with Lauryn Macedone, a teacher at South Jordan Middle School, talking to her about her experience on “The Voice”. Thanks for taking a few minutes with us.

Lauryn Macedone:
Thank you so much for having me. I'm grateful to be here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me a little bit about your teaching career, first of all.

Lauryn Macedone:
Okay. Yeah. So I actually just started in January, just finished my student teaching at Copper Hills High School, and then this is my first job, so I'm really excited to be here. I'm in special education here at South Jordan Middle School. I'm in the autism classroom specifically, so an autism support classroom. I have seven students and get to help them meet their individual needs and get to help them in their education, so it's awesome.

Anthony Godfrey:
That’s fantastic. I love a good mid-year hire. <Laugh>. Tell me what made you want to be a special education teacher?

Lauryn Macedone:
Oh, that's such a good question. I've known it since eighth grade. I took a peer tutoring class when I was in middle school, had an awesome teacher, met incredible individuals with disabilities who just inspired me. And I knew from then on that I wanted to help them and I wanted to be on their side, and I wanted to be their cheerleader to help them reach their goals and dreams that they have in life.

Anthony Godfrey:
That is a great peer tutor success story, and there are a lot of those out there. It's such a great experience for kids to get to know someone who might be a little bit different from them or from their friends. And I think it changes you permanently when you have that experience.

Lauryn Macedone:
Totally. We're so grateful for all of our peer tutors here. Like we have such a good peer tutoring program and are so grateful for all the students that take a class period out of their day to come and help others and learn from them as well. It’s awesome.

Anthony Godfrey:
And I love to see your enthusiasm and excitement for your new role here at South Jordan Middle.

Lauryn Macedone:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
It is kind of hard to come in the middle of the year and jump in, but it sounds like it's gone really well for you.

Lauryn Macedone:
It has. This school is so supportive, the admin so supportive. I have a ton of awesome aides in my classroom that are super helpful and it just made the transition really smooth.

Anthony Godfrey:
Good. That makes a big difference. We've struggled to hire classroom assistants throughout the district. and it makes all the difference when you have that kind of support.

Lauryn Macedone:
Yes. We're very lucky here. We have amazing aides, so it's awesome.

Anthony Godfrey:
And tell me about your student teaching experience. You were at Copper Hills, another great school.

Lauryn Macedone:
Yes. I loved my student teaching. I was with an awesome mentor teacher, Jacque Sheppick. She taught me so much, was an incredible example. I was in a life skills class over there with 14 students with differing abilities and was able to teach them everything from math to restaurant skills. And it was awesome. We taught everything in between and it was super fun.

Anthony Godfrey:
She does an awesome job. She and her students were on the Supercast a couple of weeks ago as well. It's a great program everywhere you look in every school. It's exciting and it's an inclusive way of providing a great education for students of all abilities.

Lauryn Macedone:
Yeah. Yeah. That's something that I've loved the most about being in Jordan School District, is that I feel like there is so much inclusion in every school that I've been in during my education. I did a practicum placement here, did my student teaching here, and now I'm a teacher here. And every school that I went to was so inclusive and that just runs through all the schools and it's really, really amazing to see.

Anthony Godfrey:
We work hard at that. So it's great to hear that from you.

Lauryn Macedone:
It's great.

Anthony Godfrey:
Let's talk about your career with “The Voice” as well. So how long ago were you on “The Voice”?

Lauryn Macedone:
So it was about six years ago. I was 16 and 17 years old throughout the whole process. I was a junior in high school. And actually kind of coincidentally my blind audition aired six years ago today.

Anthony Godfrey:
Really? Wow.

Lauryn Macedone:
So today was the day <laugh> six years ago. I was so excited that my friends would be able to see my blind audition and they would finally know why I was missing so much school, <laugh> and all of the things.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you couldn't really tell people that you were even trying out or involved or anything like that?

Lauryn Macedone:
No, no. I couldn't tell them until about a month before. And so I just told people that I had a music opportunity and missed a lot of school, but it was super great and it was a great experience.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now let's go back a step. Tell me what got you interested in singing and your singing career up until then.

Lauryn Macedone:
Yeah. I have been singing ever since I could talk if you ask any of my family members. I would give them shows all the time. <Laugh> Whenever there was a fireplace, that was my stage, I was standing on it. I was singing loud and proud for everyone to hear. I would watch like Disney movies and sing along with the princesses and all the things. And so I've been performing ever since I can remember. I went to a performing arts preschool when I was younger.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, wow.

Lauryn Macedone:
And I did plays there too. It's just in my blood. I knew I loved to sing and love to perform.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is there a type of song that you like to sing in particular?

Lauryn Macedone:
It's changed over the years. I started a lot with musical theater and then I kind of jumped. I wanted to be a country singer and now I feel like I finally found myself as an artist. And I love like singer-songwriter style music. I am really inspired by like the sixties, the seventies artists, like Carole King, Joni Mitchell, stuff like that.

Anthony Godfrey:
There is some great singer-songwriter stuff available during that era.

Lauryn Macedone:
Oh yes.

Anthony Godfrey:

And they probably told you I'm a huge music fan. I go to a lot of concerts and live music is a big deal for me. So it's exciting to talk with you and to hear about this experience now.

Lauryn Macedone:
That's fun.

Anthony Godfrey:
Was "The Voice" your particular focus or were there other shows that you considered or tried out for as well?

Lauryn Macedone:
Yeah, that's a great question. I always had people telling me growing up, like, oh, you should audition for “The Voice” or “American Idol”. And I always had it in the back of my mind as something that I wanted to do. But I actually did a voice competition in Provo and they sent my video to “The Voice” and “The Voice” actually reached out to me to come and participate in their audition process.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you did a voice audition in Provo?

Lauryn Macedone:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
But it was an audition for the show specifically, or was it for something else?

Lauryn Macedone:
It was something else.

Anthony Godfrey:
What was that for?

Lauryn Macedone:
It was just a little voice competition in Provo that my parents and I were like, let's just go do it. Sounds like fun. You can go just compete, meet other local artists. So I just went and it was more like a networking opportunity and they were awesome and sent my video to “The Voice” and the rest is history. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. Now people tell you you should try out for “The Voice” and for me they say you should try out for the trivia shows <laugh>, where you can name that song, name that tune, name the artist. It's the Shazam show.

Lauryn Macedone:
You should! You should. There you go.

Anthony Godfrey:
So I can't perform it. I just listen to people like you who can perform it. So the audition, you didn't even know you were auditioning for “The Voice”?

Lauryn Macedone:
Not really. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me what it feels like when "The Voice" contacts you and you weren't even expecting it.

Lauryn Macedone:
It was crazy. I can remember that moment like it was yesterday. I remember it was after a dance class and I was with my cousin and a friend and we were at Bahama Bucks getting some shaved ice. We were just enjoying our time. And I opened up my email and I saw an email from “The Voice”, and I think I, like, I read it at least 10 times <laugh>, just to make sure that it was real, that I was reading it correctly. I called my mom crying. I was like, I don't know what's happening right now. But it was surreal. It was crazy, but it was really cool. So I had to go through a pretty lengthy audition process. There were lots of auditions before you see the blind audition on tv, but just went through that whole process, kept getting through and it was super amazing and super humbling. I didn't expect it at all.

Anthony Godfrey:
Did they ask you to come up with what song you wanted to sing? And did you have to vary that song at each stage of the audition?

Lauryn Macedone:
Yeah. It was different. Some auditions, they asked for four songs, some auditions, they asked for two songs. Some they picked my song, some I got to pick. But the original video that was sent to “The Voice” I sang Girls Just Want To Have Fun, kind of my own rendition of it. And that song stuck with me the whole time. I sang it at every single one of my auditions. And then that was a song that I sang for my blind audition too. So it was kind of my good luck charm.

Anthony Godfrey:
What a great choice. What a great choice.

Lauryn Macedone:
It was great. It was awesome.

Anthony Godfrey:
How many songs did you end up singing for them? Not including the one that you sent in or that they sent in on your behalf? How many songs did you sing before you ended up in the blind audition? Or how many times did you sing a song?

Lauryn Macedone:
Yeah, I think it was four times if I'm remembering correctly.

Anthony Godfrey:
And is this for like producers or people behind the scenes? People with clipboards leaning close as you sing?

Lauryn Macedone:
<Laugh> Yep. In a dark room, ambient lighting, like yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Really?

Lauryn Macedone:
Yeah. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:

Okay, so it's kind of how like I pictured it.

Lauryn Macedone:
Yep. <Laugh>.

Anthony Godfrey:
And did you think, well, I'm pretty lucky to get this far, so I'll just give it a shot? Or were you feeling the pressure?

Lauryn Macedone:
Both, both. I saw so many talented people around me. Everyone that auditioned, I was like, whoa, they're so good. I was so intimidated. I was very intimidated. But I just, I was lucky. My parents were there with me throughout the whole experience and they just said, you're amazing, like, keep going. They were really my big cheerleaders and even when I felt like I wasn't good enough to be there, they helped me to realize that they saw something in me and so I should just keep going. And it was very humbling and I learned a lot from the experience of just to push through and to keep going and to believe in myself too.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back, Lauren Macedone sings for us.

Break:
Are you looking for a job right now? Looking to work in a fun and supportive environment with great pay and a rewarding career? Jordan School District is hiring. We're currently filling full and part-time positions. You can work and make a difference in young lives and education as a classroom assistant or a substitute teacher. Apply to work in one of our school cafeterias where our lunch staff serves up big smiles with great food every day. We're also looking to hire custodians and bus drivers. In Jordan School District we like to say people come for the job and enjoy the adventure. Apply today at employment.jordandistrict.org

Anthony Godfrey:

Describe for those who may not watch "The Voice" what's the structure of the show and how does it work?

Lauryn Macedone:
Yeah. So there are about four rounds that are prerecorded and that go on before they go to live shows. So there's a blind audition where you get to perform for four of the judges.

Anthony Godfrey:
And the judges are famous musicians.

Lauryn Macedone:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Who are then trying to pick someone who wins the competition. And the prize for the competition is a recording contract.

Lauryn Macedone:
Yep.

Anthony Godfrey:
Cash.

Lauryn Macedone:
Yep.

Anthony Godfrey:
Probably the home version, the board game version of "The Voice".

Lauryn Macedone:
Yep. There you go.

Anthony Godfrey:
But along the way, their chairs are turned away from you.

Lauryn Macedone:
Yes. Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
So describe that part of it.

Lauryn Macedone:
Yeah. So they're turned the opposite way so they can't see you. All they can do is hear you. There's no preconceived judgments or notions that come. They just listen to you sing. And if they like what they hear, they turn around, they push a button and turn around and then they fight to have you on their team if you get more than one to turn around. So that's, it was pretty cool. That was the blind audition.

Anthony Godfrey:
And tell me which musicians were there that you got to be judged by and interact with.

Lauryn Macedone:
Yeah. Yeah. So my season, I was on Season 12 and Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, Alicia Keys, and Adam Levine were the judges.

Anthony Godfrey:
That is awesome.

Lauryn Macedone:
It was pretty cool.

Anthony Godfrey:
That is really cool.

Lauryn Macedone:
It was really surreal.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, that's a pretty cool lineup of musicians to be judging you.

Lauryn Macedone:
It was awesome.

Anthony Godfrey:
Also, like you said, it would strike fear in my heart to do anything in front of them.

Lauryn Macedone:
Oh yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Most people would have a tough time talking in front of those four. Just meeting them or chatting with them, much less performing for them. And knowing it was gonna be televised.

Lauryn Macedone:
Totally.

Anthony Godfrey:
Their chairs are turned around and they get to hit the button and turn around and see you once they choose you.

Lauryn Macedone:
Yep.

Anthony Godfrey:
And tell me who chose you.

Lauryn Macedone:
So Alicia Keys, Gwen Stefani, and Blake Shelton all turned around for me while I was singing.

Anthony Godfrey:
That is Insane. That is cool. That is so cool to have three out of four.

Lauryn Macedone:
Yeah, it was, it was surreal.

Anthony Godfrey:
Who was the first?

Lauryn Macedone:
It was Gwen and then shortly after it was Alicia and then it was Blake. So they all kind of hit it like the same moment. It was pretty quick.

Anthony Godfrey:
That is so cool. And then they talk with you afterwards a little bit?

Lauryn Macedone:
Yes. Yes. And I don't remember anything that was said, <laugh>. I don't remember any of it. <Laugh>. I just was like you were saying it was hard to talk, let alone sing and I was just standing there smiling and nodding. Couldn't tell you what they said. I was just in shock. I was like, I want to phone a friend, like where's my mom? Can I go talk to her really fast? This is a big decision that I'm about to make. It was crazy.

Anthony Godfrey:
That is so exciting. And so they have all chosen you, now you get to choose which team you want to be part of.

Lauryn Macedone:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
And did you choose Team Gwen?

Lauryn Macedone:
I chose Team Alicia actually.

Anthony Godfrey:
Team Alicia? Interesting.

Lauryn Macedone:
Yes, I chose Alicia Keys.

Anthony Godfrey:
Even though Gwen chose you first you went with Alicia?

Lauryn Macedone:
Yes. Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Lauryn Macedone:
And I just had this, I just loved Alicia Keys. I thought she was very genuine and very kind and that was so true. She was like a mother to all of us on her team. She was very nurturing and just so genuine and authentic. She was amazing.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's incredible. Yeah. So tell me what happened with the competition after that point.

Lauryn Macedone:
Yeah, so there's a lot more rounds. I made it to the second round, so the battle round where you're paired up with someone from your team and you sing the same song that your judge picks for you. So Alicia chose a song that me and a teammate sang against each other, and you battle for the winner. And my teammate, she was amazing, and so she won that battle and then I went home after that. But it was, it was incredible.

Anthony Godfrey:
That is a huge win. Yes. Getting to go, getting to compete, and having them turn around and push the button three out of four. That is a huge victory.

Lauryn Macedone:
It was.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think that's really exciting.

Lauryn Macedone:
It was so cool. And I think a little bit inside I was so sad, but I was a little grateful cuz I had already missed a lot of school and I couldn't teach myself Trig any longer. I needed to go and be taught by my teachers.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes. Understandably.

Lauryn Macedone:
Yes. So I was grateful, but it was so awesome.

Anthony Godfrey:
Can we take a look at some of the photos and video of your time on there?

Lauryn Macedone:
For sure. This is just a fun one that I took that I could post on social media <Laugh> that said Team Alicia.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's cool.

Lauryn Macedone:
Once I was finally able to make the announcement, I put that out there. This is during the blind audition during my video when Alicia hit her buzzer, but it also hit over a million views on YouTube. So I screenshotted this moment as like a…

Anthony Godfrey:
That you had a million views logged.

Lauryn Macedone:
Yep.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's insane.

Lauryn Macedone:
It was super cool.

Anthony Godfrey:
You look like you were really in the moment. You are fully there.

Lauryn Macedone:
Oh yeah. I had to just focus on my singing or else I was gonna freak out too much. So <laugh> I had to be in it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, that's so cool.

Lauryn Macedone:
I was closing my eyes here and that's when they all turned around and so I opened my eyes and I saw that they had turned around <laugh>. And you can, in my blind audition, I get this little smile. You can tell the moment that I noticed that they've turned around.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's so awesome.

Lauryn Macedone:
It's pretty awesome. This was my whole team.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah.

Lauryn Macedone:
They were awesome. So this guy actually won my season. His name's Chris Blue and he was super cool. This was one of my really good friends.

Anthony Godfrey:
And there's Alicia right at the center.

Lauryn Macedone:
There’s Alicia right there. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you really got some time with her.

Lauryn Macedone:
Uh huh, yeah. It was super neat.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's cool. Okay. Can we watch a little video here?

Lauryn Macedone:
Yeah. This is my blind audition video.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Is this a live band playing with you?

Lauryn Macedone:
Yes.

Lauryn Macedone singing Girls Just Want to Have Fun:

I come home in the morning light,
My mother says when you gonna live your life right?

Anthony Godfrey:
<Laugh> You can see them touching the button.

Lauryn Macedone:
Uhhuh.

Anthony Godfrey:
I would've watched this a thousand times if I were you.

Lauryn Macedone:
I think I have probably.

Anthony Godfrey:
You can see them react immediately.

Lauryn Macedone:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you sound so good.

Lauryn Macedone:
Thank you.

Singing:
Some boys take a beautiful girl and hide her away from the rest of the world.
I want to be the one to walk in the sun...

Alicia thought there were two singers.

Anthony Godfrey:
She thought that was a different person, because you just busted it out right there.

Lauryn Macedone:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
<Laugh>. That's what she's asking Blake.

Lauryn Macedone:
Uh huh.

Anthony Godfrey:
What that shows is your range. They're singing along. They're moving to it.

Lauryn Macedone:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Look at that.

Lauryn Macedone:
Here's the moment right there. You can tell, that's when I saw.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you know what? They're having fun. They're totally enjoying that.

Lauryn Macedone:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
So if anyone wants to watch this, they just search Lauren Judd, L a u r y n  Judd, Draper, "The Voice", and that'll come up. I just can't believe the interaction. it's so exciting. But your performance. Wow.

Lauryn Macedone:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
You sounded so good on that.

Lauryn Macedone:
Thanks.

Anthony Godfrey:
And to do that on that stage, much less do it in the privacy of your own home. That's talent.

Lauryn Macedone:
Thank you. You are so nice. Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
So what are you doing now with your talent besides coming on the Supercast?

Lauryn Macedone:
Yes. Yes. <Laugh>, you know, I have to really find time to make time for this hobby. It's hard when I am so busy, I am trying to bring it into my classroom as much as I can. As a first year teacher, I'm like grasping the curriculum first and then I think I will slowly be able to bring it more into the classroom. But my goal is to integrate music into the classroom a lot because individuals with different abilities relate with music so much. It just connects with them on a different level. And so I really want to utilize that in my teaching. I do perform every once in a while. I recorded a little bit recently. But I really, I need to do music more. I have to make more time for it. It’s hard.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about recording and performing you've done recently.

Lauryn Macedone:
Yeah, I do. I've just recorded an album of original songs that I wrote.

Anthony Godfrey:
Really? So you're composing on top of all this?

Lauryn Macedone:
I did, yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. I think I've said wow about 15 times in this Supercast, but I'm really blown away by your talent. Tell me about the stuff that you’ve written.

Lauryn Macedone:
Yes. So it's got kind of like that sixties, seventies singer-songwriter vibe like we talked about earlier. And it does, it kind of has a Christian base that I've been working around and trying to get into. Just original songs with my heart and feelings.

Anthony Godfrey:
There's good market for that type of music.

Lauryn Macedone:
Yes. Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
<Laugh> Well, I'd love to hear some of your original stuff so send me a link. And I'd love to have a live performance right now, if you don't mind.

Lauryn Macedone:
Oh, yes, yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
My chair does turn if it feels better for me to turn my back.

Lauryn Macedone:
Perfect, Yes. Probably.

Anthony Godfrey:
And then hit the table and spin around.

Lauryn Macedone:
That's what you should do. Definitely. Definitely. Okay, so this is Wild Flowers by Tom Petty.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, I love this song. It’s a great one.

Lauryn Macedone:
It's so good.

Singing:
You belong among the wildflowers
You belong in a boat out at sea
Sail away, kill off the hours
You belong somewhere you feel free

Run away, find you a lover
Go away somewhere all bright and new
I have seen no other
Who compares with you.

Anthony Godfrey:
The crowd goes wild <laugh>.

Lauryn Macedone:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
That sounded so good. I couldn't join in on that I needed to hear you sing. That was so good.

Lauryn Macedone:
You’re so nice. Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Man, you've got a great voice, <laugh>. That was awesome.

Lauryn Macedone:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you. Thanks for sharing your talents today. I wish you the best of luck in the future. And thanks for sharing your talents in our classroom here at South Jordan.

Lauryn Macedone:
Thank you so much for having me, and thanks for letting me be a part of this awesome district.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's fantastic to have you. 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.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. March is National Women's History Month, a time to recognize the vital contribution of women in American history. On this episode of the Supercast, we find out how schools are celebrating, and we sit down with a woman in our school community making history in her own right. Meet Dawn Ramsey, President of the Jordan Education Foundation and the first female mayor of South Jordan City. But first, we stop by West Jordan Middle School, where Martha Hughes Cannon, the first female State Senator in the United States, is being celebrated on morning announcements.

Rae Garrison:
Good morning, West Jordan Middle School, faculty, staff, and students. Give me a heartbeat. Today is Monday, March 20th. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're here at West Jordan Middle School, talking with Principal Rae Garrison and two of our student body officers. Introduce yourselves.

Vina:
Hi, I'm Vina. I am ninth-grade historian.

Allie:
Hi, I'm Allie, and I'm eighth-grade historian.

Anthony Godfrey:
And as part of your announcements every morning, you've been focusing on Women's History Month. Principal Garrison, tell us about this project.

Principal Rae Garrison:
Yeah, so we like to recognize the various national designated months throughout the year. So, you know, Black History Month, Pacific Islander, and of course Women's History Month. So we make a slide for every day to highlight various important figures throughout history. We feel like it's really important to share with the students what these women have accomplished is what the month's all about.

Anthony Godfrey:
Have you been highlighting a different woman each day?

Allie:
Yes. Mm-hmm.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Let's go through some of the ones that you've been featuring. Any favorites along the way?

Principal Rae Garrison:
My favorite slides that we've done are ones that recognize the collective effort of some of our great women leaders throughout history. You know, for example, the Code Breakers of World War II. Over 10,000 women worked as code breakers, deciphering enemy messages.

Allie:
I would say my favorite one so far is Mary Jackson. We learned about her last year in language arts, and I think it was really cool to see like how she was the first one to like break those codes and stuff. And it was like, she was super smart and people like didn't realize that and she showed them who’s boss kind of thing and I love that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah <laugh>. That's awesome. How about for you?

Vina:
I think mine is Patsy Mink because she just like stood up and became one of the first like women to be in the Congress, which I think is really like, powerful and for like, her time. And so I think that she's like a really good role model.

Allie:
March is Woman's History Month. So Principal Garrison's Woman's History Month highlight is Martha Hughes. Martha Hughes Cannon was a Utah Woman's Rights activist and suffragist. Martha was working at the age of 14. At 16, she enrolled in the University of Deseret, which is now called the University of Utah. She received a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry. She attended the University of Michigan and received her MD, Medical Doctor. Cannon worked as a doctor and fought for women's rights. She helped put women enfranchisement voting into Utah's constitution when it was granted statehood in 1896. On November 3rd, 1896, Cannon became the first female State Senator elected in the United States, defeating her own husband who was also on the ballot.

Anthony Godfrey:
And tell us about who you featured today.

Allie:
This was Martha Hughes, and we have a wall of her. I think she's just really cool that she did all this stuff such as like advocate for women's rights and stuff, and I love how she defeated her own husband in that <laugh>. I think that's really fun.

Principal Rae Garrison:
Martha Hughes Cannon being the first female in Congress certainly sends a message to our young ladies that you can accomplish great things.

Anthony Godfrey:
And it's a particularly important message in middle school. Just to be reminded that you can do things that you may not think you're capable of.

Principal Rae Garrison:
Yeah, absolutely.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love that you've got her up on the wall. And Principal Garrison, you've done such a nice job of creating an engaging space for students. There's a lot to see here. Anyone who hasn't been to West Jordan Middle is missing out on all the murals and it's a great way of making the most of students’ time here. Thanks very much for letting us drop in on your announcements and I think you guys are doing a great thing here, so keep it up.

Allie:
Thank you.

Principal Rae Garrison:
Thank you, superintendent.

Vina:
Thank you so much.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're here today with Mayor Dawn Ramsey to celebrate National Women's History Month. Mayor Ramsey, thanks for joining us.

Mayor Dawn Ramsey:
Well, thank you very much for having me. It's an honor to be here.

Anthony Godfrey:
How many years are you into being a mayor now?

Mayor Dawn Ramsey:
This is my sixth year as mayor.

Anthony Godfrey:
And not only are you mayor of South Jordan, but you've been involved with Jordan School District in many, many ways for a very long time. And we want to talk about that. Really to start off with, I think the first time that I really remember calling on you for help was when we had a group of parents talking about a boundary change, and you came in and talked with those parents. You just did such a nice job of conveying just your confidence in the District and in the school. And we've relied on you many times since then, but I've always appreciated your support for the District with everything else that you have going on.

Mayor Dawn Ramsey:
Well, thank you. I thought about that the other day. I went to the musical, fantastic musical that they did at Elk Ridge Middle School. They just did Suessical and I was there and I thought about the first time we met. I was PTA President at Elk Ridge is what it was. And yeah, there were some boundary changes and a good opportunity to talk about some of the great things that were happening at Elk Ridge Middle School, but that was a long time ago. I was trying to do the math. It's been at least 11 years, I think.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Yeah. It's been more than a decade. Yeah. Tell me, let's focus on your work as a mayor first of all, let's talk about that. You've been visiting classrooms with us to honor Outstanding Educators, and as a result, you get to interact with a lot of students. And there's something that a student said to you as you were leaving that I thought was particularly poignant. Well, would you talk about that a little bit?

Mayor Dawn Ramsey:
Yes, for sure. I love going into the classroom and seeing the students and the teachers being part of presenting some of these awards. Visiting schools means a great deal to me. But the students are so fun. If you're ever having kind of a down day go in and get greeted by a bunch of first graders or fourth graders or seventh grade, they just brighten my day. I have had more than one student say to me as I've been leaving. It's something I've heard a few times. I didn't know a girl, or I didn't know a woman could be a mayor. <Laugh>. I've had a lot of young kids say that to me.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. And what's your response when they say that?

Mayor Dawn Ramsey:
It's true. It is true. A woman can be a mayor and you could, whether they're boys or girls, young men or young women, you could be too if you decided. You can be anything you'd like to be. And they usually think that's pretty cool.

Anthony Godfrey:
I definitely do not remember a mayor visiting my classroom. No question about that. I'm amazed, as we've talked over the years at the number of committees you've served on and led. The groups that you've been in charge of, you really engage in ways that make me wonder, and I'm a busy guy, how you're able to do everything that you do. So tell me, let's go through some of the things, as many as you can remember, how many of the boards and advisory groups that you have been a part of as Mayor of South Jordan.

Mayor Dawn Ramsey:
Wow. On the spot that might be hard to come up with. I’ll rattle off a few.

Anthony Godfrey:
I wasn't joking when I was saying the ones you can remember, because over the years, you've been involved in a lot.

Mayor Dawn Ramsey:
There have been a lot and it's been a privilege. But when I ran for mayor the first time, and then again the second time, my commitment to the residents was that I would make this my full-time effort and give it my all. That I would do everything I could to give South Jordan a seat at the table anywhere that I could. And I'm proud to say that I've accomplished that almost to an exhausting level sometimes <laugh> as you mentioned. But it's been such a blessing. So, let's see. I had the chance to serve for the last four years as a member of the Board of the Utah League of Cities and Towns. And I just wrapped up my term as president. I've been an executive officer for the last, this is my fourth year as an officer. So I guess five years on the Board.

Anthony Godfrey:
The League of Cities and Towns has kind of a mystery to it. Like the Justice League or something.

Mayor Dawn Ramsey:
Yes, <laugh>. That is the coalition that represents all 250 plus cities and towns in the state of Utah. We have an organization where we come together and work together, and we work a lot at the legislative session with legislators to make sure that policy is crafted that is going to be helpful and not hurtful to local government. And to advocate for local control and things that are important and to also share best practices. So it was an honor to be chosen amongst my peers from across the state as President of our organization. I'm currently chair of the Wasatch Front Regional Council, which as I mentioned, does the transportation and land use plans for the entire Wasatch front. So we've got seven counties from Box Elder down to Salt Lake County, and it's an honor the next two years to chair the Wasatch Front Regional Council. And I'm also the first woman in their more than 50 year history to ever chair the council. So that's quite an honor. Let's see. My goodness, I, for the last three years have been the public sector vice chair of the Economic Development Corporation of Utah. This is gonna get boring. This list is kind of long.

Anthony Godfrey:
No, no. Keep on going, keep on going.

Mayor Dawn Ramsey:
Let’s see. I represent cities on the Utah Unified Economic Opportunity Commission that was created by the governor and legislature two years ago. And that's the governor, the speaker of the house, the president, and members of the cabinet. And I represent the seat for cities and towns on that. I serve as a trustee for the state on the Point of the Mountain State Land Authority, working on the Point as we redevelop the prison site. I serve on the Olene Walker Affordable Housing Board for the state and also on the State Drinking Water Board.

It has been a long time. I started on the Jordan Education Foundation when I was region director. I think I was still associate director for the PTA for Jordan School District. So it's been, this is my 10th year on the Jordan Education Foundation Board, and a privilege to be a part of the work, to engage the community to help provide resources to fuel success in Jordan School District, to work as a companion organization to be part of this.

When I was elected mayor, I was not willing to let the Jordan Education Foundation role go because it's where my heart is. It's what I love to do. So it's not because I'm the mayor that I'm on the Education Foundation, it's because I've been there for a long time and now I happen to be a mayor. But it's been a privilege to serve with so many great volunteers from our community and to come together with businesses, business leaders, educators to recognize teachers and provide classroom grants. And I'm very proud that we were able to start the Principal's Pantry program, which is now in every school. Beds for kids. We do all sorts of things, clothes and eyeglasses, and there's so many things that we've been able to do and grow that it's really been an honor to be part of it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Talk about your PTA involvement as well over the years.

Mayor Dawn Ramsey:
I've been PTA president a lot of times, <laugh>, <laugh> and I thought I was gonna be able to kind of stay under the radar. I was president at our kids elementary school. My kids have gone, we've got six kids and they've gone to several, so many of the schools that we have. As boundaries change and things move around and you join different programs and things like that. So I've served in the PTA a lot. And then I was able to serve as associate director and then as region director for the Jordan PTA for four years. So as the parent representative, working closer with the administrative level and with the volunteers at all the schools at every school. And then representing our district on the state PTA board.

Anthony Godfrey:
You've done a ton <laugh>, you've been everywhere all the time. I think the movie is Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Mayor Dawn Ramsey:
I don't know about that, but I actually finished my last six months as Region PTA Director were my first six months as mayor. I did both.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us when we come back more with Mayor Ramsey.

Break:
Hello, I'm Tracy Miller, President of the Jordan School District Board of Education. There are seven members on the Board of Education, one in each voting district. We are committed to listening and serving our constituents as we work together to provide the best possible learning environment for the students we serve. As members of the Jordan Board of Education, we believe it is our duty and responsibility to: increase student achievement; provide parents with the choices they deserve and desire; recognize and reward quality in educators; empower school leaders through policy governance and professional development; and communicate with the public, legislators, business leaders, cities, and parents. We invite you to get to know the Board member who represents you in your voting district and to please join us at our monthly board meeting held on the fourth Tuesday of every month. Or listen from the comfort of your home, on our live stream. For more information and to find your Board member, visit jordandistrict.org. With parent and community input and support, we will continue our work to give students every opportunity to succeed in Jordan District schools and beyond. Thank you for your support. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Anthony Godfrey:
Let's talk about your time as mayor. What was it that made you want to run to be Mayor of South Jordan City?

Mayor Dawn Ramsey:
Well, I love the community we live in and I had been involved for many years as a volunteer in the community. Often it was through education, volunteering a lot of time in the classrooms, a lot of PTA. Just spent a great deal of time volunteering also in the arts, also in little league sports. And so had just done a lot of volunteering in the community and the mayor wasn't running for reelection. There was an open seat. And I just decided I'd love to take the opportunity to represent our community and to give my all, my full-time, my best efforts to advocating for the residents if they want me to. And felt confident that I could do a good job. I knew I had a lot I'd need to learn, but I thought, if I give my best to this, I think I could make a difference for this community. And if the residents want me to, I'm willing to give it my all. And was humbled and honored to be elected the first woman ever elected mayor in the city of South Jordan. And to have that chance and now to be reelected, it's an honor to get to represent our city.

Anthony Godfrey:
And I wanted to ask you about that. How does it feel to be the first female mayor of a city?

Mayor Dawn Ramsey:
Well, humbling, honestly. It might surprise some people that South Jordan's been a community since the beginning of the settling of Utah. And so it's been a very long time. And we've got a fantastic wall that images of all of the previous mayors of the city are on. And it's gonna look a little different at one point when all of a sudden there's this blonde woman up there next to all the gentlemen who have served so well. But I'm honored to get to do it and feel like it's a chance to be a role model to young women, young men, men and women, everywhere. I never wanted to run on the vote for me because I'm a woman platform ever. Vote for me because I'm the best candidate is what I was running on. And I just appreciate the confidence that the residents have in me and the opportunity to show that decisions about who may or may not best fill a role, shouldn't come down to gender. It should come down to who's the best candidate, who's gonna do the best job there. And I feel strong about that, but it really is an honor to get to do this and to be a role model.

Anthony Godfrey:
What are some things that people might be surprised or that surprised you about becoming mayor? Some things maybe people wouldn't expect are part of the job or are difficult parts of the job.

Mayor Dawn Ramsey:
Well, no two days are the same. Anytime someone says, what's your day like, I could never give you just one example of what it is. I could say a lot of meetings, you know? No two days are the same. What has surprised me, probably what surprises me the most is how much I love it. Because if you look back over the last five plus years it's been a rocky time sometimes politically in our country. We've had a lot of public discourse that's been contentious. It might surprise you that I love it so much. It is not all roses, but I'm honored to do the work of the people. The thing that surprised me the most when I jumped into this, my intention was to give my very best efforts and to try to wear myself out. But I never understood what a benefit it would be to me. That I would be the lucky recipient who was blessed to get to know so many people and that my life would be enriched. I almost feel selfish saying that because it's enriched my life so much to get to be part of wonderful things with amazing people. That's what surprised me the most.

Anthony Godfrey:
You do get a bit of a backstage pass to the city as a whole and all of the things that are going on and I'm sure get to meet a lot of people that you wouldn't have the opportunity to otherwise.

Mayor Dawn Ramsey:
Absolutely. And you know, I really appreciate, even if I meet people because they come to talk at city council meeting. If they come to speak during public comment or something, and whether they come to say there's something they're happy about or they have a question or a suggestion or whether they're not happy, I appreciate people's willingness to engage in the process and to come. I absolutely believe if somebody's willing to come and speak they deserve the chance to be heard. And I really am grateful and will always stand up for everyone's right to have the chance to come and say what they want to say. Even if I don't agree with what they come and say, I'll always defend the right to be able to do it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Sure. What would you say to young people or others who are considering the possibility of running for elected office?

Mayor Dawn Ramsey:
I would say if you get that inclination, if that crosses your mind and you find yourself interested in thinking that might be something you'd like to do, absolutely do it. The trouble these days as things have become a little more contentious is that there's a lot of good people who might be interested, but they just won't run because it's not easy. It is not easy. And as long as you go into it, knowing that, that it's not meant to be easy. The nature of our system, the way things are set up is that anyone in this government of the people has the chance to run and to participate. And so, you know, when you're going to represent the people you're opening yourself up to criticism, if that's how the people feel, whatever it is.

The opportunity to be part of this great work to be stewards over the money, the taxpayer's money, which I believe is sacred. Sacred funds and a sacred obligation and I don't mean that in a spiritual sense. I just think there is a deep significant responsibility with overseeing the taxpayer's money. And the obligation to get that right is significant. But there are so many great opportunities for people to serve that. If anyone out there is ever considering, ‘ah, someday I might wanna do that.’ Absolutely do it. Inform yourself, learn about the issues, participate. My counsel would be to be well informed. Go for it. I appreciate and tip tip my hat to anyone willing to put their name in the ring to run for public office.

Anthony Godfrey:
So in other words, if you have that inclination, listen to it and pursue it and see where that takes you by becoming more informed and kind of envisioning that possibility for yourself. Don’t just tamp it down and move on.

Mayor Dawn Ramsey:
Absolutely.

Anthony Godfrey:
Any parting thoughts on Women's History Month?

Mayor Dawn Ramsey:
I'm honored to stand on the shoulders of giants. There are great men and great women who have gone before. Who have paved the way. I'm grateful for the good women and men who fought for women's suffrage, who really paved the way for me to do this work that I love. To do the work of the people and to be involved because I wouldn't have had this opportunity if I'd been born a hundred years ago. And it's an honor to be part of it and to serve with so many good people. And I think it is important that we have the voices of both good men and good women at the table. It gives balanced perspective that I think helps us come up with the best policies, leading to the best outcomes. I think that's critical. And so I'm just honored to be part of it now and paving my own little tiny trail through history and just grateful for everyone who went before who have allowed me the opportunity to be here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, thank you very much for everything you do as mayor and everything you've done for Jordan School District at school, students and employees over the years.

Mayor Dawn Ramsey:
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.