Author: communications

Graham Bany:
The more students know that you are willing to use AI to support them, even if you don't know what the subject is, we can use SchoolAI Spaces, the chatbots, to help create these tutors for the kids. School's supposed to be fun I'm not supposed to be bored here all day.

Anthony Godfrey:
It should be fun, absolutely.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Teachers in Jordan School District are transforming their classrooms with more personalized, efficient, and engaging lessons than ever before, thanks in part to the use of SchoolAI. On this episode of the Supercast, we take you inside an amazing classroom at Valley High School. It's where students are thriving, and the classroom experience is more dynamic, thanks to a teacher who is diving in, using SchoolAI to reach and teach students in a way that is elevating the educational experience for everyone.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're here at Valley High School with one of the teachers in the District who has used AI earliest and most often. Graham, go ahead and introduce yourself.

Graham Bany:
Yeah, so I'm Graham Bany. I'm an English Language Arts teacher at Valley High School. I also do digital coaching and my co-teacher Rachel and I are over the school newspaper, which we've kind of reimagined in kind of a digital form. It's a little less formal, a little bit more creative. I'm going to do a lot of fun things here at Valley.

Anthony Godfrey:
For those who don't know Valley High School, explain what Valley High School is all about.

Graham Bany:
Valley High School is the best school to go to. It is an alternative high school and alternative is often viewed as a pejorative. Alternative in this sense just means different. We have smaller class sizes. We have more deep and meaningful relationships with students. We take the time to understand every kid, every situation, every story. We are given the opportunity to try things in different ways that may be better for students. It's an incredible building that is a playground of creativity and innovation with the main goal to support students who have not been as successful in buildings where they have previously been and to try to push them towards their most successful and fruitful lives, whether that is in formal education, whether that is a trade school, or whether that's just going out and being the best version of themselves that they can be.

Anthony Godfrey:
Very well said. And there's an incredible collection of very dedicated educators here at Valley. And like you said, I like the way you put that. It's an alternative. It's a choice. What are the alternatives? This is one of those choices, and for students, this becomes the right choice for a wide variety of reasons. People might have ideas about what reasons they think kids have for coming here, there are many, many more than what you might imagine.

Graham Bany:
Honestly, my favorite are the burned-out honors kids that just need someone that's going to challenge them and remind them that it's okay to not be entirely as perfect as they felt they've had to be or the kids that are just looking for a second chance and want a teacher who knows nothing about them. It's just the beautiful opportunity to welcome every kid every day and create meaningful learning environments and opportunities to just support them.

Anthony Godfrey:
You get to redefine yourself when you come to Valley.

Graham Bany:
Everyone. Teachers, students, this is a beautiful, beautiful place, and it is the only place that I want to be.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, I'm very proud of what happens here. It's just incredible results in graduation rates beyond conventional high schools elsewhere in Utah. So lots of great results beyond just the relationships and the support that really honestly lasts a lifetime because of the impact that teachers have on students here.

Graham Bany:
It would not be without the support of the District and you that allows us to do the amazing things that we do. We get to do this because it is needed and it is supported because it is successful and good.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's an easy place to support that way. So let's talk about your journey with AI. You started with AI before we adopted SchoolAI as an entire district. You were dabbling already because, as you just demonstrated, you are focused on your kids being successful, and you wanted your students to have every opportunity that others do. You were also feeling a little bit overwhelmed at teaching at that point. Is that fair to say?

Graham Bany:
Yeah, I think burnout is a part of the story. We cannot ignore that teacher burnout is one of the most common experiences in education. Between years three and five, the majority of teachers leave the profession. So I was at the end of year three and I had switched from a different school over to here, and I was picking myself back together as a teacher. It is hard to admit that sometimes, no matter how much we love the job, no matter how great we are at the job, no matter how perfect everything goes, that it is exhausting and it is difficult and it is a grind. So AI kind of started--AI has been around for a long time, but this iteration of generative AI where students started using it and we started noticing that uptick in cheating, is really when it started to pick up on my attention. So I had students--we read--it was EpiCac by Kurt Vonnegut where a computer falls in love with someone and I had my students use ChatGPT to write a love poem. So they were using it. I had no idea what things were and tried that. I was like, "Oh, this is kind of clever. It's creating interesting things. I think I can use this for lesson planning." And I was a tired teacher who had agreed to teach summer school and I had a two-week unit that I had not prepped or planned for. So I quietly, late at night, stayed up trying to figure out how to use to help me prepare the materials I had and create my objectives. I used it as a lesson planning partner for the very first time and summer school was much easier than it had been in the past. So it kind of got easier. Then I went to these coaching meetings where I get harassed by Teaching and Learning into using a fun new tool and they lovingly took my hand and guided me towards SchoolAI. I had never met any of them, but it was just the friendship and the collaboration that they brought to these different things that were going on in the District that really gave me the opportunity to try things, test things out.

Anthony Godfrey:
When you hear people talk about AI in the classroom, that it will create more distance between teacher and student because you've got now artificial intelligence doing everyone's work, in fact, it sets aside the menial task that is-- the menial tasks associated with teaching and learning — and allows you to really connect in a more personalized way. Would you agree with that?

Graham Bany:
Yeah. I mean, mathematically, like, we don't have to be upset and think, "I can't do everything for a student." When I have 100-plus students in my classrooms a day and I'm supposed to be providing them meaningful feedback, which is the greatest way to support them and help them. What kind of feedback can I give a kid if I'm limited to, "I got two minutes per kid and I better have the same brain power for every kid all day from 9 a.m. until when I'm done?" It doesn't happen and we can't expect that and then if we want to do that meaningful feedback, we're taking it home. So using AI in these places to accelerate these things that we're doing, still verifying everything that we are using and using it in a way to help us be as effective as possible to the most amount of students while still maintaining our own life and humanity, because the happier the teacher is, the better the classroom feels. If you're not spending your Saturday grading, you're going to come back to the class so much more refreshed and ready to go which brings you back together with them.

Anthony Godfrey:
But the same is true for students. If the menial task is set aside and the engaging, creative, personalized tasks are all that you have left, then learning becomes much more exciting than it might be otherwise.

Graham Bany:
When we have these things that are new, unique, creative, that we can find use cases for that the students have no clue could be a thing. We excite them, we engage them, we feed their hunger and curiosity. We can make it fun, right? School's supposed to be fun. I'm not supposed to be bored here all day.

Anthony Godfrey:
It should be fun. It should be fun, absolutely. So you mentioned earlier this question of cheating. When people talk about AI and cheating, what do you say in response?

Graham Bany:
People have always cheated. Always. I remember in high school, one of my buddies was using his older sister's current events that she had saved, like the write-ups that she had done, and he would bring them into class. The teacher wouldn't read them, so no one cared, and it was fine. Cheating's always happened. Cheating will always happen. It's just more convenient for the students to generate slop that they then pass off as their own. But cheating is cheating, and you can address it in any number of ways. But the whole goal should be finding a way to get the kid excited and engage them in the task, but also keeping that openness about it happening. We're not dumb. We know what AI writing sounds like. I don't know if at the District level you all have seen AI resumes or cover letters.

Anthony Godfrey:
It starts with "How are you doing?" and then there are "M" dashes all throughout it.

Graham Bany:
The "M" dash is crazy. I got an English degree, and I know how to use them, but I don't even like using them. So when I see a kid use one, or I've never seen you use a complete sentence, every sentence, for an entire page, something's the matter. The solution to cheating is engagement. That's always been the question in education. How do we engage our students? How do we get them excited to come to class? How do we keep them excited while they're in class? We're moving phones out of their hands. We are trying to be as engaged constantly in whichever ways and whichever approaches, but in a lot of ways, if you know the kid and you understand how they write and you understand how they sound, you can catch the cheating. It creates that opportunity for a conversation and connection, which you can maybe figure out why they want to do that. When you find out the "why," you can actually address the problem. To be honest, I don't think kids cheat other than something is not fun to do, but usually they're cheating because they don't understand. When you can figure out why they don't understand and teach them and show them you care enough about them, maybe they'll come to you and ask next time, and maybe it's just never actually going to be a problem again.

Anthony Godfrey:
Sometimes it's AI that creates the space that allows you to do that and to have that connection because so much has already been taken care of.

Graham Bany:
The more students know that you are willing to use AI to support them, even if you don't know what the subject is, we can use SchoolAI Spaces, the chatbots, to help create these tutors for the kids.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us when we come back. More with Graham Bany and SchoolAI.

Male Voice:
Never miss an episode of the Supercast by liking and subscribing on your favorite podcasting platform. Find transcripts for this episode and others at supercast.jordandistrict.org.

Female voice:
Does your child need the flexibility to learn from anywhere at any time, on a cruise, in another country, or simply at home, cozy on the couch? The Jordan Virtual Learning Academy is tailor-made for you and your family. It's personalized, dynamic virtual learning on your schedule. The Jordan Virtual Learning Academy is an integrated system of three schools in Jordan School District: Rocky Peak Virtual Elementary School, Kelsey Peak Virtual Middle School, and Kings Peak High School. Our programs are designed to meet or exceed District and state core curriculum standards, ensuring your child receives a superior educational experience tailored to their needs. Join us today at JordanVirtual.org.

Anthony Godfrey:
When you talked about your journey with SchoolAI and with AI generally, you were one of the early superusers that first summer who really helped shape what SchoolAI is doing across the country at this point.

Graham Bany:
Internationally.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes.

Graham Bany:
Yeah. They're all around the world.

Anthony Godfrey:
They are. So it was your input and the input of a hundred other educators in Jordan that really helped shape things because you're saying, "Hey, well, what about this? Can AI do this? Can SchoolAI help us accomplish this?" It really was exciting to watch how quickly it took off in Jordan and how, as you indicated, how far and wide SchoolAI has taken off as well. Let's talk about some of the tools that have sparked your interest lately and some of the things that you're able to do. Let's talk about concretely how it helps you as a teacher and how it helps your students in class.

Graham Bany:
So when it comes to AI in the classroom, there's two basic ways that I think we can look at it: Teacher-centered and student-centered. So the teacher-centered is going to be these different AI tools that we can use or the different ways we can use the tools to accomplish what we're trying to. So in the course of a week as a teacher, I'm using AI to help me go through my weekly planning. I'm using it to help me organize my to-do list and maybe kind of set things up in a way that's a little bit more accomplishable. I'm using the built-in AI tools and different software to help quickly generate from my lecture notes slides that I'm going to be using in Canva. All sorts of different things. Whether we're doing lesson plans, I'm creating word banks, I'm using it to adapt assignments to the different WIDA levels of students in my classroom so that I can make sure every student has an engaging activity or assignment that is actually at their level and challenging them.

Anthony Godfrey:
Explain to folks what WIDA scores mean.

Graham Bany:
WIDA scores are essentially just a measurement of the student's current ability with their language. So if we have a student that is a multilingual student, being able to use AI to maybe adapt for a specific low reading ability, which as they're developing their reading ability in multiple languages, right? They're a super smart kid, but maybe they just need things to be at a different way or maybe they need supports for what they're reading, like a word bank. And for us to sit down and do that, maybe that takes 15 minutes and that's a worthwhile use of our time. With AI, we can do that maybe 15 seconds and have a support for the student that is appropriate to their level that allows them to engage in the classroom activity or reading or assignment in the same way as the rest of their peers. When we know what we're doing and we know what we need to do and we know how we can do it well and quickly, job becomes fun again.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Well said. Absolutely. So let's look at some of these tools that you're using lately.

Graham Bany:
Okay. So this first one, we came up with this last year. So what we did on SchoolAI with Spaces, these would be their custom chatbots, we can custom-program them to do whatever we want them to do.

Anthony Godfrey:
Custom Spaces, describe Spaces for those who aren't familiar.

Anthony Godfrey:
Spaces essentially is a chatbot that is running through the SchoolAI filter which is built to be appropriate for students and to be kind of centered more towards these educational goals. So teachers go in, they write a prompt and the prompt is not coding, the prompt is really strong creative writing skills explaining exactly how you want the experience to go.

Anthony Godfrey:
Right.

Graham Bany:
And then we tested a bunch of times to make sure that even our most engaged students aren't breaking it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Graham Bany:
And we use it with the kids. So this would be where we are at student centered. So instead of just teacher centered, this would be the thing that is student facing only.

Anthony Godfrey:
Spaces allows you to do almost like a ‘choose your own adventure’ sort of experience where you're put into the Revolutionary War or on an expedition with Lewis and Clark and you're interacting with you're interacting with SchoolAI in a way that creates a personalized adventure and experience.

Graham Bany:
Exactly. So I went to our school librarian and I had Tierca export from the library catalog, the list of the most frequently checked out books and the entire library catalog. So this is a bot that is set up with PDFs. So I uploaded those PDFs and it has basic prompting to engage the students in helping them try to find a book. So me the librarian or me and the other adults in there may not always know everything or may not always have all the free time to sit and help a kid pick a book, especially when we're in there. So they have the option where they could scan a QR code, pull this up and go through books by any sort of way that they would like to.

Anthony Godfrey:
And limited to the books in the library. What a great idea. So it's right there on the shelf if they once they find a book that they're looking for. Let's try it out. Can we launch it here?

Graham Bany:
Yeah. So if you just go into send a message right there. It is set up with summaries of each of the books. so it has a basic understanding about what's going on.

Anthony Godfrey:
So I just chose books similar to the ones you like. Tell me a book you like and I'll suggest similar titles from our library. All right. I'm going to try The Pigman. That's a book from the 60s. Let's see if they . . . Here are some books from the library. They're similar to The Pigman focusing on teen life, friendship and real-world struggles. The Outsiders is a great match for that. Winter Girls: Leah Struggles with Loss. Boy 21: Basketball and friendship help two boys cope with grief and change in their lives.

Graham Bany:
Wow.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. I want to read all of these books. That's pretty awesome.

Graham Bany:
So our librarian then took these as a basis and started building different experiences with the chatbots. So it would be like a murder mystery where the kids were going around finding different books. So we've kind of used these as a basis that kind of sets off other people's creativity and so she's used them to do different sorts of activities with students in the library.

Anthony Godfrey:
What has the reaction been from your students as they have had the opportunity to use AI to enhance their learning?

Graham Bany:
Like any good thing, we can overuse it. We can overdo anything.

Anthony Godfrey:
Right.

Graham Bany:
There have been times where we've done it multiple days in a row where they want to break. And I think that's a true testament of what's kind of going on in our world. The kids want to be disconnected more. So I think AI used in very controlled doses, very intentional moments, is very beneficial. Just like Shakespeare, bad Shakespeare happens to everyone. Right. Bad AI can happen to everyone. Good AI is possible and we have to be very selective of the moments. I like to use within myself, if there is a better way to do something, I'm going to try to go that way. So if I can think of a better way to do this that doesn't involve AI, maybe I'm going to go with that.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love how intentional you are about that, being very aware of where the kids are, how they're feeling about things and AI isn't the only way to get things done, but it's an additional way. Like you said, it's an alternative. It's another option. It's another way of doing things. You could have the best meal in your life and if that's the only meal you were able to have for the rest of your life, it would become a terrible meal. The same is true with AI, but it's also true with things that we have traditionally done in the classroom and not been intentional or thoughtful about evaluating.

Graham Bany:
We need a nice variety. So the more that we are critical of ourselves and not overdoing something, and the more that we are engaging with our students and understanding where they're at, because if they really like something and say, “Hey, we should do more of that,” then we do more of that. When I ask my kids, “Hey, how do we feel about this?” And they're like, “Eh,” then maybe we take a couple weeks off and circle back with something different, or I try to find something that's really ridiculous that we can try.

Anthony Godfrey:
I continue to watch as you become an influence and a positive impact on helping shape SchoolAI right from the start, but helping inspire teachers to really engage, try new things, and be at their best for students. I just can't thank you enough for everything you do for students and for the people around you.

Graham Bany:
Thank you for providing a culture within the school district that allows people like me to take chances, to be creative, to have the opportunity to fail and learn and re-approach. It really would not happen without the kindness, the leadership, and the dedication to curiosity that our district has.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you. Thank you. There are a lot of great people doing a lot of wonderful things here, and you are one of the great examples of that. So 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.

Traci Rindlisbach:
We thought that was so exciting to give the kids a chance to 3D print. Not just pressing a button, they're going to start modeling their prints.

Jared Covili:
We want students not to just be technology consumers where they just use it to find the latest game or the latest trend online. We want them to become technology creators and that's the core of what this space is.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It is a first-of-its-kind, high-tech learning lab for elementary school students in Jordan School District, made possible through a partnership with the Utah Jazz, Utah Mammoth, and America First Credit Union. On this episode of the Supercast, we take you inside the learning lab where students are wild with excitement over 3D printing, stop-motion robotics, coding, and so much more. Listen and you will hear the sounds of technology hard at work.

Anthony Godfrey:
We are at Juniper Elementary School, home of the Jordan Innovation Lab, with two of the people who helped make this possible. Please introduce yourselves and let's get right into it.

Traci Rindlisbach:
Hi, I'm Traci Rindlisbach. I work for Digital Teaching and Learning and I got to help set up the Innovation Lab.

Jared Covili:
My name is Jared Covili. I'm the administrator over the Digital Teaching and Learning Department and I'm just a fan of the Innovation Lab.

Anthony Godfrey:
I am a fan too. I just walked in, but I've heard so much about it and I was not able to be here for the ribbon cutting, but so many great reports about student reactions and the reactions from the donors who made it happen. But let's jump right into a project. Let's not just talk about it. Let's get down to business. So we have 3D printers all the way along this wall and you've 3D printed a bunch of things already for the launch. Tell me about that and tell me about the project we're going to do right now.

Traci Rindlisbach:
All right, so we bought two different types of 3D printers. We bought these Bamboo Lab 3D printers, which are super exciting because you can print four different colors and these are a little more serious 3D printers. Then we have these tiny toy boxes as well that are just like super fast prints and just like you're dipping your toes in there to start a print.

Anthony Godfrey:
So I didn't even see the little ones in between. So yeah, wow. So we've got 10 of them right here.

Traci Rindlisbach:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's amazing that this is a this is a playground for kids to well for you, too. This is this is this is pretty exciting. So what's our what's our project here?

Traci Rindlisbach:
Okay, so on this Bamboo printer, we've printed a whole bunch of things like when we were opening, we printed like the Jordan shield two colors, the Mammoth logos and the Jazz logos. All those logos were printed. We're just going to have you print a guitar pick for yourself since we know you're all about playing guitar.

Anthony Godfrey:
Absolutely.

Traci Rindlisbach:
So the first thing you're going to do is you're going to hit this file right here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, so I'm accessing the templates or the designs.

Traci Rindlisbach:
These are just all the G codes like put on there and there's your pick right there.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, that's perfect.

Traci Rindlisbach:
Yeah, just click that.

Anthony Godfrey:
So click on that.

Traci Rindlisbach:
Then the PLA we've chosen  . . .

Anthony Godfrey:
It has a nice edge for gripping the . . That's a well-designed pick. That was a well-designed pick. Absolutely. I can really wail with this one.

Traci Rindlisbach:
Okay. And so we're going to do this metal PLA because we tested it with the other one and it broke.

Anthony Godfrey:
So okay, this is like choosing letter or legal paper.

Traci Rindlisbach:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, except we're going to choose the right and so which, which one . . .

Traci Rindlisbach:
Right here this print now.

Anthony Godfrey:
Print now. You've already set it up to print like .

Traci Rindlisbach:
Yeah, you just set it. We can click right here and you can choose the different PLAs.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, right there.

Traci Rindlisbach:
And then it's good to go. And it's going to be printed in. See right here. 13 minutes.

Anthony Godfrey:
13 minutes. Okay, we're at 0%. Temperature 69 Celsius. Okay, we're going up.

Jared Covili:
You're going to be able to add this to your resume. You're now officially a maker of a metal guitar pick.

Traci Rindlisbach:
You can sell these at your shows.

Jared Covili:
You can start your own Etsy shop.

Anthony Godfrey:
This is the one I won't flip out into the crowd. Okay, we will let a watch pot never boils and a watch print never comes to fruition. So we're going to let that simmer while we talk a little bit about how the lab started. So we were contacted by the Smith Entertainment Group, Utah Jazz, the Mammoth and America First [Credit Union] with the concept of building something that was centered around innovation, something unique for students. What excited me is that they knew that was generally in the STEM area, but it felt like there was going to be a lot of flexibility in how we shape that. So talk to me about how we decided what to do and what that partnership look like.

Jared Covili:
Yeah, we were approached by Mike Haynes from the Jordan Education Foundation, probably in May. He mentioned the idea that the Smith Entertainment Group and America First Credit Union wanted to help us build something that could really enhance students’ education. They said, “you know, we want it to have kind of an innovative blend to it, right? So we're not looking for traditional forms of learning. We'd like to use technology.” And immediately Traci got involved. She's one of our people that's very involved in STEM and computer science in our District. So we started talking about what would be some of the great tools that we could provide kids with this additional funds. We wanted to give them an experience that they couldn't have at their regular at the regular school.

Anthony Godfrey:
So what made you go this direction and tell me about what's here?

Traci Rindlisbach:
My STEM partner, Kelly Cannon, she works in the same department as I do. We have been really into 3D printing since we both came into this role. We thought that is so exciting to give the kids a chance to 3D print because it's like not just like pressing a button. They're going to like start modeling their prints and doing all those like engineering design processes through just learning how to 3D print and 3D printing.

Anthony Godfrey:
So what does it mean to model for those who haven't done 3D printing before?

Traci Rindlisbach:
That's a great idea. Create their prints. So they'll go into some kind of program. They could go into Tinkercad or on these toy boxes you can do modeling inside the app of itself. And so you'll just go and create whatever you want inside there and send it to this little printer and it will print what you've done. Now will it be perfect? Maybe if you did it correctly. But there's also that fun element of like they're going to go back and iterate and say, “oh, that didn't work. I'm going to fix this and this and this on my print until it's perfect.”

Anthony Godfrey:
Is that why we have the smaller printers so that they can dabble and kind of test things out before they go to the multi color printer or do they dive right in?

Traci Rindlisbach:
It's really an either situation like they could start on the toy box if they felt more comfortable with that. This is like a more entry level like modeling system. You'll just pull some shapes in and you'll start joining your shapes. You could pull in photos and you can make some lithographs where like if you put a light behind it, it shows like whatever photo you put into there. On the Bamboo, they would be modeling probably in Tinkercad and that would be a little more serious modeling, but still with shapes and things. So this one's just a more friendly model to get started with. But we did have a student on opening day who was really stoked about the Bamboos and talked about his Bamboo at home and what he's doing at home. So I think there's going to be kids coming in who've had a lot of experience with 3D printing and they're going to be able to teach the other students as well.

Anthony Godfrey:
OK, and tell me again, how do you model something? Do you is that essentially designing it virtually so that it can then become something that is physically tangible in the real world?

Traci Rindlisbach:
Yes, that's a good question. So in Tinkercad they would like design it inside the Tinkercad program and then they would slice it on the slicer and then put it right in here and it would print on out.

Anthony Godfrey:
So in other words, students can come up with their own projects and design it from start to finish instead of simply printing something that somebody else already designed.

Traci Rindlisbach:
Yes, that's what we want them to do. Like we want them to like, of course, they could come in and make a print and that's always exciting. Just learning the process of how to do it. But like we want them to get to the point where they're modeling things.

Anthony Godfrey:
Maybe seeing a print initially motivates them to do all that modeling work that will lead them to something that they created themselves from scratch.

Traci Rindlisbach:
A hundred percent. We want our students to come in and choose a project that they're going to do. It could be like 3D printing or stop motion or we also have an engineering one where we'll be modeling and like creating things with cardboard. So we want them to come in with content knowledge already. So we'll say we're working in fourth grade on Mormon Pioneer Trail. They come in and they can choose if they're going to do a 3D print project, a stop motion project, or an engineering project based around the content they learned in their class. So this is just like project based learning at its best.

Anthony Godfrey:
So any of those three approaches could be used to create a project around really any subject matter.

Traci Rindlisbach:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
So this connects to any learning that's happening in the classroom. That's really exciting.

Traci Rindlisbach:
That's why we're so excited about it because it's not just come and print whatever. It's come and print with a purpose.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Stay with us when we come back more about the Innovation Learning Lab at Juniper Elementary School.

Male Voice:
Never miss an episode of the Supercast by liking and subscribing on your favorite podcasting platform. Find transcripts for this episode and others at supercast.jordandistrict.org.

Female voice:
Does your child need the flexibility to learn from anywhere at any time on a cruise, in another country or simply at home cozy on the couch? The Jordan Virtual Learning Academy is tailor made for you and your family. It's personalized dynamic virtual learning on your schedule. The Jordan Virtual Learning Academy is an integrated system of three schools in Jordan School District: Rocky Peak Virtual Elementary School, Kelsey Peak Virtual Middle School and Kings Peak High School. Our programs are designed to meet or exceed district and state core curriculum standards, ensuring your child receives a superior educational experience tailored to their needs. Join us today at JordanVirtual.org.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the three projects that students can do here in the Innovation Lab.

Traci Rindlisbach:
So we talked a whole bunch about the 3D printing. So our next one is Stop Motion and the educator that we've hired to be in charge of the lab, she is huge into stop motion and so we're super excited that she's going to be here. Her name is Tori Hadley. The students will come in with whatever content they've learned in class and they'll be given an iPad and a stand and they'll just get to work. We'll have them storyboard like “what are you guys going to do? What's the content?”

Anthony Godfrey:
Essentially the comic book version of what they're going to film.

Traci Rindlisbach:
Absolutely and then they'll start filming it. So we have all these card all this cardboard that we've sourced from Juniper, which is great.

Anthony Godfrey:Yeah nice to be housed in an elementary school that's well stocked.

Traci Rindlisbach:
Then we just have this paper and then we have these little figures over here. They could make their own characters or they could choose from our characters.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yes, some of these figures. So, if you can combine these the trolls and dinosaurs and others into a storyline you can do that. Well, there's a bear and a horse as well. Sure, we can come up with some sort of a fairy tale there.

Traci Rindlisbach:
Oh for sure.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now you've got this cardboard and now chompsaw. I'm sure many student eyes light up at the phrase chompsaw. So show me what a chompsaw does. I have some inkling as I look at this device.

Traci Rindlisbach:
So we bought these after we saw them because we were so excited. They're student safe so I'm going to turn this on and you can see like nothing's going to . . .

Anthony Godfrey:
Right, you put your hand right up against it and you're okay.

Traci Rindlisbach:
So when the students decide what they want to chomp, when they decide what they're going to do. And this could be for their background it could be for their character or whatever. They'll sketch it out and they'll just throw their chompsaw on. This also cuts paper which is really exciting. We didn't know that after we bought it we found out.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you take the cardboard and you can shape the cardboard. Oh wow that's a cleaner cut than I expected. So this is essentially for those. It's like a . . . I don't know. There's a little knob on top here that spins underneath inside and it just cuts right through the cardboard.

Jared Covili:
Wow so think of like a scroll saw but say for kids.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, that's amazing.

Jared Covili:
And superintendents.

Traci Rindlisbach:
This is like two of our field trips that could be used for the stop motion animation, but it could also be used for the engineering field trip. Where they could on the desk, these desks are white boards on the top which we think is so exciting.

Anthony Godfrey:
You can write on the desk.

Traci Rindlisbach:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
At long last it's encouraged.

Traci Rindlisbach:
And no one's going to get in trouble. So they can come and they can say, I'll go back to I taught fourth grade, so the Mormon pioneer trail. They could be like, “oh I got really into like mountain man.” They could build like a mountain man out of this. They could create a hand cart. They could do really anything that's associated with their content area and we have these make do's which will help them put their stuff together so they could.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now I've had to make do many times. But what is a make do.

Traci Rindlisbach:
They're these cool tools that have . . . let me find them.

Anthony Godfrey:
A safe saw. Can I push the button?

Traci Rindlisbach:
You can saw through cardboard with our make do stuff.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. That is tremendous.

Anthony Godfrey:
Look at that. This is it all basically.

Traci Rindlisbach:
Yeah, and then this is when these two things together.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah. Oh so you can.

Traci Rindlisbach:
So they can start creating their different projects just by joining some cardboard or some paper together.

Anthony Godfrey:
So it's essentially a blue plug that you twist in to connect two pieces of cardboard.

Traci Rindlisbach:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
But then it acts as kind of like . . .

Jared Covili:
A joint.

Anthony Godfrey:
A joint. Yeah. and then you can roll right. Oh my goodness. Perforate the cardboard. OK. I have a I have a code that will allow me to stay here and lock up myself. I can I can just lock up when I go. This is this is incredible. Look, every drawer is filled with stuff: pipe cleaners, rulers, colored pencils, popsicle sticks, scissors. Wow.

Jared Covili:
Yeah. One of the best things that . . .

Anthony Godfrey:
We see starts.

Jared Covili:
One of the best things that we saw on Friday when we opened the lab was the kids needed very little instruction. I mean we would just show them “turn it on here.” After that they were going. The stop motion animation. Again, “turn it on. Here's the materials.” They would just start going. So as much as teachers may be a little overwhelmed or intimidated themselves to try and teach all of these different skills, we found that the kids feel very at home.

Anthony Godfrey:
What an engaging place for kids to be. Just while we're looking at this, this is for any fourth or sixth grade elementary student who teachers want to bring here. It's housed at Juniper. They have the easiest access of course, but it's available to anybody who schedules time here.

Traci Rindlisbach:
So far we're going to do four through six for the first year and then we're going to start expanding out. But since we have this built-in base of four through six we thought we'd start with them and then start short expanding our field trips out that way.

Anthony Godfrey:
Fantastic. We have an educator hired to oversee this and always be here to help support teachers and students who come to use the lab.

Traci Rindlisbach:
Yes. So the classroom teacher just has to bring their content knowledge and Tori Hadley, who's our educator here, is going to help them run the stop motion or the 3D printers or even help them get started with whatever they want to engineer that's based on that.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love how you thought through just how to make the most of this. Remove all the barriers for students and teachers so that they can come in and just get right to work. Yeah. I've been holding the cardboard that I cut like I'm so proud. I was just I was just experimenting and I'm really proud like I'm clinging to it.

Traci Rindlisbach:
Take that home and be like . . .

Anthony Godfrey:
So yeah I am pretty proud. You know when you respond to an email it's not as satisfying as when you cut cardboard with a device you've never seen before.

Traci Rindlisbach:
Just get one of those for your office. It will destress.

Anthony Godfrey:
It was pretty exciting. I might need to do that you know. So let's look at the stop motion equipment now that you have here. It looks like just kind of an arm, an adjustable arm that allows you to position the iPad however you'd like. Let's talk about what that does.

Traci Rindlisbach:
So this is like a super simple setup but it's going to make such good stop motion. So we have to stop the iPad holder and then the iPads in there and the iPad can face straight down and they can do their stop motion underneath or they could have it facing straight on and they could have a set behind it as well. We're using the stop motion studio app and it's super simple for all kids inside the app. They can edit, they can rerecord, they can do some voice overs, and it's all free, and they can also add music which is the most important element I think of anything. We had the kids on Friday and Tori actually sent me their files that made some stop motion animation and it's beautiful and it looks like one of them was on like changing weather which again, because it's cross curricular, really gets my heart.

Jared Covili:
So one of the things that we're really trying to emphasize in our department is that we want students not to just be technology consumers where they just use it to find the latest game or the latest trend online. We want them to become technology creators and that's the core of what this space is. It's a place where they can come and create in a variety of different ways using a variety of different technologies but it all centers back on what they're learning, showing how they've taken that content and made something with it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well it's such an exciting place to be and right now I'm excited to see how my guitar picks turning out. Let's go take a look.

Traci Rindlisbach:
All right. Open that door.

Anthony Godfrey:
I open that door open the door here.

Traci Rindlisbach:
You're going to lift this plate like this and just lift it all the way out all the way out.

Anthony Godfrey: Lift it out. It's still warm.

Traci Rindlisbach:
Oh I love that about a print plate, and then you're just going to kind of crack it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh it feels like it's pretty nice and cozy doesn't it? OK. Do I just like . . .  pop it off like that?

Traci Rindlisbach:
Yep. Oh, there you go. Then you have what it looks like a little raft on it and I'm hoping that raft will pop off and we'll have a legit guitar pick right now. And so this guy was not a mess it up.

Anthony Godfrey:
Did I mess it up?

Traci Rindlisbach:
No.

Anthony Godfrey:
OK. No. I'm pulling off the raft that it's on.

Traci Rindlisbach:
Let's see.

Anthony Godfrey:
Let's do a wail with that. So the back is is . . .

Traci Rindlisbach:
And sometimes we have to smooth things out a little bit.

Anthony Godfrey:
If I smooth it out it's actually going to be just right.

Traci Rindlisbach:
Perfect.

Anthony Godfrey:
So let's let's use the garbage can. A little garbage can. OK raft. There you go. I can feel that. That's going to be a good pick.

Traci Rindlisbach:
Oh good.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's a good pick. It’s got some good texture on the back of it and on the front. The thumb goes right there.

Traci Rindlisbach:
That's perfect.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, yes. All right. Sultan's a swing. Oh nice. What a great . . . what a great little project. That is the first thing I've ever 3D printed. I have to admit I've never 3D printed before and this feels fantastic. I'm going to be stopping by. There are other schools nearby and when I'm visiting them, I think I might just have to stop by this lab when I'm in the neighborhood and see what the kids are up to.

Traci Rindlisbach:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you both so much for taking time today. But more than anything, for having the vision to make an initial offering in something that is going to be so engaging for so many students for such a long time.

Traci Rindlisbach:
Thanks.

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 out there.

(upbeat music)

Heidi Jacobson:
They're heroes, honestly. Carter's like, "I'm not a hero.” He just did what he thought was right.

Cammerin Inselsberger:
My buddy Gabriel came outside and said, "Hey, there's a fire down the street." And then I remember Carter looking distinctly at me and said, "Well, come on, let's go do something."

Zera Gonzales:
We truly saw our sense of community in our neighborhood, especially with our boys again. We're so willing and selfless and risked so much.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They are students at Copper Hills High who recently risked their own lives by breaking down a front door and running into a burning home, hoping to save the lives of others. On this episode of the Supercast, join us as we take you inside the big surprise where the students received a military-style Honor of Excellence Award for going above and beyond and being exemplary citizens.

Anthony Godfrey:
We take you now to the ceremony honoring the boys who saved two dogs.

Female Voice:
We would like to reunite you this morning with Rocky and Simba, who you saved, and we'd have the Gonzales family come on in with the animals. They want to thank you.

Matt Alvernaz:
My name is Matt Alvernaz. I'm the Safety and Security Director for the Jordan School District. During my 20 years of combined service in both the military and law enforcement, I've had the privilege of taking part in the longstanding tradition of the Challenge Coin. The Challenge Coin is something that is given as a token of appreciation and respect for those who go above and beyond the regular everyday expectations of society. Each of these coins, as we give them out there, they're unique and there's only so many made. So once you're given one, then hang on to it. They’re never going to be made again. There's something that gets collected and it's something that's honored among the uniform services and the tradition I want to carry out and give to you guys. So these coins, they're honored in a way of a traditional handoff and it's given through a handshake. Everything on this coin means something. If you guys want to go over what they all represent, you can do that. So I want to congratulate you guys in the traditional way.

Boys:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with the three students who saved the two dogs from the fire in West Jordan City. Thank you very much for taking time. Will you introduce yourself and tell us your name, grade, and what programs you're in?

Cammerin Inselsberger:
My name is Cammerin Inselsberger. I am a senior at Copper Hills High School and I am in no current programs, but I was in diesel tech.

Carter Jacobson:
I'm Carter Jacobson. I go to Copper Hills. I am a senior as well and I'm in the diesel program at J Tech.

Gabriel Hernandez:
I'm Gabriel Hernandez and I'm a senior at Copper Hills and I'm also in the J Tech diesel program.

Anthony Godfrey:
So did you know each other before the diesel program or is that how you met?

Carter Jacobson:
No, we knew each other before. I knew Cammerin for like three years. He kind of introduced me to it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Why don't you talk me through what happened, everything from spotting the fire to going in and saving the dogs?

Cammerin Inselsberger:
We were doing yard work out back at my house and then we went. My buddy Gabriel came outside and said, "Hey, there's a fire down the street." And then I remember Carter looking distinctly at me and said, "Well, come on, let's go do something." And so I jumped the fence. They ran around and we just ended up down the street and just seeing if anybody was there that was getting hurt or something.

Anthony Godfrey:
When you first arrived, what did you think? Did you think that maybe there was somebody in the house?

Gabriel Hernandez:
We did after we saw the truck in the driveway and the neighbor in front of the house telling us that they haven't checked on the house yet. They just saw the fire. So we went to the window to see if there was somebody inside and we kept banging on the door. Nobody answered and Carter sees a little dog running across the hallway.

Anthony Godfrey:
That was enough to decide.

Gabriel Hernandez:
That was more than enough.

Anthony Godfrey:
There are dogs in there and we need to get in there.

Gabriel Hernandez:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now I watched on the camera how you approached the door. Tell me about working on getting in the front door.

Carter Jacobson:
I think my buddy's dead. Cammerin’s dead. He tried to shoulder the door first. And then I think they were thinking about breaking down the window, but I was like, "I'm just going to try to kick the door." Donkey kicked it. And so it started working. The bottom of the door cracked. I didn't let game everyone else's motivation to keep going. We kicked it down.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now you kicked it facing the door and then the donkey kick turned around.

Carter Jacobson:
I knew kicking it forward wouldn't work anymore. And then kicking it like a donkey kick would be more better because my foot’s more like flush to the door. I don't know. It was just something I thought about.

Anthony Godfrey:
In the moment you just thought about trying something different. What I was impressed with is that you didn't say, "Well, he tried to shoulder. I tried to kick it in. It didn't work." You just kept going and kept trying to be sure that you got in.

Carter Jacobson:
Yeah, it was either that or the window.

Anthony Godfrey:
When you got in, you still didn't know whether it was just dogs or whether there was someone in there who had maybe passed out or whatever. So what did you do once you got in?

Gabriel Hernandez:
I ran straight for the bathroom thinking it was a bedroom and then the propane tank caught fire and shot fire right through the window.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. What went through your mind at that moment?

Gabriel Hernandez:
I should get out of there.

Anthony Godfrey:
So where were the dogs when you got in?

Carter Jacobson:
I think they were... So when we walked in, Gabriel went to the bathroom and I saw the dog dart towards the kitchen. So when I walked in, they were just sitting in the laundry room, curled up in the corner. The big dog was kind of laying in front of the smaller dog protecting it.

Anthony Godfrey:
When you approached the dogs, did you have to carry them out or were you able to help them out?

Carter Jacobson:
No, we had to carry them out.

Anthony Godfrey:
Did they let you approach?

Carter Jacobson:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
I wondered whether in that moment they might be afraid and might not be cooperative as you're trying to say that.

Cammerin Inselsberger:
Yeah, they were mostly cowered down in the corner of the laundry room and so they didn't try to fight back or anything. So it's not like either of us three got hurt by the dogs because they knew something was up and so it was more so just letting us take them.

Anthony Godfrey:
Describe what it looked like inside the house. What was that like?

Carter Jacobson:
It was more... I feel like it was quiet. It was more calm before the storm because when we got in there, the side of the house was on fire. It wasn't as intense. But as soon as we got out, the rest of the house started catching on fire and the smoke detectors went off.

Anthony Godfrey:
How soon after you left the house did the fire department arrive?

Carter Jacobson:
I would say a minute after. A couple of minutes after. It was more hectic for them to get in because people were trying to drive down and see the fire and walk down so there was a lot of people blocking the street.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now the fire department said that you were helpful because you were first on scene. What was some of the information that you shared with them that was helpful?

Cammerin Inselsberger:
We saw that their propane tank started catching fire from the trailers because there was a trailer and there was one propane tank on it and there was another one on the ground. But there were also two in the back of the trailer so we were able to tell them that we saw the fire start in the back area of the house next to the house that we're in now.

Anthony Godfrey:
So they were able to see, they were able to better understand what happened because you were there. One of the things that we've trained our employees on over the years is that when you come up on an emergency you don't wait for someone else to come. You jump in and you do everything that you can. A lot of times people wait for an expert, you know, someone is bleeding or someone is hurt and they wait until someone else comes to do it because they're afraid of making a mistake. But I'm so impressed with the courage that you showed jumping in and just doing what needed to be done. Can you remember what was running through your mind as you went into the house?

Cammerin Inselsberger:
Honestly, I can't remember anything. That adrenaline hit and I just, I remember going to the door, banging on the door, ringing the ring doorbell like 20 times. And then we got in and then that was it.

Anthony Godfrey:
How long did it take for the adrenaline to dissipate?

Cammerin Inselsberger:
I don't think it did until I went to bed that night.

Zera Gonzales:
I have my dog saved. Thank you so much.

Anthony Godfrey:
How does it feel to be recognized like this today?

Boys:
Grateful.
Just proud that we did something good.
Makes me look back at the community, see what else we need help with and what we can improve with.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, thank you for being a great example to other students and really to everyone who served this story and thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. Stay with us when we come back. We'll talk with the family whose dogs were saved.

Male Voice:
Never miss an episode of The Supercast by liking and subscribing on your favorite podcasting platform. Find transcripts for this episode and others at supercast.jordandistrict.org.

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

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with the family of the two dogs that were rescued. Introduce yourself.

Zera Gonzales:
Hi, yes, my name is Zera Gonzales.

Anthony Godfrey:
Zara, tell me about how it felt for your family. First of all, to learn that there was a fire, how's your house, and then to learn that the dogs were okay.

Zera Gonzales:
Truly, it was devastating. Obviously, something that was never expected to happen to us. But we truly saw our sense of community in our neighborhood, especially with our boys again, that were so willing and selfless and risked so much to enter our home. They're the very first ones that entered and saved both of our dogs, which are a big part of our family and it means so much to us. But yeah, it was such a relieving feeling knowing that coming onto the site, still seeing our home being up in flames, but knowing that both of our dogs were out safe and with the boys.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm just glad that your family is safe and the dogs are safe. Tell me about your home and what happens next for you.

Zera Gonzales:
So essentially our home is unsalvageable. We've been told that it needs to be pretty much fully reconstructed. We are still waiting, it's a waiting game at the moment. We're still waiting to hear back from insurance and that whole process of hopefully down the line will be a lot sooner than anticipated. But yeah, it is a waiting game and we're just hoping that everything will smooth out later on. We're currently living right across the street in the neighbor's home. He's renting it out and that's our long-term rental for now.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. I can't even imagine what you're going through. Tell me about your... Tell me about the first time you had the opportunity to talk with the boys who'd saved — is it Rocky and Simba? Is that right?

Zera Gonzales:
That is correct.

Anthony Godfrey:
We'll talk with Rocky and Simba in a moment, but tell me what it was like to first meet the boys who saved them.

Zera Gonzales:
Yeah, well first of all, we pretty much first saw through our ring camera who were the individuals knocking down on the door, and we noticed that it was the neighbors. They live a couple houses down. And again, we just did not expect that they would be the ones that were first on site and breaking down the door to save our dogs. But it was such a relieving feeling and again, being so thankful to them right after knowing that they were the ones that entered the home. While the firefighters are still trying to put out the fire, we were able to talk to them and be like, "Hey, again, we're so eternally grateful to you guys because our family's whole because of you."

Anthony Godfrey:
I love the way you said that and you have a lot to deal with. What a devastating situation. But it's good to know that you have people around you that are going to support you through a difficulty like this. It's really a test of the community.

Zera Gonzales:
Yes, it truly is. Again, we've only been living in our home — we were heading towards two years. Just knowing that those individuals took that initiative and acted out and were able to be the ones that entered our home again, it was such a relieving feeling. And we're, again, eternally grateful.

Anthony Godfrey:
What about Rocky? Rocky is the big one and then we've got Simba here. What kind of dogs are they?

Zera Gonzales:
Yes. Rocky is a German Shepherd, Rottweiler, Husky mix.

Anthony Godfrey:
And a very good boy.

Zera Gonzales:
Yes, very good boy. And then over here we have Simba. He is a Maltipoo. That's a Maltese-poodle mix.

Anthony Godfrey:
Also a very good boy.

Zera Gonzales:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Not Simba. You're not second. You're both number one in our hearts.

Zera Gonzales:
Exactly. Exactly.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with Carter's mom. Introduce yourself, please.

Heidi Jacobson:
My name's Heidi Jacobson.

Anthony Godfrey:
Heidi, you and I have known each other for a little while.

Heidi Jacobson:
Yes, we have.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell everyone about that.

Heidi Jacobson:
Mr. Godfrey was my eighth-grade teacher out at Bingham Middle School.

Anthony Godfrey:
Bingham Middle School days were great days.

Heidi Jacobson:
Yes, they were. I actually am the first graduating class from Copper Hills High School.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, yeah. That's right. That's pretty cool. So now to have your son here, what does that mean?

Heidi Jacobson:
It's just all four of my kids have come here. And to have Carter be the caboose, he actually will graduate for my 30th class reunion.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. That's awesome. Your son graduating from the same school 30 years later. And how proud are you of Carter right now?

Heidi Jacobson:
Those boys are incredible boys, and they deserve all of this recognition and all the publicity and everything that they are getting because they would do it again today. They're just those type of boys. They're incredible.

Anthony Godfrey:
Talking with them, I really got that sense that they'd do it again and that's just who they are. Your son is a large boy. He was able to kick that door in a way that I'm not sure I would have been able to.

Heidi Jacobson:
He said the adrenaline just kicked in once he saw those dogs through the window. He was like, “I knew no one was home.” We have dogs that are part of our family and would be devastated, so all three of those boys just knew that they had to get in there and save family members. Even though they're furry, they're still family members.

Anthony Godfrey:
He, it didn't surprise you at all that you did what he did.

Heidi Jacobson:
No, no, it didn't. They're heroes, honestly. Carter's like, “I'm not a hero. I just did what I thought was right.” I'm proud of him.

Anthony Godfrey:
What does it mean to see them recognized like this?

Heidi Jacobson:
It actually makes me pretty emotional. He's a great kid, like I said. They deserve all of this and makes my mom a heart happy.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, it's great to see you and we're all very proud of what they did. It's wonderful to meet your son.

Heidi Jacobson:
Thank you so much, Mr. Godfrey.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you. We're talking with Matt Alvernaz, our school safety coordinator. What does it mean to you today to honor these boys?

Matt Alvernaz:
It is a great privilege to be able to share this tradition in honoring things that are above and beyond the regular everyday parts of society. These young men did something that normal people wouldn't do, especially today. We see people pull out their phones and record and watch. And yeah, we have this great video of things out there. But these young men, who had no obligation to do otherwise, stepped up, addressed the problem and went right out without waiting and did an amazing job.

Anthony Godfrey:
And they don't seem terribly impressed with themselves. This is just what needed to be done. And they did it.

Matt Alvernaz:
Yeah, their level of humility is actually what's most impressive. It's more of like they're not after this attention that we're given. So that's all the more reason to shower them with it. But they are just like, "What? This is normal. Who wouldn't have done this?" And reality is, most people wouldn't.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell us about the challenge coin you gave them to honor what they've done.

Matt Alvernaz:
So these challenge coins are part of a long-standing tradition given through military and law enforcement and uniform services typically. Here at Jordan School District, we have our own challenge coin to be able to recognize these outstanding kind of things as well, because we understand that there's more to it in everyday society in our students. We want to emulate what needs, what we like to see from society, you know, heroes and things and what these people can do. And so this coin has significance. Every coin means something. So here on this front-facing part, we have a police badge-style shield with the Jordan “J” emblem in it. Then behind that, you have the shoulder patch, which again represents first responders, you see that on fire departments and police officers. Then that is filled in with a navy blue, which represents authority and stability and loyalty. Behind the shield, you see three lines kind of crossing behind it. And the shield represents the safeguarding of the physical, mental and emotional well-being of our students and staff and everybody within our district. Below it, there's three stars that are propping up the shield. Those three stars represent the community, the school district and our first responders working together to prop this up and make sure that shield stays strong. On the backside, it says we're honoring excellence and you'll see the same three lines of what we're honoring and those three stars as well and with a ring of blue around it again to represent that stability, authority and circling what we're doing.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, thank you very much for honoring these students and it's a great new tradition. I know there are going to be many other opportunities to honor incredible students here in Jordan District.

Matt Alvernaz:
Absolutely.

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. Bye. Bye.

(upbeat music)

Alexa Bird:
It's just kind of been my motto now. It's like, "Why blend in when you're born to stand out?" And so I made the decision to get my eye removed. Now I have these fun prosthetics. This year I had a student, she in the middle of the year, found out that she actually had to get hearing aids. She looked at the doctor and said, "I'm going to have special ears like Miss Bird has special eyes." I just went home and cried.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. She was just a teen when she lost an eye to a rare form of cancer, had to wear an eye patch, and suddenly became a target for hurtful teasing. On this episode of the Supercast, hear the incredible story of Columbia Elementary School kindergarten teacher Alexa Bird. Find out how one middle school teacher taught Alexa to be proud of her eye patch as something that sets her apart. Hear how Alexa now tells her own students to take pride in their individual differences and how that message is making a difference in their young lives.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're at Columbia Elementary today talking with Alexa Bird about her teaching and her pathway to becoming a teacher. Alexa, thanks for talking with me.

Alexa Bird:
Thanks for having me.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me first of all just about your teaching career. You're here at Columbia for your second year. Talk to me about how all that came to be.

Alexa Bird:
I went to school at Utah Tech University and I've always just wanted to be a teacher. Since the time I was little, people would be like, "What do you want to be?" And I was never like the princess or an astronaut or a pilot. It was always, "I want to be a teacher." So, I went to Utah Tech and I went through their program and then I went to the job fair. I talked to Jane Olsen there and the rest was just history. She told me, "Come to Jordan." And then I got a job interview and I interviewed here and it just felt right. And I loved the energy and the community and all the questions and just felt right. And so I said, "Yes."

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, good job, Jane, for finding Alexa. Tell me, why did you want to be a teacher when you started out at a young age? Why has this always been of interest to you?

Alexa Bird:
Well, my dad is a teacher and my grandma's a teacher. So I come from a really long line of teachers and I would go to his classroom. He actually worked at West Jordan High School.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, wow.

Alexa Bird:
And I would be like, "I'm going to be a teacher one day," and pretending like I was him writing on the whiteboards and things. And then when I was going on with my education career in high school, I was diagnosed with medulloepithelioma, which is a cancerous brain tumor in my eye. I started finding that and I had to go to California every 12 weeks because there was no pediatric ocular oncologist in Utah. And so every 12 weeks I was going to California and I just... School was my favorite place and then it became my least favorite place really quick because not for anything except kids were really mean. They would make comments like, "Jeez, Alexa, don't stand so close. I don't want to catch cancer," or, “pretending like you have cancer, that's really rude. People die from it all the time where you don't have to pretend to have cancer to get attention.” Soon it just became my least favorite place. I felt terrible. I did radiation. So I was feeling so tired and run down because chemo doesn't really work above your shoulders and it was in my eye, so radiation was the only option at the time.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you had to have radiation throughout your body and you had to go 12... Every 12 weeks you had to go to California to receive it?

Alexa Bird:
My cancer is kind of rare, what I had. And so he's like, "I'm willing to try it if you are." So it was actually this special made plaque to fit right over my tumor and they pull the whites of your eye up and sew it right over your tumor because they couldn't just remove the tumor because it would mess up with your eye pressure and things. So the radiation was the only option and it was a one-time deal. So they put a lot of radiation in it and I'd wear it for 10 days to get it fast and quick and then take it off just as fast. But then you feel the effects for a long time after. But I had to go back for checkups.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. So you said when you had cancer. So are you beyond that at this point?

Alexa Bird:
Yes. I'm cancer free as of a year ago because with childhood cancer, to be considered cancer free, it's five years.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh wow.

Alexa Bird:
I had to wait five years so I finally got it six years ago.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you have passed your five-year mark six years ago. Wow. So well congratulations on that.

Alexa Bird:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
It must have been particularly heartbreaking that your favorite place became your least favorite place.

Alexa Bird:
Mm-hmm.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me how it felt at that time.

Alexa Bird:
I just remember walking down the halls and I was like, "I have to put a huge smile on my face because at the time I thought, 'People can't see that I'm sick. People can't know that I feel terrible and I don't want to be hearing. I can't let them know that their little tiny jabs and their comments are getting to me." So I would walk down the halls with a smile on my face, walking down like I can't hear them whispering about me because at the time I could see the tumor. So I was wearing an eye patch so they would be like, "She's only wearing an eye patch to get attention." And so I would walk down and I would just like put my head down and smile if people talked to me. But I hated it and I didn't want to be there. And one time—

Anthony Godfrey:
It's exhausting to try that all the time, have to be trying to prove yourself or demonstrate to people that you really are okay even though you're not.

Alexa Bird:
I would go home and I would cry. I remember one time, after a particularly hard day, I was like, "I'm going to go home and I'm going to come up with every excuse and book and never have to come back to this place because I don't want to do it anymore." That was the day I was walking. I remember like it was yesterday, I was walking into math class and I was like, "I'm done. I'm done. I'm never coming back after today. Just get through the day." That's when my math teacher was there and she had this huge smile on her face. It's the kind of smile that's like, "You can't help but smile back." And she's like, "Alexa, just the person I wanted to see." I was like, "Oh, that's okay. That doesn't match my mood I'm feeling right now."

Anthony Godfrey:
So was this in front of the class?

Alexa Bird:
Yeah, it was right before the bell rings. So there were kids in there and it was just like the one minute before that everybody's like just sitting there waiting for the bell to ring. And I was like, I remember thinking, "Well, now I can't be grumpy if she's talking to me with a smile on her face. I can't help but it was the energy you can't help but matching." I remember looking at her and being like, "Yeah, I'm here." She had this box in her hand and it was filled with all different kinds of eye patches. They were like ladybugs and pink camo and sparkly. And it was just this whole box. She was like, "I drove all over town,” and we lived 45 minutes from Salt Lake. And she's like, "I drove into Salt Lake and I was looking everywhere for these for you." And she handed me the box and she was like, "You know, I've been thinking a lot about you." And it's like, "Why blend in when you're born to stand out? And you know, if you have to wear these eye patches, might as well have fun with them. You can match them to your shoes and your outfits and we can have a bunch of fun with this. So I bought this just for you.” I remember going, "Oh, wow." And from there, from that day, I would walk in with my fun eye patches and she'd be like, "Which one are you wearing?" And I'd be like, "They match my shoes today." Or, "They match my shirt." I remember she brought the joy coming back to school and she brought this... I wanted to be there. I wanted to go every day to show her which eye patch I was wearing in school. Some of the kids would catch on and be like, "Wow, I love your eye patch today." They still made those mean comments, but I loved going back to school again. And she was the reason. And it wasn't just because of the academics. It's because she genuinely took the time and showed me she loved me and I wanted to be there to be with her. It made what used to be this dark place, and it made me want to come back to school. And she doesn't realize how that little tiny impact impacted my whole life from that moment. It's just kind of been my motto now. It's like, "Why blend in when you're born to stand out?" I can teach kids that their differences make them special. And now I don't have to wear eye patches, but I have... Because when I was 17, the diagnosis was, "Your tumor's not responding anymore." I remember on the way driving home, because from California it's a long drive, I remember thinking, "I'm done. I don't want to go back to California. I just want to start... I want to go to college, because I was a junior at the time, and I want to start living my life. I want to be able to go with my friends." Because after these doctor's appointments, it just made me sick for weeks. So I was like, "I want to start going out with my friends, and I want to go to dances, and I want to play basketball." I remember thinking, "I'm done. I'm going to get my eye removed." So I made the decision to get my eye removed.

Anthony Godfrey:
And that was specifically so you didn't have to keep going back to California.

Alexa Bird:
Mm-hmm. I was... It kind of like...that was the vibe the doctor was giving, was like, "We're going to have to start thinking about it."

Anthony Godfrey:
So when the doctor was leading you that way, it felt like the right path. But the bonus was that you wouldn't have to keep going back to California and you felt like you could start moving on and live your life.

Alexa Bird:
Yeah. I would still have to go back, like, for my year checkup, just to make sure everything looked good. But I wouldn't have to go every 12 weeks, which is three months. So I was like, "Yeah, I want to start living my life." So I made the decision to get my eye removed. So now I have these fun prosthetics and like the one I'm wearing right now is blue and sparkly, and I have a Christmas one, and I have a gold Mickey one, and I have a galaxy one. The goal is to have one for every single occasion in my life, you know?

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Stay with us when we come back more with this amazing second-year teacher and her story of resilience.

Male Voice:
Never miss an episode of The Supercast by liking and subscribing on your favorite podcasting platform. Find transcripts for this episode and others at supercast.jordandistrict.org.

Sandy Riesgraf:
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:
Now I understand that you actually had a student in your class with a hearing aid. Talk to me about how you connected with that student.

Alexa Bird:
Okay, so this year I had a student and I got her parents' permission to give her a little shout out, Miss Bailey, but she in the middle of the year found out that she actually had to get hearing aids. And, you know, as a six-year-old getting told that, you have to have hearing aids, that's kind of scary. That's a big thing. That's a big thing that impacts their lives. And we had a conversation, like her mom came, and she's -- her mom's awesome. And so she was always working with me, and she came and was like, "We're going to get her hearing aids." And I was like, "Oh, okay, that's awesome." So the first thing I did was -- Bailey is this most enthusiastic little girl I know. And she came up and she's like, "I have to get hearing aids." And I was like, Oh, and we made it special. Like, we talked about it as a class because at this young age, like, you have this opportunity to impact them and teach them how these differences make them special. So we talked about how she has a hard time hearing, and so the kids were like, "Oh, so we have to be quiet." And they were -- I was like, "Yeah." And they were, "So how can we help her?" I was like, "Oh, she's going to get these things called a hearing aids, and they're going to go in her ear, and they're going to help her hear." And they're like, "Oh, that's so cool." So her mom would send me pictures of the whole process. So she would send me pictures, and we'd talk about it in class, and I would be like, "Oh, Miss Bailey had --" She called them like these bubblegums in her ears, and which was the molding for the hearing aids. And so we talked about it the whole process. So, like, as a class, we felt like we were in this process with her because she's a part of our family. Her mom later came and told me, it was field day, and so she was telling me, like, "They can get wet." And so -- and she goes, "Oh, I just want you to know, like, at the doctor we were talking about how, you know, they're going to help her hear, and they're kind of -- some people might say something, or they might stare." And she looked at the doctor and said, "No. I'm going to have special ears. Like, Miss Bird has special eyes. Like, we're going to be special. Only the specialist people have things that make them special. I have pink, sparkly hearing aids, and she has a sparkly eye, and we're going to be twins." And so it just -- so her mom came and told me that, and I was like, "Oh, that's so cool." I went home and cried because that's exactly what I wanted, is I want these kids to know that their differences make them special and to embrace them because that's what makes them stand out.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the impact, you know, your math teacher who made this difference.

Alexa Bird:
Miss Williams.

Anthony Godfrey:
Miss Williams, have you talked with her about the impact? And does she know that you're a teacher?

Alexa Bird:
Yes. I -- last year when I was on the interview for the new teacher, my dad recorded it and sent it to her, and she was like, "Oh, my gosh. That just makes me so happy. I'm so proud." And it's crazy to think that at the moment it didn't seem like it was very big. Like, she went and got me a box of eye patches, and she didn't know. Like I said, I put on a really good face. A lot of people don't know how hard it was and how much it impacted me because I'm really good at putting on a show, I guess. So she didn't realize how much I was struggling and how much I needed that, and she gave me this box of eye patches, and she has no idea how much it impacted me because now I can teach the kids and the kids to come, and it's crazy that this cycle is just going to keep going. And she -- it just started with a little box of fun eye patches.

Anthony Godfrey:
You said she traveled around and went to Salt Lake to do that, but the effort that she made to find the eye patches is not equal in the time that it took to all the trips to California, all the teasing and bullying that you suffered from, all the time that you spent thinking about this, and all of that was counteracted, and your whole trajectory was changed through an effort by this teacher to do something very personalized and individual that she didn't have to do. Nobody expected her to do that. Like you said, it's the last thing you were thinking was going to happen, and even just her greeting changed your outlook, and there are so many students in Jordan District who are going to benefit from what she did for you.

Alexa Bird:
Yeah, like I have said, this is my second year, and my first year it was really hard, but I saw how much the kids just -- they needed somebody to -- they have hard lives. Like a lot of the time we don't even know how much -- what's going on outside of school. So making the choice to be the person that they want to come to school for, and they want to -- you can be the person that shows them a smile and shows them love that some of them they don't have, like they don't have it. And so like her impact doing that for me has really showed me that, you know, it doesn't have to be -- you don't have to go out and buy a box of eye patches. It can really be like seeing that they need a hug or somebody to talk to, or just even a smile. That's kind of the theme in my classroom is everybody's loved. We'd -- at the end of the year it was a race to tell each other, "Oh, I love you" at the end of the day before we walked out. It's the last thing I say to them every day is, "I love you. I can't wait to see you again." And so then they would be like -- we'd line up and they'd be like, "Oh, I love you, Ms. Burton." It became our game. Like who can say it first?

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, it is so important for students to feel like someone is looking forward to seeing them, and that's what Ms. Williams did for you, saying, "Just the person I wanted to see." It's really exciting that you're able to carry that forward and carry that on, and especially in kindergarten, where they are learning how to be in school, and to learn that they belong right from the start is really, really important. So thank you for everything you're doing. Thank you, Ms. Williams, for being out there and making this impact on Alexa so we get to benefit from your teaching and your positive impact on students. So thank you very much for taking the time to talk with us and for being a teacher in Jordan School District.

Alexa Bird:
Thanks for having me. Thanks for giving me a job. I love 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.

Katie:
It was very intimidating. I was not used to painting something this big. I've never done it before.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, doing it at scale is a little bit more difficult, I would guess.

Katie:
Yeah, 100 percent.

James Myers:
What's awesome about this specific fundraiser is that we're going to be using all the funds specifically for this fundraiser, for the senior class.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It is an impressive sight to see in the student parking lot at West Jordan High School. On this episode of the Supercast, find out how a paint and park project is raising money for senior class activities throughout the school year. It's a project where some students were able to paint and personalize their parking stalls in creative works of art you simply have to see to believe.

Anthony Godfrey:
We are here at West Jordan High School with one of the student government advisors. Introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about how these parking spots came to be.

James Myers:
Alright, so my name is James Myers. I've been an educator here at West Jordan High School for almost nine years. Student government for the last five and with the senior painting and park, this idea, it's been about half a year in the making. So what had happened was that Principal Hutch, over winter break, he had shown me this picture of some kids that have painted their parking spots. And for charity season, one of the activities that we do is that we actually will sell parking spots to the students and they get to have that spot for the rest of the year. And so Principal Hutch sent me this picture of some students that have painted their parking spot and said, "Hey, wouldn't this be cool if we did this for our students?"

Anthony Godfrey:
So these were pictures from another school?

James Myers:
Yeah, from another school.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

James Myers:
That got me thinking, because you can’t really do that during the winter because you’ve the the snow and the ice against you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Sure.

James Myers:
What if we figured out a way to actually take advantage of the summer and actually do this during the summer? And so I started doing some research, looking around, seeing what other schools were doing. And it really, really picked up, I guess, in May. And then over the summer, I was just working on getting the designs from the students, seeing who all was interested. We started off with 47 spots over here. It was going to be 48, but we didn't take into account that light post over there.

Anthony Godfrey:
Darn light post.

James Myers:
Oh, I know.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you call it the senior paint and park?

James Myers:
Yeah, the senior paint and park.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's better than park and wait by a long shot.

James Myers:
Oh, it definitely is. And it's much nicer to look at, too.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you decided there were 47 spots available. And how did you decide who was going to be able to access these particular spots?

James Myers:
That was a little difficult to figure out at first. But in the end, what we decided was that we sent out a mass email, multiple emails , out to the seniors and also sent out on social media to see who was interested. We had a form that they could fill out and such. And in the end, we said, OK, you need to send a confirmation saying that you're indeed interested in order to get one of these 47 spots. And you also have to submit your design for approval or to receive feedback, at least. And so of the first 47 students that both sent in their confirmation and their design so that we could actually start to review it and make sure that it would meet our standards. Once they were able to do that, they were on the list. And we quickly got our 47. And I think we ended up still having like another 40 that we're still contacting wanting to be involved.

Anthony Godfrey:
So did you take the first 47 or was it based on the designs or how exactly did you decide?

James Myers:
The first 47.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

James Myers:
These students, they're smart. They have a pretty good idea of what's going to get approved and what would instantly get rejected.

Anthony Godfrey:
Were there any duplicate designs or did everyone have their own idea?

James Myers:
We had two. We had two. Apparently Red Bull is very popular.

Anthony Godfrey:
It gives you wings, I hear.

James Myers:
I have heard that as well. And I reached out to them and I went, hey, you know you're doing the same design. And they went, yeah, we both know.

Anthony Godfrey:
So we have two Red Bull designs out there.

James Myers:
We have two Red Bull designs out there.

Anthony Godfrey:
Have the people at Red Bull been contacted? They ought to be sending you a swag of some kind.

James Myers:
I know. That would be amazing.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. That's the next step. That's the next step in this. See what you can raise for charity. What's being done with the funds that you raise? How are you going to use those?

James Myers:
What's awesome about this specific fundraiser is that we're going to be using all the funds specifically for this fundraiser for the senior class. So the seniors that paint it, they will get to reap the rewards of their actions. So we're going to make sure to use it for like the senior dinner dance, senior sunset, senior sunrise, and other activities like that that we love to put on for our seniors.

Anthony Godfrey:
What do you think this has meant to the students to get to personalize a spot during their senior year?

James Myers:
Oh, for one, it was just exciting to see them all before the school year started and just seeing them be so excited for this, their last year of high school. And they were just talking and hanging out and having so much fun. We had music going on and everything. And just being able to leave a part of themselves out here for everyone to see, I think that was just something really special. And it was just wonderful to be a part of it.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's awesome. Well, I can't wait to see them in person. Photos and the videos are what drew me here because they just, it looks fantastic.

James Myers:
Yeah. We were able to get some awesome drone footage from one of the parents of one of the students. He was also a resource officer over here, Officer Gray. So Detective Gray, he was actually the one that got all that footage of the drone.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, cool. I do hear it's caused some problems though, because other schools are now getting pressure to do the same thing because you guys are setting a trend. And other principals are saying, hey, now everyone wants us to do it as well. So you may see this spread to other schools next year.

James Myers:
I would be, I'm looking forward to it because there's just so many creative ideas out there and I want to see them painted. And I just hope that they all share their pictures as well.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's exciting. Now, from a technical standpoint, tell me what type of paint you use because when I first saw this, I thought, well, the first rain, we're going to be in trouble. So does the paint come off eventually or are these seniors now, they'll be able to come back when their children attend West Jordan High and park in their spot?

James Myers:
Oh, if that's the case, we're going to be running out of parking space.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes. Yes.

James Myers:
So I went to Home Depot to get our paint. Got the cheapest stuff that they had. I mean, it was still like twenty twenty-five dollars a gallon of paint.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

James Myers:
Yeah. Except for the white paint. I was able to get the five-gallon buckets of that. So, you know, bulk paint a little bit cheaper there. We probably went through 90 gallons of this house paint. So it's house interior paint. It is washable when it's wet and you can wipe it clean. OK, at least that's what it says on the can. And so we're hoping that it will last, you know, through most of the school year. I am really interested to see what will happen come winter once all the elements and you got the rock salt and the ice scraping and everything.

Anthony Godfrey:
Sure.

James Myers:
And the plan, I guess, for next year, we're going to have to do some testing because, you know, this is the first time that we're trying this out here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

James Myers:
With our climate would be to get some pressure washers out here to see just how effective that would be for removing it if we need to put on another base coat.

Anthony Godfrey:
But yeah, you can always paint over it.

James Myers:
Yeah, we can always paint over it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. OK. Well, it's really exciting. It's a creative and fun way for people to feel a greater connection to their school and to raise money. Yeah. So congratulations on blazing the trail here in Jordan.
Thank you. Stay with us when we come back more with the students at West Jordan High School who got to paint a parking spot just for them.

Male Voice:
Never miss an episode of the Supercast by liking and subscribing on your favorite podcasting platform. Find transcripts for this episode and others at supercast.jordandistrict.org.

Sandy Riesgraf:
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:
We're talking now with Jada and we're walking over to her spot. Jada, introduce yourself.

Jada:
Hi guys, I'm Jada. I go to West Jordan High School.

Anthony Godfrey:
And tell us about your spot before we get to come see it.

Jada:
Yeah, so it's a pretty detailed spot. I'd say it has a little sun. It's kind of ocean themed. Definitely more of an abstract ocean. It's not really realistic. And if I had more time, it would have been a lot more detailed. But four days seems like a lot. But when it gets down to it, it's definitely not enough time.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's actually a lot of space as I approach the parking space. It seems just right for the car, but it's a very large canvas for you to be painting on.

Jada:
Definitely. It's a lot more than I expected personally. I came in with a huge idea. I was like, yeah, this is going to take like maybe 13, 14 hours. Definitely not 13, 14 hours.

Anthony Godfrey:
A lot more than that.

Jada:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. And your car is actually parked there. So while we walk up, how great is it to have your own reserved spot and not be watching for a spot and all of that?

Jada:
Oh my gosh, I can't even explain. Last year I was half online, so I was kind of fighting for a spot to come for my second period or my third period. Because we have so many kids going to the school and kind of a smaller parking spot, I'd say. I mean, it's pretty big. But this year, you know, I can just I'm a senior. So I have like two classes at the high school and then two classes at JATC. So I can just come here and you know, I'd have to worry about finding a spot. It's genuinely just a relief.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you're right by the light post. This is great. And I can only see the edges because your car is parked there, but I see Jaded 2026 there at the front. That's fantastic. And the edges look really cool. I love the color combinations, but I can't wait to see the whole thing. So we'll let you pull out and then let's talk about the let's talk about your design.

Jada:
For sure. Let's do it.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. It is a little dirty, as you said. But I love this.

Jada:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
So why don't you describe this for those who are listening?

Jada:
Yeah, for sure. So it's a lot of colors here. We got light purples, dark purples, light blues, dark blues, a light green. We have a little gradient supposed to look like the ocean, which will move up into some like more abstract-looking waves into a little sunset. Then it goes up into a sky. It's a lot of a lot of details here.

Anthony Godfrey:
the waves are very curly. They look almost like tentacles coming up out of the ocean. And you've combined pink and purple and sky blue and cerulean and blue, navy blue and violet. It's just all these great colors in these patterns. And then the sun, the rays of the sun really are more like flames.

Jada:

Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think it looks fantastic.

Jada:
Thank you. I appreciate it.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you've got the gradient color, almost an hombre sort of look to the sun as well. How did you do that with house paint? That looks really difficult.

Jada:
I've been in art since like third grade. I've been doing I've been painting my whole life. It's not that hard. You just take a roller. You get like your orange and your red. I use orange and red on that sun up there and then a light blue and a dark blue. You get a roller. You pour a lot more than you think because you need it wet. You pour that on there. You start rolling until you're satisfied and eventually it'll blend together nice.

Anthony Godfrey:
That was my next question. Looking at this, how long have you been interested in art and producing art? Because it's obvious this was not your first masterpiece.

Jada:
I love art. It's such a good way to express yourself when you don't have the words for it. I've been doing art. I've been taking art classes since I was like, well, I mean, elementary school, of course, but I took it serious starting in seventh grade. I was doing ceramics, painting, drawing. I'm in sculpture right now.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's a shame that it's not permanent, but at least you get it for the whole year and it's very, very well done. Very compelling. The color combinations, the design. Bravo. Great job.

Jada:
I appreciate it. I will say it wasn't just me. Definitely. I had a bunch of people come out. My family members, my grandma, my grandpa, my uncle, one of my best friends. She paid her spot. She helped me. So if any upcoming seniors want to come and do this next year, I recommend bringing people. It's a good time to hang out with friends and to get time to paint. But just bring some friends along.

Anthony Godfrey:
OK. Fantastic. Thank you very much. We're talking now with Liam about his parking spot. Liam, this is instantly recognizable for someone who came from the nineteen hundreds like I did. Tell us about your Van Halen parking spot design.

Liam:
Yeah, I just really took inspiration from the album, The Best of Both Worlds. I really enjoyed it. So I just did the spot.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think it's so awesome. This is 80s guitar pattern with the black and white stripes scattered across a red background. I just I can hear the guitar licks as I look at your parking spot. Now tell me, the lines always look random and somehow these lines look exactly like the guitar. Is this patterned after a part of the guitar or do you just did you just know how to channel the look of Eddie's guitar?

Liam:
Well, we actually took a long time analyzing and trying to figure out where to put the tape and stuff. So it turned out pretty nice.

Anthony Godfrey:
For those who don't know, it's its crisscrossing lines in especially in the bottom three quarters of the parking spot. And it's wider lines, more narrow lines, black and white lines on the red background, just like Eddie Van Halen's guitar of Van Halen.Best of Both Worlds is your favorite album.

Liam:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me, why is that your favorite album?

Liam:
Pretty much if you hear good Van Halen song, it's probably going to be on that album.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, that's true. That's true. That is a great album. I like 1984 as well myself, but I was around for 1984. I was, you know, a young man at that time. So I'm impressed at your appreciation for Van Halen. Is that your main focus musically or are there other bands that you like as well?

Liam:
I don't know. I enjoy a lot of rock, but Van Halen's a pretty good one. One of the main ones, if you ask me.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, this is an epic parking spot and I think Eddie would be proud. This is it's clear that you analyze things and took this very seriously. Are you pretty proud of your design and the outcome?

Liam:
Oh, yeah, it was real fun to do. Me and my buddies were so proud of it. When we were painting it, we actually pulled out a grill and had a barbecue right along here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, that's awesome. Great memories as well. That's fantastic. And I think you got the closest spot of anyone. How did that happen?

Liam:
Oh, I don't know. It just happened by sheer chance. When I got here, there was already quite a few people here, but I this one was originally actually taken. So I took the one right next to it. But I guess someone changed their mind and left that spot open for me to snatch up.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, things have aligned very nicely for you. The lines have aligned very well. But the fact that you were able to get this parking spot and a design that you can be proud of. Very impressive. This one's going to stick with me. In fact, I'm taking a picture to show my friend who's a huge Van Halen fan. He's going to appreciate this. Well done, sir. All right. We're talking now with Katie right in front of her parking spot here at West Jordan High School. Katie, describe for the folks listening what we see here.

Katie:
OK, so for my parking spot, the tire spot is blue and in the middle of it is a cat that I painted to look like mine with big empty eyes. This is very important. And I added text that says “no empty head thought” because this is based off my cat who has no thoughts behind her eyes. Just none whatsoever.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, that's better than a scheming cat. Some cats when they do have thoughts behind their eyes, they're evil thoughts. So it's good to have a cat with a you know, with a with a with a blank brain.

Katie:
Yeah, yeah, definitely.

Anthony Godfrey:
So what's your cat's name?

Katie:
Her name is Luna.

Anthony Godfrey:
Luna. And what kind of cat is Luna?

Katie:
I'm not sure. We just got her at the shelter.

Anthony Godfrey:
She's a black and white cat.

Katie:
Yeah, she is a black and white cat and she has like some brown spots. So.

Anthony Godfrey:
How old is Luna?

Katie:
I say she's about 14.

Anthony Godfrey:
Have you brought —14 years old? Wow!

Katie:
Yeah, she's pretty old.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you you are honoring your elders here.

Katie:
I am. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me, has Luna seen the parking spot?

Katie:
I don't think so. I've been tempted to bring her before.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think Luna will connect with this parking spot. It's very beautifully done. Very nice design. Have you been interested in art for a long time?

Katie:
Oh, yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about that.

Katie:
It's something I've been doing for a long time. There's just like sketches, paintings, I mainly do watercolors. It's just something I like to do my free time.

Anthony Godfrey:
And how did it feel to paint something this large and out in the open? It was open air as the artist used to say.

Katie:
It was very intimidating. I was not used to painting something this big. I've never done it before.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, doing it at scale is a little bit more difficult, I would guess.

Katie:
Yeah, 100 percent.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love how the hair just kind of curls up at the sides and she looks very fluffy.

Katie:
Oh, she is very funny, but she's also very fat. So.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, now that you say that, I can kind of see that too. So you've really captured the spirit of Luna.

Katie:
Yes, I have.

Anthony Godfrey:
And I do see the brown on top of this.

Katie:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
So I noticed it when I first came over. It's you painted the cat black, but then you put the brown tones over it.

Katie:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about that. Was that difficult with house paint?

Katie:
Not really. So I did something called dry brushing, which is when you get a paintbrush and you put paint on it, you wipe most of the paint off and then you just kind of just paint it on. And it gives you that look that you're going for where you have some color on it, but it's not like overpowering the color underneath.

Anthony Godfrey:
And is the uneven white right in between the eyes kind of matching the pattern?

Katie:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
I can see that was pretty intentional right there.

Katie:
It was.

Anthony Godfrey:
That was not haphazard.

Katie:
No, no, no. That was intentional. That's the markings on her face.

Anthony Godfrey:
Luna. Well, I think Luna needs to see it. I think that's the next step.

Katie:
I agree.

Anthony Godfrey:
Luna needs to experience it and take a picture of Luna with it. Yes. I mean, she's 14. She is 14. You need to make the most of these moments.

Katie:
I do. I do.

Anthony Godfrey:
And I just noticed that you have a cat on your shirt as well.

Katie:
I do. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is Luna your only cat?

Katie:
No, I have two other cats.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do the other two cats feel bad that they are not painted in the parking spot?

Katie:
Well, I haven't told them, but they're not my cats. They don't like me very much.

Anthony Godfrey:
So they got what they deserve. They don't deserve to be in this parking spot.

Katie:
No, they don't. They don't come say hi. My cat does.

Anthony Godfrey:
They live in your home and yet they treat you this way.

Katie:
Yeah, exactly.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, that's for another parking spot, another time.

Katie:
Yep.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. But I'm glad you told the happy story of Luna instead.

Katie:
Yes.

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.

(upbeat music)