Author: communications

Superintendent:
Welcome to the Supercast and to a brand new year, 2021. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. As we begin the new year, Jordan School District is following some new state COVID-19 guidelines, quarantine procedures, and plans for students who wish to participate in athletics and other extracurricular activities. On this episode, I'm joined by several colleagues involved in our ongoing COVID safety plans together. We hope to help students, teachers, staff, and parents better understand the changes in COVID-19 protocol that will impact our schools moving forward. All right, we are here with Caleb Olsen, our Planning and Enrollment Consultant, Brad Sorenson, the Administrator of Schools over High Schools, and Mike Anderson, our Associate Superintendent to talk about moving forward and where we stand with the pandemic in a new calendar year. It's amazing that we're in 2021. And there's just been a little bit of a mind shift as we look toward the remainder of the year.

There've been some changes in procedure at the District level and at the State level, since we last talked about this on the Supercast. So I invited these gentlemen back to talk about some of the changes and how they're impacting students, families, and employees. Caleb, let's start with you and talk about the Dashboard.  First off, the Dashboard has been very popular. We have a lot of visits to the Dashboard, that updates case counts and quarantine counts. Tell us about that.

Caleb:
Absolutely. We've had the Dashboard up since about the end of September. And right now we're seeing between 1,002 thousand views a day of patrons and community members coming to get information on their schools altogether. The Moving Forward site with the Dashboard and all of the Districts COVID-19 information has been viewed just under 370,000 times since it went live in August, that's a higher level of engagement.

Superintendent:
And I really appreciate all the work that goes into providing and updating information on that site. There have been some changes to the way we report that. And one of the big changes that we've had questions about is the reset after we've been out for two weeks for the holiday break. Can you tell us about the reset and some of the ways that the information on the Dashboard has evolved?

Caleb:
Absolutely. The reset happened because of our return from winter recess. And I think everyone in the District needed that winter recess and that time off to kind of recover and recharge. But what that winter recess meant is there were no classes being held. So there were no opportunities for students to interact with those who might've had positive cases. There were no situations where we needed to quarantine new students.

Because of, and at the direction of the Salt Lake County Health Department, when we came back from winter recess, we reset all of our quarantine and our case totals to zero because any of the existing quarantines would have ended and any of the existing positive cases would have run through their course. It would have been more than 14 days and they would have been able to be back in school or back to work. So when we returned, we reset all of those numbers to zero. That meant the Dashboard had a few changes in the way it looks, and it may be a little different to people. But the main information is still there prior to winter recess, because we had schools who were going to virtual learning for a two week or a 14-day period. There were two sets of numbers on the Dashboard, one for current cases and one for the last two weeks.

When a high school or a middle school came back from virtual learning, they may or may have had cases that have been active in the last two weeks. But just like with winter break and our districtwide reset, there were no active cases at that moment because they would have run their course. So we showed on the Dashboard those two different sets of information so that patrons and schools could see what was happening right now, and  also a little bit of the history of what was happening since we've reset as a district. That last two week section has gone off of the Dashboard because it doesn't need it. Everyone's at the same starting level. Everyone went to zero on Monday and we've had a few cases and a few quarantines come back since then. So it's a little more simple, a little more clear to see the information about your school, but the same information is there and the same information is available. And as you said, hat reset comes countywide at all of our schools in any district in the County, because that comes from the County Health Department who reset protocol.

Superintendent:
Now you've talked about the changes to the Dashboard. What are just some of the things for people to keep in mind when to check when it's updated? Those are not live updates by the way. The Dashboard is updated once per day.

Caleb:
Absolutely. We don't update in real time, although our school nurses do and they are inputting information and reporting information to the District all the time. And they're hard at work, making sure those numbers are reported, but the Dashboard only updates once a day. We will always have it updated by 1:00 PM, but our goal is to have it done as soon as possible each school day. And as soon as we've been able to get the morning's information from the County Health Department and verify it and make sure it everything is correct and that it will display correctly, we push it out. So it's visible to all of the schools and all of our patrons.

So it will be available on the District website, jordandistrict.org, and at movingforward.jordandistrict.org everyday by 1:00 PM. As soon as it's ready to go, we push it out live. You'll be able to see the date and the time that it was updated last so you know how current and how accurate the information is you're viewing.

Superintendent:
Well, thanks for your hard work on that. I'm glad that you mentioned the nurses. Our nurses have worked constantly to get that information updated and to help coordinate quarantines that are put in place through the Health Department. And many staff members are working really hard at the school and district level to make those numbers available and to take the appropriate action. So thank you for that. One of those numbers that we talked about that's reported is quarantine numbers. We expect those to go down dramatically, based on the new procedures that were put in place just before the holiday break. Mike Anderson, Associate Superintendent, talk to us about that change to the quarantine procedure.

Mike:
Yes. Quarantines have now changed from 14 days to 10 days. And the reason behind that is because the schools started implementing the seven day test and return protocol. In other words, a student who was on quarantine could test after seven days. If they were negative, they could come back to school. The County has been crunching all of that data and they realized that less than 1% of the student population was being impacted with a positive COVID test after being quarantined. It's a very low number. And so based on that, they reduced the quarantine requirement. They count from 14 to 10 and that's going to significantly impact our quarantine numbers. In addition to that, you don't need to quarantine if there was a school exposure that was mask on mask.

In the past, you would have to quarantine if you were exposed to anybody that was positive for COVID-19 within 6 feet for more than 15 minutes. Now, if you're at school and you have mask to mask exposure to someone that has COVID-19, you do not need to quarantine at all. There are two important things to remember with this. It only is pertaining to school related exposures, and it's only pertaining to those exposures that were mask on mask. Any instances at lunch or participating at in athletics or in certain classes where masks aren't worn, there could still be quarantines as the numbers that we've seen previously. But mostly, this should dramatically reduce the number of quarantine.

Superintendent:
Yeah, it really should.

Mike:
And you'll see some quarantines on the Dashboard because of non-mask exposure. Some of those may happen also at lunch where students have removed their masks to eat. But we should see a significantly overall reduced number for quarantines. And hopefully that also translates into a lower absenteeism. There were also some changes at the District and State level concerning the threshold at which a school would be considered to be moved to virtual instruction and the process for doing so. Right before the Thanksgiving break, the Jordan School District Board of Education voted to change that process so that the District Administration and the School Administration have a conversation when the school meets one of three thresholds for two school days in a row. That means not over a weekend or over a break, but for two school days in a row.

The three thresholds are as follows:

1. If there are 15 cases at the elementary or middle school level or 1 percent of cases at the high school level.
2. If 10% of the student body is on quarantine.
3. If 20% of the student population is absent.

And those are the thresholds at which there's a conversation about moving the school to virtual instruction. After that decision was made in December, the State threshold actually changed to match those.

Superintendent:
Would you describe that if you don't mind?

Mike:
Yes. Our patrons shouldn't notice much of a difference at all because they are the same protocols that our Board had implemented prior to Thanksgiving. And that is for schools with more than 15 of 1500 students, you would have to reached 1% of the population testing positive for COVID-19. Before, a school would be considered to go virtual for schools less than 1500 students. The threshold remains at 15 days before you would be considered to pull virtual. And that includes all of our elementary and middle schools.

And if a school reaches one of those three thresholds on a day where they could have a second weekday where they meet that threshold, then they'll receive a notification for what's called an alert day and be made aware that they've met that threshold one day. If they meet the second day, they would be seriously considered to be moved to virtual instruction.

Superintendent:
Stay with us. We're going to take a short break and when we come back we will discuss what you need to know about new COVID protocols for students involved in athletics and other extracurricular activities.

Break:
If you ever feel like you need just some little extra support, maybe it's time to visit our Family Education Center. The Center located inside River's Edge School. We provide services and classes for family and students in Jordan School District, free of charge classes, like Blues Busters for children to help them worry less. There is a Pre-teen Communication Class for parents and Super Heroes Build-a-Plan that helps children with habits.  Jordan Family Education Center also offers short-term counseling and all three are provided by the District School Psychologists and Counselors. For information about classes and counseling call (801) 565-7442.

Superintendent:
Now, another the impact is on athletics and there's been a big change there. So let's talk with Brad Sorenson, Administrator over High Schools. This is athletics, extracurricular activities, anything that involves practice or rehearsals outside of the school day. Can you describe that procedure to us? And it's been very efficient at our schools. I must say, people have really jumped in and worked really hard to make this protocol work effectively.

Brad:
Yes, since just after Thanksgiving break, it's been required that students in all of our extracurricular activities be tested within a two week window. That testing continues every two weeks for all students who are participating in an activity that is more than just a one-time event. So that includes all of our athletics. It includes a lot of our performing art groups. It includes dance. It includes any groups that are meeting after school. And now, each school has set up a protocol and a process by which those groups would be tested every other week. Our schools do testing mainly on Fridays, but we've also had schools testing on different times during the week in order to accommodate all of those groups. So it's been a huge effort by the schools, and support staff. And again, the nurses who now have come in. They're the ones actually swabbing our students as they go through the testing. And those testing results determine kids' abilities to continue in those extracurricular activities.

Superintendent:
I happened to be at one of our high schools when that testing was going on. Large numbers of students moved through that process very quickly.

Brad:
School staff have been very organized and have worked hard to make that process go smoothly. And there had been some positive test results, but it's also allowed for safe continuation of extracurricular activities.

Superintendent:
And that's a Statewide protocol that's in place with an expectation. We continue to receive shipments on a regular basement basis of tests from the State. They are the rapid tests. It only takes about 15 minutes to get a result.

Brad:
Yeah, correct. Students will come in and, based on their assigned time, are usually in and out of that testing in 15 minutes at the longest, and they'll know their results through the system that sends them an automatic notification after the test has been confirmed positive or negative.

Superintendent:
Well, a lot of families and a lot of employees at the School District and State level working very hard to provide the best experience possible for students. Things are shifting all the time. We encourage you to visit the District website for updates. We'll continue to send out emails, as we did this week, to provide the latest information that we have available.

Thanks to the three of you for joining us. Thanks to families and employees out there who have been working so hard. We'll continue to follow these protocols and provide the best education and experience for students, employees, and families that we possibly can.

Thanks for joining us on the Supercast. And remember, education is the most important thing you will do today. We'll see you.

Superintendent:
Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Jessi Morton-Langehaug is a passionate educator, athlete, ultra-marathon runner and parent. On this episode of the Supercast, the Herriman High School teacher talks about inspiring students by sharing her personal story with them. Jesse went undiagnosed with Lyme disease for 10 years and was told she would never run or compete again because her body was too damaged. Hear how Jesse defied the odds, not only competing again but recently winning the Moab 240. That's right, 240 miles with the fourth-fastest time in history. Jesse's story is one of hope and inspiration as we begin the new year. Jesse, I'm just going to ask you to kind of list off some of the amazing things that you're up to. Let's start with teaching.

Jessi:
I teach chemistry, AP chemistry, honors chemistry, regular chemistry, and yoga at Herriman High School. And a hobby is I love to run. I like ultra-marathon the most, but I've run the Boston Marathon three times. I've done Chicago. I've done New York. I ran my first marathon four months after my daughter was born. She's now six and a half. And I've just kept going further and further since then and just finished a Moab240 three weeks ago.

Superintendent:
Yeah. This is a long list of accomplishments in a very short amount of time, but I'm going to start with chemistry and yoga. That is perhaps a combination I'm going to use in the future. When I'm talking about difficult teachers to replace, it used to be French and math as the combination, but I think chemistry and yoga is going to take over as the new example of a difficult position to replace. Why chemistry and yoga?

Jessi:
Well, chemistry because really, chemistry is the fundamental science of everything. So like biology, if you break it all down, it all has to do with chemistry. And then yoga, it's just become a passion of mine. I started practicing yoga and then went to yoga teacher training and then spent three years in India and in three summers, my students actually were the ones that knew that I had gone to India. I would talk about meditation with them and things like that. And they asked me to bring yoga to Jordan School District. They said if we would go around to get enough signatures, will you write the program or get it to Jordan School District or get it to the high school catalog to teach here? And so I said yes, go get signatures. We'll see what I can do. So they did. I went to the District and presented yoga and they got it on the catalog and now we have yoga. So, I'm kind of a "Jack of all trades".

Superintendent:
Well, that's very impressive. And it's exciting that the students were the ones that were behind adding yoga to your schedule.

Jessi:
Yeah. I give them the credit. Absolutely.

Superintendent:
Well, you've had a wide variety of experiences and like I said, a wide range of expertise. I want to talk a little bit about the running nap. You said that you started just after your daughter was born, just a few months after. So you've been running for about six years. Is that right?

Jessi:
Well, I ran cross-country in high school. But then I got Lyme Disease and it wreaked havoc on my system. So I stopped running for a lot of years. Then I would do like little runs here and there. I got more into cycling. It was easier on my joints. I got more into yoga because it was a lot gentler on my body. Then I kinda was always told I wouldn't be able to have children and so when I was pregnant and I had my daughter, I started running. I got up to 10 miles and I thought, if I could do 10 miles, I just think I'm going to do a marathon. If I can have a child, I can run a marathon.

And the Boston Marathon bombing also happened during that time. And it like ignited something in me. I'd never wanted to run a marathon before that. This sort of runner in me, like runners united just created this emotional thing inside of me that made me want to run the Boston Marathon. And so I started. I was running with my daughter, when I was pregnant and then she was born in January and I ran my first one. I believe it was like June 14th.

Superintendent:
Okay. Again, you just jam packed a whole bunch of things into that short little conversation, because most people, in my experience, me included, don't say I just reached this 10 mile goal. If I can do that, I can for sure do more than double that. And I can for sure do it after I just had a child, but no one thought that I could have and overcoming Lyme disease. I mean, there's a lot of things that you've overcome in your life. Many people probably don't understand Lyme disease. And I understand that years went undiagnosed for a long time. So can you just tell me about that obstacle first?

Jessi:
Sure. Um, so it went undiagnosed for probably about 10 years. And I never had a bite. I just started to have a lot of digestive issues, the weight loss, the arthritic pains, the chattering in the mind, the constant headaches. It kind of felt like I was hit by a truck all the time. And it was just a struggle just to go from A to B. And then I got to the point where I was kind of feeling like this isn't living. I didn't feel good. I felt like I didn't want to go on. And that's when I found yoga and yoga brought me to India and their approach was different. Their approach was, you spent so many years breaking down, breaking down, breaking down, trying to kill all of this.Now we need to build your system back up. So there were herbs and treatments to open up the energy channels in the body, replace it with herbs to build the systems, rebuild the organs, get you strong again.

Superintendent:
So tell us about coming back to running after all of that.

Jessi:
Running has always been what I love. So even in high school, I was top of the Cross Country team and I started running in middle school and it's just always been a stress relief. It's mental happiness. It's my love, running is my level of self. And before I was diagnosed with Lyme's they said my body is so damaged, you'll never be able to run a marathon. I used to drive down the street and see people running and be so sad because that's all I wanted to do. So when I had my daughter and I started running and then when I ran my first marathon, my first marathon was a big joke. I was on par to get a bike and I just didn't take the electrolytes that I needed to. And I bonked really bad. I made it to the finish line, but it was not a pretty finish, but I learned a lot. And I know that this is going to come back.

Superintendent:
The technical term for hitting the wall.

Jessi:
Hitting the wall biking. Yeah. And I know it'll come back to this, but I am an educator and I am really real. At least I want to be with my students. And like I tell them all the time, don't be afraid of failure. Failure makes you better. And I learn way more from my failures than I ever did any of my successes.

Superintendent:
So true.

Jessi:
I learned so much from my first marathon because I realized, even though I'm a chemistry teacher, you know what you learn in a classroom, you don't necessarily take out of the classroom. And I knew about electrolytes, but for some reason I thinking, I'll get enough, I'll get an off on the course, so I didn't. And so, like that first marathon, I bumped it really bad. And that was my first marathon, over four hours. And then I learned a ton from it, you know? And then I went to Boston, I think the following year. From my first ultra marathon, my first hundred miler, I made some really, really, really big mistakes. And I went back the following year. So that same one shaved five hours off of my time and got third place, female.

Superintendent:
Five hours off your time?

Jessi:
I tell my students all the time, failure is good. You fail and you learn. So this last summer, I had some of my issues. My Lymes kind of came back. And in June, I almost hung up my racing shoes. I ran the Wasatch course on my own. I had some pacers and a wonderful crew, but it was just me because it was canceled this year. So I ran it anyway and I didn't throw up. I always throw up the last 33 miles of that race and I didn't throw up. It gave me the confidence that maybe Moab will go well. Moab was really, really hot this year. And I got behind on my hydration because I read the water chart wrong and I didn't have enough water. So I got behind and I started to get really sick on that first day.

Superintendent:
So you weren't in the race where you set a record. Is a record perhaps for you the only record that counts? But to me, fourth overall of all time, that's pretty freaking awesome.

Jessi:
Thank you. I got really sick that first day and I problem solved it and I didn't let it destroy my race. I said, I'm going to slow down. I'm going to walk. I'm going to try to get this under control. When I made it into my first crew station at mile 72, I wasn't going to sleep, but I slept for half an hour. And then I woke up and I threw up everything and I felt great. I didn't have any other issues for the rest of the race. I think what changed as I made that decision, I'm not going to keep pushing, I'm going to sleep for 30 minutes. I'm going to tell my body if you feel bad, I'm going to rest.

Superintendent:
So the thing that's remarkable to me as I listened to overcoming the illness and overcoming obstacles, even within the day. In a race is that you're always thinking about what does this obstacle mean? How can I solve it and how can I get around it and just keep moving? And I do think that's a great lesson for your students. You're the embodiment of just continuing to try, even when things don't go your way.

Jessi:
Oh, absolutely. 100 percent. I'm not a good teacher because I'm awesome in my content. I know my stuff, but I value relationships and I share a lot of my life experiences, especially with my yoga kids. I tell them if you become more flexible, awesome. If you become stronger, awesome. But what I really care about is that you have more tools in your toolbox for when life gets hard, because it will, and you can pull stuff from that. I want to teach them to learn, to have a relationship with themselves, to gain some mental strength because that's what's going to help when life gets tough.

Superintendent:
When you finish this race, you're running along at a 10 minute mile clip, is that correct?

Jessi:
There might have been some sections at the end that I was definitely pushing. I wasn't able to hold that pace for the whole race, obviously. But I was super impressed with how my body was able to continue to push some pretty fast miles when I came into the eighth station at 37 miles. They said, wow, good job. You're the first female. And I though, yeah, it's 37 miles in. There was a long race to go. I don't even tell me that at mile 200 miles. So the whole time I was thinking I don't want to know what place I'm in because I was doing my race and I told my crew that this is my race. There were definite lows, but I had a lot of fun and I know people that's crazy.

Superintendent:
Like how can you have fun running 240 miles?

Jessi:
I had a lot of fun. I was cracking jokes with my crew. I was like singing, belting out loud with my music. I had a lot of fun. I had some lows. I felt like crying at the very end. I felt like swearing a few times. There were some bad times, but I always knew that at the bottom of a low, there was always going to be a high because that's life. When I say ultra marathons are like life, and for anyone listening,  if you are in a really bad place or if life isn't going super well, it will get better. You know? So I just always knew that if I was in a really bad place that eventually it was going to turn around.

Superintendent:
Well, it's good advice. It's obvious that you have a lot of hope and just that you're able to say it's going to get better and you're able to see past that difficult time, which is something that we're all trying to do right now. And I do think that important component of not just saying it is going to get better, but also I have a hand in trying to do that and I need to think about a lot of different ways I can attack the problem. I just, I really admire that. And I'm so glad that your students are in your class and able to get that message.

Jessi:
Thank you.

Superintendent:
You also wrote a book? Tell us about the book that you wrote.

Jessi:
It was in my head for a while. When I run, it's kind of my meditation time, when I just sort of let thoughts flow.

Superintendent:
Do you run with a little notebook in your hand and a pencil?

Jessi:
I should run with a notebook and a pencil. I would sort of write in my head as I was running. I'm a pretty private person. or I used to be, especially in terms of my health. I didn't tell people that I had Lyme disease, just because I always kind of viewed or people would see me and think I was a weak individual. So I didn't ever tell people. I didn't want people to look at me differently. So writing took a lot of courage. I wasn't quite sure if I was ready to put it all out there. And then one day I just sat down at my laptop and I started writing. I would just write all day long. Chapter one, after the prologue, took so much out of me that I needed to go for a run, just to kind of get off of this table. I had felt like I had just run an ultra marathon. I was so tired because of all this stuff I had been holding onto for so long. I just put on paper. It was just like this heaviness, you know? I just kind of felt like I just kind of felt like it was time. And I always say, if I can help one person then I've done my job. I know that there's been a few of my students that have read it and they've reached out to me to say, I looked up to you before and now, but I just respect you and you've taught me a lot. I've had other people write to me and say that I've helped them.

Superintendent:
Obviously, you have some great accomplishments in your life, but there are a lot of great accomplishments to come. And I'm just thrilled that our students here at Herriman get to know you and get to know the attitude that you've brought to life.

Jessi:
Thank you.

Superintendent:
Thank you very much for spending time with us.  Thanks for joining us on the Supercast. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. And remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you out there.

Superintendent:
Welcome to a Holly Jolly edition of the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It is music that will make you smile and warm your heart. On this episode of the Supercast, we share some sweet Sounds of the Season performed by Jordan School District students. While you listen, just know we are wishing you the happiest of holidays and a safe prosperous year. Let's start with "Snow Carol", performed by South Hills Middle Schools advanced women's ensemble.

Song

Superintendent:
Now enjoy South Jordan Middle School's ninth grade Concert Choir performing "Sing We Now of Christmas".

Song

Superintendent:
Up next, Hidden Valley Middle School's percussion ensembles performing "On Thin Air" by John Wilmarth.

Song

Superintendent:
Now taking the stage is West Jordan Middle School's Combined Choirs performing "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" arranged by Carol Straumer.

Song

Superintendent:
We have Sunset Ridge Middle School Symphonic Orchestra with “Rock Ye Merry, Rest Ye Very” by Brian Beaumont.

Song

Superintendent:
Finally enjoy Ms. Madsen's sixth grade class at Eastlake Elementary School singing “Santa is the Man”.

Song

Superintendent:
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Supercast. Happy Holidays and have a wonderful break. Remember, education is the most important thing you will do today. We'll see you out there.

Superintendent:
Welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Have you ever wondered what's the very best way to cookie perfect steak? Some students in the ProStart Culinary Program say it's by using a cast iron skillet on this sizzling episode of the super cast. I head to Mountain Ridge High School with my brand new cast iron skillet in hand, ready for a cooking class like no other. I was inspired to learn the art of cast iron skillet, cooking by one student who appeared on a previous Supercast and said he was having "Steaks-giving" instead of Thanksgiving. Let's start in Ms. Anderson's classroom kitchen, where we prepare our skillet. Tell me about seasoning a skillet. Obviously yours is over 50 years old, so it's well seasoned. Tell us about that process.

Student:
For that process, what we do is we heat up the skillet with just some oil and to kind of rub oil all around the inside to make sure that the oil absorbs within the skillet a little bit and allows it to be more non-stick and it just allows food to cook better on it.

Superintendent:
So I asked Mike Anderson, our Associate Superintendent, who is here with us. Say hi to everybody.

Mike:
Hi everybody.

Superintendent:
He seasoned mine, it was pre-seasoned. And then he seasoned it at home because it needs another layer. So tell me why yours is so much blacker and shinier than any others I've seen.

Ms. Anderson:
My husband's cast iron skillet, I believe he got it from his grandparents, and it has just been used throughout the years. And it's just insanely smooth for cast iron, but you really have to use it in order for it to get that way.

Superintendent:
And we have a couple of students here with us as well. Tell us your names.

Student:
I'm Aaron Butterfield and I will be cooking the steaks for you today.

Superintendent:
What do we have set up here?

Student:
So it's basically getting all your recipe and all the equipment you'll need and the food you'll need. We've got our cast iron skillets, and then we'll preheat those in a minute. Then we have butter, garlic, salt, pepper, and the oil we will be cooking with. We have a thermometer to watch the temperature of our meat, so we don't over or under cook it. And then, just some other utensils that we will be using.

Superintendent:
Now, this really is a nice way to approach just about anything. You have everything right in front of you that you need so that you're not in the middle of trying to cook something on a particular timeline and then find yourself scrambling for what you're missing.

Student:
Yes, exactly.

Superintendent:
Tell me a little bit about the cut of steaks that we have here. They look absolutely gorgeous. I want to spray shellac on that and just put it on my desk because it looks so delicious.

Student:
All right. So we have some ribeye steaks. We opted for the boneless version and purchased them last night. We salted them and then put them in the fridge overnight, uncovered. It helps the moisture to kind of evaporate. You don't want any moisture when you sear them. And so if you leave them uncovered, it helps with that really nice crust. And then we just salted them, both sides and have just left them uncovered, refrigerated. We've just pulled them out so that they can get to room temp. So in about 10 minutes, we'll be ready to cook.

Superintendent:
Those are important tips. I love the attention to detail. So, the seasoning looks pretty sparse. There's not a lot required beyond that. Okay.

Student:
Yeah. Beef, I mean really good quality beef is going to have a great flavor. So you don't really want to mask that. We have decided to do a little bit of butter and Rosemary and garlic and salt and pepper. But honestly, that's really not necessary with a good steak. You could just do salt and pepper and it should taste absolutely amazing.

Superintendent:
Talk us through as we take the next steps. Are we doing a side dish as well?

Student:
Yeah, we're gonna do some caramelized honey Brussel sprouts for you today. I used to not be a big fan of Brussels sprouts, but I learned that because I just never had them cooked correctly. Once you cook them correctly, they're absolutely delicious. So we're going to do a caramelized honey pepper flake and vinegar glaze on some Brussels sprouts. We're going to roast them in the oven, I believe for about 20 minutes to 425 degrees. It's a really hot oven and they will be absolutely soft, but tangy, salty but hot. They're kind of everything.

Superintendent:
I'm excited to try it. The word you added in the mix before and after Brussel sprouts, I think are going to make me like them for the first time.

Student:
I honestly hope so.

Superintendent:
I am expecting good things. I think it's going to be awesome. So tell me some of the health and safety precautions that you teach students in the kitchen.

Ms. Anderson:
So here at Mountain Ridge High School, we have different levels of foods classes, and each year we usually add a little bit to their knowledge. Foods I actually offers the food handlers certificate. Students learn everything safety and sanitation wise that they need to know to be able to work in the restaurant workplace. From there we just add on a little bit of knowledge with Foods II, applying it more. Honestly, just practice makes perfect. And then in ProStart we actually run a restaurant at our school. We learn the applicable skills in our commercial kitchen and lab space.

Superintendent:
Walk us through.

Student:
So first, we're going to cut up this garlic real quick, just so it's ready. You're just smashing it, really putting your weight on it and leaning into it with the side of the knife you just crush it, and then you'll cut off the end of it because you don't really want that part. Then you just peel the garlic right off. That's the good stuff on the inside.

Superintendent:
Okay. And is this a career from what you aspire and wanting at this moment in time?

Student:
I'm not really sure what I want to go into quite yet, but it's definitely an option. Come over and we're going to start preheating the cast iron.

Superintendent:
When do you put the oil in?

Student:
Once the pan is hot.

Superintendent:
What do you watch for, how do you know?

Student:
As soon as the oil hits the pan, you want to start watching to see it smoking and then you're ready. It's hot enough.

Superintendent:
So you will look at the pan and you turn it up on the highest heat or do you pretty high, just enough to get the whole thing hot. Okay. Aaron, is there a preferred oil you use for a steak like this?

Student:
Different oils have different smoking points. So you want to use a canola oil or avocado oil, both with about the same smoking point. You know, it's up to temperature. I thought I detected notes of canola.

Student:
Yeah. Now the reason we're here, of course, is because of our Steaks-giving episode Thanksgiving episode, which I now remember as the Steaks-giving episode because of the term you introduced me to, how was your Steaks-giving?

Student:
Our family Steaks-giving was amazing. We had a really good time. And even though it was a smaller family gathering than normal, we had a really good time and the food was amazing.

Superintendent:
And remind me, what portion of the meal were you responsible for?

Student:
So I cook the steaks and I did roasted garlic roasted potatoes. I was in charge of the skewer member that did cook the steaks for everybody.

Superintendent:
Yes. Well, I hope to be able to, after I watch the master at work. That's going to start smoking now. It starts to smoke. He dropped the oil in. Okay. I just got goosebumps hearing a steak.

Student:
This is one of I think the easiest ways to make a steak. The one issue with it is that middle can be really rare still in. So we're trying to get it to medium rare.

Superintendent:
Okay. Now you're holding it on the side, searing the sides as well.

Student:
Yes.

Superintendent:
That is something that I have not done. Does that sear from the side as well?

Student:
Yeah. It just gives you an idea of how thick you are as well.

Superintendent:
Yeah, probably not immediate.

Student:
Yeah. If you were doing sirloin steak, it's probably already cooked all the way through.

Superintendent:
Stay with us. When we come back, it's time to be cooking a steak in our cast iron skillet, create a savory side dish down there.

Break:
Hello, I'm Stacee Worthen, Secondary Counseling Specialist for Jordan School District. Do you know all the ways or the school district counselors can help you and your students? School counselors play such an important role in our school. They provide parents with resources to help guide their children in academics. They provide support with the mental and social well-being of students in our schools. And if you were in the process of preparing a student for college or just beginning, the conversation of higher education now is the perfect time to reach out to your child's counselor. We can assist with college applications and college readiness. I encourage parents and guardians to schedule an appointment and get to know your student's counselor together. Counselors and parents can help develop plans and strategies for students to succeed long after they leave during school district. rReach out. We're always here to help. You can find us and learn more at counseling.jordandistrict.org.

Student:
We're going to go for 130 degrees internal temperature. Okay, 70 degrees. We've got a little ways to go. Ms. Anderson, take over. That one is a little bit thinner, so it might be done.

Superintendent:
So once we turn it, we turn it back down to a low heat, until we can get that internal temperature up to what did you say, 130 degrees?

Student:
Yes. It depends on what you're going for. If you're going for medium or well done.

Superintendent:
Okay. Well, while he continues to get the internal temperature up, tell us the range for rare, medium and well done.

Student:
Rare is about 120 to 125 degrees. A medium rare is more like 130 to 135 degrees, and you probably shouldn't cook your steak anything above that.

Okay. Now you sear both sides and then you sear the edges and now you turn the heat down just to bring that internal temperature up. Now we're going to add some butter to baste with the garlic rosemary, and a little extra salt finishing. And that'll just give it flavor and time to cook.

Superintendent:
What are some common mistakes, if you will, that people make when they're cooking this?

Student:
Probably the biggest mistake is just over cooking it. Occasionally under cooking it, right? It's really hard to get that perfect medium rare.

Superintendent:
The steaks. No dude. Before knowing the roasted garlic in butter and those are ingredients to a magic potion. Okay. Lexi's here from the yearbook. Am I right about that smell or what?

Lexi:
Oh, you're right about that.

Superintendent:
We're coming back to the Brussels sprout conversation here. Are you zesting right now?

Student:
Yeah. So I'm zesting a lemon and we've diagonally sliced some scallions or green onions. And this is going to be a little topping that we use on the Brussel sprouts. Once the steaks are resting, I'm going to start making my caramelized honey glaze. And then we'll just kind of toss that all together and we'll have a wonderful Brussel sprouts side dish.

Ms. Anderson
Aaron has made his famous mashed potatoes for you guys today.

Superintendent:
Oh, well, awesome.

Student:
There's two keys to making mashed potatoes. The first is using Yukon gold potatoes and the second is using a ricer in order to basically mash your potatoes. A ricer is a contraption where you basically squished potato through small holes and it leads to really smooth texture. But right now the Brussel sprouts are getting really nice and brown. They're still not quite ready. They're a little too greenstone. So we're going to leave them in for about five more minutes just to get them really nice and tender. That's always the tough part for me is knowing just by what they look like if they are ready or not.

Superintendent:
Now we came back from the Brussel sprouts and caught Aaron tasting the mashed potatoes. Oh, he's going to let me do the same. They look awesome. They're warming right now. They're still a little bit cold, but they're warming up. I'm going to give it a try. That is incredible. Those tastes so good.

Student:
How was your Thanksgiving?

Superintendent:
My Thanksgiving was great and I actually, emboldened by my conversation with you and the rest of your class, I actually did make mashed potatoes. But I'm going to tell you, they were nothing close to this. I was pretty proud of them. Those potatoes tastes so good and they look great. Wow. So these are Yukon gold mashed potatoes. What are the other ingredients you throw in here to make them a perfection?

Student:
Heavy whipping cream. And then we did some butter, a lot of salt. When you start the potatoes, you want to salt the water really well.

Superintendent:
So we're just going to do some mashed potatoes. Then the Brussel sprouts is out here, on fire.

Okay. Ms. Anderson, some people may be hesitant but interested. What would you say to those who are considering taking one of your foods classes?

Ms. Anderson:
I would say that foods is a really fun class to take. You learn both career skills as well as life skills. A lot of my students may not choose to be in the restaurant industry, but they do develop a lot of skills that they use in college and beyond. I've had some students tell me that my class really helped them be able to cook in their dorm room better. And so that's always kind of a rewarding thing to have some more skills so that you're not always necessarily eating out, but that you're able to make a nutritious meal at home. We have a lot of fun. We cook a lot of different foods. We try to have a huge variety so that students feel that they're able to have a lot of different skills across the board.

Superintendent:
They're trying to stake now. All right, here comes the crust. Oh, that is soft and delicious Aaron. This is a masterpiece. It turned out very good. Lexi, how do you like your meal?

Lexi:
Mashed potatoes are brilliant. I've never had Brussels sprouts before.

Superintendent:
These are amazing. This steak is so juicy and Brussel sprouts. I'm going to try them right now. Oh, you can taste the zest and the citrus. It's incredible.

Student:
And I saved the Yukon potatoes for last because I know it's like dessert. How are those Brussel sprouts?

Superintendent:
Wow. It was Brussels sprouts. First of all, they have kick, but it's an appropriate kick. I've never had them as good before.

Thanks again to Ms. Anderson, Aaron, to Lexi for being here from the yearbook to document and to Mike. Anderson for bringing his cast iron skillet and his skills to the kitchen as well. And I'm going to go back to the meal, but thank you so much for letting us join you as always.

Thanks for joining us on the Supercast. And remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you out.

Superintendent:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It's one of the most prestigious academic achievement programs available for high school students. And it's coming back to Jordan School District. We're talking about the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program, which will be located at West Jordan High School. On this episode of the Supercast, find out if your teen is a good candidate for IB and what the program can do for students determined to have a successful future during and after high school. Let's start by finding out what IB is all about with Chandler Bishop and Natalie Nielsen. I'm very excited that we have this program coming back to Jordan School District. And I'm just going to ask Chandler to tell us right out of the shoot. What is International Baccalaureate?

Chandler:
Well, thank you for having me. The International Baccalaureate Program is a diploma program. So it's a diploma that you get in addition to your high school diploma that is both nationally and internationally recognized. It's an extremely rigorous academic program that takes place over two years. So your entire junior year and entire senior year, you'll be part of the program. And in addition to the classes that you take, which are very similar to AP classes, although they take place over the two year period, you also have the core of the IB program, which includes an extended essay that you research on your own. Over the course of about a year and a half, you have the CAS Program, which involves what we might think of as extracurricular activities, as well as a service component. You will put together a service project and the Theory of Knowledge class, which you don't get college credit for if you take individually, but if you want the diploma, you have to take the Theory of Knowledge class, and it's sort of the secret sauce of IB. It's the class that ties all of the other components of IB together. And it's a class where you look at what is knowledge, how does knowledge relate to me? And how do I understand knowledge in all the other classes that I'm taking? And that's sort of a brief overview of the International Baccalaureate Program.

Superintendent:
In other words, a very rigorous academic program, but a well-rounded program that prepares students for all kinds of opportunities after they've completed that diploma.

Chandler:
Yes, absolutely. It's actually the program that best prepares students for life in college. So, just a statistic here for you, diploma students have a higher graduation rate of 80% at a four year college. Compare that to the national average of 40%. So a student coming out of the IB program is graduating college at almost twice the rate of the average college student. And it's because the preparation is so rigorous in their high school that they have no trouble transitioning to college.

Superintendent:
Natalie, tell us about your perspective on what does the International Baccalaureate Program bring to West Jordan High School and anyone who wishes to participate, because it's a districtwide program.

Natalie:
Well, I think the neatest part with the IB program is the emphasis on global mindedness. So, it's reaching out into the community and West Jordan is a very diverse school, so we always have embraced diversity here. And we have an amazing staff that really pushes students out of their comfort zone, getting them to take risks. And that's what this program is all about. And so it would just be really neat to get to that next level.

Superintendent:
Natalie, tell me your role with the International Baccalaureate Program.

Natalie:
So I am the CAS Coordinator at Western High School. I'm over the creativity activity and service. I am also a teacher in the IB Program, would be dance career.

Superintendent:
So it really has a well-rounded program, obviously with all those components and Chandler, what is your role?

Chandler:
I am the IB Coordinator. I take care of registering students with IB and making certain that everything in the program is moving smoothly, in terms of assessments and making certain all our teachers have the proper workshops and credentials. I also teach theTheory of Knowledge class, which is one of the most important classes, as I said earlier, that connects all the different classes together.

Superintendent:
I've always been fascinated with that title, The Theory of Knowledge, and it makes me really wants to take that class. So I may have to drop by one of these days. I've talked with students about it that have taken that course over the years. And it really is, like you said, at the heart of things. It's thinking about thinking, it's thinking about knowledge and looking at things at a deeper level that students haven't maybe experienced before. What is the relationship between West Jordan High school and the International Baccalaureate Program?

Chandler:
First of all, this is open to students throughout the district. So it's not a West Jordan High sSchool centric program, but it benefits the school as a whole as well. So IB's approach to education is great and it's that our school has been moving towards anyway. And I think that's why we felt like it was such a good fit for our school. You know, one example is the Theory of Knowledge class really focuses on how do we know something and what does that have to do with me? Right? So we always learn things in isolation. And I think that IB does such a good job of that. We want to see this permeate throughout our school, making the connection between the knowledge that's presented in class and what that has to do with each individual. How do I think about this and how does this affect the world that I live in, right? To make those connections. I think through IB and the IB training that all of our teachers are going to have, we'd like to see that mindset really permeate throughout every aspect of our school, whether it's an IB class or not.

Superintendent:
Stay with us after the break, we'll talk about what this program can do for students hoping to attend prestigious colleges and universities around the country, the advantages of having an IB diploma.

Advertisement:
Hello, I'm Stacee Worthen, Secondary Counseling Specialist for Jordan School District. Do you know all the ways during school that district counselors can help you and your student? School counselors play such an important role in our school. They provide parents with resources to help guide their children in academics. They provide support with the mental and social wellbeing of students in our schools. And if you were in the process of preparing a student for college, or just beginning the conversation of higher education, now is the perfect time to reach out to your child's counselor. We can assist with college applications and college readiness. I encourage parents and guardians to schedule an appointment and get to know your student's counselor together. Counselors and parents can help develop plans and strategies for students to succeed long after they leave during the school district. Reach out, we're always here to help. You can find us and learn more at counseling.jordandistrict.org.

Superintendent:
First of all, what can a student expect as part of the International Baccalaureate experience? And then we'll come back and talk about what results they might expect after high school for an International Baccalaureate. Chandler, what can they expect as part of the experience?

Chandler:
Yeah, that's a great question. So, you know, our high schools have a lot of different options for earning college credit. You have AP classes, you have concurrent classes and now we'll have the IB Program. I think what sets the IB Program apart is that you get an entirely well-rounded education. So in AP you kind of pick and choose, and maybe your strength is in science. And so you want to take an AP science class and that's great. But with IB, all of your classes are in depth, broad, rigorous classes. And so you can get a very well-rounded experience in the classroom. Then, if you're going to try and get the diploma, you also get the other parts of the IB, where you're getting theTheory of Knowledge class. You're doing the research paper, the essay, that's on your own. And the essay is a self guided. You pick the topic, you create the research question and then you research it and write it on your own. And it's structured where you have support through an advisor, but you are doing that on your own.

Superintendent:
Natalie, from your perspective in your role, what experience would an International Baccalaureate student expect?

Natalie:
You know, we always want teachers to emphasize authentic learning, and that is what the experience and project is all about. It produces the well-rounded students. So the neat part with the CAS program, if you are focused on creative pursuits, something that you want to have interest in, you can go out and take an art class or go to a paint night and that would fall into the creative pursuits. Then you also have activities which focuses on healthy lifestyle and building this healthy lifestyle. If you want to go rock climbing and try that, or if you want to participate in a sport at the school, that's highly encouraged where you can use some of your basketball experience on the team for the activity portion. My personal favorite is the community service aspect because you're finding an authentic need inside your immediate community and really speaking to that need. So students are getting out into the community, getting involved as well.

Superintendent:
I love that approach that involves educating the total student. Chandler, you mentioned before that the University of Utah and other in-state colleges accept International Baccalaureate and will grant 30 hours of credit. What impact does International Baccalaureate have on admissions to prestigious universities?

Chandler:
Yes, that's a great question. It's incredibly impactful. So certainly our State colleges all recognize it, but throughout the entire country, they recognize it. In fact, IB students are accepted at Ivy league colleges at a very high rate and other prestigious colleges that may not be Ivy league like NYU, for example, because they all recognize that not only is the rigor in the academic classes very high, but what you're asked to do outside of class is also very high, right?

So Natalie talked about the CAS Program. I've talked about the extended essay. But in addition, they all recognize that the skills these students come out with are incredibly important. The critical thinking skills are the biggest emphasis in any of these classes, right? This is not rote memorization. This is, can you discuss this in written form in an intelligent, critical way?

Natalie mentioned the time management skills, right? This is one of the things that I think is the hardest transition for students moving from high school to college in high school. We have these very long classes. The majority of your classwork is done in class. And then you go to college and it's the exact opposite. You sit through these lectures and then you're asked to do all this reading and this work outside of class. Some kids are able to make the transition, but some kids who really excelled in the high school model have a hard time transitioning to that college model. The kids don't because they've been asked to do all of this stuff outside. So they learned that time management skills. So I think that's one of the main reasons that colleges really recognize IB as important. Not only are you doing all this stuff in your community, but they recognize that you have all these skills and you've been through very rigorous classwork as well.

Superintendent:
What would you say to someone who's wondering whether this program would be a good match for them or for their children?

Chandler:
I think IB sometimes gets a bad reputation, that it's an elite program, right? And certainly students who are coming out of ALPS or coming out of honors classes, or maybe you've taken an AP class prior to the junior year, they're going to do well. The IB grades on a 1 - 7 scale. Only 1% of the students in the world get a seven, right? So there's a high ceiling to do well and to be challenged in IB. But you don't need to be an academic superstar to get the diploma, right? If you get straight fours on your exams, you get the diploma. I've looked at the rubrics and I've seen examples and a typical student can get a four. If they're willing to work hard to learn the skills that their teachers are teaching, you can get a four, right? So this is not necessarily an elite program. Regular students coming out of regular classes can definitely do well in IB. Having said that, elite students also will get a lot out of this. Like I mentioned, the time management skills, and there's a lot of skills beyond just your typical academic skills that IB offers.

Superintendent:
In other words, no one should count themselves out because of some preconceived notions about IB.

Chandler:
Yes, that's definitely right. Now, you will have to work hard. And there is a heavy workload in terms of the classes and in terms of the core requirements with the extended essay and the service and activity hours. But you can do it.

The program is the also encouraged students whose primary language is not English to get involved. They have tests in other languages. And so even if you're a secondary language learner, you still have the opportunity to thrive in an IB program.

Superintendent:
Natalie, tell me, what are some of the misconceptions about the International Baccalaureate?

Natalie:
There's a myth that you can't be as involved with the school because of the academic rigor of the program. And that's not true because again, it's focusing on the well-rounded students, so you can still do football or basketball.

One thing I think is kind of interesting is this is something that the military does now. They have a different term for it. They call it a cultural competency, right? So this idea is that you need to understand the world in order to excel in the world, whether that's in business, whether that's in government work, that is right. And it's not to diminish your own culture in any way. It's to understand your own culture and its place in the world. And to understand this idea that my culture can be right, but other cultures can also be right. Just understanding that. One of the fascinating things about one of the lessons I saw was, there are 30 foreign words that have no English translation, right? You would have to put together an entire sentence to explain what this word means in this other language. So that's one concern. I think people need not worry about is this idea of international mindedness. Really it is something that is a very positive thing. And it's no way meant to diminish our own culture, or have a skewed view of our own culture. It's just to understand our culture's place in a global world.

Superintendent:
If someone is interested in being part of the IB Program, how do they go about doing that?

Chandler:
You can go to ib.Jordandistrict.org for more information on how to contact the school. If you're outside of the West Jordan High School boundaries, there's also information there on how to permit into West Jordan for the IB Program.

Superintendent:
It's been great talking with Chandler and Natalie about the IB Program. It will begin pending final approval in the fall of 2021. And we're just really excited to bring this experience back. Chandler and Natalie, thank you so much for spending time with us.

Chandler:
Thank you very much.

Superintendent:
Thanks for joining us on the Supercast. And remember, education is the most important thing you will do today. We'll see you out there.