Supercast

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They used their considerable talents to create a virtual reality game, which is now receiving some amazing accolades.

On this episode of the Supercast, meet the Digital Media students at JATC North who designed a three-dimensional virtual reality game that's garnering a lot of attention. Find out how their game transports people into a different world using the illusion of being there.

We are at JATC North to learn more about the Digital Media program. We're here with the instructor and some students who have won State and are headed to Nationals. So first introduce yourself and tell me a little bit about the course you teach.

Lisa Wadzeck:
Hi, my name is Lisa Wadzeck. I teach Digital Media at the JATC. Basically, it's a place where you can come and be creative and research all the careers that revolve around being creative and working in technology, such as animation and video game production.

Anthony Godfrey:
And it's that combination, creativity and technology. There's a wide range of opportunity within that combination. We spoke briefly on a previous podcast and we've been wanting to come back for a while now. And this award-winning group is the best excuse ever to come back and talk with you more about what happens in the class. But for those who may not have heard before, tell me a little bit about the range of student interests that you meet in this class and the range of students who might be interested in taking a course like this.

Lisa Wadzeck:
We have everyone that just loves to draw and hasn't really thought about what careers might be related to that and can research where they can go with graphic design and illustration and magazine layout, those types of things, to students who've had programming but want to see how to apply that to making video games and creating their own assets to make the video games. We have several students interested in audio production and video production. We've got 2D and 3D animations. We have several students who are interested in making their own films, writing their own music and score for films or just music for bands in general, photography.

Anthony Godfrey:
So there are all kinds of outlets for creativity in the class.

Lisa Wadzeck:
Absolutely.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me a little bit about the competition and project that we're going to explore today.

Lisa Wadzeck:
So one thing that's really neat, and I am so proud of my students for, is because this is a new technology, I do not have any training in this. We've had to dive in together and when I say together, mostly the students have researched how to make this work. My program does have some game design background but making that work on a VR is a different approach with the types of code and things that you need to use. So they've had to go out and research what works best to make the mechanics and the activities that they want to experience.

But ultimately they took a theme from the Technology Student Association they gave that was encouraging students to be more healthy and physically active. They completely planned this original game of what is the experience going to be like. What is it going to look like? What do we need to model? What do we need to code? And then also come up with their own plan of deadlines and responsibilities and work together in a team of six to create a single project. Which in K-12 education most people think group projects are kind of hard because there are a lot of issues that kind of come with that. But in the creative industry that is absolutely what you're doing. You are working as a team. So we try to do as many things that encourage building those skills as a team and these guys just rocked it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Fantastic. So what's the name of the competition or the category in which they–

Lisa Wadzeck:
It's VR experience through the Technology Student Association and I believe the name of their game is Bouldering.

Anthony Godfrey:
Bouldering. Alright, let's find out about Bouldering. Introduce yourself, tell me your name, the school that you're from, and what it was that led you to take this class.

London Baker:
My name is London Baker, I'm from Copper Hills and I think what led me to take this class was probably the graphic design part of it. There was a, at my middle school they talked about JATC and the Digital Media program and all of the examples they gave was people working on the Cintiq tablets and drawing and I was like I want to do that. Sounds awesome.

Anthony Godfrey:
Good. That's helpful for me to know that because I always want as many students as possible to know about the amazing opportunities here, and you say Digital Media and I worry that they don't realize just how many opportunities are embedded in that. So I'm glad to know that those middle school visits really help and I'm glad you're here. How about for you, introduce yourself and tell me a little bit about why you're here.

Marissa Pierce:
I'm Marissa Pierce and I'm from the West Jordan High School. I heard about JATC somewhere along the lines of last year, I don't know where. But I figured that I wouldn't have anything to do since I did a lot of my classes already so I chose to go and try to be a part of JATC and it worked. I liked the Cintiqs and the pictures of the website so I would go into Digital Media two weeks after joining JATC like being there.

Anthony Godfrey:
And where are the Cintiqs? What is that exactly?

Marissa Pierce:
They are those fancy things. Oh, so that's the device, that's the computer that you're using to create on. I'm looking forward to seeing how that works. Okay, introduce yourself.

Josh Copp:
I'm Josh Copp, I'm from West Jordan High School. I came to JATC mostly for the animation stuff. I wanted to try it out, that was what I wanted to do and I've really been into it. I had some experience with the 3D modeling program Maya before and I've really expanded upon that, and I've also done some 2D animation. And I've just, I've really enjoyed my time just learning other things other than animation as well here.

Anthony Godfrey:
What was your exposure to Maya before being in this program?

Josh Copp:
I took a private class outside of school. That's how I was first introduced.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great. I don't have any idea what Maya is but I'm glad that it was a gateway to getting you here.

Josh Copp:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
How about you?

Noah Campbell:
I am Noah Campbell, I am a senior from Bingham High School and this is my second year at JATC. Last year I was able to do the programming portion and I was able to participate in the video game design and go to the competition that we took first in this year. And then I really enjoyed being able to work on video games last year and I was like, I kind of really like all this computer stuff so I decided to use my creativity side and join this class after doing the programming. I decided last year before doing the programming that I would do programming first, get all those skills down, and then I'd be able to come into this class, have a little bit more fun, and be creative about it and we've been able to work on this awesome project.

Anthony Godfrey:
Add creativity to the programming and technological side.

Noah Campbell:
Add the creativity side and combine them to make cool projects.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great. Well, tell me a little bit about the project, Bouldering.

Noah Campbell:
So what we have over here next to this computer, this is the main computer that I've been working on. We're using Unity to make the video game and kind of organize everything. We have a lot of different softwares like Maya that they've been using. Maya is a modeling software and that's where we make all these models. So if you see, this is one of our main maps right here and it's kind of like this mystical mushroom island that you can kind of see.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you use Maya, the modeling in Maya to create those mushrooms.

Noah Campbell;
To make these and then we transfer them over and we're able to upload them onto here and then I can go through here. I can work with lighting, I can work with making it look visually well and then more so putting in the game mechanics and the physical actual things of the VR right here.

Anthony Godfrey:
So when you're participating in this game or playing this game, is it educational at the same time that it is entertaining? What exactly is the point of the game?

Noah Campbell:
So like Ms. Wadzeck said earlier, the main point of the competition and the op-ed that they gave us was creating it for physical activity to encourage it for younger kids. So we talked as a team and we decided we need to make it so it's kid-friendly and then we need to make it so somehow physical activity gets in there. And the first thing, well one of the first things that came to our mind was climbing. We thought climbing, like rock climbing, playing on playgrounds, all sorts of stuff, that's a really good way to get in physical activity and using a VR, being able to climb in VR would be awesome. That's where we got our name Bouldering from, from the actual physical activity you would find outside jumping around on rocks and actually climbing.

Anthony Godfrey:
So it'll be virtual climbing. Is there any virtual falling involved?

Noah Campbell:
So in regards to falling, and this was actually something that was brought up, because you can actually fall in some areas on this. And we don't want to scare the kids that are playing. This is meant to encourage education. So we were able to come up with this really cool animation that we're working to implement. And basically, when the character falls, let's say you climb up to a really high height on one of the levels and you just fall, he's going to pull out this umbrella and then he's going to glide down on this umbrella and it's just going to kind of reset him at the beginning of the level.

Anthony Godfrey:
I like that.

Noah Campbell:
So it's not violent, it's not scary, it doesn't cause any problems with you wearing the VR and making you sick and stuff like that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about what happens next. You took State, London tell me a little bit about the state competition and going to Nationals.

London Baker:
Well, the state competition was kind of stressful.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what did that involve, what did that look like that day?

London Baker:
So we just had to turn in all of our planning stuff. And it was like there were two rounds of competition where we would turn in our planning stuff and then we would go to a second round. Then they would actually play our games and talk to us about it and then they would do the final judging and see who won.

Anthony Godfrey:
So multiple people played your game and you were waiting for them to judge other people and all of that. So it's a little bit difficult. There's that anticipation that keeps building as you wait for them to come and work on your game in particular.

London Baker:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, things turned out. So now when is Nationals and where are you headed?

Josh Copp:
It's June 25th and it's taking place in Orlando, Florida. I'm also currently working on some new music for the game and sound effects just to add a little bit more polish to the game. For another level we're designing it's like a medieval castle-like level and I'm designing some houses for this village outside of the castle. I'll probably also put in some other items and help around by actually implementing things you can climb in the level and you know make it a game instead of just a pretty scene.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, instead of just an environment that you enter. So there's the game component of it.

Stay with us. When we come back, I try out the award-winning game created by the Digital Media students at JATC North.

Break:
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Anthony Godfrey:
Can you give me the VR experience of Bouldering?

Noah Campbell:
Yes, I can.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Do I sit here?

Noah Campbell:
You can actually, we can go stand right over here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah, that's right. It's VR. So I'm just going to hook up on the headset. See I was going to sit down at the computer that tells you how advanced my video game skills are.

Noah Campbell:
So this is an Oculus 3 and so this is one of the newer ones. I think it's the most recent one.

Anthony Godfey:
I did not use an Oculus 3 when I was in my high school computer class just, you know, to clarify.

Noah Campbell:
It's really cool that they added this competition because, well, last year was the first time they added it and so there was a lot of new stuff that was kind of made. I'm drawing the areas right now so you don't run into anybody.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, you're turning around in a circle with the Switch controllers in your hand. Okay. Or the equivalent. Or the Wii. They're like Wii controllers. Yeah.

Josh Copp:
Yeah, you got it.

Anthony Godfrey:
At least I'm not referencing Pong in the Atari 2600, you know, which I still have at home by the way, if you want to see any antiques. I do have those.

Noah Campbell:
So it might be a little tight.

Anthony Godfrey:
Should I put these on?

Noah Campbell:
Yeah, you have to put them on.

Anthony Godfrey:
It is going to be tight. I have a little bit of a...

Noah Campbell:
You’ll hold on to these and those will go back and forth and this will go up and down.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh wow. You guys created all of this?

Noah Campbell:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's pretty amazing. It looks like a pretty fun play place. There's a sandbox. This is very soothing actually.

Noah Campbell:
So right now you're inside of the playground which is kind of our tutorial map and that's kind of the way, and that's our very, very, very small first level.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Noah Campbell:
So that's what's going to kind of teach people like hey this is how you're supposed to like do this, this is how you're supposed to climb. And so you can use the joysticks on your controllers and those will help you look around and move around and stuff like that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, so I have a controller in my left and in my right hand and I'm just using the little joystick. Do you still call it a joystick?

Noah Campbell:
Yeah, you would call it a joystick. Or Joy-Con.

Anthony Godfrey:
Joy-Con. Okay, I'm walking up to the stairs. It's very colorful. I have to describe the scene so there's a big playset kind of like you'd find in a public playground except it's super huge. It's more awesome than any of the ones you'd see in reality. Pink clouds and green grass and a little sandbox and it's all fenced in with a nice white picket fence. I kind of want to go up the blue stairs into the playset. Can I do that?

Noah Campbell:
You can. So if you just walk up to the stairs you'll just automatically move up them.

Anthony Godfrey:
I walk up. Oh, I'm kind of tall. Do I need to duck down to get in?

Noah Campbell:
Yep. So this is one of our things—

Anthony Godfrey:
So I duck down. Alright.

Noah Campbell:
This is one of the things that have been added for the physical activity.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.

Noah Campbell:
So it actually requires you to do like actual movements and stuff like that. Like ducking and moving your hands to actually reach them.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Very cool. So I'm going to grab and hold down this button. It's giving me, so I'm now inside the playset and it's giving me instructions on what to do. So let me just say right now that it actually feels like I'm going to walk off the edge of the earth because of the way you have designed this. I'm like, okay, don't fall into the big white nothingness. That's what I start my day with every day. “Don't fall into the big white nothingness.” How do I get back in? I feel like I'm going the wrong way.

Noah Campbell:
Actually, the only way to get back in is to fall off. Just kind of like you would fall in a role game. That will reset you at the beginning.

Anthony Godfrey:
So I have to learn how to fall like I was saying earlier. Okay. Do I just keep walking into the void?

Noah Campbell:
Just keep walking and then you'll drop down from the island and...

Anthony Godfrey:
Honestly, it feels really weird to drop down, to walk out into this void. It's telling me not to. Okay. I think I'm going to stop because otherwise, I'm going to hurt myself or someone near me.

Noah Campbell:
I can take those controllers.

Anthony Godfrey:
The music is really cool too. It's like it has a retro feel but kind of a reassuring feel also which I know is what you're going for. Wow. That is really cool. That is impressive stuff you guys. That was very immersive.

London Baker:
Once you get past the tutorial level, we have the Mushroom Mountain level which has a lot more different climbing things. In that level we have monkey bars and rope, but in the Mushroom Mountain level we also have things like ladders and you can climb into the mushrooms. And there's another level where there's a mountain but then you have to climb like upside down. It's really scary.

Anthony Godfrey:
Can you just get me into that general experience?

Noah Campbell:
I can run to that really quickly. Get to you there.

Anthony Godfrey:
Just run to it really quickly. If you wait for me to be able to find my way, it might take a minute. Talk about what led you to take this class. Now that you've experienced it and you've had this level of success, what do you want to do next?

Josh Copp:
I'm going to keep going to school, college and what not and I'm going to try to get a bachelor's degree in animation. I'm just hoping that I can keep on animating whether that be 2D or 3D.

Anthony Godfrey:
Fantastic. How about you London?

London Baker:
I signed up for Digital Media next year so I'm going to be doing it again. I wanted to do it again because I really like this class and I feel like I've learned a lot and doing it again I'll be able to learn a lot more.

Marissa Pierce:
I think I'm going to keep going to college and then figure things out from there. For sure after taking this class I have figured out what I like to do. So fortunately I'm not planning to be a doctor because I didn't want to. I'm just going to stick to 3D modeling assets, possibly animation, something to do with art, like drawing, but mostly just 3D modeling.

Anthony Godfrey:
So this is something you want to do as a career?

Marissa Pierce:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wonderful. How about you Noah?

Noah Campbell:
Sorry.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm asking this question while Noah is getting me to the magic mushroom.

Noah Campbell:
I’m almost there, I'm on the zip line right now.

Anthony Godfrey:
You need to focus. I don't want you to fall.

Noah Campbell:
You're good. So the reason, what I plan to do after this, I've always been interested in video games. I would love to work in the video game design industry and create entertainment for people. One of the cool things about video games is when you're working in it you're not just working on one specific thing like drawing and stuff like that. You're working on all these different things. Music production, you're working with a team, you're making 3D models, you're making levels, you're designing everything, you got to write documents. And it's a lot of different skills all kind of combined into one. Lots of programming skills, so there's a lot of different stuff that's pretty cool with it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Awesome.

Noah Campbell:
That's kind of my plan after I graduate this year.

Anthony Godfrey:
Let me try it out here.

Noah Campbell:
This is the beginning of the mushroom level. You should be able to see it. And then there's your controller so you can move using the joysticks. Don't fall off the ledge. This one's way different than where you were.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow, this is cool. Is that kind of a purple ocean beyond the mushrooms?

Noah Campbell:
Yes, it is.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. It's kind of an Alice in Wonderland feel. I'm walking up to the big mushroom. Oh, there we go. I got it over the hump. Now I want to climb up. So do I have to put my hands up to climb?

Noah Campbell:
Yep. And you'll just grab on it. You'll have the big mushroom probably right up there. And there's another like a little ladder. And that's just kind of a fun little one leading to a fairy house.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm not going to make you all wait while I try to climb the ladder. But this looks fantastic. I like the lanterns hanging up throughout, you know? Kind of gives it a mystical feel. Well, this is super cool. I love this level. This looks really… Oh, and I love the prisms or the kind of geodes that are out there. It looks like this could go on forever. And I like the plants that are coming up with the little kind of tendrils. Reality is not going to be quite the same now that I've been in virtual reality.

Well, congratulations on your success. I wish you the best in June at the competition. And thanks for spending time with me. This is really awesome.

Noah Campbell:
Thank you. Our goal is to take 1st and represent Jordan and JATC.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, good luck to you. Thanks very much. I like your chances.

London Baker:
Thank you.

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

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It is a beloved tradition at Bluffdale Elementary School, now in its tenth year.

On this episode of the Supercast, we take you inside an educational celebration called Brasilandia. Hear how this event helps students use and develop new skills in Portuguese, and it provides a sample of Brazilian culture and food that everyone has grown to love over the past many years.

We're here with Edson and Jessica at Bluffdale Elementary School. Edson was the teacher of the year for Bluffdale Elementary, and Jessica is the first teacher of the year for DLI District-wide. So congratulations to you both, and thank you for inviting us here today for the festival. Tell us a little bit about what the Portuguese Dual Language Immersion Festival is all about today.

Edson Rabelo:
Thank you so much for coming today. This Brasilandia started more than eight years ago with the former DLI teachers in our school. They had this whole idea to have the students engaged in activities that are usually played in Brazil and in some other Portuguese-speaking countries. After some years, we decided to have six graders managing and being the leaders in this group. So now they are the leaders engaging the leaders' students to speak even more Portuguese.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's fantastic. Tell me a little bit about the activities that are planned for today.

Jessica Bell’Aver:
So they have ten activities, ten stations all over here in the field, and then the DLI teachers organized the kids in ten groups. So they rotate in these ten activities. We have Peteca, we have Pular Córda, Bambolê, Futebol, the authentic soccer, the Brazilian soccer, and we have the Jogo do Balde and other activities that are typical from Brazil.

Then after they play here for about an hour or so, they go back to their classrooms to taste some of the authentic Brazilian food, to have a small taste of what it tastes like. And then they enjoy with their classmates in the classroom and dance to some songs from Brazil as well.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you're going to appeal to all of the senses today?

Jessica Bell’Aver:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tasting and listening and all kinds of things.

Jessica Bell’Aver:
Tasting, listening, dancing, speaking, yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
So tell me about some of the activities going on. Let's talk about probably the most traditional activity, one that listeners might be least familiar with.

Edson Rabelo:
So we have Peteca. It's something similar to badminton. But it's usually in Brazil, since it's connected to some indigenous culture origins, so they keep playing like in a group or in two people, and then they keep throwing that to one another. So usually when we see the Peteca, we can see some feathers on the top.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, very colorful feathers. Is that a weight on the bottom of it?

Edson Rabelo:
Yeah, that is a weight on the bottom. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
And so you're throwing it to someone while they are hula hooping?

Edson Rabelo:
Oh, that's the kids. They are like really creative. So they are like using the hula hoop to play in a different way.

Anthony Godfrey:
OK.

Edson Rabelo:
So we just hold one side and then we just...

Anthony Godfrey:
So you hold it just under the feathers. Am I doing this right, guys?

Students:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. And then you hit it?

Students:
Yeah, you just can’t let it hit the ground.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you're hitting it to each other. Oh, it's like hacky– Hey!

Edson Rabelo:
There you go! Good job, good job.

Anthony Godfrey:
I got three in a row. That felt OK. So it's like hacky sack with your hand and it has feathers on top of it.

Edson Rabelo:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, kind of like that?

Student:
Yeah, pretty much.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you guys were adding hula hoop to it as well?

Student:
So you can like hula hoop like this, and then you could try to like hit it into the hula hoop.

Anthony Godfrey:
OK.

Edson Rabelo:
They are creative.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, yes. All right. I made it. I did not see this and think, you know what, I need to find a way to make this more challenging. But you did and somehow... OK, let's try this. Somehow it's a whole new game. Oh, hey, two in a row. All right. I'm stopping there because I'm ahead. All right. That was fun. Thank you, guys. This looks... Well, the kids are having a blast, that's for sure.

Edson Rabelo:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
And soccer, of course, is a very important sport in Brazil.

Edson Rabelo:
It is. It's huge in Brazil.

Jessica Bell’Aver:
Yeah, it's very traditional. We play here like in twos. So we have like this small set of goals so they can play and take turns. Like groups of five or six students can play easily in this setup. And of course, this is very popular. They love this station here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. These kids are good.

Jessica Bell’Aver:
I love the connections that they make, like the American football, the Brazilian soccer. So it's nice to play both.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, that's wonderful.

Jessica Bell’Aver:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now you told me about the sixth graders running things. How did the event change once you put the sixth graders in charge?

Edson Rabelo:
So it changed because I could observe the students more engaged to participate. And they were like, “Oh, we are the leaders now”. We are like on the top of the elementary grades here.

So we are engaging these little kids to speak the Portuguese language that they have been studying since first grade. They are the ones organizing like the posters. They drew, they colored the posters. So they did everything like the games that we were organizing. They were like setting up yesterday in my classroom like, “Okay, teacher, we have enough games here. So we have we need some more here.” So today, this morning they were carrying everything outside. So they were leading everything.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's fantastic.

Edson Rabelo:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's another layer to the experience they're having and the opportunity for leadership.

Edson Rabelo:
Yes. You know, speaking in Portuguese. That's what we do. They know that when they talk to the teacher, it needs to be in Portuguese. So that's the situation like the talk and questions and everything needs to be in Portuguese.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's really cool.

Jessica Bell’Aver:
Yeah.

Edson Rabelo:
So important.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now you teach first graders.

Jessica Bell’Aver:
Right.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you teach them right from the start.

Jessica Bell’Aver:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
We were talking earlier about how they will listen and listen and then suddenly bam, the words start coming out of their mouths.

Jessica Bell’Aver:
Right.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about watching that evolution where someone comes in and doesn't speak any Portuguese perhaps and then by the end of the year. Talk to me about that transformation.

Jessica Bell’Aver:
Yeah. It's amazing to see the growth. And in settings like this where they are open, they are free to use and to put in practice everything that they learned. It's so amazing to see how they can create because in the classroom we see a lot of growth, but they are comfortable with the setting. They are comfortable with the materials. They know their routine.

But here is a completely new situation. It's a real-life situation for them. So they come with language. They have to come with everything that they learn and put in practice and solve their problems here. Communicate what they want to communicate in the games and talk to their friends here. So it's kind of a huge jump when you see what they are doing in class. They can do their math, they can do their science, they can use their sentences. But they also can communicate and solve problems here in a real-life situation.

Anthony Godfrey:
A real-world application for what they are learning.

Jessica Bell’Aver:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's really cool. And what I understand is that there is a high retention rate. Once someone comes into the program, students tend to stay in the dual language Portuguese program here at Bluffdale.

Jessica Bell’Aver:
That's correct. Yeah. They feel that they belong to this program, to this community, and they create strong connections with friends and with the teachers. And I like that as they go from grade to grade, they know that this event is coming up and they are getting ready. They are familiar with changing some of the games throughout the year so they can experience different games, not all the same. And the sixth graders, of course, they get ready for middle school. They can work on their leadership, on their protagonism to get ready for middle school.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me, how did we get so fortunate to have you in Bluffdale, Utah, teaching Portuguese in a dual language immersion program? What brought you to Bluffdale Elementary?

Edson Rabelo:
So Jessica and I, we are from the same state in Brazil, Paraná. So we were living in different cities, but we connected here. So that's where we are learning together. We had this agreement between Utah and the state of Paraná. So both the Utah Board of Education and the Board of Education from Paraná, they have this agreement where they can bring some teachers to teach here in Utah and have this experience. So we can come and stay for three years or we can stay longer. So that's what we decided, to stay longer because we love doing what we do here.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm so glad you decided to stay longer. I'm so glad you decided to come here. It's no wonder you are both award-winning teachers. Thank you for providing these incredible experiences throughout the year for these students.

Jessica Bell’Aver:
Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here, to be able to do our job, like work as a teacher, as we were doing in Brazil, but in a different country. Being able to work with our own language, it means a lot to us. We feel very fortunate.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's a huge positive impact for these students. So thank you very much.

Edson Rabelo:
Thank you so much for coming.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you so much.

Stay with us. When we come back more with Bluffdale Elementary School and their Dual Language Immersion Program.

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

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with a few students in the program here at Bluffdale Elementary. Tell me your name, what grade you're in, and what you love most about the DLI program.

Welling;
My name is Welling. I'm in third grade, and the thing that I like most about the DLI program is that I get to learn another language. Lots of my relatives went to Brazil for their mission and so I got to speak with them.

James:
My name is James. I'm in third grade, and my favorite thing about the DLI program is I can know lots of different things in different languages, including math and reading. So that I can talk when I go to Brazil if I go.

Frankie:
Hi, my name is Frankie, and I'm in third grade. My favorite thing about the DLI is that you can have your own secret language around your family if they don't know Portuguese. And you don't, like, whenever you're mad at somebody, you're like, "Ugh!" and you can only say it in Portuguese, and they won't understand it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow, okay.

Piper:
My name is Piper, and I'm in third grade, and I just love how I get to learn about the Brazil culture, and that's why I love the DLI a lot.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me, I don't speak any Portuguese at all. Tell me a favorite word, or tell me a sentence in Portuguese.

Welling:
“Olá”.

Anthony Godfrey:
What does that mean?

Welling:
“Hello”.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. How about you? Can you teach me a word or a phrase?

James:
“Eu amo matemática”.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is that "I love math"?

James:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, very nice. Okay, say it again.

James:
“Eu amo matemática”.

Anthony Godfrey:
“Eu amo matemática”. Okay.

Frankie:
I like this word, and it's, I don't remember what it's called in English, but it's “paralelepípedo”.

Anthony Godfrey:
“Paralelepípedo”.

Frankie:
“Paralelepípedo”.

Anthony Godfrey:
I can't say it like you do. What does it mean?

Frankie:
It means cobblestone.

Anthony Godfrey;
Cobblestone.

Frankie:
I don't know why I like it.

Anthony Godfrey:
That is a cool word. That is a cool word.

Frankie:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
How about you?

Piper:
“Eu amo português” which is "I love Portuguese."

Anthony Godfrey:
"I love Portuguese." Fantastic. So, are you guys excited about learning Portuguese all the way through middle school and into high school?

Students:
Yeah.

Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
And do your friends speak Portuguese outside of school? Do you speak Portuguese with people who are in the program?

Frankie:
I speak it with my dad. That's it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, you speak with your dad? So your dad speaks it? Is there anyone at home or any friends you speak with?

Piper:
I could speak it with my brother that also goes here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, yeah? Oh, good.

James:
I speak it with my two brothers that do the DLI, my dad and most of my friends.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you said you talked to family members that have gone on missions that now speak Portuguese?

Welling:
Mm-hmm. And also I talk to my friends at soccer because they're in second grade in the DLI.

Anthony Godfrey:
What would you say about the teachers in DLI?

Welling:
Super nice, and they helped me a lot.

James:
They helped me learn the Portuguese language, and they were really nice when doing it. They didn't, like, yell at me if I got something wrong.

Frankie:
What I've noticed myself doing is that I've been improving on Portuguese and on math. And what I love about my teachers is that if I do something wrong, they'll help me through it. And even if I don't understand it, they'll still help me. And then eventually I'll start to understand and learn how to do it.

Piper:
What I loved about my teachers is how they helped me know that mistakes are proving that you're trying to do something.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love that. It sounds like you're all learning a ton. Tell me, how do you say goodbye and thank you?

James:
“Tchau, obrigado”

Anthony Godfrey:
“Tchau, obrigado”

Students:
“Tchau”.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you very much. Thanks for talking with me. “Tchau”.

Students:
“Tchau”.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with a couple of parents who have two students in the program. Introduce yourselves and tell me about your experience.

Andrew Bateman:
So, Andrew Bateman, my wife, Luci Bateman. I served my mission in Brazil, speak Portuguese. My wife's from Brazil. So, Portuguese has been a big part of our life.

Luci Bateman:
And it used to be our secret language at home.

Andrew Bateman:
It was.

Luci Bateman:
Where we could, you know, talk about what presents we were going to get them for Christmas and their birthdays until they became fluent because of this incredible program. So, our two oldest go to Bluffdale Elementary School. One's in third and one's in first grade. And we have our third daughter starting kindergarten. We want all of our kids to go through the program because the teachers are phenomenal. I love that each of them are from a different part of Brazil. So, my kids get all of the different accents. And that's how you know they're truly fluent.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, the different accents.

Luci Bateman:
They understand all and they're so different from the northern part of Brazil, southern part of Brazil, central. The way they pronounce things is completely different. And my kids can understand them all. I still have grandmas that live in Brazil and my kids will FaceTime them and just fluently speak Portuguese to them.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.

Luci Bateman:
And what we love also about the program is not just the language exposure, but also the cultural exposure.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, to be able to understand different accents–

Andrew Bateman:
Yeah, it’s cool.

Anthony Godfrey:
Not just the language, but different variations of the language is pretty amazing. That is a deep level of understanding. And your grandmas must love talking with these kids.

Luci Bateman:
Oh, they love it. And then we had, we went to a Festa Junina, it's like this big party that happens all over the country in the month of June, on Friday at the high school in Riverton.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Luci Bateman:
And my daughters were dancing, you know, dances from the northern part of Brazil that I never learned as a kid growing up because–

Andrew Bateman:
In Brazil.

Luci Bateman:
I’m from Rio. Yeah. And I graduated high school in Brazil, but it was like Rio and Sao Paulo. So they're learning about regions that I didn't even learn as a kid. And we sent videos to my family and they were so excited and so proud. Anyway, so we just got our passports because our kids- renewed their passports- because our kids are dying to go to Brazil now and order the food by themselves and talk to other kids in Portuguese. Because last time we went to a country, we went to Portugal, a country that speaks Portuguese, they didn't know the language yet. So now they're dying to go.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. When they go to Brazil, it'll feel like it's a country built just for them.

Andrew Bateman:
Yeah, they will.

Luci Bateman:
Exactly, and they'll feel like they're part of it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, thank you very much for talking with me.

Andrew Bateman:
You bet.

Anthony Godfrey:
And hopefully, lots of parents can hear this and sign up for the program as well. Even if you don't have a connection to Brazil or the Portuguese language, this is a deeply enriching program for students. And like you said, fantastic teachers top to bottom.

Andrew Bateman:
They're amazing. Just to be able to speak another language is huge.

Luci Bateman:
And there's a huge Brazilian community in Utah. There's lots of Brazilian restaurants and stores. And to be able to connect with more people and talk to more people that don't just speak English is already such a gift.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, absolutely. Well, thanks very much for your time.

Andrew Bateman:
You bet.

Luci Bateman:
Thank you.

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

(upbeat music)

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It was a huge honor for the Herriman High School Choir, Orchestra, and Tour Concert Band traveling to Hawaii to share their music with military veterans.

On this episode of the Supercast, we talk with the talented students who represented the entire state of Utah with amazing performances at the National Vietnam Veterans Day Parade. They showed their pride and respect, honoring war Veterans in such a meaningful way with their music. It is an experience that will last a lifetime.

We're here at Herriman High School talking with Mr. Howden, our choir director, about a pretty unique experience that students were able to have over spring break. Thanks very much for taking time to talk with us.

Mr. Howden:
Yeah, absolutely. Thanks for having me.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell us about this experience and how it became possible.

Mr. Howden:
So it was about April-May of last year and the company that runs the commemoration historic programs, they reached out to the Time Our Band director asking our marching band if they would come and help commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans coming home from the Vietnam War. And so the band director was thinking about it and he had talked to me about it, and our orchestra teacher, because once they saw that there was interest from the marching band they're like, "Oh you have a really great music department. We'd like all of you to come if you're interested." So we discussed it and decided that we would present it to the District and the School Board because it was a pretty big trip and we wanted to make sure that we had approval before we really announced it to students.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, it was taking place in Hawaii.

Mr. Howden:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Policy only allows for travel within the intercontinental United States. So as a result you had to get that approval from the Board. They were enthusiastic about it and gave a thumbs up.

Mr. Howden:
Yeah, so I was a little surprised because it was more money than normally we would do for a tour.

Anthony Godfrey:
Right.

Mr. Howden:
And it was in Hawaii so I didn't think that they would give us the approval, but the School Board was enthusiastic about it. They were excited that we had gotten the invitation and that we would represent all the aspects of music from Herriman and be able to represent our District and the state of Utah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Right, the only school from the state, and there was one from each of the 50 states is that right? Mr. Howden:
So each state had someone that was invited, but if we had for example said no, Utah wouldn't have been represented. So there was actually only five different states with Utah being one of them that was able to come and represent. But we were one of the five.

Anthony Godfrey:
Outstanding. So tell me about– I know the approval was a long time ago so this has been a long time in the making.

Mr. Howden:
Yes, so we initially went to the School Board, I think it was May of last year. And then once we got the approval, we had a parent meeting so the parents could say yes they wanted to have us participate in this, and then we just moved forward with starting making the plans for this last March.

Anthony Godfrey:
And there were a lot of fundraisers as a part of that I assume?

Mr. Howden:
Yes. Because it was such a much larger trip than normal, a normal year, we tried to start fundraising immediately in the summer, and we had several throughout almost every month leading up to the trip.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me how many students went with you. I heard in Board meeting when we honored the group that there were four planes of students.

Mr. Howden:
Yes, so we ended up splitting onto four planes because there was 216 students and then the rest were chaperone parents and staff for the marching band and the teachers so on and so forth.

Anthony Godfrey;
So 216 students.

Mr. Howden:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
All told, how many humans were there along for the ride?

Mr. Howden:
It was 259.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow, you could have chartered your own plane almost for that. Tell me about the performances. What exactly was put together? What was the format? Was it a concert? Was it a parade? How did all that work?

Mr. Howden:
Yes, so one thing that we got to do each group of the choirs, marching band, and orchestra got to perform at Pearl Harbor. That was one of the things that they had set up for us. So we each got a snippet of time to perform outside the USS Missouri. So we did that. That was one of the first things that we did there.

But then the main event was on Friday night of the trip. We had the celebration to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans coming home. So the choirs sang all together. The orchestra played prelude, and then the marching band played with the other marching bands that were there, and the the navy band that was there. So kind of all of us participated in this big celebration. Then once that was concluded, we kind of made our way over to the the main street where the parade was taking place. Our marching band played in the parade and then the choir and orchestra students walked behind our marching band.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. Yeah, so you didn't walk with the cellos playing. There was not marching violin playing? Mr. Howden:
No, no we just got to smile and wave as the marching band astounded the the audience. We just got to smile and wave.

Anthony Godfrey:
It seems more practical to just walk behind and wave.

Mr. Howden:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
How long have you been a choir director here?

Mr. Howden:
This is my seventh year in Herriman.

Anthony Godfrey:
Seventh year here, and were you a choir director before coming to Herriman?

Mr. Howden:
I did one year in a charter school in South Salt Lake, that was a pretty small charter school, and then came here to Herriman.

Anthony Godfrey:
So in all your years choir tour is a big deal. Travel is a big part of it but this was a unique trip. Tell me what made this trip special compared with some of the trips you've taken before.

Mr. Howden:
So this was unique for a number of reasons. One it was just such a much larger trip. Just the planning and organization side of it was much more intense than a normal year. But I also felt like there was more enthusiasm and excitement from students because of it. And I also think it was unique because normally on our trips we go and have various performance opportunities and we often set up to compete with different schools from around the United States. Kind of doing a a national competition and getting a chance to hear other groups and get feedback from judges that are outside of Utah. But on this particular trip we didn't do any of that. All of our performances and what we were going for was focused on honoring and celebrating these Vietnam Veterans which I think was a really unique opportunity for students. Because obviously, there's lots of things going on in the world but it seems a little bit removed from us now. So I think them being able to see and understand what these Veterans had gone through and how they hadn't been recognized when they came home, which is one of the reasons why Historic Programs have set this up to commemorate and to honor these Veterans who didn't have the most warm welcome when they came home initially.

Anthony Godfrey:
And were there a number of Veterans there for the event?

Mr. Howden:
Yes, there were a number of Veterans there. And actually as part of the ceremony, the leaders from our three different groups were able to take the Hawaii leis and and give them to the different Veterans that were there. They kind of went through and played the different songs– the Navy band played the different songs from each of the different sections of the United States. So like the Air Force, the Army or the Navy, and as they played, when the theme came on, those Veterans stood up. Like if they were in the Navy they stood up and so they went and put the leis on them, and in the Army, and so on and so forth. So I think it was cool for the students to see just how many there were and that these men and women had just fought so valiantly for us, not knowing kind of what was going to happen and not being very warmly welcomed home. I think it was cool for them to see and experience that.

Anthony Godfrey:
We'll talk with some students as well, but tell me what are some other reactions you heard from students and parents what was the impact of this trip.

Mr. Howden:
I think overall that the students had a great experience. I only have heard really positive things from the students just about being able to go to Hawaii, I mean number one that was a really cool experience. And then number two, getting to to see that and to honor the Veterans. And then also just participate in the parade which was also to help honor the Veterans and just see how many people were there and excited to see the students. And being able to represent Utah in such kind of a momentous occasion and event.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, let’s talk with some students about their experiences.

Mr. Howden:
Okay, sounds good.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back more about the experiences students at Herriman High had when they traveled to Hawaii for the Vietnam Veterans Day parade.

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

Anthony Godfrey:
We have three different student groups of course, Orchestra, Marching Band, and Choir, and we have a representative from each group. Please introduce yourself and tell me what group you'r from.

Ayla Raguskus:
I'm Ayla Raguskus I'm from the Orchestra.

Emily Workman:
I'm Emily Workman and I'm from Choir.

Easton Jettie:
And I'm Easton Jettie from the Marching Band.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the anticipation over the year. How did it feel just thinking about going to Hawaii and getting to honor Veterans of the Vietnam War?

Ayla Raguskus:
Well, it was very exciting having it announced at the end of last year, it was something to look forward to. I think for all three of us having our senior trip be in Hawaii is just super incredible, super fun. It was just exciting. Something to look forward to all year and prepare for because I know we all worked very hard preparing music for each of our groups to be able to perform and honor the Veterans.

Emily Workman:
I know for me it was really exciting at the beginning of the year too. And I tried to save all of the money that I could because it was a more expensive trip. I know that when I got there and when we got the opportunity to see the Veterans and be in the parade and be at the ceremony it was one of the most rewarding parts of my senior year and high school career itself. So it was probably one of the most memorable things that has happened to me in school.

Easton Jettie:
Yeah, it was a it was a very neat experience. Something that doesn't really get mentioned a lot is our band director at the beginning of the year actually announced to us that he had stage four cancer, and so unfortunately he wasn't able to go on this trip with us. But it was really cool. Like we just had a really hard year and it kind of just kept piling up and so when this trip got announced like we were just all super excited. We're like “Okay, awesome.” Like this is kind of exactly what we needed and we just want to go represent ourselves in this parade. Especially for those Vietnam Veterans that came home and just didn't get any of that credit.

Anthony Godfrey:
So we did talk in Board Meeting about your band director situation which I'm sure made, as you described, the experience all the more poignant. It sounds like whatever group you were part of it was a ton of work and a ton of saving and fundraising. But it also sounds like it was worth it.

Ayla Raguskus:
Yeah, it was for sure worth it. I know everyone worked really hard with fundraisers and just trying to earn as much money as they could for the trip because it was very important for us to be able to go and honor those Veterans. Because the trip wasn't just for us this time. Like normally we go on tours and it's for a performance or we're just having fun, but this time it was to honor them and that was very special.

Emily Workman:
Yeah, I think one important thing is how the whole music department worked together a lot.  I think usually people kind of separate the different departments in the program, but I think a really important part is how we did all come together for this trip and your band director and things like that. I think that's something that shouldn't go unnoticed is how we all worked together.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love that.

Easton Jettie:
Yeah, and that hard work really just paid off. I mean just being there and seeing the Veteran's’ faces and just how happy they were to just be recognized. And just especially a moment for me was when the bagpipes started playing towards the end and it was just like absolute chills. Just kind of seeing their faces and just knowing okay, this is really awesome. This is totally for them.

Anthony Godfrey;
Tell me more about the interactions that you had with Vietnam Veterans. Did it surprise you how impactful that was?

Ayla Raguskus:
It was really cool to see just how many Veterans actually showed up to the ceremony. And as Mr. Howden mentioned, having people place leis on them when their song came on and seeing how impactful it was to be able to be recognized and have all of these students from various states come and just show their support and honor them.

Emily Workman:
Yeah, one part that was really impactful for me was during the ceremony we got to hear from different Veterans and different people. It was really impactful to see the leis be placed on the Veterans and I think the really important part was when the music was being played because it showed them that we still care and we want to honor them. And it also showed us the importance of honoring them. I think everyone learned something that day whether you just heard it or saw it and that was pretty cool.

Eaton Jettie:
Yeah, just mentioning like the speakers that we got to hear from. I actually was able to speak as well. I was sitting up on stage with a couple of those people around them. Just talking to them before the ceremony started and just kind of hearing their stories, where they're from, what they did. Like there was one guy I was sitting next to, and he was actually from Vietnam and I can't remember exactly what his position was, unfortunately, but he just had a very neat story. All of them were just neat stories to tell. Just where they came from and how they got here and what impact they actually did do on the war.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the pieces you performed. Just maybe pick one piece that you prepared with with your group to perform and to honor Veterans.

Ayla Raguskus:
So the Orchestra played a piece called “Point Lookout”. We picked this piece, well our director picked this piece towards the beginning of the year because it has just more of a patriotic feel to it right. We've actually talked a lot about this piece in class and what we kind of want to present while playing it and the feeling we want to give off. We tried to be very, very musical with it because it was for such an important occasion and we really just tried to show the Veterans just how much we were there for them. Yeah, we just talked a lot about how we could bring more to the piece and how we could really perform it.

Anthony Godfrey:
What instrument do you play?

Ayla Raguskus:
I play the viola.

Anthony Godfrey;
And was this a particularly difficult viola piece?

Ayla Raguskus:
There were some parts that were pretty difficult but it was just a lot of teamwork to try to get all the pieces to fit together. Other parts were easy but just having everyone come together and work really hard for the performance that we gave.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great! How about you?

Emily Workman:
So our large acapella choir got to learn a song called “Measure Me, Sky”. It's definitely one of my favorite pieces that I've ever learned. There's a part in the song that says “Sky, be my depth, wind, be my width”, and to me, I kind of put together us going to Hawaii and like that song is–it's definitely for a reason in my opinion because there's no end to that song really. We end it on a super high note and it just keeps going forever and ever. I feel like that can correlate to the Vietnam Veterans and what they did for us. Even though we are remembering them now and we're like celebrating them now, it's because it will go on forever and ever. And I think that's so special to think that the things that we can accomplish and we can do they can also do and they have done and that's really important to me.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love that. And you ended on a high note literally and figuratively

Emily Workman:
Yes, yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
How about for the marching band?

Easton Jetties:
Yeah, so the marching band was a little bit different. We were actually assigned a piece, “Armed Forces on Parade”. Of course we were able to tweak it a little bit and we kind of made it our own version. One of the kind of cool moments when we got there is we knew that we would be playing with the Marine band as well as other different bands that are there as well. So the ones from Texas the ones from California, just from all over. We were all assigned the same song. During the speech portion, right before they were about to play they actually mentioned “Okay, there's different songs we're gonna play here” and they were told to stand up for each of their branch when their song was played for whatever branch of armed forces they were in. And just that moment when kind of the bands began playing. I wasn't able to conduct with them because I was still up on stage, but just kind of seeing it from the front and like everyone, all the Veterans, just standing up to their own respective song was just really awesome to see. Like “Oh, these people really like did serve and this song means a lot to them.”

Anthony Godfrey:
All three of you have practiced and performed music over the years, but I would imagine that this was a particularly impactful performance to see what it meant to the people you were performing for. Thank you very much for spending time. I'm so impressed with each of you and the work you put into this. The impact it had on you. And I'm very proud that you represented Herriman so well, Jordan District and the state of Utah. So thank you very much for working so hard to make this such a great experience.

Students:
Thank you.

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

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They walked and received a one-year college degree before stepping onto the stage to receive their high school diplomas.

On this episode of the Supercast, meet some incredibly smart and driven students in what is called the Jordan Prep Program. Find out how dedicating their summers to a rigorous academic STEM program starting in sixth grade propelled the students to college success while they were still in high school.

We're talking today with Stacy Pierce, the specialist over Jordan Prep. This is a really big day for Jordan Prep. And for you and for a lot of students.

Stacy Pierce:
It is indeed. So my kids have been with us since they were 11 and 12, right out of sixth grade. They've been in the program for seven years and today they walked at Salt Lake Community College with a one-year engineering drafting manufacturing technology degree. I'm very proud of them.

Anthony Godfrey:
So tell us about that degree.

Stacy Pierce:
So for two years they've been taking classes at Salt Lake Community Campus with college professors. They were required to take seven engineering classes and three general education classes. And that's what's required to finish the one-year certificate that moves seamlessly into a four-year degree.

Anthony Godfrey:
So they are graduating with a one-year certificate before they graduate from high school later this month.

Stacy Pierce:
Three weeks from now is their high school graduation and they've already walked at a college graduation.

Anthony Godfrey:
That feels pretty awesome. That is fantastic.

Stacy Pierce;
It feels amazing.

Anthony Godfrey:
For those who don't know or are unfamiliar with the program, talk about Jordan Prep. What does it entail? What's it all about?

Stacy Pierce:
So the Prep program was started 40 years ago in Texas to help underrepresented students prepare themselves for careers in STEM. It's a very math intensive program. The students, I would say, invest four summers of their summer vacations to take very rigorous academic classes. And at the end of that, then they start the college portion of the program.
We have over 50% female students, over 50% minority students, 70% of the students are lower income, and about around 70% also are first-generation college. Their parents did not go to college and they'll be the first generation to go to college.

Anthony Godfrey:
What I love about the Prep program is that it starts students early. It's not, hey, ‘you're a junior, what are some things we can do before you leave to help launch you into a successful future?’ It starts in sixth grade.

Stacy Pierce:
It starts in sixth grade. I was an engineer for 30 years, and when I left to start a STEM program for underrepresented students, I knew we had to grab them then. If we didn't grab them then, it was too late. So luckily, I stumbled onto the Prep program and it was already in Utah at UVU, and we brought it. We're the only school district in the nation with a Prep program.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes. That's a source of pride for me as well. It's pretty exciting. Tell me, so this is, you know, when you start in sixth grade, that's high motivation. That's longer-term goal setting than most sixth graders are focused on. Tell me about the growth you've seen in these students from sixth grade.

Stacy Pierce:
Oh my goodness. I can't believe it. There's a kid sitting right behind me. And boy, he was hyper. And now his ambition is to score 36 on the ACT and head to MIT. He's just rocking the world. The growth is amazing. I mean, I could tell you personal stories about every single one of these kids.

Anthony Godfrey:
I know you've been very personally involved with each student. During COVID you drove to their homes because when we look at six years, that covers a lot of ground. A lot of things have happened in these last six years. I remember pictures of you driving to their homes, delivering materials, just making sure that the momentum continued. Talk to me about some of the activities that have happened over time.

Stacy Pierce:
So before COVID hit, our retention was almost 100%. The only students we lost were students that moved. During COVID, it was difficult, but we had a very successful year. We did rewrite the curriculum completely so that we could do it online. And we had a very successful year. Then we had some attrition, but we're back up to 95% retention in the program. So I'm very, very proud of that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me, what are some of the expectations you have for students? What do you hope they got out of the program beyond the degree?

Stacy Pierce:
Okay. So I'll just repeat the words of one of our professors this quarter. He said he's teaching four different classes, and the Jordan Prep students feel comfortable in the college classes. They articulate very well. They're a community. They're a family. They support each other extremely well. And they're very thoughtful in their contributions to the class and not scared to speak up in class. So I think they found their voice. They found a community, and they've raised their academic achievement to a level they can go on and be successful.

Anthony Godfrey:
And the name Jordan Prep, they're really living up to that because they are prepared for great things. This one-year degree really launches them into a lot of opportunities, and I assume they're all interested in continuing in the STEM area. 99% are interested in pursuing STEM. One is joining the Air Force, so his mother can gain citizenship, and then he'll become a mechanical engineer. He scored very high on the entrance exam, and he credits that to Jordan Prep.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think that's tremendous, absolutely tremendous. I know you've poured yourself into this program. How does that feel to see this today?

Stacy Pierce:
It's a dream come true. It's an absolute dream come true. What I wanted to do was help underrepresented students, and it's proven out that this is a program that can help underrepresented students.

Anthony Godfrey:
And has helped these students. We're talking about 11 students who graduated, is that right?

Stacy Pierce:
11 students out of my initial 25, 10 who moved.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, it's fantastic to be here today. I'm so excited to celebrate with you and with them and their families. We'll talk with some students and families and hear their reaction as well, but thank you for all the incredible work that you've done with these students and these families.

Stacy Pierce:
You're welcome. It's been my dream come true. It's a pleasure. Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
When we come back, find out more about the Jordan Prep program.

Break:
Does your student want to become a veterinarian, commercial pilot, programmer? Maybe they want to make a difference as a dental assistant. These are just some of the programs offered as part of Career and Technical Education, CTE in Jordan School District. CTE provides the technical skills needed to prepare students for future employment or 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 Natalia who just graduated. Tell me about how that experience went.

Natalia:
Well, when I first got there it was kind of weird. I was like, "Where do I go?" And so I kind of just followed everyone and then we were just waiting for everyone, like all our classmates to get there. Everyone kind of all just together and we waited a really long time because we just got there really early and then it was a moment to get in line to go get seated and we were kind of nervous, like me and my friends were kind of nervous and we were going inside the building and I was just like, "No, we're in here." And the vibes felt so cool. We felt really cool walking in there as high school students and not even graduating high school yet and we were already going to graduate college.

Anthony Godfrey:
What went through your mind as you walked across the stage?

Natalia:
It was just kind of surreal, like no way this is happening, like no way I'm graduating and as a first generation student too, it was just like my friends are watching me and it's like I'm doing this for them, you know?

Anthony Godfrey:
And have you felt that your friends were inspired by what you were doing in Jordan Prep?

Natalia:
Yes, my friends have actually told me that before where they're like, "Oh, I wish I did this with you. Like I wish I joined earlier so I could have done this," because some of them kind of don't know where they want to go yet. They're kind of just seeing me as like a role model and like, "Oh, like I'm proud of what you did and like that you were able to accomplish something before you even like everyone else."

Anthony Godfrey:
How have your family reacted to this accomplishment?

Natalia:
My friends are really proud. Like I said, I'm a first generation so my mom never graduated from high school, my dad did, but graduating college is crazy because I don't know, they just, they always like pushed me to work hard in school and like do what they couldn't do and doing it for them, like every time I wanted to give up it was just like, "No, like you should do it, keep going, like your parents never were able to do this so like you should do it for them," and I saw, they were crying and it made me sentimental and like almost crying and yeah, I'm just, I hope they're proud.

Anthony Godfrey:
I know they are, there's no question about that. Tell me what you have planned next after this, this is a great start to a lot of wonderful things in your life. What's next?

Natalia:
I plan on going on to Weber State University.

Anthony Godfrey:
I went to Weber State as well.

Natalia:
Really, did you enjoy it?

Anthony Godfrey:
Good choice, it was fantastic.

Natalia;
Yeah, okay.

Anthony Godfrey:
What do you want to study at Weber State?

Natalia:
I want to study interior design. I love like the AutoCAD drawing and like all that and like computer drawing. I know that's something similar that's going to go into that. I always enjoy like putting stuff together. Like even when I was little, I'll design little like rooms for my dolls and stuff. And yeah, I always make sure the colors look nice with each other or the fabrics or whatever and so I think going into that, it's just really fun.

Anthony Godfrey:
You've already had a lot of preparation for interior design starting with the doll houses.

Natalia:
Yes, ever since I was like eight.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's fantastic.

Natalia:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me what are some of the most memorable times during the Jordan Prep program?

Natalia:
I know this is kind of silly but the field trips, I feel like that's the way that everyone got closer because like obviously you're not doing work. I do remember my first year since like everyone was new, this program was new, no one knew what was going on. It was kind of like we were like testing out everything. I remember my our TAs were really fun and I loved my TA. Then throughout these past two years with like doing it at the college, I saw like it was just kind of fun going. We had a routine down where we go on the bus every day and like miss lunch. And I would complain like all the time like “Oh, I can't have lunch with my friends” but then I graduated from college and I'm really grateful for that.

Anthony Godfrey:
So there was sacrifice along the way but you're feeling all those rewards today.

Natalia:
Yes, I am. And yeah, like on the bus ride just me and my friends would just talk and the projects we ended up doing and yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
It sounds like the friendships and connections you made with other students were a very important part of the program.

Natalia:
Yeah, I'm a very sociable person once I get to know someone. And just like I got closer with my friends like throughout these two years because I was forced to. I couldn't change out of my class I was kind of like “Oh, I'll get to know them”. It was really good because I love them now. And I think, I'm not positive, but my friend might be going to Weber as well. So we might room together but we're not sure yet. We're not sure.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great! Fellow Wildcats possibly.

Natalia:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Fingers crossed.

Natalia:
Hopefully.

Anthony Godfrey;
Obviously you’re going to take the things that you learned with you on the field trips, from your TAs, in your college classes, it sounds like you're taking friendships with you as well.

Natalia:
I want to keep in touch and see what everyone does like in like four years once we graduate from high school, or like six and ten. I just want to see where everyone's at. And then I don’t know, in the summer I am working with a couple of them as a TA here in this program.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, really you're coming back as a TA?

Natalia:
Yeah, as a TA instead of a student.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.

Natalia:
So it's kind of full-circle moment.

Anthony Godfrey:
Not only do you get to have a positive impact on your friends as you work together and watch each other through the years to come, but you get to have a be a positive influence on those

sixth graders starting out. And hopefully, get them to a day just like today was for you.

Natalia:
Yeah, and I hope I can explain it to them. Like maybe at the program so they can keep going and like show them like that is just worth it. Just keep pushing through and it's actually going to be really fun at the end of the day.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love that. Well, congratulations.

Natalia:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
This is well earned, well deserved, and I can't wait to hear what you do from here.

Natalia:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with Arlen. You just walked into the Jordan Prep celebration and I recognized you right off. You were on the podcast just a few weeks ago for Mr. Jorgensen's class talking about the Beatles and other music and here you are celebrating graduation from college. I'm so excited for you. So many people were impressed when they heard your interview on the earlier episode. How are you feeling today graduating with your one-year degree?

Arlen:
Well, to be completely honest I'm very ecstatic. At first, kind of like a lot of kids, I was like I don't want to go to graduation. This was like a big waste of time. Like, I'm just going to go there sit down and then get a little piece of paper. At first you hold that mentality, but as soon as you walk in and you see everybody around you, you're like “alright maybe I kind of judged it a little too hard”, because I walked in and instantly my face started smiling. I was like “You know what Sarah, this is kind of cool. It's kind of exciting.”

Anthony Godfrey:
It's very exciting. We're thrilled for all of you. It's really awesome. How did it feel? How did it feel when you walked across that stage?

Arlen:
Oh, walking across the stage it was nerve-wracking but it felt so great. It was like a little part of you is nervous but the majority of you is like this is so sick. Like, I'm just like it's not that I'm just like everyone else right now, but we're all feeling the same level of excitement and it was just so satisfying to be able to do that. Especially because recently since the high school graduation isn't too far off from our SLCC graduation my mom sounded more excited for my high school graduation. I was like “Mom, I'm graduating from college that's pretty sick”. She's been like “Yeah, good job. Yeah, good job.” But as soon as I walked across that stage I was like okay yeah it's not that she wasn't excited for me too, it's just that it's two things to be excited for.

Anthony Godfrey:
There's so much going on in your life it's hard to pick what to be most excited about. And speaking of that, you have other things coming up very shortly in June. Tell us about that.

Arlen:
Oh yeah, so no one else knows this. I lied, a lot of people know this already. But I'm going to be going to the Air Force and I want to make a long career path out of it. I want to go actually be a pilot for the Air Force if that's possible and I know it's a lot of work. But in June I'm going to be finally heading out to boot camp. I've been enlisted since February so that's what that's about three months so far.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Arlen:
I've been enlisted for about three months so far. So finally in boot camp all the training I've been doing so far is going to show. I'll go to boot camp until, let's see I'm going in– I'll finish in September, so I'll finish September 24th and I'll be going to tech school after that. I'll be back November 24th officially. So I'm really excited to be heading out to boot camp. My technical sergeant asks all the time he's like “Do you guys think you're ready? Do you guys think you're ready?” And it’s just like “Oh, I'm as ready as I’ll ever be.” like I'm ready to get out there.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you're ready. You're ready. What are some of the things that you've been doing to prepare?

Arlen:
I mean the big thing is studying. Like obviously in boot camp you're going to get broken down. They're going to be big on like you need to be able to do your push-ups, your shifts, your run time.

Anthony Godfrey;
Right.

Arlen:
You need to be able to, as they put it, you need to be in a high-stress situation with low risk and perform really, really well. So I've really been practicing with the studying aspect because that's kind of a little low key. A lot of people don't realize but boot camp has a lot of studying in it. You need to know your chain of command. You need to know the insignia for ranks. You need to know the ranks. You need to know your air force song and your air force creed. There's a lot of stuff you need to know about studying and you know you can obviously just focus on your physicality and be like “alright, well as long as it's easy physically everything else will be fine.” But like, I don't know if you all have ever experienced this, but when I was younger my mom would try to teach me math, or my older brothers, and I wouldn't understand it. So they'd get super frustrated at me and then that makes it hard on me to understand it.

Anthony Godfrey;
Right.

Arlen:
So I'm like alright, I'm just going to learn what I need to learn beforehand. I'll be solid physically and then once I get there all it is is just hear the screaming, hear what they say, not how they say it, and then internalize whatever I need to know.

Anthony Godfrey:
You are prepared. Hear what they say, not how they say it and you're focusing on the mental. I've always been impressed with you since we met on that interview and you've got a great future ahead of you. I have zero doubt of that. So I'm excited. You have another graduation coming up with boot camp. You'll graduate from boot camp before you know it.

Arlen:
I've said that like four times today. I told my older brother I'm like I mean this college graduation was pretty easy. I’ve got three more coming up. I graduate four times this year. Even though I just put it out there like as a little joke I'm actually excited about it. I'm like four graduations in one year. Who gets to say that.?

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah well, I'm glad I was here to celebrate number one with you. This is tremendous. Like I said, you have great things ahead of you and I'm really proud of what you've done. You've worked hard.

Arlen:
Thank you. I really appreciate it.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you have a lot of challenges ahead of you that you're preparing for and that will take you to great heights. So congratulations.

Arlen:
Thank you, sir.

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

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. You could say she has a way with words. We're talking about Sophia Montana, a sixth-grade student at Daybreak Elementary School.

On this episode of the Supercast, find out how Sophia managed to win the Utah Regional Spelling Bee in a tough five-hour competition, qualifying her to compete in the National Scripps Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. How is she preparing to go up against the best in the U.S.? Listen and find out.

We're here at Daybreak Elementary talking with Sophia, the champion of the Northern Utah Regional Scripps Spelling Bee. First of all, congratulations.

Sophia:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you are a sixth grader. How many years have you been participating in the Spelling Bee?

Sophia:
Well, this is actually my first year ever participating.

Anthony Godfrey:
Your rookie year, you took state?

Sophia:
Yeah, I did.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's fantastic. Congratulations. What made you want to participate this year?

Sophia:
Well, we just had it as an assignment, and so I did the assignment, but like I've had an interest in words before. I got a dictionary for my birthday, and I like looking up words.

Anthony Godfrey:
You, okay, wait a minute. I have to pause here. You got a dictionary for your birthday, and you love looking up words. Tell me a little bit about that. When did you first discover that you really loved words? Is this a recent thing?

Sophia:
I guess it's a recent thing. I just wanted to know more words and, you know, just increase my vocabulary and use cool-sounding words instead of just boring basic words.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm so impressed with that. Tell me what are some of your favorite words?

Sophia:
Um, Staphylococci is one of my favorite ones.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is that a bacteria of some kind?

Sophia:
Yes, it is.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, is it? Okay. Can you tell me anything about it?

Sophia:
Um...

Anthony Godfrey:
It's gross, probably.

Sophia:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. What are some other favorite words of yours?

Sophia:
Hmm. Um… lagniappe sounds like a cool word.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, yeah. Lagniappe. Okay.

Sophia:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
What else? And is that like a prize or a treasure, or what is it exactly? I’m trying to remember what that means.

Sophia:
Maybe some kind of treasure. I'm not sure. I'm not good at remembering all the definitions.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. It is a cool-sounding word, though.

Sophia:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
The definition doesn't really matter if it sounds cool.

Sophia:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
What are some of the other words that you like?

Sophia:
Hmm. Um… I like words like... I'm just thinking about other words. Xanthosis is like... means yellow, like... yellow something.

Anthony Godfrey:
Xanthosis?

Sophia:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey;
Does that start with an X?

Sophia:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Any other words that are particular favorites?

Sophia:
I like...psit​tacine. Because it comes from the Greek root "cita" meaning parrot. And like... so "psit​tacine" would be like "oh, related to parrots" and I've been interested in that word lately.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Cool. So do you just go through the dictionary from start to finish? Or do you just let it drop open to a particular page and discover words from there?

Sophia:
I just let it drop open to a page.

Anthony Godfrey:
Cool. Do you write in it and kind of circle some favorites?

Sophia:
No, I just remember them.

Anthony Godfrey:
You just remember them. That's even better.

Anthony Godfrey:
I have a few favorite words myself. I was an English teacher and I like tatterdemalion. And I also like dodecahedron, which is a 12-sided shape. You already knew that though. You're nodding your head. You knew what that was.

Sophia:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
And... yeah, there are some great words... and sclerotic. Sclerotic is like arteriosclerosis. But it means that it's-- an organization can be sclerotic. Meaning that things are kind of not moving very well. Anyway, so let's not talk about words. Let's talk about spelling. You started the spelling bee because it was an assignment.

Sophia:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
So let's talk with your teacher about that assignment. Introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about what you've been doing in class.

Tawna Pippin:
My name is Tawna Pippin and I teach sixth grade at Daybreak Elementary. I told my class that when I was in elementary school, I'd won the spelling... our school's spelling bee too. And I don't know, spelling's really important. I just always try to implement it into stuff that we're doing, so we do spelling in class. They have their spelling words every week. And Sophia is an amazing speller. She always has been. So I was just really excited to watch her through this whole process.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's fantastic. Now, so you were a speller. You were a competitor. Tell me about your experience when you were a student.

Tawna Pippin:
Oh, I grew up in a little town in Washington.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. All right.

Tawna Pippin:
That's as far as I went though. Just the school bee.

Anthony Godfrey:
The school bee or the town bee?

Anthony Godfrey:
Did everyone gather in the town square and watch you...

Tawna Pippin:
Maybe not that small of a town.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Tawna Pippin:
It was way back in the day.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you remember some of your words?

Tawna Pippin:
Unfortunately, no. I know we wrote– I know I have it somewhere in a box, but I don't remember what they were.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you remember any prizes or anything like that?

Tawna Pippin:
Well, I was just telling her that my English teacher when I was in eighth grade...It was my first year at that junior high. And she brought me like a little– She had run to her classroom. She was a foods teacher, and she taught one class of English. But she just came and surprised me with a little heart box with three pieces of chocolate in it. And I kept that little box for years. Mrs. Friswald was her name.

Anthony Godfrey:
Mrs. Friswald. Well, well done, Mrs. Friswald. Wherever you are. That's awesome. That's really cool. My brother was in the National Spelling Bee, actually, many years ago. The listeners will know just how long ago it was, one of the things he won was a Commodore 64 computer. With a cassette tape drive. So there were fewer words back then available to spell, even. But the one that he messed up on was fughetta. Fughetta has an H in it and he did not know it had an H.

Stay with us. When we come back Sophia shares the winning word that made it possible for her to compete at a national level.

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

Anthony Godfrey:
So, how have your parents reacted to this?

Sophia:
Well, my parents thought I was some kind of a magician. They were like, "Wow, you just did that again. This is your first year. How did you win a regional spelling bee?" And now you're going to Washington, D.C.

Anthony Godfrey:
So let's go back to competition and what that was like for you. You obviously remember the winning word. Tell me about the word that you won with.

Sophia:
That was– the winning word, pneumatocyst.

Anthony Godfrey:
Pneumatocyst.

Sophia:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
My license plate has that word on it. I'm just kidding. What does the word actually mean? What can you tell me about the word?

Sophia:
Some kind of thing to do with seaweed. I remembered it like some kind of algae.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, okay.

Sophia:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
And is this a word that you had studied in advance or is this one that you just, that was just thrown out for you?

Sophia:
I studied it in advance. I was going through like flashcards and I found the word, luckily, because if I wasn't doing that, I wouldn't have known the word. Like it was just a few days before.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now sometimes they have a set list. Did they have a set list that they said they would be drawing from?

Sophia:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
But I understand that the competition went on so long that they had to maybe go– did they have to go off of that list and find some other words because you and your opponents were spelling things so well for so long?

Sophia:
Well, usually they do go off the list, but this year I don't think they said any, they didn't have a spell any words that were off the list.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, okay. So they were all on the list and tell me about your preparation. You said that you had flashcards and you were preparing that way.

Sophia:
Well, the flashcards were actually like, I guess you could call it digital. I used the Word Club app, which was like made for regional and school spelling bees.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh wow.

Sophia:
And you just had, like you have your phone and you have these little flashcards and you can just look at them as long as you want to and then you can get quizzed on them.

Anthony Godfrey:
I never thought about having an app that could help you with that. So you were able to– how many hours do you guess that you studied before the competition?

Sophia:
Well, some days I would study like an hour, two, three, five.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me what it sounded like since I wasn't there. Don't you have to say the word and then spell it and then say it again? Is that still the rule?

Sophia:
Yeah, I believe so.

Anthony Godfrey:
Will you do that with your winning word for me right now? Say it, spell it and say it again.

Sophia:
Okay. Pneumatocyst. P-N-E-U-M-A-T-O-C-Y-S-T. Pneumatocyst.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. Very nice. Very poised. I could hear every letter distinctly. You practice that too, I'll bet. You don't want to mumble through it and have someone mishear you. So did you ask for a sentence or a definition very frequently? Did you have some strategy that way?

Sophia:
Well, some words I had to ask about because it's really strange when you're on stage, when the people are talking into the microphone, it sounds like almost two people talking at the same time. So like I got a word, curio, and I thought there was a "cheerio" and so I had to ask for the definition so I knew which word it was.

Anthony Godfrey:
And that was quickly cleared up.

Sophia:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you got curio right, obviously. Did you get some words wrong but then someone else got a word wrong and then you were able to continue on or were you able to spell every word?

Sophia:
I was able to spell every word but we did have a written round in the beginning and I spelled one of the words wrong. Almost everyone spelled the word before that one, ascites, wrong.

Anthony Godfrey:
But you got ascites right?

Sophia:
Yeah, so I stayed in the game.

Anthony Godfrey:
You are incredibly impressive. I can't believe all the words that you know how to spell. And I love that you're so passionate about learning more words. So tell me what you're doing to prepare now for the national level.

Sophia:
Well, I just, I look around for any words that I can find. I have this book that has like stuff about etymology and like spelling rules like where to put a double consonant. And I sometimes study that. Then when I won the regional spelling bee, they gave me like this little gift card that was for this, I think, company called Hexco. And I got like 800 words that were really hard that were likely to come up on the national spelling bee to study. And I'm also doing that and it's online.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great. So do you have all 800 words down cold already?

Sophia:
No, I only have a few words but I will keep studying and I will eventually study all the words.

Anthony Godfrey:
When does the competition happen and where?

Sophia:
It happens in Washington, D.C. I think around the Gaylord National Resort. I think that's what it's called. And it is going to happen during the last week of May. Like they do it on two different days like preliminaries, finals, and so that's why we're going to be there for a week. And also we do a lot of fun stuff there. It's not only the spelling bee.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you can tour around and see some of the monuments and sites.

Sophia:
Yeah, that will be really fun.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's really cool. I love Washington, D.C. Have you been before?

Sophia:
No, I haven't.

Anthony Godfrey:
So no matter how well you do in the competition, this is going to be really exciting.

Sophia:
It is. It will be. And my cousin lives in Washington, D.C. so I'll get to see her too. I might stay like a few more days just to see her.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, that's awesome. So you've got a cousin there. This is going to be fantastic regardless of the outcome.

Sophia:
I know.

Anthony Godfrey:
But I like your chances of doing very well at the national level. You've got the eye of the tiger. I can tell that you have that competitive spirit. So I've heard that it's not only words in the English language that you'll have to spell. Is that accurate?

Sophia:
Yes, there are many different words. There are German words, Spanish and Greek, and Latin words.

Anthony Godfrey:
That is pretty incredible that they're going to make you spell words from other languages. Very impressive. So I think it's really cool also that you're not just studying a list of words, but you're studying rules about how spelling works. Do you also study kind of roots to words? Does that help?

Sophia:
Yes, it definitely does. Like I was saying, the Greek "cyta" meaning parrot and just a basic one like pre-meaning before, post, after, and just tons of others.

Anthony Godfrey:
So it kind of helps you break words down into different elements that maybe help you spell things a little more easily.

Sophia:
Yes, it does.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's impressive. That's going to serve you well for a long time and that's something that you don't always think about first when you're thinking about the spelling bee is how much it helps your vocabulary and how much you understand words as a result of being a part of that.

Sophia:
Yeah, and they said I was going to have to listen to how people say words and then I'm going to have to correct how they pronounce the words for the rest of my life, because now I know how to pronounce almost every word.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah, that's really cool. So spell it out for me. What does it feel like to be up on stage?

Sophia:
It feels strange. I mean, the lights are really bright and when I was sitting, I just wanted to close my eyes and when I got on stage the first time, I thought I was going to faint. Like I actually felt like I was just going to collapse, but well, I didn't. I just have to keep calm. My eyes just facing forward and just spell whatever word they give me.

Anthony Godfrey:
Just kind of stay focused. But the fact that you've been on stage in regions, that will really help you when you're at nationals.

Sophia:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
This is a huge trophy that we have here in the office. Tell me where this is going to go. It's actually a piece of furniture. It's so large.

Sophia:
Well, it's going to go in our, I guess it's called a display case and everyone's going to see this and it's going to be there forever.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, fantastic. Well, I look forward to seeing it many years into the future. Well, I'm really proud of what you're doing. I love that you're passionate about words the way that you are. And I know you're going to have a great time regardless of the outcome and that you're going to work really hard to be at your best. So thanks for representing Daybreak, and Jordan District, and the state of Utah. So wow, that's awesome.

Sophia:
Thank you.

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.