Supercast

Marty:
We do the electrical repair whatever for over 70 buildings and growing in the school district.

Ian:
We are dealing with over a million square feet of buildings districtwide. Every day is different.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Jake:
There's, you could do the same job and it's not the same as the last one, so.

Anthony Godfrey:
And just as I've been over here, you have great people to work with too.

Jake:
Yeah, there's, yeah maintenance is all great.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. School may be out for the summer, but there is little to no rest for District crews working hard to make repairs, upgrade facilities, conduct overall maintenance, and basically make schools sparkle and shine for the upcoming school year. On this episode of the Supercast, we talk with employees tackling some monumental tasks over the summer months. Find out about the work they do and how we all benefit when the sun sets on summer and students are back to the books.

Anthony Godfrey:
Alright, we're talking today with Jake out here at Oak Crest Elementary. Jake, tell us a little bit about what you do here in Jordan School District.

Jake:
I do everything with water and drainage.

Anthony Godfrey:
And there's a lot of water and drainage in all of these buildings.

Jake:
Everything runs on water and drainage in these buildings.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're standing in the kindergarten area of the building or the first-grade area where you might remember, those listening, there's a sink in every elementary classroom and so there's a lot of work for folks like Jake to try to prepare us for the year to come. Tell us a little bit about what you've been working on this summer at Oak Crest.

Jake:
At Oak Crest, they replaced all of the countertops in this purple area, and we're just replacing the sink. Took the sinks out and now we're replacing them with new.

Anthony Godfrey:
We were talking a little bit about the new parts. The new parts have less brass than they used to.

Jake:
Very much. Brass is not cheap nowadays so putty's cheaper than brass.

Anthony Godfrey:
So we need to fill the base of the faucet going in to be filled with some putty. I'm the designated putty buddy today so let's get to it. Let's check it out. Alright, we're opening it up here. Pulling out the faucet. Sorry I'm slowing you down here. Nothing helps install a faucet like a superintendent with a microphone. That's right.

Jake:
Oh, you can start warming the putty up.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, how do you warm the putty up?

Jake:
I knead it like dough.

Anthony Godfrey:
Knead it like dough. Alright. I'm not good at baking or plumbing, so I'll see what I can do. That's actually quite you know, satisfying.

Jake:
Like one of them one things. Yeah. Squishy.

Anthony Godfrey:
ASMR, you know.

Jake:
Then you pack it in there. This is the part they.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Jake:
This used to be brass.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do I need to warm it up more or does it seem.

Jake:
Just pack it in there.

Anthony Godfrey:
Pack it right in here?

Jake:
Right over this part here. Yep. Just fill it flush with the. . . .

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh okay. Does it need to go around the . . .

Jake:
Yep.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh well. That's going to take a little bit of effort isn't it. So how long have, as I'm trying to pack this putty, how long have you worked for Jordan School District?

Jake:
14 years.

Anthony Godfrey:
14 years.

Jake:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. So you've seen some things.

Jake:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
You've responded to some emergencies.

Jake:
Yes many emergencies.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now when we record these podcasts at elementary schools, it seems like we cannot find a spot where you cannot hear a toilet flushing. It feels like there are bathrooms everywhere you turn.

Jake:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Does it feel like that? I bet it feels like that to you even more so.

Jake:
Yes there's . . .  I don't even know how many toilets. Never thought of that. There's probably . . .

Anthony Godfrey:
There are a lot of them.

Jake:
Yeah there's too many to count. Lots of things go down toilets especially . . .

Jake:
Yeah lots of things go down toilets, especially in elementary.

Jake:
Probably middle schools.

Anthony Godfrey:
Middle school is worse.

Jake:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
There are probably some people listening who are thinking, “Oh yeah, I remember what I put down the toilet in middle school or elementary school.”

Jake:
We're not going to name what they put down.

Anthony Godfrey:
Fair enough. Fair enough. We don't want to give them any ideas. But yes it does happen. Okay. I've done an initial job with the putty.

Jake:
Oh, let’s get you some more.

Anthony Godfrey:
More putty. I thought I was feeling this false sense of accomplishment here.

Jake:
We're almost done.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. All right. More putty. We have Scott Thomas here as well. Scott, talk to us about the way that we rely on our trades to keep the Jordan School District running.

S:
Yeah, thank you. As you know, we're service providers, and we deeply care about our teachers and our students and their well-being and there's just an awful lot to get to. Like I said we have we have well over a million square feet in the school district, and so all of our trades we rely on them to fix everything from air conditioning to, you know, the lights go out, plumbing emergencies, especially this time of year. HVAC is a very important thing in the middle of the summer, and if you don't have any electricity then you know you don't have any HVAC so we rely on them. We're busy our grounds crews are busy during the summer again just thousands of acres worth of schools to take you know school grounds to take care of. So again, a short period of time in the summer about nine weeks to get an awful lot done in preparation for the students and teachers to come back and get back to business.

Jake:
Little more.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay a little more.

Jake:
Pack it flush.

Anthony Godfrey:
Pack it flush. So I've got like maybe even a little more than flush. Okay, now is the problem that I'm hitting the threads there with it?

Jake:
Nope.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay all right good I was trying to avoid that that's why it's a little shallow. You know this does give a different sense of accomplishment than writing an email and sending it off. It's like okay the putty is in. It's water the water will flow soon.

Jake:
You want to kind of push out when you—  yeah you want to squish out the sides when you tighten it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh okay. Okay, so this is supposed to come out the sides when we tighten it down and kind of produce a seal there.

Jake:
It does.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right.

Jake:
For the sole purpose.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right.

Jake:
You want to do that part?

Anthony Godfrey:
Sure, I'll sling a crescent wrench. Let's see how it goes here. Is it adjusted?

Jake:
It's probably. Yeah it's right where it needs to be.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh no. I need a little more.

Jake:
I just guessed.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well that's a pretty close guess I'd say. Did you notice that I'm tightening it in the right direction first try?

Jake:
That is good. I'm impressed. You knew what side the cold was on and which way to turn a screw.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's the little wins you know. Now how tight do it?

Jake:
Righty tighty.

Anthony Godfrey:
Righty tighty. How tight do you want it? As tight as I can make it or?

Jake:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. We'll make it as tight as I can make it, and then we'll make it as tight as you can make it.

Jake:
I think you're doing great.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think those are going to be different things.

Jake:
I think you should come out every summer.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think I should. This will remind me of all of the very types of work that need to happen for us to be ready for these students to come back. Oh yeah, it's coming out right there in the middle.

Jake:
You haven't flipped it over yet. There's way more.

Anthony Godfrey:
You can. It won't hurt my feelings if you have to tighten that over.

Jake:
You're good. You tightened it good.

Anthony Godfrey:
That feels pretty good. Yeah. All right.

Jake:
Yeah so you just clean that up.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. This will provide a lot of post recess drinks. Leak free.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Jake:
Yep. I think I‘ve got it. Whoops. Oh it didn't stay straight. It was straight. It didn't stay straight.

Jake:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
I don't want those first graders. I don't want first graders to walk up to the sink and say, “Who did this?”

Jake:
You want to sign it? You can sign underneath it.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'll sign underneath it. Absolutely, I'll sign it. That sounds great.

Jake:
You can grab your marker.

Anthony Godfrey:
Superintendent Godfrey was here and I signed my first name.

Jake:
Should do the year, too.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah.

Jake:
I'm going to tear this out.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah. 2026. So when they tear it out they'll say, “Who was that guy?” Nobody will remember.

Jake:
That happens a lot around here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you see signatures when you tear stuff out? Really?

Jake:
Oh yeah. I found. Did you see? They found a . . .  what the class of '98 did in West Jordan High.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, in West Jordan High.

Jake:
Yeah. Did you see that?

Anthony Godfrey:
We heard about that. A rival school was mentioned. Let's just say that.

Jake:
Yes. Okay. Stuff like that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for letting me sign.

Jake:
Yeah. No problem.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's really fun. So we're installing something new here. What are some of the other things that you do over the summer?

Jake:
We have a lot of sprinkler mainline breaks. We don't necessarily do the heads, but we do the broken pipes that burst and stuff, and there's never a shortage of them.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm sure.

Jake:
And summertime. Yeah, a lot of special projects and stuff like this. We have like two schools with this same project going on and bigger stuff. Stuff where kids aren't in is a lot.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm sure there's stuff you save up for when they're gone.

Jake:
Yes. Correct.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what are some of the emergencies? Are you on call for emergencies?

Jake:
Yep. We're on, each of us take on call for a week long. We had a mainline break out at Foothills this weekend.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah.

Jake:
One of our guys had to go turn it off.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Jake:
But that's about all. Mostly the summer emergencies are main lines breaking.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. But with over 70 buildings, there are plenty of main lines that can break.

Jake:
Yes. Yeah we blow them out every year but they still tend to fall apart over time you know.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Jake:
Nothing lasts forever.

Anthony Godfrey:
Right. Thank you for everything you do.

Jake:
And you're welcome.

Anthony Godfrey:
This is important work that allows us to do what we do. And until you walk into an elementary school, you don't realize just how much plumbing is involved.

Jake:
Oh yeah. Yep. There's everything takes plumbing around these places.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's right.

Jake:
Lots of bottle fillers.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Lots of bottle fillers.

Jake:
That's right.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's a whole new thing in the last 10 years.

Jake:
Yes. And since COVID everyone wants bottle fillers now.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Well, everything changes.

Jake:
They're nice.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, they're nice but I'll bet they’re work. Tell me what do you like most about working here as a plumber in Jordan School District?

Jake:
Every day is different.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Jake:
There's — you could do the same job and it's not the same as the last one.

Anthony Godfrey:
So just as I've been over here you have great people to work with too.

Jake:
Yeah there's . . .  Yeah maintenance is all great.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Jake:
So I like everyone we work with.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well good. And you know we're always looking for folks and it's a great place to be. So well, thank you, Jake. Thanks for walking me through this.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back, we talk with one of the electricians in the District working hard to prepare the building for students to return.

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

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

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking today with Marty. Marty, introduce yourself and tell us about your responsibilities here in Jordan School District.

Marty:
Hi, I'm Marty Pixdon. I'm the senior electrical tech for the District. We do electrical repair for over 70 buildings and growing in the school district.

Anthony Godfrey:
Seventy buildings and growing isn't that true. Seventy buildings is a ton to be responsible for. Talk to me about within the trades how many electricians do we have in our District?

Marty:
We have eight in the field and including myself we have a total of nine electricians.

Anthony Godfrey:
A total of nine electricians. You get called night and day to help out with various issues. I know that in an emergency we rely on you guys, but also we rely just day to day to keep things up and running. Talk to us about some of the things you're doing over the summer. A lot of people wonder, “What does everybody do over the summer in a school district?” Talk to us about what the summer looks like for electricians.

Marty:
We do everything from small remodels to bigger repairs, remodels and we also maintenance to keep the building running. There's some stuff we can't get to full access during the school year because the classes so we make major repairs while the kids are away.

Anthony Godfrey:
Summer is a particularly busy time because we finally have clear buildings for you.

Marty:
That is correct.

Anthony Godfrey:
Seventy buildings, Ian tell us. We're here with Ian as well. Introduce yourself and tell us about just how many square feet we're taking care of here in Jordan School District.

Ian:
Hello, this is Ian Roberts, and I'm the director of Facility Services. We are dealing with over a million square feet of buildings District-wide.

Anthony Godfrey:
So anyone out there who has a sense for building maintenance understands that that's a time and it's high stakes when you have five-year-olds to 22-year-olds to preschoolers that we're taking care of and looking out for. There isn't a lot of slack would you say, Ian, when there's an emergency in terms of just electricity, water, making sure that our buildings are running.

Ian:
No definitely not at all and these guys are rock stars. They're here to take care of the put out the fires when they're burning, and they're keeping behind the scenes to make sure these buildings are fully functional for the students and staff.

Anthony Godfrey:
Talk to me, Marty, about your pathway to becoming an electrician in Jordan School District.

Marty:
I started my career right out of high school as an electrician. I've done multiple things for my life been fortunate enough that I've currently hold a master's license in electrical right now. That used to be in two states, but now I let one lapse because I don't want to work in Wyoming ever again.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, if it lapses then you never have to do that again, right? Talk to me about how long you've been in Jordan School District.

Marty:
I just finished nine years going into my tenth year now.

Anthony Godfrey:
And previous to that what type of work did you do?

Marty:
I've done all types of construction, electrical-wise, from schools all over the state to out of state. I've been doing this for roughly about 46 years now.

Anthony Godfrey:
46 years so you're starting to get the hang of it huh?

Marty:
A little bit.

Anthony Godfrey:
A little bit. Okay. So I have, if my wife is listening to this, she's thinking, “Invite Marty over. We have a few things that we'd love to have Marty take a look at.” Is that one of the downsides of having the skills that you do? Does every neighbor know that you're an electrician and you can help out?

Marty:
Ah, yeah I, they try.

Anthony Godfrey:
They try. Do you have a sudden school emergency when they need help fixing something?

Marty:
I'll help them out if it's serious; if not, I always recommend it to somebody else.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well just look up on the website. You can find Marty's number give him a call. He’d be glad to do a job on the side. What are some of the challenges being an electrician in Jordan School District? We've got buildings that are built 50 years ago and buildings that are built just a year or two ago. Are there all kinds of electrical systems that you have to be familiar with?

Marty:
Very much so. Our field's constantly changing all the time. That and our lighting controls are getting more complicated and more software and stuff like that. They're computer-controlled in a lot of the classrooms nowadays. We have some schools that have up to like five lighting systems in the same school.

Anthony Godfrey:
Five in the same school?

Marty:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. We sure appreciate the work that you do and we're grateful you're here in Jordan School District and you're bringing all of these years of experience working on various projects in various states and thank you for all your hard work.

Marty:
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.

Transcription coming soon.

Anthony Godfrey:
So the book is ‘Adriana and the Cloud That Whispered.’ So can you tell us about what happens in the book? No spoilers though.

Harper:
Well, it's about a girl who embarrassed herself, and then like a cloud, negative thoughts came and started telling her negative things.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. She is only in elementary school and is already a published author experiencing the impact her written words and work ethic can have on others. On this episode of the Supercast meet an Oakcrest Elementary School student who recently wrote and published her very first book. Find out her inspiration behind the book and how this young author hopes it can help kids who might be having a hard time at home or in school. We are at Oakcrest Elementary today to talk with a student author. Introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about the book.

Harper:
Hi my name is Harper Camacho and my book that I made is to help kids that are having a little like a hard time and if they have any negative thoughts, what to do about it.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's a great reason to write a book. Now tell me what inspired you to write this book? Were there personal experiences that made you want to write this?

Harper:
Yeah I was just like mad at all my sisters.

Anthony Godfrey:
That happens, listeners, if you have sisters you may have been mad at them at a time or two but you were feeling mad at your sisters a lot.

Harper:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
And tell me more about that.

Harper:
I was just mad at my sisters. I was just mad about some things that I didn't know what some things were. I just were mad so I decided . . .  my mom told me to write it down, and then I decided with my mom to make a book about it.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you were more angry. Were you sometimes not even know why you were as angry as you were? Did that seem kind of out of your control a little bit?

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. What were some of the things that made you angry about your sisters or made you angry in general?

Harper:
My sister Malia she...

Anthony Godfrey:
You're naming names, okay, go on.

Harper:
Yeah, my sister Malia, she would . . . I have a little sister Olivia, she is a lot and Malia knows how to get out of helping with her.

Anthony Godfrey:
I see.

Harper:
So I kind of have to help a lot more than I want to because my sister knows how to get herself out of it.

Anthony Godfrey:
So then you end up representing both sisters the sister you have to take care of and the sister who should have taken care of Olivia. Wow this sounds complex. So being angry about that and angry about others you wrote this book. So let's jump to having the book finished. Once you wrote this book, how did it feel having put all of these thoughts and ideas into written form?

Harper:
It felt pretty good because I was just so excited to write a book. I loved how I could probably help a lot of kids like me.

Anthony Godfrey:
And who is the audience? Who do you hope will read this book?

Harper:
My friends, family, kids that feel like they would like, are emotional, and don't know what to do about it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you hope Malia will read this book?

Harper:
Malia has read this book, and she likes it.

Anthony Godfrey:
She likes it. Is she a better Malia because of it?

Harper:
She has been helping me more.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay so that's that's a pretty great. If nobody else read the book, but Malia is helping you more, than the book's worth writing. Absolutely. That's great. A lot of authors could not say that they've solved life's problems as effectively as you have. Are there are you a big reader? Do you love to read?

Harper:
I don't love it but I will read.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's interesting that you're such a good writer without necessarily being as passionate about reading. So what are some of the books that you have liked over the years?

Harper:
I liked "Holes".

Anthony Godfrey:
You like "Holes"?

Harper:
Yeah that is a good book.

Anthony Godfrey:
So the book is "Adriana and the Cloud That Whispered." So can you tell us about what happens in the book? No spoilers though because the people listening are going to want a copy.

Harper:
Well it's about a girl who embarrassed herself and then like a cloud, negative thoughts came and started telling her negative things, and she figured out a way to figure it out and get rid of those negative thoughts. make the cloud smaller until it was just small enough that nobody could see it. I think that's a great idea.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love the idea of the cloud representing those feelings that come from being embarrassed. Even adults I think remember embarrassing moments. Do you have embarrassing moments that you think you're going to remember for a long time?

Harper:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you think that the people around you will remember them as well as you do?

Harper:
I think my mom and dad will remember them.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is there anything you want to tell the listening audience about your embarrassing moments?

Harper:
I'd rather not.

Anthony Godfrey:
See, that's a true embarrassing moment because you don't want to share it. In a few decades you can share it, you know, in the year 2040,  2050 you will revisit it. Tell us about how you created the pictures for the book. This is, it has it looks really good visually.

Harper:
Took some of the words from the story and tried to make it into a picture. Some of them worked immediately and some of them took a lot of tries to redo it.

Anthony Godfrey:
So was this using artificial intelligence?

Harper:
Yeah. So using AI to make these pictures, how did some of the pictures turn out initially? That some of the outtakes that you're not including in the book?

Harper:
Well like one of them where she knocks over her water bottle, it was her dumping her water bottle onto the paper, and we wanted it to look like an accident.

Anthony Godfrey:
So AI didn't get the point?

Harper:
No. We had to keep redoing it until it worked.

Anthony Godfrey:
AI should be embarrassed that it missed the mark so much. AI doesn't know shame yet but it will eventually; they'll develop that. Well, it looks very professional and I have to say the drawings look like they were made just for the book. They really are; they really are impressive. I like it. So obviously you worked closely with AI to make this work. Having written this book does it make you want to write another one?

Harper:
Yeah it does.

Anthony Godfrey:
Have you ever thought about writing a series about the adventures of a superintendent?

Harper:
No.

Anthony Godfrey:
You haven't? Well, if you decide that you want to do that, I would be glad to help you. I think it really has some potential. The people want to hear more about the lives of superintendents, and you could be the person to write it. Okay, the pitch isn't really working.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us when we come back. More with Harper Camacho.

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

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

Anthony Godfrey:
What other books have you thought about writing?

Harper:
Some things like similar to it, like this book, but I haven't figured it out yet but I want to do something similar.

Anthony Godfrey:
Similar as in something that can help other kids and deal with difficulties or issues that they have?

Harper:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
It really is amazing how fiction can help put us in someone else's mindset and help us think about our own problems from another perspective. So, I think it's really extremely impressive that you've been able to write this. So, there's a picture of you and your mom on the back. How much did your parents help with this idea and help support you through this process?

Harper:
A lot.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's really, that's really awesome, and did that make you feel closer with your parents to be able to do this together?

Harper:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Did it bring you closer to Malia as well because you were able to explore the difficulties that you'd had though when you think about your relationship?

Harper:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Good. So closer to your parents, closer to Malia, and I have no doubt that you're going to be able to provide the same support to anyone who reads this book. This is really going to help them. It helps to know that you're not alone in dealing with a problem. Let's talk with your mom. Introduce yourself and tell us about what this has been like.

Elisa June:
Hi, my name is Elisa June and it's been interesting. I mean, Harper, it's no surprise. We've had a crazy last few years and so emotions in our house and especially being the oldest child she's just taken on a lot. Yeah it's just really cool to be able to do something with her and to see her do something that she's proud of.

Anthony Godfrey:
And I see here on the back of the book that she missed most of second grade. Tell us about that.

Elisa June:
Yeah, we actually moved to Florida and going from you know, this . . .

Anthony Godfrey:
Does Florida offer second grade.

Elisa June:
They do but we just went from first grade here and then we went to second grade there and I just didn't it was just stressful. I was not sure about the school. I was like, nope we'll try the homeschooling thing tried that for like a month or two it did not work out and so she kind of we just kind of had like a long summer vacation, honestly, which wasn't the greatest. We tried to teach them here and there all the kids something but just yeah it just didn't work out. When we moved back and we're like yeah, we'll put her back at Oakcrest and we did that and her teachers have been amazing helping catch her up.

Anthony Godfrey:
Fantastic and have your other kids been inspired by the book?

Elisa June:
Yeah, Malia wants to write her own.

Anthony Godfrey:
I wondered whether Malia is an aspiring author now as well.

Elisa June:
She's working on it. She's working on it.

Anthony Godfrey:
And is she what is she going to write about? Any previews there?

Elisa June:
Yeah she wanted to write about a tornado because obviously she loves you know learning from her sister and stuff like that, so I'm not a hundred percent sure, but that's kind of where her mind's at right now is just the chaos in her life.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, well that's that's really exciting. What changes have you seen in your children because of this book?

Elisa June:
I think that I will say the tools more so in the book like the what they're doing. It's fascinating to see when they're having a rough moment or a rough day to be able to do something like what the tool that the book teaches; it completely shifts it. I mean, they can go from being mad at each other and yelling and into, " Okay, we can be friends again” very quickly because of it and so I think the tool itself is actually my favorite thing. Seeing her write the book and seeing her get excited and having friends like it and having her sisters like it and family members being supportive, it's definitely made everybody kind of see the work that she puts in behind the scenes to help and also manage her emotions.

Anthony Godfrey:
It is really impressive that you've learned at this young age that there's something you can do about it, you aren't just subject to your emotions, you can you can figure things out, and you can work things out. If if anyone wants to get a copy of the book how do they do that?

Harper:
It's on Amazon. So ‘Adriana and The Cloud That Whispered’ it's on Amazon.

Anthony Godfrey:
‘Adriana and The Cloud That Whispered.’ A-D-R-I-A-N-A.  Check it out and pick it up on Amazon. This is really cool. Now we want to talk with your teacher as well. Introduce yourself and talk a little bit about what it's like to be the teacher of an author.

Megan:
So my name is Megan Blake and I'm Harper's fifth grade teacher and I have always had students say when they grow up, they're gonna be an author. I've never had a student who's become an author as a fifth grader. So it's really impressive to me to have a student who was able to chase their dreams and see the success and rewards of that while still in fifth grade.

Harper
How has the class reacted to it?

Megan:
So we actually read the book as a class before it was published officially and they loved it. They gave her a standing ovation. They asked if they could buy copies of it. They have been really supportive and kind of rallied around her. They told kids in other fifth grade classes that their teacher needed to read it to their class and it's kind of, it's kind of been a positive spread through our grade as they've explored how they can use these tools as well. I've actually seen other kids in my class be inspired to maybe want to write their own stories as well, though none of them have gotten as far in that process as Harper has.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, putting the work in behind the inspiration that's what really sets you apart but hopefully some others decide to do that as well, and it's exciting to hear that it's gone so viral in fifth grade here at Oakcrest. That's a really good start, and it doesn't surprise me, looking at it it's just it's it's really cool and I I don't know I think you have big things ahead of you. In fact I'm sure of it, and this is this is really exciting to get to talk with you about this. Have you seen an impact on Harper specifically after she wrote this and how she manages herself?

Megan:
I feel like it's given her a lot more of a boost of confidence where she knows that that she can do hard things and I feel like she's been really happy to see that she's affecting the lives of the kids around her, her peers, in a positive way where maybe she felt she didn't have that reach before having this as a tool she's been really very quick to share it with someone “you should read my book it'll help you with this” and it's been really great to see. I've used it with my own kids too I bought a copy for them and we we've sat down and I'm like remember the storm cloud. What can we do about that? So it's it's helped my own children at home. It's helped kids in our class; we kind of turned it into some common language that we use in our classroom and I think that she takes some pride in being a part of that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow, so it's positively impacted your family; it's impacting other students in class positively. I think one day there'll be an amusement park ride “Adriana and the Cloud That Whispered” where you're riding the car away from the cloud you know and you finally escape. I don't know, one day, one day. we'll get it at Lagoon. This is super impressive amazing that you just followed through on this inspiration and this idea and that you're helping so many people as a result, so congratulations. I'm gonna get on Amazon and get my two-day delivery of the book so that I can get you to sign up for me and inscribe it, maybe you know “to the superintendent that inspired my story.” Okay, never mind; we won't,  we won't add that fiction to the fiction you've already written but thank you very much. It's so exciting to talk with you and I look forward to hearing about your future projects.

Harper:
Thanks

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

Bruce Cutler:
Kids who had even just a small scholarship, small money set aside for college, were something like 50-60% greater chance of going to college than if they didn't.

Anthony Godfrey:
We can all look back and identify someone who really believed in us and helped us get to where we are and this is an incredible example of someone investing in a student they may not even know very well early on to help them achieve their best possible success.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They are in seventh grade and already working hard to make sure their future looks bright when it comes to pursuing higher education. On this episode of the Supercast, we take you to a STEM My 529 Scholarship Awards dinner where some young students received $500 for their college savings accounts. Find out what the students did to earn the scholarships and how the accounts will help their families start building funds to pay for future enrollment in colleges, universities, or trade schools.

Anthony Godfrey:
We are here at the Jordan Learning Center talking about tonight's banquet and Bruce, I would like you to introduce yourself and talk about this event which you started years ago.

Bruce Cutler:
I did. Bruce Cutler, I was a software developer all of my, well, all of my major career life, graduated in computer science University of Utah and had some good jobs here in Utah and then became a member of the Jordan Education Foundation Board. Before that, I was a member of the Utah State Legislature and when I was up there, I was particularly interested in working with those in poverty. I was involved with the Intergenerational Poverty Commission, the group who's trying to stop poverty by stopping the advance of children into poverty that not following their parents. One of the studies that was done and I think it was done out of California as I recall, but one of the things that they discovered was that kids who had even just a small scholarship, small money set aside for college, were something like 50-60 percent greater chance of going to college than if they didn't. And so I thought, gee, at that point I was actually on the Canyons Foundation Board, and we actually started this in Canyons before I moved out here. But it was a concept is give a kid who's in the seventh grade, they've still got six years of school, well five years because they're graduating from then, and then give them a small scholarship and it put into the 529 Plan where it can take care of the investing of that and say, you know, “Here's some money set aside for you at this early age so that you can go to college.” You have to get some kind of post-high school education and of course we didn't know, we don't know. I don't think where first group has gotten through yet. I think they may be seniors now but I'm not sure. Yeah. So we thought we'd just try it out and we'll see whether it actually happens or not, but so far.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's right, that's right. Now for those who may not understand, will you describe what a My 529 Account does?

Bruce Cutler:
My 529 Account is a state, is a national, a federal program and it allows parents particularly, to be able to invest money and set it aside for use of post-high school education. And so the My 529 is the Utah portion of that, the Utah-based portion of the 529 and so they invested in various and sundry investments so that by the time these kids are ready to go to college, it's there for them and they can use it on any kind of post-high school education.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you have sought donors to essentially sponsor a student's education in seventh grade.

Bruce Cutler:
Yep.

Anthony Godfrey:
So instead of waiting to see if they did well, you invest in them early on to help ensure that they do well because they know, hey there's someone outside of my family who has no expectation to cheer for me that has invested, literally invested in me and I better live up to that.

Bruce Cutler:
Yep. It's kind of the story of planting a tree that somebody else is gonna sit in the shade of. So we're investing this money in these kids and we don't know whether they're gonna do well or not, but analysis has proven that yeah they will, they will do well and they will go on and get some kind of post-high school education. I was talking to a friend of mine who was just a daughter was one of the first recipients and he says, “Yeah, when I was talking to my daughter initially she wanted to go into some kind of beauty school but then she got this scholarship.” She says, “Well, maybe I do want to consider going into some kind of a technology instead,” and so she changed her direction and so we'll see.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. That's already a great result, hearing that it has had such an impact on her and when you think about it most of us don't want to let people down. We want to live up to people's expectations, and we know that teacher expectations are a key element of a student's success. If the teacher expects you to learn and expects you to do well and has high expectations, high standards, then students are much more likely to rise to those and I think this is a monetary version of that where it's and it's the community it's why I talk about a lot with the Foundation, that when it's someone outside of your family, outside of the organization that's cheering for you that's not really required to as a part of their job or as their family responsibility just they believe in these students and they are investing in the community I think it goes a very long way.

Bruce Cutler:
Absolutely.

Anthony Godfrey:
Why do you think seventh grade is the right time to invest in students like this?

Bruce Cutler:
Well, they're out of elementary school they're into middle school or into junior high school and so it's a different environment now and they're now starting to say, “Oh okay this is this is real.” I've got elementary school, you just get through it but now I'm getting into middle school or into junior high and so they're starting to think just a little bit different but there's so many challenges between the point of seventh grade before they get into high school and tenth grade that can come along and derail them. It's best to catch them when they're first into that middle school junior high age and get them thinking about it that they hadn't even thought of before. So the better the sooner we catch them once they're into that middle school then the chances are pretty good they're gonna stick with it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well in middle school they're trying to create their identity they're making choices and they are starting to look more toward the future. They start to see, “oh, the five-year calendar includes my graduation date so maybe I need to start thinking about things.” So often we are really just trying to help students imagine what they could achieve and reach for something beyond just what's right in front of them and I think this is an incredible way of doing that. I've had the opportunity to speak to these groups and I love we're at the banquet tonight, the dinner where we kind of launch that and honor those who are receiving the scholarship and it's a parent or parents with the student and I love seeing the family's reaction to this. What family reactions have you seen over the years and what reactions have you heard from donors?

Bruce Cutler:
I think one of the things that I've seen is parents who say, “You know, I never went to college and to see my daughter or my son now having the money set aside to go to college, something I never did, I couldn't do. But now I can see my daughter or my son being able to do what I always wanted to do.” That's a great thing, great progress.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well for those who've watched The Office this is the opposite of Scott's Tots where he promises to pay for their college and then does not deliver. This is a promise that sticks and it's not paying for all of college but like you said it's a scholarship that gives that bump, that rocket fuel as I like to say, to say, “Hey, wait a minute, people believe in me and they want me to do well and they're supporting that.”

Bruce Cutler:
That's right.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, Bruce, I can't thank you enough. I was so excited to hear that you were gonna be here tonight and I get to talk with you.

Bruce Cutler:
Well thank you. It's always good to talk to you. Although you're not on our board at this point, you've been a huge impact and I always thank you I've been impressed with how eager you were for opportunities. I remember on numerous occasions you talking to me saying, “We can do more, how else can we get into schools?” So thank you for being so dedicated for so many years.

Bruce Cutler:
My pleasure, thank you very much.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us when we come back more with the people associated with the STEM My 529 Scholarship awards.

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

Female Voice:
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:
Talking now with a principal in our district and a student who have seen the impact of this My 529 program. Introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about the impact you've seen from this.

Spencer Campbell:
My name is Spencer Campbell. I'm the principal of Kelsey Peak Virtual Middle School and one of the things that I've seen helps students and helps them grow is a lot of students have aptitude for technology or robotics or CTE and the scholarship, the 529 scholarship, helps them on that path and so as they move through middle school onto high school whether it's J Tech or another program it helps them fund that potential college funding when they get to college and it really helps kids in their passion which is usually in the CTE field.

Alex Rose:
My name is Alex Rose. I am a student at Kelsey Peak. I am very interested in computers. I love working with my hands, seeing how things work, coding. I love technology, and like I said earlier, working with my hands.

Anthony Godfrey:
What do you like about being at Kelsey Peak?

Alex Rose:
Oh, I love being asynchronous at Kelsey Peak because it helps me work at my own pace, because I do have some problems, and public school was really difficult for me. So it's great to be at Kelsey Peak where I can work at my own pace.

Anthony Godfrey:
Fantastic. What does it mean to have someone invest in you through this scholarship?

Alex Rose:
Honestly, pretty exciting because and also a little scary, because it's great. Don't get me wrong I love this that someone has like seen that I could probably do something great, but also it's kind of scary now that I have their expectations laying on my shoulders.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well I think you're gonna do a very, very good job with the help of Kelsey Peak and some great teachers and administrators, and counselors along the way. You know what you love, and you're working hard toward it, so I think that's awesome and I love that someone sees that in you already, that you have this potential like you said to do something great. So congratulations on receiving this.

Alex Rose:
Thank you. Thank you a lot. It means a lot to me.

Anthony Godfrey:
Mr. Campbell tell us what it means to have someone outside of the organization and outside of a student's family believe in them and literally invest in them so early.

Spencer Campbell:
I think it's absolutely fantastic not only as a parent but as a principal and we can find our students strengths and then reward them for the things that they are good at especially when it's an academic content or something that might go under the radar a little bit. I think it's great that you know people donate to the 529 and then we can have them build into that program when they get to college and their future path.

Anthony Godfrey:
What would you say to those who are considering whether they want to donate or whether they would want to be part of a program like this?

Spencer Campbell:
Just do it. You're gonna bless kids’ lives and I think that every student that is here tonight has shown a passion in a different aptitude whether that's coding or technology or robotics or you know other areas in CTE. You're helping build the future for students that will end up changing the world in those fields which is super awesome to think about but also know on the backend that you've donated to that progress and the future.

Anthony Godfrey:
We can all look back and identify someone who really believed in us and helped us get to where we are. This is an incredible example of someone investing in a student they may not even know very well early on to help them achieve their best possible success. Tell me, you talked about what you're interested in, what do you want to do as a career?

Alex Rose:
Oh boy there's a lot that I want to do such as things like welding and forging sounds very fun to do, like it would help me work with my hands and things. Also, coding or working with computers. It would also be great like a developer of some kind that gets to work with code and sees what you make come to life. That's just really cool to see.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well you have a lot of opportunities ahead of you and even more with this My 529 scholarship. Thank you both for talking with me and we'll see out there.

Both:
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 out there.

Britta:
Really those steps of make sure the scene is safe. You don't wanna become another victim if you're on a road or some sort of disaster's happening.

Anthony Godfrey:
It is comfortable knowing that you're here and just that you guys are ready to help.

Britta:
Yeah, and we're honored to help.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It is time for students and their families to relax, recharge, and have some fun together during the summer break. On this episode of the Supercast, we talked to a trauma nurse from Intermountain Health, Riverton Hospital on the many ways to avoid mishaps and keep everyone safe, whether it's out in the baking sun, waterside by the lake, riding e-bikes or using child seats properly.

Anthony Godfrey:
We are at Intermountain Health, Riverton Hospital, talking with Britta about how to stay safe this summer. Britta, introduce yourself, please.

Britta:
Awesome, yeah, happy to be with you here today. Britta, and I'm the trauma program coordinator for Riverton Hospital.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about your responsibilities as the trauma program coordinator. You don't organize trauma, you respond to trauma.

BRITTA:
That's right, yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about what your job entails.

BRITTA:
So my job entails a big part of my role is injury prevention and community outreach. So we want to prevent our community from being trauma patients and coming to the ER with injuries. So that's a big part of our role. And then how can we provide the best care possible, high quality care for any injured patient that comes into the hospital?

Anthony Godfrey:
Prevent the trauma drama this summer.

BRITTA:
That's right, no trauma llamas or trauma drama.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, that's right. So to avoid the trauma drama, what do families need to be focused on this summer? You have, as a nurse, you've seen the most difficult situations, things that could have been avoided. Let's help people prepare in advance for a safe summer. What are some of the things we need to be watching out for?

BRITTA:
Great question, yes. A lot of times people think, it's gotta be these complex things or you need to do all these things. But really it's those simple things you can do that truly could potentially save a life. So some of the top things that we're seeing at our hospital, we're seeing lots of falls, people falling down or from ladders. Unfortunately in this area with the growth in our patient population over the last few years, we've seen lots of falls from second story windows.

Anthony Godfrey:
So-  Falls from second story windows?

BRITTA:
Mm-hm.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow, so how does that happen? What are some of the situations that cause someone to fall out of a second story window?

BRITTA:
Great question, and just absolutely heartbreaking when we see it anywhere, because just it can be so serious for these little kids. Typical ages are between about two and five, give or take. A lot of times furniture can be really close to the window. And then we want parents to know that the screens, they don't keep kids in. They can keep bugs out but not kids in. So those screens, they'll pop right out. And if you do open the window, especially this time of year with the weather, you don't wanna open it any more than about four inches. So we talk about the four inch rule and we have stickers that we provide to help educate to that.

Anthony Godfrey:
So don't open the window more than four inches. And those screens are meant to pop out so that if there's a fire you need to get out, you can. But we forget that sometimes and feel like they offer more protection than they do from children falling out of the window. So do you see this fairly frequently that children fall out of the second story window?

BRITTA:
We have, yeah, unfortunately, the last few years. So yeah, we've really tried with our pediatric patients to educate to this or just let them know, be really mindful with the weather changing. Especially in the spring and fall, that's when we see the most of window falls, unfortunately.

Anthony Godfrey:
Where would parents get a hold of a sticker like that to remind them only to open the window four inches?

BRITTA:
We have them in our emergency department and then with Intermountain Health, with our community health programs. With Primary Children's, we have a lot of these resources readily available or that education online.

Anthony Godfrey:
You mentioned also keeping furniture away from the window so that it's not easy to climb up on the furniture and out the window.

BRITTA:
Totally, yep. Especially that age group, it doesn't take long for that little busy body or busy two-or three-year-old to climb up or climb up to look out the window. So absolutely furniture, that's something that can be preventable or that they can do to help prevent those injuries.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you have some heartbreaking injuries even just from the second floor, second story, as far enough to really hurt yourself.

BRITTA:
Totally, yeah. We've seen some really serious injuries or have shared a couple patient stories over thyears of where they've been okay and recovered, but we've had to quickly life-flight them or get them to Primary Children's as fast as we can, stabilize and get them to our tertiary receiving center, which is Primary Children's Hospital.

Anthony Godfrey:
Broken bones, concussions, that sort of thing?

BRITTA:
Brain bleeds, skull fractures. Yeah, a lot of broken bones. And then, yeah, all your internal organs, but yeah, especially that age, their head and then broken bones with arms and legs.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, good tips. What else would you be watching out for this summer?

BRITTA:
Yeah, so another thing that we're seeing quite a bit, we've just seen a big uptick in our area especially, is a lot of bikes, e-bike, e-scooter, scooter injuries. So we are tracking all of these injuries that we see at our hospital, and about 50% are helmeted, 50% are unhelmeted. And there's a new bill, I think it's the HB 381 bill that just passed. That means kids on scooters, especially, yeah, between under eight, they're not allowed to ride the scooters that are pretty much motorcycles, cuz some of these scooters, they go greater than 30 miles per hour.

Anthony Godfrey:
Right, so under eight, you can't ride them at all.

BRITTA:
Under eight, and then between eight and 15, they need adult supervision or in the line of sight, or completing a safety course that will be provided through the state.

Anthony Godfrey:
So basically, they either can't ride a motorized scooter or they can't ride it unsupervised until they're old enough to drive a car.

BRITTA:
That's right.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, as a district, we send out information about changes in the law regarding children riding scooters. We sent that out in Parent Square about a month ago, but we'll also link to this information in the show notes so that parents can follow up and get more information. But really, it is interesting because transportation technology has advanced, and with it, there are more hazards out there. It's really exciting to ride those, but it's also very dangerous.

BRITTA:
And they're so fun.  We want you to have fun, but we want you to do it safely. So yeah, the biggest change with this bill passing is under 21 years old, you need to wear a helmet. You'll be required, so you could be ticketed, police officers, if you're riding an e-bike and don't have a helmet on. So that's by far the biggest change.

Anthony Godfrey:
And over 21, you're free to make bad decisions like not wearing a helmet.

BRITTA:
Over 21, we highly recommend your brain is so squishy, and you only have one brain. So we highly recommend helmets.

Anthony Godfrey:
Keep that squishy brain working, wear that helmet even though the law isn't requiring you to.

BRITTA:
That's right. Again, they're so fun, but we just want you to stay safe and do it safely. But yeah, some of the injuries we're seeing are very serious. About half of our injuries from January till now, about half of them have required to be admitted or transferred from our hospital with how serious their injuries are, the severity of the injuries that we're seeing with these; and again, about half are wearing helmets. So we actually have a helmet log in the ER, so any bike or scooter injury we're seeing, we're asking them, “Do you have a helmet?” And it was donated by the Utah Pediatric Trauma Network. And so we checked them out of helmet and provide this education. And we're happy to provide that for patients that we see in the ER so that they have a helmet after they leave or if they're able to be discharged.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's wonderful. So you are facilitating that lifestyle change after a very difficult situation.

BRITTA:
Trying to, yeah, or trying to educate about it, absolutely.

Anthony Godfrey:
Fantastic, I love that. So scooters, vehicles, and window safety, talk to me about what else we need to be careful about.

BRITTA:
Yeah, this time of year, in the upcoming months, who doesn't want to be around water, especially with the summer heat to cool off? Whether it's swimming or big lakes, a big teaching point is around open water, life jackets are a must. No matter who you are or how great a swimmer, it truly can save a life to have a life jacket. Then pools and hot tubs, we really strongly educate. It only takes one second, you take your eye off or a couple of swipes on your phone. And that child could be jumping in the pool that cannot swim or in the hot tub.

Anthony Godfrey:
Set your playlist in advance, get your Bluetooth speaker going, and then put the phone down so you can fully focus on monitoring the kids who are swimming.

BRITTA:
100%, just that hyper-vigilance or one parent or adult in charge of your children of saying you know where they are at all times. But it really truly, it only takes a couple of seconds. And unfortunately, we have seen a handful of near drownings or drownings in just the past month.

Anthony Godfrey:
Really? So part of it, it sounds like from what you just said, is making sure that you don't just have adults generally in the vicinity, but someone specifically assigned to make sure that they are focused on safety. You're responsible, you're in charge of making sure everyone's doing okay.

BRITTA:
Absolutely, yep, or not assuming, you know, there's- Yeah.  There’s some adults here. So everyone's being watched, yeah, exactly.

Anthony Godfrey:
Going back to open water, open water is defined as just anything that's not a swimming pool, basically natural bodies of water. And that's where you need the life jacket. You would think that the name life jacket would be enough to recommend it. Like, it's a life jacket, maybe I should wear that.

BRITTA:
Yep, or even paddle boarding, you've got this big paddle, this big board, and you're like, I'll be okay, but it only takes one slip or a big rock, and that big board could slip away from you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

BRITTA:
So those life jackets-

Anthony Godfrey:
This notion I can just hold on to the board, and I'll be fine.

BRITTA:
Mm-hm, yep.

Anthony Godfrey:
Kind of the equivalent of, I'm driving along, and if we get in an accident, I'll just put my arm out and protect someone instead of a seat belt, right?

BRITTA:
Yep, 100%.

Anthony Godfrey:
Boy, it must be difficult. As we go through this, I'm sure this is calling to mind instances that you've had to help deal with over the years, where people were just out trying to have fun, or just at home, and suddenly a life changing accident happens. So it must be a very difficult job to deal with that, day in and day out.

BRITTA:
It can be, absolutely, yeah, and I really can't give enough recognition, and kudos to our emergency department team, and those who care for our admitted patients who are injured. But they're really ready for anything at all times. We're ready for anything that walks in the door, that comes in private vehicle or by EMS, and we do see a lot of very serious injuries that we're ready to respond to.

Anthony Godfrey:
It is comfortable knowing that you're here, and just that you guys are ready to help.

BRITTA:
Yeah, and we're honored to help. We love it. It's our part of, with working in the emergency department, we feel honored because it truly can be someone's worst day. And we could try our very best to be that difference in their worst day, or potentially save their life.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back, more tips from Britta on staying safe this summer.

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

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

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, I always like to ask this question of police, fire, anyone who's in emergency services. Is there a show out there that you think accurately portrays what it's like to be a trauma nurse?

BRITTA:
I would say, yeah, of all the shows, the most recent, The Pit. I've seen both seasons, and yeah, although a handful of things aren't, but by far the labs they talk about, the orders they place, the scenarios that they have is by far the most realistic. Especially compared to Scrubs or Grey's Anatomy or things like that. But yeah, a lot of us, we really enjoyed watching The Pit.

Anthony Godfrey:
I like watching The Pit as well. I like knowing that I don't ever have to do any of that. So I'm grateful that you do that work.

BRITTA:
Yes, yep, and hats off to our first responders or PD or those in the ER that really thrive in that environment or really enjoy that work.

Anthony Godfrey:
Absolutely. Tell me about some other things to avoid this summer.

BRITTA:
Perfect, yeah, so one other along with, in line with our e-bikes, e-scooters, or any e-mobility. But a lot of people like to get out there on their motorcycles or ATVs, four-wheelers. And again, it's so much fun. Our Utah mountains are just gorgeous and fun to take advantage of all the trails. But yeah, if you're out there, you wanna be responsible. Know your skill level or the roads or that protective gear, especially with motorcycles and four-wheelers. That helmet, goggles or gloves, boots. We do see a lot of injuries from ATVs and motorcycle injuries as well.

Anthony Godfrey:
Talk about car seats.

BRITTA:
Okay, so yeah, the biggest thing with car seats is that you wanna make sure your child is in the correct car seat. So you wanna be especially mindful of weight and height. And that oftentimes those rear-facing can go well beyond two years, depending on their weight and height. And any child under 13 years old, they should be riding in the back seat. That's the safest spot for them. But again, those simple things, seat belts are a game changer. We ask every patient that comes into the ER with a motor vehicle accident, how fast they are going, did the airbags go off? Did you have your seat belt on? And it's really surprising how many people did not have their seat belt on. That potentially could have prevented some of those injuries.

Anthony Godfrey:
My car gets angry with me more than any car I've had before. It just will not stop beeping unless you put your seat belt on. I've tested it out. I hate to admit and it never stops.

BRITTA:
It's a good strategy.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yep.

BRITTA:
I like your car.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, so if my car helps me make good decisions that way at least, that's good.

BRITTA:
The spot, the top that I was mentioning, but it's available through Intermountain Children's Health. But this was collectively through the Utah Trauma Registry. So it's all the trauma centers across Utah, all the data of any injured patient. But they were able to see how can we prevent backovers and frontovers by reducing blind spot. And our Utah Trauma Registry and a lot of our amazing brilliant minds from Utah, a lot of studies that they came out with showed trucks and vans. Their blind spot clearance is much less safe than other cars, which is kind of the why of why a lot of vans and trucks now have those cameras. You know, our rear view cameras where we can see to help prevent a lot of these injuries. So just be very mindful every time you hop in the car of potential blind spots. And that's the spot, the top campaign.

Anthony Godfrey:
Absolutely, yep.

BRITTA:
Be especially mindful and vigilant, especially if you have littles around or you don't have those backup cameras. Because those blind spots potentially go back 20, 30, 50 feet where you can't see anything behind you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Maybe another reminder as well is just cars heat up fast and children and pets. And you just can't leave them in the car even for a moment.

BRITTA:
Absolutely, yeah. So the biggest danger is exactly like you said, even a mild day 60, 70, the car's interior can get up to 100, 110 degrees very quickly. So, and a lot of these kids, even if you crack the window, it's not gonna cool it down much. So, and they're potentially trapped in that hot car tragedy without the parent even knowing. So a few preventative things you can do. But yeah, look before you lock, even if a lot of times people are in a hurry. “Oh, I gotta hurry to this” and or to keep, have a visual trigger of something, whether it's a teddy bear or something to know that your child's in that. Or there's Intermountain Health Day offer, it's called Forget Me Not Window Clings, just as a visual reminder.  But as you said, a lot of cars nowadays, they'll have reminders of saying check your back seat or something might be on of the weight. Look before you lock and spot the top.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, fantastic. And don't ride ATVs at all. That doesn't really run.

BRITTA:
You can, but safely, yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, Jordan School District has always been a place where students are focused on blood drives.

BRITTA:
They've done a great job.

Anthony Godfrey:
We do that through our HOSA groups. And we've actually collected a lot of blood. We have a couple of drives that we're doing for employees as well this summer. Tell us about the importance of giving blood to be ready to respond to these emergencies.

BRITTA:
Absolutely, yeah, especially in trauma with our severely injured patients. If they're bleeding out or any internal bleeding, whenever we activate a trauma one patient in our emergency department, we automatically have two units of PAC red blood cells that respond to that trauma one patient in case they need blood. But yeah, in the world of trauma and injured patients, that blood is potentially life saving for so many reasons. Or in our hospital we have something that's called Massive Transfusion Protocol, where we're gonna keep giving them blood as much as they need, as fast as we can, to prevent them from bleeding out. If it is an arterial bleed, we also teach a program, it's called Stop the Bleed. So this shirt, I'm wearing it says the shirt can save a life. But we go over pressure, packing, and tourniquets. It only takes about two to three minutes to bleed out if it's an arterial bleed. And the average response time from EMS is about seven to ten minutes. And so really with the Stop the Bleed course, we're trying to empower people that simple intervention of pressure. You could absolutely save a life.

Anthony Godfrey:
When I underwent some emergency training a few years ago, I was told that you should intervene. You should jump in if there's an emergency. And don't wait for the experts, don't wait for a professional. Jump in and stop the bleeding. And it sounds strange that you would have to be told that. But I can imagine that people freeze in a situation. And they don't think about the fact that using their shirt to stop the bleeding could really save a life. So dive in and try to help the best you can.

BRITTA:
Absolutely, yeah, and really those steps of make sure the scene is safe. You don't wanna become another victim if you're on a road or some sort of disaster's happening. And then the next step would be alert 911. So yeah, we always educate, put your phone on speaker phone. If you forgot the Stop the Bleed course or you don't know what to do, that dispatcher will walk you through all the steps that you need to do to stop that bleed and also help get our EMS responders and our first responders on their way.

Anthony Godfrey:
Good, fantastic. Well, thank you so much for these tips for staying safe. And thank you for everything that you have done over the years to help prevent problems and help address them when they do happen. And we're just grateful to have you in our community.

BRITTA:
Absolutely, yeah, we at Riverton Hospital, we're always happy to see you, but we would love to not see you as a trauma patient and want you to stay safe this summer. So thank you so much for the opportunity.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you very much, have a great summer.

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.