Supercast

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Any day is a good day when you hear vocal or instrumental music coming from the many talented students in any number of our schools in Jordan School District. March is “Music in our Schools Month” and on this episode of the Supercast, we celebrate with a passionate music educator. Jennifer Clark believes quality music programs elevate many aspects of education and benefit students long after graduation. 

Let's start on a high note with some music.

Jennifer Clark:
A little bit flat. Good, good Charlotte, little flat. Good.

We're gonna play a piece called Jupiter for you guys. This is by Gustav Holst and we are starting at the pickup to measure eight.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're here in Jen Clark's classroom. And there's a little plucking and messing around going on in the background because when you've got an instrument in your hand, students just can't keep from playing. 

Jennifer Clark:
And fun music in front of them. Yeah, irresistible.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's right. It is irresistible. So tell me, how long have you been an orchestra teacher?

Jennifer Clark:
This is my sixth year of teaching.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you teach at two different schools. We're at Copper Mountain now.

Jennifer Clark:
Yes, I do. So I used to teach fully at Copper Mountain, but then when we split in half, then now I teach my afternoons at Mountain Creek.

Anthony Godfrey:
And I'm sure that the Mountain Creek students were very grateful that they got to keep you, even though they had to switch schools.

Jennifer Clark:
I didn't know about that, but I was excited to get to keep them. I hope they were excited too.

Anthony Godfrey:
This is “Music in our Schools Month”. Tell me about the positive impact that a student experiences by being in a music class.

Jennifer Clark:
There are so many, so having music available to students in a public school or in their school is often the first place they get to experience music because outside of that, it would be parents paying for private lessons or paying for outside influences. So it's the first chance they get to be a musician. And there is so much value from being a musician, from learning how to play in a group. You learn team skills. You learn to work hard at something. This has not come easy at all, I know. So they are learning to persevere, to work on something that's challenging and to learn how to be better at that. It teaches a lot of connection with yourself. Music is one of the most fundamental forms of expression for humans. So it allows them to express themselves in that regard. To learn to play music that they both have heard before and music that they haven't heard before, we get to access different cultures. So there's just, there's so much value from being a musician.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me more about the connection to yourself as a musician.

Jennifer Clark:
Yeah. So learning how to play an instrument can teach you a lot about yourself and how you handle challenges, and how you learn new music or new things. And then you get to find it kind of, it gives these kids their voice because they start to realize as they practice more and as they work at it, they're good at this thing. And they can play and they can express themselves. Music is at its very nature expressing emotion. So they're expressing their emotions and they can connect with other people, even across cultures, across language barriers. It allows you to connect with people and to express your own emotion and your own self. Because everybody, this music, for instance, the music we played for you was written about a hundred years ago and it's been played countless times, but everybody plays it a little bit uniquely and a little bit different and they put their own expression into it. And then when you hear somebody play, you learn a lot about themselves and a lot about who they are based off of how they're playing and how they're expressing. So it gives students that voice and sometimes they don't have that voice. You know, they're not very outgoing maybe, or they don't feel like they have that voice in other scenarios, but they can, with these instruments, really express themselves and their feelings and their thoughts and a lot. It's just, it's amazing.

Anthony Godfrey:
I loved hearing your description of orchestration when I saw the concert a few nights ago. Tell me about orchestration. Describe that.

Jennifer Clark:
So yeah, so orchestra and orchestration of course have the same root word. So we use that orchestration in a lot of different scenarios, just planning and organizing and pulling off these different pieces, different moving parts. But it kind of stems from orchestra, where you have all of these different individuals who come with their own background and their own, speaking of expression, their own emotions, their own thoughts, their own world and life views. And then we come together and we have to learn how to play as one connected group. So we all wanna bring our own. It's this balance. We have to bring our own individual ways of playing. We don't wanna be the exact same as everybody else, but we want to be able to blend together and to produce something that's better than what we can each create individually.

So that orchestration, sometimes I feel like I'm this like puppet master because I have all these different people going on. And it’s like there's this string connected to every student and they all come together and create this sound. We have 21 plus individuals, each offering their own piece of that. Then we orchestrate it and we put it all together into this one finished piece that is much better than if you just took 20 people in separate rooms playing together, playing individually. It's a lot better when we come together and we're a lot stronger together. And we orchestrate that and create finished pieces.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, you really are a bit of a puppet master because there are lots of strings involved after all. 

Jennifer Clark:
Yeah, four on every instrument.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's right. Now you also, of course, learn a lot of teamwork. You're relying on each other as musicians.

Jennifer Clark:
Yes, absolutely. So we talk a lot about blend and balance and there are times when one section, maybe the violas have the melody, and we want as a whole orchestra, we want to provide this kind of a safety net. This foundation of sound that the violas can rise above. That whoever, whichever section has that melody, can rise above that. And really it's their turn to shine there, the melody. And then they'll pull back when it's not their main part. We join that kind of homogenized sound and so we're blending and we're balancing where we want to give and take. And say, when it's your turn for the melody, I want to do my best to let you shine, and then you'll do the same for me. So it's a lot of trust and a lot of teamwork that is absolutely necessary. Otherwise it does sound just like 21 separate people doing their own thing.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. I didn't think about that. So that's a great lesson to learn, to know when to blend and when to shine.

Jennifer Clark:
Yeah. It's all about relationships. It's like relationship training.

Anthony Godfrey:
Students who are in a music class also benefit academically.

Jennifer Clark:
Absolutely.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me why you think that is.

Jennifer Clark:
There have been several studies where musicians, especially instrumental musicians, although many benefits still come from choir, musicians do better in test scores. They have higher grades. They often graduate at a higher rate. For students who are looking to get into medical school, there was one study that, so it's not a widespread thing, but there's some data that shows that medical schools look for music as an experience, that they accept musicians at a higher rate than other subsets.

Anthony Godfrey:
What I like is that you call your students musicians. Tell me about that frame of mind that you put them in.

Jennifer Clark:
Yeah. I think that everybody's a musician, even, you know, these kids are. Little children are singing and dancing and music is something that babies connect with. So we come to earth as musicians. And if they think of themselves as musicians, it's a role that we can take ownership of. And it's this cool aspect of themselves that sets them apart from other students who don't play instruments.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, we all have a heartbeat. So we all have a tempo we're walking around with all the time.

Jennifer Clark:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, now you put up a bulletin board to help promote “Music in our Schools Month”. Tell me about that.

Jennifer Clark:
I wanted to highlight teachers that are musicians, because most of my students I know will not go to college and become music professionals like I did. But music is more than just that. Sometimes we think you either have to be a professional musician or you're nothing, but we have so many of these teachers that did music growing up and it kind of opened up that part of their soul. And then they are still musicians, whether or not they play anymore. So I wanted my kids and these other students at this school to see, hey, you can be a PE teacher, a math teacher. You can really like science. You can do whatever you want and music adds to that. It's the supplement that leads to a well-rounded life. So I sent out an email to all the teachers and said, if you ever took a music class, I had so many respondents who were in choir, band, orchestra, music theory, all this growing up. And a lot of it they've kept now to this day. They're like in a band or they're some, they are still, in groups or occasionally play. And it's amazing that it becomes something that people connect with and they never wanna let that go. Even if it's not their main gig.

Anthony Godfrey:
Were you surprised at some of the teachers who had been musicians?

Jennifer Clark:
Yeah, I was. I know we have one teacher here that will pull his saxophone out and play for his class sometimes. So I knew about him, but a lot of teachers that I had no idea about. I love seeing that. And that's, I really think the joy of that poster of “Music in our Schools Month”, is you realize, this is a way that this is something everybody can connect to.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, I'm a music fan. I'm a fan of our music programs and our music teachers. And I'm so grateful that you do what you do. And thanks for promoting music in our schools.

Jennifer Clark:
Thank you so much. Thanks for coming out today.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back, we'll hear from some orchestra students at Copper Mountain Middle.

Break:
Do you simply love learning online? We can't wait to have you join the amazing teachers in our brand new Jordan Virtual Learning Academy. In Jordan Virtual Learning Academy schools, we offer innovative, fun, and flexible online learning with daily real-time instruction from teachers. Enrollment is currently open for all K-12 students in Utah. Start on the path to personalized virtual learning success now at connect.jordandistrict.org. That's connect.jordandistrict.org.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. So I was watching you guys play. Charlotte, now you play the violin?

Charlotte:
Viola.

Anthony Godfrey:
Viola. I knew I was gonna get that wrong. The viola's a little larger than the violin, right? I can tell the difference. And I have to admit, I couldn't tell the difference when you guys were tuning either. So I do not have an ear for this when she was saying you're a little flat, you're a little sharp. Do you have an ear for that? Can you tell when you're a little flat or sharp?

Charlotte:
Usually.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. What made you want to play the violin?

Charlotte:
Viola? <laugh>

Anthony Godfrey:
The viola. What made you want to play the viola?

Charlotte:
So I actually did wanna play violin at first, but then my older sister, she plays viola and she was just kind of showing me everything about viola. How it's so cool and how it's kind of like a big cello. And my older brother actually used to play cello. So I'm like, oh, I can be like both of you guys. That is so cool. So now I play viola because now I'm like them.

Anthony Godfrey:
What is the difference in the sound between a viola and a violin?

Charlotte:
So a viola has a much deeper sound and it has a C string, which is a lower string. And it does not have the E string. And then the violin has the higher sound and E string instead of a C string.

Anthony Godfrey:
Are there more violinists than viola-ists?

Charlotte:
Always. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. So you set yourself apart a little bit as a viola player as well. How often do you practice?

Charlotte:
So I usually practice like every day after school for like a half-ish hour. Just go through all my music, go through what's hard, what's easy. Just revise everything.

Anthony Godfrey:
And is it something that you look forward to having the time to practice?

Charlotte:
Yeah, usually

Anthony Godfrey:
How does it feel to practice? Does it give you, does it kind of relax you or energize you?

Charlotte:
It's actually pretty relaxing because then I just, it helps me know that I'm actually doing pretty good and I'm improving.

Anthony Godfrey:
And can you feel yourself improving?

Charlotte:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
You can tell. That's one of the things about being a musician is that you get this feedback. You know instantly if you've played a wrong note or if you're not bowing correctly. Is that how you say it?

Charlotte:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Now, your siblings both play an instrument. Do your parents play an instrument?

Charlotte:
So my mom used to play violin and she's sort of relearning it and then my dad, he doesn't really like play piano, but if you sit him down in front of a piano, he can figure out a song.

Anthony Godfrey:
He can tinker around a bit with it. Do you imagine yourself continuing to practice and play as an adult?

Charlotte:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tyler, tell me about playing the cello. There's always room for cello, right?

Tyler:
Oh, always room for cello.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you practice every day?

Tyler:
Yeah, usually for about half an hour.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what drew you to the cello?

Tyler:
Well, I played violin first in fifth grade, and then I decided that I wanted to play cello because I just didn't like the sound that the violin put out.

Anthony Godfrey:
And now the cello is less portable. It takes a little bit more commitment. You've got the big, hard case, but you don't mind that?

Tyler:
No, not one bit. It's totally worth it.

Anthony Godfrey:
What are some of your favorite songs to play?

Tyler:
I love Brandenburg Concertos from Bach. Specifically the Number 3, the third movement in G Major.

Anthony Godfrey:
I said songs. I'm revealing that I'm a guitar player. I should say what are your favorite pieces? Brandenburg Concertos.

Tyler:
Mm hmm, Brandenburg Concertos.

Anthony Godfrey:
Fantastic. And as you practiced, do you feel a deeper connection to the instrument and to the music?

Tyler:
100%. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about that.

Tyler:
It makes you almost feel like you're a part of history. Being able to play these songs that were, or pieces, that were written hundreds of years ago. You feel almost like you're connected to the composers that wrote them.

Anthony Godfrey:
I haven't ever thought of it that way. I feel the same way when I'm playing just some pop song on the guitar. So I can imagine that being able to feel like you're connected across centuries, to someone who wrote something a long time ago is really meaningful.

Tyler:
It is.

Anthony Godfrey:
What made you want to play an instrument in the first place?

Tyler:
My dad plays viola and my parents actually forced me to start in piano. Then I went to violin because I wanted to play a string instrument like my dad. Now I'm on cello and I play a handful of other instruments.

Anthony Godfrey:
It is nice that parents force us to do some things to start with. And then we realized that, ‘Hey, this is maybe a good idea.’ You started with piano, went to violin and now you're with the cello. Do you think you'll change again or is cello where it's at?

Tyler:
In a classical string setting cello is definitely where it's at, but I play guitar and bass guitar too.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, you do? And what do you like to play on the guitar? Classical or?

Tyler:
It's usually electric or acoustic. I love punk rock and classic rock.

Anthony Godfrey:
Ah, who are some of your favorite punk rock and classic rock bands?

Tyler:
Green Day probably takes that top spot. I love Green Day and probably Queen.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, great bands. I love Green Day. Huge Green Day fan from the start. What advice would you give to any student who's thinking about starting to play a stringed instrument?

Tyler:
As long as you put the commitment in, you can always improve.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you have to really put the commitment in to get the reward. The reward probably doesn't come right away.

Tyler:
No, it takes a long time to get the reward.

Anthony Godfrey:
So invest the time and the reward's gonna be worth it.

Tyler:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Do you feel like this impacts you in other aspects of your life in a positive way? 

Tyler:
Oh 100%. It's helped me academically a lot.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about that.

Tyler:
Being committed to an instrument helps you commit in other places like with your schoolwork. You can commit to getting a better grade in that.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you understand what it takes to put in the work and have some commitment. But also, from my experience, when you put in the work, you realize, ‘Hey, when I put in work, I get results.’ There's a sense of efficacy. 

Tyler:
It's very satisfying. Being able to put in the work and complete something that's worthwhile.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, you sounded great. I was standing right by you as you guys were performing, it sounded fantastic. And I know it's not easy to do and congratulations on playing so many different instruments.

Tyler:
Yeah. Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
And on being a Green Day fan, well done, sir. Annika, you play piano?

Annika:
And the harp.

Anthony Godfrey:
And the harp. Tell me about playing the harp.

Annika:
It has been so much fun. I started playing in fourth grade and so I've been going for a while, but it has been so cool to be able to apply that to a real school orchestra. I feel like that's not a thing that most middle school orchestras get to have.

Anthony Godfrey:
So do you play the harp here at Copper Mountain?

Annika:
When there's a song that has a harp piece in it I bring it in on certain days and then we get to practice it all together.

Anthony Godfrey:
A harp seems really complicated to play. Can you tell me about the technique? You rest your thumbs on the same strings to start with? Or how does it work?

Annika:
Well, you're normally gonna place your fingers on the strings that you're about to play and you try to keep a C shape with your hands, with your thumbs up so that you don't like buzz the strings as you move your hands along. It's honestly not as complicated as it seems. Like it's hard to play on the tips of your fingers. So you get a clear sound, but it's really just playing the piano on strings.

Anthony Godfrey:
So really, those skills translate.

Annika:
Yeah. And they use the same music, so, well, not the same, but like they use the same musical

Anthony Godfrey:
Notation.

Annika:
Yeah. 

Anthony Godfrey:
So skills, harp skills transfer to piano skills and vice versa. 

Annika:
Yeah, for the majority.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is your harp hard to carry around?

Annika:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Just strap it to your back and carry it to your next gig.

Annika:
Oh, I'm glad that doesn't happen. I have a dolly that you put it on and then you just roll it around, but you definitely have to have a van or a truck.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you have to balance the harp just right. Do you balance it against your shoulder as you play? Do you lean it against your shoulder?

Annika:
Yes. It normally is pretty solid because it's got four feet on the bottom. But to play, to get better range for your arms and hands, you do lean it against your shoulder. I did actually have one time when I like set it down too hard and it almost fell over. My life flashed before my eyes.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's an expensive instrument I'm sure. How long does it take to tune the harp? And how frequently do you have to do that? 

Annika:
I like to check the tuning every day before I play. My harp is pretty solid at keeping the tune, but it, especially in Utah, when the temperature changes or the humidity, it really just totally messes it up. And then you have to retune it.

Anthony Godfrey:
How long does it take to tune it? If it's really out of tune?

Annika:
Anywhere between like three minutes to 10, it really depends on where it's at.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what drew you to the harp? What made you want to play the harp in fourth grade, you said you started.

Annika:
Yeah, it was actually a production of Tarzan that I went and saw because there was a live orchestra. I saw that there was a harpist playing and you know, like you always hear about the harp and the pretty glissandos and stuff, but really seeing it in that orchestra with the play going on really was like, wow, I wanna do that.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's exciting. Glissando, that's when you hear kind of the smooth, fairy like sound of the harp, right? 

Annika:
Yep.

Anthony Godfrey:
So how frequently do you have, I assume you started with lessons in fourth grade. How frequently do you have lessons? How frequently do you practice?

Annika:
I have lessons once a week and I could do more often, but I don't because I feel like I don't need instruction all that often, but I practice half an hour on harp every day and then half an hour on piano. And then, you know, if I'm really stressed about a performance, it's more than that.

Anthony Godfrey:
What do you like about playing the harp?

Annika:
I really like how it's so versatile. People always of like the pretty runs and like fun, pretty music, but you can get so many different sounds out of a harp.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, you're obviously a very talented musician. How has music changed your life?

Annika:
It has been such an important part since I was little, it's hard to pinpoint the changes. I feel like it definitely has affected how I approach school and like the things that I do in my day, like, you know, I get home from school and I jump on the piano to do all my stuff. And definitely Orchestra has been a really big part that I wouldn't have had otherwise.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is playing an instrument a stress reliever for you?

Annika:
Absolutely. Well, sometimes it can cause a little bit more stress when you've got a performance coming up. But it's just so nice to be able to have an easy song that you know, and just play it through and hear that music.

Anthony Godfrey:
Fantastic. Well, congratulations on being so dedicated to your instrument, to your instruments. Congratulations. 

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.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It's a fun and exciting program that's growing throughout Jordan School District. We're talking about Unified Sports, a program that joins people with and without disabilities on the same team, whether it is baseball, soccer, golf, or even eSports. On this episode of the Supercast, we explore how training and playing together creates a path to lasting friendship and understanding among students with special needs and their peers. Unified Sports really is helping break down stereotypes, empowering students on and off the  playing field.

We're here in the gym at Riverton High School, talking with Alexis Brown, who is the coach for the Unified Sports program. Tell us about how long you've been here, what you teach, just introduce yourself.

Alexis Brown:
I'm Alexis Brown. I work at Riverton high school in the Special Ed department as one of their Life Skills teachers. I started working here last year as an intern. So this is only my first year as a licensed teacher here at Riverton High School and in Jordan School District.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, we're really excited to have you here, and I'm excited for this program. Riverton is ahead of the curve. We're starting this program throughout the District in the fall, but you guys have been doing this for a little while. Tell me about what Unified Sports looks like at Riverton High School.

Alexis Brown:
At Riverton High School we have a really large Unified Sports program. We have 21 life skill students here and those are the athletes that participate in the sports. There's usually about 10 students that participate on each of the teams, soccer, basketball, and track. We get the students and most of the time my Unified athletes come from my peer tutoring classes, the students that work with the students in their classes every single day. But a lot of times those peer tutors and the Unified partners that have done it before pull in their friends have never even worked with any of the athletes before. And it creates a fun community because that's people that never even thought of peer tutoring, never even thought of working with people with disabilities, and now they're in the Unified Sports program.

Anthony Godfrey:
And they may not be athletes themselves at all, but now they have a chance to be part of something.

Alexis Brown:
Yes, most of the peer people that participate are not athletes. The people on the high school basketball team aren't on the Unified basketball team and we prefer that they don't play so that the students that are playing have a more meaningful time doing it. They have more time to play. There's not just one person dominating it. They feel like they are a contributing person to the team. And if there's a basketball player on it, they're not contributing as much as they would.

Anthony Godfrey:
And it involves more students who don't already have the opportunity to be part of an extracurricular activity.

Alexis Brown:
Most of the Unified partners that compete with us are in our Wolf Buddies Club here at Riverton High, so our Unified club and that's basically what they do. And so adding another piece to it where they get to do sports on top of that adds another depth to our club and our inclusion here at Riverton High School.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what I love about this program is that it builds friendships and connections that go well beyond the sport. So it just deepens those friendships and connections and makes everyone feel more a part of what's going on here at school.

Alexis Brown:
Yes, definitely. One of my athletes and one of my Unified partners was a peer tutor last semester and the semester just changed. My students were devastated when this Unified partner left because it was such a big part of the team. It went with us to state for our soccer state tournament, did a lot with our students, and would come in before school and say hello. One of my students was like, ‘I'm gonna glue you to my backpack so that you can’t leave me. Like you have to stay a peer tutor.’ So luckily this Unified athlete is doing basketball again and so they're all super excited to have another familiar face on our Unified team.

Anthony Godfrey:
Good. That's outstanding. Well, I know it takes extra effort and I just really appreciate your dedication to the program and to all of the kids who are part of it. It makes a big impact. Thank you.

Alexis Brown:
Thank you. I love these kids.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back, we catch up with some student athletes and find out how they are benefiting from the Unified Sports experience.

Break:
Do you simply love learning online? We can't wait to have you join the amazing teachers in our brand new Jordan Virtual Learning Academy. In Jordan Virtual Learning Academy schools, we offer innovative, fun, and flexible online learning with daily real-time instruction from teachers. Enrollment is currently open for all K-12 students in Utah. Start on the path to personalized virtual learning success now at connect.jordandistrict.org. That's connect.jordandistrict.org.

Anthony Godfrey:
We are here with the Unified basketball team at Riverton High School with a couple of athletes and Unified partners. Introduce yourselves, tell me your name. 

Anyinda:
My name is Anyinda.

Saul:
My name is Saul.

Kole:
Hi, I’m Kole

Marinn:
I’m Marinn.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. Let's talk first to our athletes. What does this mean to you to be on this basketball team?

Anyinda:
It's fun and we can shoot hoops.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, that's a good combination. How about for you? What do you like?

Saul:
Shooting hoops and dribbling.

Anthony Godfrey:
You like the dribbling?

Saul:
Yeah. 

Anthony Godfrey:
I never wanted to practice dribbling. Do you practice your dribbling?

Saul:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm not an athlete, so I've never heard people clap for me when I'm shooting the ball. Does that feel good to have people clap when you're shooting the ball?

Saul:
Yeah. It makes me feel, it makes me feel nice.

Anthony Godfrey:
Does that give you some energy when you hear people clap for you?

Saul:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Have you made some friends being on the team?

Saul:
Uh, yeah, Kole.

Anthony Godfrey:
Kole?

Saul:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about Kole.

Saul:
Uh, he's my bestest best friend. We hang out together sometimes at lunch.

Anthony Godfrey:
What sports does he play with you?

Saul:
Soccer and basketball.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Kole, let's talk to you. Tell me about his skills.

Kole:
So he's pretty good. Probably one of the better players on the team.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Does he get focused once he gets the ball in his hand?

Kole:
Very focused.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. That's good. I can see that he's got a lot of energy, that he's ready to go. Tell me what it means to you to be a Unified partner on this team.

Kole:
It lets me help out the athletes, play the game and have fun with them and teach 'em how to play basketball and stuff.

Anthony Godfrey:
So tell me what it looks like. How frequently do you practice? When do you have games?

Kole:
We practice every day and we have games every Saturday.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. And a big tournament's coming up, is that right?

Kole:
Yeah, the championship, for state championship.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. And what do you like most about playing?

Anyinda:
Playing? Um, let's see, um, 

Anthony Godfrey:
Shooting? 

Anyinda:
Shooting and passing and relationships with my friends and stuff.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, great. Tell me about what friends have you made on the team?

Anyinda:
Um, Jason.

Anthony Godfrey:
Jason. Tell me about Jason.

Anyinda:
Um, he's my friend and he's kind and we always talk a lot.

Anthony Godfrey:
Does Jason like to pass the ball like you do?

Anyinda:
Yeah. 

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. That's good. That makes for good friendships. Tell me about being a Unified partner on this team.

Marinn:
I loved it, I still do. It gives me a unique opportunity to become closer friends with the athletes and it brings a lot of happiness to me personally. Just because seeing them happy and seeing them work hard and accomplish something is very heartfelt and nice to see.

Anthony Godfrey:
Have you played sports other than being involved in the Unified Sports team?

Marinn:
Not for a long time. I used to play soccer when I was a kid and then I redid it playing Unified Soccer. I actually was like, maybe I should join the team. But I didn't because I don't think I have the best skills. 

Anthony Godfrey:
But now this has given you an opportunity to compete and you wouldn't have been doing that otherwise. 

Marinn:
Yeah, I love it. I mean, it has something mixed with like competition, which I love competing, and helping people and working with other people that I wouldn't normally have the chance to work with.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you wouldn't have made the friends that you've made on this team without this, this program.

Marinn:
I've never made friends as fast as I have being on this team.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's awesome. But do those friendships continue off the court?

Marinn:
Yeah, I mean, Anyinda, I met him during soccer. And now whenever I see him in the halls, he comes up to me and he says, “hi”, and we just talk and it's really nice.

Anthony Godfrey:
Anyinda, how does it feel to have some friends from Unified Sports?

Anyinda:
Um, it's amazing. So, yeah, and it's fun.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, thank you very much. I'm excited to hear about how your competition goes later this month and keep up the great work. 

We are here with Scott Weaver, the president and CEO of Special Olympics, Utah and Courtnie Worthen, the director of Unified Champion Schools. Thank you very much for spending time with us. These are two individuals that have made it possible for us to accelerate our Unified Sports efforts in our schools and just provide for more inclusion in our schools, which is really a primary goal here in Jordan District. But let me give you a moment to introduce yourselves and then let's talk about Special Olympics and Unified Sports.

Scott Weaver:
Hello and thank you again for having us. I've been with Special Olympics for gosh, 42 years now in some capacity and was fortunate enough to be around when Unified Sports started back in the late eighties. I've grown up and grown and old with Unified Sports, as well as my kids, they were partners on Unified Sports team. So I'd say it's a program that really, I think has been one of the best kept secrets with Special Olympics, which is not a good thing. We appreciate the support from the Jordan Education Foundation and the school district to help us get the word out to the many students that benefit from this program.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, some folks don't know much about Unified Sports. So tell us about your role with that and then really what is Unified Sports?

Courtnie Worthen:
So I started with Special Olympics as a Unified partner at Utah State University about 10 years ago and fell in love with the program. I was able to compete with students with disabilities and it was the greatest thing ever. And whether you missed the shot completely, everyone was still super excited. And so I knew it was something I really wanted to be a part of. So to be the director of Unified Champion Schools has been my dream job. Our goal is to create inclusive school environments across the state, to provide opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities, to interact with their peers and to just be a member of their schools.

Anthony Godfrey:
The goal is that everyone is on the same field together. That's really what I love about it. It's truly unified and it lifts everyone that's involved.

Courtnie Worthen:
Absolutely. Yeah, the Unified partners gain just as much, if not more, as the students with intellectual disabilities. I have friends from 10 years ago that I still talk to and it's just, it's really a way sports creates friendships. It gives you a community and it gives you something to connect with other people on. And so it gives students a disability, the ability to do that, and it gives peers something to talk to them about. It gives the Unified partners a way to see the human in a person with an intellectual disability and just be their friend.

Scott Weaver:
You know, I was gonna say that's an important part. And I think that’s often overlooked. There's sports, it's competitive, but there's the fun component of it. There's been a lot over the course of the decades. There's been a lot of research done on the value of Unified Sports and what it brings to schools and to the community at large. And one of the statistics that jumps out to me, that to Courtnie's point, is in the Unified Champion Schools programs those who have been evaluated, 94% of the students without disabilities had created friendships with people with intellectual disabilities. 94% is a huge number. I think when you can create those friendships both on and off the field of play to me, that in and of itself is the reason why this program should be everywhere and everyone should be taking part in it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, to me, it's just one more option that we need to make available to every student. Obviously, Courtnie, as a partner, your life has been permanently impacted through that interaction. And that's really an important component of education is connecting with others. Maybe others who aren't like us, or who may not seem as connected to us, and seeing that we can make lifelong connections with people that we thought at first we might not be able to. And like you said, it humanizes everyone. And I think it gives people a sense that they have to connect with the people around them. And that's a skill that everyone can benefit from. Describe for me what things look like statewide right now and, and where we're headed from here.

Courtnie Worthen:
So we have gotten a lot of support on Unified Sports right now. First Lady Abby Cox has chosen Unified Champion Schools as one of her initiatives. And so with her, it's our goal to get Unified strategies into at least a hundred schools by the 22-23 school year. We are well on track to do that, especially with the support of the Jordan School District and the Education Foundation. All six high school schools in the Jordan School District will have at least one sport offered and we will offer Unified PE. We are starting to work on a statewide Unified PE curriculum, and we've gotten so much support from Utah Jazz and REAL Salt Lake hosting our tournaments and giving these athletes the opportunity to participate and compete on a professional pitch, which has been incredible.

Anthony Godfrey:
It was really fun to be at the event at REAL Salt Lake’s Rio Tinto Stadium. And just to see the joy that it brought everyone who was a part of it. It breaks down walls, builds connections, and we need a whole lot more of that in our society right now especially. If someone is listening to this and they want to be involved somehow, what would you tell them?

Courtnie Worthen:

It takes a champion. It takes someone in the school to want to do it. And I mean, really just reach out to me and we'll work on getting it started. It just takes, especially when we have the support of the administration, it makes it a lot easier. But if there's at least one teacher, one parent, one student who wants this will make sure it happens in their school, we'll make sure that we get the funding and we'll get them started.

Scott Weaver:
Yeah, for those who are listening who maybe have a student or a child that has graduated or, you know, they themselves as an adult, our Unified Sports program isn't limited to the schools. It's certainly a focus and a priority, but it is community. It is statewide. People of all ages and all abilities can participate in Unified Sports. We have partners in their senior years that are partners on bowling, bocce, golf teams. Anyone out there with an interest in being involved in sports and a fun environment and connecting with people in their community, I'd say, contact Special Olympics. We'd be happy to get you connected with a team, whether it be school based or community based.

Anthony Godfrey:
We'll put that information in the show notes so everyone can reach out and get involved. Tell me what sports we have available right now in the state of Utah.

Courtnie Worthen:

So for Unified Champion Schools, the Utah High School Activities Association has sanctioned Unified Soccer, Unified Basketball, and then Unified Track. But we also offer bocce, bowling, swimming, athletics, softball, soccer within our community. We've also added, I mean, Scott can talk to this, but we've also added Unified Cheer and dance sport.

Scott Weaver:
And flag football is a new sport. So I think right now, 12 sports throughout the state and continue to look to grow and expand the sports offerings for athletes.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think bocce would probably be my point of entry.

Scott Weaver:
It's a good one.

Anthony Godfrey:
I actually really like bocce ball. So there are lots of ways to get involved. Look at the contact information and reach out. Courtnie, Scott, thanks for taking time with us. And thank you most of all for the efforts you're making to promote these programs, but also just to make our community more unified and more connected.

Courtnie Worthen:
Thank you for having us. And thank you so much for your support and making it possible for these schools to be involved.

Scott Weaver:
Yes. Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
The first Unified Sports State Basketball Tournament is being held at Weber State University on Saturday, March 26th, beginning at 10:00 AM. The Riverton High Unified Basketball team takes the court to compete at 2:30. Join us in cheering them on. Go Silverwolves! 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 put in hundreds of hours of work and practice before hitting the stage, and it pays off every single year at Southland Elementary School. On this episode of the Supercast, meet the woman behind the 14 years of school musicals at Southland. Find out why this is her final curtain call and how students and volunteers make every production the experience of a lifetime for everyone involved. 

We're with Sharon Kartchner, the director of the Adventures of Lewis and Clark put on by Southland Elementary and it's just about showtime, so thanks for taking time to talk with us.

Sharon Kartchner:
You bet. I'm excited. The kids are excited too, as you can hear from the roar coming in the auditorium.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes, and the crowd is excited. They showed up really early for this. Tell me, you've been doing this a little while. This is not your first rodeo.

Sharon Kartchner:
This is my 14th year involved with the musicals, and it started way back in 2008. Our first performance was in 2009 and our first Lewis and Clark performance was in 2010. So I've been doing it the whole time that we've had musicals at Southland.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's three US presidents ago that you started doing this. I think it's really amazing the time that goes into this. I saw it several years ago and I was blown away. It is not the type of you expect. It's really immersive, the kids know it stone cold. They work really hard. And they've been working since October. Tell me what it's like with the kids over that period of time.

Sharon Kartchner:
You know, they're super excited in the beginning. We usually start with about 120. We kind of dwindled down to about 104, which is a little bit more manageable for us. So that works out, but there's definitely times when you can see them glazing over. So, then we try to add some fun things. Sometimes we sing like opera singers or something like that to just change things up and lighten it up. But they work really hard. We have tryouts kind of towards the beginning so that people learning their lines can pick up their lines and be able to learn them. This year we had understudies for the first time because of COVID. And so some of the kids not only had to learn their lines, they also had to learn a main character's lines in addition to their own. And then we were able to kind of let them perform for their peers at one of the rehearsals so that they at least got a chance to perform that.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's obvious to me that there are many layers to the learning that happens here. There's great value in memorization. There's great value in learning to be part of a team and the content of the musical. By the time they're done performing and practicing, starting in October, they have learned the facts about this particular part of American history stone cold. American history is the theme, is that correct? All the way through?

Sharon Kartchner:
Yeah. So the three musicals that we rotate through, one is Lewis and Clark, that is the fourth grade curriculum. Then we wrote our own America show, Quest for the Stars and Stripes, which is fifth grade. And then we also do Dig It, which is an ancient civilization show. So that covers the sixth grade curriculum. So they all get to be in at least two of them, if they would like. And I kind of give 'em a quiz towards the end. Not really, but I just say, “So who is the President that sent Lewis and Clark?” You know, “Thomas Jefferson”. “What years should they go?” “1804 to 1806”, you know, making sure that they, that it all sunk in and they know stuff now that they wouldn't have known otherwise. And it's awesome.

Anthony Godfrey:
And like you said, it sunk in and it's gonna stay in those brains because just going over it and really inhabiting that adventure as a character, playing it on the stage is the deepest kind of learning we can possibly imagine.

Sharon Kartchner:
For sure. And that's why we picked the ones that we did pick so that they would actually be learning something. And when we didn't find one about America that we liked, we just decided to write our own so that they could learn even more.

Anthony Godfrey:
And that's the one I saw and it was incredible, it was fantastic. So you've been doing this since the start, and this is your final year. How does that feel?

Sharon Kartchner:
You know, it's a mixed bag of feelings. I'm relieved on one hand, but I'm also sad because it's been awesome. I might talk him into letting me do the videography from now on, but then I don't have the four months stint ahead of time. But it's been really fun. I was actually privileged to direct two of the shows in the middle there when my girls had already graduated from elementary, but my little caboose, Jason, hadn't gotten old enough to perform yet. And so I loved it that much that I'm like, ‘I'm gonna keep this going until he can and have a chance to participate as well.’ I feel really confident in the ladies that are working with me, that they're gonna carry the torch and keep it going. And I have no problem handing it over because they're amazing. All of 'em.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm super impressed with the legacy that you leave behind having done it for so long and dedicated so much time to it. What do you hope is the outcome for the students that you've worked with over the years?

Sharon Kartchner:
You know, I've already seen some of the outcomes. I've seen some of them go on to be actors in the middle school and high school plays. I've had one girl that said, you know, ‘because I had a solo in your musical, I was able to go and try out for a city musical and have total confidence that I could do it’ because she had built the confidence here. I've had other ones that have graduated with computer science degrees from college and other ones that are married and have kids. And so it's just fun to see that they just go off in life and are all successful.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's incredible what happens in the life of a child in 14 years. You talked about the confidence that it builds, and I think that's one of the great values in the arts. It builds your confidence. It shows you, ‘I didn't know this. I didn't know how to do it. And now I'm doing it in front of people.’

Sharon Kartchner:
Yeah. I've seen some kids that have started out just really quiet and then they get up there and we practice and we laugh like, ‘okay, do it like this’. And of course I do it extra big, so that they'll do it maybe a little bit bigger. But then they do it, and then they get in front of these guys, you know, the crowd and they just beam. And it's just fun. Even some of the kids that don't look enthusiastic at all when they're in practice and we're like, “please just smile”, they're here and just beaming. And they just are so excited to perform for people. It's just fun to see that transformation.

Anthony Godfrey:
What a great experience for everybody involved. You can hear the enthusiasm of the families. I hope I can find a seat in there because there are a lot of people in there. And you know, you mentioned earlier, there are over a hundred students involved. That's another thing I just love, is how many people can find a role. Can find some way that they're helping and contributing, and that makes them feel a part of something.

Sharon Kartchner:
Definitely. And Lewis and Clark has the fewest speaking parts in that particular musical. There's only about 16 speaking parts, but there's still like ribbon dancers and water wavers and fork in the road dancers and all these other parts that we let them be a part of. The other musicals have even more speaking parts, which is really fun, lots of scene changes. It gives the kids an opportunity to try to learn something and be something, but all the musicals, they are a part of it and they feel a part of it. And it's really fun to see.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you for doing this. Thank you for making it such a rich learning experience. And thank you for inviting me and I get to watch a great musical tonight. I'm looking forward to it.

Sharon Kartchner:
Enjoy the show. 

Student Actor:
Thank you everyone for a warm and enthusiastic reception. The name of my report is ‘Every Single Day in the Three Year Long Expedition of Captain Meriwether Lewis and Captain William Clark’. I'm sure you'll find it fascinating as well as lengthy. I mean…thorough.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back, we hear from two students in the musical. Find out how much they learn from their experience on stage and what the cast walks away with once the final curtain comes down.

Break:
Do you simply love learning online? We can't wait to have you join the amazing teachers in our brand new Jordan Virtual Learning Academy. In Jordan Virtual Learning Academy schools, we offer innovative, fun, and flexible online learning with daily real-time instruction from teachers. Enrollment is currently open for all K-12 students in Utah. Start on the path to personalized virtual learning success now at connect.jordandistrict.org. That's connect.jordandistrict.org.

Student(s) singing:
O, my name’s Napoleon Bonaparte and have I got a deal for you.
I’m in danger of being blown apart so I make this appeal to you.
All eyes are fixed on you! All hopes are fixed on you!
It’s yours, you’re really in some luck, for fifteen million bucks!

O his name’s Napoleon Bonaparte and has he got a deal for you.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking with Megan and Jason, who are in tonight's performance of the Adventures of Lewis and Clark. Megan, tell me about being in this production. 

Megan:
It's really interesting. We get to talk and dance and it's really fun.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're all decked out. You guys look great. What does this mean to you? What's most exciting about this for you?

Megan:
Making my family be able to watch this.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. There's a lot of enthusiasm. Are your parents excited to see this?

Megan:
Very.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, Jason, I know your mom is excited to see this. As the director she's a little bit invested in this. Tell me, what do you think about being in these productions?

Jason:
It's really fun how we learn and do fun actions and be able to do different things that you wouldn't think you would be able to do. And then you just are able to do them.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're wearing an animal hat of some kind and for those listeners, there's lots of fringe. So tell me about your outfit and your character.

Jason:
Well, my character is Clark and so I'm wearing some leather stuff and a raccoon hat.

Anthony Godfrey:
You look fantastic. You look exactly like I picture Clark on his way through the wilderness, so well done. Megan, tell me about your character.

Megan:
I'm a soldier, one of three. And I'm wearing this vest and hat and a sword.

Anthony Godfrey:
You look great, you really look great. Tell me what is something that you learned from this production about history that you didn't know before?

Megan:
I actually didn't know that soldiers actually went on an adventure. And so to be one of the soldiers is actually quite interesting.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you learned about it and now you get to act it out. I really feel like there's a deeper learning that goes with acting out something that you just learned.

Megan:
Yeah, that's very true, because you're not just learning it, but you're having fun learning it and I think it helps you learn it more.

Anthony Godfrey:
Jason, tell me what you learned most. What stands out to you about American history that you didn't know before?

Jason:
Well, I haven't learned about the entire trip, so learning it like early, before I actually learned it in school was very fun. And it was interesting to just be able to know something and help your friends learn it with you.

Anthony Godfrey:
And that's the exciting part. You're helping other people learn it, not just your friends, but there'll be a lot of people in the audience, including me, who I know will learn some things about Lewis and Clark that we didn't know before. Now, you guys have been practicing since the middle of October last year. That's a lot of work and that's a lot of dedication, especially at your age. Tell me about the friendships you've developed and the fun you've had over that period of time.

Megan:
A lot of the people that I didn't know before are in this play and I've grown a really good friendship with a lot of them. It's really interesting to see how many people actually wanted to do the play.

Anthony Godfrey:
And how about you, Jason?

Jason:
Well, since I'm in a Chinese Immersion, I'm usually just friends with the people who are in the immersion with me, because I've been with them, only them, for my entire like grade thing. So being able to get people, not just other people in this grade, but people in different grades, like I never would've been friends with Cassie, but now we're great friends because we are able to do this amazing performance together.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love that. That's a really important part of it. Making those connections. Is this giving you the acting bug? Is this something you want to keep doing?

Megan:
Very much so. I'm really hoping I can in middle school and maybe high school too.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, great. I look forward to that. How about you, Jason?

Jason:
Definitely. Like it was really fun being able to do it three times and have these unique things each time and like no one, you know, no one will know what you're going to do next.

Anthony Godfrey:
I was in high school theater all the way through and I highly recommend it. I'm glad to hear you guys have enjoyed it so much. It's exciting to be at Oquirrh Hills. Does that feel like the big stage?

Megan:
Definitely. It's way bigger than I would've expected. 

Jason:
Well, I can't say it was bigger than I expected cause I've done it since first grade, but it's still giant compared to where we practice at the beginning. So it's like, feels like you finally got there.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're a three timer. So you've been doing this for quite a while.

Jason:
Yeah. 

Anthony Godfrey:
You were a skeleton in first grade, right?

Jason:
Yeah. We had these glow in the dark costumes where they turned off all the lights and we started glowing. We got to do this really fun, cool dance.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well that's an admirable range as an actor to go from skeleton to Clark. So break a leg. That's a good thing, to tell you to break a leg, and I can't wait for the performance looking forward to it tonight.

Jason:
I'm super excited too.

Megan:
Me too. I'm really excited for my family to see it.

Students Singing

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. It is a mobile exhibit which features educational, inspiring and informative traveling displays, highlighting local and national Black History. On this episode of the Supercast, we take you to Valley High School where students participated in Black History Month activities involving music, art, fashion and food along with a special stop from Utah's Black History Museum Bus.

Liz Lambson:
Hello, my name is Liz Lampson and I'm the director of the Utah Black History Museum, which is a mobile popup museum, as you can see. So how I got involved in this, I was asked to paint a school bus. So I painted this side of the school bus and another artist, Gretel Tam, painted the other side. And on it, we put some Utah Black Historical figures. We’ve got Jane Manning James, Wallace Henry Thurman. Ruby Bridges is a national figure. Have any of you heard of Ruby Bridges? Who can tell me who Ruby Bridges was?

Student:
Wasn't she like a kindergartener that was going to a white school?

Liz Lambson:
Yeah, she was. During the time, schools were desegregated and she was brought to a white school and there was a huge uproar. She was just a great example of courage in that time. Take some time to look at our artifacts and display, and I hope you learn a lot. If you have any questions, let me know. And I hope you enjoy the museum experience.

Drummer:
We always begin a drum circle by acknowledging the four directions and all drumming begins with a heartbeat. So what I would like you to do is pick up your drum and we will begin with a heartbeat. We may overwhelm your mic. So the first sound any child hears is the beat of their mother's heart. So the heartbeat is always the center of who we are as human beings. So we begin with a heartbeat. I will do it once. Then you do it. This is called sound and respond. 

Anthony Godfrey:
We're here at Valley High School with Tiffany Rasmussen who has organized all of today's activities. Tiffany, thanks for taking some time to talk with us on a busy day. Now, first of all, this is one of the activities that is done on a Friday at Valley High School. Valley meets Monday through Thursday, and there are all day activities on Fridays. So students can earn credit doing that. Tell us a little bit about how that works and how that's been set up for today. 

Tiffany Rasmussen:
So we put together some packets and then the packets tend to go with the activities that we're doing. So if we're going on a field trip, in this case the field trip came to us. Since it is February, and it is Black History, I decided to do it on Black History. There is this new bus that is the Utah Black History Museum. And so I wanted to focus more on Black joy, because oftentimes we talk about, we use history or Black History Month to talk about slavery and to talk about like civil rights. And I wanted to focus more on the joy. So while they are getting the history aspect and especially Utah Black History aspect with the museum, I invited some friends from the community that I know to come in and talk to them about what they do. 

So I have some musicians here, so they're talking about Black culture's influence on music. And then I have some people here with fashion, and they're talking about Black culture's influence on fashion. I have a friend of mine who has a PhD in therapy and counseling. He's talking about Black wellness because that's actually the theme for this year for Black History. They have themes every year, and it's Black wellness, and so he's here talking about that. Then I have some friends here that do hair, and so they're talking about hairstyles and everything. And then bakers, like just a lot of different people from the community that came in to talk about the Black community here in Utah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is it all students from Valley that are here today?

Tiffany Rasmussen:
Yes. All students from Valley currently and I actually invited a couple friends that actually graduated. Who were really excited. One is doing the videography for us. She's now at the U. My student that I had before who's now at SLCC and I just I'm like ‘you have to be here, you gotta come see it.’

Anthony Godfrey:
What are some of the things that you hope students come away with after going through this experience?

Tiffany Rasmussen:
That they have options, they have choices. This is just one stepping stone and they have lots of options in life and that Utah is growing and it's becoming more diverse and I want them to be able to see themselves within the community.

Anthony Godfrey:
So that's why you've invited some of your friends here with various businesses and various contributions in Utah. To talk with students so that students can kind of catch a vision for things that they could accomplish.

Tiffany Rasmussen:
Yes, exactly. So Chance’s already spoken with the students. He owns a bakery and he was talking about how he was adopted, and he was raised in Provo. He was like one of five Black kids at the school and he felt alone. He went on an mission and then he came out with being gay and just didn't know where he was gonna go in life. And things tend to work out. He had some people open up arms, he said, especially in the Polynesian community. He found his partner and now he owns a bakery and they're very popular and successful. So I know that there are students that we have now that can relate to that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great. Tell me about the Black History Bus, it's the Black History Museum Bus. So tell me about the Utah Black History Museum Bus.

Tiffany Rasmussen:
So what I know about them is that they just started and wanted to, because we don't have anything that really shows the Utah history, right? The Black pioneers that came. So they wanted a way that they could commute, and go to schools, and go to fairs, and just get around the community. They have a lot of insightful books, have a lot of insightful information. They have artifacts. It's just, it's really cool. It's something that I wish that I had when I was younger. So I'm really excited that I can share it with my students.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back, more from Valley High and Black History Month activities.

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

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me your name

Kailila:
Kailila

Anthony Godfrey:
Kailila. And tell me what you've learned participating in today's activity.

Kailila:
Well, something that I've learned personally is that like a lot of people think that Black History Month is just looking about what happened in the past, like slavery and lynching and stuff. But today we're really celebrating about how far African Americans have come and we're really celebrating them and their successes.

Anthony Godfrey:
And so what are some of the successes that you learned about and have talked about today?

Kailila:
Well, like Chance was saying he is not only is he Black, but he's also LGBTQ and he's been able to overcome like all the challenges that come with that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Can you describe some of the activities and the events that are set up for students today? 

Kailila:
So upstairs we have a fashion station where they're gonna be talking about like Black owned fashion businesses and some of their apparel that they have. We also have a music station set up where you can play some African drums. We have our bakery station over here, that Chance is running. And then over here is our station for the Black History Bus Museum. So you can kind of just look around and you can see like books and pictures that African Americans have produced. We also have a hair station where they're gonna be talking about how to deal with like locks and curly hair and Afros and stuff like that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great. So what does Black History Month mean for you?

Kailila:
So I feel like Black History Month is where we can celebrate how far people have come. And it's not only about like African-Americans specifically, but also about like America. And we were really built off of the backs of slaves. So for us to be able to, as colored people, for us to be able to come this far and have our own independence is, it's an amazing thing.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Thank you very much. It's nice meeting you. We're here with Liz Lampson talking about the Utah Black History Museum Bus. Tell us about your involvement and how the bus came to be. 

Liz Lampson:
The Utah Black History Museum is unique in that we are a mobile popup experience. I got involved when I was asked by Lex Scott, who was the former leader of Utah's chapter of Black Lives Matter, if I would be interested in painting a school bus and transforming it into a mobile museum to highlight Utah's Black History. And I agreed to this, so I painted a mural on one side of this giant school bus. 

Anthony Godfrey:
And we're looking at it right now. It looks absolutely beautiful. Tell me about everyone that's featured on there. There are a few names I did not know.

Liz Lampson:
Yeah. We have a Buffalo Soldier, a Black cowboy, Jane Manning James. She was one of the first Black women, if not the first Black woman to move to the state of Utah. She served the family of Joseph Smith who founded the Latter Day Saint church that was very influential in the development of the state's culture and community. And then we have Wallace Henry Thurman also from Utah. He became a Harlem Renaissance writer moving to New York. He wrote a book called the Black of the Berry and several other literature that is notable and definitely worth checking out. Next to him, there's a national figure, Ruby Bridges who many will learn about in school. She was a young Black girl who was integrated into what was an all white school. So during the time of desegregation, she was escorted into a white school with crowds of people yelling and screaming and in opposition to the idea of schools being integrated and races intermingling in the school environment. 

So our school bus is sort of representative of that concept of carrying Black people and in our case, Black History and Black educational experiences to areas where there may not be much of a Black presence. And in the state of Utah, I think less than 2% of the population is African American. And so there are communities in areas in Utah, especially rural areas when you get further away from the urban center, where there are no Black people. Or there are people who have never met a Black person.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about some of the other people that get featured on the bus.

Liz Lampson:
Yes. So my great uncle, I flipped him on there. His name is Alex Boudreaux and he was a Tuskegee Airman. There were very few African Americans in World War I or World war II who had the privilege, I suppose, of being a pilot, of receiving the training to actually fly planes. And so he was, if I'm remembering correctly, the first Black air traffic controller. 

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.

Liz Lampson:
And so he associated with this group of Black pilots who were just totally unique in that time of war.

Anthony Godfrey:
He may be your relative, but he's obviously very worthy of being included on the side of the bus.

Liz Lampson:
Yeah. He is definitely an important figure in my family. And you could say he’s a hero in my ancestry.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now you have a musician next to him. 

Liz Lampson:
Yes. So something that we really wanted to highlight with our museum and with the bus is examples of Black excellence. As your teacher Tiffany mentioned, there are a lot of sad and difficult things to process when you learn about Black History. But we also want to emphasize Black joy and Black accomplishments and Black excellence. So Joe McQueen is a great example of Black excellence. He was an incredible jazz musician and saxophone player from Utah. And he passed away just a few years ago, but he left a great impact on the jazz scene here. Utahns love jazz music.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, they do.

Liz Lampson:
And like swing music. And it's a, you know, it's a form of music culturally that has roots with African Americans and also going into Europe, there's, you know, there's a long history with jazz.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, I'm a big music fan and you're right, there are some great jazz groups that come through here. And I'm always surprised that they make it this far.

Liz Lampson:
Yeah. I mean, jazz as a musical genre is awesome.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you have a ballet dancer as well.

Liz Lampson:
She's actually a personal friend of mine, Katlyn Addison. She actually helped me paint a little bit on the bus. She is the very first principal ballerina with Ballet West who is Black. To be a principal ballerina or principal dancer with a ballet company, that's essentially, that is the highest level in the world of ballet. So you have like soloists, and first soloists, and Demi soloists, and then you have the principal. So she's just a great example of Black excellence in our community. And I actually know her personally because I work for Ballet West as well. I play the string base in the Ballet West Orchestra, and that's how we became friends. 

You find that things like classical music lessons, ballet lessons or any kind of education in the fine arts has not been as accessible historically to the Black community or to people of color. So there's still an ongoing effort today to provide these opportunities and make them accessible to people of color. I'm the only African American, I'm actually Korean African American. My mother's from Korea and my dad is from Louisiana kind of French Creole, Black background. And I'm the only African American, Korean African American in the Ballet West Orchestra. There are people of color in the ballet company, the dance company, as they recruit dancers from all over the world. But as the orchestra is drawn from the local community, the local Utah community, you'll find that less than 2% of the population here is Black and even smaller percent will be involved in the fine arts, just because of the history and trends with the fine arts being kind of reserved for the elite classes.

Anthony Godfrey:
What would you hope that someone who is experiencing the Utah Black History Museum would come away with?

Liz Lampson:
That is a great question. I love seeing people interact with this museum and I see them learning things that they didn't know. And I think that's our goal here, is to share what is actually old information that suddenly becomes like new information because you didn't know it before. So I just, you know, love to see people, people's eyes opening and perspectives widening as they learn about things that they've never heard or seen before. I hope also that people can walk away from this with a greater appreciation for some of the struggles that Black people have gone through, not just in the world or in our nation, but in our state specifically. We have stories here of Black people who have fought against the odds and struggled to make a place for themselves and their families in the state. As students experience this museum and they see pictures and faces of actual Black Utahns, I hope that they can feel a real connection with those people. What we hope is that through this museum experience, we can just create meaningful connections between people who are different from each other.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, great. Thank you very much. It's a pleasure meeting you, and this is awesome.

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. From testing the strength of cardboard to the science of discovering the best baseball bat, students hit it out of the park with their experiments at the East Lake science fair. On this episode of the Supercast, we take you inside the science fair to have some fun with fifth graders who take their problem solving projects very seriously. 

Okay. We're here with JP in his Yankees uniform telling us about aluminum versus wood bats in his science project. Tell me, let's jump right into it. 

JP:
So this is aluminum versus wood baseball bat. And the reason why I did this project is because I'm on a very competitive baseball team, so I'd like to know which bat hits the furthest. So then I can have the most chances of hitting a home run every time I get up to bat. Right? So my research was that the metal bat isn't allowed to be used in the MLB because they think that they'll hit it over too much. This is the metal bat, I mean the maple bat. And they think that it's a perfect bat for the MLB, like not too good that they'll hit over every time, but not too bad that they won't.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, so they actually want the maple bat so that they can't hit it quite as far?

JP:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
They want it to be good enough, but not too good.

JP:
Yes, exactly. And this is the Ash bat. It takes a lot of strength to hit it over with the Ash bat.

Anthony Godfrey:
This is the Ash bat?

JP:
Yes. And they found that this is the one that the MLB used to use. Like Babe Ruth used to use an Ash bat and stuff. So, I found, so my hypothesis was that the metal bat went the furthest, the maple bat the second furthest, and the Ash was the third furthest. You can tell from my graph that my hypothesis was correct. That the metal bat hit the furthest, the maple bat the second furthest and the Ash bat, the third furthest.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now you obviously know your baseball history. Why do you think Babe Ruth used an Ashwood bat?

JP:
Well, because they didn't know about the maple bat back then. So I think that they used the maple bat, I mean the Ash bat, because they didn't know about the maple bat. So they're like, well, let's just get any wood that we see and let's just turn it into a bat. So then they can hit with.

Anthony Godfrey:
I see. Now, are you allowed to use Ash if you wanted to?

JP:
Yes. In the MLB, you are allowed to use Ash, but you're not allowed to use the metal.

Anthony Godfrey:
Are you allowed to use metal in your league? 

JP:
Oh yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
And so you do use the metal?

JP:
I do use the metal.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes. Okay. All right. Very good.

JP:
So in conclusion, I found that the metal bat is the most dense and that it hits the furthest. And because it's the furthest, the bat speed is very good. And it will hit the ball further.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now I'm looking at the graphic here, the map of where each ball landed on the baseball field. Did you hit all of these balls that you recorded?

JP:
Yes, I did. And we graphed them out and we had a radar gun to measure how fast the ball went.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, a radar gun?Where did you get a radar gun? Do you just have that regularly to measure the pitches and that sort of thing?

JP:
Yeah. So what we do sometimes when we have a baseball practice, we like to see how fast we can go. So me and my friends, we were just like being dumb, and we're just like measuring before practice starts, we're measuring how fast we can throw the ball to each other.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's awesome. I love that America's national pastime is alive and well in the youth of today. It looks like you had more fun than anyone else doing your experiment.

JP:
Oh I had so much fun! It was a blast!

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, this is an exciting project and I think it's gonna serve you well. Obviously you have great things ahead of you when it comes to baseball, but you're an outstanding scientist as well. 

We're here with Maximus, looking at his science fair project. How strong is cardboard? Maximus, tell me how strong is cardboard? 

Maximus:
Well it depends what kind of cardboard you're talking about. All right. So there’s chipboard and corrugated. Corrugated, it could hold 29 pounds per square inch.

Anthony Godfrey:
And how does it do that?

Maximus:
How does it do it? Well, it’s generally three pieces of paper. And then the middle piece of paper is flutes.

Anthony Godfrey:
The flutes. I had no idea that they were called flutes.

Maximus:
Yeah. And there are five different types of flutes: A flute, B flute, C flute, E flute, and F flute.

Anthony Godfrey:
Why is there no D flute?

Maximus:
I don't know.

Anthony Godfrey:
Maybe D flute used to exist, but there was a scandal. Do you think that could have happened?

Maximus:
I think there is a D flute, but they don't use it as much anymore.

Anthony Godfrey:
I see. So there was a scandal. All right. So tell me, what was it that got you interested in cardboard? Does your mom order a lot from Amazon Prime? And so you thought ‘I need to understand these boxes better?’

Maximus:
No, I wanted to start, well, I needed a strong material that could also be quite bendable.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Maximus:
So I chose cardboard and I've actually made a bridge out of it at home.

Anthony Godfrey:
You made a bridge at home?

Maximus:
Yeah. A mini bridge out of small pieces of cardboard.

Anthony Godfrey:
And where does this bridge lead to?

Maximus:
It's just sitting all around.

Anthony Godfrey:
You open up the wardrobe and there's a cardboard bridge to another world?

Maximus:
No.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, okay. So is your cardboard bridge still intact? Is it still looking good?

Maximus:
Yeah. 

Anthony Godfrey:
So tell me about, you've got a piece of a cereal box here and then you've got the flutes. Oh, okay, I see. You're showing what makes the corrugated cardboard strong. Okay. Now look, the strength certificates you have these strength certificates mounted. I always see writing on the cardboard box, but I haven't been curious enough to check it out and see what it's all about. Tell me about those strength certificates. 

Maximus:
So the strength certificate is this, and it's telling you how much size limit it could get to. It tells you how long it is, big it is, and it tells you how much weight it could hold - 65 pounds.

Anthony Godfrey:
What is the conclusion then?

Maximus:
The conclusion is that I'm glad that I did it because it was really fun, but also that I know I can definitely build with cardboard. And the conclusion, well, more of the conclusion is that strength of cardboard is really cool and really strong.

Anthony Godfrey:
So do you like to work with cardboard? You made a bridge.

Maximus:
Yeah. 

Anthony Godfrey:
What's your next project?

Maximus:
My next project, it's probably gonna be like a Lego sized house.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, wow. So where do you get your cardboard?

Maximus:
Amazon.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, you buy it?

Maximus:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Wow. So you're serious about your cardboard. As if I didn't know before, now I really know. So do you think that your study of cardboard has made you think about a job maybe in engineering? I mean, you're already building bridges.

Maximus:
Yeah. Whenever I was like five years old, I wanted to be an engineer.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Well, I think you are well on your way, Maximus. It's great talking to you.

Maximus:
It's great talking to you too.

Anthony Godfrey:
Good job. 

Stay with us. When we come back, we'll talk with some of the teachers who made the science fair possible.

Break:
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Anthony Godfrey:
We're here at East Lake Elementary at the fifth grade science fair. And I'm with Jess, taking a look at her ‘What is the best type of fabric for artists to wear?’ science project. So tell me about this.

Jess:
So I chose this because I love painting and drawing. And usually when I draw my clothes get dirty. So I wanted to see what's the best fabric for artists to wear. So, when I did my research, I learned about four types of fabrics; cotton, polyester, polyurethane, and wool. Cotton and polyester are similar. They’re both breathable, durable, and can be stain resistant. Polyurethane is stain resistant, durable and waterproof, but not that breathable. So it's usually mixed with materials like cotton or polyester. The fourth one I learned about was wool. Wool is usually hard to find, expensive and it usually needs to be dry cleaned, and artists need something that's easy to find and easy to wash. So I didn't put that there.

Anthony Godfrey:
This is a very practical approach for an artist. Do you think you're more artist or more scientist?

Jess:
Kind of a mix of both.

Anthony Godfrey:
A mix of both. Okay. Well, that's a really good mix because you don't always find that combination. How many hours do you think you spent on this project? 

Jess:
A month.

Anthony Godfrey:
A month? Wow.

Jess:
Yeah. When we first started it, we went to Walmart, but I actually had some struggle finding it. So my mom went to another store and she found these fabrics, so then we actually started doing it. My research was pretty easy, typing it up and writing it down. So I think the part that I moved the fastest on was doing the project itself and the typing.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Well, this is really impressive. And so do you have an outfit picked out now that you can wear when you're doing art?

Jess:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. And what color is it?

Jess:
It would probably be white because according to my research, it is best for us to wear white fabric because bleach is white. So if they had to like use bleach on it, it wouldn't really show anything.

Anthony Godfrey:
You have really thought things through. I wish I had more time. I have some other problems for you to solve. Oh yeah. But I better keep going. It's been a delight talking with you.

Jess:
Thank you. 

Anthony Godfrey:
And you have big things in your future that's for sure.

Jess:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks Jess. 

Jess:
You're welcome.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right, Carter, it looks like you studied the greenhouse effect for your science project. Tell me about it.

Carter:
So for the greenhouse effect, first I needed to learn what the greenhouse effect is. And the greenhouse effect is the transfer of heat between the sun and the earth. So the sun beams down heat and the earth absorbs it. And then at night it releases some of the heat into the atmosphere, which gets caught by the carbon dioxide, which creates heat. And without this greenhouse effect, we wouldn't survive.

Anthony Godfrey:
So is there something that you learned in studying the greenhouse effect that surprised you?

Carter:
So I was trying different surface materials to see if that affected it. And it seemed like sand got very affected because this line right here is the cover box, which represents the greenhouse effect. This one right here represents the uncovered box, which is the normal air. And it got hotter than the greenhouse one. So I was surprised by that because I thought it would just always stay under.

Anthony Godfrey:
So tell me about the box. What did you set up and what was involved in your experiment?

Carter:
So three materials, rock, soil, and sand.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. And I can see pictures of the box here. So what did you do with it there?

Carter:
So we filled it up with about one inch of sand or soil or rocks. And then we put a thermometer in each box and then we covered one box with plastic wrap and faced them towards the sun. So once we did that, every 15 minutes for an hour we went out to check if there was a temperature difference between the boxes.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what did you find?

Carter:
That the covered box was almost always hotter than the uncovered box, which represented the normal air.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, so trapping things in and allowing the heat in, but not allowing it to escape. You were able to replicate that. Wow. Well, this is very impressive. This is a complex topic that everyone's heard of, but not a lot of us understand. So you understand it at a deep level. That's very impressive.

Carter:
Thanks.

Anthony Godfrey:
Looks great. 

We're here with Campbell. Campbell, describe to me what is your science project today? 

Campbell:
My science project was ‘Do store bought UV lights kill bacteria?’, which is this one right here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah. I've seen those products. So those are the ones that are designed to kill bacteria, right?

Campbell:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you're gonna tell me if they work or not.

Campbell:
Yeah. So how I did it is I got a bunch of these, like dish things.

Anthony Godfrey:
And wait, okay. Toilet handle, computer keyboard, light switch, belt and iPhone. Wow. You picked the germ centers of my world. All right. Let's find out.

Campbell:
So I did two of each of their surfaces, A and B. A is with UV, I mean without UV light and B is with UV light. So how I would do it is I would first make the agar mix with the water and then I would put it in the dish all five times. And then I would grab the swab, like a COVID swab. Because they are completely sterilized. Don't have any bacteria on it. So you can know if that, make sure that's the bacteria. So I would do it, something like this or any of those surfaces. And then I'd put it on that, on that one. And then I would use the UV light for a minute and then I would do it and see if it worked. And one is bacteria and zero is no bacteria, which means that I saw bacteria on all of them, which means that it didn't work.

Anthony Godfrey:
Looking at the graphic. I can see that everything is exactly the same. Whether you used the UV light or not. 

Campbell:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
It looks like it had zero impact. Well, you know, I guess the only impact it would have is to make you feel better, even though you shouldn't feel better because not one bit of bacteria was killed.

Campbell:
So my hypothesis was it wouldn't work because hospitals buy them for like, 60 to 130 grand. So I was like, why would these ones work if hospitals have to buy them for that much?

Anthony Godfrey:
Boy, I'm super impressed at the way you had this set up, it looks straight. And I actually thought about buying one of those before. So now you just saved me some money. Thanks a lot Campbell. 

We're here with the fifth grade team at East Lake Elementary. Please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about the science fair.

Michelle Vernieuw:
I am Michelle Vernieuw and the best part about the science fair for me is being able to see the kids not only use the scientific method, but use their creativity and being able to explore ideas that they have and explore things that are interesting to them.

Anthony Godfrey:
When I talked with those students, there were some that were really personal to them. I'm an artist. I want to study what material I ought to wear. I'm a baseball player. So they're all connected to their projects in one way or another.
Michelle Vernieuw:

Absolutely. Absolutely. And they get to really explore those interests in an academic way that they may not have been able to think through before, but through the scientific method, they now have steps to go. This is how I can do this. This is how I can create, this is how I can find solutions.

Anthony Godfrey:
They're better thinkers. 

Sammy Sutherland:
I'm Sammy Sutherland, 5th grade DLI. I second what Michelle said, I really liked that they picked things that they were interested in. Like, I really liked the one where she really liked dance and she picked how she could be a better dancer by seeing what things help her. I know that they all had a really good time doing it. I was just really proud of them for all the hard work that they put in it because they didn't have to do it. And they did. So they did really well.

Thomas Boulay:
I'm Thomas Boulay, the DLI Chinese teacher. I thought it was really great to see all of the fun projects that the kids did. Even though we made it optional in our class because we have less time with the DLI schedule, the kids who did it still had great projects and it seems like they really enjoyed making them.

Jennifer Burr:
My name's Jennifer Burr and I loved this whole process. For the past month students have been coming to me telling me about their project and sharing their enthusiasm. And it was fun to also have students who their hypothesis and then their hypothesis didn't turn out the way they thought. And then they had to think through why that didn't work or if they were going to retest it, what they would do different. But the great part is their enthusiasm and their ownership for the project. And really like Mrs. Vernieuw said, understanding the scientific process, because I think this is really the first time that they've walked through it themselves or with the support of their parents. And then also I love the science projects where they included their whole family, that the family were test subjects and really helped support them. It’s so awesome that so many people came today to cheer their great efforts. Thank you Superintendent for coming. It's pretty awesome. Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
My pleasure to come. And it's interesting that it's like you said, family was obviously involved in all of this. It's the type of project and the type of learning that connects parents and kids and siblings and perhaps even pets as test subjects.

Jennifer Burr:
Yeah. I wanted to add that one of the fascinating parts about this whole process is seeing kids get excited about science. And you know, in today's world science sometimes gets, you know, discouraging because it's hard. Math is hard. Science is hard, the STEM. And to see these kids get excited about science and say, ‘I can have a part in science’ and then also to see you know, ‘I'm gonna represent the female’. You know, also just being able to say that these girls can say, ‘I can have a place in science.’ It's very exciting to me as well.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh absolutely. And let me ask you this, when you started the science fair projects and started to talk about topics, did you see a light bulb go on or a firelight in some kids that maybe otherwise had kind of not felt that level of enthusiasm for school lately?

Sammy Sutherland
Oh, definitely because it's their own project. It's what is interesting to them and they could really take ownership in what they wanted to pursue.

Anthony Godfrey:
That you took this on, I'm proud of the work you and the kids have done here and I'm excited to see it in the future. Keep inviting me, please.

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.