Supercast

Superintendent Godfrey:
Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Today we take in the sights and sounds of a unique class at Herriman High School, where students are sewing their way to success, one pattern at a time. We will talk with some very talented young ladies in the Fashion Pathways Program who are using their fashion and design skills to make face masks for Special Olympic athletes in Utah. It is a service project that is also a labor of love for the students.

Student:
I'm Lauren Stockton. I'm a senior at home in high school. I'm in Sewing III with Jennifer Glassy is my teacher, and I'm also part of FCCLA, Family Careers and Community Leaders of America, and right now I'm sewing masks. Where you start with is two sheets of fabric, usually a base, which is white. And then at top, which is a colored and we cut them full seven and a half inches. The idea of like an assembly line, so one person does one step and then other person does another step. So right now, I'm just doing the first step of sewing down the sides with a half inch seam allowance. And then I would usually hand it off to Liv to iron pleat, and then Stella would usually do the top and the sides to finish it off.
So. it is different from other projects. I'm usually like sewing pants or a shirt. So, it's a different thing every single time. That could be stressful, but for masks, it's actually very therapeutic, just going straight lines. I'll take the pins out of this side so I don't poke myself by accident. And the idea of the assembly line is that we're doing is just to make us like really good at one step, so we're not constantly doing different things like you usually would.

Student:
I am Olivia Roseblocker. I am a part of the Advanced Sewing III class. I'm a senior.  I'm basically at the beginning of the assembly line. I have just cut each piece seven and a half by seven and a half inches right now. I'm actually cutting them so that they line up because it annoys me when they're not perfectly straight together.
First I go and then I backstitch a few and then I go all the way down. I have to. The ironing is the worst because I have to iron in the pleats. I finished 38. Now we're working to finish 50 and possibly more than that, maybe like 75-ish.

Student:
My name is Stella Snyder. I'm a senior Herriman High School. I am in the Sewing III Program. What I'm doing is finishing them off. Basically, all I'm doing is sewing around the edges and making sure they're straight and just sewing over the pleats.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Let's talk about the masks. Let's talk about your project. Let's start with Mrs. Glassy. Tell us a little bit about the mask project for this year.

Mrs. Glassy:
Actually, the Special Olympics has worked with our Business Department in the past. And so, when they put out an email saying we need masks made, the Business Department forwarded it to me, which I really grateful for. We were able to reach out to them and say, "Hey, we can make masks for you". So, they basically just gave us the materials and we started with 50 and that will be because girls volunteer to do that and to take on their time. And honestly, we just started last week, only sewing on the one day and we're pretty much done with the 50. So, we'll probably continue on and do more of them. These 3 girls they're awesome! We did it in class the one day they came in during their free period and lunch. They were here after school on Friday to make sure that we could get these done really quickly so that we can pass them onto the Special Olympics. It's the only way that their athletes can compete this year.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Tell me how does it feel to sew for a purpose like this, as opposed to a class project or something else,

Student:
It's felt awesome. In the past, I've have actually done quite a few service projects, similar to this, but more with refugees. And so, it's awesome that I'm able to get involved with the Special Needs because I have friends with little siblings that have Downs Syndrome. And I also have a second cousin who has Downs Syndrome and we're always trying to get involved in helping out the community. So, it's awesome that I'm able to do this at school and get my friends to help out too.

Student:
I just think it makes this class more significant now we can actually help someone because right now, masks are a necessity and they can be expensive for nicer ones. So, I'm happy we can help people who actually need it.

Superintendent Godfrey:
I think it's great that members of the community, you guys, are the ones making the masks instead of just purchasing masks. These are handmade masks. I think because of the love in the masks, they are going to work better. That's my theory. That's pretty awesome. Can I take a look here? These are some great patterns. So how long does it take you to make a mask start to finish?

Student:
So we do it as an assembly line. So, each of us takes apart in the construction of the mask. And so, it maybe takes us 15 minutes to make one. We haven't made them all at the same time. There's at least 10 that are ready for pleats. And then they're onto the next person and they pile up. But we do with them really quickly.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Earlier, your teacher mentioned Project Runway and it sounds like that got stopped short by the pandemic. What was that?

Student:
So basically, we were invited by an OUT member of the community. He wanted to do a Project Runway type thing. So, it was basically us competing with four other schools in Utah in the Salt Lake City area. We were able to create our own team. The team had photographers, models, make-up, and hair, and designers. The designers were all three of us. And we were able to design and we were starting the construction before we got cut short. We were asked to make two or three outfits and have models go down a runway and compete against the four other schools. We got was the construction of the outfits. Our designs were pretty stellar, if I might say,

Superintendent Godfrey:
Okay, and you didn't get to have anyone walk down the runway with them?

Student:
Unfortunately not.

Superintend Godfrey:
And is there a hope that you can reboot that and maybe still make that happen?

Student:
Our principal is very, very encouraging of this program and he loved the thought of the Project Runway. So, I've been talking to him and he actually came up to me during the summer and said, "Hey, when school starts, talk to me about Project Runway. I want to see if we can encourage it between just Herriman students". And so, I think in the future around, February or March, maybe. We'll probably do something like that with more Herriman students involved.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Wonderful. We'll make sure you invite me if that happens. I'd love to see it. Do some of your friends ask you for fashion advice?

Student:
Well actually, I had a few teammates that would ask me for fashion ideas.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back, we'll learn more about the Fashion Pathways Program from teacher, Jen Glassy.

Sandra Riesgraf:
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Superintendent Godfrey:
We're back now with Fashion Pathways Program teacher, Jen Glassy. What do you teach first of all here at Herriman?

Mrs. Glassy:
So, I teach Fashion Merchandising, Fashion Design, and then Sewing I, II and III.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Now you may be shocked, looking at me right now, but I really enjoyed my sewing class. I took one in seventh grade and I made a golf shirt. It was orange, because it was the early eighties. And I was always very proud of that. I made a pillow too. That didn't turn out so well. Surprisingly, you would think the pillow would go better than the shirt. Long story short, I really admire what you do and that you teach such an important skill. And I love that there's a pathway. Can you explain to those listening what that means?

(10:06):
Yes. In CTE, we have pathways that help our students explore the different careers. It's like career pathways, basically. They take classes that might interest them and as they go through, the classes build upon each other until they get to the top, which with ours is Sewing III. They also have the opportunity to do an internship or take entrepreneur classes. So, it's just basically a way for them to see skills they're learning in the classroom and how that will apply beyond the classroom, how they can make a career out of it and just explore past the classroom wall.

Superintendent Godfrey:
What are some of the internships that students get involved in when they're doing this type of study?

Mrs. Glassy:
So, we've had students say they've gone on and done a lot of smaller business here that was sewing. We have some students who have gone on and done the costuming for plays. We had a student who went with Hale Theater and did their costuming with them. We've also had just the smaller level with the dance classes. We would like to do more. This is one that we would really like to get students out more into our community and doing internships.

Superintendent Godfrey:
That's exciting to get kids thinking about careers that they might not have thought about, that are connected with interests and abilities that they already have. What are some of the skills, just off the top of your head, that someone who went through this whole program would develop, you three students here, and tell us some of the skills that you have learned in this program.

Student:
Okay. I've developed pretty strong skills in sewing and just learning how to put pieces together with patterns. We learn a lot about patterns and how to cut them out properly and piece them together.

Student:
Yeah. Personally, I've gotten a lot more creative and a lot more out there with my designs. I've also learned a little more about pattern making and how it all fits together. Also, what is am able to. So, out of designing what I'm designing, I feel like I have learned how to design, obviously. But also, to create new things by changing the patterns in different ways. I think we're doing a recycle or redesign type thing, and that's kind fun. I've also learned how to alter things to make them fit me correctly. I've also learned just really great skills for my later life.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Well, I'm going to show you right now. I didn't plan on confessing this, but I am missing a button on my sport coat and I would have to consult an expert. There is no one in my home that can help me with this. And so, I'm glad that some folks have that skill. I've noticed it this morning and I just went with it because I had no other choice. Now, you mentioned a friend that's with you right now. That is your, My Style Barbie. Is that what I understand? So, you each have your My Style Barbie. I'd really like to be introduced. They each have a distinct style, that's for sure. So, can you tell me a little bit about that?

Student:
So with mine, I had trouble thinking of what I wanted to do because my style was kind of all-around weird, different, obviously, from all of the other ones. the fabric kind of looks like "grandma fabric". I don't know. It's kind of like if you were to go to the DI, which a lot of us love at this time of our lives. Almost everyone in the school probably has a thrift outfit. And then I just recycled or redesigned.

Superintendent Godfrey:
And are those two turtles kissing on the shirt?

Student:
They aren't kissing, but they are too close to it. They're coming out of there. It's my personality.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Just the shirt is very reminiscent of my childhood in the seventies. I think there were turtle shirts in my past. Is that kind of a safe way to explore style is on the Barbie.

Student:
Yeah, totally. I mean, it just gives you an idea of what you could make if you were to do it on yourself. It also makes you think of what it would look like on someone and how they would wear it.

Superintendent Godfrey:
So we just talked with Olivia about her My Style Barbie, let's talk with Lauren about yours. I'm noticing that you two are matched up a little bit.

Student:
Yeah.

Superintendent Godfrey:
There is a general safety pin theme going on. The cross-safety pins on your mask are with the safety pins on her skirt. Tell me about her style.

Student:
So for me, since we are just representing how we feel about style on our Barbies, I really enjoy pattern mixing. I'm wearing pattern pants. She has like a checkered skirt that looks like it belongs on a chess board and a little stripe up on her shirt to look like a race track. I really enjoy safety pins because I feel like they get a more industrial look and I love silver jewelry, as it is. And right now, safety pins represent a safe place for people to come to you if you are part of the LGBTQ community. So, I want to be welcoming to everyone with my style, let people know that you can come to me.

Superintendent Godfrey:
So it's style with a message.

Student:
Yeah, exactly.

Superintendent Godfrey:
So the safety pin is safety. It's connection, if you will. And I like that the racing stripe is almost like the checkerboard in the checkered flag as well. Nice. Okay. Now let's talk with Stella about her, My Style Barbie. What have we here?

Student:
So with my Barbie, I like my style. I'm kind of more Bohemian, maybe Hippie, a little bit. She's got a little top knot on her head and her shirt is more of, I don't know how would you describe that. She's got this little sash around her waist that's holding up her skirt and the green kind of ties in with the head band. And I don’t know with my style, I just like the kind of loose, but pretty solid.

Superintendent Godfrey:
It seems like a coherent style. And when you said sash, then I was thinking, "Oh yeah, that's called a sash". And when you said these two colors tie in, I thought, "Oh yeah, those two colors do tie in". So, I'm a little bit behind, but it makes sense. Once you say it, that's really exciting. It's very interesting because it sounds like you really get to not just learn skills, but to express yourself and to learn, to be creative and think about the world in a different way. Would you say that's true?

Student:
Yeah.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Okay. What do you think your future is? Does it involve sewing? Does it involve the things that you've learned in these classes along this pathway?

Student:
So I've actually been looking into the Utah State Outdoor Product and Design Program and I've been wanting to get involved with them by sewing either clothing for outdoors wear or the equipment. And I think it'd be super cool to have a future in graphic design, whether that be with like a big company, like Patagonia, I think that'd be way cool. But I'm super interested in Utah State's program.

Superintendent:
It would be something to walk around and see people wearing things that you had designed. How about you Lauren?

Student:
The dream has always been to just be fashion designer. I really didn't have a plan, but Mrs. Glassy was very helpful in giving us projects of creating slideshows of our dream jobs and what it will entail and the education you need. So, I know a little bit more about fashion design, luckily, and the dream would be fashion design. I wish to go to the University of Utah and study business to help, hopefully, get me into the fashion industry some way.

Superintendent Godfrey:
How about you, Olivia?

(18:12):
I think that'd be great to become a fashion designer or work at an alterations place because I feel like you'd get to work with so many great people that can't buy the high-end stuff and here you are, helping them make their higher end outfits. I also think that creating my own store would be super fun. So hopefully that'll work out in the future.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Well, that's exciting. After talking with you, I have no doubt you have big futures and fashion ahead of you. Have any of you heard of Garanimals? You should really look that up. It's from the seventies and that was my fashion consultant for animals. Check it out.

It's been great talking with you guys and we'll continue to watch the exciting projects that come out of this these classes.

Students:
Thank you so much.

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

Superintendent Godfrey:
Welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Under the direction of the Jordan Board of Education, Jordan School District is launching a COVID-19 Data Dashboard. The Jordan COVID-19 Data Dashboard will update parents and employees on current COVID-19 case counts in every school and office building so they can make the very best decisions for students, families, and themselves. The dashboard also shows the current number of students and staff in quarantine. Here to talk about the Jordan Data Dashboard and how it works is our Associate Superintendent, Mike Anderson and Planning and Enrollment Consultant, Caleb Olson. Thanks for joining me today. Most contracts in the District include the phrase, “other duties as assigned”, and this Data Dashboard falls under that category for you because you're someone who's skilled at just doing a lot of different things and pulling numbers together in a meaningful way. Caleb works with our enrollment numbers and our permits and works behind the scenes just to make all of that make sense for our schools, providing data districtwide. And so, I really appreciate your work on the Data Dashboard. I have it here in front of me and we've sent, along with the link to this podcast, a link to every parent and employee so they can access this. Can you just kind of walk me through the information that's included here on the dashboard?

Caleb Olson:
Yes. So, on the Dashboard at the top, where it's most visible and easiest to see, we have a total of the current positive COVID-19 cases in the District. And then we show a number that is the number of individuals districtwide in quarantine at the moment. Underneath that, you can see those same figures for each of our schools and the different work locations. When you go into the table at the bottom, it has a number that is the number of individuals in the building. And that number is the number of people that would be in that building or that location every day. It includes all of the students and all of the employees. Then we subtract out the number of full time, online students who don't come into school.

Superintendent Godfrey:
And the reason for reporting that number is that on Tuesday night, the Board decided that at certain percentage levels, certain things would happen at schools in response to an increase in the number of cases. So that number allows us to quickly see when we're approaching those percentage points.

Caleb Olson:
Exactly. We have that available so that any employee or any parent or any student can come and find their school and see what the situation is, what the case count is like at their building. There's also the ability to look at your feeder system, your area of the District, or to look at different levels of the district. You could see the totals for all of the elementary schools or the middle schools to kind of get that higher-level picture, if that's something you're interested in. Hopefully it's set up in a way that makes sense to our parents and our students and our employees so they can get the information they need to be informed when they make their decisions.

Superintendent Godfrey:
I know that with the County Data Dashboard, there are a lot of people hitting refresh throughout the day. There's a high level of interest in knowing what the latest numbers are. The banner at the top indicates that the data is updated every school day by one o'clock and then when it was last updated. It will be updated once per day. So, once you see that day's update, those are the newest numbers and that's where the numbers will be. Many times we'll get it before 1:00 PM. It's just that 1:00 PM is the latest an update will come.

Caleb Olson:
Yes. We want to make sure that by 1:00 PM, if you were to visit the site, you have the current numbers. What we don't want is to have cases trickle in or to have the number change throughout the day. We’ll update it and do our best to have it as quickly as possible. But by one o'clock every day, school is in session.

Superintendent Godfrey:
One of the things I like about the option to choose level or feeder system, first of all, is that you can compare how your high school or middle or elementary school looks in terms of the case in quarantine numbers compared with other schools in the district. There’s a lot of usefulness for the feeder systems as well. “Feeder” is a term we use a lot. It basically means the elementary schools that feed into a particular middle school and the middle schools that feed into a particular high school. Some places call it a pod. But basically, looking at the feeder statistics allows you to see whether there's a trend with any particular community. And we can look and see that not only is a particular high school seeing higher numbers, but we're seeing a spike at the middle school and at the elementary level as well. That actually hasn't happened yet. The highest numbers have remained at the high school level, which in meetings I've attended with other superintendents and with the County Health Department, seems to be the trend throughout the State.

Caleb Olson:
Exactly. I think if you look at some of the information from the County, they can report by zip code to give you a look at your area for the school district. Our equivalent of that would be the feeder system, the high school and the schools that feed into it. So, if you want to know what your neighborhood is like, you could look at your local school or you can go kind of step back and see the high school and the schools that feed into it. So that's available there for patrons and for our community to look at.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Mike Anderson, Associate Superintendent, let's talk a little bit about the middle column of active cases. We, with the County Health Department, determine these numbers. Can you tell me how an active case is defined?

Mike Anderson:
Yes. I work with the County Health Department on a daily basis. It's one of my “other duties as assigned”, right? Currently active case as defined by the Health Department is 14 days from the day that it is first reported to public health. And it stays on their records for those 14 days. After that, it will drop off.

Superintendent Godfrey:
In the active cases, we have several categories. You'll see a zero if there are no cases at a particular school. And then, if the number is from one to six, we just put that range. So, it's either zero, meaning there are no cases, or one to six, meaning there are one to six active cases. Then, if there are more than six cases, we'll give the individual number of cases at that school. Can you explain to everyone why it is that there is not an individual number all the way down to one?

Mike Anderson:
Well, in cases of one to six, one of the concerns is that those cases would become personally identifiable. It wouldn't be hard to know that if we listed a school as having one case or two cases who those students are in that building.  So out of a concern for privacy and out of a concern for what we refer to as FERPA, which is the Family Education Rights to Privacy Act. If our case count is above the range from one to six, we start listing the actual number of cases. You’ll see that in the middle column. They are coded by color. Anything between seven and fourteen is coded by color as yellow and above 15, we would color code in orange.

Superintendent Godfrey:
So you can quickly see at-a-glance where we have a higher number of cases at a particular school. And, like I said, you can break it down by level or feeder and do some comparisons as well. Now, there are totals at the top of the page as well, and the programmers and our web designer have made it possible for us to have those numbers continually updated on the main webpage. So, even if you're just on the main webpage, those numbers will be there. And that's the current active cases in the district and the individuals in quarantine. But those main totals will also recalculate when you use the dropdown menu on the Data Dashboard page to select either a feeder system or a level. Anything else you would add, Caleb? Any other features or any other aspects of this that you'd like to make people aware of?

Caleb Olson:
No, I hope it's user friendly and good for people to use. It's easy when we start putting numbers in columns like this, to try and have the numbers be accessible. But we also have to remember that each of those numbers is a person who probably doesn't feel too good right now and has had their life turned upside down. We want to get information to people in a way that's easy for them to get to, but also make sure that we're respectful of the people behind those numbers and keep them in mind. I think that's a really important point. The numbers help us make decisions, but those decisions are really based around providing a safe and healthy learning environment and a great educational experience for everyone. We know how important school is and we know how important keeping everyone safe and healthy is. And so, we're balancing those interests and these numbers help us do that. Mike and I were talking about that again last night. Just the fact that each one of these numbers represent someone's life, someone's education and someone's individual circumstance that we're trying to make the best we can.

When there’s a quarantine or positive case, their world has been turned upside down. If I may add personal note here, my son is on quarantine. He was notified and his world has been rocked a little bit, and that's rocked the world of his mother and me. Our entire family's structure has been changed pretty considerably because of that. And so, we want to be sensitive to that. We also want to provide, as you said, good information so that students, parents, families, teachers, and administrators can all make informed decisions. And this is what we hope this Dashboard accomplishes.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Yes. We're all affected in different ways, personally, by this. And the more information we can give to families, employees, parents, students, and members of the community, the better decisions we can all make as we try to get through this together. Thanks very much for all of your hard work to make this possible and for stopping to talk with us on the Supercast today. Thank you. Thanks again to Associate Superintendent, Mike Anderson and Planning and Enrollment Consultant, Caleb Olson for joining us on this episode of the Supercast. You can access the Data Dashboard by visiting https://movingforward.jordandistrict.org/ or click the link on the main page at jordandistrict.org.

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

Superintendent Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. What is contact tracing and how does it work when someone tests positive for COVID-19 in our schools? On this episode of the Supercast, we talk with Salt Lake County Health Department Epidemiologist Annie George, who explains the process of contact tracing and how parents can keep track of COVID-19 cases, data by using a COVID-19 Data Dashboard established by Salt Lake County Health. Annie, thanks very much for taking the time. Let's just start out by talking about contact tracing. Why is it important to do contact tracing to keep everyone safe in our schools?

Annie George:
That's an excellent question. The goal of contact tracing is to stop the spread of a disease. We actually use it for other diseases besides COVID. But the goal there is to let people know who have been exposed to the disease so they can take the appropriate precautions to hopefully contain the spread.

Superintendent Godfrey:
How does contact tracing work?

Annie George:
Specifically for COVID, we look at those who have been in close contact with an individual who's tested positive. We define close contact as within six feet of someone and then if the duration is for longer than 15 minutes. We also are putting in the caveat that this is with or without a mask. We get a lot of questions about that.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Why are we wearing masks if we still have to quarantine?

Annie George:
So, as a lot of studies that have come out recently have shown, not all masks are created equal. Some of them are more effective than others, depending on what they're made out of. And also, it requires the people to be wearing their masks correctly. I've seen as I've gone about out in the community lately, there are a lot of people that will just wear the masks over their mouths with their noses are sticking out. To kind of mitigate the risk there, we keep to that definition of within six feet for longer than 15 minutes.

Superintendent Godfrey:
I have a couple of follow-up questions on that. First of all, I've heard some confusion over time about whether those 15 minutes have to be consecutive or not.

Annie George:
Yes, that's generally the guidelines we use, if it's been consecutive.

Superintendent Godfrey:
So for the most part, it's 15 consecutive minutes, that's the threshold you're looking at to determine whether someone has really, truly been exposed to the Coronavirus or not.

Annie George:
Yes. There’re risk levels that we assign.  Anybody that's over the 15 minutes in a consecutive time block would be considered risk. If it's anything less than 15 minutes, it's considered a lower risk exposure.

Superintendent Godfrey:
My other question is about the masks themselves. You mentioned, of course, that all masks are not created equal, and also the way that masks are worn will vary from person to person. So, wearing the mask is still very important because it helps prevent the spread. But because you don't know exactly how the mask was worn, that doesn't eliminate the risk when you're doing contact tracing.

Annie George:
That's correct. We still very strongly encourage people to wear masks and to wear them correctly because it does help with the spread. So yes, we still do encourage that.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Besides wearing the mask over the mouth and nose, are there other things that people need to be thinking about as they are wearing their mask?

Annie George:
I think most importantly, make sure you can breathe in it. That's important. And then make sure it's got a good fit on your face. If you're breathing too easily and it's not covering adequately and then it's probably not doing its job. Make sure it's got a good fit. You don't want to be putting an adult size mask on a kid because odds are, it's not going to be a good fit.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Okay. Thank you. Going back to contact tracing, does contact tracing help everyone, students, teachers, other employees?

Annie George:
It does. It absolutely does. So, if those that have been exposed to the disease or have the disease are removed from an environment, the risk of spread goes down greatly. So, it absolutely does help.

Superintendent Godfrey:
What are some of the questions that people are asked when you're doing contact tracing? As you mentioned, is it just how long they were around a person who we know is infected? Whether they were both wearing a mask doesn't change things? What are some of the other questions that we've, that we've asked?

Annie George:
At the Health Department, we primarily focus on contacts that these people have had. How many people live in their household? For adults we ask if they have a job or with high school students, a lot of them could have jobs as well. We ask about employment. We do notify workplaces so they can take appropriate precautions as well. If they've been there within 48 hours prior to their symptom onset, we've asked about where they've been. We need to know if they've been in a healthcare setting previously or just their whereabouts so we can track where they've been and notify those that need to be notified.

Superintendent Godfrey:
If someone has been exposed, they would be quarantined, and those who are infected may be isolated. Is that correct?

Annie George:
Yes, you got it.

Superintendent Godfrey:
We do hear confusion about those two terms a fair amount. Would you define for us what those two means?

Annie George:
Sure. Like you said, we call it isolation if you are either diagnosed with the disease. You have to be sick to be on isolation, when you're either diagnosed with the disease or you're symptomatic, or maybe you're waiting for a test result to come back. That would be considered isolation. For quarantine, it's that you have a known exposure with an individual that has the virus, but you are not, or maybe are not yet exhibiting symptoms.

Superintendent Godfrey:
That's the difference between isolation and quarantine. There's a difference in length also, though isolation tends to be 10 days, quarantine is 14 days. Why the difference?

Annie George:
Isolation will necessarily be limited to 10 days. It can be longer than that. We're waiting for this person's symptoms to resolve and for every person, that's different. One of the things that we thought was very strange about COVID to begin with was people would start to show kind of milder symptoms towards the beginning and then between days like 5 to 10.  Sometimes people would just tank and get a whole lot worse and maybe end up in the hospital. So that's what we're watching out for. The technical definition is, you can't have a fever for 24 hours before you can return to school or work. And that needs to be without the use of Tylenol or other fever, reducing medication. It might not necessarily be 10 days. It could be longer than that. But that's kind of the baseline of the majority, looking at the collected data, looking at the majority of cases, most people's symptoms resolved by date day 10.

Superintendent Godfrey:
That's isolation, specifically, that you're talking about?

Annie George:
Yes. For isolation. So that is based off of a disease's incubation period. Again, from looking at research, it has been decided that the incubation period is 14 days. They have had a case where someone was exposed and went home and quarantined like they should, and they developed the coronavirus on day 13, after they hadn't had exposure to anybody else. So, it is possible for it to take that long.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Is that super common?

Annie George:
No, generally not. If people are going to develop symptoms, it's typically quicker than that.  But that's why we use the length of the disease infection or infection period to determine that.

Superintendent Godfrey:
So, 14 days is the time it can take to develop those symptoms. But many times it will happen at least a few days earlier than that. Okay, now the Salt Lake County Health Department launched a Data Dashboard for the county. Can you tell us how to access that and tell us a little bit about the information that's presented there?  There's a lot of information, not just about schools, but about the county, more broadly.

Annie George:
Yes. So the Dashboard itself was launched several months ago. The school's specific portion was what was launched last week. It can be found on our website at slc.org/health/. There's a Coronavirus information page you can click on. I'm actually part of the team that helped develop it. So it's been kind of an interesting process we've gone on through the months. We've determined different needs that we have. We've made a lot of changes to the Dashboard, but if you haven't had a chance to check it out, I would greatly encourage it. There's a lot of very helpful information on there. Our goal in developing the Dashboard Board was to be transparent about the number of cases that we have.

We've had a lot of people criticize that scene. That's not really the number of total cases. That's actually just the number of positive tests and people can test positive for a long time. We've already taken that into consideration, and those are actual case count numbers of people that have had Coronavirus within Salt Lake County. We also have provided the ability on there for people to drill down to smaller than just the County level data. The State Health Department also has a Dashboard and it's all County-level data, but we wanted to give Salt Lake County residents the ability to drill down to smaller level data. You can actually look at city level data. You can look at zip code, and specific data for the larger cities that encompass multiple zip codes.

So there is a lot of data that shows our case counts every day. It shows outbreak information as well. And then, like you said, last week, we rolled out a new school site. We've had this question a lot. Parents will call in and say their kid's school isn't on there.

Superintendent Godfrey:
So how is this accurate?

Annie George:
It's actually a good thing if your kid's school isn't on there. That means that there are no cases at the school, which is what we want to see. So other than that, we don't show exact case counts at the school level due to privacy concerns. We use the 15, either less than 15 or greater than, or equal to 15 threshold that was developed by State leadership to kind of mask the exact number of cases. The exact case count of every school district is available on there. It's a good resource. I think that I would encourage parents to look at it.

Superintendent Godfrey:
How frequently is the Data Dashboard updated, and at what time of day?

Annie George:
It's updated every day, Monday through Saturday, and the update refreshes every day at 2:00 PM. If you get on site a little after two, it should be up to date. It encompasses data up through midnight the night before. So you won't have any data from today on there. It will all be yesterday's data.  When the number of cases or any of the information is posted on there, it's really from the previous day up through midnight.

We'll take a quick break and when we come back, more with Annie George, Infectious Disease Epidemiologist with Salt Lake County Health.

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

Superintendent Godfrey:
I'm sure you're getting a lot of calls. You've had a lot of conversations with people and a lot of different circumstances. Tell me, what are some of the misconceptions that you're hearing out there?

Annie George:
One of the big ones is that this doesn't affect children, but it's not something that we have a clear answer on. If you think back to the beginning of this, when Coronavirus first arrived on US soil, one of the first things that we shut down was our schools to help eliminate the risk of spread there in school. That's still kind of an unknown that I think people need to consider. We know there hasn't been nearly as many fatalities in children and that's something that is excellent, but we also still have to keep in mind that asymptomatic transmission does occur. It's also kind of scary going when kids maybe get home from school and their parents aren't there yet, and they go visit grandma and grandpa for a while. They're interacting with the high-risk population. So, I think those are all things that need to be kept on people's radar.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Any other misconceptions or common questions that you're getting?

Annie George:
Sure, we had a lot when the CDC released data about the 6% of deaths. That was the only number they had where Coronaviruses was specifically listed on people's death certificates. We had a lot of questions around that, whether really the number of the 244 deaths listed on Salt Lake County Health Department's Dashboard was really only 6% accurate, and that is not true. I think what people need to know about it is that the number is likely very under-reported. Sometimes the main cause of will be that a person has a cardiovascular issue or acute respiratory failure or something like that. And those can all be conditions as a result of having COVID-19.

So, I think that's one of the big misconceptions that we've dealt with as of late. Another one that's been in the media is that they hope to have a vaccine rolled out at the beginning of November and people are kind of holding onto that date. But people need to be aware that, even if that does come to fruition, we've seen in some of the vaccine trials that there's been a delay because of adverse reactions. So even if one does make it on the market by November 1st, it's not like there's going to be enough to go around. We're kind of in a holding pattern until enough of the vaccine is available. So, if you want an example of that, we also track influenza cases very heavily here at the Health Department, and every year the CDC meets in February. The flu season isn't even technically over yet, but in order to make enough vaccines for the next flu season, they meet in February and decide what strains are going to be included in that virus because it takes that amount of time from February until they roll them out, in generally August, to create that many vaccines. So, I don't want people to have false hopes that come mid-November, we're all going to be trolling back to our lives as normal. I don't think that's going to happen.

Superintendent Godfrey:
We're all learning a lot through this pandemic. If we look back to Friday the 13th of March, when we closed schools, there's a lot we've learned since then. What are some of the lessons that you would share with parents and employees who might be listening to the podcast?

Annie George:
I think one of the biggest things is that our message really hasn't changed over that course of time. There's been some small things, but we are encouraging very same things that we were encouraging at the beginning. Wearing masks, that criteria came a little bit later, but really, making sure that you're washing your hands and using appropriate respiratory etiquette. Covering your mouth when you sneeze or cough and making sure that you wash your hands frequently. That message has not changed.

And, as this has kind of gone on, we've learned about social distancing. I think that has surprised me almost more than anything, the importance of social distancing. Because I am involved in pulling the Dashboard Data and updating that every day, I see the spikes that happen after every holiday or we'll see evidence after a family reunion at Bear Lake. We've seen where people, a lot of people are gathered close together, how very quickly it can spread,

Superintendent Godfrey:
What are some of the really positive things that you've seen in terms of the way people have reacted and kind of risen to the challenge of trying to manage the pandemic?

Annie George:
I think that's one of the things that has inspired me most. Watching the unified effort that has taken place to fight Coronavirus. I saw that here at the Health Department level where we pulled in everybody. They stopped doing their normal day jobs and came to help us out. We had environmental health scientists that are normally watching air quality or doing restaurant inspections. They came to help us contact trace because the Infectious Disease, Epidemiology Bureau simply couldn't keep up with the demand anymore to do contact tracing. That's given us an opportunity to interact with people from other areas of the Health Department. We were all unified in an effort and that was empowering because, to be quite honest, it's been very difficult. We have worked really long hours and it's been for months now. So, it does put kind of a drain on you after a while, but it's also been empowering that we're all after the same mission. We've also had that experience to interact with other people in the community through this. I've worked with a lot of first responders, getting them data to help keep them safe. Being able to develop new community partnerships as well, has been awesome.

Superintendent Godfrey:
I've observed the same thing. Employees, parents, students, members of the community, just pitching in to make the best of things and it's really inspiring to see. Annie, thank you very much for joining us. We really appreciate your time. Annie George, Infectious Disease Epidemiologist with Salt Lake County Health Department, thanks again for being on the Supercast.

Annie George:
You're welcome.

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

Superintendent Godfrey:
Welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It was a day in the cafeteria at West Jordan Middle School that some students will never forget. On this episode of the Supercast, hear how a ninth-grade student jumped into action, using a technique he learned in health class, to save the life of his best friend, who was choking. It's a story of heroism and to help teacher lifesaving lessons. We're here with two students at West Jordan Middle School that had an extraordinary experience last week. Tell me your names.

Jackson:  Jackson Johnson.

Hunter: Hunter Olsen

Superintendent Godfrey:
Jackson, and Hunter. So, Jackson, tell us what happened the other day in the cafeteria.

Jackson:
I got my lunch. I sat down and was eating it. I had hiccups throughout the day. So, I hiccup and a piece of chicken got stuck in my throat.  I was trying to see if I could cough it up but nothing happened. So, I turned around and I signaled to my friend "I'm choking" and then he got up and did the Heimlich.

Superintendent Godfrey:
And that's your friend, Hunter, that did that. Did you have to get his attention? What was the choking sign that you gave?

Jackson:
I just put my hands over my throat.

Superintendent Godfrey:
And so Hunter, you see this and what did you do?

Hunter:
My first instinct was just to come up and try to help as much as I could. That was pretty much just it.

Superintendent Godfrey:
So when you walked over to him, what happened? Did you just go right into Heimlich mode?

Hunter:
Yes, pretty much. I had to make sure he was actually choking first because we were all at the table, just laughing, just because we thought he was just choking on something little, like it went down the wrong tube or something. Then he was just coughing over the garbage can.

Superintendent Godfrey:
When you first realized, I'm really choking here, what did you do to get their attention?

Jackson:
Well, they were all looking at me because I thought I was messing around. I turned and I looked dead at Hunter and I started putting my hands over my throat saying "I'm choking" while signaling it. And then he realized it and hopped up. Well, everyone else just thought it was still a joke.

So, I just decided, I'm going to focus on one person and that person is Hunter, and I'm going to make sure I get his attention. Because I knew he would actually do something.

Superintendent Godfrey:
That's pretty awesome. What made you know that Hunter was the guy to take action and save your life?

Jackson:
The two other kids kind of weren't paying attention, and the other one was my brother who, the whole time, was kind of just saying, "Call home", because he really wanted to go home.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Okay. So, Hunter is the go-to guy.

Hunter:
When he turned around, he kind of had a look in his eyes like, "Oh shoot, it's actually in there and I can't get it out myself". So, I thought, okay. I just stepped up and adrenaline shot up. I just went into autopilot I guess, and just did what I learned in health class and I've seen her at work.

Superintendent Godfrey:
So you did feel that surge of adrenaline, you kind of realized, "Hey, something's really wrong here". And have you felt that other times in your life before? Is there a comparable moment?

Hunter:
Yeah, a few years ago when I played football. If you get a big tackle or the whole team's depending on you to stop a play or something, it's just that kind of agenda and that adrenaline rush. It was kind of like that on steroids.

Superintendent Godfrey:
And so your friend seems to be joking, you're laughing around, you realize he's actually choking, you get the adrenaline rush and you said you went into autopilot now. I don't know that I have autopilot for that sort of situation. We'd all like to think that we do, but I don't think we do. So how were you prepared for that situation?

Hunter:
I think I just paid attention in health class and I learned the practice in there and I just put it into real life.

Superintendent Godfrey:
How recently had you learned the Heimlich Maneuver?

Hunter:
Last year, in eighth grade.

Superintendent Godfrey:
So you paid attention in health class? That's an awesome thing. And it was last year, so you really did pay attention. Have you ever done the Heimlich before this time?

Hunter:
No. If this was my first time.

Superintendent Godfrey:
And so did you have to think about what to do or did you just do it?

Hunter:
Well, I just remembered kind of where to put my hands and I just kind of did it.

Superintendent Godfrey:
We're here in the cafeteria where it happened and Jackson is standing right there. Can you reenact it for us? Can you kind of show us? Let's see. Start choking Jack. Okay. What did you do? Jackson?

Jackson:
I put my arms up so that he could reach around.

Hunter:
I'm shorter than Jackson.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Let's see you try that. We're here in the cafeteria, where it happened? Let's see, you stand back there and you just went, right?

Jackson:
Oh, a little bit too high and then he pushed.

Superintendent Godfrey:
He pushed it also. So, Jack, you pushed his hands down to get his hands into the right position?

Jackson:
Yeah.

Superintendent Godfrey:
And how many times did you have to do it?

Hunter:
It was like four times before I actually popped it up.

Superintendent Godfrey:
So Jack, what were you feeling? Were you both feeling that high level of stress as it's happening? I'm assuming, yes. I don't think I've ever done the Heimlich Maneuver. I don't remember ever doing that on someone. So, the meat then came out of your throat, right? And how did you feel right in the aftermath of that?

Jackson:
I was shocked that actually had come out because it felt like it was pretty stuck and I was also relieved to be able to breathe.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Were you holding your throat afterward trying to swallow and did you feel fine afterwards?  What did you say to a Hunter afterward?

Jackson:
I said thank you.

Superintendent Godfrey:
One of the biggest, thank you's of your life, I would guess.

Jackson: Yeah.

Superintendent Godfrey:
So, did you tell your parents about what happened?

Jackson:
They saw it as soon as they posted the thing on Instagram about Hunter.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Oh yeah, you posted it on Instagram?

Jackson:  The school did.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Oh, the school did. And so that's how they found out?

Jackson:  Yeah.

Superintendent Godfrey:
So, they found out from the school Instagram account before you told them.

Jackson:
Yeah.  Then they called me down to call my parents.

Superintendent Godfrey:
How did your parents react once you talked with them about it?

Jackson:
My mom was relieved that I was alive. My dad came up to me and said, "Start chewing your food now."

Superintendent Godfrey:
Lessons to be learned all around. Pay attention in health class to your food and sometimes your friends aren't joking. They really do need your help.

Jackson:  Yeah.

Superintendent Johnson:
I really liked your description of the way the adrenaline kind of came up and the way that you, Jackson, described how you knew you were in trouble at a certain point. You knew it was really lodged in there. There are those moments that, figuratively, we feel that there's danger, that we know there's something we need to do and that we need help. And those moments that Hunter experienced, where we know its time for us to step up and somebody needs us and we need to do that right now. Whether it's your teammates that you described or whether it's saving your friend's life. How does it feel when I say that sentence, "Saving your friend's life"?

Hunter:
It's pretty shocking. I'd never thought I'd really save one of my friend's life, in that moment, but it's just kind of shocking.

Superintendent Godfrey:
So as a ninth grader, you've saved your friend's life. What's next for you now? I mean, it's always onward and upward. What's the next big achievement?

Hunter:
I don't really know. If something comes up again, I'll jump in.

Superintendent Godfrey:
I have to say that we all hope that we would do what you did, but it's pretty impressive that you were able to remember what needed to happen and you jumped in and just took action, because a lot of times, someone's going to run for help instead of be the help. And it's pretty awesome that you were the help and thank you. What kind of bond did this create between you two?

Hunter:
I think we had a pretty strong bond before because we hang out a lot. His dad was my old football coach, so we got to spend a lot of time together. But I think it even strengthened that brotherhood that we have together and I'm just really glad that he's my friend.

Superintendent Godfrey:
What do you think Jackson?

Jackson:
I'd have to say the same thing.

Superintendent Godfrey:
So, do the two of you pay as good attention in your other classes as you did to your health class?

Hunter:
Some of them. I liked my health class a lot. The teacher really had an impact on us.

Superintendent Godfrey:  I would say if you pay as good attention in other classes, as you did in health and you apply your learning from those other classes, as well as you did in your health class, then you have great things ahead of you.

So, we pulled up some security footage and we actually can watch it. Have you guys seen this video yet?

Jackson and Hunter:
No.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Okay. We're going to watch it and then we're going to get your reaction. Okay. So, what happens here?

Jackson:
I started choking and you can see Julio pointed and laughed at me.

Hunter:  We're all laughing at him.

Superintendent Godfrey:
You're leaning over at the table.

Jackson:  Yeah. I'm trying to cough it up into the garbage can.

Superintendent Godfrey:
You're pointing your throat.

Jackson:
And then, yeah.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Wow. You really use some force Hunter.

Hunter:  Yeah.

Jackson:
This is where I moved his hands down.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Hunter, it didn't work at first and you just kept going. Wow! That was six times you lifted him off the ground.

Hunter:
Yeah. And right at the end I put my arms up and I yelled for my health teacher named Ms. Howa.

Superintendent Godfrey:
So you celebrated her. Oh wow! That's amazing! You lifted him off the ground a couple of times is pretty strong.

Hunter:
Yeah, obviously.

Superintendent Godfrey:
So, all that football that Jack's dad coached you in prepared you for this as well, because you really put some strength behind that. And what was impressive is that you didn't give up. You just kept going. You didn't say, "Hey, I've done it a few times. It's not working". You stayed with it.

Hunter:
Yeah.

Superintendent Godfrey:
I think we need to freeze frame the moment where you put your hands up and say her name, and we need to put that in a frame for your teacher.

Hunter:  Okay.

Superintendent Godfrey:
We're going to do that. That's pretty impressive.

Hunter:
And then Julio, our friend right there, he went to go tell the hall monitor.

Superintendent Godfrey:
So Julio went for help. Yeah. We're watching this again. That's just amazing. He just stayed with it. And were you okay after that? Did your throat hurt for a long time after that?

Jackson:
I was all right. It didn't really hurt.

Superintendent:
Did you finish your chicken sandwich?

Jackson:  Yeah.

Superintendent Godfrey:
It's a real pleasure talking to both of you and I'm just proud of what you guys have done. You kept your head in a very difficult circumstance and that's going to serve you well in the future. Great job. Wow. That's incredible.

Stay with us. When we come back, hear from the health teacher whose classroom lesson helped save a life.

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

Superintendent Godfrey:
We're here with Kathy Howa, a teacher at West Jordan Middle School. Kathy, you've had a significant impact of the school in just a few short years. You were Hunter's teacher, who performed the Heimlich on Jackson in the school cafeteria and saved his life. How does that feel?

Kathy Howa:
I'll tell you what, it's probably the highlight of my career. I don't think a teacher could be thanked any more than somebody listening in their class and being able to save another person's life.

Superintendent Godfrey:
I'll agree with you there. This is an awesome feather in your cap. You know, teachers have a big impact on students and sometimes it is not so evident and immediately as this. I talked with Hunter and he says, it's information from your class last year that helped him jump into action. What do you think of that?

Kathy Howa:
It's pretty amazing. As a teacher, you always wonder if the student is listening and you know that they're not going to get all the information, but it's a great thing to know that he listened. The other thing is that he had the power to jump up and actually do it. That was amazing because all of us ask ourselves, what would I do in that particular situation. And to know that kid was brave enough to do that was so amazing. And what an impact, he saved someone's life.

Superintendent Godfrey:
What that says to me is you didn't just teach them the procedure. You gave your student the confidence to act on what you taught.

Kathy Howa:
Thank you. I hope that happens. There's a lot of things in health that are so important that these kids learn because it's their life. And especially as adolescents, you know, that they're learning what we need them to learn right now with a lot of the subjects.

Superintendent Godfrey:
What you taught Hunter had an impact because he loved your class. That's what he told me.

Kathy Howa:
Oh, that melts my heart. And it definitely does that. The kids are just everything. And you know, if you just lead them to where you need to lead, hopefully they'll become great human beings in our community.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Now, I'm going to guess that Hunter didn't walk into health class on the first day and say, "You know what, I'll bet this is going to be my favorite class". But as soon as he gets to know you and starts to see how things are in the classroom, it becomes a favorite class because of the teacher, because of you.

Kathy Howa:
Thank you. That means a lot. Thank you so much.

Superintendent Godfrey:
There's an exciting tidbit that I learned as we watched this video with Hunter and Jackson. We watched the video of a Hunter actually performing the Heimlich. And after he knew that Jackson was okay, he celebrated by putting both fists in the air and he yelled, "Howa, woah!" So, he shouted out your name after he'd saved Jackson's life.

Kathy Howa:
I just heard that, just lately. I wish I would have been there, but what a special thing. I don't think I'll ever top this, you know? Just things that happen in your career. I don't think there's a better reward. There just isn't.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Well, it's a great achievement. And it's a reflection of the 28 years of great teaching you've been doing and connecting to kids and helping them understand the importance of what you're teaching. So, thanks for being a great example of what an awesome teaching looks like.

Kathy Howa:
Thank you so much. I appreciate that.

Superintendent Godfrey:
And you're going to be extending the Heimlich Maneuver unit in your class?

Kathy Howa:
Well, right now I'm just hoping that we can get to where the kids can actually have the hands-on practice. We do a practical where they have to pass a test in the classroom. So, I'm hoping to get there. I wish I was doing it sooner instead of at the end of my two quarters. I would teach this a lot sooner.

Superintendent Godfrey:
It's one of the favorite stories that I've heard in a long time. It's been a pleasure talking with you, and it was great talking with the students as well. So, thanks for everything you're doing and keep up the great work. Thank you so much.

Thanks again for joining us on the Supercast and remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today, wherever you are. We'll see you.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. We take you inside some classrooms in Jordan School District on a tour with Rich Saunders, executive director of the Utah Department of Health. Mr. Saunders stopped by to see first-hand how teachers, students, and administrators are doing during the pandemic.

But first we head out to the Herriman High School football field to meet the young man behind a history making touchdown. We are here at Herriman High School with running back Nu'u Tafisi. In August, the entire nation was hungry for sports, and the first football game in the nation was played at Herriman High School. And you were the first one to score a touchdown in the nation this year. How did that feel?

Nu'u:
Ah, you know, so good. Just going out to play football with my boys. We had to wear face masks on the sideline and, you know, just going through everything with the COVID is just something that we had to adapt to.  And we did, as you can see in the film. I celebrate with my line, you know, we had it every time.

Superintendent Godfrey:
I like how you talked about celebrating with your line. Nobody does it alone. There are a lot of people that participated in that, but you got to carry the ball across the line.

Nu'u:
The line is everything to me, you know.  Without a line, I can't do anything as a running back.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Well, there's a lot for us to all learn from. We're relying on each other more than ever just to get through the pandemic and make sure that everybody has as much opportunity at school and athletics and activities and in the classroom as well. So, it's a great example of what we're all trying to do. Has being part of football helped you through the pandemic because we were all isolated for a long time? Did it feel good to be back with everyone?

Nu'u:
Yes, definitely. You know, being at home and quarantined is really waring and, just to get something for the people to watch, you know, some sort of entertainment is good.

Superintendent Godfrey:
So, do you get energy from the fact that people are watching and cheering you on? Is that an important part of what you're doing on the field?

Nu'u:
Yes, definitely. Without the fans, I don't even think that'd be playing football.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Thanks to Nu'u Tafisi for stopping for an interview. I know you've got to get there and practice for tomorrow night's game. So, good luck out there.

Nu'u:  Thank you.

Superintendent Godfrey:  We're here with Brock Hollingsworth at Herriman High School. Brock, tell us what sports do you play? What positions do you play?

Brock:
I play football. I would play track to get ready for football, get my speed up, but mainly football. I play safety, corner, receiver, return kicks, or return punts, you know, just wherever coach needs me. Just get a little burst going. That's where, that's where I like to go and just get some energy going in the field.

Superintendent Godfrey:
I rely on people like you, people I can put anywhere to do what needs to be done. So that's awesome. How did they feel to get to return as an athlete this fall, after being cooped up in the spring because of the pandemic?

Brock:
Oh, it was amazing. Like you're just aching to play football. I've been playing football since I was a little boy. And so, it was, it was on a cycle, you know.  You get this much off of football and then you go and play it again. And the fact that it could have been taken away this year, it felt like it wasn't on the same cycle. He had to wait a little longer. I was just aching and itching to get back out there and just get working with the boys.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Do you think you played with a greater intensity because you had this kind of pent up desire to get on the field and to be with your team?

Brock:
Oh yeah. You're always going to play with a different intensity on the first game. You go out and everyone's got the first game jitters. Especially how we haven't been able to play for so long and being able to practice and stuff. That definitely is a big, factor going into that game and knowing that we were on TV and stuff. That was also a little urge. So, it gets people going on that too.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Yes. You have national attention just because you were playing and that adds a different layer to everything when you know you're on that stage.

Brock:
Oh yeah. You know there weren't that many people in the stands, but in your mind, you know that there's people watching at home. People I have never even talked to before were texting me after the game saying good game, this and that. And I was thinking, "Wait, I've never talked to you before my life". So just knowing that they're watching, that means like a lot more people are watching and it's just crazy.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Well, I think you have an opportunity to see just how much it means to people to be able to watch high school athletics and be part of that. It's exciting for us as a district to know that we're so well represented by you here at Herriman High.

Brock:  Oh yeah.

Superintendent Godfrey:
So, are you still feeling that level of intensity, that excitement that you had at the start?

Brock:
Oh yeah. You always want to come with the same intensity, same excitement. We love the game and we know the community loves the game and, just going out there and if you look at the ticket sales, the tickets sell out in 30 seconds, it's crazy. People are really ready to get out and watch a game. And so, knowing that all those people are watching and you got to go give them a show, because the community means so much. Our fundraisers, all of that stuff, they do that for us we can go and play. And, I feel like we did like a really good job, especially on protocol. I feel like the community followed that a lot, wearing their masks and staying in their sections, this and that.

So, I know there was a team that was ended up having to stop the game for a little bit because they weren't following protocol. And the fact that we didn't have to do that because our community is so good with that wants to see us play. It's just phenomenal feeling.

Superintendent Godfrey:
So, you're feeling a high level of community support.

Brock:  Oh yeah. Oh yeah. And inherent, you'll always feel that everyone loves their football, especially here. So, it's just a crazy feeling going on there.

Superintendent Godfrey:  Did it feel different to you playing this year or as soon as you got on the field did it just feel like football again?

Brock:
It was a little different, you know, like you can actually hear the cadence from the quarterback, and you don't hear the whole fans screaming and stuff. But knowing that you're still out there battling out in a game, playing against another team. I mean, you practice against your own team the whole summer so it feels good.

So, going out and playing against the different teams, it's crazy going out and seeing someone on the other side of the ball that you don't know their strengths. So, you just go out there and you just play and have fun. And when you make a good play, your boys are out there with you celebrating. I mean, football is football. That's just what it is.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Well, I'm looking forward to making it to a game. So, I'll see out on the field. Thanks a lot for taking time to talk with us. I'll let you get back to practice so that you can have a great Friday.

Brock:
Yeah. Thank you. Thanks for taking time.

Superintendent Godfrey:
My pleasure.

Stay with us. When we come back, we'll take you inside some classrooms with Rich Saunders, Executive Director of the Utah State Department of Health.

Sandra Riesgraf:
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Superintendent Godfrey:
We're here with Rich Saunders, the Executive Director of the Utah State Health Department, and he's been visiting a couple of our schools. Rich, thanks for spending the day with us.

Rich Saunders:
It has been a pleasure, and I'm amazed at the great work that's being done by your people here. The students, as well as the faculty and the staff, the administration, it's been remarkable.

Superintendent Godfrey:
Well, it's been great having you. I think it's very validating for teachers to see you here. Why is it important to you? I know you've been visiting schools around the State. Why is it important for you to visit schools?

Rich Saunders:
Well, we have a lot of concerns and a lot of interest in kids being able to come back to school, to be able to have in-person learning. It's a very high priority. We know it's a very important aspect of the children's lives. And we have a pandemic in our community and around the world. And we're trying to figure out how do we get the kids to safely come back to school and have effective learning, and yet balance that in with the right type of protection. We have a mask order. That's been implemented as a public health order. It's important that we understand that effective learning can take place with the masks. And if there are areas that are of a significant concern, that we address those so that we don't cause irreversible damage to the child's learning. That's why I'm out in the schools, to get an in-person look at how the kids are responding and to learn from teachers and the staff, any kind of feedback that they have about, sanitization and other protocols that take place for the experience to be wonderful in the schools.

And you know, what I'm most excited about is that the kids are happy. They were getting along just fine. They're doing well. They have to make a little sacrifice wearing a mask over their nose in their face for most of the time, but they're happy and they're doing well. It's good to see that I've observed

Superintendent Godfrey:
The same thing. It's nice to see how much the kids enjoy being back at school. And its kids being kids, even though at the same time, they're following the rules that we've put in place. We were out at lunch and they were distanced and kids were wearing masks. And yet they still ask the goofy middle-school questions. When you came to visit one of their classes, what else have you observed as you've been out in schools?

Rich Saunders:
I have observed a lot. One of the things that has been most impressive is how willing the adults, the leadership, this, the staff, the administration has been. The level of effort everyone has been willing to employ to be able to make this happen. It has been touching to me, emotional and very impressive to see the sacrifice of these great people to the youth. for them to be able to pay the price, do whatever it takes to get these kids back into the classroom. That has been very touching to me.

Superintendent Godfrey:
What message would you have for educators who are currently engaged in making the best of things during this pandemic?

Rich Saunders:
You know, it's a hard balance. We have a lot of unknown territory in this pandemic with this virus. We know a lot now, and it's tricky to step into the teaching environment where you've got a bunch of kids and where there's possible transmission. There's some risk. And I just want to express my thanks to those teachers who are willing to try to lead these kids. And we're doing everything we can to work with science and medicine and the world of education too, to come together and figure out where this balance is so that we can be effective. I think you know we care about the health and safety of the teachers. We care that they feel safe. We want to make sure that they have plenty of PPE and the things that they need to be able to perform their functions safely. We really do care and we really want to work together to make this be an effective experience for all involved.

Superintendent Godfrey:
What would you like parents to know?

Rich Saunders:
It's easy to get caught up in the emotions of what is going on. We have personal opinions of what matters most when we're in this kind of an environment. We try to put our emotions aside and figure out how to work together at it. And the kids are great. They're resilient, they're adaptable. They really want to progress forward. And I think if we all had that same mentality to try to work together, compromising where we need to sacrificing, whatever it takes to progress instead of stop and be stagnant. I think that is the place that we just do what it takes to work together.

Superintendent Godfrey:
We want to thank Rich Saunders again, not just for stopping to talk with us for the Supercast, and especially for visiting our schools and our classrooms. We appreciate all your hard work. It's obvious how much you care about the outcome. And, we just really loved having it today.

Thank you. This has been my pleasure and my compliments to the parents, to the students, to the faculty and the staff, the administration. This is a tremendous undertaking and is my privilege to be a part of it. Thank you.

Thanks for joining us. Remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you out there.