Fifth grade students at Bluffdale Elementary recently demonstrated an impressive command of American government during the “We the People” event at Bluffdale City Hall, led by fifth grade teacher Melanie Fisher. Participating in simulated congressional hearings, students presented prepared statements and fielded complex questions regarding the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The young scholars deeply impressed the judging panel, which included Bluffdale Mayor Natalie Hall, Bluffdale Elementary School Principal Staci Moore, JSD Safety Coordinator and former Army Ranger Matt Alvernaz, and former JSD educator and board-certified teacher Pam Sua, with their poise and articulate responses.

A South Jordan Middle School student will travel to Los Angeles in May to represent Utah in a national Chinese speech competition. Cole Hansen, who is part of Jordan School District’s Chinese Dual Language Immersion program, earned a spot at nationals after an impressive showing at the state competition. He started learning Chinese in first grade and now studies five different languages. Last year, he spent 17 days in China, which deepened his commitment to learning foreign languages and sparked his interest in international technology and engineering.

To stand out at the state competition, Cole learned to play the erhu, a traditional two-stringed Chinese instrument, in just three-and-a-half weeks. With seven years of violin experience, he worked with a tutor to prepare a musical performance that impressed the judges.

Now, Cole will compete against students in grades 6-12 from across the country for a chance to attend the international finals in Beijing. No matter what happens at nationals, he plans to keep learning the erhu and hopes to use his Chinese skills in a future career in global engineering.

Congratulations to Cole and all the talented Jordan School District students headed to Los Angeles for the national competition. Your hard work and dedication to mastering new languages and skills are truly inspiring!