Mr. Sanderson’s 8th-grade Language Arts classes at West Hills Middle School turned a lesson about Gail Halvorsen into a sweet, creative project. Students read about Halvorsen, who is a Utah native best known as the “Candy Bomber,” and for his humanitarian missions to improve morale in Berlin by parachuting candy into the city. The students used those lessons to design their own chocolate bars, selecting the type of chocolate and mix-ins, as well as creating a name, slogan, and wrapper for the candy bars.

Their ideas were then worked into a persuasive presentation for the class, with a winner in each class advancing to the finals. The entire student body voted on their favorite candy design, selecting one winner to represent West Hills Middle.

Ryan Jazayerli prevailed as the overall winner and will have his fictional milk chocolate bar brought to life by Taste Artisan Chocolate in Provo this Spring.

Along with Mr. Sanderson’s class, a sister class in Berlin has completed a parallel project to commemorate Halvorsen. This spring, the two classes will meet in Utah to have their candy bars actually made into delectable bites. Then they will stage their own “Candy Drop” at West Hills to celebrate the anniversary of the end of the Berlin Blockade.

Great job, Ryan and everyone in Mr. Sanderson’s classes!

Students from three Jordan District schools participated in the Oath of Office ceremony for the City of South Jordan. During the ceremony, Mayor Dawn Ramsey and council members Jason McGuire and Donald Shelton were sworn in. Students from Aspen Elementary led the assembled crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance, Ms. Witt-Roper’s fifth-grade class from South Jordan Elementary sang “This is America,” and the Bingham High School Madrigals performed the National Anthem. 

Thank you to South Jordan City for including talented Jordan District students in this important civic event. 

Monte Vista third-grade teacher Mrs. Roy assigned students to practice their writing skills by writing a thank-you note to a local business and asking a few questions about the company. One of her students, Lex, wrote a letter to the South Jordan Walmart, expressing how much he loves their ice cream and the snacks he gets from the store for family movie nights.

What Lex, Mrs. Roy, and the rest of the students didn’t expect was not just a response from Walmart, but a personal visit complete with gifts.

South Jordan Walmart General Manager Kevin Carlile appreciated the letter so much that he came to answer Lex’s questions in person and even brought enough ice cream and snacks for the whole classroom to share.

Great job, Lex. Thank you Walmart, for supporting our students!

Students in the French Bridge program at Copper Hills High School took time out of their winter break to share their love of the French language with Dual Language Immersion (DLI) students from Fox Hollow at a Francophonie Fun Fair.  The event is a way for high school students to support elementary DLI students’ language skills while earning the service hours required for their program.

Students were taught games, dances, and lessons, all while speaking entirely in French. They also prepared traditional foods from French-speaking countries.

Jordan School District currently has open enrollment for students entering first grade in the 2026-2027 school year in the DLI Chinese, French, Portuguese, or Spanish programs. For more information or to register, visit immersion.jordandistrict.org.