Students at Bluffdale Elementary became the latest recruits preparing for a mission to Planet Kindergarten. The Planet Kindergarten initiative challenges kindergarteners to learn all the letters and their sounds by November 1, setting them up for early reading success.  

At Bluffdale, the administration got into the space theme and dressed as an astronaut and Earth. Together with the students, they read the book Planet Kindergarten and encouraged the students to reach for the stars and collect special trading cards and pins as they demonstrate their mastery of letters and sounds.

The Utah Shakespeare Festival hosted its 50th annual Shakespeare Competition. Students from around the country, including Jordan School District high schools, visited Southern Utah University to participate in acting, dance, music, and technical theater events at the largest scholastic Shakespeare competition in North America.

Riverton finished second overall in the Buckingham Division for the largest schools and placed in the Top 10 in all submitted acting and dance scenes. Herriman finished second place overall in the music sweepstakes, which encourages students to explore the music of the Renaissance. Mountain Ridge and Riverton had several students finish first in Tech Olympic categories, which showcase students working behind-the-scenes in sound, lighting, scenery, make-up, and costumes.

Great job to all the students and teams who represented Jordan District, with special congratulations to the following winners:

Overall

• Riverton 2nd place – Buckingham Division Sweepstakes

Tech Olympics

• Mountain Ridge – 3rd overall
• Araceli Ibarra – Mountain Ridge (1st Place Makeup)
• Karissa Bailey – Mountain Ridge (1st Place Lighting)
• Adin Nielsen – Riverton (1st Place Construction)
• Layla Anderson – Riverton (1st Place Costumes)
• Landon Wells – Riverton (1st Place Rigging)

Acting & Dance

• Carlos Boscan – Riverton (3rd Place Monologue)
• Brock Harris – Riverton (4th Place Monologue)
• Trenton Lundberg, Cade Huizingh, Colin Haslam – Riverton (3rd Place Scene)
• Macbeth Acting Ensemble – Riverton (Top 5 Finish)
• Riverton Dance Ensemble – (Selected to perform at Judge’s Dance Showcase)

Music

• Overall – Herriman (2nd Place)
• Troubadour (1–5 participants) – Herriman (2nd Place)
• Minstrel (6–10 participants) – Herriman (2nd Place)
• Canzonetta (6–16 participants) – Herriman (3rd Place)
• Madrigal (17+ participants) – Herriman (1st Place)

Monte Vista Elementary has embraced reading this school year and celebrated with a Read-A-Thon day. A school assembly kicked off the day as students read the final chapters of “The Wishing Tree” with special guest readers. To begin the school year, each student received a copy of the book, and the school even had guest readers like South Jordan mayor Dawn Ramsey and Jordan School District Superintendent Anthony Godfrey record audio narrations of portions of the book for students to follow along with at home.  

After a fun assembly, each class made time for quiet reading in their classrooms to support Utah Governor Spencer Cox’s statewide read-a-thon. Students pushed their desks to the walls and made themselves comfortable with pillows and blankets to spend some time with their favorite books.