It was a real-life lesson about the history of the American Flag and what to do when the flag is worn and no longer a fitting emblem for display. Westvale Elementary School students gathered on Wednesday with West Jordan Police officers, some members of the military and community for a solemn and dignified flag retirement ceremony. Students, faculty, staff and those in attendance recited the Pledge of Allegiance and students sang a patriotic song while waving small flags. Once the old flag was retired, a new flag was raised to fly at Westvale Elementary.

Thanks, Westvale Elementary for a beautiful ceremony and showing great respect to the American flag.

Claire Burnham has a pretty amazing story to tell, one Claire and her family won’t soon forget. The Bingham High School sophomore was one of only 10 students in the nation selected to be a National Youth Storyteller at the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival this past weekend. To make her story even more incredible, Claire was the opening act for professional storytellers, including the King of storytelling, Master Storyteller Donald Davis. Mr. Davis was the headliner at this year’s festival.

Claire first met Donald Davis seven years ago when he spoke to her third-grade class at Jordan Ridge Elementary School as part of a storytelling project the students were working on. That’s when Claire became fascinated with storytelling and the opportunities to perform what she was writing on stage. According to her mother, Claire was hooked and she has been writing and performing ever since. She has been a storyteller at a number of local events, including the Story Crossroads Festival in Murray and the Renaissance Festival at Thanksgiving Point.

Congratulations, Claire on your storytelling success. We can’t wait to see what the next chapter brings!

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is holding an “Out of the Darkness” community walk at Veterans Memorial Park in West Jordan this Saturday, September 10, starting at 10 a.m.  You can register at afsp.org/slc.

This walk is a journey of remembrance, hope, and support. The goal is to unite communities and provide an opportunity to acknowledge the ways in which suicide and mental health conditions impact lives.

There will be a resource fair before and after the walk.

Please know the ‘988’ Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 for anyone who needs help or knows someone who may be experiencing a crisis.

Also, Jordan School District has resources available at wellness.jordandistrict.org.

Dedicated crews are working hard, sometimes around the clock, to keep our schools and buildings cool during this unprecedented heatwave. All of JSD’s 68 schools have air conditioning along with administrative offices and they provide relief from the heat.

A big thank you to custodians, maintenance and HVAC crews for giving it their all to make sure our systems are operating and any issues are addressed quickly to keep students, teachers, and staff comfortable.