They shine bright each and every day, but during the school’s annual talent show, students and staff at South Valley were shining brighter than ever. The theme of this show was Rihanna’s “Shine Bright Like a Diamond,” and the day started with student body officers singing the theme song.

Student art was on display and many genres of music were represented such as pop, country and rock. Several students also used South Valleys Ben-Q smartboard to demonstrate their drawing abilities, their singing, and hidden abilities-like being able to name countries on a world map.

DJ Max kept the party going as usual, supplying the music to accompany all the showcased talents. The South Valley cheerleading squad performed a routine and halfway through the show, school staff surprised students with a flash mob, lip syncing to their favorite 90’s boy band, Backstreet Boys “I Want It That Away.”

It was an amazing day for students and staff to shine bright like diamonds. Thanks to our student body, staff, and parents for cheering everyone on in their amazing display of talents.

It was a split-second decision on the part of a driver that could have cost multiple young lives. A driver ignored a school bus stop arm which was activated, racing by just as elementary school students were about to cross the street, at a school bus stop. It was a tragedy averted by a quick-thinking school bus driver, Joey Skelton, who saw the car coming and immediately signaled to the students they had to stop.

Cari Minnesota, a grandmother who witnessed the entire incident with her grandchild as they were about to cross the street spoke to the media with an emotional message on Friday. Ms. Minnesota was joined by Stacy Johnson, a parent, whose child was there at the time of the incident. Both women say the bus driver saved lives that day and students who were taught to follow the rules helped to keep themselves safe as well. Some of the students at the bus stop that day gave Joey Skelton a card thanking him for looking out for students, life savers for saving their lives, and some fun school bus driver socks.

Jordan School District Director of Transportation, Paul Bergera, also spoke to reporters telling them that each year there are more than 100,000 school bus stop arm violations in the State of Utah. Everyone who spoke said they worry that if more isn’t done to stop the stop arm violations, lives will be lost.

Thank you to our community partners who were there to support safety around school buses:

• Local Law Enforcement
• Zero Fatalities
• UDOT
• Utah Association of Pupil Transportation

It was a night of song, dance, simply delicious food, games, and family fun. Herriman High School hosted a huge Chinese New Year Celebration involving Dual Language Immersion (DLI) students from elementary, middle, and high schools, along with Chinese college-level students from Utah State, the University of Utah, and BYU. There were interactive cultural exhibits and displays offering a chance for everyone to see what students on all levels are learning in Chinese DLI.

Students performed on stage, giving attendees a chance to become immersed in Chinese culture as they all celebrated the “Year of the Dragon.”

It is a well-deserved honor for some high school students who recently raced their way into the history books as the first Utah high school boys cross country team to take first-place at the Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Oregon. On Thursday, the Herriman High School Boys Cross Country team was invited to the Utah State Capitol where they were honored on the floor of both the House and Senate.

Lawmakers congratulated the team and gave them a citation honoring them for their extraordinary accomplishment. Herriman High beat out 22 other teams from across the United States, securing the first-place win. Again, no Utah boys cross country team has ever been successful in taking first-place at the prestigious Nike Cross Nationals

The Herriman team was ranked #1 in the U.S. for most of the cross-country season after winning top national meets in states like California and Idaho.

We join lawmakers in expressing our sincere congratulations to these talented athletes and their coaches, for the inspiration they bring to others:

• Head Coach Doug Soles
• Assistant Coach Teresa Soles
• Assistant Coach Josh Pugel
• Assistant Coach Lexi Hopkin
• Assistant Coach Hannah Nay
• Athlete #1 – Tayshaun Ogomo
• Athlete #2 – Jonah Tang
• Athlete #3 – Jack Beckstrom
• Athlete #4 – Max Hofheins
• Athlete #5 – Micah Tang
• Athlete #6 – Hyrum Wood
• Athlete #7 – William Steadman

He is a very talented 8^th grade student at West Hills Middle School and now Miguel Graciano is receiving some pretty high praise and recognition for his talents. Miguel is the “Utah Youth Art Month Middle School Winner” for his original piece of art called Desert Cat. Miguel’s Fine Arts teacher is Amy Boehme.

Youth Art Month is a month-long celebration of arts in education and celebrates quality art education for all our students. The Utah Art Education Association celebrates Youth Art Month in March.

Congratulations to Miguel Graciano on his amazing accomplishment. Keep up the great work pursuing your passion for art.