They were all smiles as they took to the stage at Oquirrh Hills Middle School celebrating an accomplishment students, teachers, and staff are extremely proud of achieving. Oquirrh Hills has been named a “National Unified Champion School.”

The designation, from Utah Special Olympics, recognizes schools for an inclusive environment where there is a sense of collaboration, engagement, and respect for all. Unified Champion Schools must meet 10 national standards of excellence, involving students with and without disabilities training and competing as teammates in sports like basketball and soccer. Schools must reapply for this designation every four years.

Congratulations, Oquirrh Hills Middle School! Keep up the great work, achieving great things as a unified team.

Join us in congratulating the Mountain Ridge High School girls wrestling team, recently crowned Utah 6A State Champions. The Sentinels had a 34-point separation from Westlake in taking home their first 6A state championship.

Mountain Ridge head coach Brandon Birch said it has been a season filled with awesome times and some unexpected things, through which the team bonded together.

Mountain Ridge wrestler Olivia Merino took home an individual championship in the 145-weight class.

Mountain Ridge has had a girls’ wresting team for four years and we are very proud of their amazing accomplishments. Way to go, Sentinels!

It is a play still running on Broadway and in London and now students are taking the stage at Riverton High School to perform “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” the teen edition. The story shows Harry Potter today, as a husband and father of three school-age children. In the play, Harry’s youngest son Albus grapples with the weight of the family legacy he never asked for and Lord Voldermort appears in the play as well.

Theater teacher Clin Eaton is the driving force behind this amazing production. He says they had a professional magician consulting on some of the effects, a makeup artist who did the “Phantom of the Opera” makeup in the Las Vegas show, and the flying company ZFX from Cirque du Soleil, to install and train the Riverton High flight crew on flying stunts during the musical. Mr. Eaton says this is the largest play ever performed at Riverton High.

Tickets are available at the door or in the Main Office for the show which runs on the dates and times below:

• Friday, February 21, 7 p.m.
• Saturday, February 22, 2 p.m. & 7 p.m.
• Monday, February 24, 7 p.m.

It was an exciting day for South Valley students traveling from Australia to Ukraine, New Zealand, France and far and beyond, without having to leave their school. During “Flying Around the World Day,” each classroom represented a different country, educating students about the culture and offering a taste of the region with food samples as well. The students traveled from country to country, visiting classrooms, exploring traditional colors, flags and clothing, giving them an opportunity to explore different cultures from around the world.

Staff played the role of pilots and flight attendants stamping passports as students traveled from one country to another inside the individual classrooms. Even West Jordan Mayor Dirk Burton showed up to have some fun traveling from country to country throughout the school.

What a fun and engaging way for students to learn about different countries and cultures. Congratulations to everyone at South Valley for giving students such a rich and memorable experience!

Despite the cold conditions outside, Riverton High School students were all smiles as they received a really warm welcome arriving at school on Thursday. Riverton City Mayor Trent Staggs, city council members, Riverton police and fire, along with Principal Rochelle Waite, school administrators, teachers, and staff were all there to greet students with words of encouragement. It was a way to show students support from the community and from those within their own school. The students received notes letting them know they are amazing and they all have what it takes to make it successfully to the end of the school year.

Thanks to everyone who came out in the cold to let students know they are valued and their education is important to the entire community.