Jordan School District’s Native American students and their families gathered for the annual Community Night on May 7 at West Jordan Middle School. The evening served as a vibrant celebration of culture and achievement, featuring traditional dance, music, art, and community. Community leaders joined Jordan School District Board of Education members, principals, and administrators to recognize the successes of Native American students.

The highlight of the event focused on the District’s graduating class, as all 15 seniors were personally recognized by Superintendent Godfrey, Jordan School District Board of Education member Erin Barrow, and West Jordan Mayor Dirk Burton for their accomplishments. Copper Hills High School senior Deonna Lee was awarded a $1,000 scholarship from American United Federal Credit Union to recognize her academic success and serve as a springboard for her future pursuits.

They have been learning all year long about the rich history of Air Force Pilot Gail Halvorsen who was nicknamed the “Candy Bomber” or “Uncle Wiggly Wings” from his time flying candy drops in Germany during the 1948-49 Berlin Airlift. This week students from the Gail Halvorsen School in Berlin arrived in Utah to join students at West Hills Middle School for a big Candy Bomber Event.

West Hills students have been working jointly with the Berlin students on a Candy Bomber history lesson all year, and on Tuesday they came together to celebrate the culmination of the lesson. Both schools developed their own unique chocolate candy bars, which were then produced at a candy factory in Provo. The chocolate bars with parachutes were hand delivered to all students in attendance. There was even a helicopter fly over honoring the Candy Bomber.

West Hills Middle School teacher Mark Sanderson organized the event with support from The Gail Halvorsen Foundation, making it a rich learning experience for everyone involved.

Daybreak Elementary hosted its annual STEAM night, allowing students to let their creativity shine. The after-school activity provided pizza for dinner for the entire family and plenty of hands-on experiences in science, technology, engineering, art, and math activities for students to participate in. Students could learn to knit a hat, discover the mysteries of engineering, create a painting masterpiece, or play trivia about energy consumption.

Each student received a passport guide to everything they could participate in, and could cash in a fully stamped passport for a prize at the end of the night.

The Mountain West Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Teacher Appreciation Lunch. Hosted at Herriman City Hall, the event recognized an outstanding teacher at each Jordan District school located in Bluffdale, Herriman, and Riverton. Each educator was rewarded with a swag bag and a plaque. Table decorations were provided by Herriman High School Interior Design students.

Congrats to all the winners and thank you to the Mountain West Chamber and all the sponsors of the event for taking time to recognize the incredible teachers in Jordan School District.

Hundreds of Jordan District Middle School students visited The Ballpark at America First Square to take some baseball and golf swings. The yearly middle school golf event has become so popular that it outgrew Glenmoor Golf Course and transitioned to the home of the Salt Lake Bees. The event is part of the “Show Up for Unified Sports” initiative led by First Lady Abby Cox and Special Olympics Utah.

Students of all abilities were cheered in by cheerleaders from local high schools. During the golf portion of the event, members of the Utah Section PGA coached them up on their swings and helped them with putting on the miniature golf course. On the field, Bumble was dishing out high-fives as students played baseball in the outfield.

Thank you to the Salt Lake Bees, Glenmoor Golf Club, Special Olympics Utah, and the dozens of volunteers who came together to make the final Middle School Unified Sports event of the school year a memorable one for all.