Education

The Valentine's Sweetheart Gala usually sells out in advance. The Park City High School and Treasure Mountain Junior High School music program benefit from the proceeds raised.

Those who attend will be entertained by the Varsity Jazz ensemble.

The Sweetheart Gala is Friday, January 31st. Tickets are $60.00 for standard seats and more if you want a table close to the dance band. Band Director Brett Hughes says the ticket includes a three-course catered dinner, dancing, a silent auction.

The Utah State Board of Education will consider designating recess periods for K through 8 as instructional time by providing more structure to the play time.  A board-appointed committee approved the plan and now a decision will be voted on by the State Board of Education in early January.

The Park City School Board of Education gave the thumbs up to district administration to hire a bond architectural firm and begin the work of putting price tags on recently approved master planning programs.

Five bond architects responded to Park City School District’s request for proposal. A committee has been selected to choose one firm by the first of the year. Once identified, they will provide detailed costs for each of the initiatives that have come out of the year-long master planning effort.

A local grocery store has reached its breaking point on frequent shoplifting during lunch hours. Since the first of November the police have been called on three separate days to detain students from Park City High School who have been accused of stealing food.

The Market at Park City Store Manager Rush Hotchkiss told KPCW the market has tried for several years to address shoplifting by students during lunch, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Fourteen South Summit School District football players have been disciplined for using vape products on school buses while traveling to and from football games. Although the Wildcats were the 2018 state champions, it’s a little tougher to get enough players on the field as a result of the incident.

The Park City School District has instituted changes this year to the way students are referred to the Learning Center which is an alternative learning environment. The results are fewer students at the academy and more main streamed into the high school.

Last year, there were about 70 students enrolled at the Park City School District Learning Center. Associate Superintendent of Wellness, Ben Belnap says they’re trying to reset the referral model and meet the needs of each student.

The National Institute of Health, in their annual study found sharp increases in teen vaping. Local school districts are arealso seeing higher usage of vape products amidst the growing concerns about the dangerous health effects.

In 2018 the NIH surveyed 44,000 students asking about drug, alcohol, and cigarette use in 8th, 10th, and 12th graders.  About 37% of 12th graders reported vaping in 2018, compared with 28% in 2017. Vaping of each substance that was asked about increased. This includes nicotine, flavored liquids, marijuana, and hash oil.

The Park City School Board received an enrollment update in Tuesday’s meeting that shows 15 fewer students in the district compared to last year.

Park City School District Business Administrator, Todd Hauber says the enrollment variance from last year to this year is so small it’s considered flat.

Utah’s Attorney General launched the state’s anti-bullying campaign during the Park City High School Monday morning assembly. Joining him was a man who travels the world speaking about kindness and self-love. Despite his physical limits and small stature, he kept some 1500 students captivated for an hour.

The Park City High School has a new program that helps special needs students transition to careers after graduation. The special education department has a new teacher who was hired to help kids make that transition.

Special Education Teacher Trainer Kara Brechwald explains the objectives the special ed team has for preparing students for the work world. She says developing technical skills is one thing but communication skills are also important so kids can advocate for themselves or make changes in their career paths once they are out in the working world.

As the Park City School District winds down the year long master planning efforts, they’re asking for one last push of participation from the public. The Board of Education wants direction on implementation of the final 10 projects that have been identified as critical to the future of learning in the Park City School District.

Utah’s Attorney General, Sean Reyes will visit Park City High School on Monday, October 7 as part of state-wide campaign to curb suicide and drug use in teens. He’ll be accompanied by the indie pop band Foreign Figures as well as the inspirational speaker Nick Vujicic.  (Voo-yee- Cheech)

The Park City High School Dance Team is going to attend a national dance festival in Pittsburg in February. They hope to raise enough to bring all 14 members.

They need to raise $1500 per person. Their fund-raising efforts include a big reach out to the community by offering dance clinics to younger students. Dance Team member and Park City High School Senior, Clara Bradford says it’s a great chance to perform in front of crowds, not to mention how fun it is for the parents of the younger dancers.

The Park City School District Board of Education meeting on Tuesday focused master planning efforts which have been underway since last October. Consultants, NV5 and GSBS have compiled some 600 comments and a year’s worth of meeting data into three overarching recommendations.