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As a teacher or administrator, last week was my 37^th start of a new school year, 22 as a high school educator, and 15 as an elementary principal. Kids are always excited to return to school, but the joy and excitement I observed and felt last week from students was unlike any other year. The students who returned to school were so happy to be reunited with friends and school staff. The impact of COVID-19 is real and changes daily, but we are hopeful we can continue to provide face-to-face instruction to those of you who are sending your children to school. And for those of you who are keeping your children at home, we understand you are doing what you feel is best for your children and family.

We are excited to welcome our youngest learners, preschooler and kindergartners, to school this week. There is likely to be some tears, perhaps more from parents than students, on Tuesday when parents drop their little ones off at school, but your babies will be well taken care of at Alpine Elementary! One thing I have learned in my 37 years as an educator, if I want a quick pick-me-up, I go visit our preschool or one of our kindergarten classes where the excitement for learning and life in general is palpable!

We have a school counselor, Tyrene Hartsell, working at Alpine Elementary on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and every other Monday. She splits her time between Alpine and Westfield Elementary. If a parent expresses interest in their student receiving counseling services, please contact Mrs. Hartsell directly through email at [email protected].  Mrs. Hartsell will follow-up with a parent contact.

It may also be helpful to understand how the counseling process works in our district when speaking with parents who would like to access this support.  Please note that the school counseling services at our school are not meant to be long term therapy, but can help students in the following ways. If you have questions about counseling services, please contact Mrs. Hartsell.

Tier 1: Schoolwide Instruction (SE Classroom Lessons)

Tier 2: Additional Time and Support (Small Groups focused on specific social/emotional skills)

Tier 3: Intensive Remediation: (Short Term Individual Counseling, usually 4-6 sessions max)

Our librarian, Paula Ruesch, sends the following message to parents of online students:

Alpine Elementary online students have access to library books through these three options:

SORA – our school’s online library. You can check out ebooks and audiobooks on SORA, just like you check out books from our library. Download the SORA app or visit soraapp.com.

To log into SORA:
-Select Alpine Elementary from the dropdown menu.
-Enter your student number (you can find your student number on Skyward)
-Enter your last name (all lower-case letters)

Holds & Pickup–place library books on hold and pick them up at the school. You’ll receive an email letting you know when your books are available to be picked up.

Visit the Library in Person – make an appointment to visit the library in person by emailing Mrs. Ruesch our librarian at [email protected].

The smoke-filled air last week reminded me of living in Central Oregon for 27 years during forest fire time. Hard to believe that forest fires in California had such an impact on our air quality in the Utah Valley.

I haven’t been on my road bike since May 30, and my wife and doctor have grounded me from my bike for another month, as I continue to recover from my two bike crashes (April 20 and May 30) this spring and summer. Last week’s smoky air was one time that I was grateful to be on a stationary bike in the gym, when I am usually missing being on my bike during this time of the year. My wife went to visit her sister in Seattle last week and before getting out of the car at the airport, she made me promise to not ride my bike while she was gone. And yes, I kept my promise!

Have a great week, and as always, remember that it is a great day to be an Eagle!

I’m sure the Alpine Elementary Community joins with me in celebrating the fact that we only have four days of school left in the 2019 – 2020 school year, a year that will be forever remembered as the COVID-19, worldwide pandemic, school closure for 10 weeks, school year.

Teachers submitted grades for the third trimester report card on Friday. If they haven’t already done so, your students’ teachers will communicate with you what is happening in these final days of school. Aren’t you all looking forward to a reduction in school-related emails in your Inbox?

Thank you to the many parents who expressed gratitude to the Alpine Elementary staff for the outstanding work they did during the school closure. I have had multiple parents talk to me about how grateful they are for the job our teachers have done for the past 10 weeks, often telling me stories of relatives or friends in other parts of the country or state who have not had the same type of online learning experience as our Alpine Elementary students.

In addition to our classroom teachers, I would like to thank our entire staff for a terrific school year. Our faculty includes teacher aides, Nutrition Services staff, specialty teachers, library, custodial, and office staff.  All of our school team showed flexibility and an ongoing focus on what is best for kids during the school closure. Thank you, Alpine Elementary faculty!

For those of you who are parents of seniors in high school, I know that the lack of formal commencement ceremonies is a disappointment to most students and parents. So along with our departing sixth graders, I pass on my congratulations to the students who transition in their educational journeys.

Tuesday, May 26 will be the final Grab and Go Meal day, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm.

Thanks to the hard work and organizational skills of Mr. Horan, we were able to hold Student Council elections remotely in recent weeks. We are grateful to all the students who ran for office and for their excellent efforts in the nomination and election process. Here are the sixth grade student officers for the 2020 – 21 school year. Congratulations!

President: London Wing

Vice President: Millie Greer

Secretary: Emma Swenson

Treasurer: Maya Jackson

If you didn’t get the chance to see our end-of-year slide show, produced by third grade teacher, Aubri Elder, here it is once again. Thank you so much Ms. Elder, for helping us all to have a sense of closure to a very unique school year!

Outside the Principal’s Office.

As hard as it is for me to believe, I am completing my 36^th year as an educator, 8 as a high school language arts teacher and basketball coach, and 28 as a high school and elementary school administrator. I am at a stage in my professional journey, where I can hang up my spurs whenever I want to, but I love my job as the principal at Alpine Elementary because of the students, parents and staff, and will continue to lead this great school for the foreseeable future.

Have a great Summer Break, enjoying quality family time, good health and safety. And as always, remember that it is a great day to be an Eagle!

During these unprecedented and uncertain times, I find strength and a sense of assurance in the consistency of nature. As I see trees bloom, grass turn green, weeds popup where not invited, and newborn lambs and calves calling out for their mothers in surrounding farmland, I am reminded that though much has changed in our lives, many things stay the same.

We should all have shouted hooray when on Friday, Governor Herbert, moved most of the state from a moderate (orange) to a low-risk (yellow) level for COVID-19 precautionary measures. You have to check ahead of time, but there are restaurants and other public places that are open to the public. We are making progress!

This will be a busy week:

Elder—9:00 – 10:00 am

M. Moore—10:00 – 11:00 am

Chen—11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Duke—12:30 – 1:30 pm

Parents of the award winners should have already been notified. The awards will be given out in front of the school.

Last week we told you that Chromebooks could be returned on May 19, 20 and 21. We have changed the return time to Tuesday and Wednesday. Please use the east roundabout to return Chromebooks. We will have staff members in the roundabout giving you directions.

Please completely charge the battery before returning the Chromebook.

Wipe down the power cord and all surfaces (including the screen) with a Clorox wipe. When you pull up a staff member will check the condition of the Chromebook and ask you to power it up.

If you have any questions, please contact Jaime Clement, the computer teacher.

Some parents are under the mistaken impression that school ends on May 12. Though that is the last day new online instruction, please know that May 13 – 22 will be used for review, interventions, assessment, and extensions. Your child’s teacher will be communicating with parents what will be happening with remote instruction for the last two weeks of school.

And though new online instruction concluded on May 12, we are still serving Grab and Go Meals. Our meal distribution numbers were down last week. Perhaps because parents thought meals weren’t being handed out after May 12.The final three days of Grab and Go Meals, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm, will be :

This week we will have boxes in front of the school for Box Tops, Take Home Reading and Library Books. Thank you for turning in these important items!

Outside the Principal’s Office.

I truly appreciate all the well-wishes that have come my way since my April 20 road biking accident. And though my wife and children are somewhat hesitant for me to resume riding up and down mountains, I have zero trepidation, and have been looking forward to rides more challenging than the Murdock Trail, the only place my wife has allowed me to bike for the past week that I have been riding once again. On Saturday, I rode from my home in Cedar Hills to the top of Suncrest and back. A doctor could not have prescribed a better post-accident activity for me. It was a joyous and glorious day back in the saddle! Alpine Loop next Saturday!

Have a great week, and as always, remember that it is a great day to be an Eagle!

I hope you all had an enjoyable Mother’s Day. For those of you who are mothers, a child’s card, homemade breakfast, or sincere expression of love can make the challenges of entering week eight of homeschooling worth all of the time and effort.

Thank you to our librarian, Paula Ruesch, and her aide, Janece Thompson, for enabling our students to do Battle of the Books last week remotely. It was no small feat to organize and stage the battles. Our students were recognized for all of the reading they have done, and the BOB teams had fun in the activities facilitated by Paula and Janece. Thank you ladies! We congratulate all of the student participants! Here are the winning teams:

Ella Packer, Emily Tomkinson, Abbie Frazier, Maren Kofford & Dani Reynolds

Olivia Snow, McKinlay Cluff & Malyssa Moore

1st Place – Glitter Girls
Lillian Hsiao, Ruby Jones, Adrienne Bodily, Bailey Braden & Mollie Otis

Timmy Lyon, Tommy Lyon, Connor Hertig & Grady Zito

Brody Burr, Jacob Smith, Jane Rasmussen, Logan Sterzer & Alex Orgil

Anna Packer, Skylee Gunn, Zachary Fugal

As we all deal with school closures as a result of COVID-19, it would only make sense to cancel Staff Appreciation Week. But our incredible PTA went above and beyond to recognize our staff for all the great work they are doing. We all received an Amazon gift certificate and a cookie shaped like a bottle of hand sanitizer. How creative and cool is that? Additionally, several parents had gifts for staff members. I know I speak for our entire staff when I say thank you to our PTA and all of the parents who gave a gift to a staff member. We are grateful for your kindness and generosity for Staff Appreciation Week.

Some parents are under the mistaken impression that school ends on May 12. Though that is the last day new online instruction, please know that May 13 – 22 will be used for review, interventions, assessment, and extensions. Your child’s teacher will be communicating with parents what will be happening with remote instruction for the last two weeks of school.

We received quite a few Take Home Reading materials last week in the box that was placed in front of the school, but there are still Take Home Reading supplies in homes that need to be returned. Once again, a return box will be in front of the school all of this week.

Where: Northeast parking roundabout in front of the school

No appointment necessary – come anytime between 10:00 and 1:00.

Please completely charge the battery before you return it.

Wipe down the power cord and all surfaces (including the screen) with a Clorox wipe.

When you pull up a staff member will check the condition of the Chromebook and ask you to power it up.

If you have any questions, please contact Jaime Clement, the computer teacher.

Outside the Principal’s Office.

April 20 was when I had my bike accident. On Saturday, May 9 I went on my first bike ride since the accident, a 30-mile ride up to Vivian Park. I was chastised by my wife for going further than I was supposed to go. Though I have lost a lot of my fitness, it felt good to be back in the saddle again.

Have a great week, and as always, remember that it is a great day to be an Eagle!

May has finally arrived! Is it just me, or did April seem like a long month? The month of April and the last two weeks of March are a time none of us will ever forget as we all deal with the effects of a worldwide pandemic. We are doing school in a different way, but I draw strength and optimism from the way our faculty and entire Alpine Elementary Community have responded in these unprecedented times. Continue to press forward!

If you want to make a teacher request for the 2020 – 2021 school year, you need to fill out the attached form, put the request in a sealed envelope, and put the envelope in the box that will be in front of the school, 9:00 – 12:00 pm, Monday – Friday, May 4 – 8.

There is also a box in front of the school for the return of all Take Home Reading materials. Please put the name of your student’s teacher on the Take Home Reading envelopes and baggies before returning them to the school. We need these materials returned ASAP. Thank you!

Our librarian, Mrs. Ruesch sends the following information about Battle of the Books that will be taking place this week, May 4 – 8.

All students who signed up to participate in Battle of the Books will receive an email from Mrs. Ruesch with the date, time and Google Meet link for their battle.

May 4 – 5th/6th Grade Battles

May 5 – 3rd/4th Grade Battles

May 6 – Top scoring teams will be posted on the library website. https://sites.google.com/alpinedistrict.org/alpineelementarylibrary/home If your student’s team is listed, they will receive an email from Mrs. Ruesch with the date, time and Google Meet link for their battle in the semi-finals.

May 7 – Semi-Final Battles Finalists will be posted on the library website after 4:00 pm. If your student’s team is listed, they will receive an email from Mrs. Ruesch with the date, time and Google Meet link for their battle in the finals.

May 8 – Final Battles for 1st and 2nd place
Final results will be posted on the library website after 1:00 pm.

Good luck to all our awesome readers, and feel free to contact Mrs. Ruesch at [email protected] if you have questions.

Outside the Principal’s Office.

Even as our world has changed as we all deal with the effects of COVID-19, life goes on. Births, deaths and weddings continue to take place with much smaller gatherings of people. Haley Faux, a former teacher aide at Alpine Elementary, and the daughter of first grade teacher, Mrs. Faux, was married on May 2 before a small gathering of immediate family in the American Fork Canyon. Life goes on!

Four of our five children are building houses, starting new employment or moving to another state in the next month. It is almost as if our children, and many others throughout the world, are saying, “You have changed my life in many ways COVID-19, but I will not allow you to derail my life goals and dreams.”

Have a great week, and as always, remember that it is a great day to be an Eagle!

The Alpine Elementary staff thought the April 22 parade through Alpine neighborhoods was a great success. As we all deal with a Groundhog Day Mentality of all the days seeming to be a repeat of the previous day, the parade was a nice change of pace and lifted the spirits of our staff in multiple ways. Thank you to the students and parents who cheered us on as we drove the parade route!

I am attaching a letter that all parents should have received last week from the Alpine School District informing you of important end-school-year dates.

Mrs. Ruesch sends the following information about Battle of the Books:

Battle of the Books Virtual Competition – May 4th-8th

All students who signed up to participate in Battle of the Books will receive an email from Mrs. Ruesch with the date, time and Google Meet link for their battle.

May 4 – 5th/6th Grade Battles

May 5 – 3rd/4th Grade Battles

May 6 – Top scoring teams will be posted on the library website. https://sites.google.com/alpinedistrict.org/alpineelementarylibrary/home If your student’s team is listed, they will receive an email from Mrs. Ruesch with the date, time and Google Meet link for their battle in the semi-finals.

May 7 – Semi-Final Battles Finalists will be posted on the library website after 4:00 pm. If your student’s team is listed, they will receive an email from Mrs. Ruesch with the date, time and Google Meet link for their battle in the finals.

May 8 – Final Battles for 1st and 2nd place
Final results will be posted on the library website after 1:00 pm.

Good luck to all our awesome readers, and feel free to contact Mrs. Ruesch at [email protected] if you have questions.

Outside the Principal’s Office.

I continue to deal with the after-effects of my April 20 bike accident. The road rash which covers all of my appendages heals with each passing day. The post concussive issues are my biggest challenges now. I still have blurred vision, headaches, drowsiness, and a general sense of a pervading brain fog encompassing me. Thank you for all of the well wishes. I hope to emerge from my current state of being in the coming days. Though I have no memory of my accident a week ago, one of our former parents posted the following on Facebook last Monday night:

Please don’t be alarmed by this post, I feel very fortunate to have only spent one night in the hospital and the mental fog caused by the concussion dissipates more and more with each passing day. I will be back in the saddle soon!

Have a great week, and as always, remember that it is a great day to be an Eagle!

As we enter week five of the school closure, and after hearing last week from Governor Herbert that Utah schools will remain closed for the remainder of the school year, I’m sure there have been challenges at home as you encourage and help your students with their school work.

I have two daughters who received their teaching degrees and taught at the elementary and high school level before choosing to stay home with their children. And even these trained teachers have told me of the challenges they are facing helping their children with at-home learning. Our six-year-old grandson, Easton, told his mother this past week, a lady who taught at Provo High School for five years, that she was not as good of a teacher as his kindergarten teacher at Brookhaven Elementary in Eagle Mountain. Ah, the unexpected collateral damage of COVID-19!

I have attached a visual collage of the Alpine Elementary Staff telling our students how much we miss them. Thank you to our Social Committee of Mrs. Chen, Ms. Johnson, Ms. Lizzy (Snyder), and Mrs. Weakley for taking the time to assemble this awesome collage. You have one guess as to which staff member had the plainest most ordinary sign.

And because we miss our students so much, our staff is going to do a drive-through car parade in city of Alpine neighborhoods on Wednesday, April 22. The parade will start at the school at 10:00 am. I will send all parents a parade route on Tuesday, April 21. We are encouraging parents who live out of boundary, or will not have the parade passing by their homes, to park their vehicles at the school, Creekside Park or somewhere that the car parade is passing to wave and say hello to our staff, while observing social distancing guidelines. You will be getting more details about the parade on Tuesday.

After conferring with students who signed up to participate in Battle of the Books, Mrs. Ruesch and the students have decided to do a virtual Battle of the Books  May 4 – 8.

Each student will receive an email invite with a link to join their battle. Each team will participate in one battle. The top eight scoring teams will battle again to determine the top two scoring teams. Those teams will compete in one more battle for 1st and 2nd place. Any student who does not want to participate is not obligated. Please contact Mrs. Ruesch at [email protected] if you have any questions.

The Alpine Eagles Running Club will continue through May 22. Parents can email weekly miles ran to Colleen Hodgkinson at [email protected].

If you have questions or concerns about your student’s online learning expectations, please communicate with your child’s teacher.

Outside the Principal’s Office.

On April 19, 1980, I made the most important and best decision of my life when I married Laura Lynne Call in the Salt Lake City Temple. COVID-19 put the kibosh on our Spring Break plans to travel to Hawaii, but my ever-creative wife had a surprise anniversary date planned for us on Saturday, April 18. We took a daylong trip down memory lane visiting all of the important locations in Provo and surrounding areas that were a part of our courtship. We went to her student housing apartment (was Pinveview, now Glenwood Apartments), special spots on the BYU campus, Wendy’s on State Street in Orem, Bridal Veil Falls, Sundance Canyon, Lavell Edwards Stadium (it was Cougar Stadium in 1980), and of course the temple in SLC. At each spot, and they all have stories that I don’t have time to share, we took selfies (Laura has aged much more kindly than I have in 40 years), and did some journaling about our memories of that specific time and location. We will share the photos and journal entries with our children and grandchildren, hopefully, giving them something to smile about while being homebound because of COVID-19. It was one of the best dates we have ever had, even in this socially-distanced world!

Have a great week, and as always, remember that it is a great day to be an Eagle!

I hope that all of the Alpine Elementary Community had a relaxing and healthy Spring Break. As we all do our best to follow social distancing guidelines, I am guessing your Spring Break was different from what you envisioned two months ago.

The Alpine School District recommends the following online homework guidelines for elementary age students:

K-3: 1-2 hours daily

4-6: 2-4 hour daily

If you have questions or concerns about your student’s online learning expectations, please communicate with your child’s teacher.

The Alpine School District is encouraging all employees, if possible, to work from home. Consequently, the main office will be closed until COVID-19 social distancing restrictions are lifted. Phone calls to the office will be forwarded to Office Assistant, Sheri Davis’s cell phone, enabling her to work from home.

We will continue to distribute free meals, both a breakfast and a lunch bag, Monday – Friday, 9:30 – 11:00 am, to all students in the Alpine School District. Alpine School District students can pick up free meals at any Alpine School District school. We have Chinese Immersion parents who live in other communities and transport their children to Alpine Elementary. Your student can get a free meal at the school closest to where you live, without having to travel to Alpine Elementary.

Congratulations on helping your students reach our school goal in the Million Minute Reading Marathon. Students reading for a million minutes is an incredible accomplishment!

Our school Social Worker, Gina Zupan ([email protected]), is available to meet with students remotely who are experiencing any mental health issues during these unprecedented times.

Alpine Elementary continues to receive 20% of the proceeds from Chick-Fil-A on designated Spirit Nights. And Monday, April 13 is the next Spirt Night at the Lehi-Pointe location.

Outside the Principal’s Office.

A 40-year wedding anniversary is milestone to be celebrated. Four decades ago, Laura and I were married in Salt Lake City after completing what seemed like a never-ending semester at BYU. We had planned on taking our first trip to Hawaii during Spring Break to celebrate the best 40 years of my life! (You would have to ask my wife if she agrees with that statement.) Needless to say, COVID-19 postponed those travel plans, but I was able to get some yardwork done, go on daily bike rides and spend uninterrupted time with my best friend over the break. Not Maui-like fun, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Undoubtedly, our new normal caused many of you to alter your original Spring Break plans as well. If you and your family continue to enjoy good health, and you are surrounded by those that you love, offer a prayer of gratitude and continue to press forward!

 Have a great week, and as always, remember that it is a great day to be an Eagle!

Remember when Governor Herbert announced a “soft school closure” on March 13? Although he didn’t use the phrase “hard school closure” last week when he announced that all Utah schools would be closed until May 1, I think we have transitioned out of the “soft closure” phase.

Last week the Alpine School District made the decision to close all schools to the public, meaning that parents and/or students will no longer be allowed to come into any ASD school.

We will continue to distribute free meals, both a breakfast and a lunch bag, Monday – Friday, 9:30 – 11:00 am, to all students in the Alpine School District. Alpine School District students can pick up free meals at any Alpine School District school. I know we have Chinese Immersion parents who live in other communities and transport their children to Alpine Elementary. Your student can get a free meal at the school closest to where you live, without having to travel to Alpine Elementary.

April 6 – 10 will be our Spring Break. Online instruction will not be offered during Spring Break, and there will be no meal distribution.

During these uncertain and unprecedented times, we did receive some good news  last week. Alpine Elementary will have a half-time counselor next year. We are able to hire a counselor that will be split between our school and Westfield Elementary because of the Teacher Student and Success Act (TSSA). The Alpine School District, with School Community Council approval, has made the decision to spend TSSA funds on helping our students with their Social and Emotional Well-Being. Having worked with a full-time school counselor while I was a principal in Oregon, I am confident that a half-time counselor will be a great asset to our school!

You know your children better than anyone. Though we do encourage you to schedule “school time” each day, there is certainly no expectation to have students doing school work for six hours a day. We apologize for all the emails coming your way, but teachers need to communicate with your students. If you have questions or concerns about the online learning expectations, please communicate with your child’s teacher.

As we enter week three of the school closure, we encourage all parents and students to follow al social distancing guidelines.

Outside the Principal’s Office.

Are the days starting to blur together for you? During this school closure time, I sometimes have to ask myself what day of the week it is. Friday night date night for Laura and me has certainly changed as we decide what restaurant drive-through we want to experience, and then ask ourselves is there anything on Netflix we want to watch. This past Friday night, the choice was Cubby’s. It took us 42 minutes from the time we got into the long line of cars until we received our food. The line at Chick-Fil-A across the parking lot was even longer! COVID-19 has changed all of our lives in multiple ways!

Laura and I had an anniversary trip to Hawaii planned for Spring Break. That obviously won’t be happening. We will celebrate quietly at home grateful for the good health we continue to enjoy.

Have a great week, and as always, remember that it is a great day to be an Eagle!

We enter week two of remote online learning and the never-ending tentacles of COVID-19. Can you believe how quickly our lives have changed in the past 10 days? This pandemic is impacting almost every facet of our everyday lives, including the way we do school. These are truly unprecedented times. Add an earthquake to the equation, and our world has literally been rocked, in more ways than one! Adversity and life challenges can bring out the best and the worst in people. And I have seen only the best from the Alpine Elementary faculty as they quickly mobilized to provide online instruction for your students. I am so proud and appreciative of the diligent efforts of our staff as they have quickly and without complaint figured out how to do school in a new way.

You know your children better than anyone. Though we do encourage you to schedule “school time” each day, there is certainly no expectation to have students doing school work for six hours a day. We apologize for all the emails coming your way, but teachers need to communicate with your students. If you have questions or concerns about the online learning expectations, please communicate with your child’s teacher. This online learning model is a work in progress.

I have attached flyers for a State of Utah Spirit Week that you and your children can participate in that will perhaps bring some joy and laughter to your homeschooling experience.

The big question is how long will the schools be closed. Over the weekend, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Sidnee Dickson, shared the following with Utah school leaders:

So parents only have to make one trip to the school, starting on Monday March 23, students can pick up a breakfast and lunch meal at the same time, 8:30 – 11:00 am, at the table set up by Nutrition Services by our front door. This meal service is provided to all students in the Alpine School District, including middle and high school students, free of charge. You can send your child or children to the school to pick up meals without a parent accompanying the student.

Please only send one student into the school to pick up meals so that we can follow social distancing protocols of no more than 10 people in a group, while maintaining a six foot distance between all individuals.

Also starting on Monday, our office will only be open 8:00 am – 12:00 pm.

This state was founded by a people, ancestors to some of you, who faced difficult challenges both in their migration west and in settling communities along the Wasatch Front. Faith and hard work enabled them to overcome the many trials they encountered. Those same attributes will enable us to successfully overcome all that this pandemic requires us to navigate. We will make it through these challenging times!

Outside the Principal’s Office.

Faith, family and exercise are my anchors during difficult times. All five of our children, their spouses and our grandchildren, like all Americans and people across the globe, have been impacted by COVID-19. Laura and I choose to be optimistic about future outcomes, even when there are questions about the health, job security and financial obligations of our family. Three times last week, I biked up to Pine Hollow Trail Head in American Fork Canyon, which is where the gate is locked and snowpack begins. As I pedaled up the mountain, I repeatedly said to myself, “Lead your family and school in love, faith and calm assurance that these trying times will make us all stronger, and that these difficult days will pass.” I truly believe that mantra!

Have a great week, and as always, remember that it is a great day to be an Eagle!