How are Utah schools faring in the constantly changing world of modern education? This new world includes school violence, more pupils than most other states (we still have the largest households in the country), multicultural classrooms and very little money.
Meet Angela Rowland, Principal of Utah International Charter School.
Utah International Charter School is a public charter junior high and high school in South Salt Lake intended to give refugees, immigrants and American-born students full access to content-based, sheltered English instruction in every class, and to empower them with collaboration skills, critical-thinking skills, and diverse global perspectives. Mixed-ability classes are limited to 25 students, with an average class size of 20.
The art assignment sounded simple. Each student had written an essay about what their “home” looked like; now they were supposed to draw a picture of that place. But many of the students were stumped. Rowland leans over to help a student think the assignment through: “Was your house square? Round?” she asks.
They decide the house was an unadorned rectangle. When many of these students think of home, they’re thinking of the refugee camp they used to live in. It’s hard to translate that imagination to Utah, where we think of picket fences and manicured lawns.
Rowland has experience working with underprivileged and outsider kids—she was a teacher in the Navajo Nation and a social worker for 13 years. She was the founding principal of Utah International Charter School.
Charter schools have a controversial reputation—the week we were researching this article, two went out of business. Intended to add flexibility to education bureaucracy, charters are tax-payer funded like public schools, but many have been managed for profit, a risky business. But you don’t have to visit the classrooms at Utah International to see that it’s unlike other district schools.
“We have 240 students here. And there are 30 home languages,” says Rowland. “Most kids are new to the country. Many have never been to school. We have 15-year-olds reading English at a first-grade level. They’re all behind. We have a schedule full of English, Science, Social Studies, Math, plus PE or art. We concentrate on the basics.”
Besides the linguistic and cultural challenges, The Utah International campus is located in a neighborhood of generational poverty.
“We’re community-eligible, so every kid gets free breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner.”
The students are fed, but this school faces challenges others do not: For funding and follow-up purposes both the federal and state level want to ensure schools are communicating with parents. And these parents value education greatly, they know it’s the key to getting their kids out of poverty. “But the parents of our students often don’t have email. They may not read English, they’re working two jobs or doing shift work. They may own one car for the whole family or not own one at all”. In some classes, says Rowland, only two students may speak the same language. Difference is the norm. But, she adds, “A big strength of our school is that differences that mattered at home don’t apply here. There are a lot of cross-cultural friendships.”
Inspired by @oldsaltlake, we're celebrating #throwbackthursday with a favorite snapshot of early 20th century Salt Lake City. 🏖️
Photos shared by @oldsaltlake are inspiring millennials and zoomers decades later with visions of a different city: one with easily accessible public transportation, walkable streets, local businesses (open late) and distinctive architecture.
See more photos at the link in our bio.
Pictured: Women relax at what is believed to be Saltair Beach, date unknown...
It's like sunshine in a box ☀️
Even after losing her job during the pandemic, Mandy Madsen didn't lose her good cheer. She put her energy into creating @maddoughslc, selling unique doughnuts inspired by the nostalgia of your favorite childhood treats.🍩
Read our Q&A with Mandy at the link in our bio!...
@saltlakeclimbers are part of a long legacy of dirt baggers fascinated with the soaring granite walls of Little Cottonwood Canyon. They recently finished the Alpenbock Loop, creating an accessible, sustainable trail and preserving access to one of Utah's greatest recreational resources. 🧗♀️
Read more at the link in our bio! ❤️...
The bad news: Utah's inconsistent winters are hurting local bee populations. The good news: You can be a part of saving the bees in the beehive state 🐝
@deserethivesupply, a family-owned business in Ogden, is helping bees bounce back with educational classes that encourage people to pick up backyard beekeeping as a hobby.
Read more on how to save Utah bees at the link in our bio!...
Why did Utah's only Titanic passenger not survive her journey?
The descendants of Irene Corbett believe that the 30-year-old teacher sacrificed her life to save others. It's one of the many ways this remarkable figure bucked tradition and forged her own trail.
Read more about Irene at the link in our bio!...
"We must have done something right, cause you guys kept coming back."
@bluepelatedinerslc, one of Salt Lake's signature spots for everyone from hungover college kids to vegan food lovers, will be closing its doors this May after more than two decades of service. It's the latest casualty in a brutal year for the restaurant industry.
Head to the link in our bio for a tribute to Blue Plate Diner. (And keep supporting your favorite local restaurants. ❤️)...
A business is never more than the sum of its people: the ones who meet you, greet you, help you make the smartest purchase decisions.
Meet the people who make Salt Lake City work:
Lindsay Breinholt, CNM / WHNP @skinspiritslc
Amy Crawley, Founder @parkwayavenuedesign
Candice Itokazu, General Manager @luciennesalon.medspa.boutique
Tobi Roberts, CEO & Co-Founder @citycreekmortgage
Dave Turja, General Manager @kengarff
Read all of these Utah Faces & Places at the link in our bio! ❤️
#sponsored...
Tony Caputo, a food evangelist and founding father of today’s SLC food community, passed away last night.
Tony started @caputosmarket in 1997, bringing his passion for the cuisine of his heritage to Utah tables. Most days during the lunch rush you’d find Tony behind the counter slicing meat and cheeses and then, after it wound down, holding court out front. He’d often rush back behind the counter and holler over his shoulder, “you have to try this!" only to return with a sample bite of veiny cheese, a paper-thin leaf of prosciutto or a perfectly crisp amaretti cookie that he’d recently added to his menagerie of taste. For his many contributions to Salt Lake City, we awarded Tony with a Lifetime Achievement Dining Award in 2007.
Today, we're sending love to @caputosmarket and the many people whose lives were touched by Tony. A full tribute is on our website now. ❤️...
Why is the Pleasant Grove theme park Evermore suing one of the most powerful women in music? Long story short: a playground for those who would choose lore over folklore is taking on Taylor Swift over the name of her most recent album. Both parties have their reputation on the line in a battle of undercover Swifties and novelty mug disputes. Will Evermore hit the gold rush? Or did they cross the wrong mad woman? The full story is at the link in our bio....
Even in the exploration boom of the 1800s, nobody dared to explore the terrain flowing through the Green and the Colorado Rivers.
That is, nobody until Major John W. Powell said the 19th Century equivalent of “Hey man, hold my beer while I try this.”
Read more about his dangerous expedition at the link in our bio!
Photo of Powell’s expedition courtesy Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division...
Whose mouth is watering? 🙋♀️😋
@granarybakehouse_slc is a small, immaculate and intimate 9th and 9th bakery with some of the best laminated pastry in town. (That means golden flakes that get all over your car because you can’t wait until you get home to take a bite.)🥖🥐🧈
Read more about Granary Bakehouse at the link in our bio! ❤️...
A brand new issue of Salt Lake magazine is coming your way!
We can't wait to share these stories with you. This issue includes our annual Blue Plate Awards celebrating those surviving and thriving in the restaurant biz. Plus, we take a road trip to Wyoming and ask why the only Utah passenger on the Titanic didn’t survive her journey.
A note from our editor Jeremy Pugh, including beautiful tributes to Mary Brown Malouf from our friends in the community, is online now. Read more at the link in our bio ❤️
Subscribers: Look for this issue in your mailbox soon. The magazine will be on newsstands March 1! 📬...
Today, we are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2021 Blue Plate Awards! 🎉
These prizes honor the growers, food evangelists, grocers, servers, bakers, chefs, bartenders and restaurateurs who do more than put good food on the table—they make our community a better place to live. This year, just surviving as a local business deserves an award, but each of our Blue Plate winners did more than that. They made us grateful for every person involved in the essential act of feeding us. 🍽
At the link in our bio, we have the full list of winners, a celebration of feats of COVID creativity and a tribute to restaurants we lost this year. If you’re hungry for more, pick up a copy on newsstands March 1! Plus, check out our Instagram for spotlights on some of the Blue Plate winners.
This year’s Blue Plate Awards are the first without our beloved Executive Editor Mary Brown Malouf. We dedicate them to her, our town’s biggest food fan, critic and champion. xoxomm 💙...
2021 Blue Plate Award winner: @ricobrandut for Staying in Beansness
Last summer, it seemed that Rico would be another victim of rapid gentrification in Salt Lake. Luckily, Rico was able to find a new home in Poplar Grove and now plans to add even more employees. It’s a last-minute happy ending for a community leader who literally wears his mission on his sleeve, courtesy a tattoo in bright red block letters: “pay it forward.” 💙...
2021 Blue Plate Award Winner: @spicekitchenincubator for Keeping the Spice Flowing
This year Spice Kitchen Incubator, already an essential resource for refugees, became, well, even more essential. 💙...
2021 Blue Plate Award winner: @thestore_utah for Special Deliveries
As grocery delivery becomes the new norm, The Store offers a personal touch that only an independent grocer can provide. Last March, high-risk and elderly customers began calling in their grocery lists over the phone, and The Store’s general managers personally delivered food to their homes. 💙...
2021 Blue Plate Award winner: @cucinaslc for Preserving Neighborhood Connection
Cucina’s outdoor spaces became a place where the neighborhood could gather safely. Owner Dean Pierose offered free coffee in the mornings and encouraged his regulars to linger and commiserate together, preserving a semblance of society during a socially distanced time. 💙...
2021 Blue Plate Award winner: @fisherbrewing for Creative Canning
This year, Fisher found ways to utilize their beer, taproom space and canning capabilities for good. They created special lines of limited edition beers in custom cans to help raise funds for local businesses struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic. 💙...