On Friday April 5th, the 7th and 8th graders at Wayne Middle School participated in Reality Town. Reality Town is an educational program that gives realistic financial experience to middle and high school students. Many schools around the country participate in this program and are already giving their students an edge in the real world. The program is a two-hour simulation that was held in the Middle School gym. Before entering Reality Town, students received a handbook and personalized pay stub which contained information about their Reality Town family. Students were selected for a job based on their GPA. They got a chance to see if they could support a family on the salary of their job.

As part of the preparation for the Reality Town Simulation, students learned about loans and tax withholding as they examine their personalized pay stub. Members of the community and FFA students from the high school manned booths that simulated all aspects of the students’ financial life. They visited banks, car dealers, realtors, insurance agents, communication companies and other businesses that they would visit in real life. The students had to adjust their purchases to meet the realities of life. They enjoyed the experience, though several students were disappointed that they did not make enough money to buy a big truck. This was a good experience that allowed the students to learn about where their money goes and how their choices determine their lifestyle. They also learned that how well they do in school will impact their earning potential. We would like to thank Wayne Middle School for sponsoring the event and Candance Peterson and Jennifer Hunt for setting up the experience.

The combined first grade classes of Mrs. Brinkerhoff and Mrs. Potter at Loa Elementary did a masterful job of presenting the play “Baby Beluga” on Friday, March 31st. They have been practicing for weeks to make the play a great experience for the school and the community.

The play is centered around a collection of songs describing what people have to do to get up early in the morning in order to view the whale known as “Baby Beluga.”

In the presentation, students not only sang and acted out songs, but had speaking parts which set up the next song and stage of the play. Both classes worked hard under the skillful direction of Mrs. Brinkerhoff and Mrs. Potter to carry off the performance without a hitch—providing lots of energy and spirit.

“Baby Beluga” was a smash hit performance for all in attendance!

On Wednesday, March 18, 2019 Dr. Sydnee Dickson the State Superintendent of Public Instruction visited the schools in Wayne School District. She has made it one of her goals to visit each district in the state. Dr. Dickson visited Loa Elementary, Wayne High School and Wayne Middle School. While in the schools she visited classrooms, and spoke with students, teachers and principals. She expressed how impressed she was with the teachers’ high-quality instruction and how the students were positive and engaged in their classes. Dr. Dickson was enthralled with the good feeling in each school and was pleased with the students’ energy. We also had a chance to discuss issues that affect education in our rural community, primarily student safety. Dr. Dickson has the same concern as us on student and community mental health and will continue to support initiatives that increase the number of mental health professionals in rural areas. We also discussed the difficulty of funding education in rural Utah and what initiatives the state has to assist the rural districts.