District Newsletter – May 9, 2025
Dear Salt Lake City School District,
This is my last newsletter message to you this school year, and I want to celebrate the accomplishments of our students and our educators. Their dedication and excellence continue to make our district a place of pride and promise. Here are just a few examples.
Educator Awards
- Utah Governor’s Medal: Dr. Nicola Hack from the Salt Lake Center for Science Education was honored with the 2025 Utah Governor’s Medal for Science and Technology.
- Don Clark Lifetime Achievement Award: Holley McIntosh, the district Math Supervisor, was honored by the Utah Council of Teachers of Mathematics for her substantial contribution to Utah mathematics over many years.
- Karl Jones Award: Laleh Ghotbi, a 4th grade teacher at Mountain View Elementary, was recognized by the Utah Council of Teachers of Mathematics for her innovation and creativity in engaging young math students.
- Foreign Language Teacher of the Year: West High German teacher Kathy Barnard was recognized as the Teacher of the Year by the Utah Foreign Language Association.
- Utah Teacher of the Year: Sayre Posey, a history teacher at Northwest Middle School, was named the Utah Teacher of the Year!
Student Achievement
- State Sterling Scholar Winners: Three Salt Lake City School District students were named winners in this year’s state Sterling Scholar competition: Mingchuan Cheng (West) – Mathematics, Krishnam Goel (West) – Science, and Gemma Leonard (Highland) – Dance.
- History Day Winners: Eight students from Clayton Middle School have qualified for the National History Day competition in Washington, DC.
- Top 5 in World Championship: The West High School Robotics team placed 5th overall in the FIRST FRC World Championship. Over 600 teams from across the globe competed.
- Utah Affiliate Bowl Winner: Stella Rearden from Washington Elementary placed first in the Utah Affiliate Bowl for the Future Problem Solving program.
Our Educator Accomplishments and Student Accomplishments webpages list many more accolades and awards earned by our educators and students this year. You can also look for the Excellence In Action heading in our newsletters (such as the one below) or on social media for more celebrations of our award-winning teachers.
Thank you to our students, families, teachers, and staff. You are what makes this district such a vibrant place to learn and grow and the reason we are well on our way to being Utah’s flagship district.
Warmly,
Elizabeth Grant, Ph.D.
Superintendent
Salt Lake City School District
Excellence In Action
Salt Lake City School District is filled with dedicated and talented educators and staff. We celebrate and appreciate their contributions to our students and families.
- Dr. Judith Neugebauer, a science teacher at Northwest Middle School, has been named a finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching! This prestigious award recognizes her outstanding contributions as a science teacher in Utah. Her application will next be reviewed by the National Selection Committee, with results to be announced by the White House.
- Paula Clemente at Clayton Middle School and Evelyn Miller at Glendale Middle School have been named Secondary DLI Model Teachers, and their classes have been officially named Spanish DLI Secondary Class Models. These distinctions were awarded after the State Dual Language Immersion Coordinator visited their classes and observed their teaching.
Congratulations to these three outstanding educators!
AAA Bond Rating
Salt Lake City School District is one of only a few districts in the state to have its own independent AAA bond rating, the highest credit rating available for a school district. Think of a bond rating like a credit score; a higher credit score means you can take out loans at a lower interest rate. The same is true for bond ratings; a better bond rating means the district can issue bonds at lower interest rates, saving taxpayers potentially millions of dollars in interest over time.
We are proud to have held our AAA bond rating for more than 25 years, a recognition of Salt Lake City School District’s longstanding practice of sound financial management.
Timeline for New High School Designs
District leaders and construction supervisors meet weekly with the architects designing Highland and West High Schools to review design ideas and address the many needs that come with building new comprehensive high schools. Over the past few months, we’ve worked in close partnership with each school’s administrative team, who have participated in regular design meetings, and invited educators to help design classrooms that have specific needs, such as special education or career and technical education (CTE) classrooms.
There are three phases in the school design process:
- Schematic Design – defines the general scope, scale, and relationships of the project.
- Design Development – adds detail to the design and begins coordination of building systems.
- Construction Documents – creates a complete set of instructions for construction.
We are nearly finished with the Schematic Design phase. We now have a strong sense of the basic footprint of both schools and the planned placement of key components – gym, theater, classrooms, administrative offices, cafeteria, science labs, CTE classrooms, and more – within those layouts.
Our current estimate is that final designs will be completed by the end of 2025, with construction on the new high schools beginning in spring 2026.
New High School Designs Feature Shared Classroom Spaces
The new Highland and West High Schools will include a modern shared classroom model, where classrooms are used by different teachers throughout the day. Instead of keeping personal desks and storage in classrooms, teachers will have secure, private offices where they can plan, meet with students or parents, and collaborate with colleagues.
This approach is used commonly across the country and ensures every classroom is used efficiently, reduces building costs and long-term energy needs, and keeps learning spaces clean and welcoming. Our plan is to learn from others’ best practices to minimize teacher movement across classrooms and provide support to our educators. In other schools using this model, teachers and administrators have seen teacher-student interaction improve and staff collaboration across academic departments increase.
Employees of the Year Nominations
Nominations are now open for several employee of the year categories. If you know a great educator who deserves to be recognized, check out the information below.
2026 Principal of the Year
- The nomination period is open now through May 16, 2025.
- The finalists will receive $200.
- The winner will receive an additional $1,000 award.
- Students, parents, colleagues, and community members are all encouraged to submit nominations.
- Submit your nomination using this link: https://forms.office.com/r/fif5qaUVmi.
2026 Assistant Principal of the Year
- The nomination period is open now through May 16, 2025.
- The finalists will receive $200.
- The winner will receive an additional $1,000 award.
- Students, parents, colleagues, and community members are all encouraged to submit nominations.
- Submit your nomination using this link: https://forms.office.com/r/u0XjQNKbgy.
2026 Classified Employees of the Year
There are five categories for this award:
- Child Nutrition Employee of the Year,
- Transportation Employee of the Year,
- Buildings and Grounds Employee of the Year,
- Office Personnel (SLEOPA) Employee of the Year, and
- Hourly Employee of the Year.
Anyone may nominate employees for these awards. Winners will receive a $750 prize. Nominations are open until May 21, 2025, and must be submitted online using the nomination form: https://forms.office.com/r/diXQqmAjyA.
High School Graduations
We are so excited to celebrate our graduating students at the end of this month, the Class of 2025! The dates and times of our schools’ graduation ceremonies are listed below.
|
East High School |
May 30, 2025 |
7:00 PM |
Huntsman Center |
|
Highland High School |
May 30, 2025 |
4:00 PM |
Huntsman Center |
|
Horizonte Instruction and Training Center |
May 30, 2025 |
9:30 AM |
Huntsman Center |
|
Innovations Early College High School |
May 29, 2025 |
6:30 PM |
Highland High School |
|
Salt Lake Center for Science Education |
May 29, 2025 |
5:00 PM |
A. Ray Olpin Student Union Ballroom |
|
Sky View Academy |
June 9, 2025 |
9:00 AM |
Utah State Correctional Facility |
|
West High School |
May 30, 2025 |
1:00 PM |
Huntsman Center |
Summer Learning Program
We invite you to sign up your student for the 2025 Community Education Summer Learning Program, a fun, six-week experience that keeps kids learning, growing, and active all summer long. Students will enjoy hands-on activities in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM), build important social and emotional skills, and take part in fun recreational programs. It’s a great way to help your child stay on track and get ready for the next school year.
The deadline to apply is Friday, May 23, 2025. To learn more and apply online, visit the Salt Lake City School District website.
Don’t miss this chance to give your child a summer full of learning, creativity, and fun!
Summer Food Distribution
The Salt Lake City School District and the Salt Lake Education Foundation have partnered with the Utah Food Bank to offer regular food distributions at our community learning centers this summer. This collaboration is part of our ongoing commitment to support students and families by helping meet essential needs.
- Glendale-Mountain View Community Learning Center (1388 Navajo Street, SLC, UT)
June 12, July 17, and August 14
2:00-3:00 PM - Liberty Community Learning Center (1078 S. 300 E., SLC, UT)
June 18, July 23, and August 20
2:00-3:00 PM - Rose Park Community Learning Center (1105 W. 1000 N., SLC, UT)
June 2, July 7, July 21, August 4, and August 18
1:00-2:00 PM
Upcoming Calendar
- May 20, Board Meeting
5:30 PM, in the district board room (406 E. 100 S., SLC, UT 84111) - May 23, Summer learning applications due
- May 26, Memorial Day
All schools and district offices are closed. - May 29, Last day of school for elementary and middle schools
- May 30, Last day of school for high schools