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Show A-10 The Park Record Marching to their own beats Continued From A-9 Film shown at PCHS stress. It helps cause so many of the issues we're wrestling with, whether it's overcrowding of our prisons, the drug abuse epidemic or the obesity epidemic. All these things that we consider big societal issues, if you were to go back down to the root of it and do some remediation during childhood, you'd see some pretty big results later on." It's one thing for an alternative high school in Washington to see positive results by dealing with its students' childhood traumas, but what does that method have to do with Park City? Everything, according to Redford, who said the kind of neglect and mistreatment the students in the film experienced recognizes no socioeconomic barriers. It can affect children in BUBBA BROWN/PARK RECORD Wed/Thurs/Fri, January 27-29, 2016 every community in America. "This stuff happens far more frequently than we would like to think or talk about, and it has real repercussions," he said. "It doesn't matter whether you're in a mansion or in an apartment complex." Ember Conley, superintendent of the Park City School District, said many people have the tendency to think wealthy mountain resort towns like Park City are immune. Breaking that perception is one reason she wanted to have "Paper Tigers" screened at the high school. Conley wanted the film to serve as an eye-opener that will rally the community to provide more support for students who are struggling with mental and emotional health while also acknowledging the district can do a better job of training its teachers how to identify those students and connect them with the proper resources. "I personally feel like we need to look at what we provide for our mental health counseling with the community and ramp that up for the kids with the most need," she said. "It's just something that we need more of." But the screening was also a reminder of what the Park City School District does well. Evidence is presented in the film that a positive relationship with at least one adult can make a huge difference for children with troubled pasts. Conley said teachers and administrators in Park City are excellent at forging those kinds of relationships. "Every student needs to have someone in school that checks on them and cares for them," she said. "That's something that I think we do really well in Park City, as far as building relationships with students and helping them feel like they truly matter." For Redford, the screening represented a chance to make a difference. He said he hopes it sparks an earnest and broad conversation in Park City about the issues the film explores. "A community screening can be a very powerful way to ignite change because people are coming together and sharing ideas," he said. "And I think there are real chances to change the dialogue in a substantial way. As a filmmaker, it's rewarding to sit around with a couple hundred people trying to meaningfully hash out these problems." Portia Fernandez, a ninth-grader at Treasure Mountain Junior High, and Joe Dinger, a sophomore at Park City High School, were recently selected to the Honors Youth Percussion Ensemble, an all-state level band put on by the University of Utah. Bret Hughes, director of percussion for the high school, says having two players selected to the ensemble is a great achievement for the Park City band program. Percussionists from Park City selected to prestigious band BUBBA BROWN The Park Record Musical talent runs through Portia Fernandez's family, but she had never so much as picked up a drumstick until she decided to start playing percussion in seventh grade. "I had a lot of friends in percussion and they said it was a lot of fun," she said. "I played trombone at the time, so I was already in band and decided it would be fun to switch because I like hitting things. I felt like it would be a good opportunity to try, then it just stuck with me." She proved to be a natural. Two years later, Fernandez, a freshman at Treasure Mountain Junior High, is a member of one of the most prestigious percussion bands in the state. She, along with Joe Dinger, a sophomore at Park City High School, were recently accepted into the Honors Youth Percussion Ensemble (HYPE), an allstate level group put on by the University of Utah. Fernandez said the audition, where she had to perform for Michael Sammons, a Utah professor who directs the ensemble, was so nerve wracking that her knees wobbled and she made mistakes in a piece she knew by heart. Nonetheless, she returned home later that night to find that she had made a good enough impression to be selected. "I was very excited," said Fernandez, the only freshman in the band. "My mom read the email first, then she came into my room and started freaking out. I was just shocked and couldn't believe it." Like Fernandez, Dinger was a freshman when he made HYPE last year. This year, he's looking forward to playing a more complicated part in the piece the ensemble will perform. He is still one of the youngest players, but a year of growth has made him comfortable with his role. "It's much more work, but it's also like, ‘OK, I got this,'" he said. "I know what I'm doing this year." Bret Hughes, director of percussion for Park City High School, said it was a remarkable achievement for both Fernandez and Dinger to earn spots at such young ages in HYPE, Please Drum, A-11 Your own Private Paradise 1559Tomahawk.com Lustrous on the canyon edge with limestone, glass, and gleaming metal, this distinctive, classically modern home honors its sense of place on over 25 acres amid open space on the Salt Lake City's Federal Heights bench. Despite its urban proximity, the 12,000-square-foot home is its own private retreat sited to savor the views of the city. Unrivaled in location, design, and custom finishes, this unparalleled home is complete and offered with furnishings and artwork. B ,, Bob Whitney 801.205.7111 Ryan Whitney 801.580.7810 THE WATTS GROUP REAL ESTATE THEWHITNEYTEAM.COM COURTESY OF KPJR FILMS Erik Gordon, a science teacher at Lincoln High School in Walla Walla, Washington, delivers a lesson to his class. Gordon is one of the teachers profiled in "Paper Tigers," a documentary that explores the school's unique approach to dealing with its students who have behavioral issues. The film was screened last week at Park City High School. |