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Show C-1 B-1 A MUSICAL POPS INTO THE EGYPTIAN THEATRE MINERS TAKE A SWING AT CHAMPIONSHIP EDUCATION, A-7 PARK CITY JUNIOR HIGH STUDENTS TREASURE OPEN SPACE The PARKRECORD.COM/ PARKCITYSBEST AMY ROBERTS OFFERS APOLOGIES Park Record. PARK CITY , UTAH | WWW.PARKRECORD.COM Wed/Thurs/Fri, May 10-12, 2017 Serving Summit County since 1880 High school re-enters the national list COLUMNS, A-14 VOTE NOW! Vol. 137 | No. 27 Honored with hugs A champion in bobsled dies unexpectedly Park City ranked at No. 418 by magazine Steven Holcomb, a Park City native, won Olympic gold By BUBBA BROWN The Park Record School officials and the many in the community have long considered Park City High School as one of the best in the state. Now, they again have some of the most prestigious national school rankings backing them up. After missing from such rankings in the last few years, Park City High School reentered the U.S. News and World Report’s annual list, coming in as the No. 2 school in Utah and No. 418 in the nation out of more than 22,000 schools. A similar ranking from The Washington Post named PCHS as the most challenging school in the state and No. 446 in the country. Bob O’Connor, principal of PCHS, said the honors are indicative of the good work happening at all levels of the Park City School District. “It’s a nice accolade for what the school district is doing, not just Park City High School,” he said. “It’s a systemic effort to educate our kids, so it starts with the elementary schools, Ecker Hill (Middle School) and Treasure (Mountain Junior High School). They deserve to share in some of that credit.” Superintendent Ember Conley echoed those sentiments in a statement to The Park Record. “Congratulations to the entire Park City School District! It takes a system of dedicated staff, in partnership with parents, from preschool through 12th grade to make this happen,” she said. “We couldn’t be more proud of your huge accomplishments!” According to the U.S. News and World Report’s rankings, which were released last month, PCHS scored well for its percentage of students who both took Advanced Placement tests (75 percent) and passed the rigorous exams (73 percent). The school also scored well above the state averages in math and English proficiency. The Washington Post list did not provide specific metrics for its rankings. O’Connor said he was particularly pleased with the number of students taking Advanced Placement exams because it indicates the school is offering the kind of rigorous education that prepares students for success in college. “If you look at the number of AP classes being taken, it keeps going up each year,” he said. “We’ve had some years where the increase has been significant. And that’s a tribute to the AP teachers growing programs and sustaining enrollment.” The school was once a mainstay in annual rankings, sometimes being named as the best school in Utah, but had fallen off the lists in recent years, largely because the Please see High school, A-2 3 sections • 36 pages Classifieds ........................... C-8 Columns .............................. A-14 Crossword ........................... C-4 Editorial............................... A-15 Education ............................ A-7 Events Calendar .................. C-6 Legals .................................. C-11 Letters to the Editor ............ A-15 Movies................................. C-4 Restaurant Guide................. A-10 Scene .................................. C-1 Scoreboard ......................... B-4 Sports .................................. B-1 Weather ............................... B-2 50¢ By GRIFFIN ADAMS The Park Record Park City native and Olympic medalist bobsled athlete Steven Holcomb had a couple of busy months ahead of him. This week, he was scheduled to travel to Indianapolis. Three weeks later, he was going to return to the city with his father for the Indy 500, thanks to a new sponsorship deal agent Brant Feldman, more accurately described as his friend, was finalizing. And in June, he was scheduled to start training again PHOTO COURTESY OF MOLLY CHOMA with other athletes at Park City native Steven East Tennessee State, Holcomb died in his sleep on where he trained last Saturday at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, New season. Holcomb was even York. The Olympic champion working on a film bobsledder was 37 years old. documenting his life and had already began shooting in Los Angeles at the end of April and in Lake Placid a few weeks prior. But his life was shockingly cut short when he passed away in his sleep on Saturday at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, New York, due to pulmonary congestion, reports say. “He wasn’t a client,” Feldman said in an interview with the Park Record. “He was a friend that I will miss like there’s no other. He’s not with us anymore, and it sucks. It’s going to be a hard one to wake up from at some point.” Feldman spent eight days with Holcomb before he died, adding the athlete appeared healthy and happy. Feldman recalled Holcomb was in Los Angeles for an NBC media photo shoot, accompanied by the many fellow Olympians that he befriended throughout the TANZI PROPST/PARK RECORD Kindergarten students tackle Trailside Elementary School teacher Mark Etheridge with hugs after he was named the Park City Education Foundation Doilney Excellent Educator Award recipient on a recent morning. Eight educators in the Park City School District received an award. See more on page A-7. Campaign question remains Mayor says little about his intentions as election nears By JAY HAMBURGER The Park Record First-term Mayor Jack Thomas said on Monday he is unsure when he will publicize whether he will seek re-election, leaving the key early Park City political question unanswered as the campaign season nears. Thomas has said little about his intentions in recent months even as there has been movement on the Park City Council campaign, which runs on a parallel schedule as the mayoral contest. A decision from Thomas will likely quickly clarify the mayoral campaign. If he seeks re-election, some potential mayoral candidates may opt against challenging the incumbent. But should he decide against a seeking a second term, there could be a scramble as mayoral hopefuls see an opportunity to compete for Park City’s top political post without the incumbent on the ballot. Thomas said in an interview he does not in- tend to make an announcement for some time. He said it will be “a couple weeks, at least” before one is made. If he sticks to a timeline like that, it is likely he will not make an announcement until just before the window opens when candidates must file formal campaign paperwork at City Hall. The filing window runs from June 1 until June 7. The mayor on Monday declined to answer questions about the prospects of a re-election campaign. He also declined to discuss whether he has made his decision and is waiting until closer to the opening of the filing window to disclose his plans. Thomas, a Park Meadows resident and an architect, won the mayoral campaign in 2013 as a member of the Park City Planning Commission. He defeated Andy Beerman, a City Councilor who continues to serve in that capacity. Thomas has led Park City during a tumultuous three-plus years that have seen the sale of Park City Mountain Resort to Vail Resorts, a hotly contested trademark dispute centered on the name ‘Park City’ and widespread concerns about traffic, housing and the overall vibe of the community. Please see Question, A-2 Please see Holcomb, A-2 Firefighters react to Dance with purpose mental health alarm The district broadens assistance in months after captain’s suicide By ANGELIQUE MCNAUGHTON The Park Record When Kurt or “Buzz” Peterson, a captain and 17-year veteran with the Park City Fire District, took his own life in February, it forced Chief Paul Hewitt to reexamine the district’s efforts in addressing the mental health of its firefighters. “With Kurt’s suicide, you can’t help but go through something like that and give this everything you got,” Hewitt said. Before his death, Peterson had been campaigning for more mental health services and education for Park City’s emergency responders, especially those within the fire district. However, according to Peterson’s wife, Elaine, the stress became too much. “As firefighters, we rely on each other for debriefing and this is something that none of us really un- derstand well and still didn’t after Kurt’s death,” Hewitt said. On Monday, Hewitt sat down with The Park Record to discuss the steps the district has taken to address its employees’ mental health since Peterson’s death. “We have had our employee assistance programs, but they get a bad rap,” Hewitt said. “Even before Kurt’s death, we had a man come in and conduct a class about how to deal with your stress and mental health.” In recent months, Hewitt said the district has hosted several stress management classes and will soon begin Question Persuade Refer (QPR) training. The district is also establishing a firefighter-specific, crisis-and-suicide hotline, along with a peer support team. “We are also considering getting an embedded psychologist to make sure we are really understanding this,” Hewitt said. “I saw a lot of stuff as a firefighter working at Station 8 in Salt Lake City and I get it. We see horrendous accidents and have adults die in our care and we Please see Assistance, A-2 TANZI PROPST/PARK RECORD Danielle Smith, left, dances with Kimberly Bruce during a Zumba routine at Dance Tech Studios on Saturday. The dance-a-thon event supported ovarian cancer research. VISITOR GUIDE Mold a day around ceramics sale at the Kimball Art Center A Mother’s Day ceramics sale will run from noon to 8 p.m. on May 12 and May 13, at the Kimball Art Center, 1401 Kearns Blvd. The event will feature ceramic work made by studio members and the center’s instructors. All proceeds from the sale benefit the Kimball Clay Studio and center’s Education Department. More: www.kimballartcenter.org. |