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Show ft Thursday, November 21, 1985 Series Continues 4 Concerts Are Aimed At Families -, SANDY. There are cries of concern from communities across the U.S. about a lack of redeeming social value in entertainment offered in a community. This community, with the help of its community hospital, is taking some positive steps to offer a viable alternative to the entertainment, says Brent Lawrence of Alta View Hospital. Sandy, and the Southeast Valley area, make up some of America's g comyoungest and munities, with many young families. The hosptial is presenting a series of concerts that brings the Utah Symphony Orchestra to Sandy, for live concerts at Eastmont middle school, 10100 So. 1300 East. The next concert in the series will be held Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m. Costs for the concert are: family $24, adult $8, senior citizen $6.50, student $4 and children years) $3. A 20 percent discount is offered to groups of 15 or more. Tickets are available at Alta View Hospital, all Draper Bank branches and Beesley Music in Sandy. The program for the December concert ought to be very fastest-growin- 2 ''till ISWi V one of the center's two greenhouses. South Valley not only provides handicapped students with tional skills, but with "life skills" as well. ImS ' GROWING INDUSTRY. . . South Valley Enter- prises principal Al Zylstra looks over some the over poinsettias being readied for the holidays in voca-500- 0 Has Empathy For Youths With Problems Ex-Dropo- ut by Bob Mickelson Green Sheet Staff Writer WEST JORDAN. I was a bit late for my appointment at South Valley Enterprises, but it really didn't matter as Al Zylstra, the principal of the facility, was running a bit behind schedule himself. But at least he had a good excuse. When he finally ushered me into his office, he stated that he'd just spent the better part of the morning talking a behaviorally troubled boy, a kid with real problems. "You know," Zylstra stated, "it's just incredible that a kid can be that hard, that bitter at age 11. But we'll reach him. Before he leaves here, we'll reach him." Most people would question how anyone could speak with such on the prospect of turning such an angry young man around. But Zylstra speaks from experience. He's been there himself. Zylstra's early life could well have mirrored that of the youngster he spent so much time talking to Friday morning. Zylstra grew up on the mean streets of Newark, N. J. Until his uncle and aunt took him in at age cer-taini- ty 10, he'd never gone to school. He didn't learn to read until he was 23. To him, cursive was some kind of magical language or a form of artistic ornamentation. He obtained a football scholarship at BYU, but was suspended because of poor grades. He recived an "A" in varsity football, but his cumulative grade point average was .87. He thought he was mentally retarded. But by the time his education experience was over, he had graduated from that same institution with a Ph.D. in psychology, holding a GPA of 3.7. For Zylstra it was the willingness of his aunt and uncle to take him and the interest of concerned teachers that "rescued him." He tries to apply that same philosophy at South Valley. "Some of these kids come in thinking that other people are so much smarter and better," Zylstra explained. "They see that as some kind of magic that only the lucky receive. You can imagine what that does to It's no wonder their some of them become bitter. ' ' To Zylstra it's a matter of developing closeness rather than distance, self-estee- harmony rather than disharmony attractive entertainment for families, Lawrence says, featuring the "Sorcerer's Apprentice," as well as Mozart's Symphony No. 34, Strauss' Don Juan, and Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Italien. Additional concerts will be Saturday, Jan. 4 at 3 p.m. and April 10 at 7:30 p.m. with his students. Teaching them that there's a difference between making a mistake and failing and that they do have value to society. Students at South Valley run the "Parents here, like those across the nation, are looking for entertainment that can have a positive influence upon their children and can be enjoyed as a family together," says hospital administrator, Jay Southwick. "By bringing the symphony to us and offering "family price" packages, we see an opportunity to introduce a positive entertainment experience - here, where it is convenient and affordable to our residents." The hospital, a part of Intermountain Health Care, is new to the community. "The community has welcomed us greatly - and now this lets us say 'thank you' to the community as a whole, " he continues. The Utah Symphony, noted as "one of the finest" and internationally acclaimed, also looks at this series as a unique opportunity to make a positive contribution to the lifestyle in communities such as Sandy, Draper and Riverton. Symphony music director, Joseph Silverstein, calls the symphony and this Sandy series "an oasis of civility in a world of savagery." The positive effect of the concerts on the community may be long-terefin design, but already, short-terfects are being seen. Educators and civic leaders in the community are welcoming the series with open arms. In an era of tight budgets for school districts that might impact v gamut of disabilities, learning disorders, mental or physical handicaps and those with behavoiral problems. Zylstra and his staff try to help them make the transition from a sheltered to the outside world. Essentially, it a process of learning what he termed "life skills." "Academics are important," Zylstra maintained, "but that isn't what makes people go around. People need jobs to make money and they need to get hired to get jobs." The students spend about two hours a day at the center learning various vocational skills, starting at the eighth grade level. Hopefully, by the time they're seniors, they've reached an employable level. Zylstra calls it a "simulated industrial situation." The wood shop has long been a mainstay of the South Valley program. Students start from scratch according to Zylstra, and instructors make sure they have each step down Continued on page 9 Iff tPsrn. J fCi IN SANDY formances December. . . . CP AH The Utah Symphony will continue its series of perwith the second of the series slated in early in Sandy, |