While sitting in a cafeteria wedged between people using plastic forks and knives, Nick Markels could not help but think about all the plastic going into the garbage at the end of the lunch hour. It was then that he thought of an invention that could help reduce waste.

Markels, a senior at Park City High School, created a spork and knife combination made of biodegradable materials. He called it the Sporknife. He submitted his design and marketing plan to the CAPS Student Innovation Contest, a national competition for young entrepreneurs, and was one of two students in the country selected for the Edison Award. The competition was sponsored by the Center for Advanced Professional Studies and Edison Universe, and it was open to students in CAPS programs around the U.S.

Markels said what makes the Sporknife unique is its manufacturing process. He designed a way for factories to make sporks and knives that are attached until they get into the consumer’s hands. Then, the consumer can easily separate it two distinct utensils.

“Just like chopsticks,” Markels said.

He said his idea is eco-friendly because the Sporknife would be made out of a corn-based biodegradable material. Plus, the manufacturing process of making a two-in-one spork and knife would cut material waste, he said.

Markels initially created the product as an assignment in one of his engineering classes. He said after hearing about plastics polluting the ocean and the pushback against disposable straws and eating utensils, he wanted to find a new solution.

Biodegradable utensils exist, but many businesses don’t purchase them because they are expensive, he said.

By tampering with the production process, he came up with a solution to cut costs and make biodegradable utensils more affordable.

“I thought what if you have one machine, instead of running three different assembly lines,” he said.

He came up with designs, printed them using the school’s 3-D printers and gave the new utensils to his classmates to test out and provide feedback. Then, he went back to the drawing board to improve them. He went through four separate design iterations.

Chris Humbert, who was teaching the class Markels was in at the time, said one of Markels’ top qualities is his dedication to constantly making his work better. He said Markels is a “focused, respectful and responsible student.”

Humbert taught Markels for the past few years and said he has enjoyed watching Markels expand his knowledge and his skills.

“He is consistently top-notch,” he said. “He really does his best, not just in the design of the object but also the writing and the presentation.”

Humbert said he was happy to see Markels be rewarded for his efforts.

Markels said the engineering and PCCAPS classes he took helped him learn about proper design and self-management, and his business classes taught him how to create a marketing plan for his product. Even his film class, he said, proved valuable by teaching him how to make an animation explaining his product.

“All the CTE classes I took at Park City, they helped me eventually create this,” he said.

Markels realized his project had potential as the deadline approached for the Lassonde Institute’s Utah High School Entrepreneur Challenge. He prepared the materials for the statewide competition and finished in the top 20.

Humbert then told him about the Edison Awards, and Markels entered. He said he was not expecting to make it far in the contest. He was shocked when he came to school one day and his peers were congratulating him. He checked his email and saw the message naming him a winner of the Edison Awards.

Markels said he is happy about the end result because he has had more opportunities to share his idea with the public. He hopes to continue working on the product this summer and as he attends the University of Portland in the fall.

The post Park City senior honored in national contest for eco-friendly utensil appeared first on Park Record.

In a couple of weeks, a small town in the Normandy region of France will watch marching bands parade down its streets to commemorate the soldiers who lost their lives on the nearby beaches 75 years ago. Dozens of Park City High School students will be among them.

The high school’s marching band is participating in the 75th anniversary of D-Day. The school is one of 17 bands and choirs from the U.S. selected to perform during the memorial parade. The band is also playing at two cemeteries in honor of U.S. soldiers who died in France during World War II. The band is set to perform its numbers for the Park City community May 29 at 6:30 p.m. at Dozier Field.

Bret Hughes, the director of percussion, said the school was selected to play in Normandy after the band performed in Hawaii in 2016 at the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

He said the group that organized the musical performances at Pearl Harbor was impressed by the students’ behavior and skills. The group called Hughes two weeks after the students returned from Hawaii asking if the program wanted to perform in Normandy.

By June of 2017, the marching band trip to Normandy was cemented.

Liam Hanrahan, a junior and the band’s drum major, remembers hearing about the Normandy trip for the first time. He immediately knew he wanted to go. He played at Pearl Harbor and said it was impactful. He is eager to have a similar experience in France.

“Knowing the history of what happened there and being able to play and represent the U.S. is just a very cool experience,” he said.

Owen Nagel, a junior who plays the snare drum in the drumline, also went on the Pearl Harbor trip. He said he remembers looking up to the older band members during that time. Now, he is excited to be a leader to younger classmates.

The students began practicing for the Normandy events in mid-April and has held fundraisers throughout the year to raise money for the trip. The Park City Education Fund donated money to help pay for the band’s instruments to travel with them. The students also pitched in to pay for their travel expenses.

Valeny Valles, a junior who plays the flute, says she has been working the past couple years to raise money for the trip. She is excited to travel overseas and perform at a historic venue.

The marching band’s first stops during its tour will be at the cemeteries for fallen U.S. soldiers. The band will join the other 17 bands and choirs, including New York Police Department Pipes and Drums, for a mass band arrangement of the song “Hymn to the Fallen.” American composer John Williams wrote the song for the World War II film “Saving Private Ryan.”

Hughes said Williams gave permission to the bands to rearrange the song and play it for this sole occasion.

The band is set to play in Normandy on June 8 in the town of Sainte-Mere-Eglise, where airborne operations took place during the battle. The bands will play in a parade and at the town square.

Hughes said the band plans to perform a mix of popular songs, such as “Sir Duke” by Stevie Wonder and “Carry on Wayward Son” by Kansas. He said because it is a global event, they wanted to play music people around the world would recognize.

“No matter where you’re from in the world, you’ve probably heard the tune and can probably enjoy it,” he said. “We’re trying to instill the environment of let’s have a good time, let’s celebrate each other and hang out and enjoy what we have.”

He said the parade is more “a celebration of freedom,” as compared to the performances at the cemeteries, which are more reverent.

Hughes said he is thrilled for the students to visit Normandy and learn more about D-Day.

“There is no better way to teach world history than to experience world history,” he said. “Even though our primary subject is music, world history is a real thing that kids need to know.”

He said the students who went on the Pearl Harbor trip had a better understanding of the emotional impact of the attack, and he expects the same outcome from this trip.

The marching band will also travel to Paris to perform before returning to Park City. Hughes said the band has not yet determined where it will play.

The post Park City High School’s marching band set to play in France to mark 75th anniversary of D-Day appeared first on Park Record.

In the middle of end-of-year exams, Jake Bleil still paused to celebrate when he got the good news. He was named a National Merit Scholar.

Bleil, a Park City resident and senior at Rowland Hall, was one of 24 students in the state selected for the honor, and the only Park City student to be recognized. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation awarded $2,500 to 2,500 Merit Scholars from around the country. Scholars are chosen for their strong academic performance, according to a press release.

Bleil intends to use the funds as he heads to Princeton University, where he plans to study engineering.

He said it felt nice to be recognized for the work he has put into his education over the years.

A committee made up of college admissions officers and high school counselors chose the scholarship recipients. They considered students’ academic records, scores from two standardized tests, their leadership in school and community activities and recommendations written by high school officials.

More than 1.6 million students entered the running for the scholarships, and 16,000 were named semifinalists. Six Park City students made it to the semifinalist round.

Bleil said he chose Princeton not only for its strong engineering program, but because it has a growing music program as well. He plays the double bass, and he plans to keep playing it while in college.

“That’s another one of my big passions that I have done since I was 7, 8 years old,” he said. “It’s a place where I could both focus on engineering and do music and it wouldn’t be a huge hassle. I wouldn’t have to pick between one of the two.”

Bleil said the school supports cross-disciplinary studies, which is important to him, too. For his final project in his math class, for example, he is combining geometry and music.

He said he is eager to continue his learning at Princeton, and he hopes to one day use his multidisciplinary knowledge to engineer a product that will make a difference in the world.

“If I can make something 20 years in the future that is actually going to help people, that would probably be the dream come true,” he said.

The post Rowland Hall student from Park City named National Merit Scholar appeared first on Park Record.

Ashley Battersby knew her career as a professional skier was coming to a close, but she was clueless as to what she would do once she hung up her skis for good. Immersing herself in yoga, she thought, might help her discover her new identity. Little did she know yoga would come to mean much more.

After she completed yoga teacher training a couple years ago, Battersby opened her own yoga and fitness studio. The studio, called State of Mind, is located on Main Street in Coalville. She opened the doors on Feb. 1.

Battersby, who moved to Park City in 2002, was a professional slopestyle skier for 17 years. She competed as a U.S. freeskiing athlete and won top placements at prominent competitions like the X Games and Dew Tour. She started practicing yoga 13 years ago because she wanted to have better control over her breathing during skiing competitions. Yoga helped her focus on her breathing and stay calm before and during events, she said.

Then, after multiple knee injuries, Battersby started practicing yoga more to help her knees recover. Eventually, the injuries were too much for Battersby and she began to consider retiring. Whenever she thought about a life without slopestyle skiing, she felt lost.

“I didn’t know who I was without the ski title and label,” she said. “My whole life I’m just like, ‘Oh my God, that’s all I was. Without skiing, who am I?’”

She signed up for a yoga teacher training course so she could reflect on her life and her future. The training worked. By the end of it, she knew her next phase in life was to be a full-time yoga instructor. Battersby retired from skiing in 2015 and began teaching yoga in various studios around Park City. Then, last May, her dad planted the idea in her head about starting her own studio.

Her father owned a vacant storefront on Main Street in Coalville and offered to rent it to Battersby at a discounted rate. The space previously housed a karate studio and a physical therapy clinic, but it had been vacant for seven years.

Battersby had thought about opening a studio before, and she wanted to “bring movement to where it wasn’t.” Coalville, she said, had limited options for those wanting to work out in a gym.

She got to work renovating the space in June.

“Literally, the next month I’m in here scrubbing floors, laying out the floors, painting the whole place. Everything,” she said.

She decided to include a fitness area in the studio as well, because she was trained as a physical trainer and had worked with several trainers while on the ski team. By the end of January, she had a full fitness area filled with workout equipment and a yoga area surrounded by indoor plants and statues.

She teaches different styles of yoga, including yoga sculpt, which blends yoga movements and fitness. She also offers personal training sessions and several workout classes.

Battersby was nervous about opening a yoga studio in a small town, but she said the community seems to be ready for it. If anything, the studio serves as a gathering place for people in the community to meet each other and work out together.

One patron started a book club at the studio, and Battersby plans to host other events focused on nutrition and mental health.

Battersby hopes to help create a healthier community through her studio. The logo for the studio has a symbol for transition because she said she wants to help people transition to a healthier life.

“People get stuck in the comfortable, and getting comfortable with the uncomfortable is where I want to take people,” she said.

For Battersby, that means being physically healthy and also taking the time to slow down and be more mindful.

The post Marketplace: Former pro skier opens yoga and fitness studio in Coalville appeared first on Park Record.

The story of how Jamo O’Reilly ended up working in the hospitality industry in Park City is a familiar one.

“I was one of those folks who moved to Utah for a ski season when I was 19 and never left,” he said.

Years later, O’Reilly is now the director of lodging operations for Deer Valley Resort. He replaced longtime hospitality leader Kim McClelland, who retired at the beginning of April. O’Reilly will oversee the operations of all residences and homeowners associations managed by Deer Valley Resort Lodging and Reservations.

O’Reilly, who is originally from Rhode Island, got his start in the hospitality industry working as a housekeeper at Alta’s Rustler Lodge at Alta Ski Area. He worked at the lodge for 20 years, and ultimately became the assistant general manager.

He and his family moved from Cottonwood Heights to Park City in 2010. He worked briefly for a wind energy company before jumping back into the hospitality industry at the Sky Lodge, which he managed.

Then, seven years ago, he took a job under Deer Valley Resort’s hospitality branch and worked at Deer Valley Club and, most recently, the Black Diamond Lodge. He was general manager of Black Diamond Lodge for five years.

O’Reilly did not plan to pursue a career in hospitality when he first moved to Utah, but he quickly realized he had a passion for the work. At Rustler Lodge, he said, he learned how to provide quality service and to always meet the needs of the guest.

Over time, he began to enjoy paying attention to details and looking for ways to constantly improve the guest experience.

“Working at a ski resort where people travel to on vacation is incredible,” O’Reilly said. “It’s a fun position to create a wonderful vacation experience for a guest.”

He said he will continue to focus on quality in his new role as head of Deer Valley hospitality. He said he is excited, and a little intimidated, to take on the challenge of filling McClelland’s shoes and upholding the resort’s reputation.

The post Deer Valley Resort hires new director of lodging appeared first on Park Record.

As more development comes to Summit and Wasatch counties, the separation between the two areas is shrinking. The growing cohesion and interest in finding solutions to issues faced in both counties is apparent leading into the annual Wasatch Back Economic Summit.

The summit, which is in its second year, is scheduled to take place on May 30 at the DeJoria Center in Kamas. Business owners and tourism leaders from throughout the Wasatch Back will gather to listen to keynote speeches and break-out sessions that cover the major challenges in the area. The summit is organized by the Park City Chamber/Bureau and the Heber Valley Chamber of Commerce. It is sponsored by Park City Board of Realtors.

Nancy Gray, vice president of member services for the Chamber/Bureau, said the summit will be similar to last year’s event, which was held at the Zermatt Resort in Midway. One new session is being added, though.

Following a keynote address from Fraser Bullock, co-chair of the Olympic Exploratory Committee, there will be a panel featuring elected officials in the area. The mayors of Park City, Kamas, Heber and Midway, along with members from the Summit and Wasatch county councils, will discuss what local governments are doing to solve community issues and plan for the future, said Ryan Starks, executive director of the Heber Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Starks said both counties face similar difficulties, such as a lack of affordable housing and the need for a stable workforce and transportation solutions, but they also have similar opportunities. Elected officials, he said, are the ones coming up with solutions to those mutual challenges.

“We thought it would be good to put them together and let them showcase the work that they’re doing and also invite dialogue so they can really get updates about the things that each county and city is working on,” he said.

He hopes the elected officials and attendees can better understand each other’s needs after the panel. Summit attendees will be able to ask questions during the panel.

The summit’s organizers then plan to dive deeper into community issues by discussing them in hour-long breakout sessions. Gray said she expects the session titled Mayflower Development Overview will be popular, which is why the session is being offered twice.

Representatives from Extell Development, which owns land on the east side of Deer Valley Resort, and the Military Installation Development Authority, which facilitates development on military land near Jordanelle Reservoir, are set to present. They plan to show renderings and provide information about the Mayflower development and its impact on the surrounding towns.

“We are going to know exactly what is going on over there, which is pretty interesting,” Gray said.

She said the breakout sessions also include topics such as real estate, the workforce and resources for start-ups in the Wasatch Back. Leaders from the two chambers also plan to host a session about how they advertise and market the regions.

A mix of community experts from both counties and from the state will present during the sessions, Gray said. The sessions will also include time for questions.

The breakout sessions are sandwiched between keynote addresses. Bullock from the Olympic Exploratory Committee is expected to talk about the strengths of Utah’s economy and potentially the Olympic bid. Sarah Calhoun, an entrepreneur in Montana who owns the women’s clothing company Red Ants Pants, will wrap up the event. Gray said she is expected to talk about entrepreneurship in rural and semi-rural areas.

Gray said the summit was well-received last year, and she hopes to have a similar outcome this year. The event is sold out, but tickets were available for the lunch and final keynote speaker.

“We are both facing the same issues, and I think it’s really important that we get together and pool what resources we can so we can communicate with each other,” she said. “If we can do that, then we are much more likely to find solutions to the things that are in front of us.”

Gray said the summit is expected to take place in Wasatch County next year, and it will continue to alternate between the two regions.

The post Second annual Wasatch Back Economic Summit to highlight common problems, solutions in the region appeared first on Park Record.

After the Christian Center of Park City received a makeover last year, it seemed only fitting that its boutique would get a new look as well.

The Christian Center Boutique, which sells gently used clothes and accessories to help fund the center’s programs, was recently renovated. Students from Salt Lake Community College’s fashion program reorganized the interior and designed a new layout for the store, located in the Christian Center’s headquarters at 1283 Deer Valley Drive..

Debbie LaBelle, marketing and event coordinator for the Christian Center, said the changes make it easier for customers to move around the store and find items. She hopes the updated space will encourage people to purchase more clothing and accessories so the center can grow its programs. The Christian Center is a nonprofit that provides services to low-income families in Summit and Wasatch counties.

The Christian Center underwent a remodel last year, which provided a larger space for the boutique, LaBelle said.

“With a new building, we wanted an enhanced experience for our community, and that would include this store,” LaBelle said. “If we are able to have an enhanced customer service and increase overall sales, we are able to support this community at a higher level.”

The Christian Center connected with the community college because of Vanessa Di Palma, who owns a fashion consulting firm in Park City called Farasha. The Christian Center originally reached out to Di Palma in the winter to ask her to renovate the space, said Dell Ledbetter, director of programs for the center.

“We wanted some outside eyes that knew fashion and fashion design,” Ledbetter said.

Di Palma, who frequently works as a consultant for the college’s fashion program, suggested the nonprofit work with students. She said the project would provide a hands-on experience for the college students.

About 10 students in a visual merchandising class took on the project, and Ledbetter said they did a good job realizing their goal of making it easier for customers to move around the store. Di Palma served as a consultant on the project. The updated boutique opened at the end of April.

Ledbetter said one of the biggest differences is that the store is more open now. The students cleared items from the entrance and designated a clear walkway through the store to provide more space for customers. They also organized home décor, jewelry and shoes into distinct areas rather than having items mixed throughout the store.

“It’s definitely easier to find things and easier to navigate the store,” LaBelle said. “It feels good in here.”

The post Christian Center Boutique gets a makeover appeared first on Park Record.

Entrepreneurship has always been a central theme in David Bieber’s life. So when the Park City-based entrepreneurial network nonprofit PandoLabs was searching for a new director, Bieber felt inclined to step up.

PandoLabs recently named Bieber its managing director. He brings several years of entrepreneurial and business consulting experience, and he currently operates a consulting firm that specializes in the rehabilitation health care industry.

He plans to reorganize the nonprofit’s education and outreach efforts by launching a new program called the Entrepreneurs Execution Network. Bieber said the goal of the program is to build a network of people with diverse skills who can help each other with their startup endeavors. The network will include monthly events where subject experts educate members about topics such as how to run the financial side of a business or the best way to pitch to investors. Attendees will also have the opportunity to share the projects they are working on.

Bieber wants to create a collaborative environment and help pair like-minded individuals who can support each other. Ultimately, he said, he wants the network to be able to fund some member’s projects.

“We want to create this ecosystem to problem-solve our members’, partners’ and supporters’ most urgent and important challenges,” he said.

Bieber said entrepreneurship has always been important to him. He grew up in the Washington, D.C., area and, after he graduated from Duke University, started his first company — a strategic consulting firm and micro venture capital fund for young entrepreneurs.

He then worked in product management positions for a few years, operating his consulting business on the side to help startups launch.

He enjoys entrepreneurship because it is all about confronting problems with unique solutions. As a consultant, he must be creative to come up with solutions for businesses to improve their strategy or workflow.

Three years ago, Bieber and his wife moved to Park City after she was accepted into the University of Utah’s physical therapy school. Bieber said he was thrilled to move to the area, because he and his family had visited Park City to vacation during the last 20 years.

When he arrived in Utah, he continued his consulting firm. He helped his dad design and launch a new shoulder sling for people with injured arms, and he started consulting for businesses in the health care industry.

He soon discovered a niche group of health care providers trying to bring innovative medical ideas to the market. Bieber began working with businesses in the rehabilitation health sector.

While helping to launch businesses in Park City, he heard about and became involved with the Park City Center for Advanced Professional Studies (PCCAPS) program at Park City High School. The program is managed, in part, by PandoLabs.

He was attending PandoLabs events and working with PCCAPS when the former director of PandoLabs, Juliana Duran, announced she was leaving the organization. Ted McAleer, former executive director and board member of PandoLabs, helped run the nonprofit while the board searched for a new leader.

McAleer said Bieber’s experience and passion for entrepreneurship made him stand out as a candidate. Bieber recently stepped into the role.

Bieber is eager to build a stronger entrepreneur community through PandoLabs. He hopes to have entrepreneurs, capital providers and students from Summit County and beyond attend the monthly networking events and gain connections.

He said PandoLabs will continue to partner with the Park City Angels investing network and the PCCAPS program, and he hopes to build more partnerships in order to connect groups and organizations. He wants to match entrepreneurs with programs and people that will help them “move their ventures forward.”

“Being able to meet with the right people at the right time can help you spend money in a way that is actually going to make your business be successful,” he said.

Bieber said Rick Lindquist, a former CEO of the software company PeopleKeep, will help Bieber manage PandoLabs.

The post PandoLabs names new director, plans entrepreneur network appeared first on Park Record.

A Park City High School senior facing 18 criminal charges admitted to releasing pepper spray in the school’s lecture hall last month to prevent a conservative school club from hosting an event.

The 18-year-old student on Friday admitted in 3rd District Juvenile Court to criminal mischief, a third-degree felony, as well as two counts of assault and one count of disrupting a meeting, all class B misdemeanors. Judge Elizabeth Knight dismissed the remaining 14 charges. The Park Record is not naming the student because he was a minor at the time of the incident.

The teen told Knight that he released the spray to protest an event put on by PCHS’s Turning Point club, a local chapter of the conservative nonprofit Turning Point USA. Will Witt, from Prager University, a nonprofit that produces videos promoting conservative views, was scheduled to speak at the school in the evening.

The student released the spray at the end of the school day on April 1. The high school was evacuated after students and teachers left the building with respiratory distress. At the time of the incident, officials had not identified the substance causing harm. Medical personnel treated 14 people on scene, and one person was hospitalized. Officials later identified the substance as pepper spray, and Park City School District leaders said it was a type of bear spray.

The teen admitted during the hearing that he released the spray in the lecture hall “with the intention to disrupt a meeting.”

“I didn’t feel as though it was a very safe thing for a lot of our students to really have in our school, so I decided I wanted to disrupt it,” he said during the hearing.

The event was relocated to Ecker Hill Middle School, and members of the Turning Point club have since said it’s disconcerting that a peer targeted the club based on political beliefs.

Knight told the teen he was shutting down speech because he did not agree with it. She advised him to find less disruptive and harmful means if he wants to protest something in the future.

She sentenced him to 100 hours of community service and ordered him to write an essay on civility; write a letter of apology to Trent Jarman, the school’s resource officer who entered the school in an attempt to identify the substance; pay restitution to the school to cover clean-up costs and pay the co-pay of the individual who was hospitalized because of the spray. She also said victim mediation is available for any victim who would like to participate.

In a statement that the student read during the hearing, he said he was sorry for the effects of his actions.

Melinda Colton, spokesperson for the Park City School District, declined to comment on the matter.

The post Park City student admits to releasing pepper spray before Turning Point club event appeared first on Park Record.

When moving to the United States, Dulce Chavez Rea left behind a lot of people and traditions from her hometown in Michoacán, Mexico. But she realized several months ago that there was one thing she did not have to say goodbye to.

Chavez, a senior at Park City High School who grew up doing traditional Mexican dancing, decided to keep dancing and start a Mexican folk dance club at her new high school. The club currently has four members, and it is set to perform during a community event on May 24.

The students in the club practice and perform traditional dances from different regions in Mexico. They rehearse two times a week for two hours in the school’s cafeteria.

Chavez said she came up with the idea for the club after some students performed a traditional Mexican dance during a Day of the Dead celebration in 2017. She approached Dirk Gootjes, the Latino outreach coordinator for the high school, to see if he could help her get a dance club off the ground.

Gootjes and Chavez organized and launched the club in the fall. They had their first performance at the school’s Day of the Dead celebration in November. During the club’s three numbers, Chavez said, the crowd applauded and cheered for the dancers. She said the support motivated her to keep the club growing.

Gootjes helped secure grants from the Park City Education Foundation and the high school’s parent-teacher-student organization to pay for the club’s costumes, which are from Mexico. The club also raised money during the Live PC Give PC event.

The club was also able to secure an instructor shortly after it started. Lilia Suarez, who immigrated to the Park City area from Mexico 10 years ago, agreed to choreograph and teach the dances.

She brought decades of dancing experience to the group. She started taking dance classes in Mexico at the age of 8. By the time she was 18, she was touring the world with The Ballet Folklórico de Mexico.

She toured with the group for 10 years and then taught dance and art in Mexico. She was happy for the opportunity to teach students again and share her culture with the town.

“We are giving those who are here a little bit of the culture that we have in Mexico,” Suarez said in Spanish.

Alejandro Arredondo, a member of the club, is glad to be dancing again. He grew up doing traditional Mexican dancing in school. When he moved from the Mexican state of Baja California to Park City two years ago, he said he was sad there were no dancing groups he could join.

“All my life I have been dancing,” he said. “It is a way to express how I feel and my culture.”

He hopes the club is able to break stereotypes some people have about Mexican immigrants and teach the community about Mexico’s diversity. Each state in Mexico has its own dance styles, music, clothing and food. The club plans to showcase the various dance styles during their performances.

Chavez said the club is not only a way to teach the community, but a chance for her to honor where she came from.

“I am not going to forget my roots even though I am not where they are,” Chavez said in Spanish. “I feel proud of who I am and where I come from.”

The club plans to perform six dances at its upcoming event. Three of the numbers are dances from the northern region of Mexico, and three are from a western state called Jalisco. The show will include group dances and couple’s dances, as well as traditional Mexican songs and poetry. The event is set to take place at Ecker Hill Middle School from 7 to 8 p.m.

Chavez said now that she is graduating, she hopes the club will continue. The remaining students and Gootjes plan to grow it next year so students in junior high and middle school can also participate.

There is a lot Park City can learn from the club, Gootjes said.

“The Latino population is growing here, and they need to remember their heritage, remember where they come from, be proud of their heritage and know they are part of the community,” he said. “The community should see that Latinos are an important part of who we are in Park City.”

The post Traditional Mexican dance club takes off at Park City High School appeared first on Park Record.