The Top 5 Things NOT To Talk About at Thanksgiving Dinner

Photo Credits to Dumb Little Man

Worrying about the dos and don'ts of Thanksgiving this year? Thanksgiving conversations can always be awkward when you're at the dinner table with your family you haven't seen since last Thanksgiving. Here are some topics you should probably avoid this year:

The 9th Grade Voice

Should 9th grade students be included at high school events? This has been a largely debated question recently, not only in Park City, but around the country. Many seem to believe that by putting 9th graders in a separate building and not including them in activities will help their "transition" into high school.

The Dog That Started Blind Dog

“Every once in a while a dog enters your life and changes everything”-Anonymous

  In 1998, Penny and Derrick Kinsey opened Blind Dog, a local steak and sushi restaurant. Their inspiration was their dog Rigger, a six-year-old blind black lab. Rigger was hit by a car when he was one and broke his leg, ribcage, and had major swelling to the head which caused him to become blind in both eyes. He lived through it though and as he recovered he found his way around by learning signals such as port, starboard, forward, and reverse.

Penny, Derrick and Rigger didn't always live in the snowy weather. They started on the East coast surrounded by sandy beaches and huge waves. 

Moving to Park City was a little different for the family of three, but they loved the experience. Penny followed her dream and opened a popular restaurant.

Local school teacher, Julie Hooker, notes, “I love the Blind Dog because it is consistently delicious.  I’ve never had a bad meal there.”

The Blind Dog is truly a family business. Ten-year-old Ketch rolls sushi while his thirteen-year-old sister, Khaki, seats people and takes reservations.  “I love working for my family restaurant because I meet a lot of great people,” says Ketch.

In addition to excellent cuisine, the Blind Dog features merchandise for both humans and canines.  “No matter where we go in Park City, we always stop at the Blind Dog to pick up a treat for our dog, Hulu,” explains Tara Kisow.

Hooker continues, “During the summer, I only dine in restaurants that are dog friendly.  There’s no more friendly restaurant than the Blind Dog.”

Again, because the food is consistent, it is a local favorite.  But, tourists, including the rich and famous, come into dine on a regular basis.

Blind Dog’s address, phone number and website:

1251 Kearns Boulevard

435-655-0800 

blinddogpc.com

  

E.A.T.S.

Eat Awesome Things at School (E.A.T.S.) is a wonderful program that provides kids with amazing opportunities to try healthy eating options at school. The program’s goal is to incorporate healthy eating lifestyles in the everyday lives of children whether it’s at school or at home throughout Summit County. “Our goal is to improve the school lunch program through a collaborative partnership as well as offering educational programs that promote healthy habits.” says Laurel Bartmess, Vice President of EATS. “We are working in Summit County, specifically Park City,” says Lisa Allison, a member of the EATS leadership team,”we have recently had inquiries from other areas in the county and will be discussing future plans for possible expansion of programs in upcoming years.”


    Now that the EATS program has come to Treasure Mountain, students everywhere are excited about the new lunches. “I believe it is a great idea,” says Anna Deimling, a 9th grader at TMJHS, “Our school needed a change when it came to what we were eating. I am glad we are now offered healthier and tastier food choices.” EATS recently installed a human vending machine that informed students about healthy eating choices and what they are putting into their systems.

    All in all, the installment of the EATS program in TMJH is a great idea. The issue is starting to resolve itself and we are starting to see students choose healthier food options in the lunch rooms.

The One Yard Drop

The One Yard Drop

 On November 8th at the Rice-Eccles stadium, the Utah Utes played the Oregon Ducks. It started out as a great game for the Utes, within five minutes of the game, the Utes already had seven points. But the next five minutes were not so great. Quarterback Travis Wilson #7 made the perfect pass to Kaelin Clay #8 which seemed to be the perfect 78-yard touchdown. 

 He ran into the end zone, an Oregon player right on his tail, and the fans celebrated. Everyone was too busy celebrating to notice that Oregon had picked up the ball and ran to the opposite end zone. Three Utes players struggled to reach and tackle the player with the ball, but Oregon stopped them. Everyone in the stadium was confused. They reviewed the play, and Clay had dropped the ball just before he reached the end zone. Oregon had seen them drop it, so Oregon snatched the ball and made a touchdown.

 After the game, Kaelin Clay tweeted, “I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS GAME BY MY SELFISH ACTIONS…I’ll take this one”. Many fans were booing, screaming and even throwing food and brownies at Clay as he walked off the field. 

 Treasure Mountain Students who saw the game say, "It was a stupid mistake, but he should have been more aware he wasn't across the line." Another student said, "More people should be aware that it was a little mistake."
  They called it a Desean Jackson moment, because the NFL player did the same thing twice. He called Clay’s father, and talked to him after seeing the play, almost identical to his. One odd fact is that Clay and Jackson both went to Long Beach Poly at one point in their life time. 

 Clay is being comforted by letters from young kids, and kind phone calls. He says he now needs more support, because the play has gone world wide.

Utah's 150 year old telegraph office

Utah is home to many beautiful national parks. If you’re planning to go to southern Utah this year, don’t check into a hotel that advertises itself as authentic and historical. If you really want to be at the mouth of zion canyon, stay in a little old house located in the town of Rockville.

Rockville is a small town located outside of Springdale, which is at the mouth of Zion canyon. The park entrance is a short drive from the house, which should only take around five minutes. The house itself is on the National Historic Registry, and was built in 1864. A year after the Gettysburg address was given by Abraham Lincoln.

In it’s historic days, the house was a telegraph office. The front room is the actual telegraph office, and contains vintage telegraph equipment. After people stopped using telegraphs to communicate, the building fell into disuse.

Later, around the early 1970’s, Roy Simmons and Tibby Simmons purchased the property and began to restore the worn house. They continued to restore, completing it in 1975. A few years later, the house burned down, and was again rebuilt by Roy and his wife. In 2013, Joshua Watkins purchased the property from his family as a place to stay when he visited southern Utah.

There are a variety of canyon hikes around the house, from short, leisurely hikes to technical slot canyons for climbing and repelling. Behind the house is a river, which is fun to play in on hot summer days. Grafton, a popular ghost town, is also close to the location. 

Sources:

Informational Plaque

National Historic Registry

The Watkins Family

Park City Swimming Dives into the Boise Competition

Park City Swimming (PCS) is taking the trip to Boise, Idaho to attend the Boise Y Thanksgiving Invitational over November 21-23. The team has been going for a couple of years now, and it has become a tradition to go.

While there, PCS hosts team dinners at the main attractions in Boise. This is an amazing meet for team bonding and great swimming. 

Swimmers from all PCS groups are allowed to enter in up to eight events, swimming at most two events on Friday, the 21st, and three events on Saturday and Sunday, the 22nd and 23rd. 

Warm-up on Friday begins at 4:00 in the afternoon, for all age groups, but the actual meet starts at 5:00. On the other two days, warm-up for children twelve and under starts at 7:30 in the morning, while the actually meet begins at 8:30. After the twelve and under meet finishes, warm-up for the thirteen and over starts, and the actual meet kicks off an hour later.

All swimmer’s with “No Times" (NT’s) are allowed to enter in all events except for the 1000 freestyle. All eleven and over swimmers are allowed to enter in 200 yard events of butterfly, backstroke, and breaststroke, but they will be swimming them during the afternoon session.

The meet begins next week, so wish your swimmer friends good luck and keep looking out for updates soon.

Team Logo. Digital image. Park City Swimming. Mike Werner, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.

Fighting Hunger, One Movie Screening at a Time.

Leadership II is screening the film The Starfish Throwers along with FiRe Films on Tuesday, December 16th from 11:00 am to 12:30.

The screening will be at the Park City High School Lecture Hall, which seats 211 people. Leadership II students, LEAP (Learning Experiences Activities and Programs) students, along with a mix of classes from Treasure Mountain will attend.

People planning to attend are being asked to bring canned food and/or an unwrapped gift for The Christian Center’s Operation Hope project.

Introducing the screening will be Sharon Anderson Morris, the Executive Director of FiRe Films.

The Starfish Throwers follows a five-star chef fighting against the Indian caste system, a twelve-year-old girl with a non-profit organization aimed at ridding the world of hunger, and a retired middle school teacher who battles with personal health issues as he hands out a thousand plus sandwiches each night to the hungry. Throughout the film, although they recognize that hunger is an issue too big for one person to conquer, they continue to reach for their goal of witnessing a ripple effect of their actions that will carry the impact even further. 

Learn more about the film at http://www.thestarfishthrowers.com. 

Starfish Throwers. N.d. Thestarfishthrowers.com. Web. 14 Nov. 2014. <http://images.cdn.bigcartel.com/bigcartel/product_images/145832053/max_w-900/Starfish_Special_Small.jpeg>.

Five Seconds of Wreck

Did you know that when you look down or text on phone, it is a minimum of five seconds not looking at the road? Did you know that 1 in 5 drivers admit to surfing the web, or checking social media while driving? In this generation where 82% of 16-17 year olds have cell phones, we should be cautious. #X may not be enough to save the lives of our loved ones. 

It’s not just teenagers we should be worried about, adults have a high percentage for deaths and accidents caused by texting and driving also. There is no safe version of texting/calling while driving. #X means that you are getting ready to drive and can’t text anymore. It is trying to be campaigned more to cause less accidents.

Most states have banned use of cell phone while driving, but some states have not banned it at all. Montana, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, North and South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Ohio, South Carolina, and Florida have no law or ban on cell phone use while driving.

The laws in Utah against being on your cell phone are “Ban against texting for all drivers.” “Utah’s law defines careless driving as committing a moving violation while distracted.” and, “Ban on cell phones (handheld and hands-free) for novice drivers.”

Many admit they have been in a car with a driver who is calling, texting, or checking Facebook or other social media types. In an interview with 20 Treasure Mountain students 17/20 said they had been in a car with the driver talking on their cell phone, 13/20 said they had been in a car with the driver texting on their cell phone, and 6/20 said they had been in a car with a driver using social media. Text messaging while the car is moving risks a crash by 23x.  

Talent at Treasure Mountain

Auditions for the annual Treasure Mountain Junior High School talent show will be held from 2:00 -3:00 pm in the cafeteria/auditorium.  Students must sign up for an audition time on the signup sheet located on Ms. Hooker's door, room #16.

Teacher, Emily Gaudet, said "It is a great place for students to showcase their talents and interests.  In addition, it enhances the school community."

"Last year was really fun.  I got to bond with other students by dancing," noted Anna Deimling.

Melissa Maxwell is looking forward to participating and watching the talent show.  "When I was here before, it was my favorite assembly."

Former Assistant Principal, Kevin McIntosh, "We rocked the talent show."

The talent show draws a large audience.  Many members from from the Park City community, along with parents, look forward to the program each year.  This year, the talent show will be held in the afternoon on Friday, December 19th.

Park City Adding a Second Farmer’s Market?

Park City Adding a Second Farmer’s Market?

Volker Ritzinger, owner of Volker’s Bakery and organizer of the Park City Farmer’s Market, thinks Park City is big enough to add another Farmer’s Market.

Ritzinger has been planning and facilitating the Park City Farmer’s Market for over 12 years. Even now, he goes to all of the farms to check out the food and products that they will be selling at the market.

"I look to see how things are grown and how the food is made," he said. "We try to stay away as much as we can from the genetically modified products, because we don't want that anymore.”

He announced this weekend that he is making arrangements with Vail to open another Farmer’s Market at PCMR. The market at Canyons is every Wednesday, so they are thinking about choosing a different day for the market at PCMR.

“The organizer will probably need to get some permits from the city. The city's major concerns are for health and safety. The city staff would probably review the lay out and the transportation plan for the market to make sure it is safe,” said Cindy Matsumoto, City Council Member, of the city’s involvement in Park City’s possible Farmer’s Market. 

”We want to do Wednesday here at Canyons, and another market down there, but I don't know what day, yet," Ritzinger said. "We're still working out the details. But that's kind of the game plan. It will be lot of work, totally, but we need this to happen.” He said he thinks it will benefit the producers and Park City itself. 

Meanwhile, you can look forward to at least another 3 years of Canyons Farmer’s Markets, as Ritzinger has signed another contract.

http://www.parkrecord.com/scene/ci_26839752/second-farmers-market-may-come-true

"Veggies." Whollywood Residence. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.whollywoodresidence.com/_img/gallery/1/fruit_and_veggies__large.jpg>.

Chocolate Improves Memory?

The rumor that chocolate improves memory has spread rapidly. Is that rumor true though? Can chocolate really be healthy? The answer to that question is yes chocolate does have its benefits and memory improvement is one of them. Though it’s not quite what you’d expect. 

Winter Clothing Drive

The Treasure Mountain Junior Highs National Junior Honors Society has started their yearly winter clothing drive for the Christian Center. Any TMJH students who want to donate, any clean gently used winter cloths are very appreciated. The drive ends on the fifth of December.

Phonebloks a Modular Phone

Phonebloks is an idea for a modular phone that is 100% customizable. It all started a little over a year ago in early September of 2014 by a person named Dave Hakkens, all because he wanted to reduce E-Waste.

Phonebloks is a totally customizable phone that is made of modular pieces. One person might want a really good camera, so they can just get a really clear and good camera. Or if someone wants more storage, they can just get a large storage block

The first video introducing Phonebloks went viral within hours and the original goal of 500 supporters quickly was passed and got over a 1000 supporters.

Creator of Phonebloks, Dave Hakkens, says, “it was never our goal to set up a new phone company, we believe it that much more impact can change their minds over existing companies."

Phonebloks has definitely impacted other companies, the biggest one being Android. Android's Project Ara is a phone that follows the idea of PhoneBloks and is made of modular pieces. 

Project Ara will be released the first quarter of 2015. The actual date has not been announced, but you can expect a conference in January which will announce the official release date.




Photo Citation:
phonebloks.com

Why Did You Accept The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge?

The sun flashes off the lens of your phone camera as your best friend stands filming you. You squeeze your eyes shut, anticipating the frigid shower of water and ice about to be dumped over your head. You have just accepted the “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.” But, do you know what for? 

"Sharing The Dream Of Flight"

The hot air balloon festival, Autumn Aloft, is back after twenty years time out. In 1994 the popular festival was discontinued due to crowds and parking troubles causing angst with many residents living in the area. “The city has worked to minimize the impacts on neighborhoods, and to have a nice local event.” says Jenny Diersen who is working to make Autumn Aloft happen. The launching of the 18 balloons will take place at the North 40 Playing Fields behind Treasure Mountain Junior High School at 7:00-9:00 am this Saturday and Sunday. There will be lots of parking at the Eccles and the schools around it; plus parking at China Bridge in Historic Park City where you can take the bus.

Fashion on Main-Emma and Sam

Farasha means butterfly in Arabic. It is also a boutique on Main Street that is owned by Vanessa di Palma Wright (Vanessa means butterfly as well). Vanessa started her career by creating a Latino public relations firm in Salt Lake City, but she always knew she wanted to go into fashion. Her PR agency taught her the hard work and responsibility that came with running a business, and it gave her the confidence to start Farasha.

“Farasha is basically a PR agency that represents emerging designers by setting up temporary store fronts in niche locations such as Park City,” Vanessa said.

Before she created Farasha, Vanessa launched a pop-up boutique idea that would host part-time storefronts in locations such as Sun Valley, Idaho and Park City, Utah.

She gives back to the community by sitting on the People’s Health Clinic board. She also styles a fashion show for the Kimball Art Auction in Gala and the Silver Queen Derby.

“[Vanessa] has been involved with our successful Silver Queen Derby luncheon for the three years we have held it. She brings unique fashions and local models to the event for a runway show that is always high energy. She then has a little boutique set up in the lobby so women attending the luncheon can shop for things they saw in the show and more,” said Nann Worel, Executive Director of the People’s Health Clinic.

Vanessa chose to place Farasha on Main Street because it is the center of a popular and unique resort town. She also lives in Park City full time and it is where most of her customers live as well.

Currently, Vanessa is investigating global locations for new pop-up boutiques where they would focus on new designers from that area. Her top choices are Uruguay, where she was born, and London. She is also scoping out other ski locations such as Aspen and Vail.

“In addition, Farasha is focused on expanding as a full service fashion PR company that offers styling services for private clients as well as editorial projects, film, and runway production services as well as executing and managing storefronts,” she said.

Vanessa’s favorite Farasha independent designers are WaiMing (http://waimingstuio.com), Krysia Renau (http://www.krysiarenau.com), Sabrina Goh (http://sabrinagoh.com), and RKNY (http://www.rknewyork.com). Her website is www.farashastyle.com.

Washington School Shooting

Washington School Shooting

Two kids lives were claimed last friday due to school shootings in Washington. Their names were Gia Soriano and was fourteen years old, Zoe Galasso who was fourteen years old and Shaylee Chuckulnaskit who was also fourteen. The shooters name was Jaylen Fryberg who was fifteen years old.
                  The shooter is being included in the memorial along with the victims and lots of people are saying it’s strange and they don’t agree with the city’s method.

After really investigating the crime scene the police say that Jaylen lured the victims into the cafeteria by text messaging them and inviting them to lunch. After they were all at the lunch table, Jaylen pulled out a handgun and started shooting the victims. Fryberg died after he shot himself. 
                   After I interviewed Officer Corey Allinson about school shootings and he said “There are no patterns that we have been able to see.” I also asked him about the probability about a school shooting to happen in Park City and then he told me that “People need to come out of their bubble of ignorance and accept that a school shooting could happen in their area.” I asked Officer Allinson about what they police departments plan is and he said “Im not allowed to tell the media incases a shooter were to read your article and know our tactics."

Live PC Give PC

Live PC Give PC is an event which takes place over 24 hours when the community gives. The community donates money to their favorite non profit, and the organization gets a chance to collect prizes. This organization takes place online, which is where residents will donate their money. 

To donate, you are able schedule weeks in advance, but it will not be activated until the date of Live PC Give PC, which is November 7th. “The minimum donation is $10. There is no maximum donation limit,” according to Stacey Ann Roberts from Live PC Give PC. 

You do not need to make a special account to donate, unless you are donating weeks in advance. If you are donating weeks in advance, you have to make a “Razoo” account.

Volunteers for Live PC Give PC can host parties and gatherings dedicated to the organization to get the word out to the public. In 2012 the organization raised more than $600,000 and in 2013 they earned more than $800,000.

In interviews with students from Treasure Mountain, most said they had heard of Live PC Give PC, but did not know what it was. After explaining the program, 13/15 said they will “definitely donate."

Some of the organizations you can donate to are: Mountain Trails Foundation Inc., Friends of Animals Utah, National Ability Center, Park City Film Series, Park City Day School, Park City Education Foundation, and more. (All of these organizations are nonprofits). 

An extra $25 will be added to the donation of the first 500 people who donate. “Every nonprofit uses the funds raised for different reasons.  The only rule that LPC puts into place is that funds raised through this campaign must be used for programs in Summit County, UT.” says Stacey. 

How to Donate

1.   On 11.7.14 go to LivePCGivePC.org .
   

Search for your favorite causes and

2. Organizations on the website.

3.   Donate!!

4.   Spread the word to the community!

“Ideas Worth Spreading”

What is TEDx? TED is a series of events helping communities. TED events include a live speaker, explaining information, facts, thoughts and videos (which are located on the TED website) on a well known topic or a not so well known topic. TED presentations and events happen in cities all over the world, including Park City. Some other countries they take place in are China, Australia, Canada, and more. The x in TED stands for an individually organized TED event.

Most anyone can participate in TED Talks. Options are either being nominated, or signing up for this experience. Attending TED live talks are a popular option, but they are also recorded and posted on the website. Most TED talks you can get tickets to, but some you have to have an invite (for the park city TEDx talks you have to have an invite). 

TEDx talks occur often, so check out your local events to see when the next one will be. The last event that occurred was on October 8th at the Eccles Center, but not all take place there. The X in TEDx is for “independently organized TED event," which means that Park City scheduled their own event, and hosted their own event. In an interview with Anna Deimling, she said that she would like to attend the Park City TEDx event because “there is so much to learn, and so many different ideas. It was very enjoyable.”

TEDx is a great place to hear other ideas and learn.” She attended the event which occurred on October 8th at the Eccles Center. “Others should watch the TED videos so they can learn other peoples creative and innovative ideas.”

“There were four events, the first was on the forrest being cut down in Brazil, then gun control in Brazil, Refugees in Syria, and the social progression of countries. My favorite was the refugees in Syria because it was by far the most interesting and easy for a teenager to understand, unlike some of them,” said Anna Deimling.

Skiing For A Price

Here in Park City if someone were to ask a local if they either ski or snowboard, 90% of the time they will say yes. Park City is known worldwide for top quality ski resorts, and the economy thrives on the tourism. It only makes sense that the locals of a ski town ski themselves. But, many complain that the prices are a bit extreme. Resort restaurants, equipment sales, lift ticket prices, etc. keep climbing higher and higher, and people just keep paying the prices.

Top 10 stress fighting foods

At the start of second quarter, a lot of students are feeling stressed out by tests, projects and school in general. So, to help TMJH students stay a little less stressed, here are a few treats to combat anxiety. 

Welcome Back!

You may have already noticed some of the differences with our change over to Blogger, over time it will begin to look more and more like the old website, but new, and better. It will be a relevant website with timely articles. I hope you all enjoy the new website and will follow and read the pieces of our wonderful journalists. Welcome to the new and improved TMJH Park City Post!