The Elk Ridge Middle Symphonic Band recently performed at the State Middle School Band Festival at BYU. Elk Ridge Middle was the only school from Salt Lake County invited to participate in the event. ★

Riverside Elementary recently held its annual PTA Storytelling Night.  The event began with a singing performance by second-grade students and a Latin musical performance by Carmen Figueroa, one of the school’s cluster aides.  Four storytellers from the school’s own diverse community, told stories through the oral storytelling tradition, with audience members rotating to the next storyteller at the sound of a drum.  Storytellers represented Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Russia.  Second-grade teacher Alicia Schilder, media specialist Carla Nelson, and the PTA organized the event. ★

Simon Raubenheimer’s sixth-grade class at Southland Elementary began the year with a goal to read a half million minutes by year-end.  While it started out as a fun challenge for the students, it quickly became serious business as students took ownership of the program.  Within a few months many of the students had improved two or three reading levels.  One student has improved by 10 levels.  To date, the class has read more than 508,332 minutes outside the classroom. ★