Thanks to Spring Break, we’re going to go on a little adventure in the “Wayback Machine” to get you caught up on some of the awesome things that have happened since our last update on March 27.
The Uintah School Board held its regularly scheduled work session and business meeting on April 1. Video of both meetings can be found on the district’s YouTube channel. During the business meeting, the board celebrated the district Students of the Month for April 2026: Granger Brunson (Central Cove Early Learning Center), Ivy Woodard (Ashley Elementary), Austynn McCarrel (Davis Elementary), Cheyenne Reese (Discovery Elementary), Harmony Eades (Eagle View Elementary), Andovie Knight (Lapoint Elementary), Ella Jensen (Maeser Elementary), Grayson Wood (Naples Elementary), Boomer Gunnell (Uintah Middle School), Bradley Stoddard (Vernal Middle School), Iveth De Los Angeles Araujo (Uintah High School), and Rodney Staley (Ashley Valley Education Center/Uintah Online).
The board also celebrated the Northeast Region Sterling Scholar winners and runners-up from Uintah High School. Lauren McKee (Vocal Music) and Daron Ross (World Languages) won their respective categories. Jackson Checketts (Skilled and Technical Education), Tobias Faucher (Computer Technology), and Hailey Rasmussen (Instrumental Music) finished as runners-up in their respective categories.
Teacher and Education Support Professional of the Year
Beginning in March, USD schools and departments began selecting their Teacher of the Year and Education Support Professional of the Year. On April 2, the district announced that Maeser Elementary’s Alisa Atherton is its Teacher of the Year and school nurse Meredith Manwaring is the Education Support Professional of the Year. Atherton will represent the district as its candidate for Utah Teacher of the Year.
In addition to Atherton, the following educators earned their school’s Teacher of the Year award: Niccole Aylsworth (Central Cove Early Learning Center), Nichole McCoy (Ashley Elementary), Allie Atwood (Davis Elementary), Jennifer Clifton (Discovery Elementary), Wendy Hartman (Eagle View Elementary), Elizabeth Peterson (Lapoint Elementary), Aneka Tanner (Naples Elementary), Evonne Guzzle (Uintah Middle School), Duana Williams (Vernal Middle School), and Angel Alarid (Uintah High School).
In addition to Manwaring, the following staff members earned their school or department’s Education Support Professional of the Year award: Chris Wilhelm (Central Cove Early Learning Center), Amy Lemon (Ashley Elementary), Crystal Buhler (Davis Elementary), Alex Reed (Discovery Elementary), Karen Lee (Eagle View Elementary), Shalawna Rhoades (Lapoint Elementary), Jori Shupe (Maeser Elementary), Shirlyne Trevizo (Naples Elementary), Rosa Cordova (Vernal Middle School), Julie Merkley (Uintah High School), Cory Brown (Maintenance), Margaret Partridge (Transportation), and Miko Batty (Foods).
Congratulations to these outstanding individuals and thanks for all they do to educate and serve kids!
Reading Rumble Results
Students at Uintah High School, Uintah Middle School, and Vernal Middle School took part in a reading challenge the week before Spring Break. Now, the results are in! VMS won by tracking 73,625 reading minutes to UMS’s 46,243 minutes and UHS’s 20,160 minutes. The Top 3 readers for VMS were Elizabeth Ostler, Logan Bradley, and Vivian Van Wagoner. For the competition, students tracked their reading (in class or at home) on Beanstack, a program/app used in many USD schools. The school with the most minutes won the competition, and the top three students who tracked the most minutes filmed a “brag video” and had lunch provided in their school’s library.
Great work Mustangs, Hawks and Utes!
‘Screenagers’ Showing at VMS
The school social workers at Vernal Middle School and Uintah Middle School, in partnership with Northeastern Counseling Center, will host a FREE screening of the film Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age on Monday, April 20, at 6:30 p.m. in the VMS auditorium.
Screenagers explores family life and the struggles that can happen sometimes when it comes to social media, video games, and internet use by teens. The film offers solutions to help kids navigate the digital world. After the screening, there will be a brief discussion about the ideas presented in the movie.
The first 75 people to arrive will get Wendy's combo meal coupons. There will also be door prizes, including fun family games! For more information about the movie, visit https://www.screenagersmovie.com/.
Tickets on Sale for SIX: Teen Edition
Tickets are on sale now for the Uintah High Theatre production of SIX: Teen Edition. SIX is a pop-concert-style musical that reimagines the six wives of Henry VIII as a girl group competing to tell their stories and reclaim their identities, moving from historical heartbreak to modern empowerment. The Teen Edition includes all the songs from the original version but is modified for performance by teen actors for family audiences. The show will run May 4 to May 7 in the UHS auditorium. Tickets can be purchased HERE.
Celebrations
The Uintah High FFA Chapter competed at the Deseret Peak Invitational in Tooele on March 26. Several teams placed in the top three with several other teams following close behind. The Horse Evaluation team took 1st with Jayleigh Bartlett, Natalee Lamoreaux, Kaler Bartlett, and Ruby Foster. The Veterinary Science team took 2nd with Jordan Thornton, Daisy Liebhardt, Bragen Searle, Abbie Olsen, and Kenzi Morris. The Meats evaluation team also placed 2nd with Tyler Mathews, Kaleb Harrison, Konner Hancock, and Kyle Hunter. Uintah FFA’s Floriculture team took 3rd with Page Liebhardt, Taryn Kidd, Katelynn Jackson, and Ashley Clark. The Uintah FFA Food Science team also placed 3rd with Marlee Merrell, Kenna Dudley, and Addison Gress. The Poultry Evaluation team placed 11th with Taiyelor George, Weston Slaugh, and Finn Holthus. The Livestock Evaluation team placed 19th with Josee Wilkins, Jackson Owens, Melody Liebhardt, Ryann Harrison, and Lyndi Phillips.
Uintah High Theatre recently received four Top 10 Utah High School Musical Theatre Awards nominations for its production of Frozen: The Broadway Musical. Caleb Harrison is nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Olaf, Linda Cochran is nominated for Best Costume Design, and Keith Larsen is nominated for Best Lighting Design. Uintah High Theatre is also nominated for Best Scenic Design. The awards ceremony is set for May 9 at the Eccles Theatre in Salt Lake City.
The Uintah High Choir program had a strong showing at three region festivals recently. At the Region Solo & Ensemble Festival on March 18, the following groups and individuals earned a spot at the State Festival: SoVoce; a mixed ensemble of Aubrey Morgan, Parker Strasburg, Tyler Simpson, Rachel McCormick, Elyse Morgan, Cole Wallace, Katrina Barnette, and Kaleb Sadler; a women's ensemble of Britlee Thomas, Madelyn Sellers, Emmalee Sellers, Janessa Cordova, Rissa Fairbanks, Adaline Pettit, Aubrey Morgan, and Miriam Pena; a men's ensemble of Lucas Merryweather, Luke Neilson, David Semadeni, and Alamon Goodrich; Lauren McKee (vocal solo); Adaline Pettit (piano solo); Claire Davies (piano solo); and Aubrey Weston (piano solo), as well as the women’s duets of Jenavive George and Elizabeth Swonger, and Lauren McKee and Taylee Wells. At the Region Chamber Choir Festival, also held on March 18, Polyphony qualified for the State Festival. Then, at the Region Large Group Choir Festival on April 1, Polyphony, Luminosa, and Virsonum all qualified for state.
For the third consecutive year, the Uintah High School Student Council has been recognized as a National Gold Council of Excellence by the National Association of Student Councils for its exemplary record of leadership, service, and activities that improve the school and community. UHS is the only public school this year to earn the award for the third year in a row. A student council must meet a variety of criteria to earn the National Gold Council of Excellence Award. In addition to basic requirements such as a written constitution, regular meetings, and a democratic election process, the councils must demonstrate successful sponsorship and participation in activities such as leadership development and service to the school and community.
The members of the 2025-2026 UHS Student Council are: Student Body President Preston Laris, Student Body Vice President Wilson Liesik, Student Body Activities Officer Brooklynn Scow, Student Body Publicity Officer Abby Rubio, Student Body Secretary Kennedy Nelson, Student Body Liaison Paisley Bell, Student Body Historian/Senate President Mae Coonradt, Student Body Spirit Animal Macy Carlson, Student Body Tribal Representative Isaiah Deherrera Tapoof, Senior Class President Sylvia Esplin, Senior Class Vice President Evan Lewis, Junior Class President Elle Hawkes, Junior Class Vice President Mavinee Young, Sophomore Class President Bailee Deets, Sophomore Class Vice President Lexi Henline, and Freshman Class Representatives Jimmy Phillips, Samuel Shiner, Georgeena Tilo, and Baylee Vigil. Blaire Martindale serves as their advisor.
Del Dickson has been named the Uintah High Distinguished Alumni for 2026. After graduating from UHS in 2000, Dickson earned a bachelor's degree from Pomona College and a law degree from Harvard Law School. He went on to serve as a commercial litigator, a law clerk for a federal district judge, and a federal prosecutor in New York and California. In 2015, he returned to Utah to be closer to family, opening a law practice in Salt Lake City that focuses on adoption and assisted reproductive technologies.
Dickson continues his law practice, helping parents grow their families through adoption and assisted reproduction, while also serving as a private guardian ad litem, representing children in high-conflict custody disputes. Complementing his legal work, he is completing a Master of Social Work degree at the University of Utah this month and works as an MSW intern at Unified Family Therapy, where he provides therapeutic support to children, teens, and families.
Dickson serves on the board of the Children's Service Society of Utah, where his commitment to ethical adoption practices has expanded into a broader passion for programs that empower children and families. He also serves on the board of the Utah Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, a multidisciplinary organization dedicated to improving outcomes for families navigating divorce, custody, adoption, and dispute resolution.
Dickson has maintained strong connections with Uintah High students and is a proud supporter of the school's theatre program and other activities. He will be honored at a special assembly on May 4 at 7:45 a.m. in the UHS auditorium.
Those who wish to nominate individuals for future UHS Distinguished Alumni awards can find a nomination form on the school website and Facebook page.
GO UTES!