WEST JORDAN, Utah — There's a school in West Jordan that is described as one of the happiest places on Earth. This week, South Valley School in the Jordan School District is our Cool School of the Week. "What makes it a cool school is we get to make like fun stuff and students learning," said SBO President, Miranda.
South Valley is a program for adults with disabilities aged 18-22 where they learn academics, life skills, and so much more. "Everybody is supported and included in everything, it's amazing if you ever get the chance to visit you'll see smiles everywhere," said school Principal Tammy Rajczyk.
One place we saw many smiles was the Living Center where students get to learn skills like cooking and cleaning. "They pick the recipe, they go shopping, and then we come in here and we actually make what they want, we clean up, and then they get to eat it of course," said one teacher.
"You start cooking and then when it starts bubbling up you start flipping it to make sure it's perfect," added one student.
There are a lot of soda shops in Utah, but you'll find the best one at the South Valley School.
"Life Design Beverage Company is a business that we run so we're learning how to handle money, how to take orders, how to follow directions," said the teacher.
The students even made a special drink — The Darienne — a sprite with vanilla, coconut, and sprinkles! All the skills they learn at the soda shop and in other classes can be directly applied to a job. The school partners with local businesses like Honolulu Grill to provide students with on-the-job experience. "These guys they come in, they help us out, just in the mornings they help us prep, they help us clean, they do a lot for us which makes my job easier," said the manager of Honolulu Grill.
"My favorite part about working at Honolulu Grill is mostly cooking," one student said.
Learning is the most important part of any school, but it's also important students have fun. At South Valley School there are many ways for students to get involved including basketball and cheer. The cheerleaders even created a FOX 13 cheer that goes like this: "Hey all you Flyers, Fox 13 is here, let's hear you cheer, we know we rule, we are the cool school!"
At the end of the morning, Granite Credit Union had a special surprise for our Cool School of the Week. "In partnership with Fox 13 and Granite Credit Union you are our Cool School of the Week and we know that this gift is going to help reduce the overall lunch debt that you have," said Granite Credit Union Marketing Director, Spencer Carver, as he handed a $250 gift to Principal Tammy Rajczyk. "We're so excited to be here and appreciate all the work that you're doing."
"This will help so many families, we appreciate it," Principal Tammy Rajczyk said as she held back tears.
