They are members of the Utah State Legislature and Riverton High School Silverwolves through and through.
On this bonus episode of the Supercast, we take you back inside Riverton High to once again catch up with the “Silverwolf Caucus.” They are Utah State Representatives, all former Riverton High students. Find out what happens when Representatives Candice Pierucci, Ashlee Matthews, and Jordan Teuscher run into some former teachers as they tour the halls of their alma mater, sharing some laughs and lots of memories along the way.
Audio Transcription
Welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They are members of the Utah State Legislature and Riverton High School Silverwolves through and through. On this bonus episode of the Supercast, we take you back inside Riverton High to once again catch up with the Silverwolf caucus made up of Utah State Representatives who are also former Riverton High students. Find out what happens when Representatives Candice Pierucci, Ashlee Matthews and Jordan Teuscher run into some former teachers as they tour the halls of their alma mater sharing some laughs and lots of memories along the way.
Is there a classroom or area of the building that you want to visit?
The newspaper room?
I would love to go to the newspaper room!
Let's go to the newspaper room.
I have fond memories of that room and the newspaper kids were the most fun.
Do you remember where your locker was?
It's just the hallway over and I remember it's right by the vending machines, which was kind of a coveted spot because it was there, you know, you had easy access by the cafeteria.
Oh, we're just heading down, hoping that the newspaper staff room is where it was when I left. Right around the corner from my old locker.
So it changed. So the first year it was Ms. Highmas. She got married and changed her name to Billings. She was there for the first year and a half, and then when she got married, she left. Eventually they found someone and it was Jenicee Jacobson. Yeah, she was great. It was her first year teaching. She was Debate coach. She probably hated it because I was in there, and vowed never to do it again.
Let’s go in here, let’s go in here. You’ve got to feel the energy of the room.
Oh my gosh. The desk where we sold ad space was right there. We made calls and did a lot of ad space. That was all computers. The Life page computer was the second one from the end. It was my computer. It was a green, a green little Mac. Yep. There's always been a captain here. Ours was not that nice. We still have the mini fridge and we had all sorts of snacks and food and stuff.
Yeah. I was in newspaper for like a few weeks.
I had a friend who was the editor in chief and he really wanted me to do it and they brought me in. It was Mrs. Squires.
No, it wasn't. But I remember Joel really well. Yeah. I ran into him like last year at Summit Splash, the new Seven Peaks.
Did you buy his book to support him? You should, I’ve got a copy.
Okay. But anyway, they assigned me to be like the ad space guy and as I got into it, I'm like, I do not like this. I'm not, not doing it.
I had a best friend in yearbook as well, and she was always trying to recruit me. I just couldn't quite, you either were or you weren't in yearbook and I was not.
So there's the room bringing back memories a little bit even though it’s changed?
It does, yes. It’s close enough. It's got the same bones, so yep.
Look out the window, see the view.
Spent a lot of time staring out that window seeing what everyone else is doing.
Good! How are you? We're all legislators who were Silverwolves. I was just talking about your Women in American History class. I have a wall of women in my office in the legislature now, so thank you.
Nice! I remember your goal, your thing was to become president.
Oh, I don't even remember that.
You're like I want to be President of the United States, so you're well on your way.
Well, thank you for that. I didn't even remember that. That's really cool. That was awesome. That was a good class. I think we had all women except for Jamin Mikesell who was the only dude in the class. He expected to get a little more mileage out of it I think.
He didn’t get very much. The boys were usually always well outnumbered.
Yeah, really great class. Cool, thanks for what you do, obviously it’s working.
Thank you. It's great to see you and all the great things you're doing.
Thanks, awesome. So we're good. We were just seeing you Mr. Briggs, and Mrs. Rush are like the three I recognize. Awesome. Well, have a good Halloween this weekend.
Enjoy your little tour down memory lane.
Does the school look about the same?
It does, yeah. It feels really similar.
This was the debate room and I don't know, someone in music has taken it over.
Let’s walk into the debate space. Let’s absorb the energy in here.
We had a great time in here. We used these little breakout rooms, you know, to do individual practice rounds and such. I spent a lot of great time in here.
It's been a long time since you've been in this room I'm guessing.
This is one of our student officers, Cameron.
Cameron, nice to meet you.
Cameron is involved currently in choir.
Oh cool. Are you an acapella or madrigals?
I’m in madrigals and acapella.
Very nice. Glided acapella. That's really fun to do. Who's the choir teacher now?
Ulmer. Was it Ulmer back then?
I had Willmore. Mrs. Willmore who started like every choir program in the Southwest corner of the valley. So she went to go lead the bell choir at Tabernacle Square. Yeah. So, but that was who I had. So that's really cool though.
That’s really cool. What was it like being with such an influential teacher?
She man, that woman was tough as nails and as she just would flat out tell us when we sucked. She actually didn't even let us finish singing the line. She never said we sucked, let me correct the record. She said, “No, no, no, no, no.” When we would start out and she's like, you're not preparing. And even when I sing now, I think of her voice in my head to prepare for the air that you need to get through it. So she was really influential.
That's cool. Let's go to the choir room led by a current student. If you guys could harmonize along the way, that'd be great.
That’s the school musical rehearsing.
Oh great. What’s the musical this year?
These are the folders filled with crazy music.
Right in here is the choir room.
Is it smaller than you remember?
It actually does look smaller than I remember. We had a really massive choir. We had a lot of students in choir and I also did center stage. So this whole area, I felt like I spent a lot of time between acapella and theater. So this is really cool.
And what was Center Stage?
It's just with the theater program. They would have the stage in the middle of the room so you had to act to all sides, kind of like the globe?
Theater in the round kind of thing.
Is that what it’s called now?
There you go. Yeah. Mr. Eaton was the director, the teacher then. You knew Mr. Eaton too? Did you do theater?
Nope. He was my film studies teacher. Something that does not involve any sort of talent.
But it lasts a lifetime. Now Netflix is just that much more enjoyable because you know how to appreciate it .
I'm critiquing it all in my head.
He was my drama teacher. I had just a half credit of drama that I had to take, but it was a lot of fun. We went and did like an ensemble at the Shakespeare Festival. That was way fun.
Yeah. No, I think everyone should have to take a little bit of theater in their life. You know, it also helps, I would say in elected office, you have to give a lot of speeches and public comments. So it helps you be a little more confident. I feel like theater helps you in high school. Be a little more confident too.
It does build confidence. It puts you out there, but it gives you someone else's words to say.
There you go, that’s much easier.
Right in the middle of a Mamma Mia practice as we're getting ready for a school musical, but we have three former students, current legislators who are in our state legislature. They actually had you as a teacher, so we just wanted to wait.
I had Center Stage. So it was one of the student led ones. And then I did acapella, but I had Willmore. Yep. There you go.
I wasn't in any performance, but I just had a class. It was great. It was lasting. Just a drama, like a Drama I I did the Shakespeare Ensemble. I remember that. Yeah.
We did Much Ado About Nothing.
Film Studies and Theater I.
Well, of course I did! I had the best teacher.
Thanks for the work you do. Good job, it sounds amazing guys.
We’ll come back and see the show.
Yeah! When is it showing?
November 18-22. Mamma Mia performing at Riverton High School.
When you look in a class like that doesn't seem like a longer time ago or does it seem like it was just yesterday?
It made sense to be like just yesterday. And I was just telling Ashlee, I wish I could go back. Cause they're so carefree. There's no bills to pay like no college tuition, no children.
No bills to pay no bills to pass.
That’s right! There you go, that's true. But I just wish I could go back and tell myself, like, this is the most carefree you're going to feel your whole life. And you can feel that right? When you hear them all dancing and waving their arms.
But they seem so young. I did not look that young when I was in high school.
I feel youngish until I’m around actual young people and I go holy crap I’m old. It's because the legislature makes us feel young. That's what so many people say, ‘you're my grandkids age’. You start feeling young then we realize we're not really that young.
Stay with us. More fun with the Silverwolf Caucus as they reminisce about all the good times at Riverton High.
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We're here at the current teachers board with photos of all of our teachers here at Riverton High. See anyone you guys recognize?
Yes. Mr. Briggs was my American Government teacher. I'm still friends with him on Facebook. Laura Taylor taught my Women in American History class. Fantastic. And then Patricia Marshall was my AP English teacher.
That's awesome. All right. How about you guys?
Mr. Hales was my shop teacher, Jordan Vance was an SBO actually, when I was here I believe. He was a student at least. If he wasn't an SBO he should have been. I remember him that way. Mr. Eaton and Mrs. Rush. She was my AP English teacher as well.
We are Facebook friends as well.
People are hard on social media, but it is cool to stay connected.
It’s a cool way to connect for sure. Mr. Briggs!
I used your example today to show the kids how to do a project. I said, “If you look at this one, you can see that this student put in a lot of effort.” And I always brag on you and your kid Benji.
Oh my gosh! You’re so awesome. I'm glad Facebook keeps us connected. So I randomly put a goldfish in your water jug that one year.
I do remember that and I thought about drinking it.
You totally read us though. Oh good. How are things going?
Well that's amazing. Oh, it was fun to see your pictures still here. I'm glad you’re still teaching. These are all, well, these three, Ashlee and Jordan are the legislature with me. We are the Silverwolf Caucus now. We make up 4% of the legislature.
That’s what I'm talking about. Thanks for the handwritten note. I appreciate it.
Oh, you bet. Absolutely. My pleasure.
I always appreciate how you pick up the phone. You’re awesome.
Can I get a picture with you? To put on social media.
It's pretty awesome for you to have this kind of lasting impact come back. We know the impact’s there, but it's fun for people to actually tell you.
Yeah. And I have your example. If you want to see it.
I kinda want to. I’m impressed that you have it. Here, let me get a picture with you.
Oh my heck. I can’t believe you have this still! Oh my gosh. I remember staying up late to work on this.
Well, I was trying to tell the kids, you need to have the title written and then you need to throw some color behind it. Write your book and then take some time and effort in the pictures. And today the students were like, ‘that's really good.’
Yeah. I can't believe you kept it.
Did you know that Candice Backus Pierucci is the youngest elected female legislator in the Utah House of Representatives. And they're like, ‘really?’ I said, ‘yes, if you see her signs, it'll have Pierucci on it.’
Yeah I know, Backus was easier.
And little Benji is as cute as ever.
Thank you. I appreciate it. He's two and a half now. I cannot believe you kept this. This means so much to me. The night I stayed up till like 3:00 AM working on this, it made it worth it just because you still use it.
Guess what, I have some of the other examples too. In my journal process that I have, because I have the kids write journals. I‘ve fine tuned it quite a bit over the years, and for anyone who goes above and beyond, I call it the Candice Backus role.
Oh my gosh. Wow. Thank you, that is so sweet.
Cause you, you asked me, you know, ‘how can I even get more out?’ And so you would write it and then you would figure out how to reframe it, rewrite it. And so I have kids regularly going two and three and four times above what the expectations are because they know it'll pay dividends. We reference you all the time.
Oh my gosh. Well thank you. I really appreciate it.
You said ‘hi’ to L.T. right? She’s so excited too because you had her for Women's History.
I did. Yeah. I told her I have a wall of women in my office now because there are a lot of walls of men all over the legislature. But like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, all my ladies, they're up on the wall. So, because she had a wall of women.
Hopefully you can be up there.
I’m definitely not up there with Susan B. Anthony.
Well, one day you’ll be on a coin. When you were in my class do you remember you said that one day you're going to be President.
You know, apparently I said that. I’m feeling very, very embarrassed today. I was much more confident than I remembered.
No, you said “I’m going to do it”. Then I watched you and you went and clerked in D.C. and then also in the Honor Flight.
I did Honor Flight. Yeah, you’re right.
That was the coolest thing I ever heard in my whole life.
Yeah, I was the flight leader board member for him.
Yeah, yeah, and he’s so cool, I can't believe I said that by the way, I feel rather embarrassed. Like I don't have time to be President. I'm just happy to be in the legislature.
If you ever do, I’ll vote for you.
Well, thank you. I do appreciate your vote. I remember especially learning just US history in your class. It was really cool. And I remember following the election cycle because that was when President Obama was running. I remember in class you were really good about keeping the discussion civil, like you always made sure both sides were represented when we watched the debate.
I believe it's the student's education and not mine. And so I want them to be confident, have your own voice.
You felt that way in your class, which is why I felt comfortable sharing opinions. So thank you. You're awesome.
I’m super proud of you. I have more examples by the way.
I can’t believe you kept them all. It just makes me feel better. That’s so cool. Thank you. I appreciate it. What was the assignment? It was just to create like a little mini book.
Yeah, yeah. So what I call them is a folded book. The ones that the students are finishing up right now is on World War II. So, I want them to hit with the state core standards are and be able to show their understanding of it, write their own book, drop in vocabulary words, but also illustrate it. And so I have a couple of other ones if you ever want to see them.
Okay. I can't believe you keep all your students. People really appreciate it.
I can't thank you enough for coming to Riverton and reminiscing about the Silverwolf days and giving some advice to our current students and a boost to the teachers who still remember you and cherish that time that they had with you as students. So thank you so much for everything you're doing and for representing Silverwolves all the way up at the State Legislature.
Thanks for having us. It's been really fun.
It's been great. Love reminiscing. The nostalgia is awesome.
And you're welcome anywhere here any time. Absolutely.
Thanks for joining us for another episode of the Supercast. Remember education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you out there.
