Highland Gets a “Super” Visitor

Yesterday afternoon, the halls of Highland were graced with a visit from the state Superintendent of Public Instruction, Sydnee Dickson. SBO president Val Finua and her cabinet toured Utah’s top education administrator through the school, showcasing some of Highland’s most influential programs.

Dickson believes in “eyes-on reporting,” so she had been visiting several of the Salt Lake City schools, saving the best for last with Highland.

“There is a sense of community and high expectations that focus on every student being prepared for their future.” Dickson said when reflecting upon her visit.

The route began with a visit to Highland’s most famous employee, Dean Collette, who Dickson heartily embraced. The SBOs then cleverly snaked through the faculty lounge and the HTVS studio to Kyle Bracken’s classroom, where he explained what makes Highland unique in how it educates students.

At nearly every stop, Dickson snapped a few pictures, either of the location or the students, to log away.

“Part of why I do this, is just to be able to tell your story,” Dickson said. “It helps me to scroll back when i’m finished and just capture it in a folder. When I remember where I was, this is evidence of it.”

After walking by Highland monuments such as the football field, the art hall, and the Leonardo DiCaprio pillar (with which she was considerably impressed), Dickson and her entourage made their way to the CTE hall and the welding room, where she was gifted a welded rose and a laser-etched Salt Lake City School District insignia.

Finally the crew ended their journey at the Highland seal, where Finua explained the importance of preserving our Highland culture.

“I love how you preserve tradition and history, blending it with modern features that let kids be ready for their future,” Dickson said. “That preservation of history is really powerful.”

Dickson was outwardly enthusiastic about her visit as she described what she’d seen and how it affected her.

“The best things that I saw at Highland were the student leaders who took me around and shared their joy and passion about the school,” she said. “Hearing everything from a student’s viewpoint spoke to my heart and it was a really honest look at Highland.”