aai newsletter vol. 4
DESCRIPTION
The 4th volume of the AAI NewsletterTRANSCRIPT
The True Heroes
We live in a world that seems to worship its own kind of greatness and produce its own kind of
heroes. When I was a kid, I had my heroes:
Batman, Spiderman and Superman. I
remember some of their adventures and
how they fought against criminals such as
the Joker and Venom, looking for justice and
overcoming the most amazing challenges.
Those superheroes were able to solve any
problem and shortcoming no matter the
circumstance. They were fearless, strong,
smart and skilled. I still remember how
much I admired them — they sought
for excitement and perfection, pushing
themselves to the absolute peak of
human achievement.
Years passed and I started middle school. In
my teenage years, my perception of heroes
changed from supernatural characters,
products of a good imagination and special
effects, to ordinary people who achieved
fame. My new heroes were athletes like
Mohamed Ali, Pele, Michael Jordan and
Nadia Comaneci; artists like Mozart, the
Beatles; and scientists like Isaac Newton
and Albert Einstein.
When I started high school, I changed gears
again and my heroes became ordinary
people who faced real life enemies and
challenges; people like Winston Churchill,
Joan of Arc, Mahatma Gandhi, Queen
Elizabeth, Helen Keller, and Mother
Theresa. I learned about their inspiring
lives and I was intrigued by the way they
molded themselves through trials and
opposition, ending their lives with a legacy
of wisdom and good deeds that impacted
the world.
In college I became concerned with the fact
that my friends and I hadn’t achieved what
others had achieved, and as a consequence
I felt that we were failing. Each of us desired
to achieve a measure of importance in this
life. Why shouldn’t we? But I came to realize
that many of the people who achieve
worldly fame and fortune once in their lives
are temporary heroes, while those who
impact the world through real change are
remembered for a long period of time.
It took me many years and my devotion as a
parent and as a professional to find out
who the true heroes are. The true heroes
work harder than what we can see. They
wear lots of hats and make many decisions
every day, and sometimes they make
mistakes. They are not the richest of all the
workers. They spend countless extra hours
of labor without remuneration and have
many sleepless nights figuring out how to
do their job. Most of the time, they end up
forgetting about themselves. The true
heroes are the parents who impact the
world every day with innumerable small
deeds that shape the lives of their children;
and finally, one day, they will ultimately see
the results of their labors when their life-
long disciples become new parents.
At the American Academy of Innovation,
we also have other heroes, they are the
teachers and staff who will strive to prepare
the future heroes of the new generation.
AAI TODAYVOLUME 4 | June 20, 2016 | aaiutah.org | facebook.com/AAIUtah
Director’s Messageby German Lopez, AAI Director
Art Exploration
Advanced Art
Team Sports
Lifetime Fitness
Recreational Physical Education
Sports Psychology
Computer Tech
Creative Writing
Stories on the Big Screen
Indoor Farming
Animal Science
Food Science
Happiness (Positive Psychology)
Computer Programming
Financial Freedom
Mysterious Universe (Astronomy)
3D Modeling/Animation
Photography
More to come!
Electives!
2
We’re excited to have an initial list of Elective Classes that will be offered by the teachers at AAI. This list will be changed if necessary
based on the final needs of our students
We’re happy to report that building
construction is on schedule! We’re starting
finish work this week including siding on
the outside and sheetrock inside. More
road work surrounding the school will be
done in the next few weeks. Stop by and
take a look when you get a chance:
5410 West South Jordan Parkway
Building Update
MARSHEL TROOP
6TH GRADE
I am Marshel Troop, often known to my
students as Mr. Marshel. My journey to
AAI is a long and unusual one. I grew up
in the Salt Lake City area. At the age of
9, I figured out that I could sing. I sang
in choirs, church, musicals and soon got
involved in theatre. I attended Dixie State
on a theatre scholarship and transferred
to SUU to complete my B.S. in FACS
(home economics). I was the only guy in
the whole department.
I lived in Italy from 1992-94 and learned
a lot about the people, the culture, and
the food. I returned to Utah wanting
to go to culinary school and becoming
a chef. Well... I met my wonderful wife
and instead of going to culinary school, I
decided to learn the ropes on the job. I
started out as a cook and quickly became
the lead chef in a fine dining restaurant
and a supervisor over the restaurant.
Management soon became my focus. I
have been in food service for about 20
years. During that time, my wife and I
began our own business. We operated
an award-winning photography and
video production company on the side
for about 10 years. We have 4 children
ranging from 2 to 12, and are licensed
foster parents — a labor that brings both
sorrow and immense joy.
After teaching teenagers to cook and
operate a business, I realized the part I
really loved was teaching. Plus I loved the
idea of having more time to spend with
my family! I was recently at Spectrum
Academy working with students that have
Autism Spectrum Disorders. This was a
valuable opportunity for me as I learned
to work with children and youth with
special needs, but I fell in love with these
kids. Each day was a new adventure.
My teaching philosophy: “If education is
always to be conceived along the same
antiquated lines of a mere transmission
of knowledge, there is little to be hoped
from it in the bettering of man’s future.
For what is the use of transmitting knowl-
edge if the individual’s total development
lags behind?” — Maria Montessori
MEET OUR TEACHERS
3
KELLY RALSTON
Fine and Creative Art
My name is Kelly Ralston and I am excited
to bring my passion for art and creativ-
ity to AAI. I studied Art and minored in
Business at Utah State University where I
was very fortunate to receive the Ralph T.
Clark scholarship. I also had the opportu-
nity to study a semester abroad in Scot-
land and have my photos displayed in the
Fine Arts gallery on campus. After grad-
uating with a BS in Art in 2012, I worked
in marketing at a landscape architecture
firm where my skills in graphic design,
photography, and creative business came
in to play. I believe my experiences have
given me valuable real-world applications
for art and creative thinking and I look
forward to passing them along.
The beauty of nature, history, and human
ingenuity inspires me and I love to travel
and experience them in new places. I
grew up in Ogden, Utah with a large,
close-knit family that loves to camp and
travel. I have a weird passion for roller-
coasters and, while in Jr. High, made a list
of theme parks to visit. I have since been
to 12 (and counting) across the United
States. Wake surfing on Bear Lake, four
wheeling with my family, and bumming
on a beach are some of my favorite ways
to unwind. I also love to curl up with a
good book, geek out at the latest su-
perhero movie, and snowboard Utah’s
stunning mountains.
Teaching is a very natural next step
for me and I’m thrilled to be a part of
AAI’s team. I believe the arts are vital to
encouraging imaginative and creative
problem solving in all aspects of life and
are important tools for a well-rounded
education. My goal is to cultivate the con-
fidence in individual creativity along with
a desire for exploration of new ideas and
mediums in my students.
MEET OUR TEACHERS
4
HILLARY HARRIS
School Counselor
My name is Hillary Harris and I am so
incredibly excited to be AAI’s School
Counselor! After growing up in Sarasota,
Florida and living a life of warmth (and
humidity) on the sandy gulf coast beach-
es, I attended Emory University in Atlanta,
Georgia where I double majored in Film
Studies and Psychology (I wrote my
senior honors thesis on Mister Rogers’
Neighborhood) while working as a work-
study student at a local preschool. Upon
graduation, I decided to journey to South
Central Los Angeles for a year of service
through City Year by working in an urban
title I elementary school. This led me to
my Master’s program in School Counsel-
ing at Vanderbilt University in Nashville,
Tennessee where I officially graduated
with my M.Ed in School Counseling in May
of 2016. Finally, I have joined the amazing
team at the American Academy of Innova-
tion where I am so happy and thrilled
to work in such a visionary, innovative
collective learning environment!
I am excited to be a part of this new
community, as I love AAI’s constructivist
co-creative teaching model as a powerful
way to inspire, engage, and teach stu-
dents. I also admire how AAI understands
that discovering each student’s unique
strengths, natural learning styles, needs,
and goals is absolutely critical in optimiz-
ing our students’ education.
As a school counselor, I am happiest see-
ing students grow and overcome both
personal and academic obstacles. With
my empathetic nature and big heart,
I am so honored to work with each of
AAI’s students in order to learn from
and understand them more deeply so
that I can better know which counseling,
community, and/or academic supports I
can provide to help them most effectively.
The brilliant Neil deGrasse Tyson perfect-
ly encapsulates this notion: “For me, I am
driven by two main philosophies: know
more today about the world than I knew
yesterday and lessen the suffering of oth-
ers. You’d be surprised how far that gets
you.” If you ever need someone to listen
to and/or help you with something that’s
been troubling your heart and mind, my
door is always open.
MEET OUR STAFF
5
REBECCA INGERSOLL
Media Specialist
Salutations! My name is Becca Ingersoll,
and I am absolutely ecstatic to be joining
the American Academy of Innovation
team this year. I will finally be working
at my dream job: as the school’s Library
Media Specialist.
I grew up in beautiful Cache Valley, Utah,
and I have always known that I wanted to
work in education. From a very early age,
I have enjoyed learning and, especially,
READING. As I got older, I became one
of “those” students who actually enjoyed
grammar lessons and taking out a red
pen to correct my own and—I admit—
others’ work. Fear not, however; as my
knowledge of the mechanics of language
has increased, my desire to correct peo-
ple in conversation has decreased.
While working my way through college,
I had a variety of jobs including being
a retail sales associate at several loca-
tions, a substitute teacher, a tutor, and
the founder of an after-school drama
program at an elementary school. I
graduated Cum Laude from Utah State
University in December 2010 with a B.A.
in Secondary English Education and an
endorsement in School Library Media
Administration. Since then I have taught
at several different schools. I simply love
catching those “lightbulb moments” when
students get excited about something
they just learned or realized.
While I have had many wonderful expe-
riences as a classroom teacher over the
past five years, my true passion is in the
library. Being able to select and
share books and other resources I think
students and staff will fall in love with is
so rewarding. Libraries offer so many
opportunities for lifelong learning and en-
tertainment, and I am so looking forward
to helping others discover all that AAI’s
new library will have to offer.
I have been married to my college sweet-
heart for ten years, and we’ve enjoyed
turning our first house into a home over
the past few years. We also love snug-
gling with our two kitties. Aside from
reading as much as possible, I also enjoy
playing games, traveling, discovering new
favorite restaurants, crafting, attending
theatre productions, watching movies,
binge-watching TV series, and napping.
MEET OUR STAFF
6
JENNIFER HAMILTON
Registration/Enrollment Specialist
I have worked in the administrative field
for over 10 years in varying roles which
include HR, Health & Safety, and Front Of-
fice Administrator, to name a few. I have
an Associates of Applied Sciences degree
in Paralegal Studies from Broadview Uni-
versity. I will be continuing my education
this fall with Western Governor’s Universi-
ty to obtain my Bachelor’s degree
in Education. I have a strong passion
for education and love to help others
achieve their goals in life. I also love to
see the passion for learning in kids’ faces,
and to see them blossom and graduate
with pride from their achievements.
MEET OUR STAFF
7