Superintendent highlights K–6 student art, personalized learning at Walden and Westfield during board report

Superintendent Sydnee Dixon opened her report to the board by showcasing a K–6 student art display from Kaysville Elementary and describing visits to two schools where staff and students emphasized personalized learning.

Dixon said the Kaysville display was produced in partnership with Westminster University’s Arts Connect program and included projects tied to classroom standards such as cultural and community connections, planets and space, animal habitats and social-emotional learning. Lori Bajewski, fine arts coordinator and BTS arts learning program coordinator, described the show and said Westminster’s program provides professional development for both licensed arts teachers and paraeducators.

Dixon then described a visit to Walden School of Liberal Arts, where she said students lead service projects and teachers use personalized learning approaches. She recounted a student who told her, “I just never felt like I could connect with what was happening at school. I was bored,” and that the student met course standards by researching Cuban culture through cookbooks and cooking for peers—an approach the superintendent presented as an example of meeting standards through student interests.

The superintendent also described a visit to a newly opened Westfield High School in the Weber district. Dixon said the school established culture and climate quickly, that students helped choose colors and mascots, and that some students are enrolled in a concurrent-enrollment pathway for future teachers.

Dixon framed the visits as examples of how personalization and student leadership can keep learners engaged and support attendance and outcomes. She noted the visits while orienting newly seated board members to the board’s mission and characteristics for student success.