Murray School District UT

05/22/2026

Just a birds-eye view of construction at Riverview Jr. High today. Things have progressed incredible well for both Murray's projects. Both good weather and great labor force have been instrumental. This time next year we will be talking about preparations for the first day of our newest school.

05/22/2026

🔨 The End of an Era: Celebrating Quinn Drury 🏠
After 30 legendary years, 12 homes built from the ground up, and over 6,000 students impacted, Murray High School’s beloved CTE Homebuilder and Shop instructor, Quinn Drury, is officially retiring. 🧡🖤

Yesterday, the Spartan community gathered for a special ribbon-cutting and open house at Home #12—the final house built under Quin's master guidance. To mark the occasion, his final cohort of students surprised him with custom shirts reading "MHS Construction: The Last Dance"—a well-deserved tribute to a teacher who has truly given his all to generations of Spartans.

Quinn hasn’t just taught woodwork and framing; he has built futures. Over the last three decades, his students have taken home countless awards, earned life-changing scholarships, and launched highly successful careers in the construction industry. His legacy is etched into the very skyline of our community and the careers of thousands.

Thank you, Mr. Drury, for 30 years of dedication, mentorship, and excellence in Career and Technical Education. You have left an indelible blueprint on Murray High School. 🎓✨

Enjoy your well-deserved retirement! 🛠️🥂

05/22/2026

Uncovering history right in the classroom! 🦖🔍

Wednesday, the 4th graders at Longview Elementary wrapped up an incredible, hands-on fossil exploration project—and you have to see their discoveries in action! Check out the video !

Thanks to a $500 grant from the Murray Education Foundation, these students got to dig into 500 lbs. of real, fossil-bearing shale sourced from U-Dig Fossils, Inc. in Delta, Utah. Every single student had the chance to split open shale, discover their very own ancient trilobite fossil, and take it home! 🦕✨

But the learning didn't stop at the dig. Students are using their discoveries to analyze rock layers, study how Utah’s West Desert environment has changed over time, and write scientific informational papers about their finds. 📝📊

Huge shoutout to 4th-grade teachers Mike Okumura and Bridget Costello for bringing science to life!

05/21/2026

🌟 Staff Spotlight & Big Win! 🌟
Huge congratulations to our Secondary Instructional Technology Coach, Justine Hampton, for securing a phenomenal grant through the STEM Action Center! 💻🚀

Justine has been hard at work developing and coordinating a game-changing, asynchronous professional development course for our educators. This grant directly funds the tools, tech, and training our teachers need to take student success to the next level. 📈✨

🎯 What is this course accomplishing?
- Boost academic vocabulary and spark meaningful student discourse 🗣️💬
- Meet the unique, individual needs of every single student 🎒👏
- Promote "productive struggle" to build critical thinking and resilience 🧠💪
- Integrate STEM concepts seamlessly across all subjects 🧪🎨
- Leverage AI-powered chatbot tutors and cutting-edge AI resources 🤖🦾

🛠️ Turning Grant Money into Classroom Magic
Thanks to this funding, our teachers and classrooms are getting a major upgrade! The grant covers teacher stipends, digital learning software, and an incredible array of hands-on materials, including:

🧲 Large magnetic coordinate graph whiteboards & sentence frame strips
📊 Anchor charts & individual graphing boards for students
🎟️ Content-specific professional books for educators
🌱 Special requested items like classroom calculators and seeds for a "living bookshelf"!

🏆 "Problem Solver" prizes and student success stickers to celebrate those wins!

Thank you, Justine, for your innovation, dedication, and for constantly finding new ways to support our teachers and inspire our students! 💻❤️

05/20/2026

3🚨 THE BIG REVEAL! 🚨

Out of an extraordinary field of educators and staff, these three individuals have been selected as the District's overall recipients of the year, for their unmatched dedication, leadership, and impact on our students, families, and community:

🍎 Overall Teacher of the Year: Kayti Graham (Grant Elementary). Thank you, Kayti, for inspiring a lifelong love of learning and bringing passion into the classroom every single day!

🤝 Overall Licensed Professional of the Year: Carolyn Martinez-Ross (Murray High School). Thank you, Carolyn, for your unwavering guidance, expertise, and commitment to the growth and well-being of our students!

💛 Overall Education Support Professional of the Year: Lauri Aloi (Parkside Elementary). Thank you, Lauri, for your incredible heart, hard work, and ensuring every single student feels safe, seen, and valued!

Please join us in the comments below by leaving a note of congratulations and gratitude for Kayti, Carolyn, and Lauri! We are so incredibly lucky to have you all representing the Murray City School District.

05/20/2026

🚀 Future Leaders in the Making! 💼✨
What do healthcare professionals, construction pros, teachers, and real estate experts all have in common? They all took over Riverview Junior High yesterday for the school's 2nd Annual Career Day! 🛠️🩺🏫

Our students got a front-row seat to the real world, choosing from three action-packed session rotations featuring 32 different career paths. From the service industry and trades to government and transportation, the energy (and inspiration) in the building was unmatched! 🙌✈️🏗️

❤️ A Massive Thank You!
This incredible day wouldn't have been possible without some major teamwork:

- A huge shoutout to Riverview's Beth Leo for organizing this massive event and keeping all 32 moving parts running like clockwork! 👑🗓️
- Thank you to our amazing parents and community members who stepped away from their own busy schedules to present, mentor, and volunteer. You didn't just share your careers today—you sparked new dreams! 🌟🤝

05/20/2026

Last night was all about celebrating our future! 🎓

We are thrilled to announce that 35 local scholarships were awarded to our phenomenal Spartan graduates, representing tens of thousands of dollars invested back into our students by this amazing community.

A massive thank you to all the local sponsors, foundations, and families whose generosity fuels these opportunities year after year. Congratulations to all of our deserving recipients—keep shining bright! 🍊🖤

05/19/2026

Congratulations MHS Boys Soccer!

We are thrilled to announce that our UNDEFEATED boys soccer team will be heading to the state championship game against East High on Friday, May 22. The game will be at 4 pm at Zion's Bank Stadium at 14787 Academy Parkway, Herriman, UT 84096. We would love to see our entire Murray community there to support our amazing players! Please purchase your tickets early, and SPAR ON!

Tickets can be purchased at: https://gofan.co/event/6424728?schoolId=UHSAA

05/19/2026

Forget the PowerPoint slides. Turn off the lecture videos. It's time to let the students control the spotlight. 🛑➡️🔦

Teaching the complex science of stage lighting and color theory to junior high students isn't easy—especially when professional theater gear carries a massive price tag. Ms. Moss at Riverview Junior High knew that true imagination requires hands-on experimentation. Fortunately, Murray doesn't let unique classroom needs get lost in the shuffle. The Murray Education Foundation stepped right in to fund her "Shine Bright" project.

With her MEF grant, Ms. Moss purchased:
-Simple, student-friendly lighting tools to design and manipulate stage moods 💡
- Interactive color blocks to show how different lights change the look of a costume 👗
- Cross-curricular resources that turned a theater lesson into a real-world science lab 🔬

Hearing the students shout with excitement as they made surprising discoveries about light wavelengths? Total perfection.

Small enough to care, yet big enough to deliver, we make sure our schools have the tools to truly shine. Teachers innovate, students thrive!

💡 Visit MurrayEducationFoundation.org today!

05/19/2026

Dinosaurs. Deep space. Deep-sea sharks. Your next family field trip just got a lot more affordable. 🦖🦈🚀

Learning doesn't stop when the school bell rings, but the cost of museum tickets can definitely make a dent in the family budget. If your family receives food assistance (SNAP benefits), the "Museums for All" program is your golden ticket to exploring the best educational venues in Utah for $5 or less per person (up to 4 people).

Just bring your EBT card and a photo ID to enjoy reduced or free admission at massive local spots like:

- Clark Planetarium & Discovery Gateway 🌌
- Loveland Living Planet Aquarium & Tracy Aviary 🐧
- Natural History Museum of Utah & Red Butte Garden 🌿
- Thanksgiving Point & Utah Museum of Fine Arts 🎨

These are great opportunities! Whether it's unique tools in our classrooms or incredible resources in our community, every child deserves the chance to explore, discover, and thrive.

💡 Take a look at the flyer below for the details, or plan your next adventure by visiting museums4all.org!

05/18/2026

A brand-new classroom. A room full of eager 6th graders. And a teacher with a mission to prove that math can actually be... fun? 🛑➡️🚀

Ms. Szedeli knew that turning math from "frustrating" to "satisfying" for her Horizon Elementary students required more than just standard-issue textbooks. It required creativity. Because Murray is an agile, responsive district where community support moves fast, the Murray Education Foundation mobilized donors who funded her vision.

Ms. Szedeli's Classroom Grant included:
- Interactive math games that turn multiplication and division into a team sport 🎲
- Targeted workbooks designed to catch students up and give them a boost 📈
- Vocabulary dry-erase boards and custom, student-made visual aids for 50+ DLI learners 🎨

Small enough to care, yet big enough to deliver, incredible things are happening in Murray classrooms every day. Teachers innovate, students thrive!

💡 Curious about MEF? Learn more here: MurrayEducationFoundation.org