Utah Valley Daily Digest 1/17

• The Utah Association of Secondary School Principals recently named Pleasant Grove High School Principal Jess Christen as 2008 Utah High School Principal of the Year. Robin Bowden, principal of Syracuse Junior High School, was named Utah's 2008 Middle School Principal of the Year, and Taran Chun, assistant principal at Dixon Middle School in Provo was named Utah's 2008 Assistant Principal of the Year.

Christen, Bowden and Chun were selected from nominees sent in by Utah Association of Secondary School Principals members and chosen by a committee of administrators, parents and students. The state winners will be entered in the 2009 National Association of Secondary School Principals contest. Winners also will receive a trip to Washington, D.C., to attend a national leadership workshop.

• The Belle S. Spafford Endowed Chair at the University of Utah College of Social Work and the Spafford Advisory Committee invite the community to submit nominations for the annual Belle S. Spafford Award. This award honors the life and accomplishments of Belle Smith Spafford, who headed the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for almost 30 years, by recognizing individuals who have worked to improve the lives of Utah's women and families.

Nomination forms are available at www.socwk.utah.edu/spafford. Completed nominations must be received on or before Feb. 15. The award will be presented during the annual Belle S. Spafford Spring Roundtable in April. For more information, call Dianne Cunningham at 581-4863.

LINDON

• Dr. Steve Adlana will be speaking on how to control body fat, avoid chronic diseases and transform lifestyles as part of the Healthy Lindon program at 7 p.m. today.The meeting will be in the City Council room, 100 N. State St.

Adlana has written the book "The Culprit And The Cure" and also has worked as a consultant to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Employee and Senior Missionary Wellness Program, the Wellness Council of America and other corporate clients.

In addition, Lindon Fire Chief Marc Sanderson will present a training guide to help those interested prepare and train for the first "Run for the Trees," a 5K race in Lindon on Earth Day, April 19. Proceeds from the race will be used to purchase trees to plant in Lindon on Arbor Day in May. Sanderson is an experienced runner, having completed numerous marathons, including a 146-mile race across Death Valley.

PLEASANT GROVE

• Young adults ages 13-18 are invited to attend the Young Adult Book Group at the Pleasant Grove City Library. The group meets every Thursday evening at 7 p.m. No fee or registration is required.

SPANISH FORK

• Eileen Quintana, Title VII American Indian program coordinator in the Nebo School District, was awarded the Utah State Office of Education Life Skills Achievement Award on Jan. 15. The award is given in recognition of exemplary efforts and programs promoting education for the whole child and life skills.

Quintana has seen high school graduation rates among the American Indian population soar from 37 percent to 97 percent in the Nebo School District. Her program operates Tuesday and Thursdays at the old Grant School in Springville after school and in June during the optional summer program. Quintana brings in specialists to teach youngsters from preschool to age 18 a wide range of subjects, including Navajo, English, math and history.

SPRINGVILLE

• Springville has purchased a theater to be used for the Springville Playhouse, as well as other city purposes.

The Villa Theatre, 254 South Main St., was first used for movies and later converted into a live theater. The movie projection equipment in the building is still operational, but has not been used for several years.

Now that the city owns the theater, it also will be used for meetings, special concerts, movies, recitals and more.

The city voted to purchase the building from Gavin and Sharilyn Grooms for $335,000 at the regular council meeting Tuesday night. The city recreation department will be in charge of the building.