Lehi People
Skyridge student’s efforts lead to “Falcon Way” street rename
In high school, the Government and Citizenship class teaches students about the framework of the United States Constitution and the functions of local state and national government. They can also gain an understanding of how to be a good citizen for the improvement of communities.
At Skyridge High School, Government and Citizenship teacher Camille Pickett teaches and encourages students to engage in local government by completing a semester-long citizenship project of 4-6 hours. Many students become inspired to advocate for or solve issues they care about. Skyridge student Alex Howard was inspired to become involved in the community and make a change for the Skyridge community.
“Students at Skyridge are asked to complete a project where they get involved in a government agency or a non-profit organization to help solve an issue they care about. This year, we brought Lehi City Council members Paige Albrect, Michelle Stallings and Heather Newall to the talk with the government students, hoping that students would recognize that the City Council can be approachable, even to high school students,” said Pickett. “This year, for projects, students have worked caucus night, worked with UDOT and given over 100 hours to Tabitha’s Way and other food banks.”
“As Alex and I were discussing ideas for a project, I mentioned that in my drive around the district, many other schools have a street named after their mascot,” Pickett added. “Alex took that idea and ran with it.”
Howard’s project was to have the name of Center Street in front of Skyridge High School renamed “Falcon Way,” hoping that this would create more unity and school pride within the Skyridge community.
“This project seemed like a fun idea as it would allow me to get involved with the city and figure out how this would all work out to make a change,” said Howard.
The name “Falcon Way” was chosen for its popularity and because “Falcon Way” represents the values of Skyridge High School: respect, integrity and excellence.
“Talking with most people, the name ‘Falcon Way’ was popular, but beyond that, it belongs to our school as it is our way. Our Falcon seal is respect, integrity and excellence,” said Howard.
Howard met with Mr. Wallwork, Skyridge High School’s principal, to ensure his project was supported. He overcame the challenges of changing street addresses and determined, with the support of the street department, to make a “name the road” proposal, as was done with Pioneer Drive in front of Lehi High School. Howard presented his proposal to the Lehi City Council, and it was approved.
“One thing that many may not know is that when Dr. Joel Perkins started Skyridge, he coined the phrase ‘Falcon Way’ to represent what we teach students: respect, integrity and excellence. So Falcon Way is more than just a street name; it is a way of being that we are trying to teach our students. The city council really liked that symbolism,” said Pickett.
The process of renaming Center Street took time and effort. Howard was grateful for Lehi City’s guidance as he worked through his proposal.
“I worked with the street department and figured out how to rename the street and the process to do so. I put together a proposal and attended a review meeting to present my idea. The impact of naming a street was discussed, and I learned about the challenges involved and worked through them. I spoke with the fire chief and discussed how the name could be mixed up with another similarly named street. We worked through that issue, and I then moved forward to the city council, which approved the rename,” said Howard. “Meeting with the city council was nerve-wracking, but they made me feel comfortable, and it was a positive experience.”
Howard learned important lessons from this experience, and he feels getting involved and working with the city government is important.
“I learned that the city is accessible to anyone. It is not a black box where you can’t understand what happens. It is an entity where people can interact and learn. When you work together, you can make real change. I appreciated learning that Lehi City is there to listen and to help. I feel that is important for all of us to understand,” said Howard.
Howard is excited about the street renaming and feels the community is also excited.
“This is a great boost for school pride at Skyridge. Many students have noticed the new name and have expressed that they think it’s cool that we have our own street,” said Howard. “The city staff has been excited, and when we posted the new street signs, the mayor came, and so did Mrs. Newall from the city council. The community has been so supportive.”
Howard appreciates the importance of community engagement in increasing visibility and understanding of issues.
“If you want to make change, you can. If I can get involved, anyone can. I hope my efforts can inspire others to get involved with the city government to make changes that they feel are important. With effort, you can become informed,” said Howard. “You also need to understand there will be setbacks, but you can work through them to make an impact.”
“This project was worth the time and effort I put into it. It was a fun opportunity. Working with the city was a positive experience for me as the staff was responsive and kind. It took a lot of work, but seeing the new ‘Falcon Way’ street signs is really exciting for me,” he added.
Howard also recognized the other students who worked hard on their projects.
“Many other students did some great projects and made other important changes. I want all the students to be recognized for what they did and their contributions,” said Howard.
He also is grateful to his teacher. “Mrs. Pickett taught me so much. She has helped me to understand bureaucracy and how voting works. I learned so much about the government. She listens to ideas and encourages all students to get involved in the community. She makes things interesting and fun, and I have enjoyed her as a teacher,” said Howard.
The street rename has done more than boost school pride–it has the potential to empower a community to make positive changes that affect lives, neighborhoods and cities to work together the “Falcon Way.”
