One of the best ways to get a glimpse at the future is to listen to the children.

And, on April 27, the Millcreek City Council did just that. During their meeting, the city council heard from a group of third-grade students from Canyon Rim Academy.

Mayor Cheri Jackson explained that a week prior to the council meeting, the third graders had the chance to visit City Hall to learn about municipal government. A component of this was teaching the children how they can make positive impacts in their community.

They talked to the students about Canyon Rim Park, located next to the school, and asked the students to visit the park and think about the things they liked and what things could be better. The students went to the park with their teacher, Paige Pectol, where they cleaned up trash and took notes on their observations.

These notes were compiled into a "Third Grade Report” which was read to the council by the participating students. Pectol explained that the report was entirely written by the students based on their notes, giving the councilmembers, parents and members of the community the opportunity to hear from voices that are often unnoticed.

Pectol introduced her class and explained that the students enjoyed helping clean up Canyon Rim Park. Each student had the chance to approach the microphone and speak to the council, and regarding their favorite parts, one student said, "The murals are nice, we like the trees and the playground is in good condition.”

The areas of improvement for the park were "a lot of dog poop, benches with slivers, the e-bikes, and the horseshoe area." The students recommended providing signs that say to pick up the dog's poop and providing more pick-up areas. Regarding the bikes, they said, "We are worried about the bikes. The grass is getting torn up in the park. Our suggestion is to create signs that say bikes are only allowed on sidewalks or create fun bike paths for people to use."

Following the report, the council recognized another group of young people, the Silvestrini Scholars. These high school seniors received the award for their outstanding achievements in the classroom.

The scholarship program is part of Millcreek's Promise Program and awards the winners with a $1,000 scholarship to put toward their chosen university, college or technical education program. Students were recognized for their achievement and were awarded with a certificate by former Millcreek Mayor Jeff Silvestrini and his wife Leslie.

The Millcreek Promise Program works to provide Millcreek families, children and residents with resources to better their educational and vocational opportunities, among other things. During his tenure as mayor, Silvestrini helped create the Promise Program, and Mayor Jackson renamed the scholarship in his honor earlier this year.

There were eight recipients from four high schools across Millcreek, and the students are hoping to pursue a variety of careers after graduating, ranging from public service to musical education to welding. Silvestrini praised the students for their hard work and expressed his gratitude to the council for recognizing these students.

The winners, in no particular order, are: Macy Atkin of Skyline High School, Mackenzie Campana of Cottonwood High School, Johnathon Chen of Skyline High School, Ada Frazier of Olympus High School, Rebekah Jordan of Olympus High School, Benazir Mohammadi of Utah International Charter School, Airyn Phillips of Cottonwood High School, and Eloy Salazar of Cottonwood High School.

To learn more about the Millcreek Promise Program visit www.millcreekut.gov/221/Promise-Program.