Eagle Mountain Academy celebrates second graduating class

Eagle Mountain Academy, the City’s hands-on civic education program, celebrated its second graduating class during Wednesday night’s City Council meeting.

Participants were recognized for completing the six-week course, which offers residents a behind-the-scenes look at how Eagle Mountain operates and the people who keep it running.

For Assistant to the City Manager Natalie Winterton, who leads the program alongside City Finance Analyst Terrence Dela Pena, seeing a second group of residents graduate marks another step toward strengthening the connection between the City and its community.

“We’re very grateful people wanted to take the class and proud of the sense of community being built among residents,” Winterton said. “There’s a real interest in making Eagle Mountain a better place. It was a great class, and we’re ready for round three in the spring.”

Launched earlier this year, Eagle Mountain Academy gives residents a chance to learn about City government in a hands-on way. The fall session, which began in September, brought participants into direct contact with department heads, City Councilmembers and field experts across several areas of municipal service.

Students toured City facilities, including the water and wastewater treatment plants, and learned about how Eagle Mountain manages its utilities, infrastructure and natural resources. They also explored topics like economic development, growth planning and public works operations.

Winterton said many participants find the tours to be the highlight of the program.

“Everyone usually loves touring the facilities and then they love going to the fire station,” she said.

The academy’s goal, according to Winterton, is to help residents understand how the City functions so they can take a more active role in shaping its future.

At Wednesday night’s graduation, participants were joined by their families as they received certificates of completion. Winterton said it was rewarding to see residents’ enthusiasm for learning about their community.

Each session of Eagle Mountain Academy includes opportunities for feedback, which helps shape future offerings. Winterton said the team continually refines the curriculum based on what residents express the most curiosity about.

“We’re always making improvements to tailor the class around what residents would like to learn more about,” she said. “We broaden some topics, narrow some, according to the feedback we get.”

The spring 2026 session of Eagle Mountain Academy will run in March, April and May, with sign-ups available through the Eagle Mountain Academy page. Interested residents can sign up for alerts when applications open.