Mark Sanderson, West Hills Middle School
May 10, 2026, 9:47 PM | Updated: May 19, 2026, 2:21 pm
“Mr. Sanderson is an incredible Language Arts teacher who consistently goes far above and beyond his normal teaching responsibilities. For years, he has exhibited a passion for bringing books and important historical events to life for his students. His efforts to make reading and history exciting have had a positive impact on both his students and the community. Every class he teaches has made significant progress in increasing students’ reading and writing abilities. For this school year, he organized and executed a creative plan to bring the story of “The Candy Bomber” alive—not only for his 8th-grade students at West Hills Middle School but also for the students at the Gail Halvorsen Elementary School in Berlin, Germany.
Colonel Gail Seymour Halvorsen was a senior officer and command pilot in the United States Air Force. He rose to fame for dropping candy to German children during the Berlin Airlift from 1948 to 1949, earning him the nickname “The Berlin Candy Bomber.”
Mr. Sanderson’s project involved students reading and discussing the positive impact of Utah’s own Gail Halvorsen. Students at both schools were challenged to create a custom chocolate bar, including the ingredients and the wrapper design. After a class vote, the winning designs were produced by Taste Artisan Chocolate of Provo, Utah. Mr. Sanderson coordinated this project with the Gail Halvorsen Foundation, which enthusiastically endorsed the effort. The project concludes with a special ceremony honoring Colonel Halvorsen and the student winners at West Hills Middle School on May 12, 2026. The event features attendance by the German student winners and a simulated candy drop provided by the Utah Highway Patrol aviation team.
One student wrote: “The lessons you taught that will help most in my future were that making connections can help in many ways and reaching out to people can have great outcomes. You teach in a great way; you give good information, assign fun projects, and are genuinely a good person.”
Mr. Sanderson is always willing to go the extra mile to provide a great experience for his students, truly bringing books and history to life.”
-Steve Sara
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