Karen Larson is the kind of teacher who inspires her students to wield their pens like swords when they are attacking difficult, college-level writing assignments. It’s that kind of dedication to helping her students see the power in writing well and often that has prompted Salt Lake Community College to give her a major award.
 
To her surprise, the Brighton English teacher, who also advises the National Honor Society, was named by SLCC as this year’s Outstanding Concurrent Enrollment Instructor. She will be feted April 30, 2013 at the college’s Concurrent Enrollment Awards program, to be held in the Student Center at the Redwood Campus.   
 
“There are so many outstanding teachers,” said Larson, who was nominated by Brighton High’s Career and Technology Education Coordinator Carolyn Chipman, “and that’s what makes this so meaningful.”
 
The ceremony is a homecoming of sorts for Larson. In fact, her first teacher post was as an English instructor at the college, where she led discussions and pored over assignments to help freshmen and sophomores hone their writing skills. Many of her students had limited English proficiency. Others had returned to school after decades in the workplace. “What I found,” she said, “is that it mostly gave students the confidence that they could do it.”
 
Larson took the Alternative Route to Licensure when she came to Brighton seven years ago, and enjoys working with high school students on college-level writing tasks. “I think that because the high school kids have had English every year, their writing skills are fresh and the transition isn’t as tough,” she says. “I feel that, a lot of times, students in high school have an advantage. Everything is fresh in their minds."
 
Even on summer break from Brighton, Larson continues teaching — at SLCC. The best part of being a teacher is that “you are never bored,” she says. “I learn far more from my students than they ever learn from me. Students are the very best teachers.”

The Canyons Education Foundation wants to share the love.
 
This Friday, March 22, 2013, the CSD Foundation is joining the “Love Utah Give Utah” campaign — 24 hours of unprecedented giving.
 
We invite Canyons District patrons to become involved. Please see "Love Utah Give Utah" for more information on how you can help provide resources for the District's initiatives in STEAM — science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics.
 
All you have to do is point, click, and donate. Join the love.

Three Canyons District students are in the running to win a $1,000 cash prize in Zions Bank’s “Financialize a Film” video contest, which promotes making good financial choices.
 
Videos by Mount Jordan students Heather Repp and Rachel Cowdell and Hillcrest student Aaron Hsu are posted on Facebook for a public vote. The films will compete with 13 other submissions from Utah middle and high school students. Finalists were chosen from a pool of nearly 70 entries.
 
The 60-second video by Repp and Cowdell, called “Why Should We Use Banks,” uses a purse thief to disprove one student’s theory that she should keep her money with her instead of depositing it at a bank. Hsu’s 60-second video shows an older brother introducing the concept of saving to a younger sibling after the two find a penny on the sidewalk. The name of the video is “Saving Every Penny.”
 
The makers of the film that receives the most votes will win the $1,000 cash prize, plus a $1,000 matching award for their school. Second- and third-place winners will receive $500 and $250, respectively, plus matching awards for their schools.
 
Voting is open through March 31. Winners will be announced the week of April 8.

Elementary and middle school students have brains wired for debate, be it in arguing the finer points of an extra few minutes of TV at bedtime, or pleading a case for a new puppy. Now, they have an academic arena to show off those skills. On Thursday, March 21, 2013, Canyons is hosting fourth- through ninth-graders at a districtwide Debate Tournament, scheduled from 3 – 8:30 p.m. at Alta High School. About 90 student participants will debate whether the State of Utah should substantially increase its support of nuclear energy generation within its borders. Alta and Hillcrest students will serve as judges.

The optional debate program is aimed at providing younger students with a way to enhance their critical thinking and reasoning abilities in an environment where academic development and communication skills are promoted and rewarded. It also dovetails well with new core learning standards. The state tournament, sponsored by the National Energy Foundation, is in April.

A man known as a "programming genius" among his Canyons Information Technology colleagues has received an internationally-recognized award for revolutionizing how student data is gathered, distributed, and analyzed in Canyons School District.

CSD IT consultant Jeff Murry has received the prestigious "Making IT Happen" award of International Society for Technology in Education. Making IT Happen is an internationally recognized awards program honoring educators and technology leaders worldwide their commitment to and innovation in educational technology. Murry received the award from his colleagues in Utah, and now is in the running for an international "Making IT Happen" award.

"Jeff has revolutionized education in the Canyons School District. He expects success and helps others to succeed by using his technology skills to help educators access information that helps them help their students achieve," Canyons Education Technology Specialist Katie Blunt said.

Murry is noted for his development of the Canyons Data Dashboard. The Data Dashboard packages student achievement information into a single, easy-to-navigate database for teachers. The Data Dashboard allows teachers to better use data to drive instruction, help students receive the interventions they need to succeed, monitor student progress, and create targeted Comprehensive School Improvement Plans.

"Jeff's focus is always on customer service and his work ethic demonstrates his aim for perfection. He is consistently pleasant, always composed, and approaches each new situation with a smile and a wicked sense of humor," Canyons Information Technology Director Scot McCombs said. "Jeff loves technology and education and has shown his commitment to both throughout his career. His knowledge, expertise, and dedication have blessed the lives of countless students and employees throughout the Wasatch Front."

The Making IT Happen award comes with a prize packet from ISTE and $500 cash from the Utah Coalition for Educational Technology.