Spring must finally be here! I recently attended Glacier Hills Elementary’s Spring Fling open house. They opened the building to those in the community who live in the area but do not currently have students attending the school. They showcased student artwork and writing down the hallways. Teachers were running games outside. There were booths for AVID, the PTA, and Alta View Hospital, and of course, food trucks. The Yeti was wandering around for photos. Purchasing school t-shirts proved to be a big hit with the parents. It was a wonderful way to build school-to-community connections.

Canyons has the best teachers! It was an exciting evening honoring each of our school’s Teacher of the Year at the District’s Teacher of the Year celebration. Congratulations to all our winners. Listening to each teacher’s accomplishments reinforced my appreciation for the creativity, dedication, and focus on student success that Canyons teachers bring each day to our students. The school board was proud to share in your success.

I almost felt like a movie star as I attended the Canyons Education Foundation Gala to honor our student scholarship recipients and help raise funding for teacher innovation grants. It was a beautiful night with great food and good company. The Foundation is the fundraising branch with community outreach for the District.

I also attended the District Storytelling competition for K-3 students. I want to give a shout out to Peruvian Park Elementary for their exemplary students who took all three awards! This was excellent public speaking practice.

Finally, I had the opportunity to participate in a Zoom presentation on “The Weight of Injustice: Exploring the Intersectionality of Fatphobia, Racism, and Mental Health” presented by the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC). This provided an interesting perspective on historical and present-day causes of some of the mental health issues facing children. Knowledge is the first step as we strive to always improve in supporting all students to reach their potential.