A pilot, a veterinarian, or a reptile man? Canyons kindergartners have big dreams, not only about what they want to be when they grow up, but the education they’ll need to make those dreams come true.

Kindergartners districtwide capped their first week of school with Canyons’ Kindergarten College-Ready Day, an event in which teachers and principals wear caps and gowns, talk about college, and at Sprucewood Elementary in Sandy, a show-and-tell about what students want to be when they grow up. Each student also received wristbands imprinted with the message, “I will be college-ready … Class of 2025” at the Friday, Sept. 7, 2012 events at their schools.

Canyons School District is focused on ensuring all students are college- and career-ready when they graduate high school. Discussing college-readiness at an early age is critical to ensuring that our future workers are able to fill the high-skill, high-demand jobs of tomorrow.

“Kindergartners already are thinking about what they want to be when they grow up; we want to show them those dreams are connected to the work they do in school every day,” said Tamra Baker, Canyons School Performance Director. “We want children to remember each day that there is a lot to be excited about in taking the path to prepare for college.”

The Canyons Board of Education in February 2010 approved an academic plan that introduced Utah’s first college- and career-ready diplomas. Also, as part of the academic plan, in fall 2013, sixth grade will move to middle school and ninth grade to high school to ensure students have access to the appropriate academic supports.

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