Episode 46: Lights, Camera, Action! It’s Film Festival Season in Canyons District

If the popularity of Canyons District’s Film Festival is proof, there really is no business like show business. A contest that culminates each April with a glamorous, Oscars-style awards ceremony, the Canyons Film Festival is now in its 14th year. The contest draws hundreds of submissions annually from students and teachers of all ages, and […]
Episode 45: Student Resource Officers

Two of Canyons District’s most respected SROs, Officers Shay Ballard and Kelly Taylor, joined CSD Administrator Charisse Hilton as guests on this episode of the Connect Canyons podcast for a riveting and insightful chat about SROs’ roles and responsibilities, challenges and opportunities, and rewards. Ballard and Taylor agreed that the relationships they build with students […]
Podcast 44: The Eastmont Project

Dust-sized particles have caused boulder-sized problems for Eastmont Middle School. When asbestos was found in dust kicked up by crews replacing flooring at Eastmont during Winter Recess, it triggered a response with major implications. Since that time, the building has been shuttered to the public, a mitigation plan was sent to state environmental regulators, workers […]
Episode 43: News Literacy: How To Tell Fact From Fiction

Canyons District Teacher Specialist Leslie Morris, Utah’s News Literacy Ambassador, joined us on this episode of the Connect Canyons podcast. The discussion revolves around the News Literacy Project and the importance of helping students know how to filter news they see on the Internet. In this episode, we discuss: — Tools that students, teachers and others […]
Episode 42: Ready for ‘Big Kid’ School? There’s a Lot To Consider, and the Time to Prepare is Now

The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to look ahead and make some plans for the future. If you have a child who will be five years old on or before Sept. 1, 2023, kindergarten is one of the things that’s helpful to start thinking about now. Even if it seems your […]
Episode 40: What’s an ESP, and Why Should You Consider a Career as One?

Everett Perry has been with Canyons District before it officially began in 2009. He was the 23rd employee hired by the fledgling school district, which has blossomed since becoming the first new District in Utah in nearly a century. As a Human Resources Administrator, Perry’s job now involves hiring ESPs and helping to enhance their […]
Episode 39: The Ultimate Guide to Applying for Scholarships

You’ve successfully navigated the college application process. Now begins the long wait for admission decisions, and one productive way to expend all that anxious energy is to apply for scholarships. Scholarship deadlines come up year-round and a good number each year go unclaimed. There are tons of scholarships available from all manner of organizations, so […]
Episode 37: Celebrating Canyons’ Custodians

There might not be a more important yet thankless job than the critical work custodians perform around Canyons School District — from cleaning restrooms and lunchrooms to maintaining boiler rooms and chillers. In conjunction with National Custodian Day being celebrated this weekend — every October 2nd — we sat down with Canyons District’s Custodial and […]
Episode 36: Magicians and Problem-Solvers: CSD’s Information Technology Experts are Making ‘IT’ Work for Students, Employees

Canyons District’s Information Technology Director Scot McCombs used to joke that there was about only one area where IT wasn’t a factor in education — the asphalt in school parking lots. That, he noted, might change in the not-so-distant future. He attended a presentation on the future of technology that introduced a concept in which […]
Episode 35: Here’s How CSD Teachers are Spending their Early-Out Fridays

If the quality of schools is a measure of the greatness of its teachers, imagine what can be accomplished when really great teachers work together, pooling their knowledge, resources and ideas to help all students succeed. The Canyons Board of Education recently approved a uniform early-out Friday schedule to provide time and space for teachers […]