Connect Canyons
Canyons School District
Subscribe
Learning is about making connections, and we invite you to learn and connect with us. Connect Canyons is a podcast about what we teach in Canyons School District, how we teach, and why. We’ll get up close and personal with some of the people who make our schools great: students, teachers, principals, parents, and more. We’ll meet national experts, too. We’ll spotlight the “connection makers” — personalities, programs and prospects — we find compelling and inspiring
Available episodes
Newest first
Oldest first
May 31, 2023
Episode 48: Eastmont Middle Teacher-Turned-Author Living a Fantasy with Book Deal
Though Marc Gregson has no intention of assigning his own young-adult fantasy novel as a class reading option in his English Language Arts classes at Eastmont Middle, that will be a possibility when his dream comes true in January 2024 upon the public release of his book, “Sky’s End.” Gregson’s 10-year effort to find an agent and hook a book deal stands as tangible example of perseverance. And he certainly hopes his books, which his publisher, Penguin Random House's Peachtree Teen, is pitching as an “Attack on the Titans” meets “Hunger Games” adventure, resonates with students and others. In this episode of Connect Canyons, Gregson shares advice on becoming an author and gives insight into the process that helped him publish his first book while bringing his Eastmont students along for the ride.
playlist_add
Apr 14, 2023
CSD’S Annual Book Blitz Contest Draws 400 Student Contestants
Reading is the most important academic skill a student can acquire. If students can read, they can learn anything. But just like anything else, if you want to be good at reading, you have to spend time doing it — and how better to practice and test your reading skills than with your friends? Enter Canyons District’s Book Blitz competition, which was created to not only build motivated readers, but to build a community of readers. And the cool thing is, says CSD library specialist Gretchen Zaitzeff, “This is a community that anyone can join. You don’t have to be tall. You don’t have to be superfast.” You just have to be willing to crack open a book and see where it takes you.
playlist_add
Mar 9, 2023
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 is a great way to flex your creative muscle. Connect Canyons spoke with the Film Festival’s organizer Justin Andersen and CSD’s Communications Director Jeff Haney about the contest’s history and quizzed them on their Oscar picks for 2023.
playlist_add
Feb 15, 2023
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 is the most gratifying and important part of their jobs. “We’re huge in advocating for the students. As much as (some people) might think that we’re just out to get ‘em or punish ‘em, no, that’s not the reward,” Ballard said. “The reward’s not how many tickets or many arrests did I get. It’s, ‘Who did I save?’” As noted in a press release from the National Association of School Resource Officers, the SRO assignment is unique within the law enforcement profession. They fill a three-part role, acting as informal mentors or counselors, as law educators and as law enforcement officers to support the students and communities they serve.
playlist_add
Feb 1, 2023
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 began the painstaking clean-up process, and classes were moved to a once-empty middle school building. In this episode of Connect Canyons, hear directly from Stephen Galley, the environmental services director of R&R Environmental, the industrial hygiene company hired to work with Canyons on the mitigation project at Eastmont.
playlist_add
Jan 25, 2023
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 that are available to help decipher whether news is legitimate or not.
— Five key questions that should be asked to verify sources and claims.
— What the District is doing to help improve news literacy.
— Why it’s more important to be curious than critical.
— What we can do to slow the flow of misinformation.
— Valuable resources, including helpful information via the News Literacy Project.
playlist_add
Jan 23, 2023
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 little one couldn’t possibly have grown this fast, now is the time to begin thinking about what kind of kindergarten program you’d like your student to attend. This is the time of year schools start gathering information for regular kindergarten classes, and the application for Supplemental Hours of Instruction kindergarten classes opens on Jan. 25 at 10 a.m. Not sure which option you prefer? In this episode of Connect Canyons we sit down with Instructional Supports administrator Kenna Sorensen and teacher specialist Leigh Ann Fisher to find answers to your questions, learn more about what steps you need to take, and discover what’s next.
playlist_add
Jan 17, 2023
Episode 41: Four Take Oaths of Office for Posts on Canyons Board of Education
History was made at the Jan. 3, 2023 Oath of Office Ceremony for the newly elected members of the Canyons Board of Education. Andrew Edtl, the new representative for District No. 4, is the first African American to win election to the Canyons Board of Education, and Karen Pedersen, elected to represent District No. 5, is the first retired Canyons District teacher to join Canyons’ seven-member governing body On the night they were sworn-in, they were joined by Amber Shill and Amanda Oaks, who won re-election and are gearing up to serve for another four years. The oaths, administered by 3rd District Court Judge Matthew Bates, were witnessed by friends and family members who came to applaud the officials for their achievement and willingness to serve the Canyons community. Listen to this week’s Connect Canyons for the highlights of the first addresses given by Edtl, Pedersen, Shill, and Oaks after they took their Oaths of Office.
playlist_add
Nov 16, 2022
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 work experiences. In this episode of the Connect Canyons podcast, he gives an overview of the importance of the 4,400 ESPs who are currently employed by CSD. Simply put, they’re the bus drivers, secretaries, custodians, plumbers, electricians, IT personnel, nutrition staff and so forth. “Our ESPs, they are here. They are dedicated, they’re loyal, they’re working their hearts out,” Perry said. “They’re helping kids.”
playlist_add
Oct 28, 2022
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 everybody should apply, even students who might have the greatest grades or test scores, says Jordan High School’s scholarship specialist Lisa Petersen. “A lot of people think that it’s scary. Don’t be afraid,” Petersen said. In this informative episode of Connect Canyons, Petersen offers a plethora of insight on where to start the process and what to do to give yourself the best opportunity at earning available funds to lighten the financial load.
playlist_add