At Canyons District, it’s never too early to start thinking about college.
Capping the first week of kindergarten at CSD’s 29 elementary schools is a special celebration called, “College-Ready Day” where students receive cobalt wristbands bearing the message, “I will be college-ready … Class of 2029,” sign pledges and talk about dreams for their future.
The activity drives home the point even from students’ first moments at school, that it’s important to work hard every day to be ready for the challenges of college and careers. For all students, but especially those students who have never had a family member attend college, it plants a seed in their minds for what’s possible, Bell View Principal Chanci Loran told a KTVX reporter who covered the event.
If college is too abstract an idea for some kindergartners, most can say with enthusiasm what they want to be when they grow up. At Peruvian Park, faculty wore t-shirts from their alma mater. At Bell View students came dressed in costumes and uniforms representing the career of their choice.
There’s usually a policeman or fireman, or two, in the crowd at most schools. But every so often, a five-year-old surfaces with the unexpected. Draper Elementary is home to a budding forensic anthropologist and an aspiring Batman. “When I grow up, I want to be a Dad,” said one Draper student.
Whatever goals students have in mind for their future, it’s through education that they learn the skills, knowledge and work ethic to achieve them. College-readiness day is one reminder of an important step along the way.
