The Canyons Board of Education and Administration on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, honored 13 teachers, administrators, support staff, community leaders, and volunteers with the most prestigious recognition in the District — Apex Awards.
For 14 years, Canyons leaders have given Apex Awards to those who go above and beyond the call of duty in public education and within the District. Award winners are recognized for making a difference in the CSD community and lifting up the District’s students as they learn and grow.
The winners are chosen after a months-long public nomination window.
The 2023 ceremony was held in Alta High’s Performing Arts Center, one of the projects completed with proceeds from a general-obligation bond measure approved by voters in 2017. The event also was live-streamed on CSDtv, Canyons District’s video and broadcast initiative. A reception in the lobby of the PAC was held before the ceremony.
The ceremony concluded with the presentation of the top award — the Legacy Award. It was given to an admired and respected educator and administrator who ended his career in the spring after serving for 15 years as Canyons District’s Assistant Superintendent. Dr. Bob Dowdle received the honor for his contributions to the creation of Canyons District, the first new school district to be started in Utah in nearly a century.
At the outset of Canyons’ operations, Dr. Dowdle was tasked with recruiting and hiring directors and coordinators for nearly every department. In the subsequent years, he served as a vital voice in launching CSD’s academic direction and establishing systems and processes.
As a founding administrator, he helped set the cornerstone for what would become one of the largest and top school districts in the state. Dr. Dowdle could not attend the ceremony because he is traveling out of the country. His four daughters accepted the lead crystal award on his behalf. One of his daughters, Brittany Fenton, is the 2023 Teacher of the Year at Granite Elementary.
“Tonight, we are honoring the winners of the Apex Awards, the highest awards given by the Canyons Board of Education and Administration,” said Superintendent Dr. Rick Robins in a video message at the event. “All of the winners have contributed so much. But we simply could not be one of the highest-performing school districts in the state without the joint efforts of every student, parent, employee, volunteer, or community partner.”
Earlier this year, Dr. Robins noted, Canyons District was recognized by Forbes Magazine as one of Utah’s Best In-State Employers for 2023. Public School Review also has ranked Canyons as the No. 1 District in the state. “We appreciate these votes of confidence, but these awards are because of our employees,” Dr. Robins said.
“Simply put, Canyons District employees are the very best. They work hard every day on behalf of our students, whether they arrive at the school house doors not speaking English, don’t have a place to call home, or need a listening ear to ease their anxieties,” Robins said. “We meet students where they are, and day by day, we help them see the potential they have deep inside. Year after year, they learn and grow, until they walk proudly across the graduation stage, ready to take on the world.”
The Apex Award for Teacher of the Year was given to Midvale Middle math teacher Maxwell Eddington, who was announced in April as CSD’s top teacher and Canyons’ candidate in the state best-teacher selection process. Earlier this month, Eddington received word he was a finalist for the statewide award — the third Canyons teachers to make it that far in the state’s selection process.
Canyons also honored the four CSD-area legislators who voted in favor of public education on HB215, which effectively created the state’s first voucher program. The Apex Award for Elected Officials of the Year was given to Utah Sen. Kathleen Riebe and Reps. Gay Lynn Bennion, Steve Eliason, and Andrew Stoddard for their continued support of public education, even beyond the vote on HB2015.
The Apex Award for District Administrator of the Year was presented to Charisse Hilton, External Relations Program Administrator. Hilton was honored for the success of CSD’s Peer Court, which is only the second to be started by a Utah school district. Peer Court has been proven to work in addressing the upswing in emerging and challenging behaviors within CSD schools. Since its inception, Canyons’ Peer Court has attracted state, regional and national attention for its effective approach, seeing more than 100 cases last year with this year’s judges on track to hear even more.
Dr. Bruce Eschler, Jordan High’s Principal, and Stacy Kurtzhals, Eastmont Middle’s Principal, were lauded for their work to strengthen the Jordan High feeder. They both received an Apex Award for School Administrator of the Year.
Eschler is always looking for new ways to build Beetdigger pride, whether it’s marshalling resources for the school’s award-winning choir, or launching the District’s first Navy Defense Cadet Corps.
In December, Kurtzhals had to pivot her entire student body to online learning after crews replacing tile in the building kicked up particles of asbestos. In a matter of days, the entire school switched gears to remote learning while crews worked to make it safe for students, faculty, and staff to return to the building. She also led the charge to prepare a once-shuttered middle school when it was apparent the students and teachers would not be able to return to the school for several months.
Nutrition is always an important part of getting an education, but it became a problem at the forefront of the pandemic when Utah’s schools were told to send their students home. Within two days, Canyons’ Nutrition Service Department, the 2023 Apex Award winners for Education Support Professionals of the Year, devised and carried out a plan to serve breakfast and lunch of thousands of students across the District. While the state locked down and most people were at home – CSD’s cafeteria works donned their masks and delivered sack meals into the hands of families at grab-and-go sites throughout the District. From dealing with the pandemic amidst a worker shortage, to showing up every day with a smile for their students, the Nutrition Services Department continues to have a profound impact on students.
Gretchen Zaitzeff, the Library Media Specialist for CSD, was announced as the winner as the Apex Award for Student Support Services Professional of the Year. Zaitzeff came aboard in CSD as the political tempest over school library books began to swirl. She’s been a calm and steady influence in creating policy regarding this issue.
For the past 15 years, Rebecca Martin, the Apex Award winner for Volunteer of the Year, has invested countless hours in Canyons schools and the students who attend them. Her fellow volunteers say she can be depended on no matter the task. Martin steps in to help with student performances, cleaning up after events, wielding power tools, then marching up to Utah’s Capitol Hill for PTA Day. She has served for two years with the PTA at the elementary level, two years at the middle school level, and is now in her third year as PTSA president at Hillcrest High. She continues to work to strengthen public education not just for her own children who attend school in the Canyons District, but for future generations to come.
They say the way to the heart is through food. It’s no surprise, then, that Tacos El Cuñado has earned the affection of thousands throughout the Salt Lake Valley and for the last 10 years has been putting smiles on the faces of Canyons students with their free tacos. It all began at Midvalley Elementary’s annual World Night and now, a decade later, their impact on the District continues to grow. The Tacos El Cuñado family, the winners of the Apex Award for Community Partner of the Year, all emphasis the importance of a good education and what better way to help our Canyons students grow than with one delicious taco at a time. The ceremony also featured performers from all CSD high schools. Student performers included the cast of Jordan High’s “Brigadoon,” Hillcrest’s Vocal Ensemble and A cappela Group, Alta’s Ballroom Dance Team, a quartet from Alta High, Brighton’s Marching Band, and the Corner Canyon cheer squad.
