It has been said that teachers change the world, one child at a time. Even in an era of tumult, teachers serve as stabilizing forces in the lives of students. Indeed, throughout the recent storms of uncertainty and upheaval, educators have been the familiar faces in the classroom, the guiding voices in online classroom discussions, and the inspiring influences behind a student’s drive to do hard things. 

Following a proud tradition that hearkens to CSD’s guiding tenet of engaging the community, the Canyons Board of Education and Administration invite parents, students, patrons, and employees to submit nominations for CSD’s 2022 Teacher of the Year. Nominations will be accepted via the online nomination tool until 5 p.m. on Feb. 4. 

Here’s how you can help CSD select its 2022 Teacher of the Year:

• Access the nomination form 
• Complete the form on why you think your nominee should be recognized.  The online nomination form will be sent to the principal where the nominated teacher works. The forms also will be reviewed by the School Community Council chair, the PTA/PTSA President, and an Education Support Professional representative.  This group will select the school’s winner.
• Watch for social media posts featuring the March 28-April 1 Teacher of the Year surprise announcement at your child’s school.
• Attend or watch the live-stream of the Tuesday, April 19 ceremony to hear which CSD teacher was selected for her or his commitment to student achievement, innovation, and leadership.  The time and location of the announcement ceremony will be made public in the coming weeks.

For the second year in a row, Canyons will laud an educator who teaches an all-online class through Canyons Online, the District’s new remote-learning program. 

An evaluation process helps winnow the list to a group of semifinalists. From that field, three finalists are selected — one from the elementary level, another from the middle schools, and one from the high school ranks of educators.    

One the three finalists is then selected to represent Canyons in the state top-teacher competition. That educator also will receive the 2022 Apex Award for Teacher of the Year, the highest honor given to teachers by the Canyons Board of Education and Administration.

Every school-based Teacher of the Year will receive a basket of donated gifts and a banner to hang at their school.

The Canyons District Teacher of the Year program is generously supported by local businesses and the Canyons Education Foundation, which also provides $500 cash prizes for each finalist. The overall Teacher of the Year receives an additional $500 from the Foundation and its partners.

CSD’s top teacher in 2021 was Alta High’s Traci Raymond. Eastmont Middle’s Emma Moss won the award in 2020. 

Midvale Elementary teacher Jessica Beus was Canyons’ Teacher of the Year in 2019. In 2018, Corner Canyon High’s Amber Rogers, received the cash prize from the Canyons Education Foundation. Previous CSD Teacher of the Year winners include Union Middle’s Drew Fosse, Peruvian Park Elementary’s Gretchen Murray, Alta High’s Matt Leininger, Brookwood Elementary’s Monica Rotermund, Sprucewood Elementary’s Michele Law, Eastmont Middle’s Amy Bateman, Quail Hollow’ Elementary’s Naomi Damron, and Brighton High’s Barb Scrafford.