It’s the supreme art of the teacher, once said theoretical physicist Albert Einstein, “to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.”

In the tradition of Einstein, known as one of the most influential scientists of all time, every school day, the committed and skilled educators in Canyons District put their skills to work in an effort to guide and inspire the inventors, innovators, and artists of tomorrow.

This dedication is lauded every spring when every CSD school and program celebrates teachers for accelerating their students’ dreams to the speed of light. The annual Canyons District’s Teacher of the Year program singles out one teacher per school and program to receive acclaim and applause. From all those top teachers, CSD then selects one outstanding educator as the overall Teacher of the Year and CSD’s representative in the state top teacher selection process.

Staying true to the District’s founding tenet of community engagement, Canyons asks parents, students, patrons, and employees to submit nominations for CSD’s 2024 Teacher of the Year — an honor that will be announced in April at a red-carpet reception and ceremony to which the entire community is invited.

Nominations will be accepted via the online nomination tool until 5 p.m. on Feb. 2.

Here’s how you can help CSD select the 2024 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 will then 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 25-29 Teacher of the Year surprise announcement at the schools and programs.
• Attend or watch the livestream of the Tuesday, April 23 ceremony to hear which CSD teacher was selected for her or his commitment to student achievement, innovation, and leadership.  The ceremony, which will begin at 7 p.m., will be preceded by a 6:15 p.m. reception.

An evaluation process helps narrow 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 of the three finalists is then selected to represent Canyons in the state Teacher of the Year contest. The winning educator also will receive the 2024 Apex Award for Teacher of the Year, the highest award given to teachers by the Canyons Board of Education and Administration.

Every school-based Teacher of the Year will receive gifts, prizes, and a $250 gift card from the Canyons Education Foundation, the fund-raising arm of the District.

The Canyons District Teacher of the Year program is generously supported by local businesses and the CSD 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.

Last year’s Canyons Teacher of the Year, Max Eddington, was a finalist for the state designation.  Eddington teaches eighth-grade math at Midvale Middle.  Find out more about Eddington on CSDtv.

CSD’s top teacher in 2022 was Draper Elementary’s Katie Tinoco. In 2021, CSD honored 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.