Canyons students are back in the classroom, and those first few weeks of school can be a little jarring. Whether it's remembering to set that alarm clock or getting acquainted with a new class schedule, it can take a while to get back into the learning groove.

So, we’re devoting the first Connect Canyons episode for the 2025-2026 school year to helping students and parents alike find that rhythm again. Joining us for this episode are Canyons Instructional Coach Susan Young and Canyons AVID Specialist Jay Rudel who share their insights into things parents can do at home as well as tips for students to stay organized.

“For me, I love the start of school,” says Rudel. “Everything is new, and everyone gets a fresh start. And if you attack Day One like Day 180 and say, ‘this is what we’re going to do each day,’ you’ll have some success with that. It takes time. It’s hard work. It’s not easy. But we have to teach ourselves to do hard things and it’s OK to do hard things and fail sometimes. You get up on the horse again and try a different strategy.”

This year, more than 2,750 seniors will don their caps and gowns and step up to receive their hard-earned diplomas. They head out into an ever-changing world at a time of economic uncertainty and rapid technological advances.

But they carry with them a confidence earned from having already faced and surmounted challenges — while notching a few wins along the way. The personal achievements of Canyons District’s Class of 2025 are exponential, from Sterling Scholar awards to National Merit Scholarship honors, not to mention 10 team state championships. This year’s seniors have been rewarded roughly $50 million in scholarships and will be attending more than 50 schools, from Harvard, Julliard, Boston University, and West Point to Stanford, Berkley, the University of Utah, and the Air Force Academy — just to name a few. Canyons has graduates joining every branch of the military, including some from Jordan High’s inaugural Naval Cadet Program who are now advancing to the Naval Academy.

In the last Connect Canyons episode for the year, we sat down with a few graduates who told us how they’re feeling about graduation. They’re full of that nervous excitement, ready to take on their next challenge. They shared some of their favorite memories from school and talk about the people who supported them along the way. They share their hopes and dreams after high school and the advice they would give themselves as incoming freshmen.

Congratulations to the Class of 2025, may all your dreams come true! You can see a list of available live streams for Canyons graduations here.

For 15 years, students of all ages across Canyons School District have competed in the annual CSDtv Film Festival. Each festival entry is directed, acted, and produced by a student or teacher, from documentaries and shorts to podcasts and stop-motion creations. One winner comes out on top in each age bracket and category.

This year was the first year students at Entrada High School chose to compete in the film festival, which drew 242 entries from 610 contestants. Not only did they excel, they won the category of High School Documentary.

“I didn’t think we were going to win. It’s so cool that we won, especially with the whole process we went through,” says Michelle Nolaca, one of the student directors of, “Students of Entrada – Voices of Tomorrow.”

Production for the film began long before students even picked up a camera and shouted, “action!” At the beginning of the school year, Entrada teacher Baylee Riley applied for an Innovation Grant through the Canyons Education Foundation.