Dear Canyon Crest Community,

Welcome back to school!  The start of the school year is one of my most favorite times of the year.  There is such an exciting, anticipatory, and fun energy felt all throughout the halls as teachers get their classrooms ready, custodians wax the flooring, and families visit the main office.

Our theme as we go into the 2023-2024 school year comes from Super Mario Bros.  Not only did many of our students enjoy the hit movie from this year, but Super Mario Bros. has some great messages to share for our students, faculty/staff, and community about the importance of resilience.

Have you ever played Mario Kart?  The Rainbow Road level was always the most difficult for me.  I constantly fell off the edge of the road, making it difficult to stay caught up with my friends.  Thankfully, the game would give me another try, and another one, and another one.  (Eventually, the game has to end because, well, it wouldn’t be healthy for us to stare at a screen all day.)  The point is this: just like the game of life, sometimes we experience failures and setbacks that make learning challenging, and if we embrace our mistakes and shortcomings, we can try again, and again, and again until we get it right.

Our wonderful Canyon Crest educators know how important it is to support our students in developing a growth-mindset where taking risks and experiencing failure is not only tolerated or accepted, but encouraged and celebrated.  A few days ago, one of our teachers shared the following message with me: “We grow through what we go through.”

It is my hope that we can help our Canyon Crest Cubs to develop a risk-taking, mistake-embracing, growth-minded attitude that will serve them throughout their K12 career and life.

Welcome to the start of a brand new school year!  I hope you will join us for our Back To School Event on Tuesday, August 15 from 4:30pm – 6:00pm.

All my best,

Dr. Sean Edwards