MARCH NEWSLETTER

Canyon Families,

It is hard to believe it is already March and Spring Break is just 4 weeks away! Even though February was a short month, there was a lot going on and several of our students accomplished great things! For a summary of some of the events from February as well as a preview of some upcoming events in March, please see below.

Brent McKee
Principal

During the first week of February, students in Mrs. Elliott's AVID classes had the opportunity to do mock interviews. Members from our community came in and interviewed students for a job of the students choosing. It was great practice to prepare them for the real thing. Thank you to the adult volunteers who came in to help support our students.

Please click on the attachement below to view the March IB Newsletter and learn about all of the great things happening in the IB Classes.

The Canyon ASB along with all of our Clubs held the Spring Club Carnival on February 17th and 18th. We had over 100 clubs promote themselves and recruit new members. If a student would like a list of clubs or how they can sign up, have them go to the Student Center.

On Thursday, February 26th, the ASB held its annual Class Competition Rally. Unlike a normal pep rally that features sports teams and performing arts groups, this one features the students from each of the four grades. Every activity was formed around students from the four grades competing in games for points. We held two assemblies to accommodate all of our 2170 students.

Our first ever Canyon Varsity E Sports Team is doing well and will be competing in CIF! So far, they have played against Varsity teams from the following High Schools- Irvine Vaqueros, Trabuco Hills, El Modena and Newport Harbor- and have won 3/5 games! They have a few weeks of games left before they find out if they make the playoffs! Games are every Thursday at 4:15pm in the student center if you want to come and cheer them on!

Canyon MUN has been busy attending conferences and racking up awards. At the conference hosted by Rosary Academy, several first-time Canyon MUN students made their debut and walked away with "Outstanding" and "Commendation" awards. Congrats to them! Even though they spent their Saturday in negotiation simulations, they reported having a fun time and are looking forward to the next one. We are always welcoming new participants. If you want to get involved, reach out to canyonmun1@gmail.com.

The Canyon High School Robotics team is having an AMAZING YEAR! They’ve dominated the field, bringing home a staggering 16 awards—more than tripling last year’s total of five.

The highlights of this record-breaking season include:

• Team A: Bound for both State and the World Championships! Their trophy case is overflowing with the Excellence Award, the Inspire Award, and a combined eight titles as Tournament and Robot Skills Champions.

• Team B: Heading to the State Competition after showcasing top-tier creativity and technical skill, earning two Innovate Awards along the way.

• Team C: Rounding out our State-bound trio, Team C proved their precision by securing a Robot Skills Champion title and the esteemed Judges Award.

Congratulations to all our student engineers and their coaches for their hard work and success!

It plays in the MPR March 18-21 at 7:00 PM each night. Doors will open at 6:30 PM. Tickets are on sale at the door. First come first serve. Tickets are $15 and $10 w/ASB

Choir is performing their Festival Concert on Tuesday March 3rd in the MPR at 7:00 pm. Please come and support the students as they perform their competition music for the first time before our upcoming festival competitions in March. Tickets are $5 for students/children and $15 for adults and can be purchased ahead of time using link: https://search.seatyourself.biz/webstore/accounts/canyonchoir/buy-tix

On Saturday, February 7th, the Canyon Color Guard held a clinic for kids in 5th through 8th grade. Members of the Canyon Color Guard were the instructors. This clinic was held as part of the Orange Unified Public Schools Foundation efforts to provide activities for students in younger grades. For their work, the Color Guard received a $2,000 donation from OUPSF to help support their upcoming trip to Dayton, Ohio for a National Tournament.

Canyon Color Guard had their first competition in San Diego and came home with a third place trophy! They are currently ranked 5th in their division out of all color guards competing in the World Championships this spring in Ohio!

Our talented musicians have been very busy this spring.

• The Canyon Drumline placed 3rd in their first percussion competition of the year!

• Canyon's Symphony Orchestra will be performing at Segerstrom on March 2 and in the Newport Festival on March 10. The annual CIPA Instrumental Spring Concert will be at Canyon on March 25 and 26 (the same show will be performed both nights). Favorite classics like Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and Barber's Adagio will be played, be sure to come watch, tickets will be sold at the door and online! Hopefully everyone can attend one of our amazing concerts on the 25th or 26th. For more information on the upcoming concert and ticket information, please open the attachment below. BOTH NIGHTS WILL PROBABLY SELL OUT SO ORDER YOUR TICKETS NOW!

Recently, the Los Angeles Music Center announced the 71 semifinalists of our longstanding student performing arts competition known as The Music Center’s Spotlight. One of our semifinalists is from Canyon High School! CONGRATULATIONS to Connor Shim, who competed and was recognized for his excellence in the Classical Instrumental category. ​Connor’s accomplishment is outstanding, especially when 1,300 students competed. Connor has played the Oboe for 9 years and has been part of the Canyon High School Marching Band and Orchestra for three years. The 14 Grand Prize finalists will be announced on March 11. Good luck to Connor!

On Wednesday, February 4th during lunch, Canyon held its Spring Signing Day. Continuing its strong tradition of having athletes go on to compete at the College level, TEN student athletes signed letters of intent that day. CONGRATULATIONS to all of these athletes and good luck at your future schools!

Bella Alcala - Softball - Sacred Heart University

Hannah Goodman - Golf - University of Wisconsin Green Bay

Blake Hartfelder - Soccer - Pomona College

Caroline Hicks - Soccer - Cal State University, Fullerton

Ryan Lathiya - Track and Field - New York University

Alex Lundsberg - Lacrosse - Newberry College

Alyssa Olguin - Softball - Azusa Pacific University

Cali Penilla - Lacrosse - Davenport University

Ryley Piche - Soccer - Colorado Mesa University

Roxana Williamson - Lacrosse - Beloit College

Our Boys Varsity Basketball Team under the direction of Head Coach Nate Harrison made it to the quarterfinals of CIF before losing a tough one in 2 OT to Bishop Amat 74-70. They defeated Silverado 63-55 in the first round. In the second round they traveled to Oxnard and had an exciting come from behind victory in OT 70-67. Congratulations to our Boys Basketball Team on a successful CIF run and a great season!

Congratulations to Coach Sara Brown and the Girls Varsity Basketball Team. They were able to win their first 3 CIF games before losing to La Canada on February 21st in the Semi Finals. The girls are not done for the year as they have qualified for the State Tournament.

Congratulations to Coach Billy Higuera and the Boys Varsity Soccer Team. They have had an amazing season and were seeded number 1 in Division 1 for CIF. They had a great run winning 3 games before losing to Santa Monica in the Semi Finals. It was only their second loss of the season. They are not done as they have qualified for the State Tournament.

Congratulations Tessa Fortenbaugh (Pictured to the right) who placed 3rd at Masters and will advance to the State Tournament for the 3rd year in a row! Tessa also placed 1st in the League Championships and 2nd at CIF Finals.

Canyon also had four other wrestlers who qualified for the Masters Tournament. Senior Landon Alonzo and Junior Daniel Tran represented the Boys team while Senior Alyvia Jeha and

Senior Kylani Sexton qualified for the girls team. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL WRESTLERS!

For all the athletic schedules, please visit the Canyon Athletic Website

Congratulations to Mrs. Nicole Elliott on being selected as Canyon High School's Teacher of the Month for February. Mrs. Elliott has taught at Canyon High School since 2007. She teaches Chemistry and is currently our AVID coordinator teaching 3 AVID Classes. Under her direction, our AVID program has grown tremendously in just a few short years. CONGRATULATIONS MRS. ELLIOTT!

Congratulations to Ms. Andrea Richards on being selected as Canyon High School's Classified Employee of the Month. Ms. Richards has worked at Canyon since 2023. Among her many duties she supports our Athletic Program, manages the detention list and takes on the difficult job of putting the program for our Graduation Ceremony together. CONGRATULATIONS MS. RICHARDS!

Congratulations to Ms. Kathy Rose on being selected as Canyon High School's Teacher of the Year. Ms. Rose has taught at Canyon High School since 2000. She is one of our amazing Art Teachers and teaches everything from Art 1 to AP Art. This honor is well deserved after many years of teaching Canyon students. CONGRATULATIONS MS. ROSE!

This Saturday, March 7th, the Canyon High School Foundation will be having it's annual Hall of Fame Gala at the Alta Vista Country Club. During the event, six alumni will be inducted into the Canyon High School Hall of Fame. CONGRATULATIONS TO:

Robert "Big Sandy" Williams - Class of 1982

Allison Franke - Class of 1989

Mike Munoz - Class of 1995

Brett Schultz - Class of 1988

Ken Deshano - Class of 1979

Jon Pastorek - Class of 2006

They are each special individuals, but as a collective group, they are AMAZING! They are exemplary role models for the Canyon students of present and future and we are looking forward to a special night celebrating them.

For more information on each of these individuals, to purchase tickets and get information on the online silent auction, please click on the following link.

It's PTSA's favorite time of year! It's time to open nominations for our annual Honorary Service Awards. Canyon is so lucky to have so many dedicated volunteers, exceptional educators and supportive organizations who go above and beyond to make Canyon High School's the best it can be! PTSA Honorary Service Awards are a chance to recognize those individuals who have made a difference! We encourage you to use our QR Code and take a moment to nominate an individual(s) who we should consider to receive an award. There are six award categories - Very Special Person, Honorary Service Award, Continuing Service Award, Outstanding Teacher Award, Outstanding Administrator Award and the Golden Oak Service Award. Honorary Service Awards are presented by PTA units, counsels and districts throughout the country. The deadline to submit nominations is Friday April 3rd. Award recipients will be announced at our May PTSA Meeting.

NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY TUTORING

The National Honor Society has tutoring in Room 101from 3:30 to 4:30 Tuesday through Thursday.

Every morning at 7:30 AM, we offer Math Tutoring in Room 139. Mr. Joe Svoboda is available to help any student who is having trouble with Math. No appointment is necessary. This is a great opportunity for those who can't get help outside of school to come before school and get help with Math. Due to Faculty meetings, there is no tutoring on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month.

The American Chemical Society Club offers tutoring sessions across all levels including Regular, Honors, and AP Chemistry.

Tutoring sessions are held every Tuesday and Wednesday from 2:00–4:00 PM. On even days, tutoring will take place in Ms. Nguyen’s room (129), and on odd days, it will be held in Mr. Brierly’s room (134).

We are excited to invite families to our upcoming Career Technical Education (CTE) Parent & Student Information Night on March 4, 2026 from 5:00-6:00 PM at the OUSD Boardrooms (Building H), with both in-person and virtual options available Flyer - CTE Info Night.

This session is designed for all OUSD families and will highlight how CTE connects classroom learning to real-world careers through hands-on project, work-based learning experiences, industry certifications, college credit opportunities and more.

Wednesday, March 4 @ 7:00 PM - Choir Concert in the MPR

Thursday, March 5 @ 9:00 AM - PTSA Meeting in the Library

Saturday, March 7 @ 6:00 PM - Canyon Foundation Hall of Fame Gala

Monday, March 9 @ 7:00 PM - Foundation Meeting in Room 114

Tuesday, March 17 - College and Career Fair

Tuesday, March 17 - Friday, March 20 @ 7:00 PM - Spring Musical "9 to 5" in the MPR

Wednesday, March 25 @ 7:00 PM - Canyon Instrumental Concert in the MPR

Thursday, March 26 @ 7:00 PM - Canyon Instrumental Concert in the MPR

Friday, March 27 - Minimum Day Schedule and end of 3rd Quarter

Monday, March 30 - Friday, April 3 - Spring Break

For up to date information during the month, you can check out the Canyon HS Website or click on the Daily Bulletin which has up to date announcements on what is happening at CHS.