Canyon Ridge students presented with awards at Veterans Day Celebration

Three students were recognized at Canyon Ridge’s Veterans Day Commemoration on November 8, 2024 for their outstanding work on various patriotic themed projects.  

President of the Arizona Society of Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) Rick Spargo presented awards to Canyon Ridge’s two national contest winners, eighth grader Payton Boyles and sixth grader Kiana Fernandez Del Valle.  Boyles won second place in the Sgt Moses Adams Memorial Middle School Brochure Contest, which is the highest honor ever received by an Arizona student in the national contest.  Fernandez Del Valle took home fourth place in the SAR Elementary School Poster Contest.

Seventh grader Kai Snider won the Sun City Elks Lodge Essay Contest with her essay, What Veterans Day Means to Me.  Barry Curseaden of The Armed Forces Support Group at The Grand presented Kai with a plaque in recognition of her accomplishment.

The Canyon Ridge School Veterans Day event featured performances by the Cougar Band and Cougar Choir, guest speakers from Veterans of Foreign Wars, an American Flag presentation by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and speeches by social studies teachers.  The celebration culminated in a veterans reception and breakfast hosted by Canyon Ridge, the PTA, and Dysart Unified District Food Services.