December 4, 2024 • 12 mins
Here at Canyons School District, our community is rooted in the idea of helping each other. This year alone, more than 8,500 volunteers have lent a hand in classrooms and schools across the District.
In light of International Volunteer Day, the Connect Canyons crew sat down with two of the most generous volunteers in the District: Two Apex Award winners for Volunteer of the Year, Alta View Elementary’s Jessica Davies and Rebecca Martin, a frequent volunteer at Hillcrest High School.
“I just love the fact that I have been surrounded by such amazing people every time I've been in this school” says Davies. “Whether they're the adults at the school or the children or the other volunteers.”
Davies and Martin have donated a combined three decades in volunteer service for Canyons District. They share how they got started volunteering and the rewards they get from working with students and teachers alike. They also share advice for any parents or community members who may be interested in finding ways to support their neighborhood schools.
“It starts out when your children are little and you want to be in their classroom and help them with their math facts or whatever it is,” says Martin. “But as they get older, you realize it's not just your child. There's a whole classroom of children and a whole school of children and a district of children that need someone to advocate for them.”
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Connect Canyons, a podcast sponsored by
Canyon School District.
This is a show about what weteach, how we teach and why we
get up close and personal withsome of the people who make our
schools great Students, teachers, principals, parents and more.
We meet national experts, too.
Learning is about makingconnections, so connect with us
(00:24):
experts, too.
Learning is about makingconnections, so connect with us
here at Canyon School District.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Our community is rooted in the idea of helping
each other.
This year alone, more than8,500 people have volunteered
across the district and we knowCanyons runs because of their
hard work.
Welcome to Connect Canyons.
I'm your host, Frances Cook.
Today is InternationalVolunteer Day, so to celebrate,
we're sitting down with two ofthe most generous volunteers in
(00:52):
the district this year's ApexAward-winning Volunteer of the
Year, Jessica Davies, whovolunteers her time at Altaview
Elementary, and last year's ApexVolunteer of the Year, Rebecca
Martin, who volunteers atHillcrest High School.
Thank you both for being here.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Happy to be here.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Now you both have children of your own.
You're busy women in your ownright, jessica.
You're expecting another child,so congratulations on that,
thank you.
I would love to know whatprompted you to start
volunteering and how long haveyou been with the district,
jessica, would you like?
Speaker 4 (01:26):
to start us off, yeah , I started volunteering when my
kids were first in kindergartenand then I've just been
volunteering since then.
My oldest is 15 now, so I'vebeen helping around the district
for about 10 years and I loveit.
And, rebecca, you've been herea few more years than that I
have.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
I started volunteering about 17 years ago
when we moved into the district.
My oldest was in second gradeand started as a classroom
volunteer and then progressed toschool volunteer, pta president
, school community councilmember.
So they've aged through thedistrict and now my youngest is
a senior at Hillcrest HighSchool.
So I'm wrapping up my career asa volunteer in the schools.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Senior at Hillcrest High School, so I'm wrapping up
my career as a volunteer in theschools.
Well, we're sad to hear that,but what a career it's been.
You have both been championsfor students and for education,
from PTA Day on Capitol Hill.
You've both run your school'scommunity council.
What is it that you'repassionate about with public
education and what keeps youcoming back every day and
volunteering?
Speaker 4 (02:23):
I started volunteering mostly just as a
curiosity.
I wanted to see what was goingon in my children's classroom.
I wanted to get to know thepeople at the school a little
bit better, and then I've justbeen so impressed with everybody
at the school.
I love working with everyonethat's there.
I mean, I feel like the peoplewho are involved in education
are the best of the best.
They tend to be the people whoseem to care the most, and so
(02:46):
I'm surrounded by people everyday that are absolutely amazing.
I saw a quote by Lily and Katzthat talked about how the good
life for our children can onlybe achieved if the good life is
achieved for everybody else'schildren, and I realized that I
have more time to give, and notevery parent has an opportunity
to give time, and so I felt likeif the parents that do have
(03:06):
opportunities to give their timevolunteer in the school, then
all of our children will bebetter off, and so that's really
what's driven me to volunteer.
I have the ability, I have thetime, and it's so neat to see
not just my children growing andlearning, but seeing everybody
else's children as well.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
That's beautiful.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Like Jessica, I believe in advocating for all
children, not just mine.
It starts out when yourchildren are little and you want
to be in their classroom andhelp them with their math facts
or whatever it is.
But as they get older yourealize it's not just your child
.
There's a whole classroom ofchildren and a whole school of
children and a district ofchildren that need someone to
advocate for them.
Not every parent is able to orunderstands advocacy.
(03:44):
That's become one of myfavorite words now.
Is that not just making theexperience in schools positive
for my child, but making surethat we are advocating for the
needs of every child, forequitable outcomes, that
students are getting theresources that they need in the
classroom, whether that'stalking to teachers and making
sure students have access tomaterials or resources,
(04:06):
chromebooks or technology.
Talking to administrators, tothe school district, to make
sure that your school, that yourfaculty, has the resources that
they need.
And then talking to the statelegislators.
You mentioned Capitol Hill.
That's one of my favoriteplaces to go to talk to state
legislators about how importantour public education system is
(04:27):
and that they need to trust ourteachers and trust our
administrators, that the bootson the ground, those people know
what is best for the studentsand how we can make sure that
every student is getting whatthey need so they can be
successful.
We want an educated population.
Everyone deserves an education,and the best way I found is
(04:48):
putting myself in the schools.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
I think that's really beautiful, Just that idea of
maybe you get into it for beingaround your kid when they're
young and helping with theclassroom parties or what have
you, but then just our entirecommunity being able to grow
together.
I'd love to hear some of yourbiggest takeaways from
volunteering, be it for youpersonally or things you've seen
(05:12):
in the classroom that just makeyou go.
Oh yeah, this is why we're here.
This is why we do that.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Some of my best friends have come from
volunteering in schools withother like-minded parents.
I've gotten to know otherparents and grandparents that,
as we're working together withthis end goal in mind, with this
opportunity to whether it's aclass party or a team you're
volunteering, you know, as ateam parent, trying to help
these students have a goodexperience.
(05:36):
So I've benefited by making goodfriends and making connections
with the students.
I love getting to know thestudents and now that my son is
a senior, I've seen many ofthese kids since they were in
kindergarten, first gradetogether and they still see me
in the halls and wave and say hiand making those connections
with people as other adults andthe other students and making
(05:59):
all of the students feel welcome, that there's a friendly face
when they come to school, thatthere's another caring adult.
These children need as manycaring adults in their life as
possible and it's benefited meas I feel their energy and their
excitement and their enthusiasm.
You can't walk into a schooland not feel that energy that's
in those buildings, absolutelyso I feel like I've taken away
(06:22):
my own personal benefits ofenthusiasm, energy, excitement
and connecting with other adultsand with other students energy,
excitement and connecting withother adults and with other
students.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
I just love the fact that I have been surrounded by
such amazing people every timeI've been in this school,
whether they're the adults atthe school or the children or
the other volunteers.
We have a lot of volunteers whocome who don't have any
connection to the school andthey've just been drawn in
because of the kids that are atthe school.
And we have a few ladies thatare retired that come every
single day and one of themdrives half an hour a day to
come to our school and spendtime with our children.
(06:59):
And when you see that type ofdedication and you see these
children every day and you seethem lighting up and learning
things and getting to know themall on an individual level, it's
just so rewarding and I feellike for me it hasn't just been
me spending my time helpingother people, but for me I've
been more enriched than I thinkI've been able to give back, so
(07:20):
it's really been rewarding forme to be at the school.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
You mentioned people who may not have a connection to
the school.
Their kids may not go there,maybe they just live in the
neighborhood.
You two have donated hundredsof hours to schools, but not
every parent has to do that.
Right, when we hear a volunteer, that doesn't necessarily mean
it has to be, you know, 365,24-7.
(07:46):
What are some of the waysyou've volunteered that maybe
other parents or even communitymembers are thinking about
volunteering that they might beinterested in helping out with?
Speaker 3 (07:58):
I know that schools are always looking for donations
, so if you don't have the time,perhaps you have the money to
donate to classrooms, to schools, to fundraisers, to clubs or
teams.
There's not enough money ineducation, as much as we would
like to think that we've got allthe money in the world.
We can always use more money,Everything from, for example,
(08:20):
parent-teacher conferences, thePTA in our school maybe other
schools do it differently butour PTA provides a meal for the
teachers to eat between theirteaching all day long at school,
and then they have to stay till7 pm and meet with parents.
We provide a meal for them andwe like to make it accessible
for all parents.
You can either make a monetarydonation or you can drop off
(08:44):
some tortilla chips or sourcream or a crock pot of soup.
So whatever level of time ormoney or resources that you can
give, there's always a need.
We can make a match somewhere.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
The thing that's great about volunteering in the
schools is there are so manydifferent opportunities and it
doesn't always have to bespending your time to come into
the school.
There are things that you cando outside of the school,
whether that's talking to yourstudent's teacher to see if
there are projects you can do,cutting up papers, getting
things ready for the teacherswithin the classroom.
You can use your talents,things that you're interested in
(09:25):
.
You can help with social media.
You can take pictures atdifferent activities.
So if you're interested at all,I would say, reach out to your
PTA or reach out to your teacherand see what the needs are at
the school.
Also, if you have smallchildren, that doesn't
necessarily mean that you can'tbring them into the school and
volunteer as well.
We have a lot of parents thatwill bring their children with
them and help volunteer, andthere are so many different ways
(09:48):
and different capacities andthings that you might not even
think of, or you may have ideasthat the school hasn't thought
of, and if you mention yourtalents or things that you would
like to do, they may be able tofind a use for it.
So I would say the biggestthing is just reaching out and
seeing what the needs are andhelping at any capacity that you
can.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
That's really great teacher conferences, because
that is such a long day, or thatyou could bring your kids to
volunteer with you and you know,kind of even share why it's
important to give your time andthings.
That's really awesome.
You know it's the season ofgiving and the season of giving
thanks.
I'm curious do you guys have amessage for any other parents or
(10:35):
volunteers, or for yourstudents, for any other?
Speaker 3 (10:37):
parents or volunteers or for your students.
I am most grateful for myteachers of my students.
When I'm in the school and I'mworking there for a short space
of time and then I can leaveagain, I think these teachers
are putting in so much time,they care so much, they're
working far beyond the hoursthat they're getting paid for.
They're using their ownpersonal resources for prizes or
incentives and I'm just verygrateful that there are good
(11:00):
teachers out there willing towork with our children, willing
to be dedicated to help themachieve their potential.
So I'm most grateful forteachers, absolutely.
Speaker 4 (11:11):
And adding to that, I would say, all the other
wonderful people that work atthe school Behind the scenes,
that parents might not evenrealize are there, school behind
the scenes that parents mightnot even realize are there.
For each teacher that's there,there are probably two or three
other employees and it's amazingto see how much they care about
the students as well and howmuch they work to get to know
them on an individual basis andare there for them.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
I think that's a really great point For every
person that you see, there'sprobably 10 more behind the
scenes that you're not aware ofand, like you said earlier, you
can feel that palpable energywhen you walk into a school.
I'd like to just thank you bothfor all the hard work that
you've done over the years forstudents, for teachers, for our
(11:53):
schools, and we know that youvolunteer your time and you
don't have to be here and youdon't have to volunteer with us.
So thank you, it's a pleasure,glad to be here and thank you
for listening.
If there's a topic you'd liketo hear discussed, send us an
email to communications atcanyonsdistrictorg.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Thanks for listening to this episode of Connect
Canyons.
Connect with us on Twitter,facebook or Instagram at Canyons
District or on our website,canyonsdistrictorg.
Welcome to Connect Canyons, a podcast sponsored by
Canyon School District.
This is a show about what weteach, how we teach and why we
get up close and personal withsome of the people who make our
schools great Students, teachers, principals, parents and more.
We meet national experts, too.
Learning is about makingconnections, so connect with us
(00:24):
experts, too.
Learning is about makingconnections, so connect with us
here at Canyon School District.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Our community is rooted in the idea of helping
each other.
This year alone, more than8,500 people have volunteered
across the district and we knowCanyons runs because of their
hard work.
Welcome to Connect Canyons.
I'm your host, Frances Cook.
Today is InternationalVolunteer Day, so to celebrate,
we're sitting down with two ofthe most generous volunteers in
(00:52):
the district this year's ApexAward-winning Volunteer of the
Year, Jessica Davies, whovolunteers her time at Altaview
Elementary, and last year's ApexVolunteer of the Year, Rebecca
Martin, who volunteers atHillcrest High School.
Thank you both for being here.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Happy to be here.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Now you both have children of your own.
You're busy women in your ownright, jessica.
You're expecting another child,so congratulations on that,
thank you.
I would love to know whatprompted you to start
volunteering and how long haveyou been with the district,
jessica, would you like?
Speaker 4 (01:26):
to start us off, yeah , I started volunteering when my
kids were first in kindergartenand then I've just been
volunteering since then.
My oldest is 15 now, so I'vebeen helping around the district
for about 10 years and I loveit.
And, rebecca, you've been herea few more years than that I
have.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
I started volunteering about 17 years ago
when we moved into the district.
My oldest was in second gradeand started as a classroom
volunteer and then progressed toschool volunteer, pta president
, school community councilmember.
So they've aged through thedistrict and now my youngest is
a senior at Hillcrest HighSchool.
So I'm wrapping up my career asa volunteer in the schools.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Senior at Hillcrest High School, so I'm wrapping up
my career as a volunteer in theschools.
Well, we're sad to hear that,but what a career it's been.
You have both been championsfor students and for education,
from PTA Day on Capitol Hill.
You've both run your school'scommunity council.
What is it that you'repassionate about with public
education and what keeps youcoming back every day and
volunteering?
Speaker 4 (02:23):
I started volunteering mostly just as a
curiosity.
I wanted to see what was goingon in my children's classroom.
I wanted to get to know thepeople at the school a little
bit better, and then I've justbeen so impressed with everybody
at the school.
I love working with everyonethat's there.
I mean, I feel like the peoplewho are involved in education
are the best of the best.
They tend to be the people whoseem to care the most, and so
(02:46):
I'm surrounded by people everyday that are absolutely amazing.
I saw a quote by Lily and Katzthat talked about how the good
life for our children can onlybe achieved if the good life is
achieved for everybody else'schildren, and I realized that I
have more time to give, and notevery parent has an opportunity
to give time, and so I felt likeif the parents that do have
(03:06):
opportunities to give their timevolunteer in the school, then
all of our children will bebetter off, and so that's really
what's driven me to volunteer.
I have the ability, I have thetime, and it's so neat to see
not just my children growing andlearning, but seeing everybody
else's children as well.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
That's beautiful.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Like Jessica, I believe in advocating for all
children, not just mine.
It starts out when yourchildren are little and you want
to be in their classroom andhelp them with their math facts
or whatever it is.
But as they get older yourealize it's not just your child
.
There's a whole classroom ofchildren and a whole school of
children and a district ofchildren that need someone to
advocate for them.
Not every parent is able to orunderstands advocacy.
(03:44):
That's become one of myfavorite words now.
Is that not just making theexperience in schools positive
for my child, but making surethat we are advocating for the
needs of every child, forequitable outcomes, that
students are getting theresources that they need in the
classroom, whether that'stalking to teachers and making
sure students have access tomaterials or resources,
(04:06):
chromebooks or technology.
Talking to administrators, tothe school district, to make
sure that your school, that yourfaculty, has the resources that
they need.
And then talking to the statelegislators.
You mentioned Capitol Hill.
That's one of my favoriteplaces to go to talk to state
legislators about how importantour public education system is
(04:27):
and that they need to trust ourteachers and trust our
administrators, that the bootson the ground, those people know
what is best for the studentsand how we can make sure that
every student is getting whatthey need so they can be
successful.
We want an educated population.
Everyone deserves an education,and the best way I found is
(04:48):
putting myself in the schools.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
I think that's really beautiful, Just that idea of
maybe you get into it for beingaround your kid when they're
young and helping with theclassroom parties or what have
you, but then just our entirecommunity being able to grow
together.
I'd love to hear some of yourbiggest takeaways from
volunteering, be it for youpersonally or things you've seen
(05:12):
in the classroom that just makeyou go.
Oh yeah, this is why we're here.
This is why we do that.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Some of my best friends have come from
volunteering in schools withother like-minded parents.
I've gotten to know otherparents and grandparents that,
as we're working together withthis end goal in mind, with this
opportunity to whether it's aclass party or a team you're
volunteering, you know, as ateam parent, trying to help
these students have a goodexperience.
(05:36):
So I've benefited by making goodfriends and making connections
with the students.
I love getting to know thestudents and now that my son is
a senior, I've seen many ofthese kids since they were in
kindergarten, first gradetogether and they still see me
in the halls and wave and say hiand making those connections
with people as other adults andthe other students and making
(05:59):
all of the students feel welcome, that there's a friendly face
when they come to school, thatthere's another caring adult.
These children need as manycaring adults in their life as
possible and it's benefited meas I feel their energy and their
excitement and their enthusiasm.
You can't walk into a schooland not feel that energy that's
in those buildings, absolutelyso I feel like I've taken away
(06:22):
my own personal benefits ofenthusiasm, energy, excitement
and connecting with other adultsand with other students energy,
excitement and connecting withother adults and with other
students.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
I just love the fact that I have been surrounded by
such amazing people every timeI've been in this school,
whether they're the adults atthe school or the children or
the other volunteers.
We have a lot of volunteers whocome who don't have any
connection to the school andthey've just been drawn in
because of the kids that are atthe school.
And we have a few ladies thatare retired that come every
single day and one of themdrives half an hour a day to
come to our school and spendtime with our children.
(06:59):
And when you see that type ofdedication and you see these
children every day and you seethem lighting up and learning
things and getting to know themall on an individual level, it's
just so rewarding and I feellike for me it hasn't just been
me spending my time helpingother people, but for me I've
been more enriched than I thinkI've been able to give back, so
(07:20):
it's really been rewarding forme to be at the school.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
You mentioned people who may not have a connection to
the school.
Their kids may not go there,maybe they just live in the
neighborhood.
You two have donated hundredsof hours to schools, but not
every parent has to do that.
Right, when we hear a volunteer, that doesn't necessarily mean
it has to be, you know, 365,24-7.
(07:46):
What are some of the waysyou've volunteered that maybe
other parents or even communitymembers are thinking about
volunteering that they might beinterested in helping out with?
Speaker 3 (07:58):
I know that schools are always looking for donations
, so if you don't have the time,perhaps you have the money to
donate to classrooms, to schools, to fundraisers, to clubs or
teams.
There's not enough money ineducation, as much as we would
like to think that we've got allthe money in the world.
We can always use more money,Everything from, for example,
(08:20):
parent-teacher conferences, thePTA in our school maybe other
schools do it differently butour PTA provides a meal for the
teachers to eat between theirteaching all day long at school,
and then they have to stay till7 pm and meet with parents.
We provide a meal for them andwe like to make it accessible
for all parents.
You can either make a monetarydonation or you can drop off
(08:44):
some tortilla chips or sourcream or a crock pot of soup.
So whatever level of time ormoney or resources that you can
give, there's always a need.
We can make a match somewhere.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
The thing that's great about volunteering in the
schools is there are so manydifferent opportunities and it
doesn't always have to bespending your time to come into
the school.
There are things that you cando outside of the school,
whether that's talking to yourstudent's teacher to see if
there are projects you can do,cutting up papers, getting
things ready for the teacherswithin the classroom.
You can use your talents,things that you're interested in
(09:25):
.
You can help with social media.
You can take pictures atdifferent activities.
So if you're interested at all,I would say, reach out to your
PTA or reach out to your teacherand see what the needs are at
the school.
Also, if you have smallchildren, that doesn't
necessarily mean that you can'tbring them into the school and
volunteer as well.
We have a lot of parents thatwill bring their children with
them and help volunteer, andthere are so many different ways
(09:48):
and different capacities andthings that you might not even
think of, or you may have ideasthat the school hasn't thought
of, and if you mention yourtalents or things that you would
like to do, they may be able tofind a use for it.
So I would say the biggestthing is just reaching out and
seeing what the needs are andhelping at any capacity that you
can.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
That's really great teacher conferences, because
that is such a long day, or thatyou could bring your kids to
volunteer with you and you know,kind of even share why it's
important to give your time andthings.
That's really awesome.
You know it's the season ofgiving and the season of giving
thanks.
I'm curious do you guys have amessage for any other parents or
(10:35):
volunteers, or for yourstudents, for any other?
Speaker 3 (10:37):
parents or volunteers or for your students.
I am most grateful for myteachers of my students.
When I'm in the school and I'mworking there for a short space
of time and then I can leaveagain, I think these teachers
are putting in so much time,they care so much, they're
working far beyond the hoursthat they're getting paid for.
They're using their ownpersonal resources for prizes or
incentives and I'm just verygrateful that there are good
(11:00):
teachers out there willing towork with our children, willing
to be dedicated to help themachieve their potential.
So I'm most grateful forteachers, absolutely.
Speaker 4 (11:11):
And adding to that, I would say, all the other
wonderful people that work atthe school Behind the scenes,
that parents might not evenrealize are there, school behind
the scenes that parents mightnot even realize are there.
For each teacher that's there,there are probably two or three
other employees and it's amazingto see how much they care about
the students as well and howmuch they work to get to know
them on an individual basis andare there for them.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
I think that's a really great point For every
person that you see, there'sprobably 10 more behind the
scenes that you're not aware ofand, like you said earlier, you
can feel that palpable energywhen you walk into a school.
I'd like to just thank you bothfor all the hard work that
you've done over the years forstudents, for teachers, for our
(11:53):
schools, and we know that youvolunteer your time and you
don't have to be here and youdon't have to volunteer with us.
So thank you, it's a pleasure,glad to be here and thank you
for listening.
If there's a topic you'd liketo hear discussed, send us an
email to communications atcanyonsdistrictorg.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Thanks for listening to this episode of Connect
Canyons.
Connect with us on Twitter,facebook or Instagram at Canyons
District or on our website,canyonsdistrictorg.
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