From the day Canyon Vista opened its doors in 1984, one teacher has been here to watch the thousands of students smile as they graduate from middle school over the years. Only one teacher has been present from the beginning of Canyon Vista’s existence, and unfortunately, this year her tenure ends. This semester, Judy Olson is spending her last few months teaching and enjoying her time with her students and her friends here in the Canyon.

As the year slowly comes to an end, Olson hopes that her tireless efforts and care spent with students has paid off. Olson really does teach her students to be the best people they can. To each of her classes, she expresses that, “I hope you come to enjoy my class and learn something from it. I may not be a perfect teacher, but I strive to teach everyone something new.”

Many of her past students take her words to heart. Over the course of her time teaching, Ms. Olson has taught three members of the staff of Canyon Vista: Coach Govea, Coach Azios, and Mrs. Gill. They each cherished their time as her student and strive to make a lasting impact on their students just as she did. “Middle school students are just beginning to find their voices as writers as well as their voices as individuals during these years,” Gill said. “Ms. Olson has been inspiring students to do just that since the doors of this school opened. A person might wonder what the impact of that would be, and although the number of students can certainly be tallied (and it’s in the thousands), the impact is immeasurable.”

Gill tells of how she has seen timid students turn into fearless writers with Olson’s guidance. “I had class with Ms. Olson as a 7th grader. I remember that she held our work to a higher standard, but she was also very forgiving. She cared about your character,” Gill said. “She is also a great example for younger teachers because her passion for what she thinks is right, has not faded. She even inspires teachers to stand in order to do what is right for students.” 

Another one of her students, Coach Govea, has thoughts of admiration as well. “When I was a student here at Canyon Vista, I had the privilege of having Ms. Olson as my Theater Arts teacher.  I remember her upbeat and positive attitude and her loud voice! I will remember Ms. Olson forever,” Govea said. “Having her as a teacher, a co-worker, a birthday buddy, and a friend has been a wonderful part of my life that I will always cherish.  She has helped to make Canyon Vista the amazing school that it is and has encouraged so many students to try their best, including me.”

Lastly, Coach Azios expressed his sincerity to Ms. Olson in a letter. He wrote, “Judy Olson made a positive impact on my life like she has done for hundreds of other students who were lucky enough to have been taught by her. You see, back in 1982 and 1983, Ms. Olson taught at Porter Jr. High and I happened to be in one of her speech classes. I remember her as one of the teachers I couldn’t wait to see every day.  She had a way of making class challenging and enjoyable at the same time. Years went on and I came to Canyon Vista in 1994 for my first teaching job, and wouldn’t you know it, a teacher named Judy Olson came up and introduced herself to me.  I’ve been working with her ever since. She has been an awesome part of what makes Canyon Vista so great. Her dedication to her students and her passion for teaching is what’s so inspiring and something that we all should admire. Thank you, Judy Olson, for being one of my favorite teachers, both past and present.”

After teaching at a total of three schools, Decorah High School in Iowa, Porter Junior High in Austin, and our own Canyon Vista for over four decades, Olson stated how she thinks that she is ready to retire and spend some time relaxing and volunteering at her church. “I’ll get more time to read, and maybe I’ll even pick up a few hobbies like playing video games!” Olson is currently the sponsor of Canyon Vista’s Scrabble Club, a club anyone can join where students play Scrabble together, munch on popcorn, and have lots of fun. From her words and activity around the school, it is evident that still today, Olson is not afraid of helping others and trying new things.

Of her 31 years teaching at Canyon Vista, Olson described her most exciting moment — when she was asked to investigate the school for a bomb.  She was teaching her 7th period class when “the principal suddenly came on the announcements and called for everyone to immediately leave the building.” Olson then explained that once everyone had safely filed outside the building, half the teachers realized that they had not brought their car keys, and were not able to get home. While this happened, all the students had to wait outside and the scene was chaos.

Then, the principal came and found her waiting outside with her class. He explained that they had received an anonymous call reporting a bomb in the school and asked her to investigate empty Christmas packages that were just sitting in the dressing room. “To this day, I’m still curious as to why they didn’t call in the choir director, but me instead.” She laughs. “However, in the end, it was really something to see. When the principal assigned me to go back into the building, I was flanked by two firemen heavily dressed with all this protective gear and equipment, and believe me, they were intimidating. Then there was me, wearing nothing but a simple T-shirt and a pair of jeans, looking really small and frightened as we marched into the building. When we got to the stage, I verified that there wasn’t a bomb among the packages, and we were allowed back outside. Even though the school day wasn’t over, everyone was released home. I’d say that the best part of the whole operation was that I was able to circle back up to my room to get my car keys and get home.” As she recalled her expedition, a smile spread across her face.

To sum up her experience at Canyon Vista, Olson stated, “I’ve stayed at Canyon Vista for 30 years because there has consistently been a climate of excellence. The students are all well-behaved, the parents are supportive and the staff is exceptional. I’ve also made quite a few friends here, and I’ll be sad to leave them. Canyon Vista has always been a great school, and I will be sad to leave such a place.”

No matter how much Olson will miss Canyon Vista, the students and staff will surely miss her many times more, and in the hearts of the students at Canyon Vista, she will always be remembered for her patience and kindness towards all of her students.