We're in the process of gathering better contacts for Canyon Elementary School graduates with the hopes of keeping alumni aware of key developments and happenings in the school community. Please let us know if you'd like to be included in communications.
Here's our first email sent out to alumni:
Dear Canyon alumni and families,
I’m Hope Price, and my family is proud to be part of four generations of the Canyon community. My husband, his father, and now our first-grader have all walked these paths beneath the redwoods, with our youngest eagerly waiting his turn. Canyon helped shape the person I married, and now I get to watch it shape our children. More than a school, Canyon is a community and a legacy, one we hope to preserve for generations to come.
Think back to your days here. The creek in spring. The smell of the Grove. Multi-age classrooms where the big kids looked out for the little ones, and everyone knew your name. Canyon is a rare and special place: one school, about 72 students, a century-old building tucked into the East Bay hills, and a community-driven, place-based approach to education you simply can't find anywhere else. But protecting that magic takes real work, and today Canyon faces some genuine challenges:
Holding onto what makes us different in a world racing toward screens, AI, and standardization — when what our kids need most is nature, connection, and time to wander.
Retaining and supporting our teachers and students, who have weathered a hard few years since the pandemic.
Caring for our 100+ year-old schoolhouse, which needs constant attention to keep it safe and welcoming.
Stewarding the Grove and the San Leandro Creek watershed that surround us — the living classroom at the heart of a Canyon education.
Here's the good news: there's a real sense of renewal at Canyon right now. Under our new Principal/Superintendent, Julie Valdez, and a fresh team of staff, families and the broader Canyon community, we are pouring new energy into the school. The spirit is strong and we'd love for you to be part of what comes next.
This is the very first time we're reaching out to build a real Canyon alumni network (!!) and it won't be the last. In the months ahead, we'll be asking for your memories, your old photos, your stories, and your help spreading the word to other Canyon alumni you're still in touch with. We can't wait to reconnect properly.
But to kick off the school year, we're starting with something simple and quick: our first Alumni Appeal, with a goal of raising $3,000. Why $3,000? Because that's the amount we ask of each current family — and we'd be honored to have our alumni family stand alongside them.
And here's the best part: a generous anonymous donor has offered to match every alumni gift, dollar for dollar. That means your contribution goes twice as far, but only while the match lasts. Now is the moment to jump in.
Whatever you give, know this: it's not about the size of the gift. It's about showing that the Canyon community reaches far beyond the students in the classroom today, that once a Canyon kid, always a Canyon kid.
With gratitude,
Hope Price
President, Canyon Education Foundation
Wife of a Canyon alum, parent of a current Canyon first grader and a future Canyon kinder