It’s a brand new school year with brand new things to look forward to. Pep rallies, new classes, seeing old friends and making new ones. It also means that we say good bye to beloved teachers and staff while welcoming new ones in their place. This year we have a total of 14 new teachers and staff on campus with us. Most of us will just walk by them in the hallway and just pass them off as ‘just another staff member’, having no idea that they just got here. But over the next three weeks, I will be slowly introducing 10 of the newest members of the Canyon Eagle family.
To kick us off, I have had the opportunity to interview Justin Cranfill from River Road, who is replacing Brad Hoeksema as our assistant principal.
What is your favorite part about working at Canyon High?
Cranfill: The students, staff, and parents have been extremely welcoming and helpful in getting started here at CHS.
Can you tell me why you moved to Canyon High School?
Cranfill: I was ready to take the next step in my career and CHS afforded me that opportunity.
How is Canyon High School different from the last school you were at?
Cranfill: It is about 3 times the size with many more opportunities for students of all walks of life.
What do you like better about Canyon than what was done at the last school you were at?
Cranfill: I enjoy the small town support behind CHS. It’s nice to see purple and white all over town.
Have you always been an assistant principal? If not, what kind of teacher/administrator were you before becoming an assistant principal?
Cranfill: I had a role similar to Coach Ernest Trejo, I was an administrative assistant as well as the district strength and conditioning coach.
Next up we have a staff member not all of us may have noticed, but is one of the most important parts in the functioning of our school, Jeannie Burris, our new secretary.
What made you want to be a school secretary?
Burris: Working as the school secretary gives me the same schedule as my kids!
What is your favorite part of being a school secretary?
Burris: Getting to see the faces of students daily, having great coworkers and of course seeing my personal kids.
Where did you originally work and how is it different from Canyon?
Burris: I used to be a behavior facilitator for the district! I get to be at one campus now.
Have you always lived in Canyon or did you live somewhere else in the past?
Burris: I lived in Amarillo before moving to Canyon in 2018
What are your favorite things to do outside of work?
Burris: Watch my kids play sports, painting and hang with the family
Finally we have our new counselor, Lee Ann Coffman.
What is your favorite part about being a counselor?
Coffman: I get to help young people overcome obstacles in their paths to becoming successful adults.
Where did you originally work and how is it different from working at Canyon?
Coffman: I’ve been a school counselor since 2000 and have worked in public high schools and in career tech in Oklahoma.
I’m still trying to learn the differences in the education system including all of the acronyms!
What is your favorite thing about living in Canyon?
Coffman: I actually live in Amarillo, but I love the small-town feel of Canyon. I’ve been impressed with how respectful students are here.
How is living here in Texas different from living in Oklahoma?
Coffman: I like that the weather is not as humid here, but I’m not as fond of the smell in the air on a windy day.
