Varsity girls basketball coach Joe Lombard and Spanish teacher Sheila Evans were inducted into the Canyon High Hall of Fame today before the homecoming pep rally. They are the first inductees to be current staff members at the time of their induction.

Lombard and Evans join 32 other members in the Hall of Fame.

“I am honored and humbled to receive this very prestigious award at Canyon High School,” Lombard said. “I give thanks to God for the opportunity to work at Canyon.”

Evans said she became very emotional when she was informed of her induction.

“The honor means the world to me because I love Canyon High,” Evans said. “It is so humbling to be recognized. When Mr. Gilliland told me, I cried. I know, I am a cry baby.”

Lombard and Evans have been on staff at Canyon collectively for 60 years, and their passion for teaching is evident to their current and former students.

“I think Coach Lombard is very deserving of this honor,” Jordan Hampton, 2005 Canyon High graduate and former Lady Eagle basketball player, said. “He’s won multiple state championships for our school, brought a great spotlight on our town, but maybe most importantly, he’s helped numerous players achieve their dreams of playing college basketball.”

Hampton said she admires Lombard for his determination and great leadership skills.

“Whether he has a team of all stars or not, he finds a way to draw the best out of every player to make a winning team,” Hampton said. 

Girls cross country coach Ray Baca was Evans’ student in 1986 and 1987.

“I can honestly say Mrs. Evans changed my life,” Baca said. “I grew up with a really bad stuttering problem and often used it as a way to get out of uncomfortable situation. Not only did Mrs. Evans not excuse me from participating in Spanish class, but she made me feel extremely comfortable when she told me she and the class would wait for me as long as needed to get out what I had to say.”

Baca said that after a couple of years with Evans, he learned to be more confident with his stutter, which in turn made him a better speaker.

“I now periodically give professional lectures on coaching and motivation in front of large groups,” Baca said. “I give thanks every time I do this that Mrs. Evans held me to a higher standard that I thought was fair. One time she told me that the world wasn’t going to adjust for me and that I needed to adjust and find a way to be successful.”

Baca said he knows he would not have become a teacher if it had not been for Evans’ influence.

“I truly believe I have the best job in the world and owe a big thanks to Mrs. Evans,” Baca said.

Evans said she is overwhelmed by the talent of her students, and that she loves to watch each class graduate every year.

“After 32 years it is difficult to pinpoint one most meaningful experience,” Evans said. “It is meaningful to watch students succeed in all areas. Canyon High is truly unique in that so many experience such a degree of success.”