School

Members of the Canadian Middle School eighth-grade class will receive diplomas Friday evening marking their commencement to high school next year as freshmen.

The ceremony will begin at 7 pm with Thatcher Cook, leading the Pledge of Allegiance, an invocation by Kaylee Kendall and a welcome by Blair Kendall. Hagan Rash will deliver the Salutatory Address, followed by Giselle Perez’ recitation of the Class Poem, and Parker Burrus’ Valedictory Address.

Seventy-three members of Canadian High School’s Class of 2026 will receive their diplomas this week in a graduation ceremony to be held at 10 am on Saturday, May 23, on Chris Koetting Field at Wildcat Stadium. 

Following the class processional, invocation and welcome, Salutatorian Adan Escamilla and Valedictorian Sage Saenz will each address those gathered. CHS Principal Rod Been will read the names of each Class of 2026 member as school board trustees present their diplomas. Superintendent Julia McMains will then announce this year’s winner of the coveted Liske Cup.

The Canadian ISD Board of Trustees met for their regular May meeting to recognize student achievement, review district operations and safety updates, and take action on compensation, staffing, and facilities items for the 2026–2027 school year.

Recognitions

Nine individuals were selected as members of the Class of 2026 Texas High School Hall of Fame on Saturday, May 9, in Waco. Among them were Canadian High School’s now-retired Head Coach and Athletic Director Chris Koetting.

Those honored during the induction ceremony held in the SWC Gallery of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame were:

AUSTIN – Journalism student William Fry of Texas Tech University has been selected to receive this year’s Ralph Langer Scholarship awarded by the nonprofit Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas.

The FOI Foundation also has selected Casey McKee of the University of Houston Law Center as the recipient of the Joel White Scholarship for law school students in Texas.

CHS students Rene Osornio (senior) and Jasmine Avila (junior) qualified for the 3A UIL State Academic Meet in Austin after placing in the top three at their respective events at the region meet Saturday. 

Avila took gold in Editorial Writing, and Osornio earned 2nd place in Feature Writing. 

Other students who placed at the 3A Region 1 Academic UIL Meet were:

Emmanuel Jimenez: 4th News Writing

Summar Wilson recently competed in the West Texas Ranch Rodeo National Anthem Contest, and was named Reserve Champion for her performance of the National Anthem. Summar competed against students in grades 3 through 12.

As a result of this achievement, she has been invited to perform at the first National Women's Ranch Rodeo in Amarillo. She will be opening the event tonight at the Civic Center by singing the National Anthem.

American Legion Zybach-Owens Post 56 is proud to sponsor the following students from Canadian High School for the 2026 Boys State and Girls State programs: 

Boys State: Joseph Dominguez, Pedro Colomo, Brandon Soto, JW Coffee, Abram Flynn
Girls State: Samantha Benson, Maile Quisenberry, Mirabelle Brown, Landry Appel 

The Canadian ISD Board of Trustees met for their regular March meeting to review district data, hear reports on facilities and campus programs, and take action on several operational and planning items.

District Reports and Updates

Canadian blood donors rose to the occasion last week, answering the call for much-needed O NEG and B NEG donations, and in doing so, stacking up blood credits for Canadian native Chris Campbell, a volunteer firefighter who was seriously injured in the February 17 wildfire in Beaver County, Oklahoma. Campbell has required several blood transfusions during his hospitalization in Oklahoma City, and every unit donated on Chris’s behalf last week helped offset his family’s medical expenses.