Canyons School District giving students some ‘Thrive Time’

SALT LAKE CITY — As the 2023-2024 school year begins, Canyons School District is implementing district-wide Thrive Time, a new curriculum meant to support students’ wellness.

Dr. Rick L. Robins, the district superintendent told KSL NewsRadio’s Dave and Dujanovic how the program will be beneficial for kids.

“We’re dealing with lots of extreme behaviors in our schools,” he said, adding that he believed the behaviors stem from several stress factors.

“In my observation, I just think it’s a lot of the stressors related to food scarcity … housing issues [and] inflation,” Robins said. “I think families are under tremendous pressure to try and pay the bills and balance life, work … and that integration.”

Thrive Time is a way to counteract extreme behaviors.

“We’re hoping to kind of turn that dial and help our students just be better citizens,” he said. “You know, kinder and better people all the way around.”

For some schools, this is the program’s second year. Last year it was tested at a few schools within Canyons School District.

Now it has been implemented district-wide.

Robins explained elementary and middle school students are taught a Thrive Time lesson each week. Lessons last 20 to 30 minutes.

“We think it’s really important to help our kids improve empathy, and respect, and resilience and kindness… those durable skills that, you know, we want our kids to have when they’re at school and when they leave us outside of school.”

Dave & Dujanovic can be heard on weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon.

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