Instructure, Utah Jazz to Honor Most Valuable Educators in Season-Long Appreciation Program and Awards Dinner

Educators to be Recognized at Jazz Games and Receive Classroom Grants; Public Nominations Now Being Accepted on Jazz Website

SALT LAKE CITY (September 20, 2022) – Instructure, the Salt Lake City-based makers of the Canvas Learning Management System, and the Utah Jazz today announced the renewal of their partnership to recognize local educators at Jazz games throughout the season. The program – Utah Jazz Most Valuable Educators presented by Instructure – invites the Utah community to nominate local educators who are making an impact in their schools and communities and who are an inspiration in the lives of their students.

"I am grateful and excited to announce Instructure will once again be partnering with the Utah Jazz to recognize Utah teachers and all they are doing for our kids and communities,” said Steve Daly, CEO of Instructure. “Benjamin Franklin said, ‘Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.’ Our program recognizes teachers that go above and beyond everyday to engage our kids’ curiosity and show them just how fun learning can be.  It's a tough time for educators and it's more important than ever to recognize all they do and find ways to do more for them. Join me in nominating your favorite teacher and showcasing the amazing work they are doing to help our children feel safe, heard and excited to learn." 

Through the Most Valuable Educators program, Instructure will recognize 14 educators during 14 home games throughout the 2022-23 Jazz regular season. The first recipient will be honored on November 18 at Vivint Arena. Each honored educator will be guests of Instructure at the game and receive a personalized Jazz jersey. In addition, they will receive a $1,000 classroom grant courtesy of Instructure and a surprise classroom visit or organized assembly involving the Jazz Bear mascot and personnel from the Utah Jazz and Instructure.

Nominations are now being accepted on the Utah Jazz website at https://www.nba.com/jazz/mve from anyone in the local community including students, parents, peer educators, principals, administrators and college deans to honor the best K-12 and higher education educators in Utah. Nominators will be asked to answer, “How does this educator inspire students, spark curiosity and support student growth and achievement?”

“The outpouring of nominations last season only reinforced the importance of this program and the community's desire to publicly thank and recognize our educators,” said Jim Olson, president of the Utah Jazz. “We are grateful for Instructure to honor and showcase the hard work of our educators by putting a spotlight on them and acknowledging their tremendous impact on our children.”

As part of its expression of gratitude for local educators, Instructure will also be providing 300 tickets for Utah educators to attend the Jazz game on March 18, 2023. Throughout the game night, Utah educators will be recognized for their work in the community and given the opportunity to participate in various arena activities. In addition, attending fans will be able to write their own messages of gratitude for local educators. 

All 14 honorees of the Most Valuable Educators program presented by Instructure will be invited to attend an awards dinner with the Utah Jazz and Instructure at the end of the season. 

Salt Lake City-based Instructure and its flagship product Canvas were founded in Utah in 2008 and currently have more than 30 million educators and learners globally across K-12 and higher education using Canvas and other solutions in its Instructure Learning Platform. 

About the Utah Jazz

Founded as the 18th member of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1974, and located in Salt Lake City since 1979, the Utah Jazz are committed to excellence as a team and in the community. On the court, the Jazz are the second-winningest team in the NBA over the last 30 years, having won 11 division titles and two Western Conference championships along with 17 seasons of 50-plus wins, and are supported by one of the most passionate fan bases in all of sports. The Utah Jazz also operate the Junior Jazz program, the largest and longest-running youth basketball league in the NBA, featuring more than 60,000 players and an additional 13,000 volunteers who take part annually across six states. For more information on the Utah Jazz, visit www.utahjazz.com.