media by Sanaa Sow

French teacher Dayna Moore helps Sydney Boulaphinh ’24 with her indirect objects worksheet during Access Nov. 16. Moore disliked not teaching students face-to-face during the Covid-19 pandemic. “I cannot teach online. I like having connections with my students and I like playing games in class,” Moore said.

Do you ever walk in the halls and see teachers you have never had before? For many, that answer is yes.

Meet Danya Moore, a teacher who has been here since the beginning. A teacher who has seen many graduating classes come and go. A teacher who has taught a variety of classes, from French to Public Speaking.

See how well you know Moore with a series of True or False questions. 

True or False: Dayna Moore has been teaching at Rock Canyon for 15 years. 

False. Dayna Moore has been teaching at Rock Canyon for almost 21 years. 

“I teach French, I taught Public Speaking for many years, and then I also currently teach Freshman Success,” Moore said. 

True or False: Dayna Moore has been teaching at Rock Canyon since the opening of the school. 

True. Moore is one of the remaining original teachers who taught the first class of freshmen at our school. 

“So when they decided to build Rock Heights Middle School and Rock Canyon, I knew I wanted to teach at the new school. We were called ‘High School Number Seven,’” Moore said. 

After interviewing to join the school’s staff, she received a Department Chair position at both the high school and middle school. 

“The nice thing when the school was really small, we had 190 freshmen our first year,” Moore said. “I knew every student even if I didn’t teach them. That was pretty cool to go down the halls and know everyone’s name.”

True or False: Dayna Moore planned on being a teacher. 

False. Moore decided to major in French, as she had been told it would be the fastest way for her to graduate. After graduating from college, Moore worked for Walt Disney World. 

“When I was at Disney World, one of the executives said, ‘Have you ever thought about teaching the high school closest to Disney?’ And I was kind of tired of the weird hours of Disney, working til 2 a.m., and I said ‘I don’t have a teaching license,’” Moore said. 

Although she had yet to acquire a teaching license, Moore had decided to follow through with the interview. 

“I walked into the school and I just felt this connection immediately. I was like, ‘I love this place’. So, we did an emergency certification for me and I had to go back and take classes, and I loved it from the first day,” Moore said. 

True or False: Dayna Moore has been featured in a Times Magazine article. 

True: During Moore’s time working at Disney World, Times Magazine did an article on the employees working there. 

“[Times Magazine] wanted to come to do a day in the life of an employee, and I got picked to be the employee. So [the reporter] was with me for two or three days. I had to answer questions, but I had to give it the Disney spin, I couldn’t be that honest,” Moore said. 

True or False: Dayna Moore went to a school in the northern U.S. 

False. Moore went to school in the south, at the University of Arkansas. 

“I have no ties to Arkansas. I just wanted to go to a big school in the south and have the full sport tailgating and Greek life experience,” Moore said.