Islands Elementary Honors the Late Ray Valenzuela: A Legacy of Sportsmanship, Respect, Honesty, and What It Means To Be a Friend
Islands Elementary Honors the Late Ray Valenzuela: A Legacy of Sportsmanship, Respect, Honesty, and What It Means To Be a Friend
Hailey Borden
On Tuesday, April 21st, Islands Elementary held their annual "Come Eat with Me" family lunch event to honor the memory of Ray Valenzuela, a longtime colleague, friend, and Islands PE teacher who passed away in 2023.
Ray Valenzuela was the PE teacher at Islands for 25 years and had 3 young children who attended the school during that time. He would eat lunch with them every school day in the cafeteria. Ray suddenly got sick in the spring of 2023 and passed away from cancer in July that same year. The Islands community was heartbroken at his loss, but especially for his young family, who the school truly rallied around.
Islands staff have been honoring Ray's memory ever since; ensuring his presence is felt across campus, from the playground to the front office and the cafeteria.
True to his physical education roots, one of the things Mr. Valenzuela wanted for his students was a GAGA Ball pit on the playground. The school PTA raised funds, and it was installed in March 2026 by dedicated community volunteers. Upper grades are already enjoying the new playground feature with Principal Mike Davis, who has taught all 4th, 5th, and 6th graders the rules of the game and focuses on the character traits Ray instilled in his students: sportsmanship, honesty, and respect. The sport has been renamed "Ray Ray ball" on the Islands campus in honor of Mr. Valenzuela.
“Part of what makes Islands so special is the people,” says Principal Davis. “Ray was one of our most long-term and dedicated staff members who gave everything to teach our students. When we play Ray Ray ball, we’re teaching Ray’s values on how to raise good people: sportsmanship, respect, honesty, and what it means to be a friend who gets everyone involved. We foster these values every day and see a positive difference as students high-five each other after games and create an Islands community that reinforces good sportsmanship.”
Ray is also honored each year with the Islands Rising Star student recognition award, which acknowledges a 6th-grade student who shows consistent character in their decision-making and interactions with others and positively affects their school community. The student's name is added to a special plaque in the front office with Ray's picture on it.
Islands cherishes the various ways they have been able to honor Ray, but their crowning achievement is a movement that helps strengthen their school community and its family connections. To continue Ray’s legacy of uplifting connection and deep community, and dedicated to his love of eating lunch with his children every day, the Islands staff came up with "Come Eat with Me". This event is a time when families can come to campus and enjoy lunch with their students during their scheduled grade-level lunchtimes.
This year, almost 300 family members came to campus to eat with their students, packing the cafeteria, ramada, and benches across campus with smiling faces and laughter.
One of the most special parts of this event was having Mr. Valenzuela's wife, children, grandchildren, and parents return to Islands and have lunch with their “Islands Family.” While they have all moved on from Islands since losing Ray, they made a point to come back to eat and reconnect with the community that showed them so much love and support when Ray passed. Islands hosts the “Come Eat with Me” lunch each Fall and Spring; nurturing the closeness of their community and honoring their longtime friend, Ray Valenzuela.
