Pierce enters Circle of Honor

    Barbara Pierce, principal at Madison Camelview Elementary School, in June was selected for membership in the prestigious AZ Leads Circle of Honor.

    Pierce is being recognized as an outstanding instructional leader based on achievement profiles, her superintendent’s recommendation, survey feedback from staff and parents, and a site visit by an AZ Leads team. Under Pierce’s leadership, Camelview received an “Excelling” label for this past year. She also was recently named a Rodel Exemplary Principal by the Rodel Charitable Foundation of Arizona.

    Circle of Honor selectees are asked to commit 30 hours over a two-year period to the development of future leaders. The honorees then remain as members of the Circle, and may choose to continue the commitment to leadership development at their option.

New principals join Madison

    Madison No. 1 and Madison Traditional Academy will open with  new faces this fall as both schools welcome principals Kevin Flynn and Casey George to their respective campuses.

    An educator for 30 years, Flynn has served as a teacher, assistant principal, principal and athletic director. He began his career teaching first grade in Tuba City. He taught various grade levels for 10 years before entering administration as an assistant principal, then as principal. Flynn served as principal of Scottsdale’s Hohokam Elementary School for almost 10 years before retiring from the district in 2007. Last year, he was asked to temporarily join Coolidge Unified as its athletic director.

    Casey George began his educational career 17 years ago teaching math, algebra, science and civics to seventh and eighth graders for the Peoria School District. He went on to teach high school algebra before becoming an assistant principal for Washington. George has six years experience as an assistant principal, most recently at El Mirage Elementary in the Dysart District. George was handpicked to help move El Mirage out of its “failing” status. In his first year, student achievement in math increased by 22 percent across all grade levels.

    Several other administrators also will join Madison for the new school year. Madison No. 1 welcomes new Assistant Principal Pamela Warren. Rose Lane and Meadows welcome Assistant Principals Rachelle Spong and Jose Nieves.

Osborn Elementary School District

Principal fulfills promise to skydive

    When Longview Community School was coming up with its SMART (Specific & Strategic, Measurable, Attainable, Results Oriented, and Time Bound) reading goals for the year, Sheltered English Immersion teacher Katy Lee approached Longview’s principal, Leslie Beauchamp, with an unusal idea.

    Beauchamp, thinking about how the reading goals are to be challenging and “lofty,” assented.

    Lee motivated her students with a video of herself skydiving and the students were instantly inspired not only to meet their reading goals but to get their principal to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. Just before the end of the school year, the final student met his goal and Beauchamp jumped. She says she had a wonderful time and is glad she returned to Earth safe and sound.

    Longview had a total of 28 teachers who created SMART goals this year.

Grants help with energy efficiency

    Four Osborn District schools are the recipients of School Facilities Board (FSB) of Arizona grants. These grants are designed to offset the costs of making Osborn more energy efficient.

    Osborn schools are in the midst of bond-funded renovations and the FSB grants will stretch the bond dollars further. Both Clarendon and Solano schools have received grants to offset retrofits for water-efficient fixtures. Clarendon’s retrofit will replace 25-year-old plumbing fixtures and save an estimated 1,112,724 gallons each year. Solano’s retrofit will save approximately 1,760,643 gallons each year.

    Encanto Elementary and Osborn Middle School received grants to offset the cost of retrofitting energy efficient lighting. Encanto’s project includes the replacement of approximately 20-year-old lighting fixtures that will benefit the environment by being more energy efficient and by reducing the future need to dispose of hazardous waste. Encanto’s retrofit will save 28,174 kW annually, the equivalent of 33,809 lbs CO2 reduction.

    Osborn Middle School’s retrofit also replacing old fixtures will save approximately 20,570 kW annually, the equivalent of 24,684 lbs CO2 reduction.

Phoenix Union High School District

Spartans enjoy new flooring

    As part of WNBA Cares week, the 2007 WNBA Champion Phoenix Mercury on May 14 unveiled a new basketball court at Camelback High School. The Toyota Project Rebound renovation project included extensive refurbishments to the school’s existing gymnasium. The application for the grant was submitted by Spartans team captain Bianca Gonzales.

    Mercury stars Kelly Mazzante, Barb Farris and Jen Derevjanik, NBA legend Bob Lanier and WNBA legend Jennifer Azzi conducted a basketball clinic for varsity, JV and freshmen girls basketball players following the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Specialty schools receive city grants

    PUSHD received one of two small specialty high school grants approved last month by the Phoenix City Council. The district will use the grant to establish a Medical Sciences School on the downtown Bioscience High School campus that will focus on the foundational skills and knowledge to support advanced college course-taking and career development in various medical fields.  

    PUSHD will renovate the existing historic McKinley building and share cafeteria and common spaces with the Bioscience High School. Partnerships will be enhanced or developed with Maricopa Community colleges, the University of Arizona Medical School and Arizona State University along with T-Gen and Barrow Neurological Center.

O’Neill participates in President’s Academy

    Kathleen O’Neill of Central High School will participate in the Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs annual Presidential Academy for American History and Civics this summer. Fifty-two teachers nationwide are chosen to attend. The Academy will take place from July 13- July 31.

    This is the second time a teacher from Central’s Social Studies Department has been chosen. Rob Melendez attended the academy in 2006.

Two new principals take helm for fall

    Kate McDonald at Metro Tech and Dr. Deedee Falls at Bioscience have been named principals, effective July 1.     McDonald moves from assistant principal for registration at Metro Tech into the top job, replacing Juvenal Lopez, who will take a district office position. McDonald has 19 years experience at Phoenix Union. She has been assistant principal at Metro for two years, and was the district’s Language Arts Content Specialist for four years.  

    Falls, who was instrumental in the design and development of Bioscience High as the district’s Science Content Specialist, replaces Dr. David Silcox, who is retiring. Falls has been with Phoenix Union since 1991, serving as a science teacher for 10 years and one year as an instructional specialist at Carl Hayden High School.

    Pam Richards was named director of Curriculum, moving from Career and Technical Education supervisor. Dr. Michele Delgado takes over the director of Language Acquisition from assistant principal of instruction at Cesar Chavez, and Juvenal Lopez will become Human Resources director.

Teachers get salary boost

    Phoenix Union High School District teachers will receive a base salary increase of 1 percent for 2008-09. With step advancements for years of service, professional growth and longevity, most teachers will see an additional 4 to 4.6 percent in salary.

    The support employees will get a 1 percent increase to the base salary and can earn additionally with professional growth and longevity increments. Administrators will receive a 1.8 percent raise. The additional 0.8 percent for administrators represents the amount approved for other employee groups last year that administrators did not receive.

    Phoenix Union teachers continue to be the top-paid teachers in the state, averaging over $55,000 per year. First year teachers will earn $37,317 next school year, an increase of $370 from this year. Experienced teachers transferring to the district with a master’s will receive credit for up to eight years experience, earning $51,147 in their first year. In addition to their salaries, teachers can also earn for Proposition 301 Performance Pay, workshops, coaching or other activities.  

    The board also approved an additional $55,800 be added to the funds available for performance-based pay for instructional assistants. There will be no employee cost increases for health insurance and state retirement contributions.

Washington Elementary School District

Adventure abounds in summer programs

    Come into a classroom in the Washington Elementary School District this summer and you will find more than 4,500 students of every age engaged in learning in safe, well-supervised programs. These learning opportunities run through Aug. 1 at 26 schools. The summer programs are led by district staff and certified teachers and include academic summer schools, enrichment classes and full-day summer camps for students in grades K-8.

    The wide variety of programs include such things as hands-on activities in “Camp Can Do” that help English language learners develop their language skills. The reading program “TimeWarp by Voyager” helps students focus on basics reading skills while they travel the world.  Still other students focus on their basic math skills with a program called, Math Success, which uses engaging games and manipulatives to help them succeed in math.

Lamp of Learning winners honored

    Nearly 500 people came together to honor the 37 recipients of the Lamp of Learning Award at the Lamp of Learning Awards Ceremony and Dinner May 2.

    The Lamp of Learning Award is presented by the Washington Elementary School District to staff, community and business members who have made outstanding contributions to its students. This award, the highest recognition given in the Washington District, honors those who have dedicated themselves to improving the quality of education in the district and in the state while exemplifying the vision, mission, and values of the district.

    Lamp of Learning Award recipients for 2008 included:

    • Community—Ben Dutton, Pulte Homes, volunteer, district-wide; Jill Hicks, volunteer, Orangewood School; Chris Kelly, Pulte Homes, volunteer, district-wide; Kate McGee, volunteer, district-wide; Don Storrs, Wolz’s Florist, volunteer, district-wide; Pat Tankersley, Cardinals Charities, volunteer, The Arizona Cardinals Preparatory Academy; and Cindy Vargo, Communities in Schools, volunteer, district-wide

    • Support Staff—Elizabeth Martinez, Finance coordinator, Community Programs

    • Certified Staff—Anna Lee Speer, lead psychologist, Special Services

    • Administrative Staff—Barbara Post, administrator, Gifted Services, and Sue Snyder, assistant to the superintendent, Superintendent’s Office

Private and

Charter Schools

Parents, kids invited

to ‘Readiness’ night

    AmeriSchools Academy will a family night at the school on Wednesday, July 16 to help transition the students into Readiness.

    Readiness teacher Karyn Peoples will spend time with the kids in the classroom while parents will engage in activities and learn what they can do to help prepare their child for school.

    Reserve by July 14 by calling 602-532-0100. For more information, visit www.amerischools.org/camelback.html.

St. Mary’s now enrolling for fall

    Saint Mary’s High School is accepting applications for the 2008-09 school year. Financial assistance is available.

    Saint Mary’s, the first Catholic high school founded in Phoenix, will celebrate 91 years of education this year. Contact Suzanne Fessler, Saint Mary’s assistant principal, at 602-251-2510 or visit www.smknights.org for more information. School tours and placement tests are available throughout the summer.

Hafiz named a Presidential Scholar

    Xavier College Preparatory, an all-girls Catholic high school established in 1943 in Phoenix, announced that senior Yasmine Hafiz has been named a 2008 U.S. Presidential Scholar by the United States Department of Education Commission on Presidential Scholars. Hafiz was honored for her accomplishments during the program’s national recognition events, held in June in Washington, D.C.

    Hafiz is the fifth U.S. Presidential Scholar to graduate from Xavier. Xavier’s class of 2008 also included five National Merit Finalists, nine National Merit Commended Scholars, one National Achievement Scholarship Program for Black Americans Scholar and six National Hispanic Scholars.

Xavier seniors receive honors

    Kathryn Neal and Alison Yurcak, both seniors at Xavier, recently received national honors.

    Neal achieved a perfect score on the 2008 National Latin Exam.  She will be recognized with a certificate from the ACL/NJCL National Latin Exam Committee..

    Yurcak will receive the National Dance Education Organization’s 2008 Artistic Merit, Leadership and Academic Achievement Award. The NDEO also recognized Sister Joan Fitzgerald, Xavier principal, and MaryBeth Mueller, Diocese of Phoenix executive director of Education and Evangelization, for their commitment to and achievement in dance arts education.