Creighton Elementary School District

Biltmore Prep wins ‘Battle of the Books’
Biltmore Prep students earlier this spring competed against several other teams in the Creighton Elementary School District’s “Battle of the Books” competition and captured both first and second place in the Junior Division.

In the Junior Division, Biltmore Prep’s fourth-grade team captured first place. Fourth-grade team members included Katelyn Brown, Caleb Warren, Tatiana Flom, Leslie Garcia, Meseret Berhane, Giana Lopes, and Emily Medina.

The fifth-grade team took second place in the Junior Division. In the Senior Division, the sixth-grade team tied for third place with the combined seventh and eighth-grade team.

Battle of the Books is a district-wide literary academic competition sin which students read 12 assigned books, form teams, and work together to answer questions about the books in an oral “family-feud” style competition. Through the program, students improve their reading comprehension skills and set the foundation for lifelong reading habits.

Glendale Union High School District

Beatitudes Campus links with WHS
Beatitudes Campus residents presented $750 college scholarships to four deserving graduating students from Washington High School on May 17. The students who received the scholarships are Tristan Stoutenburg, Elizabeth Breden, Sergio Gonzalez Gomez and Kathleen Phan.

Students and their families, along with Washington High School counselors and teachers joined the Community Outreach Committee of the Beatitudes Campus Residents Council at an awards luncheon to recognize the outstanding achievements of the students.

These scholarships were established by the committee to inspire and empower students to pursue education beyond high school and to help the students accomplish their educational goals.

Throughout the 2012-2013 school year, the Beatitudes Campus Community Outreach Committee recognized two students every month as “Students of the Month.” These students exemplified outstanding scholarship, leadership and community spirit and were presented with gift cards and a commemorative plaque. In addition to the four scholarship winners, the Students of the Month who were honored during the school year were: Anahi Barraza, Mansur Dudurkaew, Katherine Le, Andriy Yarema, Bianca Sandoval, Cole Humphries, Ella Burrus, Cameron Brown, Aaliya Crawford, Brandon Faiss, Nawida Hussaini, Marco Antonio Galvan, Alice Phan, and Vincent Indelicato IV.

Madison Elementary School District

Madison District looking for alums
Did you attend a Madison elementary or middle school? Were you a student at Simis back when it was a K-8 school? Or maybe you attended the original Madison No. 1 school on 16th Street? The Madison Education Foundation is looking for you!

The foundation is getting ready to launch the Madison Alumni Association and is looking for former students, teachers, principals and staff members from all eight Madison schools. Visit www.madisonaz.org/alumni and share your memories. Then visit and “like” the Madison Alumni Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MadisonAzAlumni and the Madison Education Foundation page at www.facebook.com/Madison EducationFoundation.

Sign up during the month of July and you will automatically be entered to win a $25 gift card to Mary Coyle, an old-fashioned ice cream shop and local favorite in the Madison community.

The foundation also is looking for donations of gently used musical instruments. For more information, contact Rhonda Olson at rhonda@madisoneducationfoundation.org or 602-664-7964.

Osborn Elementary School District

Osborn prepares to shred student files
On Sept. 1, 2013, Osborn School District will destroy special education records on students who have withdrawn, transferred or graduated and have been gone from the district for four or more years. Records will be destroyed according to the State of Arizona Records Retention and Disposition Schedule, pursuant to A.R.S. 41-1351.

Call the District Office at 602-707-2014 before the above date to obtain any information in your student’s file.

Phoenix Union High School District

Central teacher also an author
Mark Williams is an English teacher at Central High, so he knows a thing or two about a good book. As an author, he has just released his third novel, titled “Looking for Indianola.” It is part of his Emancipation series that began with Emancipating Elias in 2007 and followed up by Holy Ground in 2010.

Williams spent the first 21 years of his career as a special agent for the Organized Crime Division of the State Attorney General’s Office. He traveled across the United States as an instructor for law enforcement in various capacities. After he retired, he became a high school English teacher.

Central photographers work with galleries
Five Central High advanced photo students were involved in a special project working with five professional photographers this past school year. Their project, called “Through Each Others Eyes,” was to make images that represent themselves, culturally.

Each student created four to five photographic works that were exhibited at MonOrchid gallery, May 14-18. The work of Kemi Sholola, Javier Jimenez, Alondra Burgos, Alejandra Rodriguez, and Allysa Phillips was at the gallery at 214 E. Roosevelt St.

Six other Central students participated in the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Arts Visions project. They had the opportunity to work with six internationally known fine art photographers, culminating with an exhibit of their work in the gallery at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.

The students were Alexa Guy, Sabrina Hernandez, Adam Ortiz, Jazmine Moore, Alejandra Rodriguez and Johnalyss Medina. Their work will be displayed through Sept. 8.

‘Expect More’ at Metro Tech High
Metro Tech High School was recognized as one of four Expect More Arizona Spotlight award winners for Central Arizona, culminating the Expect More Excellence Tour, in which schools or programs submitted videos demonstrating excellence in five criteria.

Principal Kate McDonald and 15 staff members attended the awards ceremony on May 7 at the Phoenix Civic Center, where they received a plaque, and $1,000.

The five criteria are Expect More Arizona’s building blocks for world-class education: Communities working together; excellence for all; world-class achievement; commitment to innovation, and strategic investment.

Washington Elementary School District

WESD honors staff, others for contributions
Once each year the Washington Elementary School District (WESD) celebrates the unique, exemplary contributions of special members of the WESD family by honoring them with the Lamp of Learning Award.

This year 37 people were honored at a ceremony on May 4. Among the 2013 honorees were Rebecca Thursby Hayes, a social worker at Royal Palm Middle School; Terry Marden, facility manager for Sunnyslope School; Margaret Aragon, a kindergarten teacher at Desert View Elementary; Heather Davis, second grade teacher, Maryland School; Becky Fogarty, Student Services specialist, Mountain View School; Allison Jefferson, a third Grade teacher, Richard E. Miller Elementary; and Beth Perry, fourth grade teacher at Sunnyslope School.

The Lamp of Learning Award allows WESD the opportunity to thank community members and staff members for the extras that they do to support the education of students. It is the highest recognition given in the school district.

Basketball player visits Desert View
Anthony “Buckets” Blakes of the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters paid a visit to Desert View Elementary School to show of some of his basketball skills as well as talk about the Globetrotters’ S.P.I.N. program.

S.P.I.N. stands for “Some Playtime is Necessary,” a way to make fitness fun for children and help cultivate an active lifestyle, urging kids to be on the move and get into the action.

Globetrotter players such as Blakes, who is a Phoenix native, recognize that an active lifestyle can mean anything from dribbling a basketball, to riding a bike or walking the dog.

Register now for the fall
Parents can register their kindergarten through 8th grade students for the 2013-14 school year throughout the summer in the Washington Elementary School District. The WESD Welcome and Registration Center, 3200 West Cholla, is open Monday through Friday from 7:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On Wednesdays, the center is closed from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Children must be 5 years old before Sept. 1, 2013 to be registered for kindergarten. Children must turn 6 years old before Sept. 1, 2013 to be registered for first grade. Call 602-896-6950 for more information.

Private and Charter Schools

Brophy senior honored with North Star award
Brophy senior Gabriel Lopez was awarded the Catholic Charities North Star Youth Leadership Award, which included a $600 scholarship. Lopez’s project at St. Vincent de Paul was sparked while volunteering at the family dining hall. He noticed a group of teenagers who were disengaged from the nights’ activities at the “Dream Center.”

Lopez created a Teen Night project aimed at engaging the teenagers who come to dinner at St. Vincent’s, devoting one to two nights a week.

Blake named an All-American
Brophy College Prep senior Hudson Blake was among 40 high school young men and 40 young women listed as All American Tennis players by the National High School Tennis All-American Foundation.

His exceptional play made him the fifth singles champion in Brophy’s history. He was an outstanding team leader and a driving motivational force behind the success of the Brophy team. When off the court, Blake often could be found as a one man cheering section for his teammates.

Congressman Franks visits Phoenix Christian
U.S. Congressman Trent Franks presented the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation award to eight students at Phoenix Christian High School’s 2013 Honors Ceremony.

The award recognizes students who have shown qualities attributed to President Ronald Reagan: Drive, integrity, citizenship, student involvement, athletics, government and academics. They received a certificate and a commemorative coin honoring them as a Ronald Reagan Student Leader.

Franks addressed faculty, parents and students and was honored for his commitment to education and fighting for school choice.

All Saints’ students travel to Haiti
All Saints’ Episcopal Day School and Church recently commissioned members of the All Saints’ community as ambassadors to St. Paul’s School and Parish in Gascogne, Haiti. Four students, along with a parent each, three faculty members and the associate rector made the trip.

This was the first year since the partnership began that students made the journey. Students in seventh and eighth grades were offered an opportunity to represent All Saints’ as student ambassadors to St. Paul’s. Students were selected based an application form, short answer questions, and an essay detailing why the student wished to visit Haiti.

The Episcopal Diocese of Haiti Partnership Program was established to foster connections between churches and schools in the United States and Canada with Episcopal churches in Haiti. The partnership between the two communities began in 2010.

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