Sunnyslope High School Girls’ Volleyball team won the Gold Division at the Nike Tournament of Champions.
Glendale Union High School District
Volleyball wins gold at Nike tournament
Sunnyslope High School Girls’ Volleyball team won the Gold Division at the Nike Tournament of Champions. The 14th Annual Nike Tournament of Champions was held at Bell Bank Park in Mesa. The event featured 96 of the most competitive high school teams in the United States.
Dawn Chamberlain
Art teacher receives prestigious award
Thunderbird High School Art teacher Dawn Chamberlain has been selected as the recipient of the 2022 Outstanding Secondary Level Art Educator Award from the Arizona Art Educators Association (AAEA). Chamberlain will be honored at AAEA awards banquet and ceremony Saturday, Nov. 19, in Prescott.
Future Freshman Night set for Nov. 17
Glendale Union High School District’s (GUHSD) upcoming, signature event Future Freshman Night, is Thursday, Nov. 17, at 6:30 p.m. During this event, eighth-grade students and their families will discover why GUHSD is the top-performing high school district in the Metro-Phoenix area.
Prospective families are invited to visit their neighborhood school to learn about the district’s nationally recognized academics, championship athletics, fine and performing arts courses, resources for college and career opportunities, and more.
An Honors and Advanced Placement Academy presentation will be included. A virtual option will be available. Visit www.guhsdaz.org for more information.
National Merit Semifinalists announced
GUHSD announced that the following students have been named semifinalists in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program: Marcus Giorza, Jason Leff, Noah Monroe, Nicholas Pelino and Abby Wolf.
The governing board acknowledged the 2023 National Merit Semifinalists during its regular meeting. All semifinalists received recognition and a certificate of achievement from the GUHSD governing board. All those in attendance, including family, friends and community members, were informed of the process to become a semifinalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program.
These five students are considered to be in the top one percent of U.S. high school seniors, and the highest-scoring entrants in each state.
Three of the 35 Washington High School Early Childhood Education students who received scholarships totaling more than $10,000 shared their excitement.
WHS students receive scholarships
Thirty-five Early Childhood Education students at Washington High School (WHS) received the PCPP Scholarship for students in Early Childhood Education courses. These students received over $10,000 in scholarships. All 35 students are receiving college credit through dual enrollment for free.
Madison Elementary School District
Open enrollment begins in December
Madison School District’s open enrollment for the 2023–24 academic year will begin on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022.
Open Enrollment begins at 8 a.m. for families who are new to the district. New families must turn in their Open Enrollment Interest Form before Jan. 26 and will be given priority according to the tiers the district has established.
Madison School District has been one of the top elementary school districts in the state with its eight schools consistently earning high honors. Nearly 50 percent of its students come from outside the district, which means families choose a Madison School District education over their neighborhood school.
The district has been recognized for its outstanding “signature” educational programs including the International Baccalaureate program, Spanish Immersion, REACH-Profoundly Gifted program, Visual and Performing Arts, Traditional Academy and STEAM. Additionally, five Madison School District schools were ranked as 2022 U.S. News Best Elementary Schools and U.S. News Best Middle Schools in Arizona.
To learn more, visit www.madisonaz.org/enrollment.
Osborn Elementary School District
After School clubs are active
The 21st Century After School clubs are up and running in Osborn School District. The program extends academic and enrichment learning opportunities beyond the school day to students who participate.
Students’ academic data and interests were used to determine the services that are offered. Offerings for the 2022–23 school year cover a wide range of classes from Spanish, Math, English Language Arts/Creative Writing and Pre-Algebra to gardening, STEAM, fitness, chess and photography. Osborn also partners with local vendors such as Lights Camera Discovery, STIIX and Gal Patch to offer classes. They also include anime and graphic novels, Harry Potter reading, robotics, computer applications and coding, basketball, open gym, and fish and wildlife.
Students who would still like to register should contact their school’s front office.
Osborn 1:1 initiative moves to the home
The effect of the Osborn community supported Bond and Override elections have had tremendous impact in classrooms — and now in Osborn student homes.
Osborn is a 1:1 district, meaning every student has an allocated laptop in school. iSchool students have devices at home connecting them to their classrooms. With the federal Emergency Connectivity Fund grant, students will be issued a laptop that can be used at home during the school year.
Osborn’s Technology director, Jamal Dana, devised a five-year Technology Plan, once the community demonstrated the commitment to keeping Osborn schools on the cutting edge of technology. Using Bond/Override money, the Osborn district is able to implement its 5-year technology plan to keep curriculum up to date, roll out devices to students and teachers, and keep infrastructure up-to-date.
To learn more, call 602-707-2000 or visit www.osbornnet.org.
Phoenix Union High School District
Pictured, L–R, are Paul Komadina, Valley Leadership board chair, Reyna Montoya, 73rd Woman of the Year, Chad Gestson, 73rd Man of the Year and Dave Brown, Valley Leadership CEO (photo by Vanessa Herb, PXU; courtesy of Valley Leadership).
Superintendent named ‘Man of the Year’
The superintendent of Phoenix Union High School District (PXU), Dr. Chad Gestson, was recognized at the Oct. 6 PXU board meeting for being named the 73rd Valley Leadership Man of the Year.
Gestson has served as superintendent of PXU since the fall of 2015. PXU recently launched several new schools, including a Gifted and Talented Academy, a Digital Academy and the Phoenix Coding Academy. This year, Phoenix Union launched a new school concept never before seen in America — PXU City, a school that uses the city, not a campus, as the classroom. Gestson was recently named the Arizona Policymaker of the Year by the Arizona Health Association and the Arizona Superintendent of the Year by the Arizona Association for Public Relations.
Prior to being named superintendent, Gestson was the district’s director of leadership and spent five years as the principal of Camelback High School, where he launched the first and only Montessori high school in Arizona. Before joining Phoenix Union in 2009, Gestson served as an elementary school assistant principal and as a middle school principal. A product of Teach For America, he began his teaching career in 2001. Prior to his public education career, Gestson was a commercial construction superintendent in Seattle, WA.
Gestson and the Woman of the Year, Reyna Montoya of Aliento, will be honored at a Nov. 30 event hosted by Valley Leadership at Paradise Valley Country Club. More information is available at www.valleyleadership.org. Learn more about PXU at www.pxu.org.
Washington Elementary School District
District seeks feedback on math materials
Washington Elementary School District (WESD) is in the process of reviewing and adopting mathematics materials to support teachers with instruction to enhance student achievement.
The district’s Math Curriculum Adoption Committee will host open houses on Nov. 9, Dec. 14 and 15, and Jan. 4 and 5 from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. at the WESD Administrative Center for teachers, staff, families and community members to learn about the materials being considered. Committee members will be present to answer questions about the resources.
If you are unable to attend the open houses, you can review the materials in person at the WESD Administrative Center, located at 4650 W. Sweetwater Ave. in Glendale, during regular business hours from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Materials are available for review through Jan. 13.
The adoption committee will review all feedback to help make an informed recommendation to the Governing Board. All materials being reviewed are aligned to the Arizona Mathematics Standards.
If you have questions about the math materials or the process, please contact Paula McWhirter, director of curriculum and instruction, at paula.mcwhirter@wesdschools.org.
WESD will host ESL family engagement event
Washington Elementary School District (WESD) will host its first English Learner Family Engagement Night of the school year on Thursday, Nov. 17, from 5-7 p.m. at Mountain View School. The event will include a celebration of EL spotlight students, a math game for students to learn about place value, and information on Rosetta Stone and other online resources. WESD Translations Services will be available for families who need assistance.
For more information, contact Anna Mickey at 602-347-2639.
Sunnyslope Elementary School principal Chance Whiteman poses with his wife (center), WESD governing board president Tee Lambert (right) and governing board member Bill Adams (left).
Teachers win APS Supply My Class awards
Washington Elementary School District (WESD) recently recognized several teachers for winning the APS Supply My Class Award. Congratulations were extended to Mountain View School teacher Tameliyah Vann and Sunnyslope Elementary School teachers Caroline Indelicato and Rachel O’Neil.
Entering its fifth year, the APS Supply My Class program awards $500 to randomly selected teachers in APS service territory to help ensure they have the resources they need to support their students’ success.
Desert View receives donation
Desert View Elementary School recently received a donation of $300 worth of gift cards from Dick’s Sporting Goods and the Phoenix Police Department during a recent “Coffee with a Cop” event. The school used the funds to purchase new physical education equipment to benefit students during recess.
Sunnyslope principal earns Hope Honors award
Sunnyslope Elementary School principal Chance Whiteman recently attended the 17th Annual MASTERS Institute conference where he was recognized as a 2022 Hope Honors recipient. This award celebrates organizations and individuals for their outstanding leadership, courage and efforts in embracing the Kids at Hope philosophy of all children are capable of success, No Exception.
WESD governing board president Tee Lambert and WESD governing board member Bill Adams were also in attendance to help celebrate Whiteman.
Private and Charter Schools
Brophy’s National Merit Semifinalists included (pictured L–R) Jackson Scrimpshire, Benjamin Jackson, Adrian Yordanov, Nicolas Cevallos, Evan Connor, Nicholas Butkiewicz, Charles Palmer, Sam Troester, Robert Munhall, Quinn Dorward, Daniel Robaina, Ethan Lacey and Carson Lauer (photo by Jake Kelly).
Brophy’s National Merit Commended Students include (pictured L–R) Michael Yuh, Thomas Liddy, Jackson Jonkosky, Aidan Lin, Cooper Pitts, Jacob Sesate, Peter Calihan, Austin Moran, Christian Chun, Spencer Cowles, Sameer Godbole, Greyson Gomez and Spencer Good. Not pictured: Miquel Quintana III and Jairus Wong (photo by Jake Kelly).
Seniors named Merit semifinalists, commended
Twenty-eight Brophy College Preparatory seniors received some form of National Merit recognition in the 2023 NMSQT competition.
Thirteen Brophy seniors were named National Merit semifinalists. These academically accomplished young men now have the opportunity to continue in the National Merit Scholarship program competition. The national pool of semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes those students who scored highest on the PSAT/NMSQT in each state.
In addition, 15 Brophy seniors were named National Merit Commended Students. Commended students are recognized for their academic promise demonstrated by their performance on the PSAT/NMSQT last year.
For additional information, call 602-264-5291 or visit www.brophyprep.org.
MHP fall STEM Night includes NHS induction
Madison Highland Prep hosted its ninth annual Fall STEM Night Sept. 22. The event boasted a rocket launch by Ms. Boyd’s Aerospace Engineering class, a Drone Team demonstration by Ms. Gomez’s competitive Aerial Drone Team, and a National Honor Society (NHS) induction ceremony of 54 of Madison Highland Prep’s brightest and best.
These NHS inductees go through a rigorous selection process including maintaining a consistent 3.5 GPA, no “Cs” on their transcripts, an application with a writing piece showing their commitment to the four pillars of NHS, and finally a teacher selection committee who review each students’ individual application.
This year’s induction included the following students: Piper Adamo, Shehed Alomara, Cristian Alvarez-Rooney, Anahi Arrendondo, Jultiza Arriaga, Liam Aupperlee, Briana Block, Gillian Blundell, Jadon Buckwalter, Delilah Burrell, Abigail Casarrubias, Dahlia Conclar, Thomas Contes, Emily Cvetovac, Naomi Davis, Casey Deng, Jaron Dispo, Donovan Duiven, Nikolas Eamigh, Shila Emmons, Clare Foley, Evan Fritz, Andrew Hammons, Natalia Hernandez Jimenez, Angel Hernandez Juarez, Isabella Jameson Fulton, Ethan Jones, Sophia Kristoff, Braden Kuenne, Jonathan Lopez, Collin Luster, Rylan Marino, William Marsh, Josiah Martinez, James Morzella, Aiden Morphrey, Fabian Nava Hernandez, Corey Osborn, Loenardo Parra Chaparro, Armand Quinn, Harrison Red Comunale, Amalie Reddy, Devon Reeves, Carter Rodriguez, Duncan Sanders, Nicholas Sanders, Anna Sandoval, Voss Sellers, Lily Smithson, Jayne Thomas, Miguel Villanueva, Adriana Vasquez, Maya Vogelson and Katherine Wazny.
For additional information, visit www.madisonhighlandprep.com.
Pictured at the 15th Annual X-Breakfast are (L-R) Sr. Lynn Winsor, BVM, ’71, Sr. Joanie Nuckols, BVM, Sr. Joan Fitzgerald, BVM, Xavier Gator, and speakers Jamie Boggs, ’95, and Christina Beloud ’87 (photo by Aaron/Tavits Photography).
X-Breakfast raises funds for scholarships
Xavier College Preparatory’s 15th Annual X-Breakfast was held on Xavier’s campus with close to a thousand people attending. Most were alumnae and their family and friends.
The annual event is a cornerstone of Xavier’s fundraising efforts — all proceeds go toward scholarships for students who would otherwise not be able to attend the college prep high school.
Keynote speakers included Christina Beloud (‘87 alumna), National Football League (NFL) security representative for Arizona, and Jamie Boggs (‘95 alumna), vice president of Athletics for Grand Canyon University (GCU). Both women spoke about their experiences in male-dominated fields and how Xavier gave them the critical foundation to succeed. Boggs is the first female athletic director at GCU and Beloud had a long career as a Secret Service Agent before joining the NFL.
X-Breakfast was emceed by the school’s vice president for Activities and Athletic director, Sister Lynn Winsor, BVM, who was recognized for her work as a Title IX trailblazer. Head Varsity Basketball coach Jennifer Gillom, a recent inductee into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, was recognized for winning not one but two gold medals at the Olympic Games in Seoul and London.
With the generous gifts still being given, the total amount raised for student scholarships is projected to surpass $300,000. There is still time to donate. Visit www.xcp.org/giving/xbreakfast for details.
