Glendale Union High School District
Students, parents invited to Future Freshman Night
Glendale Union High School District’s (GUHSD) Future Freshman Night will be held Thursday, Nov. 16, 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.
Join the district at neighborhood schools to learn about its 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. Visit www.guhsdaz.org for more information.
Thunderbird volleyball places first
Thunderbird High School’s Volleyball Varsity team played in the Goldwater Tournament and ended up taking home the trophy and finishing with a 7-1 record. Titans’ Naomi Walsh took home a trophy, as she was voted to the All-Tournament Team and Alison Miller hit a milestone of 1,000 career digs.
Washington High students earn recognition
Washington High School students Luis Medina Gomez and Ramsey Thompson earned special recognition from the College Board. They were given this honor because of their GPA of 3.5 or higher and outstanding performance on the PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, and/or AP Exams.
Online Learning Academy teacher Caitlin Kennedy helps a student with the trebuchet at the district’s first “Saturdays with Science” event (photo courtesy of Glendale Union High School District).
District hosts ‘Saturdays with Science’
Glendale Union High School District held its first “Saturdays with Science” event in October.
Teacher Caitlin Kennedy invited her science students to participate in having fun with a trebuchet. Fun was had by all launching tomatoes on a Saturday morning at the Online Learning Academy.
NJROTC cadets from Thunderbird High School joined teams from several states to compete in the Raider Challenge in Tucson (photo courtesy of Glendale Union High School District).
NJROTC cadets compete in Raider Challenge
Thunderbird High School’s NJROTC cadets showcased their strength, determination, and teamwork on Sept. 30 at the Raider Challenge at Sahuarita High School in Tucson. Thirty teams from several states participated in the challenge, which included physical fitness, rifle, a vehicle pull, and more.
The Raider Challenge is a popular athletic competition held within Junior ROTC programs around the United States. The event included 10 physically demanding challenges plus a finale – a 4.3-mile run through mud, sand and obstacles. The challenge is designed to enhance teamwork, leadership, critical thinking and problem-solving skills to improve the self-confidence and esprit de corps of each cadet through the spirit of competition.
Madison School District
Open enrollment to begin online
Madison Elementary School District will begin accepting open enrollment applications online for the 2024–25 school year Dec. 1. Open enrollment allows families who live outside of a school’s attendance boundary to apply for enrollment at the school.
All eight of Madison’s elementary and middle schools offer signature programs to enhance children’s educational experience by providing opportunities to pursue and develop their interests and talents alongside their academic classes. Madison’s signature programs are offered at both the elementary and middle school levels and prepare students for success in high school and beyond. Madison’s signature programs include Visual & Performing Arts, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, math), Spanish Immersion, REACH – Profoundly Gifted, International Baccalaureate and Traditional Academy.
More information about Madison’s signature programs and enrollment is available at www.madisonaz.org.
ARTRAGEOUS supports Madison foundation
The Madison Education Foundation AZ invites residents to attend the 2023 ArtRageos pre-show VIP event at the Madison Center for the Arts, 5601 N. 16th St. The pre-show event will be held Friday, Nov. 17, at 5 p.m. All VIP ticket sales will benefit the Madison Education Foundation and its efforts to support over 6,000 students in receiving hands-on innovative programs in music and the arts.
Purchase VIP tickets at www.themadison.org/event/artrageous. Learn more about the foundation at www.madisoneducationfoundation.org.
Camelview named CS100 School
Madison Camelview Elementary was recently named a 2023-2024 CS100 School as recognized by the CS is Elementary program. Schools receiving the CS100 award commit to teaching 100 percent of their elementary students at least 10 hours of computer science throughout the school year, focused on coding, robotics, “unplugged” computer science instruction and creative computational-thinking instruction.
As a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) school, students at Madison Camelview have a dedicated computer science and coding class as part of their schedule each week and have opportunities to continue building their knowledge and skills in after-school clubs such as the Techno-makers club. In addition to the dedicated special-area classes, STEAM lessons and concepts are integrated into regular classroom activities and projects to help students build a strong foundation and grow to be innovators, creative problem-solvers and leaders.
Osborn School District
Young students lead at Encanto
With the 2023-24 school year well underway, Osborn schools have launched student clubs and activities, but at Encanto School, a campus for students ages 3-9, leadership gets to be demonstrated at the earliest of ages.
Most schools will see a student council for a traditional pre-K to sixth-grade campus with its highest leaders being pre-adolescents. But at Encanto those leadership roles are held by students that are just 7 and 8 years old. These amazing Encanto leaders received certificates of membership from their principal, Felipe Carranza.
Leadership skills are not something that just come to a child automatically. Students get opportunities to learn and build those skills in class, but there are also ways to create further learning in afterschool classes and clubs. Encanto also has a beautiful way of building a warm culture within the school by gathering the whole student body and parents together in its central amphitheater to celebrate one another and Osborn’s Core Values. During a recent celebration of Joy led by the third-grade class, they showed that in unison, through singing an Encanto School song, which celebrates who they are as Encanto Roadrunners when they come together each day.
Phoenix Union High School District
Dual enrollment opportunities grow
Camelback High School has worked to grow its partnership with Maricopa Community Colleges to increase dual enrollment, and the school says that its efforts are paying off and students are reaping the benefits.
Dual enrollment has the potential to open post-secondary doors for students and give them the confidence to apply, attend and persist in college, the school says, adding that creating equal access and growing dual enrollment opportunities for students has been one of their top priorities.
Camelback High School currently is ranked sixth in the county for dual enrollment at Maricopa Community Colleges, competing with top high schools in Tempe Union, Deer Valley, and Chandler Unified Districts according to Maricopa Community Colleges Fast Facts (https://tabsoft.co/406MH4E). Through partnerships, the school has been able to make dual enrollment courses 100 percent free for all students, which it says is not the case for most high schools in the county.
The school says that its “work is leveling the playing field for students traditionally underserved and underrepresented in post-secondary education.”
Camelback High School is located at 4612 N. 28th St. and serves a diverse population of students from 69 different zip codes from Chandler to Surprise.
District bond measure on ballot
To address funding concerns affecting public schools, Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) will ask the local electorate to approve a bond measure in 2023. Funds will be used for maintenance and renovating existing structures; offsetting inflation-related price increases; addressing ever-evolving technology needs; supporting school facility safety; and creating flexible and innovative learning spaces that are relevant for today’s learners.
The district says that, when compared to other states, Arizona’s school funding formula falls short, creating an increased need for other funding sources. It will ask voters for a $475 million bond to fund the following types of improvement projects: construction and renovation of school buildings; expansion of the District’s portfolio of schools and innovative models accessible across PXU’s footprint; improvement of school grounds such as athletics and performing arts facilities; maintain state-of-the-art technology for students and staff; support campus facility safety; purchase of land and new construction, expand and upgrade the District’s digital networks; increase cybersecurity; purchase flexible furniture; and replace aging buses while expanding its alternative-fuel/electric fleet.
Visit www.pxu.org/bond to learn more about the bond.
Washington Elementary School District
Sunnyslope hosts Kids at Hope
More than 150 scholars, researchers and practitioners recently gathered for the 2023 Kids at Hope Master’s Institute at Sunnyslope School.
Sunnyslope was selected to host this year’s event over other schools in the Phoenix area. The purpose of the visit was to learn more about Sunnyslope’s Kids at Hope philosophy and how it creates a successful environment where students thrive. This philosophy has also helped transform the school into an environment where all adults believe all kids can succeed.
During the visit, guests were able to hear remarks from Principal Chance Whiteman and tour the campus.
Maryland School science teacher Kate Studey, on the right, was recognized for her efforts in environmental education (photo courtesy of Washington Elementary School District).
District students and staff are SUPER
The first SUPER Kids and SUPER Staff recognition of the 2023-24 school year was held in September. The district congratulated the recipients from Maryland School and Orangewood School.
SUPER Kids received a certificate and a free pizza from Peter Piper Pizza while SUPER Staff earned a certificate and a $10 Amazon gift card courtesy of Veregy. Established in 2006, the program celebrates select students and staff from each school for their achievements and contributions. As part of the celebration, WESD Superintendent Dr. Paul Stanton surprises the outstanding students and staff at their schools to congratulate them.
Maryland School science teacher recognized
Maryland School science teacher Kate Studey was recognized as the Outstanding Environmental Educator in P-12 Settings as part of the Arizona Association for Environmental Education’s (AAEE) Excellence in Environmental Education Awards.
The award honors individuals who are distinguished within the field of environmental education in P-12 settings. This is defined as activities that have primarily occurred within formal classroom or school environments with students ranging from preschool to high school. Candidates have completed their work to an outstanding degree that has significantly exceeded expectations, contributed to mentorship and services, engaged with diverse communities in an inclusive manner, and have actively engaged with their local communities.
Studey was officially presented with the award in September at the 2023 AAEE Annual Conference in Prescott.
