Glendale Union High School District
District superintendent announces retirement
GUHSD Superintendent Brian Capistran will retire in June 2025 after 30 years with the district (submitted photo).
Superintendent Brian Capistran has announced his retirement, effective June 2025, after a remarkable 30-year career with the Glendale Union High School District (GUHSD).
GUHSD, the second-largest high school district in Arizona, serves over 16,000 students in the Phoenix and Glendale communities and is recognized as one of the state’s top-performing districts.
“Superintendent Capistran’s tenure has been marked by exceptional leadership and a steadfast commitment to public education,” the district said.
He began his career as a Spanish teacher and coach at Sunnyslope High School. He later moved into administration as an assistant principal at Sunnyslope before moving to Apollo High School, where he served as assistant principal and eventually became the school’s principal. His districtwide leadership roles included school safety administrator, assistant superintendent, and associate superintendent of curriculum and instruction before being named superintendent in 2015.
Under his leadership, GUHSD and all of its comprehensive high schools recently achieved “A” ratings from the Arizona Department of Education, highlighting the district’s dedication to academic excellence. Beyond his contributions within the district, Capistran has been a dedicated advocate for public education, serving on local, state and national boards and committees, including the Glendale Chamber of Commerce, the Arizona Business and Education Coalition and the AASA/The School Superintendents Association.
In recognition of his contributions to education, Capistran was honored with the ASA All Arizona Superintendent award for a large school district. His career reflects a legacy of collaboration, high standards, and a deep commitment to the success of GUHSD students, families, and staff.
The GUHSD Governing Board will announce the process for selecting the district’s next superintendent in the coming weeks. The new superintendent is expected to begin their role on July 1, 2025. For more information, visit www.guhsdaz.org.
Sunnyslope seniors Mayline Sanchez Torres, Asia Martin and Angel Santana Torres were notified that they had earned full ride scholarships to the college of their choice (submitted photo).
Sunnyslope seniors earn scholarships
GUHSD congratulated three seniors from Sunnyslope High School who received the QuestBridge Scholarship and thus earned full ride scholarships to their choice of college. The three Viking scholars are all New England bound: Asia Martin, Wellesley College; Mayline Sanchez Torres, Brown University; and Angel Santana Torres, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
QuestBridge connects high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds with a thriving community and transformative educational, career and life opportunities to help propel them to lives of fulfillment, meaning and purpose.
Madison School District
‘Fall in love with Madison’
The Madison School District invites educators and job seekers to its “Fall in Love with Madison” employment mixer event Feb. 11 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the Madison Center for the Arts (5601 N. 16th St., Phoenix). Attendees can learn about the district, meet principals and district administration, explore career opportunities and enjoy light appetizers.
The district says that it prides itself on fostering a welcoming and supportive environment for both staff and students and offers “competitive pay and benefits, professional development opportunities and a culture of innovation.”
The district is hiring teachers, bus drivers, special education paraprofessionals, before and after school program staff and more. To learn more and to RSVP for the event, visit www.madisonaz.org/jobs.
Enrollment is open for 2025-26 school year
The Madison School District is now accepting open enrollment applications for the 2025-26 school year. An A-rated district by the Arizona Department of Education and known for its commitment to academic excellence, Madison provides students with caring, dedicated teachers and staff who support their growth and help them reach their full potential.
The district offers a variety of signature programs that encourage students to explore their unique interests and talents at both the elementary and middle school level. Programs include Visual & Performing Arts at Madison Rose Lane and Madison No. 1, Spanish Immersion at Madison Heights and Madison No. 1, REACH – Profoundly Gifted at Madison Heights and Madison Park, International Baccalaureate (IB) at Madison Simis and Madison Meadows, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) at Madison Camelview and Madison Park, and a Traditional Academy program at Madison Traditional Academy, which provides an advanced and accelerated curriculum for all students at the school.
The open enrollment process allows families to select the school that will be the best fit for their child. For more information, visit www.madisonaz.org/enroll to learn more about open enrollment, submit an application or schedule a school tour.
Six district schools named ‘Best’
U.S. News & World Report has named six schools in the Madison School District in their “Best” public school rankings for 2025. Madison Heights Elementary, Madison Simis Elementary and Madison Camelview Elementary received the “Best Elementary School” award and Madison Meadows Middle School and Madison No. 1 Middle School received the “Best Middle School” award. Madison Traditional Academy, which is a kindergarten through eighth grade school, was named in both the “Best Elementary” and “Best Middle School” categories.
Madison School District serves students in preschool through eighth grade. More information is available at www.madisonaz.org.
Osborn School District
Registration open for 2025-26
Families who are looking for a school that not only knows the importance of students beginning the day with nutrition but that by offering healthy, well-balanced meals, students are provided with the nutrition they need to succeed at school may want to check out the Osborn School District.
Osborn’s Child Nutrition Department has been recognized both at the state and national level for its commitment to serving healthy meals. This year, all Osborn schools were recognized by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation as America’s Healthiest Schools. From buying local to looking at ways to expand the number of made from scratch foods on the menu, Osborn’s Child Nutrition Department works hard to help students be ready to learn in any of Osborn’s award-winning schools.
Enrollment for the 2025-26 school year is underway and there are still spots open, “But you’ll want to register soon to reserve your child’s spot before classes fill up,” the district said.
To find out more about program offerings, schedule a tour or register a student, visit www.osbornschools.org or call 602-707-2000.
Camelback’s Community Based Training students spent a day of education and engagement with Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office staff (submitted photo).
Phoenix Union High School District
Camelback hosts sheriff’s office
On Thursday, Dec. 12, Camelback High School hosted the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) for an event that officers donated their personal time and resources for.
In the Phoenix Union High School District (PXU), special needs students with a range of disabilities receive support from the district’s Exceptional Student Services (ESS) department. Camelback’s Community Based Training students, who spend time learning practical life skills within their curriculum, wrote letters to Santa in their English class. These letters were given to the MCSO and their officers generously granted the wishes of these Camelback students.
In addition to giving presents to these students, the MCSO had another important purpose for the day. The law enforcement agency brought 33 officers, deputies and civilian staff along with various vehicles, K9 dogs, horses and even landed a helicopter containing Buddy the Elf and Rudolph the Reindeer on the field at Camelback High School. This huge effort was all to help the practical students at Camelback become more comfortable engaging with law enforcement.
One of the important lessons the students are learning this year is how to advocate for themselves and their needs despite varying levels of communication and comfortability with interactions. Every student has created an In Case of Emergency (ICE) card that explains their medical/neurological condition, gives instructions on how to interact with them, and contains their name and emergency contact information.
With the officers present in a safe, controlled environment, the students were able to practice speaking to officers and presenting them with their ICE card to prepare for real-world situations in which law enforcement may be involved. This event was made possible by Camelback High School Exceptional Student Specialist Valerie Newman and MCSO employee/Camelback parent Gracie Guerrero Aguilar. Through their collaboration, MCSO was able to give back to their community, and the ESS students at Camelback had positive and productive interactions with law enforcement to prepare them for life outside of high school.
Washington Elementary School District
Kindergarten open house scheduled
Parents who have a future kindergartner are invited to join their neighborhood Washington Elementary School District (WESD) school for a Kindergarten Open House event on Tuesday, Jan. 28, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Offered at 27 different locations, this event will offer the opportunity for parents and their child to learn about the WESD kindergarten program, meet dedicated teachers, explore engaging classrooms, receive important information about the KidSpace childcare program, transportation services and school meals and more.
Contact your school with questions. To learn about kindergarten enrollment, visit www.wesdschools.org/kindergarten.
Educators are ‘Wishes’ recipients
WESD extended congratulations to Shawon Cave, third grade math and science teacher, and Alexa Hawkins, third grade English Language Arts teacher at Desert View Elementary School. They were chosen as winners of the Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers program.
Each year during the holiday season, Arizona K-12 teachers are randomly selected to receive a $2,500 grant to fund classroom supplies and projects as part of the program. Cave will use his funds to purchase flexible seating options for his students, while Hawkins will spend her grant on additional books and seating for her students.
The district offered thanks to Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl for supporting the teachers in the WESD family.
District seeks teachers, will host interview fair
WESD is offering teacher contracts for the 2025-26 school year. Whether a seasoned educator or just starting their teaching career, residents are invited to join the district’s team. A teacher interview fair will be held Saturday, Jan. 11, from 8:30 to 11 a.m. at the WESD administrative center, 4650 W. Sweetwater, Glendale.
The district offers competitive teacher salaries of $53,000-$84,950 with performance pay, student loan forgiveness, school-age childcare discounts, medical, dental and vision benefits, employer-matched contributions to Arizona State Retirement and more. The district says that what also makes it stand out is the level of support provided for teachers – instructional coaches on every campus, weekly half-day Professional Learning Communities (PLC), comprehensive professional development and social workers on each campus who provide social and emotional support to students and teachers.
Walk-ins are welcome. Those who would like to pre-schedule an interview should call 602-347-2622. Prospective employees can also apply online at https://jobs.wesdschools.org.
