Five dedicated Sunnyslope High School staff members were recognized for reaching 25 years of service at a recent GUHSD governing board meeting (submitted photo).
Glendale Union High School District
Sunnyslope staff recognized
The Glendale Union High School District governing board recognized five dedicated Sunnyslope High School staff members for reaching 25 years of service. Honorees include counselor Johnny Frias, day porter Norris Hadley, world languages teacher Paul Hershberger, social studies teacher Michael Robinson and PE teacher and coach Sarah Schlesinger.
Each has made a profound impact through commitment to student success, community involvement, and leadership both in and out of the classroom.
District hosts future freshmen
The Glendale Union High School District invites eighth-grade students and their families to Future Freshman Night, a special evening designed to help prepare for the transition to high school and support student success for the upcoming school year.
On Wednesday, Nov. 12, events will be held at Cortez, Glendale, Greenway and Sunnyslope High Schools. On Thursday, Nov. 13, Apollo, Independence, Moon Valley, Thunderbird and Washington High Schools will open their doors to prospective students. The evening will provide insights into academic programs, sports, extracurricular activities, and student support services. Attendees will meet school staff, explore campus offerings, and begin building connections for a successful high school journey.
The event starts at 6:30 p.m. each evening and is open to all prospective GUHSD families.
Exhibition highlights GUHSD marching bands
Glendale Union High School District (GUHSD) will host its annual Marching Band Exhibition on Monday, Nov. 3, at Glendale Community College, starting at 6:30 p.m.
This free event is open to the public and will showcase performances from student musicians representing Apollo, Cortez, Glendale, Greenway, Independence, Moon Valley, Sunnyslope, Thunderbird and Washington high schools. Attendees will enjoy a night of music and school spirit as bands present their shows for the 2025 season.
Principals show exceptional leadership
The Glendale Union High School District governing board presented principals from every GUHSD high school with the prestigious Cognia Award, a symbol of exceptional leadership and dedication to excellence.
This rigorous, internationally recognized accreditation highlights the district’s commitment to high-quality teaching, organizational excellence and ongoing improvement, the district said, adding, “These accomplishments reflect the united efforts of students, staff, and families who work together toward success. Each day, GUHSD continues to honor the promise of student potential in every classroom and on every campus.”
Thunderbird seniors are semifinalists
The Glendale Union High School District governing board recognized Thunderbird High School seniors Jaydi Bricker and James Chandler, as semifinalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Ranking among the top one percent of U.S. high school seniors based on their PSAT scores, Bricker and Chandler now advance in the selection process for nearly 7,000 prestigious scholarships.
Osborn School District
Chef offers Blue Zone cooking class
Registered dietician and chef Theresa Mazza will present the second of a five-part series on the Blue Zones, regions globally known for having a high number of centenarians. The session will offer a hands-on cooking class highlighting the cuisine of Loma Linda, CA, the only Blue Zone in the U.S.
The class will be held at the Encanto Elementary School, 1420 W. Osborn Road, in the Garden Café on Thursday, Nov. 20, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Attendees should use the back entrance into the cafeteria off 13th Avenue.
For additional information, email tmazza@osbornsd.org.
Save the date for Merriment
Area residents are invited to save the date for the 10th annual Merriment in Melrose event, scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 13, 2-7 p.m.
Presented by the Melrose Community Alliance, the free community event will benefit the Osborn School District. Held on and around the corner of Montecito and 7th avenues in the Melrose District, the event will include live music, food trucks, family-friendly activities, local artisans and a tree lighting.
Learn more by visiting www.melrosecommunityalliance.com or www.osbornschools.org.
Madison School District
Madison teachers awarded APS grants
Eleven teachers from Madison Rose Lane Elementary, Madison Simis Elementary, Madison Meadows Middle School and Madison Traditional Academy were each recently awarded a $500 grant through the APS Supply My Class program.
The program helps support and recognize teachers across the APS service area by providing extra funds to support additional materials and resources for their classrooms and students.
Open enrollment begins Dec. 1
The Madison School District will begin accepting open enrollment applications for kindergarten through eighth grade for the 2026–27 school year beginning Dec. 1.
The district says that it offers rigorous and engaging instruction provided by professional, high-quality teachers. As a result, Madison students regularly score above average as measured by state assessments. Madison staff, students and schools are frequently recognized at both the local and national levels for their work and academic excellence.
Madison schools feature six signature programs at the elementary and middle school levels, designed to enhance learning by allowing students to explore their passions alongside their core academic subjects, preparing students for educational and career success.
Those programs include Visual & Performing Arts, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math), Spanish Immersion, International Baccalaureate, REACH – Profoundly Gifted and Traditional Academy.
Outside the classroom, the district offers a wide range of before and after-school care options and extracurricular opportunities. Students can participate in the Madison Adventure Club (MAC), athletics, school-sponsored clubs, and numerous on-campus clubs and activities provided by partner organizations.
To learn more about open enrollment or schedule a school tour, visit www.madisonaz.org/enroll.
Dozens of volunteers came together in October to distribute resources to more than 400 families in the Phoenix Union High School District community (submitted photo).
Phoenix Union High School District
Distribution event feeds PXU families
The Phoenix Union High School District Family & Community Engagement Center partnered with Feed the Children and the Popeyes Foundation on Thursday, Oct. 9, to distribute food and resource boxes to over 400 families in the PXU community.
Many of the volunteers present at the event traveled from other states to participate in distributing resources within the community.
If anyone in the Phoenix Union community needs information on campus and community resources, parent engagement, refugee support or unique populations (McKinney-Vento, Foster & Unaccompanied Youth), they are encouraged to reach out to the Family & Community Engagement Team at pxu-face@phoenixunion.org. The team also will be present at Phoenix Union’s upcoming EXPO at Phoenix College on Nov. 8 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Phoenix College is located at 1202 W. Thomas Road. For more information, visit www.pxu.org/expo.
APS grant supports teachers
On Oct. 1, two Phoenix Coding Academy teachers, Angie Gustafson and Dr. Emily Bogusch, were surprised with $500 from APS through their Supply My Class initiative.
Teachers often purchase classroom supplies themselves to provide students with the resources they need. To help ease this responsibility, the APS Supply My Class program awards 500 randomly-selected K-12 teachers within its service territory with a $500 prepaid card. Through this program, the company has awarded more than 5,500 teachers in the last seven years with funds to help ensure they have the resources they need to support their students’ success.
Washington Elementary School District
WESD seeks support for schools
This season of giving, WESD is asking residents to consider making a tax credit donation to their local WESD schools – including Desert View Elementary School, Maryland School, Moon Mountain Elementary School, Mountain View School, Orangewood School, Richard E. Miller Elementary School, Royal Palm Middle School and Sunnyslope School.
A contribution makes a direct and meaningful impact on students by supporting field trips, extracurricular activities, uniforms, equipment and stipends for coaches and sponsors. Best of all, tax credit donations can reduce Arizona state tax liability – up to $200 if filing single or $400 if filing jointly.
Visit the school’s front office to complete a tax credit form or donate online at https://bit.ly/3Ao6nZ7.
Learn more about WESD schools by visiting www.wesdschools.org.
Maryland School was recently recognized for its dedication to making an impact in environmental education (photo courtesy of Washington Elementary School District).
Maryland receives environmental award
The Washington Elementary School District (WESD) congratulated Maryland School for being recently honored with the 2025 Outstanding School or College Committed to Environmental Education Award by the Arizona Association for Environmental Education (AAEE).
This award recognizes Maryland’s dedication to making a real impact in environmental education through creative, inspiring practices that empower students and foster a love for the outdoors.
The district said, “The WESD Family is very proud of Maryland and appreciates their commitment to environmental education!”
Students join mentoring program
In October, WESD highlighted three students who were recognized at a recent Governing Board meeting for being selected to join the Washington Street Foundation (WSF) Mentoring Program.
During the board meeting, WSF executive director Jordan Augustine introduced the students who will receive this life-changing opportunity that will support them all the way through high school and into college. They include Bishop Cummings, sixth-grader at Maryland School; Lillith Russell, sixth-grader at Maryland School; and Allison Vazquez Gomez, seventh-grader at Sunnyslope School.
The students were chosen through a rigorous selection process, including nominations from their schools, a review of their academic performance, and both virtual and in-person interviews.
With the support of WSF and dedicated mentors, students will receive academic guidance, participate in enrichment activities and become eligible for up to $25,000 in college scholarships.
