Glendale Union High School District
Explore opportunities at teacher fair
Glendale Union High School District is inviting educators to explore career opportunities in a district committed to excellence and student success.
The GUHSD Teacher Career Fair will be held Saturday, Feb. 7, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Greenway High School, 3930 W. Greenway Road, and learn about teaching opportunities for the 2026–27 school year. Discover why GUHSD is recognized for academic achievement and strong support for professional growth.
Call 623-435-6017 to reserve an interview or visit www.guhsdaz.org for additional information.
GUHSD recognized for attendance initiative
GUHSD was honored with the 2025 Golden Bell Promise Award for High Schools by the Arizona School Boards Association, recognizing its impactful Attendance Matters: Show Up, Keep Up initiative.
Launched in 2023, the districtwide campaign focuses on reducing chronic absenteeism through family engagement, positive relationships and early intervention strategies. In just two years, GUHSD has achieved more than 5,700 fewer student absences, contributing to improved academic performance and graduation outcomes. The award highlights the district’s commitment to equity, student success, and shared responsibility in ensuring students are present, connected, and ready to learn.
Sunnyslope High School’s Varsity Boys Basketball team captured the Hoophall West Championship over winter break (submitted photo).
Basketball takes championship
Sunnyslope High School’s Varsity Boys Basketball team captured the Hoophall West Championship over winter break, defeating No. 5 nationally ranked Wheeler High School (Georgia) in a thrilling 61-59 title game.
Entering the semi-national tournament ranked No. 9 in the nation, the Sunnyslope Vikings delivered a national statement behind the leadership of head coach Ray Portela and a high-performing roster. Junior Darius Wabbington was named Hoophall West MVP after recording 23 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists in the championship game.
“With standout performances throughout the tournament, Sunnyslope High School looks ahead to a strong second half of the season with sights set on the AIA Open Division tournament,” the district said.
District launches Parent University
GUHSD announced the launch of its annual Parent University, a series of free workshops designed to help families support their teens throughout the high school years.
Several GUHSD campuses will host evening sessions led by trusted experts who will address real challenges facing students today. Each event will also feature resource tables from community partners, door prizes and Spanish translation services to ensure accessibility for all families.
Parent University will be held at Apollo High School on Feb. 3, and Cortez High School on Feb. 24, with all sessions running from 5 to 7 p.m. Open to all families, Parent University provides valuable information, resources, and opportunities for parents to stay informed and actively engaged in their students’ success.
Learn more at www.guhsdaz.org.
Schools recognized by College Board
Washington High School and Sunnyslope High School have been recognized by the College Board on the 2025 AP School Honor Roll, an honor that highlights schools expanding access to Advanced Placement coursework while achieving strong student outcomes.
Washington High School reported that more than 40 percent of seniors took at least one AP class, more than 30 percent earned college credit with a score of “3” or higher on their AP Exam, and 15 percent completed five or more AP courses.
Sunnyslope High School earned Silver-level distinction, with 58 percent of seniors taking at least one AP exam, 48 percent earning a qualifying score, and 14 percent completing five or more AP exams.
Madison School District
Mixer event engages prospective employees
The Madison School District invites educators and job seekers to its annual “Fall in Love with Madison” employment mixer event on Feb. 9, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the Madison Center for the Arts, 5601 N. 16th St. Attendees can learn about the district, meet principals and district administration, explore career opportunities and enjoy light appetizers.
Madison is a high-performing district, regularly recognized for achievements at the state and national levels. Six Madison schools were recently named “Best” by U.S. News & World Report for 2026.
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.
Madison schools named ‘Best’
U.S. News & World Report has named six schools in the Madison School District in their “Best” public school rankings for 2026. Madison Heights Elementary, Madison Simis Elementary and Madison Rose Lane 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 serves both elementary and middle school students, was named in both the “Best Elementary” and “Best Middle School” categories.
Madison is a high-performing district, serving students in preschool through eighth grade. More information about the district’s schools and programs can be found at www.madisonaz.org.
Heights students excel in vocabulary competition
A team representing Madison Heights Elementary School achieved Highest Honors in the recent WordMasters Challenge, a national vocabulary competition involving nearly 125,000 students annually. The fourth-grade team, which competed in the very difficult Gold Division, scored an impressive 175 points out of a possible 200 in the first of three meets this year, placing sixth in the nation.
The event is an exercise in critical thinking that first encourages students to become familiar with a set of interesting new words (considerably harder than grade level), and then challenges them to use those words to complete analogies expressing various kinds of logical relationships. Working to solve the analogies helps students learn to think both analytically and metaphorically.
Although most vocabulary enrichment and analogy-solving programs are designed for use by high school students, the Challenge materials have been specifically created for younger students in grades three through eight. They are particularly well suited for children who are motivated by the challenge of learning new words and enjoy the logical puzzles posed by analogies.
Students in the Central High School Culinary program check out their new grow towers and imagine the tasty ingredients they will soon grow (photo courtesy of PXU).
Phoenix Union High School District
New grow towers inspire culinary students
On Jan. 8, Central High School Culinary students had an exciting afternoon after individuals from Project Roots arrived with three brand new grow towers for them to grow their own ingredients in the classroom.
Culinary students had the opportunity to assemble the grow towers themselves, and the school says that they are excited to grow fresh ingredients on their own.
Look for upcoming Future Freshman events
PXU will host Future Freshman events for prospective students and their families in the coming months.
Future Freshman Days will be held at Camelback High School, 4612 N. 28th St., Feb. 10 and 24. Events will also be held at Central High School, 4525 N. Central Ave., and North High School, 1101 E. Thomas Road; however, the dates were not yet available.
Future Freshman Nights will be held at Camelback High School on April 14 and at North High School Feb. 12; the date for Central High School was not yet determined.
For more information on each of these schools and to enroll for the 2026-27 school year, visit www.pxu.org/enroll.
PXU students receiving full QuestBridge scholarships include (left to right) Sofia Villa, Sara John and Miraje Jemal (photo courtesy of Phoenix Union High School District).
PXU students earn scholarships
Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) announced that three students received a full scholarship to various universities through the QuestBridge National College Match Program.
Through the National College Match, students can apply for free to the nation’s top colleges and be considered for early admission and a full four-year scholarship.
Sofia Villa from Camelback Montessori College Preparatory was matched with Washington and Lee University with the goal of studying as a pre-law student to ultimately go to law school and become an immigration lawyer. Sara John, an International Baccalaureate (IB) student at North High School, matched with Smith College and will study neuroscience to become a neurologist, and Miraje Jemal from Bioscience High School matched with Cornell University and has plans to study astronomy to prepare for a career conducting space research.
Washington Elementary School District
Future Raider Night is Feb. 19
Future sixth, seventh or eighth grade students and their families are invited to join Royal Palm Middle School, 8520 N. 19th Ave., for Future Raider Night on Thursday, Feb. 19, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
This event offers an opportunity to tour the campus, meet the staff, explore the programs and school culture, and learn what makes Royal Palm Middle School an “A” school for the last three years in a row, as designated by the Arizona Department of Education.
For more information, call the school office at 602-347-3200 or visit www.wesdschools.org.
LEGO robotics team excels
The Wayfinders team at Desert View Elementary School demonstrated exceptional teamwork, problem-solving and innovation at the recent regional LEGO Robotics competition, earning second place out of 28 teams. This outstanding accomplishment reflects the students’ dedication and hard work throughout the season.
The team will advance to the state championship, where they will continue to represent Desert View with pride.
