April 26, 2017
PHOENIX UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT
The U.S. News and World Report released its Top High Schools rankings today, and Phoenix Union had four schools listed as Bronze schools-Metro Tech, North, Camelback and Bioscience. The rankings were based on a 2015 cohort, and included school proficiency in state reading and math exams, factoring in the percentage of lower income students, graduation rate, and college readiness as determined by AP participation and passing rates. The publication looked at 22,000 high schools, and ranked 6,041 as Gold (1-500) Silver (2,109 schools) and Bronze (3,432 schools). Many of the schools were ranked by state. Metro Tech was 65th; North, 71st and Camelback, 73rd in Arizona. Bioscience was not ranked.
------
The new Phoenix Union-Wilson College Prep will hold an Open House for incoming ninth graders, Saturday, May 6 from 8 a.m. to noon at the school located at 3005 E. Fillmore Street. Principal, teachers and staff, and current AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination) students from other campuses will be there to introduce students to the first school in the world to provide the successful AVID Secondary College Readiness system to all students. There will be food, opportunity to interview and apply for the school, and a scavenger hunt to learn more about the school, and earn Arizona Diamondback tickets. Over 50 students have already enrolled in the first class, which will have approximately 120 freshmen. The school is located next to Wilson Elementary School, where many students have experienced the AVID program before.
------
The Phoenix Union Foundation for Education Scholarship Open Golf Tournament will be held May 5 at the Grand Canyon University Golf Course. Proceeds from the tournament go to post-secondary scholarships for Phoenix Union students for next year. Proceeds from last year’s tournament and other fundraising efforts are being dispersed this month to seniors. The tournament has sold out the last four years, but there are still a few spots left. For more information, contact the Foundation at (480) 289-5761 or .
------
Summer School is just around the corner. Phoenix Union will be offering Summer School for continuing students, those going into 10th, 11th and 12th grade and a Freshman Academy for incoming 9th graders. Most schools will start May 30 and run until June 29, with morning and afternoon classes Monday through Thursday. Alhambra’s summer schools run June 5-June 29, Monday through Friday. Due to building maintenance projects this summer, Trevor Browne students will attend at the Maryvale campus, and Camelback students will attend at Linda Abril Educational Academy. Student registration began March 20 for continuing students, who can sign up with their counselors. For more information and what courses are offered in the summer, you can go to
------
The annual Phoenix Union Student Art Show was held April 26 at the Phoenix Art Museum, with the awards presentation at 6 p.m. in the Wolfswinkel Education Center. Over 100 art pieces representing 13 schools are judged in six categories: drawing, painting, traditional photo, digital photo, mixed media and 3-D (ceramics, jewelry or sculpture).
------
Phoenix Union will celebrate its athletes and athletic programs at the Inaugural All-Phoenix Union Sports Awards, May 9 at Central High School. The 11 schools that offer interscholastic athletics will select male and female Players of the Year for each team and individual sport, as well as Academic Student-Athletes, and recognize an All-Phoenix Union 1st Team for each team sport. The event will feature over 120 of the top student-athletes, coaches, athletic directors and programs across the District. The keynote address will be delivered by former North High Basketball All-State Alumnus and rising star of the Phoenix Suns, Alan “Big Sauce” Williams. The Awards presentations ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. in Central High’s auditorium with the evening concluding with awarding of the Most Outstanding Sports Program at 8 p.m. Parents and community members are invited to attend this free event. For more information, contact the PUHSD Athletic Office at (602) 764-1334.
ALHAMBRA
Alhambra was the Division III Baseball State Champion last year, but this year the Lions were moved up to 6A with the largest schools in the state. Alhambra won the Metro Region, went 9-1 and 15-3 overall, but was only seeded #20 in the rankings. That meant they had to “play into” the State Tournament. Alhambra’s post-season run ended in a Play-in game in Yuma, dropping a 4-3 decision to Kofa High School, April 26.
BETTY FAIRFAX
The Third Annual Stampede Football Family Golf Benefit will be held Saturday, April 29 at Southern Ridge Golf Club in Laveen. The four-person scramble with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start generates funds for the football program. Sponsorships are available, or a $70 donation per golfer. There will be gift bags and shirts, a BBQ lunch, raffle and prizes. For more information, contact Stampede Booster at , or Coach Dylan Winemiller at .
CENTRAL
Global Studies teacher John Gerace was selected as an Arizona Diamondbacks M.V.T. (Most Valuable Teacher). He will be honored at the Diamondbacks game, Friday, April 28.
CESAR CHAVEZ
The 13th annual Senior Portfolio Night will be held at the Talking Stick Resort Arena, May 3 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. and for the first time, South Mountain High School will join Chavez for the South Phoenix High Schools Senior Portfolio Night. All seniors will exhibit their best work from their high school career in the areas of academics, extracurricular activities, and community service. Admission is free. Susan Soto, who spearheaded Portfolio Night at Cesar Chavez, moved to South Mountain this year as its Professional Development Specialist, and brought the Jaguars on board. She is expecting 10,000 attendees for the event.
FRANKLIN POLICE AND FIRE
Franklin Police and Fire High School has repeated as champions in the 14th annual Arizona State High School Fire Science Muster in the girls competition and the overall championship, April 22. It was the fifth championship in a row for the girls team and second straight for the boys. Franklin’s senior boys team recorded the first and second-best times among the 12 schools and 40 teams competing.
The winning boys team is Jacob Sierra; Alex Ramsey; Manuel Valadez; Jesus Lara; Miguel Mancera. The winning girls are Alexy Perez; Karla Ruelas; Alexis Quezada; Jasmine Flores; Yesenia Salas
The teams are coached by fire instructors Richard Verduzco and Gabriel Medrano.
“Our motto this year was "One Perfect Run" and that's what it took for us to repeat as champs,” Verduzco said.
The fire muster competition simulates the skills of donning turnouts (protective fire clothes and gear) putting on the Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), securing a water source from a fire hydrant, advancing a fire attack hose line, and performing a rescue drag of a 165-pound mannequin.
MARYVALE
Maryvale Coding Innovators attended competition at ASU Skysong, April 22. Teams of students from schools all over the Valley displayed their apps through a gallery walk and other teams presented a pitch for their product. One of Maryvale’s teams, Jennifer Gonzalez and Catia Flores Gomez,won second place in the pitch completion. The second place win was for an app called Reality Check to help with double standards.
Maryvale Coding Innovators is funded through a grant from ASU and Verizon. Students learn coding, find a business partner, and design an app to fill a need.
------
The Phoenix Union Gifted and Talented Academy will debut as a “school-within-a-school” at Maryvale High School in August. Applications for incoming ninth-graders are available at . The school will be accepting approximately 40 ninth-grade students. For more information, contact Dr. Renu Singh at (602) 764-2016 or .
METRO TECH
Metro Tech is one of the stops for Future Sun Devil Signing Day, Thursday, April 27, welcoming seniors who have chosen Arizona State University. ASU will arrive at 8:30 a.m. on a double decker-wrapped bus with ASU Admission Services staff, other ASU personnel, ASU media, Sparky, spirit squad, music, and lots of ASU giveaway items. There will have posters for students to sign showing their commitment to ASU and a photo booth items for students to take pictures and post on social media. April 27 is National College Signing Day this year.
NORTH
Vanessa Casillaswill be recommended to the Governing Board, May 3, as the North High School Principal, beginning in July of 2017.
Casillas returns to the District where she went to school, and where she began her educational career. A Carl Hayden graduate, she began her career at the school in 2003 as an English teacher.
Casillas is currently an assistant principal at Mesa High School, a post she has held for four years. Her first administrative assignment was as an assistant principal at Pueblo Magnet High School in the Tucson Unified School District, from 2010-2012.
Casillas was the District’s first Chicanos Por la Causa Esperanza Award winner in 2009, honoring Latino teachers who inspire students of all backgrounds, play an active role in the school, and demonstrate a true commitment to the community. Then Vanessa Valenzuela, she served as the Student Government advisor, rose to English Department Instructional Leader, and was an administrative intern in her final year at Carl Hayden.
Casillas has a B.S. in Secondary Education, and two Masters- Bilingual Multicultural Education, and Educational Leadership, all from Northern Arizona University.
-----
North High is calling all incoming International Baccalaureate students with a Registration Rally, Thursday, May 11 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. The rally, which will be held in the North Library, is for students who still need to turn in registration packets, become enrolled, and avoid getting registered in the summer or at the start of school. The IB magnet program is one of the longest and most successful programs in Arizona. For more information, call (602) 764-6500.
------
This year, North High and Cesar Chavez High School piloted a new curriculum called SEED SPOT NEXT. After years of success working with adult entrepreneurs, SEED SPOT launched the NEXT program to empower students to create change through entrepreneurship, providing curriculum, training and resources to teach entrepreneurship. The students’ objective was tocreate a social venture team solving a problemfrom topics related tohome, school, local and state, or national and global.
North High School had itsfirst ever Demo Day, April 21. Thirty venture teams from Rita Lopez'Business 1-2 classes pitched their venture to judges.Four teams were selected to continue to pitch their venture atSEED SPOT NEXT NationalDemo Day on Saturday, May 6 at Camelback High School, with the winning team receiving $5000 towards their venture. North winning presenters were Ruryck Adame; Mercedes Devian, the team ofYessy Garcia, Ivan Loza Morales, and Josue Fabela Martinezand the team of Marco Bustos and Chiara Castiglione, an exchange student from Italy.
Student ventures ranged from solving domestic violence, health and environment, to academics.
------
To honor the work of former North High School International Baccalaureate DirectorJulie Pallissard, two families of former students are offering four $500 scholarships to IB Diploma candidates this year. The school is hoping to expand the scholarship by raising more money. Every dollar raised for this fund will go directly to supporting students in the North High IB program in their efforts to attend higher learning institutions.
Pallissard worked diligently to provide an exceptional education to highly motivated students in the community. Her goal was to give access to all students (first generation, underrepresented, undocumented, etc.) to a free, rigorous education to prepare them for success in college, career and life.
PHOENIX CODING ACADEMY
The U.S. Green Building Council of Arizona is touring the Phoenix Coding Academy, a LEED Gold-certified school, April 27. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Design. Coding Academy is the first LEED-certified school in Phoenix Union, which opened this school year. Visitors will learnhow architects and engineers developed solutions for energy management, energy and water efficiency, and indoor air quality to achieve LEED Gold certification Features such as a real-time sustainability kiosk were implemented to invite personnel to interact and analyze the sustainability practices of the building.
SOUTH MOUNTAIN
South Mountain is joining Cesar Chavez for the South Phoenix High Schools Senior Portfolio Night at the Talking Stick Resort Arena, May 3 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Chavez has held this event the past 12 years, and for the first time, South Mountain High School will join Chavez the event. All seniors will exhibit their best work from their high school career in the areas of academics, extracurricular activities, and community service. Admission is free. Susan Soto, who spearheaded Portfolio Night at Cesar Chavez, moved to South Mountain this year and brought the Jaguars on board. She is expecting 10,000 attendees for the event.
------
Social Studies teacher CharlieDiaz has been invited to his second National Institute for the Humanities Summer Institute in three years. There are only 25 teachers selected from a nationwide pool of applicants. Diaz will spend four weeks in Chicago learning about the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.
TREVOR BROWNE
The Trevor Browne Band and Orchestra represented Trevor Browne well with a rating of "Excellent" for both groups at the Eastern Arizona College competition, Wednesday, April 12.
The TGB Jazz Band qualified for State and will compete April 27 at Mesa Community College.