Deer Valley Unified School District

I am honored to be the principal at Union Park School. I am also excited about the amazing staff who nurtures, cultivates, and shapes our school community into a family where students, parents, and staff alike love to teach, learn, and work in partnership toward an extraordinary education for our students. We continue to build an amazing Spanish Immersion school from the ground up, literally and figuratively, together with the Union Park and surrounding community.

Professionally, I have been an educator for over 27 years. This is my 23rd year serving the Deer Valley Unified School District. I have many varied and exciting experiences as an educator. Previous to this position, I was the principal at Canyon Springs for nine years, the principal at New River Elementary School for seven years, the assistant principal at Gavilan Peak School and Desert Mountain School, as well as a special education and general education teacher in Cave Creek, AZ, Bullock Creek, MI, and in the far away land of the long white cloud, New Zealand.

Educationally, I consider myself a life-long learner. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Special Education as well as a Master’s Degree in Administration and Supervision.  I keep current with trends in education by reading educational journals, including books, case law, and research. I also attend state, national, and local educational conferences on trends and instructional best practices regularly.

Philosophically, I have high expectations for all students. I believe all students can be successful as long as they are provided the scaffolding they need by highly effective teachers.  Teachers should be provided engaging and systemic professional development opportunities to learn strategies to support their students. As an administrator, I make decisions that I believe are in the best interest of students.

Personally, I am a native Michigander.  Although the summers up in Traverse City are beautiful, the winters pointed us in the southwesterly direction. I am the proud mom of a Freshman (Izzy) at Northern Arizona University and a Sophomore (Oscar) at BCHS as well as twin 29 year-old step-sons. Family is incredibly important to me. It is for this reason that my husband and I chose to build our lives and first home in Anthem in 2000. We enjoy a wonderful and busy life with our family just north of Union Park.

I am proud to make Union Park my home. It is, and will continue to be, a pillar of pride in our community.

Mrs. Tricia Graham