We begin by highlighting two of our middle school concert bands from Sunset Ridge School and Sierra Verde STEAM Academy.

Both bands took home a superior with distinction for their performances at the ABODA middle school state Concert Festival! The rating is comparable to the grade of “A” in the fine arts world.  This rating reflects the finest conceivable performance for the event and class of participants being evaluated.

These two bands were identified as worthy of this distinction and were recognized as among the very best for their performances at the festival.

With the highest possible rating from Sunset Ridge School, The Hawk Band, led by director, Dr. Karen Kunz. 

And from Sierra Verde STEAM Academy, the Viper Symphonic Band, lead by band director Benjamin Lynch.

Every fall, a statewide search by the Phoenix Chapter of the National Alliance of African American Athletes Scholars begins to find premiere African-American male scholar athletes. These Arizona student athletes must exhibit a commitment to high academic standards and substantial service to their communities. Through mentoring and counseling, the organization hopes to empower this generation of African American males to not only succeed in the athletic arena, but to also become productive members of society.

Mountain Ridge High School class of 2023 graduate, Korey Johnson, was selected as one of 14 Phoenix Chapter of National Alliance of African American Athletes scholars for the class of 2023. Korey could not be in attendance for the meeting as he is committed to playing football at the Air Force Academy in Colorado as a defensive back, and is currently attending school at the academy.

We wanted to celebrate his accomplishment as he joins the long list of NFL athletes including: Christian Kirk, Brett Hundley, Devon Kennard, Everson Griffin and even current Arizona Cardinals quarterback,  Josh Dobbs!  

Congratulations to Mountain Ridge High School’s, Korey Johnson!

Next, we have the Arizona PTA Power Partner Award which recognizes an education professional in a non-teaching role currently with or on behalf of children. Support staff are the cornerstones of the school community, serving in a non-teaching capacity. This nominee is a member of the PTA and exemplifies the mission and purposes of PTA. 

The Arizona PTA is a State Congress of the National PTA working collaboratively with national and local education, health, safety and child advocacy groups. Their mission is to make every child's potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for children. Needless to say, our very own Las Brisas Principal, Mara Kurasch, truly exemplifies the mission and purpose of every child. One voice.

Congratulations to the 2023 Power Partner, from Las Brisas Elementary School, Mara Kurasch.

Lastly, the Arizona State University Impact Corps is a group of teachers making a meaningful impact on their students and communities. DVUSD has three #extraordinary teachers from Boulder Creek High School that are Inaugural Cohort Members!

The Inaugural Cohort of the ASU Impact Corps consists of 12 members from 7 different high schools across Arizona. They worked together during a Members Retreat from May 31st to June 2nd where they discussed promising practices and the state of education in AZ and learned about a variety of resources available to K-12 schools from ASU, as well as drafted a mentor plan to expand their reach through the next school year.

The instructional team approach between two engineering teachers, Mr. Andrew Jordan & Mr. Donald Baxley, and one of the school’s math teachers, Ms. Juliette Baldwin is a massive accomplishment. Boulder Creek graduates show a high rate of success in 100 & 200-level engineering courses at the state's public universities. Bachelor's degrees in engineering are also one of the most popular choices for BCHS graduates. 

Congratulations to the ASU Impact Corps members from Boulder Creek High School:  Donald Baxley, Juliette Baldwin, and Andrew Jordan.