4 Tucson educators up for Arizona teacher of the year honor

4 Tucson educators finalists for teacher of the year honor

Four Tucson teachers are among the Arizona Educational Foundation’s 10 candidates for the 2021 Arizona Teacher of the Year Award.

Flowing Wells High School world history teacher Jeffrey Mann, Sahuarita Unified’s Wrightson Ridge School career and technical education teacher Sara Mora, Vail Unified’s Rincon Vista Middle School social studies teacher Elizabeth Shaw and Empire High School chemistry teacher Hillary Stacey are all finalists for the teacher of the year award.

The winner will receive $15,000 and receive all-paid trips to several national teacher of the year events, including a trip to the White House to meet the president.

“We’re proud to share the news of these 10 educators who consistently go above and beyond. Now they’re being asked to do more than ever. They are also essential workers,” said Jeff Meshey, president and CEO at Desert Financial credit union, the title sponsor for the award.

The award ceremony will be virtual this year on Oct. 23 at 6 p.m.

The Foundation will post a link at azedfoundation.org.

San Miguel students awarded $80K in college scholarships

San Miguel High School’s class of 2020 was awarded $80,000 in college scholarships from the H.S. Lopez Family Foundation during a drive-in graduation ceremony.

The 80 private school seniors had a 100% college acceptance rate.

San Miguel High School serves students from families of limited financial means, offering a full college preparatory course load and requiring students to hold internships which cover 40% of their school tuition.

Tanque Verde High School receives coronavirus grant

Tanque Verde High School has been awarded an Expansion and Innovation Fund grant, designed to support students significantly disrupted by COVID-19.

The grants, awarded to 18 schools, were funded by an initial $1 million contribution from Gov. Doug Ducey’s Emergency Education Relief fund through the federal CARES Act to improve access to high-quality teaching and learning this school year.

The first round of awards are worth a total of $850,000.

A second-round grant cycle for district, magnet, charter and private schools is expected to open soon and will be supported by philanthropic and private contributions.

“A for Arizona’s Expansion and Innovation Fund supports school leaders and educators who find creative, effective ways to serve vulnerable students and work toward closing the achievement gap,” Ducey said in a statement.

“These dollars are being deployed to grant recipients promptly to ensure kids and schools benefit this upcoming semester. My thanks to the superintendents, principals, teachers and educators who work every day to put all Arizona kids on the path to success.”

For more information, go to aforarizona.org.