TUSD names new director of African American Student Services

Tonya Strozier, principal of Holladay Magnet Elementary School, will be the new leader of African American Student Services in Tucson Unified School District.

She will succeed Jimmy Hart, the current director.

Strozier’s new title was unanimously approved by the TUSD governing board on March 28.

Not only has Strozier “served as a principal, as a leader, as an educator, but she is from the district. She’s a child of the district who came home to serve it … (and) to serve her elementary school that she proudly attended and where she’s currently serving as the proud principal,” TUSD Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo said.

According to information on the Holladay school website, Strozier is originally from Arkansas and moved to Tucson at a young age. She graduated from Cholla High School and received her bachelor of science in family studies at the University of Arizona.

She then earned a master’s in education from Northern Arizona University and her doctor of philosophy in general psychology from Grand Canyon University.

“I want to say thank you to the Holladay family for eight incredible years,” Strozier said. “I am humbled and so excited to work with the EDI (equity, diversity and inclusion) team and to lead the African American Student Services department. Great things are to come.”

School online locator tool

Community Investment Corp., a local nonprofit organization, launched a school locator to help Tucson families explore and choose the right schools for their kids.

The free online school locator, which can be found by visiting MySchoolsTucson.org, offers the community a way to find unbiased information about all schools in Pima County, according to a news release from Community Investment Corp.

The online tool was created due to a 2022 survey the organization conducted of more than 1,100 Arizona parents, which showed that parents’ ability to access information about schools is directly correlated to their incomes.

“This is another area of our economy where lower income households are at a disadvantage, often because these parents have less time to research and engage with schools than wealthier households,” said CIC Executive Director Danny Knee.

The information gathered on the new website was developed through research and collaboration with parents in Pima County, who expressed that it’s confusing and time-consuming to gather information about the different educational options in the area, the site says.

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For more information, visit MySchoolsTucson.org.

Local teacher wins $1,000

Maribel Lopez, a teacher at Rivera Elementary School, was one of 10 teachers throughout the United States who each won $1,000 Amazon gift cards through a sweepstakes by TCC, a Verizon retailer.

According to a TCC news release, the sweepstakes were a part of TCC’s annual Teachers Rock initiative and aimed to help teachers enhance their classrooms for student learning experiences. More than 1,700 teachers registered for a chance to win and the winners were chosen randomly.

Now, Lopez said she will be able to buy books, telescopes and additional learning materials for her class.

“So many teachers spend a fortune out of pocket to purchase items for our classrooms, so this recognition from TCC reminds me I’m in the right career,” Lopez said.

My Summer Library

The United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona will begin hosting its annual My Summer Library Book Fairs throughout Pima County over the next few weeks.

The organization raises funds to purchase books for children in some preschool-, first- and second-grade classes at participating schools in underserved communities to help foster a love of reading at a young age. During the My Summer Library events, the children can choose 12 free books to take home.

“The goal is to encourage children to read over the summer and hopefully keep reading a consistent activity while school is out,” said Monica Brinkerhoff, the local United Way’s associate vice president for early childhood education.

These districts will some schools participating in the free bookfair: Ajo, Amphitheater, Baboquivari, Bureau of Indian Education Tohono O’odham Nation, Flowing Wells, Marana, Sahuarita, Sunnyside and Tucson.