Marana Unified School District educators Robin Maxey, Adam Scafede, Stacy Bansback and Tori Jones have received $600 grants from the nonprofit STEM-CAN Supporters Inc.
Maxey, a seventh-grade teacher at Tortolita Middle School, will use her grant to teach students complex math concepts using math link cubes. The cubes offer students a hands-on way of understanding rational numbers, expressions, equations and more.
Scafede, an eighth-grade teacher at Tortolita, will use his grant to teach students how to build underwater robots out of PVC pipes, underwater motors, circuit boards and soldering.
Bansback, a seventh-grader teacher at Tortolita, will use her grant to teach students algebra, hands-on, with algebra tiles.
Jones, a fourth- and fifth-grade gifted-education teacher at Estes Elementary, will use her grant to teach students how to build underwater robots with the University of Arizona’s Underwater ROV project.
Students to demonstrate skills at Ducey inauguration
Students from Sunnyside Unified School District’s BioTechnology and Precision Manufacturing programs will show what they’ve learned at school at Gov. Doug Ducey’s inauguration on Jan. 7.
Sunnyside High School biotechnology students will demonstrate DNA testing techniques on genetically modified and non-genetically modified seeds, while Desert View High School manufacturing students will show off 3D puzzles they designed and fabricated using laser cutters.
Local education nonprofit gets $5,000 Monsanto grant
The Tucson Educational Enrichment Foundation has been awarded a $5,000 grant to expand its own grant program benefiting TUSD.
The grant comes from the Monsanto Fund, the Bayer company’s philanthropic arm, and will allow the EEF to expand its Healthy Choices Classroom Grants program to five TUSD classrooms. Each classroom will receive $1,000 from the EEF.
The Healthy Choices program allows the EEF to fund TUSD teacher-initiated projects educating students about healthy eating habits, growing food, creating menus and preparing meals. The projects range from field trips to local gardens to community food projects outlining the importance of food.
Bayer’s Tucson-area crop-science team recommended EEF for the grant after learning that the Healthy Choices program directly benefits students in the classroom.
“We’re proud to support the educators of our community as they teach students about something that connects us all — nutritious, delicious food,” the foundation said.
City High, Paulo Freire offer pre-enrollment tours for students
City High School and the Paulo Freire Freedom Schools will host a handful of tours for prospective students in the coming months.
City High will offer tours at its downtown campus, 47 E. Pennington St., on Jan. 17 at 5:30 p.m., Jan. 18 at 8:30 a.m., Feb. 7 at 5:30 p.m. and Feb. 8 at 8:30 a.m. To register for a tour, contact Becca Dillon at 623-7223, Ext. 200.
Paulo Freire will host tours at its downtown campus, also located at 47 E. Pennington St., on Jan. 15 at 9 a.m. and Feb. 7 at 5:30 p.m. The school will also offer tours at its University Boulevard location, 300 E. University Blvd. #10, on Jan. 17 at 5:30 p.m. and Feb. 5 at 9 a.m. Contact Stephanie O’Halloran at 352-0057 to register for a tour of the downtown campus or Araceli Montaño at 625-7552 for a tour of the university campus.
