Tanque Verde High School science and biology teacher Hunter Jones is the recipient of the Scarlett and Gray Excellence in Education Award from the Ohio State University Alumni club of Southern Arizona.

Jones encourages students to think independently and goes out of his way to create strong connections and interventions according to students’ needs, a news release said. Jones redesigned his curriculum to meet the needs of his students during the COVID-19 pandemic and found ways to practice science safely while physically distancing.

Mari Katherine Scruggs, a teacher at Rincon Vista Middle School, creates the best-possible learning experience for her students as she navigates both remote and in-person instruction during the coronavirus pandemic of 2020-2021. Video by: Mamta Popat / Arizona Daily Star

β€œMr. Jones is frequently one of the most successful AP biology teachers in the country with his students outsourcing the national average on a consistent basis,” says Principal Amy Cislak. β€œHunter seeks out to find a way to teach each student in a unique and specific way to ensure each concept is clear before moving on to the next concept.”

Jones was honored during a virtual Teacher of the Year Luncheon on March 6. He received a plaque and a $1,000 stipend.

Two Tucson teachers receive literacy awards

Two Tucson teachers earned the United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona’s 2021 Literacy Champion Awards.

Kristen Kvaran, a preschool teacher at Tanque Verde Community Preschool, and Haley Carolin, a third-grade teacher at Keeling Elementary School in the Amphitheater School District, were chosen out of 24 teachers whom community members, school administrators, principals and parents nominated for this year’s awards.

In its fifth year, the Literacy Champion Award is presented to two early childhood educators who have gone above and beyond to improve literacy in the community, a news release said.

Kvaran is the director of Tanque Verde Community Preschool in the Tanque Verde School District. She has a Master’s in elementary education with an emphasis in early childhood education from Northern Arizona University. She also has experience and certification in special education and has taught preschool through third grade since 2005.

Carolin studied education at the University of Arizona and graduated magna cum laude in 2014. She has been teaching for nearly seven years, and in that time she taught both second- and third-graders, the news release said.

Nonprofit donates $2,200 for Pueblo athletes

The Pulido Sports Fund for Pueblo High student athletes recently contributed $2,190 toward student sports participation fees.

Pueblo High Alumni Foundation created the Pulido Sports Fund last fall to support teen athletes at the Tucson Unified high school.

In total, the nonprofit has raised nearly $3,500, which will pay for 53 students’ participation fees of $65 per student per sport. Their goal is to raise funds for at least 100 students.

Direct donations to the Pulido Sports Fund can be sent to P.O. Box 27471, Tucson, Arizona 85726. Write Pulido Sports Fund in the memo of the check, and a receipt for tax purposes can be sent if requested.

The foundation is also raising funds from the proceeds of a book that Reynaldo Santa Cruz, an alum of the school and member of the foundation, wrote about his father, a former South Tucson council member with strong ties in the region.

One-third of the book proceeds are going to the fund, available for $25 through Amazon. Santa Cruz’s royalty is $12 per book, which he divides among three charities.

To purchase the book β€œPulido del Barrio Libre: The Life of Reynaldo M. Santa Cruz,” go to rb.gy/dyiz8l.

Pueblo High alums who would like to become a foundation member, can find the membership form at tucne.ws/1fz8.

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Contact reporter Danyelle Khmara at

dkhmara@tucson.com or 573-4223.

On Twitter: @DanyelleKhmara