Kristen Kvaran, the director and special education teacher at Tanque Verde Community Preschool, was selected as one of the four 2021 Raytheon Leaders in Education earlier this month.
It was the first award ever to be given out to a teacher in the prekindergarten category, according to a news release submitted by the Tanque Verde Unified School District.
Kvaran has taught preschool through third grade since 2005 and ultimately helped open the Tanque Verde Community Preschool in 2019.
“Kristen has been pivotal in helping the district launch its dream of having a preschool option for the Tanque Verde community,” Superintendent Scott Hagerman said in the news release.
Sahuarita teacher Flores honored
The local organization Tucson Values Teachers presented the October Teacher Excellence Award to Elizabeth Flores, a seventh grade social studies teacher at Anza Trail K-8 School in Sahuarita.
Flores is in her 23rd year of teaching, 14 of which she has dedicated to the Sahuarita Unified School District. Before that, she taught in the Flowing Wells School District.
Kelli Zielinski, a former colleague of Flores’, nominated her for the award.
“In a field where organization, caring, quick-thinking and creativity all seem to be prerequisites for being successful, Liz operates on a whole different level,” Zielinski said. “Her on-her-toes quick thinking is unparalleled — often she has the solution before you even realized there was a problem.”
Tanque Verde opens enrollment
The Tanque Verde Unified School District will be accepting applications for the 2022-23 school year beginning Nov. 1 through Jan. 30, 2022.
The open enrollment will have spaces available for all grade levels from kindergarten through 12th grade. The district offers free, full-day kindergarten classes.
Applications received during the November-January time frame will be included in the TVUSD Early Bird Open Enrollment Lottery.
For more information about the documentation needed for enrollment, visit www.tanqueverdeschools.org/OpenEnrollment.aspx.
TUSD to hold programs fair
The Tucson Unified School District invites the public to the TUSD Magnet and Program Fair, which will be held at the Children’s Museum Tucson on Nov. 3 from 5-7 p.m.
The event aims to inform prospective families about the magnet schools and other programs that the district offers. It will be free museum admission.
Registration for TUSD schools opens Nov. 1. Families will be able to register on the spot at Wednesday’s event.
The event will include live presentations from Mariachi Rayos del Sol from Tucson Magnet High School, as well as the ShePhi Step Team from Holladay Magnet Elementary School.
