AJUSD’s Year in Review – 2012-13

July 2012 • AJUSD meets or exceeds Pinal County in 20-of-21 categories and the state as a whole in 11-of-21 categories measured in Arizona’s 2012 AIMS results. • AJUSD receives an overall grade of ‘B’ in the state’s grading system.

August 2012 • AJHS juniors and seniors show improvement of anywhere from 3 to 5 percent over their 2011 SAT scores in Math, Reading and Writing. In addition, students score from 3 to 16 percent higher than the Arizona state average on ACT tests covering English, Math, Reading and Science. • Four Peaks Elementary School Teacher Shauna Hamman named a finalist in the 2012 ING ‘Unsung Heroes’ Awards Program for developing one of the nation’s 100 most innovative classroom ideas. • Cactus Canyon Junior High School’s student-created and student-run anti-bullying group ‘Cougars 4 Change’ expands to AJHS for the 2012-13 school year. Re-named ‘Communities 4 Change,’ the group now includes members from both schools seeking campus environments where all students feel safe despite their differences. • SMES Pre-K students prepare for the upcoming London Games with an Olympics of their own in the school gymnasium. • SMES awarded a $500 book grant as part of Target’s 'Books for Schools Award' program. • Students from Apache Junction High School's Student Council, along with several other students from AJHS, helped Macy's at Superstition Springs Mall in Mesa kick off its "Back to School" event. Students modeled clothes, read books to children, gave away popcorn, colored with kids, and played X-box Connect with customers. September 2012 • AJHS’s Navy JROTC will represent the State of Arizona at the Navy Western Regional Brain Brawl Academic Championships in California in April 2013. Apache Junction cadets placed first out of eight schools in the State competition. • Four Peaks Elementary students donate over 200 stuffed animals to Apache Junction Fire District to assist in comforting victims of tragedies. • AJHS recognized by United Blood Services as one of Arizona's top schools during the 2011-12 donation season. Members of the AJHS Student Council were presented with two awards: a platinum award for highest-percentage of donors, and for finishing first in its division for total donations. • Cactus Canyon Junior High School Art Teacher Gail McFarland named Superstition Artist of the Month for September by the Superstition Arts & Cultural Alliance. • For the first time since May of 2010, school buses arrive at Thunder Mountain Middle School to drop off students for class September 11th. Superstition Mountain Elementary School students in Grades 4-6 temporarily used Thunder Mountain due to flooding at SMES caused by heavy rains on September 7th. • Twenty DVES teachers receive $50 gift cards from Wal-Mart as part of its fourth-annual Teacher Rewards Program - providing $4.5-million in funds to 90,000 teachers across the United States. • Four Peaks Elementary School 4th-Grader Samantha Christian is called a hero after saving her brothers from a house fire.

October 2012 • Four Peaks Elementary School teacher Amber Moore named one of 1,000 teachers selected nationwide as an OfficeMax ‘A Day Made Better’ award-winner. Moore was chosen to receive $1,000 in school supplies and equipment – including a new chair and digital camera. • AJUSD partners with Anthony Bates Foundation to provide free Heart Health Screenings to 125 students. Money raised from the screenings will go toward purchase of Automated External Defibrillators for AJUSD schools. • Cactus Canyon Junior High School claims League Championships in Baseball and Softball. • AJUSD announces participation in the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) Air Quality Flag Program. The program uses nautical-style flags to notify the public of air quality conditions. AJUSD schools will display the appropriate flags during the school year. • Competing for the first time in the College Options Academic Competition, AJHS Navy JROTC unit took third place, finishing behind only the nation's top two finishers from a year ago. The regional competition involved 12 schools and focused on college level academics – English, History, Math and Science - rather than JROTC knowledge. • Cactus Canyon Junior High School Band performs at Arizona State Fair. • Over 100 AJHS students become certified in CPR during AJFD training sessions at the school.

November 2012 • AJHS Prospectors named to this year's Division III Section III East All-Section Football Teams: First Team Offense: Hunter Hallford, OL; Second Team Offense: Jon McCune, WR; Mark Blackstone, OL; Second Team Defense: Hunter Hallford, LB; Gabriel Salazar, CB: Honorable Mention: Alex Barazza, K/P, Brett Darling, QB, Cisco Valenzuela, LB. • Cactus Canyon Junior High School honors veterans with a tribute wall made up of photos of relatives of CCJHS students and staff who have served. • AJHS Science classes re-enact some of the historic volcanic eruptions in history. • In time for the Holidays, students in AJHS’ Success class create homemade cards to send to family members, teachers, best friends – anyone who over the years has helped them become the person they are today. • AJHS Special Olympics team takes gold at State Bowling Competition. • In observance of Veterans Day, DVES holds military tribute assembly. • AJHS Cheer earns a trip to Nationals with outstanding Regional performance. • Prospector Divers Bryce Milkey and Travis Turner place sixth and eighth respectively in the Arizona State Diving Championships.

December 2012 • AJUSD Food Services Department and the AJHS Early Childhood Development Class provide Holiday Food Boxes for 50 families in need for use over the Winter Break. • Cactus Canyon Boys Soccer wins League Championship. • AJUSD Transportation Department’s annual Stuff-a-Bus program provides Project HELP with Holiday gift donations to distribute to District families in need. • Through coin drive and PTO donation, Peralta Trail Elementary School raises $1,000 for Project HELP.

January 2013 • AJHS JROTC Cadet Diana Piedrahita selected for full Navy ROTC college scholarship with a maximum four- year value of $180,000. Piedrahita will major in civil engineering at Arizona State University. • Hoping to ease the suffering of those affected by Hurricane Sandy and the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., third-grade students at Peralta Trail Elementary School raise $358 through their second-annual ‘Project Pencil’ fundraiser. • AJHS student Lacey VandeLaare selected as finalist in Nikon "Photographer's Forum" Photo Contest. Selected from over 16,000 submitted pictures from around the country, her photo will be displayed in an upcoming Photographer's Forum book "Best of College & High School Photography 2013." • Desert Vista Elementary 6th-grader Ariana Cleavenger spells her way to victory at AJUSD's annual District Spelling Bee. Superstition Mountain Elementary 6th-grader Wyatt Russel took second place, DVES 6th- grader Hana Allen finished third and Cactus Canyon Junior High 7th-grader Chandler Guy earned fourth. • AJHS Student Council awarded "Outstanding Council of Distinction" by Arizona Association of Student Councils. • Braving the rain, AJHS' Navy JROTC unit held its annual inspection at Davis Field. Captain Dave Price, Commanding Officer of ASU's NROTC program conducted the inspection and issued 'Outstanding' ratings to a large number of cadets.

February 2013 • Anthony Bates Foundation presents AJUSD with eight Automated External Defibrillators to be distributed among six schools and District facilities. • AJHS senior Grace Kennedy named winner of the 2013 Joseph C.Gilliam Academic Achievement Award – the highest honor an NJROTC cadet can receive. Representing Arizona and California, she is one of 11 regional recipients located throughout the United States. • DVES competes in Aerospace Challenge at Arizona State University. • SMES visited by NASA Astronaut Sunita 'Sunny' Williams who spent a total of 322 days in space - 6th on the all-time list by a U.S. astronaut - making two trips to the International Space Station in 2006 and 2012. During her time in orbit, Williams logged over 50 hours spacewalk time - the most by a female astronaut. • AJUSD groups and teams participate in Lost Dutchman Days parade. • Peralta Trail Elementary School’s 'Ecology Explorers' group creates campus garden and deliveries an assortment of vegetables to the PTES cafeteria. Students growing broccoli, lettuce, radishes, carrots and peas, as well as parsley and other herbs. • AJHS senior Eric Yung takes first-place in the Speech portion of the Region 4 Academic Decathlon at Tempe's Corona del Sol High School. Competing against over 150 other students, Yung's four-minute speech 'Magnets Can Replace Crude Oil' was chosen as the winning monologue.

March 2013 • This summer, AJHS students will be able to take online English and Math courses, World History/Geography, U.S./Arizona History, Government and Economics, as well as various elective courses including Fine Arts. All Coursework will be completed online from students’ home computers. • Students at Superstition Mountain Elementary School joined individuals and groups from around the world in 9th-annual 'Dance Anywhere' celebration, dancing simultaneously with others representing seven continents, 45 countries and more than 300 cities worldwide. • State Auditor General’s report indicates AJUSD experiencing success maintaining balance between spending and student achievement. Of the 227 school districts in Arizona, AJUSD one of 13 identified as having a ‘High’ financial stress level. Of the 13, AJUSD was one of five to receive overall grade of ‘B,’ and only District with more than 2,500 students to do so. AJUSD also had the lowest percentage of non- classroom dollars earmarked for ‘Administration’ spending and fourth-highest percentage devoted to ‘Instruction’ spending. Compared to similar-sized districts and against the state as a whole, AJUSD considered to have ‘Low’ administration costs per pupil - $639/student compared to $736 by both comparable districts and Arizona – as well as Food Service costs. Plant Operations and Transportation costs were considered comparable to both peer and state averages. • Cactus Canyon Junior High School Wind Ensemble earns 'Excellent' rating from the Arizona Band and Orchestra Directors Association at the Elementary/Junior High School Large Group Concert Festival. • AJHS French, German and Spanish students win awards at Arizona State University Foreign Language Festival. • AJHS Band members Richelle Heinauer and Thomas Schulz pass rigorous audition process to participate in the Central Regional Band Performance. • Cactus Canyon claims League Championships in Football and Cheerleading. • AJHS’ Lindsey Streibech named to East Valley Tribune’s 2012 Girls’ Basketball Team as an honorable mention. • Peralta Trail Elementary School Science Olympiad Team earns three medals and placed 5th overall at a competition held at Central Arizona College's Signal Peak campus. • AJHS Cheer gives outstanding performance at Nationals in Anaheim. • AJHS wrestlers Branden Edwards and Sean Lambert receive post-season recognition on the East Valley Tribune's All-Tribune Team. Edwards was a second-team selection after finishing second in the state's Division II tournament in the 120 lb. class. Fellow senior Lambert was named as an Honorable Mention in the 160 lb. class.

April 2013 • The Performing Arts Center on the campus of Apache Junction High School temporarily becomes site of the Arizona Supreme Court when the Justices visited the school and heard oral arguments for a case. • Desert Vista Elementary School 6th-grade teacher Debora Bartlett named the American Legion Apache Post #27 Teacher-of-the-Year. • Approximately $1.6 million presented to AJHS Seniors at the school's annual Awards Night in the form of cash awards and scholarships. Over $110,000 of that total was from local Apache Junction/Gold Canyon groups and organizations. • Cactus Canyon Junior High School 8th-grader Vlad Chyzh selected Arizona State Finalist in 'Doodle 4 Google’ in its national competition among students in grades 8-9. • AJHS Navy JROTC Academic Team capped an outstanding school year with Top 10 finish at NJROTC National Academic Competition in Orlando, Florida. • Superstition Mountain Elementary students and the Apache Junction Fire District team up to produce pool safety video. • Prospector Math-letes represent their school well at Math Competition hosted by Central Arizona College. Thirty-five AJHS students compete with 17 qualifying for individual all-around competition. AJHS senior Grace Kennedy took first-place overall.

May 2013 • AJUSD, in partnership with Apache Junction Head Start, Early Head Start, and the Arizona Early Intervention Program, offers families free screenings for children from birth through the age of five at the Apache Junction Child Find. • Apache Junction High School's Navy JROTC program was named a 'Distinguished Unit' for the 8th consecutive year. A 'Distinguished Unit' is the highest designation the Navy can give a school and is presented by the Naval Service Training Command (NSTC). • Cactus Canyon Junior High School science students team with Apache Junction Fire District to produce fire safety video. • Four Peaks Elementary 3rd-graders raise money to plant two trees on FPES campus. • AJUSD elementary schools offer free Kindergarten screenings. • AJHS senior Selena Quiroz competes in the triple jump at Meet of Champions (MOC) in Phoenix. MOC is annual meet for state champions and features the top 20 in each event in the state. Quiroz had two personal records earning second-place. In addition, she was invited to compete at the Great Southwest Championships in New Mexico. • Cactus Canyon Wrestling and Girls’ Soccer earn League Championships. • Superstition Mountain Elementary is site of Apache Junction Parks & Recreation’s annual Safe & Fit Bike Rodeo. • Third-grade students at Four Peaks Elementary School became the instructors, hosting a video conference available to a global audience to discuss their 'Save the Rhinos' project. Students have studied the endangered rhinoceroses of Africa and are now working to raise awareness about illegal poaching and ways the public can help. • For the 6th consecutive year, AJHS sets the pace in blood drive donations in its division, earning recognition from United Blood Services (UBS) and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

June 2013 • AJUSD partners with the US Department of Agriculture to offer free breakfasts and lunches to children age 18 and younger at three locations in Apache Junction over the summer. • AJHS Girls' Tennis players Amanda Hardt and Ziria Rascon, and Boys' players Jon McCune and Brad Milkey, selected as Honorable Mention members of the East Valley Tribune's 2013 All-Tennis Team.

More to Come in 2013-14!!! Thank You For Supporting Our Students!!

Apache Junction Unified School District 1575 W Southern Ave. Apache Junction, AZ 85120 480-982-1110 www.ajusd.org www.facebook.com/ajusd43 www.twitter.com/ajusd43

Apache Junction Unified School District 1575 W. Southern Ave. – Apache Junction, AZ, 85120 – 480-982-1110 - www.ajusd.org