rio rico newsletter october 2011

SantaCruzValleyUnifiedSchoolDistrict#351374W.FrontageRoadRioRico,AZ85648

(TheSantaCruzValleyUnifiedSchoolDistrictNo.35newsletter ispublished three timesperyear toinformthecommunityofprograms,philosophies,andplansof thedistrict.Questionsorcomments

shouldbeaddressed to thesuperintendent.)

OCCUPANTECRWSS

Non-ProfitOrg.U.S.PostagePAIDTumacacori,AZPermitNo.7

FIGHTING GLOBAL WARMINGPage 2 Clubs at CTMS

INSIDE

Etiquette studied

Principal of year

Retirements noted

HS band awards

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SANTA CRUZVALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL

NewsletterSUMMER 2010, Vol. XVI, Issue 3

‘EDUCATE EVERYONE EVERY DAY!’3535District No.District No.3535353535 “We believe that everyonewill experience successful

learning every day.”

‘SUPERIOR’ RIBBONS FORSTUDENT COUNCIL

Page 6

Ruben Bojorquez, a Mountain View Ele-mentarySchool fifth-gradestudent inMarkGilbreath’s class, travelled to Phoenix onMarch 27 to compete in the Arizona StateSpellingBeewith26other champions fromaround the state.“I felt an awesome feeling,” he said, “be-

cause I was the first person from Mt. Viewto spell in Phoenix.”Bojorquez first had towin theSantaCruz

CountyspellingbeeinFebruaryinNogales.

Spellingbeewinner instateevent

See BEE / 9

5TH GRADER

Ruben Bojorquez earned a slot in the statespelling bee for his skills at the school and SantaCruz County level. Here he’s joined by MountainView Principal Stephen Schadler.

Awaiting graduation on May 20 are Rio Rico High School seniors from left, Corley Gonzalez, Dulce Figueroa, Gabriella Illingworth,Cesar Araiza and Norberto Barajas. See more graduation photos on page 9.

RRHS seniors garnered nu-merous awards and scholar-ships as the school year con-cluded. At the top of the list ofexceptional students whowere acknowledged for aca-demic achievement and re-wardedwithscholarshipmon-ey were co-valedictorians

Caitlin Elizabeth Horton andSharon Pak. Kathy Kim wasthe salutatorian.Horton was also acknowl-

edged as one of the nation’sprestigious National MeritScholars.As is always the case, nu-

merousseniors receivedmon-

etary help to attend collegeand other post-secondarytraining. The Nogales-basedZonta club presented YaerenHernandez with a $1,000scholarship.The Valley Foun-dation granted $2,000 to Her-nandez, another $2,000 toKnoel Sotomayor, and $3,000

to Gerardo Valencia.Therewere three recipients

of the Sports Medicine Schol-arship, each worth $742: Kim-berlyReyes,RebeccaRuiz, andMegan Wittenberg. Fernanda

See AWARDS / Page 18

Seniorswin awards, scholarships

, Santa Cruz Valley District #35 Summer 2010 Newsletter

WICKCOMMUNICATIONS

SANTA CRUZ VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT No. 35

ROSIESIMPSONMember

MissionStatement

HARRYCLAPECKClerk

BRIANVANDERVOETPresident

SUSANFAUBIONMember

“We believe that everyone will experiencesuccessful learning every day.”

ROBERTVALDEZMember

Board members can be contacted through the district office:

281-8282or by writing to: Santa Cruz Valley Unified School

District #351374 W. Frontage RoadRio Rico, Arizona 85648

Manuel C. CoppolaPublisher & Editor

268W. View Point Drive, Nogales, Arizona 85621,520.375.5760 Fax 520.761.3115

On theweb:www.nogalesinternational.com

To advertise in your school newsletter please contact:Maria or Carmen

at theNogales International:520.375.5760

SCVUSD#35TRANSPORTATION

DEPARTMENT

For information or questions call:(520)761-2164 (direct line)

[email protected]

School Board

DANIEL FONTESSuperintendentSanta Cruz ValleyUnified SchoolDistrict No. 35

Global warmingsolutions soughtAfter reading "Earth in Dan-

ger," Mountain View ElementarySchool students in Michele Tit-comb’s fourth-grade class had astrong desire to protect their fu-ture. They learned that the Styro-foam trays used in most schoolcafeterias pose a danger to theenvironment by releasing CFCgases into the atmosphere. Theyunderstood that change wasneededtohelpstopthis fromcon-tributing to global warming.Mrs. Titcomb then invited

RachelCarroll, the school districtfood service director, to visit theclass and make suggestions onhow to alleviate the problem. Af-ter listening to thechildren’scon-cerns, Ms. Carroll used her per-severance, expertise and con-nections to support the children’sefforts. All fourth-grade studentsat Mountain View were asked topilot the effort by switching fromfoam serving trays to usingreusable plastic baskets for theirfood.Due entirely to the success of

the class’ earth-protecting proj-ect, all Mountain View students

nowuse the plastic trays daily. Bythe start of the 2010-2011 schoolyear, all students in District 35will have made the transitionfrom foam to reusable plasticlunch trays. That’s more than600,000 fewer foam trays fillingthe landfill each school year!

Inaddition,Mrs.Titcomb’s stu-dents volunteered to teach thestudent body the importance ofrecycling and began a school-wide milk-carton recycling pro-gram. Success was instanta-neous.Through the determination of

one class and the cooperation ofthe cafeteria staff, another earth-savingendeavorwasmadepossi-ble. Now that’s theway to changetheworld!

Holding reusable plastic baskets which they helped make a part of the school district’s lunch program are stu-dents, from left, Leslie Ann Moreno, Neo Omana and Leann Robles.

That’smore than600,000 fewer foam

trays filling the landfilleach school year.

San Cayetano's phonics pro-gram is the source of three inter-vention specialists who are in theprocess of becoming certifiedteachers: Elizabeth “Beth” Bond,Sarah Boswell, and Luisa Ro-driguez.The school began hiring new

personnel in 2008 to implement anewphonicsprogramandthepro-gram became fully operationalduring the 2009-2010 school yearwith eight intervention teachers.Some of the teachers are certified,butmost are not.Each of these ladies is juggling

planning and daily interventionlessons, working toward comple-tion of teaching certificate, andraising children.Ms.Bondhasa2-year-old son,Mrs.Boswellhas twodaughters, ages 6 and 3, and Mrs.Rodriguez has a 12-year-olddaughter.Ms. Bond began as an interven-

tionist in October 2008. She char-acterizes herself as growing up asa “militarybrat” residing inNorth-ernVirginia and SouthernCalifor-nia.After graduating magna cum

laude from Santa Clara HighSchool inOxnard, Calif., Ms. Bondstudied mechanical engineering,geological engineering, and geol-ogyat theUniversity ofArizona fortwo years and graduated withhighest honors from a two-yearprogramat PimaCommunity Col-lege, where she received an asso-ciate of arts in elementary educa-tion.She moved to Rio Rico in 2008

and is currently attending GrandCanyon University (online) tocomplete a B.S. in elementary ed-ucationwith amajor in science.When asked what she liked

about her job, Ms. Bond replied:“The kids. While watching themsucceed is fulfilling, conversingwith them and being amazed attheir perceptions is eye-openingand extremely fun. After havingexperienced teaching first-hand, Icannot dream of any occupation Iwould rather do."Mrs. Boswell joined the 95 Per-

cent Intervention team at the be-ginning of the 2009-2010 schoolyear. Her family moved from No-gales to Amado when she was infifth grade. Besides raising twodaughters, Mrs. Boswell has had

experienceworkingwith childrenwhen as a teenager she volun-teeredat theBoysandGirlsClubofSanta Cruz County.Mrs. Boswell graduated from

Rio Rico High School. She is cur-rently attendingNorthern ArizonaUniversity via their DistanceLearningCenter(Internetclasses)and hasmade the dean’s list everysemester.When asked what she likes

about her job, Mrs. Boswell said,“What don’t I like about it? I reallyenjoy working with the students.Theyhavesuchfreshand interest-ing perspectives. They also keepyou on your toes! The staff at SanCayetano is wonderful too. It isthose ‘aha!’ moments--when thestudents really get a hold of whatyou are teaching them--that arethe greatest though.”Mrs.Rodriguez isanativeofNo-

gales and moved to Rio Rico in1987when shemarried. She start-ed volunteering at San Cayetanowhenher now12-year-old daugh-ter was in kindergarten.“I have always enjoyedworking

with children and the public,” shesaid. As a teenager, she has alsoworked as a candy striper atCarondelet Holy Cross Hospital.Other positions included insur-ance solicitor for Farmers Insur-ance, and 15 years as constructioncoordinator with Rio Rico Proper-ties, Inc.Mrs. Rodriguez attended No-

gales High School. She is current-ly attending Cochise College andthe University of Arizona South inorder toobtainherbachelorofartsinelementaryeducationand is therecipient of a Theodore Geblerscholarship to continue her stud-ies.When asked what she likes

abouther job, shereplied: “Mostofall I enjoy the priceless rewards ofwhen a student says, ‘I rememberwhen you taught me that.’ It isgreat to know that you’ve made adifference in a child’s life. When Igraduated high school I was sohappy and excited that Iwas final-ly done with school, but little did Iknowback then that schoolwouldbemy lifelongmission.”


By Jean Pfeifer

TRAININGTOBETEACHERS

Elizabeth “Beth”Bond

Reading assistants spread enthusiasm

Luisa Rodriguez

Sarah Boswell

Santa Cruz Valley District #35 Summer 2010 Newsletter,

On the last Friday of everymonth,studentsatPeñaBlancaEl-ementary with the largest collec-tion of reading logs receive amedalandarenamedthe"readersare leaders" for that month. PeñaBlanca is doing this to motivatestudents to dedicate more time toreading.Students fill out their reading

logs daily and are required to pro-

vide the title, author, genre, date,and to rate the book in each log.When students have completed alog they place it in a designatedfolder.At the end of each month each

teacher collects the folders andnominates three students whohave collected the most readinglogs. On the last Friday of eachmonththesestudentsarecelebrat-ed during Peña Blanca’s morningannouncements and are reward-edwith amedal.

Peña Blanca’s Student Council(STUCO) club raised themoney topurchase the medals for themonthly event. STUCO membersannounce the winners eachmonth and hand the medals toeachwinner.“I feltveryproudwhenIwonmy

medal,” said Andres Romo, a sec-ond-grade student.Peña Blanca will continue this

new tradition for the upcoming2010-2011 school year.

Fourth-grade reading medal winners are, from left, Jubin George, Edgar Perez and Mia Rodriguez.

Readers are leadersat PeñaBlanca site

By Andrea Danielson

MEDALSAWARDED

Cynthia Villagran is a second-grade reading medal winner.

Forthepast44years theArizonaAssociationof JuniorHighStudentCouncils (AAJHSC) has held anannual convention to showcaseand enrich our future leaders.This past May was no different,when the Calabasas MiddleSchool student council made thejourney to Fountain Hills to meetother student councils fromaround Arizona.As in the past, the association

creates different challenges forthe student councils to work at.Scrapbooks,banners, fundraising,and leadership skills are just a fewof the topics covered.The CMS student council

worked tirelessly this year andwas well prepared for a greatshowing at the event. They werenotdisappointed.For the first timeever, CMS was perfect in earningnine superior ribbons for the ninecategories available. But theaward-winningwasn't over yet.

Councils also compete to winthe Honor and Master Councilawards. These awards are basedon what each council does for anentire school year. They are themost difficult awards to achieveand only a couple of the schoolsearn these each year. When thenames were called, CMS was oneof the few awarded the HonorCouncil award for the second yearin a row. When the studentschecked the scoring, they foundthey were only one point awayfrom the covetedMaster Council.This was a very good year for

the CMS student council mem-bers. They raised 1,280-plus fooditems for the Thanksgiving holi-day, $351 for the Haiti relief fund,$112 for the Arizona Nurses Asso-ciation, and $517 for the annualPennies for Patients fundraiser tobenefit children with lymphomaand leukemia.

JeffreyLawrence is theStuCoad-visor for CMS.

By Jeffrey Lawrence


CMS studentsearn 9 ribbons

Kate Suarez, vice president, at left, and Keren Bojorquez, president of the Calabasas Middle School student coun-cil, enjoyed their participation at a recent convention.


Computer teacher Michael Roth and student Ryan Ramos play chess in an after-school club at which Mr. Roth volunteers.

Facedwith dwindling funds, theteachers at Coatimundi MiddleSchool aremore thanmakingdo --impressively, they've foundways toactually increase the number ofstudent clubs.Along with sports teams, cheer-

leading, Student Council, the Na-tional Junior Honor Society, andtheComputerClub,theschoolnowhas a new Mileage Club, DramaClub, and a Chess Club. Tradition-

ally, teachers have received smallstipends to run after-school activi-ties suchas these, butmonieshavedried up.Those who in the past received

stipends have seen their compen-sationsharplyreducedoreliminat-ed altogether. Somehow, though,teachers, support staff and parentshave rallied, and there remainmany enriching activities afterschool.DramaandtheMileageClubare

run by volunteers. Teacher

Michael Roth volunteers his timefor Computer Club and ChessClub. His reward is seeing kidshave some special outlets for theirinterests.TheNationalJuniorHon-or Society, along with severalteachers, runs a before- and after-school tutoring program.Community members are also

involved. School board memberHarry Clapeck contributed severalchess sets and boards to make theChess Club possible. Parents andsupportstaffhaveprovidedmateri-

als and snacks for students.Mini PLC (Professional Learn-

ing Communities), a collaborationof all the school staff at Coatimun-di, has designed activities for theMileage Club in which studentsearn points and prizes for walkingand running miles. They've alsoled student motivational activitiessuchasanicecreamsocialforgoodattendance. More of these types ofactivities are planned, and all in-volve giving freely of their time, ef-fort and resources on a volunteer

basis.This is what teachers, parents

andsupport staffaredoing tomakesure students donot suffer due to abad economy. These remarkablethingsarehappeningatCoatimun-di, and similar things are happen-ing all across the school district.Most staff feels that it is anhonor tobe a part of such a dynamic group,and the residents of Rio Rico, Tu-macacori and Tubac are lucky tohave such a committed school dis-trict.

VOLUNTEERS RUN PROGRAMS

By Suzanne Keller Hoeflich


Thefreshflowersinthecenterofthe table catch your eye first. Thenyou quickly scan the linen tablecloths, silverware, china dishes,and chilledwater goblets.The diners anxiously await the

first coursewithhandsprimly fold-ed in their laps, trying to appearcomfortable in their flowereddressesorshirtsand ties.While thesetting is elegant, the picture isstartlingly out of character, for thisis not a four-star restaurant or afamilyweddingcelebration.This isthe Mountain View Elementarycafeteria and their newly offeredetiquette class.“DatingbacktothefirstdayIwas

a teacher,” said Principal StephenSchadler, “I have tried to findways

to give students out-of-the-ordinary experiences that helpbroaden their cultural awareness.This is just one of those opportuni-ties.”Mr. Schadler found a fellow be-

liever when he met Sodexho FoodService Director Rachel Carroll.“Rachelwas immediatelyonboardwith this idea,” he said. “She un-derstands that food service plays arole in the all-around education ofour students – be it health, nutri-tion, the environment or, in thiscase,etiquette.She isveryprogres-sive andwilling to try new ideas.”“As a food service director, my

responsibilities to the students gobeyond meal service,” Ms. Carrollsaid. “I felt thiswould be an oppor-

tunity to expose the children to asituation that would be education-aland fun. I also felt that thiswouldsupport the school'smission of ed-ucating and helping to mold thenext generation.”Students who had the fastest

time in the Principal’s ChallengeObstacle Course were treated to athree-course meal on-stage in thecafeteria. While some studentswere a little embarrassed to be lit-erally under the spotlight, allagreed that the special meal ofrosemary chicken breast with ricepilaf and steamed mixed vegeta-bles,plusasidesaladwithraspber-ry vinaigrette dressing, was wellworth it.Or perhaps it was the rainbow

sorbet with drizzled chocolatesauce that capped the experience.Either way, no one was complain-ingwhen lunchwas over.In between courses, Ms. Carroll

explained some basic rules of din-ing etiquette such as the differentpurposes of the large versus thesmall fork,howoneproperlyusesaclothnapkin, andhow to signal thewaiter when you are finished withyourmeal.Inaddition, shereviewsculinary

vocabulary such as "appetizer,""entree,"and"sorbet." Thismakesfor a savory educational, culturaland culinary experience.Following the success of the Fall

Festival lunch,Mr. Schadler issuedwritten invitations to lunch toall 11

classroom winners of the Moun-tain ViewSpelling Bee.After two successful experi-

ences, attendance clerkKarla Sosatook things a step further. Againcollaborating with Ms. Carroll andMr. Schadler, they created a “pri-vate dining room” known as theCafé Vedere de Montagne to re-ward the class with the most per-fectattendancedays for themonth.Heather Brannock’s fifth-gradestudentswerethewinners,andthistime they enjoyed waiter servicefrom the principal.Plans for next year are to make

these etiquette classes available asa regular reward option for thoseclasseswith perfect attendance.

ETIQUETTERULESTAUGHT

Practicing the art of fine dining etiquette are winners of the Mountain View principal’s challenge obstacle course. From left are Areli Diaz, grade 5, Gabriel Estrada, grade 4, and Adrian Estrada,grade 1.


Dist. school bandsrake in awardsThe 2009-2010 school year

was another fantastic year fortheRioRico bandprogram.Thebands represented Rio Ricowithpride andoutstandingmu-sicianship in parades, festivals,half-time shows, and concerts.Coatimundi Middle School

and Calabasas Middle Schoolperformed at the Veterans’ DayParade and the Holiday ofLights Parade, along with RioRico High School. The middleschools also performed at ahalf-time show in the fall. Coat-imundi Middle School sixthgrade band earned an “excel-lent”at festival, asdid theCTMSseventh and eighth grade band.The Coatimundi Jazz Bandearned a “superior” this year atfestival. Calabasas MiddleSchool sixth grade also earnedan “excellent” rating, while theseventh and eighth grade bandearned a “superior” rating. TheCMS Jazz band earned an “ex-cellent” rating this year.Throughout the school year,

the University of Arizona hostsan outreach honor band forgrades 6-9. The following RioRico students participated thisyear: Ramon Garavito, MickeyAguilar, Pedro Alcaraz, MarioMoreno, Manuel Moreno, An-drea Van Duinen, Tyler Bauer,Gabriel Paco and DanielleFrownfelter.Manymiddle school students

participated in various honorbands throughout the year. InFebruary,bandstudentsattend-edtheSouthernArizonaHonorsBand Festival held at Canyondel Oro High School in Oro Val-ley, AZ. The following Rio Ricomiddle school students werenominated, accepted and par-ticipated in the festival: BenBauer, Charles Richardson,Hope Noriega, Crystal Melara,Ramiro Bravo, Aaron Hernan-dez, Tyler Bauer, Ben Noriega,Gabriel Paco, Andrea VanDuinen, Keren Bojorquez, Di-ana Ramirez, Katie Sellman,Daniel Manjarrez, Ramon Gar-avito, Jane Armenta, VincentLopez, AlexaMendoza and Do-

minick Ram.In March, the following stu-

dents participated in the Ari-zonaMusic Educators’ Associa-tion Middle School All-StateBand Festival: Ramiro Bravo,Andrea Van Duinen, Ana Mer-cado and Rhys Betz.This year Rio Rico Middle

School bands combined withNogales’ Desert Shadows Mid-dle School to have the first an-nual Rio Rico/Nogales UnitedMiddle SchoolHonorBandFes-tival with the assistance of RioRico High School Tri-M Nation-al music honor society mem-bers. The following middleschool students participated:Ally Alvarez, Nicole Paco,Madeline Hurtado, Natalie Or-tiz, Alexandra Estrella, JesusOsorio, Charles Richardson,Hope Noriega, Ashley Favela,Stephanie Brennan, Pedro Al-carez, Mario Moreno, RamiroBravo, Alberto Castro, AaronHernandez, Andrea VanDuinen, Gabriel Paco,Lawrence Redman, TylerBauer, StevenMabante,Daniel-la Frownfelter, Stephanie Rob-les, Querien Acosta, DianaRamirez, Brianna Brown, Alyn-na Cota, Luis Castro, BryannaChavez, Bianka Chavira, JakieMeza, Joey Montanez, VickyReynolds,BrandonCastillo,Lis-beth Campos, Rhys Betz, AlexaMendoza, Dominick Ram, AlecRuvalcaba, Jane Armenta,Daniel Manjarrez, Ana Merca-do, Vanessa Alvarez, Juan Car-los Salcedo, Carlos Prieto andRamonGaravito.The Rio Rico Marching Band

had successful performancesthroughout the season. Includ-ing:Uof ABandDay (superior),Flowing Wells Festival (excel-lent,with captions for outstand-ing visual performance, gener-al effect and auxiliary), StateFestival (excellent, with cap-tions foroutstandingvisual per-formance and auxiliary), andfirst place in the Green ValleyWhite Elephant Parade.TheRRHSWinterGuard took

third place in Casa Grande attheir first winter competitionever, and second place in

Gilbert a fewweeks later.The Concert Band earned

“excellent” ratings at both Areaand State festivals, and washonored tobe theonlyperform-ing group invited to play at theNational Association of Second-ary School Principals confer-ence in Phoenix this spring.The RRHS Jazz Band earned

an “excellent” rating at the es-teemed Highland Jazz Festival,and took home a rating of “su-perior with distinction” at boththe Area and State Jazz Festi-vals. The jazz band also per-formed regularly around thecommunity including theCharles Mingus Festival, BigBand Jazzy Dinner Dance, andthe Rigatoni Dinner.The RRHS Band had the

largest number of students yetmake the High School RegionalBand. Students were: DeniseArmenta, Raul Bravo, Ivan Du-ran, Juan Gallegos, AlejandraGarcia, Fernenda Garcia,Daniela Gonzalez, BenjaminIñiguez, Stephanie Jimenez,Cesar Manjarrez, Saul Millan,Nicholas Quiroz, MacIntyreRath, Richard Rubin and Lean-na Vasquez. Two of these stu-dents, Raul Bravo and DanielaGonzalez, represented Rio Ricoin Flagstaff at the All-State bandfestival.The Arizona Music Educa-

tors’ Association Solo and En-semble Festival was run thisyear by Ms. Alli Coyle and theRRHS Tri-M National MusicHonor Society. Aylya Almeida,AlejangraGarcia,KatiOleaFer-nanda Garcia, Stephanie MatosandMikeyAguilar earneda rat-ing of “good.” Denise Armenta,Ivan Duran, Daniela Gonzales,LeannaVasquez,CesarManjar-rez and Stephanie Jimenezearned a rating of “excellent”while Raul Bravo and the per-cussion ensembles earned “su-perior”marks.The University of Arizona

Junior/Senior honor band hadRio Rico students Raul Bravo,Ben Iñiguez and NicholasQuiroz performing this year.

By Cory Walavich

From left, Oscar Tovar and Viviana Lopez celebrate moments after the graduationceremony ended.

High school seniorsshine at graduation

Co-valedictorian Liz Horton.


Encouraging youngsters to be lifelong readersSan Cayetano readers rock!

Thathasbeenthe themefora flur-ry of springtime events at SanCayetano Elementary School,where staff, students, families,and the community have joinedforces to ensure that every childbecomes an avid reader.Youngmothers learned that it is

never too early to share a goodbookwith a future scholar. Teach-ers Lizzie Naff, Maggie Trujilloand Judy Seaman presented a les-son on how to share books withchildren from birth to age 5 onApril 30 in the school’s Parents’Room.Although babies may chew the

corners of their first books, theywill soon beg for their favoritebook tobe readagainandagainasthey learn new vocabulary, therhythmof poetry, and thequiet joyof sharing new ideas.San Cayetano students delight-

ed in reading during the school’s“Love of ReadingWeek” heldMay3-7.Title I literacycoachJudySea-man said, “The purpose of thisweek is to share the pleasure ofreading with our children and toencourage our students to be-come lifelong readers. We do thisevent in the spring tohighlight thegrowth our students have madeduring the year in their readingabilities.”During the Monday kick-off as-

sembly, teachers used homemademasks and their best dramatic tal-ent topresent“TheKapokTree”asareaders’ theater.DebbieCondes,the school’s parent liaison, award-ed bracelets to students in eachgrade level who had read for 20minutes, 20 days in a row as sheinitiated a new reading incentiveprogram, “San Cayetano ReadersRock!”UniSourceEnergyServicessent

11 volunteer readers to the schoolonTuesday.After spending timeinclassrooms, they were the audi-ence for first-grade studentsLucero Vazquez, Yaritza Jimenez,Melanie Saavedra, and AmberBoswell. Boswell said about theexperience, “I was really nervousat first because I’m not used toreadinginfrontofpeople.But thenitwas really easy. I love to read. It’sfun. When I’m bored, I read be-cause it is good to learn.”Sharon Foltz, UniSource’s di-

rector of community relations,presented the school district with

a $1,000 gift to be used to supportthe literacy project.“Reading Under the Stars”

brought families together from 6to 9 p.m. on campus Thursdaynight. They arrived with flash-lights, blankets and a favoritebook. Teachers came dressed asfavorite characters from booksand they read aloud.Visitors enjoyed making origi-

nal bookmarks, listening toteacher Wendy Noriega and hersecond-grade choir, eating pop-corn and, of course, reading.When the sun went down, theflashlights came out, and familiesassembled on the ball court to

gaze at the stars, Saturn, VenusandMars through four telescopesprovidedby theSonoraAstronom-ical Society of Green Valley.Throughout the week, primary

classes paired up with older stu-dents to read together. The fifth-grade students were amazed athow well the younger studentsread. Each class created a posteradvertising a celebrated authorandput theirartworkondisplay inthe school’s hallways. Everymorning began with DEAR (dropeverything and read)when every-one in school stopped their usualroutine to just enjoy reading for 20minutes.

Finally, on Friday, guest readerscame to San Cayetano so that stu-dentswouldseethatreadingis im-portant to many adults no matterwhat their roles in thecommunity.Readers included Santa CruzCounty Sheriff Tony Estrada,school district SuperintendentDan Fontes, governing boardmember Susan Faubion, RRHS li-brarianLaraHall,AssistantSuper-intendent Rod Rich, Pastor GeneWilley, district assessment coordi-nator Karina Felix, art teacherKate Granchelli, teacher-on-special-assignment Judy Riffle,district grant technician KatiaBezarra, computer teacher Mary

Lucker, school improvement Di-rector Denise Blake, CoatimundiMiddleSchoolPrincipal JohnFan-ning, Rio Rico High School Princi-pal Jim Anders, parent outreachDirector Jennifer Argyros, andfood service Director Rachel Car-roll.Parents and community mem-

bers joined the cadre, as well, in-cluding Christi Ortiz, Jeff Garrett,Rene Celaya, Jose Cota, JanelleCartwright and her daughterBeth, Kim Munoz, Sandra Teran,Mary Hays, Valerie Simms andVickie Barden.

AT SANCAYETANO

San Cayetano preschool teacher Lizzie Naff helps parents choose books for toddlers at the “Reading from 0 to 5” event held for parents of very youngchildren at the school.


Fanning named principal of year

Principal John Fanning is congratulated by Kathy Shiba, who presented the award.

How does one manage to keephundreds of middle school stu-dents silent for more than a fewmoments?This past April, District 35 Su-

perintendent Daniel Fontes didjust that when he had the entirestaff and student body of Coat-imundi Middle School gather andremain silent until Principal JohnFanning entered to receive hisaward of Principal of the Year.Adding to the gravity of themo-

mentwereschoolboardmembers

Harry Clapeck and Brian Vander-voet, principals Sandra Figueroa,Stephen Schadler, and David Ver-dugo, and, most importantly,members of his family.Beaming with pride in the front

rowswere thehonoredprincipal'swife, Suzie, his sons Aaron, Seanand Cade, and his brothers Daveand Steve, Steve Fanning's wife,Marsha, along withMr. Fanning'smother, Eileen.As Mr. Fanning entered the

room a roar of appreciation and

excitement filled the school. Thisawardby thestateofArizonastart-ed with nominations from theNASSP (the National Associationof Secondary School Principals)and the ASA (Association of Sec-ondary Administrators).After being nominated, a candi-

date must further be endorsed bythe superintendent and a numberof past presidents. After a lengthyapplication is completed, the voteisbasedonsuchcriteriaas leader-ship, curriculum,andassessment.

By virtue of winning, Mr. Fanningbecomes eligible for the nationalaward, which will be decided inAugust.The award was presented by

Kathy Shiba, who represented theNASSP. The students demonstrat-ed their pride, and showed appre-ciation for the principal's familysupport and presence. When Mr.Fanning voiced appreciation forhis family's support he receivedthunderous applause, especiallywhen he mentioned his son

Aaron, who is currently a studentat Coatimundi.Mr. Fanning was clearly emo-

tional when speaking of his de-ceased father, who was also aschool principal. This honor wasalso shared with the families ofstudents and staff. The students ofCoatimundi have much to beproud of, and all the students canfeel they were a part of this won-derful Principal of the Year awardceremony.

Front office secretary KarlaSosa,Mountain View’s classifiedstaff member of the year, hasearned a reputation among stafffor her pleasant and helpful atti-tude. Here she shares some of herthoughts on helping run theMt.View office.

1. As the first person parentsand students see upon enteringthe office, what do you consideryour greatest responsibility?I thinkmy greatest responsibil-

ity is tomake our visitors feelwelcome atMountain View. Iwant them to feel like they arewalking into a friendly, yet pro-fessional, office. As a parent, Iwant to know I’m leavingmychild in good hands and in a posi-tive school environment.

2. What do you think makesthe children in this communityunique?Simply living in a small, close-

knit communitymakes the dis-trict's children special. Notmanycommunities have this.

3. How have you developedyour exceptional people skills?My employment history in-

cludes workingwith the public,where I’ve had to listen to andsolve others’ problems in a timelyand courteousmanner. I creditmy parents for that. As childrenworking in the family restaurant,wewere taught to be friendly,professional andwell-mannered.

4. As a graduate of Rio RicoHigh School, what’s it like beingon “the other side of the desk”now?At first it was challenging, as I

was only a few years older thansome of the students. Before long,though, they learned to respectmy position. It’s great to be a co-worker with some ofmy teach-ers. Mr. Schadler wasmy highschool English teacher and nowhe’smy boss.

5. Many of your high schoolfriends are now parents in thedistrict. How do they feel aboutyou calling them up to inquireabout why their child wastardy?They understand it’s my job

and nothing personal. I think theyfeel comfortable withme, so wehave good communication in re-gards to their children.

6. You are the mother of threechildren, two of whom attend-ed Mountain View. Is it difficultto control your “mom” instinctswhen you are trying to keeptrack of 535 students?No. On the contrary, it’s those

“mom” instincts that helpme ful-fill my duties.Withmy own chil-dren I’m disciplined but caring,and I understand they have dif-ferent personalities. It’s the samehere at work. I can attend to stu-dents’ unique needs with a strongyet understanding demeanor.

7. What’s your favorite part ofthis job?What I enjoymost about the

job is that it’s never boring. Fromworking on attendance and help-ing parents, teachers, and stu-dents, to being involved in theschool’s special events, it’s an ad-venture.

Veteran teacherMarcia Aguirre-Fontes has been part of a dynamicMountain View second-grade teamfor eight years. As the 2010Moun-tain ViewTeacher of the Year,Mrs.Aguirre shares some of herthoughts on education.

1. Why did you become ateacher?I liked being a classroomvolun-

teerwhile in college. Thenwhen Istarted substituting, I noticed howmuch I enjoyed going towork andbeingwith kids. So,with these dif-ferent experiences I decided to be-come an elementary teacher.

2. You have a reputation forbeing passionate about ELL(English Language Learner)children. Why is that?I’mpassionate about it because

Iwas once one of them. I knowwhat it is like to be raised in ahomewhere very little English isspoken andwas once a low stu-dent too. Althoughmyparentssupportedme inmany otherways,likemy students’ parents, theywere frustratedwhen theycouldn’t helpmewith schoolwork. That’swhy I support ourparents by encouraging them tohelp their children anyway theycan and offer them strategies thatI knowwork.

3. Testing is a part of the edu-cational world today, but manypeople feel we have gone too farand are being unfair, particular-ly to ELL children. What areyour thoughts on this?I hate the label "ELL." Testing

or no testing, they are andwill al-ways be students. I understandthat English is their second lan-

guage, but they still need tomeetor exceed academic standards likeall the other non-ELLs.

4. Has your philosophy of edu-cation evolved over the years? Ifso, how?No. Education is the key to suc-

ceed in life.

5. You have worked for threeyears coordinating after-schooltutoring. That’s a pretty big re-sponsibility, both academicallyand safety-wise. Why do you ac-cept that pressure?I know frompersonal experi-

ence the benefit of having extrahelp froma certified teacher, and Ilike coordinating, so it doesn’tbotherme.Mr. Schadler is verysupportive and I also get feedbackfrom the tutors. Although I am stilllearning, I enjoy the challenge.

6. Do you have any advice forsomeone just entering the pro-fession?Well, it’s not the best paying job,

so you need to be passionate andtruly love the profession. Everyday is different and you get at-tached to the students.

7. You are about to become amom this summer. From ateacher’s point of view, how willyou prepare your child for a suc-cessful academic career?Read, read, read. Iwill read to

her froma very young age. Iwantto exposemy child to differentbooks in bothEnglish and Span-ish, so shewill develop vocabu-lary. I plan to spend time readingwith her at a very early age, so shewon’t struggle theway I did.


MV employees of year place children first

Mountain View Teacher of theYear Marcia Aguirre teaches secondgrade.

Karla Sosa, Mountain View’sclassified staff member of the year,makes parents feel welcome.

Retir-ingRRHS

teacherGail Smith is somethingofapioneerat the high school. She was its first Englishteacher.Backthen,duringRRHS'sinaugural1994-1995 school year, campus consisted ofthe east side of the complex only. Not eventhe cafeteriawas operational yet."Wehad towalk the kids down thehill (to

San Cayetano Elementary School) forlunch," she recalled.Now she, along with Spanish teacher Al

Gonzalez,who'sbeenherealmostas long, iscalling it a career. Both takewith them longand rewarding tenures on the high schoolstaff."It's thebest job Ieverhad," saidMr.Gon-

zalez. "It's beenveryenjoyable."Mr.Gonza-lez, a popular and gregarious teacher whobegan his run at RRHS in 1996 teachingworld history, said the experience of teach-ing Advanced Placement Spanish (both lan-guage and literature content areas) hasbeen his greatest success at the school."I thinkitdoessomethingto(thestudents)

psychologically" to perform well on the na-tional standardized test of college-level cur-ricula. "They say, 'I can do this. I can com-pete.' That's been the thing that's satisfiedme themost."

According to Ami Kemp, the school's APcoordinator, Mr. Gonzalez has indeed ex-tracted superb scores fromhis students. Shesaid that of the 220 Spanish language stu-dentswho've taken the national exam sincehe began teaching the class in 2000, 63 per-cent have scored either a four or a five -- thehighest scores possible on AP tests.As her last graduation approached, the

thingthatstoodoutmostinMs.Smith'smindwas just how kind and decent her studentshave been over the years. "These are reallynice SEI (Structured English Immersion)students. I taught inaTucsonschool and thestudents are different. They're angry."Perhapshermost cherishedmemorywas

of an encounter with a parent at a schoolOpen House. Struggling to make plain inEnglish her appreciation of Ms. Smith's ef-forts, the mother managed: "Honor for youthe teacher of my daughter." The momentwasadeeplymovingone forMs.Smith,whowas the school Teacher of the Year for 2007-2008.Mr. Gonzalez has his share of memories,

too. There was, for instance, the timewhenhe ran into a former student years later.Mr.Gonzalez was having a hard time remem-bering the young man, but his former stu-dent certainly held a clearmemory."He looked at me and thanked me," Mr.

Gonzalez recalled. "Hewas real proud to in-troduceme to his friends."But for Ms. Smith there's more than just

the sublime and sweet moments over a 20-year career. There's also a fair share of theridiculous. Take, for example, the timewhen she was teaching at the state prison'sShock Incarceration program for violentyouth offenders."Miss, permission touse thepencil sharp-

ener, miss!" barked one student in the bootcamp-likemannerdemandedofall studentsthere. At which point a guard quickly or-dered:"Shutup,boy,youinschoolnow!"Ms.Smith still gets a good laugh over that one.Genesis Nieto, who'll be a junior next

year, saidMs. Smithwas a terrific teacher."She's fun," Nieto said. "She explains all

thework. I like to be inher class. I think thatshe's special."Ms. Smith's first order of business, now

that teaching full time is over, is to vacationin Wales. Upon her return, she intends toteachat PimaCommunityCollegenext yearin Tucson, her home."I think everything's got a shelf life," she

mused. "It's just time todosomethingdiffer-ent.""I'mgoing tomiss thekids,"Mr.Gonzalez

said. As for his exit? "I'm thinking of buyingamotorcycle and riding off into the sunset,"

he joked. What is more likely is that he'llcontinue living in the area, which is wherehe's from, and perhaps do some substituteteaching in the district.


2RRHSveterans retire fromDistrict 35By Morgan Falkner

Gail Smith prepares for the day’s lessonsshortly before the end of the school year.


KateGranchelli, a SanCayetanoElementary art teacher, is the re-cipient of the 2010 Spanish Lan-guage and Arts Scholarship. Thisscholarship is sponsored by CRIZ-MAC Art and Cultural EducationCenter inTucsonand is inpartner-ship with the Cemanahauac Edu-cational Community in Cuernava-ca,Mexico.Ms. Granchelli was chosen

among art educators from aroundthecountrywhohavedemonstrat-edexceptionalqualificationsinthefield of art education and dedica-tion to her students.Through this scholarship Ms.

Granchelli will travel to MexicoCity, Cuernavaca, and the sur-rounding areas in June, when shewill bedoingsitevisits, conductingart classes and studying Spanish.

A first-year teacher in District35, she has a fine arts backgroundin ceramics, and received herbachelor's of artsdegree fromBuf-falo State College in Buffalo, N.Y.She relocated to Arizona and re-ceived her master's of educationfrom Northern Arizona Universityin secondary education in 2008,with an emphasis in art education.

Scholarship fuels more study

With so much emphasis placedon accountability, student achieve-ment, and bare-bones budgets intoday’s public schools, the questionis often askedwhether the arts jus-tify a place in the daily curriculum.San Cayetano students have

proven through their participationin the Young Picasso Art Club andextra-curricular art activities thatthe arts are not only important buthave empowered the children tocommunicate ideas that words andnumbers are not always able to ex-press.YoungPicassowasformedtogive

third- through fifth-grade studentstheopportunity toexploretheircre-ativenatureafter school. It is anen-vironment for students who enjoycreating and observing art.Through a variety of activities

that foster the creative process, stu-dentswhoparticipated inYoungPi-casso were able to learn skills suchas creative problem solving and

critical thinking, all valuable skillsto becoming lifelong learners. Thestudents had the opportunity to beexposed to a number of activitieswhere they created artwork for theSan Cayetano community’s enjoy-ment.In addition, thebuddingartists at

San Cayetano have been partici-pants in local and state art exhibi-tions. InMarch the students partic-ipated in two different art shows inSouthern Arizona. Young Audi-ences of Santa Cruz County's firstannualYouthArtExhibit sponsoredthe first show. Taking first placewere Brandon Lavoie and VictorValencia, both third graders. CarlosLopez, a second grader, took athird-place ribbon for his artwork.The other exhibition took place

at CRIZMAC in Tucson, where fourstudentswere selected to representSan Cayetano in a statewide art ex-hibition sponsored by CRIZMACand the Arizona Art Education As-sociation.

Thewriter is a visual arts teacherat SanCayetano.

Teacher Kate Granchelli will use a scholarship to further her studies in Mexico this summer.

By Kate Granchelli

Fifth-grade students enjoy unique art experiences through their school’sYoung Picasso Club.

Art proves itsworth at SC


The days of a teacher standing infront of the class and lecturing are ob-solete, and today’s classrooms haveevolved beyond just one computer foroccasional student use. Educators un-derstand that students disengage fromtheir learning if information is com-municated to them using out-of-datemethods.While keeping up with the technol-

ogy explosion can be challenging andexpensive, Mountain View Elemen-tary now employs technology in allspecial topic classes when deliveringinstructionforimmediateandsuccess-ful student engagement.

Promethean Interactive White-boards were added this year in musicand physical education to deliver in-struction.Music teacher LauraNelsonnoticed that students “become morevocal about answering questionsthroughout a presentation.”During an observation of a PE class,

you might see Rohnda Kridler (CoachK) using the interactive whiteboard topresent a video story to a kindergartenclass inpreparation for theirPElesson;orafifth-gradelessononheartrateandexercise.While the focus is still onget-ting students exercising, CoachK said,“Studentsareengagedbyshowingand

discussingwhat theysee,whichdevel-ops greater accountability for a life-time of fitness.”MountainViewhasalsoupgradedits

computer lab to include Vision 6 soft-ware for modeling and monitoring.With just a few clicks, the teacher’scomputer now “overrides” all 30 stu-dent computers, so that what theteacher is seeing showsup on each in-dividual student’s computer. YolandaGuillermo, the computer instructionalaide, said, “Students were excited andimmediately engaged and made posi-tive comments about what they wereseeing.”Schoolart teacherMarkDittmarhas

used technology in his classroom forthe last three years. He uses an Elmodocument camera, laptop, and projec-toreveryday."Technologyhasbecomean indispensiblepart ofmyart instruc-tion,”Mr. Dittmar said.Meanwhile, during their library

time, students use Accelerated Read-ing software to improve literacy andaccess an electronic card catalog to lo-catebooksinthelibrary.LibrarianKimCrowlie has observed that “studentsfeelempoweredbytheonlinecatalog.”For those students whose second

language is English, including a visualdemonstration gives them an addedtool to work side by side with their

classmates.By outfitting the ‘specials’ class-

rooms with technology, PrincipalStephen Schadler feels the school hastakenamajor step forward inaddress-ingthisdouble-objective.“I’mproudtosay toourparents that rightnow, everychildatMountainViewhasat leastonetechnology experience during theirday.”

Physical education teacher RohndaKridler instructs a fourth-grade class usingan interactive Promethean board.

By Mary Lucker

Sodexo, the multina-tional corporation whichserves meals to the schooldistrict'sstudentsandstaff,doesn't call it a day whenthemeals for the day havebeenservedandtheequip-mentwashed.The firm offers intern-

ships for culinary studentsand will offer some jobshere in Rio Rico this sum-mer as well. One of thecompany's goals is to in-spire students to enter thefood-service industry.Sodexo does this througheducation, internships,and continuous in-serviceprograms while studentsare still in school. At RRHS,Culinary Arts students en-joy theopportunity toworkwith Sodexo cooks andstaff in training programsand to prepare and servebanquets.In April, RRHS students

developed the menu, pre-pared the food, and servedit to110peopleinanaward

banquet.On March 16-17, Daryl

Henry, Sodexo's regionalexecutive chef, gavedemonstrations to each ofthe RRHS Culinary Artsclasses and participated inRRHS's Career Fair. Morethan80 studentswereableto attend the presentationsin Maryann Kinzel’s fiveCulinaryArts classes.Dur-ing the demonstrations,Mr. Henry showed stu-dents how to cut anddeboneafreshchicken.Healso instructed the stu-dents how tomake Chick-enParmesanandanAlfre-do sauce. At the CareerFair, Sodexo raffled off aniPod and two backpacks.The firmprovidesnutri-

tious meals for customersin businesses, colleges,hospitals, institutions andschoosl. Their Santa CruzValley Unified School Dis-trict business is run byRachel Carroll.

Internships offeredbymeal provider

CULINARY ARTS STUDENTS ENJOY OPPORTUNITYTechnology impacts every MV student


Garavito and Hernandezwere awarded $1,000 eachby Residents of Rio Rico.Dani Sanchez Ley, who runsa Nogales State Farm Insur-ance branch, presentedHaidee Valera with $1,000.AMS (Asociación deMaquiladorasdeSonora) re-warded Juan Madril andJoseLuisMunozwith $1,000each.Hernandez garnered the

$1,200 Delta Kappa Gammaprize, and Pak, Garavito,Daisy Doumerc, MadisonMolera,MelissaMonroy, So-tomayor,andGibranRegala-do each won RioRico Rotaryawards(all for$1,000,exceptfor Pak's, which was for$1,500).The Tubac Fire Depart-

ment awarded $1,000 toReyes and Keren Morales,who also received $1,000from the Tucson HispanicChamberofCommerce.TheCool Arrows Roping Teamgave its $750 prize toZachary Ortiz. Pak garnereda $2,500 Mariposa Commu-nity Health Center award,and the SEAHECHealth Ca-reersClubpresentedawardsof $250 to Reyes and Valera.Luis de la Rosa won the

$500 Green Valley ConcertBand award, while Voice ofDemocracy gave DanielleFont $300. There four recip-ients of the Sgt. AlexBermudez Memorial prize,worth $500, include JuanMadrigal, Luis Medina,Stephanie de la Rosa, andKarla Cota.The $500 Danika Tanori

Memorial Scholarship wentto Paola Acosta,Madril, NickQuiroz, Barbara Padilla, andRuby Ames. The Kyle Hen-sonMemorial Soccer award,worth $500, went to Regala-do and Michael Soto. TheVanessa Huerta Foundationacknowledged the efforts ofStephanie de la Rosa, Mon-roy, and Ruben Lugo with$1,000 awards.UniSource Energy Servic-

es provided a $2,000 grant toWittenberg. The Santa CruzCounty Board of Realtorsgave $500 to Jessica Beltran.The Rio RicoWomen's Asso-ciation gave $500 to CelinaAlvarez. And AZCTE (Ari-zona Career and TechnicalEducation) cut a checkworth $1,500 to Sotomayor.The total in non-universi-

ty or college scholarshipmoney came to almost$48,000.The following students re-

ceived$7,793fortheirexem-

plary performance on AIMS(Arizona's Instrument toMeasure Success) scores:Ceasar Camacho, AndreaCastro,BlancaCons,Garavi-to, Hernandez, Horton,MelannieHurtado,Pak,Rob-les, andHugo Rodriguez.Seniors fared well when it

came to college and univer-sitymonetary awards, too.Northern Arizona Univer-

sity awarded $2,500 MeritScholarships to Hernandez,Gabriela Lopez, VivianaLopez, Joaquin Martinez,and Sotomayor; and $3,500Dean's Scholarships to Gar-avito, Hurtado, Quiroz, andOscar Tovar.Horton won the Presi-

dent's Scholarship, worth$6,000.The University of Arizona

awarded the following cashawards: $3,000 for Garavito,Michelle Guayante, Hurta-do, Gabriela Lopez, Monroy,Morales, Rodriguez; $6,000for Kim and Arisdelzi Ur-tusuastegui; $8,000 forPak;aMacbook and at least $2,000for Quiroz. Each of the UAawardsare renewable forupto three years.Arizona State University

awarded the following:$2,750 to Beltran, EricKlump, Martinez, Jorge Or-tega, and Valera; $7,500 forRodriguez; and $9,000 forRobles. The awards are re-newable for up to threeyears.Paradise Valley Commu-

nity College awarded $1,704to Munoz, who also won anathletic scholarship worth$19,049 toattend theUniver-sity of Kansas. Lewis andClark College awarded Hor-ton a scholarship worth$17,600, andPakreceivedanunannounced scholarship toattend Pepperdine Universi-ty.Totalcollegeanduniversi-

tyawardscametomore than$157,000.The $65,000 Dorrance

scholarship went to Ro-driguez, and the Horatio Al-ger scholarship, worth$5,000, was awarded to Ur-tusuastegui.Toclose theevening's cer-

emony, representatives ofeach department an-nounced their seniorawards. The choice of theEnglish Department wasKim; Math, Horton; ForeignLanguage, Lugo; CTE LawEnforcement, Medina; CTEAgriculture, HeribertoCorella; CTE Business,ShaneHalverson;CTENurs-ing, Monroy; Social Studies,Robles; Theatre Arts, Hurta-do; Band, Jose Rangel; Art,David Gaxiola; Science, Pak;and Physical Education,BiankaHernandez.

AWARDSContinued fromPage 1

San Cayetano Elementary Schoolcelebrated its 6thannualCareerDayin March. The day serves as an op-portunity to widen students’ knowl-edge of various careers, trades andvocations available to them whenthey get older.It is also an opportunity for com-

munity members to show the stu-

dents how important attendingschool and working hard are toachieve goals and aspirations in life.Therewere 28 presenters, among

them the U.S. Border Patrol, Tubacand Rio Rico fire departments,UniSourceEnergy, andWhippleOb-servatory. Students also had an op-portunity toseesomeof theirparentsin action as they spoke to classesabout their careers -- some ofwhom

are teachers.San Cayetano would like to thank

all who volunteered their time, andthe presenters for their dedicationand enthusiasm in encouraging ourstudents to strive tobe their best. Ad-ditional photos can be found on theSC website atwww.santacruz.k12.az.us/sc/activities.htm under the stu-dent activities link.

Career Day expands outlooksBy Kate Granchelli

Fourth-grade student Andrea Oleo examines vertebrae during the presentation by a physical therapist.

San Cayetano studentstook part in heart-healthyjump rope activitiesthroughout March. This ac-tivitywasorganizedbyphys-ical education teacherCharlesDenson to teach stu-dents the importance of tak-ing care of their hearts. Thestudents learned ways tohelp those in need whilekeeping their own heartshealthy.In addition, San Cayetano

also helped raise more than$1,000,whichwasdonatedtothe National Heart Associa-tion. Jump ropes weremadeavailable in the morning forlearning new tricks. Stu-dents learned and practicedduring regular PE classes.As a reward for raising

money for thosewith specialhearts, students signed SanCayetano’s JRFHbanner andenjoyed an otter-pop andpopcorn party. The JRFHprogram wrapped up withthe Jump-A-Thon.The Jump-A-Thonwas an

opportunity for students toshow off their newly learnedjumpropeskillsandsetgoalsfor future improvement.TheAmerican Heart Associationis dedicated to helping peo-ple live longer, healthierlives, and San Cayetano stu-dents have achieved thatgoal.Parents, friends and the

community can view addi-tional photographs and cur-rent physical educationproj-ects at the San Cayetanowebsite.

Jumping rope has a purpose for these students at San Cayetano Elementary School.


There he competed againstthird through eighthgraders, including his ownsixth-grade brother whoplaced third.“I felt so nervous at the

beginning of the bee thatduring the practice round Ispelled theword ‘child,’ s-h-

i-l-d,” he said.Thelastwordat thecoun-

ty bee was "foliate." Bo-jorquez spelled it correctlyand became the countychampion. “I felt relievedwhen I won,” he explained,“but ready to go all the wayto Phoenix.”His strategy, hesays, “was to studyhard, thesamehardwords Ihadbeenstudying.”Bojorquez said he is hap-

py about his overall 17thplace finish in Arizona. “I

felt proud I made it all theway to the ninth round,” heexplained. “The judges saidthat after they used 300words from the practicebook, they would justchoosewords out of thedic-tionary.”Tempe eighth grader An-

jali Nair, a native of India,won the Arizona StateSpelling Bee and will com-pete in the national bee inJune.

BEEContinued fromPage 1

By Kate Granchelli

San Cayetano jumpsrope for heart health

rio rico newsletter october 2011

Documents

santa cruz valley district

school year

school newsletter

district office

fernandasee awards page

rio rico high school

graderruben bojorquez

seniorswin awards