This month, we are proud to celebrate Women's History Month, Social Worker Month, National Athletic Training Month, and Disability Awareness Month.

PXU would like to congratulate Sam Le (pictured above), Senior at Franklin Police and Fire High School, for earning over 1.5 million dollars in total scholarship money and counting. Sam is a Posse Scholar and plans to attend Case Western Reserve University in Ohio to study Aerospace Engineering with a minor in International Business Affairs. His goal after college is to join the United States Air Force as an Engineer.

Sam was also interviewed by a news outlet in Ohio, where he will be moving to. Click the button below to view the interview. We are proud of you, Sam!

Cyndi Tercero was recently featured by EdWeek in an article discussing her work and her efforts surrounding participatory budgeting. Click the button below to read the EdWeek article featuring Cyndi Tercero:

Diego Flores (pictured above), Senior at Alhambra High School, competed against 9 other finalists at the AZ Central Region Finals this past weekend, where he was selected to represent Alhambra, our District, and region at the state competition. Poetry Out Loud is a national recitation contest that begins at the school level. Competitors must recite multiple poems from memory and are judged by an esteemed panel. Competitors are scored in 5 categories: Physical Presence, Voice & Articulation, Dramatic Appropriateness, Evidence of Understanding, and Overall Performance. The state champion will win an all-expense paid trip to Washington D.C. to compete at Nationals for a grand prize of $20,000!

We wish you luck at State, Diego!

The Betty Fairfax Japanese Club recently created a video to send to their friends/penpals in Japan! View the video above. Way to go, Fairfax Japanese Club!

Central High School Mock Trial have added another feather to the string of achievements of Bobcats by participating and performing well in the Regional Mock Trial Competition on Saturday, March 4th. The competition was at the Maricopa County Superior Courthouse.

13 Students represented Central High School in this competition. All students were divided into 2 teams according to their respective roles. Each team had to perform 4 times on the Arizona Mock Trial Case: 2 times as Defense and 2 times as Prosecution. They won 4 out of 8 cases. Their students were trained in-person by a very talented attorney Mr. Jacob Stock.

These are the names of the participants according to their Teams:

Team 1: Julia Tyree (Sophomore), Ana Maria Tongol (Sophomore), Christian Murego (Senior), Jozette Garcia (Sophomore), Sie Urrutia Gonzalez (Sophomore), Nur Mohamad Ali (Senior)

Team 2: Kamora Hunt (Sophomore), Jhanyla james (Senior), Miriam Zepeda (Sophomore), Eileen Rosas (Junior), Macy Custer (Junior), Ridwan Mohammed (Senior), Kennay James-Mckinzie (Sophomore)

Congratulations, Central Mock Trial!

Recently, Maryvale held a College and Career Fair (pictured above) coordinated by their counseling department. The fair had 40 participating organizations including most branches of the military, local law enforcement, public works, educational institutions, nonprofits, and corporate participants. It is estimated that over 600 students participated. Way to go, Maryvale!

The Carl Hayden ESS Department recently hosted a Guardianship night (pictured above) where they invited ESS parents for discussions and to have their questions answered. The meeting was well attended and parents stayed late asking questions of Dolores Rios and Margarita Gonzalez-Maynez from Raising Special Kids. Congrats, Carl Hayden ESS!

In February, around 20 Bostrom students had the opportunity to visit Luke Air Force Base. They toured the fighter jet hangar, had lunch on base, toured the gym, and took part in a simulation of an F-16. The students were all very receptive to the tour and several expressed interest in joining the military after the tour.

What an incredible opportunity!

Recently, Mr. Dennis Pinon, teacher at Maryvale, brought a select group of students to the LA Museum of Tolerance. While there, students learned to assess racial discrimination from around the world, with an emphasis on the Holocaust and The Diary of Anne Frank.

We hope they had fun and learned something new!

Recently, Band, Orchestra, and Guitar programs from across the District competed at the ABODA Area Festivals, and did very well! Here are the programs and the ratings they received:

• Academies at South Mountain Band - Excellent Rating
  
• Betty Fairfax Beginning Band - Non-Rated
  
• Betty Fairfax Band - Excellent Rating
  
• Camelback Band - Excellent Rating
  
• Carl Hayden Band - Excellent Rating
  
• Maryvale Band - Excellent with Recognition Rating
  
• Maryvale Orchestra - Excellent with Recognition Rating
  
• North Band - Excellent Rating
  
• Trevor Browne Band - Good Rating
  
• Alhambra Guitar - Superior with Distinction Rating
  
• Betty Fairfax Guitar - Excellent Rating
  
• Camelback Guitar - Excellent with Recognition Rating
  
• Central Guitar - Non-Rated
  
• Maryale Guitar - Superior with Distinction Rating
  
• Metro Tech - Excellent with Recognition Rating

Congratulations to all!

To stay updated with all things PXU Visual and Performing Arts, visit PXU.org/VAPA.

Here is the news coming from JROTC! Phoenix Union High School District JROTC programs recently participated in the annual United States Marine Corps Private First-Class Oscar P. Austin Remembrance Ceremonies sponsored by the PFC Oscar P. Austin Recognition Committee. Private First Class Austin attended Booker T. Washington Elementary and Phoenix Union High School and he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism in Vietnam in 1969. The US Navy Destroyer USS Oscar Austin (DDG-79), commissioned in 2000, is named in his honor. The ship’s motto is “Honor and Sacrifice” a reference to the sacrifice of Private First Class Austin. In late February, PXU JROTC Programs conducted classroom discussion about the life, bravery and sacrifice of PFC Oscar Austin. Each JROTC classroom has a plaque memorializing PFC Austin.

Carl Hayden JROTC Cadets posted the Colors at the annual Private First-Class Oscar Austin Remembrance Ceremony at Greenwood Memorial Cemetery where Private First Class Austin is buried. American Legion Post 41, America’s Buffalo Soldiers, Phoenix Union JROTC Cadets, veterans, friends and family attended this year’s ceremony.

Cesar Chavez High School JROTC Cadets posted the Colors at the Arizona Senate during the Private First-Class Oscar Austin Remembrance Ceremony. The Medal of Honor Citation noting Private First-Class Austin’s heroism was read on the Senate Floor. We are proud of our JROTC programs for representing Phoenix Union!

SFC Joe Hernandez (pictured above), PXU JROTC Military Property Specialist, recently completed a second tour as a JROTC School of Cadet Command Logistics Curriculum and Classroom Instruction and Facilitation Instructor at the JROTC Logistics and Supply Course in Fort Knox, Kentucky. SFC Hernandez provided classroom instruction/lectures and practical exercises on a wide range of JROTC Logistics, Military Property Management, Warehouse Management, Government Purchase Card and Finance topics. SFC Hernandez is considered a Subject Matter Expert in JROTC logistics and finances across Arizona and the country. Thank you for representing PXU well, SFC Hernandez!

During the month of February, PXU students utilized PXU Libraries in the following ways:

• Print Books: 6507 checked out by readers
• Digital Books: 358 eBooks and Audiobooks checked out by readers
• Database Searches: 15,795 research databases were accessed by readers

We are excited to see our students engaging with the important resources in our libraries.

Do you or a PXU Employee you know need any support? PXU has Health and Wellness Clinicians on staff to support our staff with difficult times. If you or a colleague are in need of emotional or mental health support, please click the link below to be directed to a form for support. A Staff Health and Wellness Specialist will respond to you within 24 hours (Monday thru Friday).

Click here to be redirected to the Employee Support Form

ElevateEdAZ is an initiative of the Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation focused on aligning classes and curriculum with workforce needs, creating opportunities for students to apply academics through work-based learning, and increasing student exposure to career pathways. ElevateEdAZ is designed as a model for Arizona schools to better integrate high wage, high demand, high skill career pathways into the K-12 education system. With College and Career Coaches already embedded at the Academies at South Mountain, Metro Tech High School, and Phoenix Coding Academy, ElevateEdAZ looks forward to providing many impactful experiences to students and educators this coming school year.

We encourage you to share with your networks and encourage students to seek out the resources that ElevateEdAZ provides!