#ThisIsWhoWeAre
PXU Newsletter January 30, 2023
PXU Governing Board Updates
During the January Board Meeting, the PXU Governing Board Elected a new President and Clerk. The new Board President is Naketa Ross and the new Clerk is Ceyshe Napa. The Governing Board additionally has 3 new members, Jennifer Hernnadez, Ceyshe Napa, and Signa Oliver, representing wards 5, 4, and 2 respectively. Congratulations to our brand new and newly elected Board Members! See above for a photo of PXU's new Governing Board.
PXU AcaDec Needs Your Help!
PXU Academic Decathlon is in urgent need of volunteers! They are looking for volunteers for 2/3/23 at Cesar Chavez HS. Your support is greatly appreciated!
Sign-Up Link: https://forms.office.com/r/0ZJjx2wSbC
PXU Job Fair a Success
On Saturday, January 28th, we held our PXU Job Fair at Central High School and it was a huge success. All of our schools were present to find individuals to fill both certified and classified vacancies. We are happy to announce that 68 letters of intent were signed at the Job Fair! Congratulations to all of our schools who filled vacancies and thank you to everyone who made the Job Fair possible. If you know someone who is interested in working for Phoenix Union, we are still hiring! Those interested in applying with us can visit
PXU.org/Jobs to see our openings.
Student Profile: Sarah Ramos
Sarah Ramos (pictured above) is a current senior at North High School who came to Phoenix Union from the Isaac Elementary School District. On campus, she is involved in IB, Varsity Cross Country, is the Moot Court President, Treasurer of National Honors Society, a member of the Hiking Club, and also participates in volunteer work. Outside of school, Sarah likes to run, be outside, and do a Rubik's Cube, which she is able to complete in around 30 seconds.
Sarah has had a lot of support throughout her school career, but mentions Mr. Catanese, a teacher at Pueblo Del Sol in the Isaac Elementary School District, as someone who has motivated her and connected her with many of the resources that have helped her become successful through his foundation, the Camp Catanese Foundation. A quote of his that has stuck with her is, "If your dreams don't scare you, they are not big enough."
After high school, Sarah will be attending Yale, as she was admitted early though Early Action. She became interested in Yale after her older sister, a North High School alumna, was accepted and started attending school there. Sarah plans to major in Sociology, with a goal of attending law school and becoming a lawyer. As the daughter of immigrants from Jalisco, MX, her goal represents something significant for her. "My goal with my career is to make sure more underrepresented people have opportunities not limited by circumstance. I want to keep my story in mind," Sarah said regarding her future path.
Sarah is currently a semifinalist for both the Gates Scholarship and the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship, which are both prestigious, highly competitive scholarships. We cannot wait to see what Sarah accomplishes after graduation!
PXU Flinn Scholarship Semifinalists
PXU has 4 of Arizona's 82 Flinn Scholarship Semifinalists! This year, the Flinn Scholarship had over 1,000 applicants, and of the 82 Semifinalists, we are proud to have 4. They are as follows:
Irais Aguilar Coconi, Trevor Browne High School, Glendale
Ariana Delgadillo, Bioscience High School, Phoenix
Natali Giron Terrazas, Maryvale High School, Glendale
Angela Sanchez, Bioscience High School, Phoenix
Congratulations to them! Good luck on becoming finalists, ladies!
PXU's New and Maintained National Board Certified Teachers
PXU is proud to have 43 National Board Certified Teachers! This year, we have 12 individuals who have either become NBCT's for the first time, or have maintained their certification. They are as follows:
New candidates:
Pooja Arora AYA Math (Camelback High School)
Dr. Renata Geurtz EAYA CTE (North High School)
Maintenance Candidates:
Torunn (Tori) Anderson AYA ELA (Camelback High School)
Richard Bailey AYA ELA (Camelback High School)
Shannon Harsh AYA Science (Wilson College Prep)
Robert Baines AYA English (North High School)
Scott Black AYA Art (North High School)
Reno Edgington AYA Social Studies-History (North High School)
Laura Motush AYA Art (Bioscience High School)
Shoshanna Kroeger AYA Science (Phoenix Coding Academy)
Roshani Dubel EA Mathematics (CEE)
Niki Karandreas AYA ELA (Trevor Browne High School)
Congratulations to all of them! They will be honored at the February PXU Governing Board Meeting.
PXU Student Governments Attend AASC State Convention in Bullhead City
This past weekend, many of PXU's Student Governments made the trip to Bullhead City for the AASC State Convention (pictured above). This annual event is a great way for our Student Government students to network, learn valuable leadership skills, and have fun. We hope that they learned a lot and had fun!
Central High School AVID Students Adopt Canalscape
The Central High School AVID students (pictured above) have adopted the canal from 7th Avenue to 7th Street as a community service project. The process was started in August 2021. Ms. Morgan and AVID Site Coordinator, Ms. Jenny Ferrer accompany their AVID students four times each year with the goal of beautifying our community. The students have served over 40 hours of community service so far, while learning to take pride and responsibility for the environment. These student leaders serve as an example for their peers. Their commitment to this project is a prime example of Advancement Via Individual Determination. We are very proud of them!
Camelback High School Part of ASU Clean Indoor Air Project
Camelback High School is the subject of the ASU Clean Indoor Air Project, which was recently recognized for the ASU Presidents Award for Innovation and included a recognition for the collaboration of Camelback High School. Right now, the study has placed nearly 40 Corsi-Rosenthal Air Purifiers in classrooms across Camelback and they are studying air quality to show the significant effect that these DIY air filters can have.The award is current on display at Camelback High School while they collaborate with the team on the study.
Betty Fairfax Theatre Good News
Recently, the Betty Fairfax Theatre (pictured above) had a couple of great things happen. First, they went to the Opera for the first time and everyone enjoyed it very much. They also participated in their first Regional Competition and came back with four Excellent ratings and a Superior, which qualifies for the International Thespian Festival. Congratulations to the following students:
Victoria "Grace" Monroe - Excellence in Contrasting Monologues
Colin Hepner - Excellence in Contrasting Monologues
Victoria Rivera and Colin Hepner - Excellence in Duo Acting
Anijah Franklin, Victoria Apodaca, Malika Dauphin, and Achilles Carl - Excellence in Group Musical
Hailey Young - Superior in Solo Musical
Greater Phoenix Music Festival a Success
The Greater Phoenix Music Festival took place recently at Camelback High School and was a huge success (pictured above). There were 4 state-renowned clinicians working with close to 250 students. Close to 40 music educators from both PXU and our partner districts were present learning from the clinicians and there was also a session where PXU Visual and Performing Arts got to speak to Middle School students in attendance about PXU.
What an incredible event! For more info on PXU Visual and Performing Arts and to see a calendar of their events, visit PXU.org/VAPA.
Metro Tech Awarded Safe Sports School Award
Metro Tech has been awarded as a Safe Sports School once again. They were the first and only school in Maricopa County to receive this recognition for excellence in Athletic Healthcare, and continue to maintain that. This recognition is valid until November of 2025.
In order to achieve Safe Sports School status, as Metro Tech did, athletic programs must do the following:
· Create a positive athletic health care administrative system
· Provide or coordinate pre-participation physical examinations
· Promote safe and appropriate practice and competition facilities
· Plan for selection, fit function and proper maintenance of athletic equipment
· Provide a permanent, appropriately equipped area to evaluate and treat injured athletes
· Develop injury and illness prevention strategies, including protocols for environmental conditions
· Provide or facilitate injury intervention
· Create and rehearse a venue-specific Emergency Action Plan
· Provide or facilitate psychosocial consultation and nutritional counseling/education
· Be sure athletes and parents are educated about the potential benefits and risks in sports as well as their responsibilities
Congratulations, Metro Tech!
Dr. Wendy Truvillion Featured in Track Coach publication
Recently, Dr. Wendy Truvillion, AP at Alhambra High School (pictured above) was featured in Track Coach, a publication by USA Track & Field. The publication features a Q&A profile on her life and work. Congratulations on this feature, Dr. T!
Click the button below to be directed to the publication about Dr. Truvillion. It is found on page 7716.
PXU Participates in NFL Super Kids-Super Sharing Event
On January 26, multiple PXU schools participated in the NFL Super Kids-Super Sharing event (pictured above). This event is a community impact project that helps books, sports equipment, and school supplies get to students and schools in need. Schools that participate are asked to donate lightly used or new supplies to share with other schools, and the donated items are shared with under-resourced schools and districts.
Our campuses were able to receive and select several of the below:
- Up to 237 books
- 50 pieces of sports equipment
- 100 pieces of school supplies
- 30 games
- Each campus received a new football and a new soccer ball
- North won a new projector
What an incredible event!
PXU Libraries Quarter 2 Library Circulation Stats
Last quarter, our students were busy utilizing PXU Libraries and the resources that they offer! PXU students checked out 1,842 digital books, 11,217 physical books, and accessed 6,340 research databases. We hope our students continue to utilize the amazing resources that our libraries provide. Way to go, PXU Libraries!
PXU Employee Wellness Support
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
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!
Stay in touch with us!
We love hearing from you! If you have good news to share with the District, email Vanessa Herb at
vherb@phoenixunion.org with your good news. Follow us on social media as well to stay updated on all the great things we have happening across the District!
