By: Lee Allen, Pima Community College Tisha Cruz graduated from Sunnyside High School in 2015, a career in welding wasn’t on her radar when she graduated. Passionate about sculpture and drawing, she leaned toward a career in art, or maybe healthcare. But when she saw the “gorgeous’’ metalwork sculptures created by family members who worked as welders, she was hooked. When she graduates from Pima, she is going to further her education by getting a degree as a Welding Inspector. “I love knowing that I can make something that will last forever.” Though she’s too young to know about Rosie the Riveter, Tisha Cruz is on her way to the title of Tisha the Welder. She is leaning toward a future in the field of creative arts worked into the world of welding when she graduates next May. “Welding will be the right career choice for me because I’ve watched other family members make businesses and careers out of it,” Cruz said. “I‘m just amazed at what you can create when you combine the science of welding with an artistic flair.” Already employed in the industry as an apprentice welder, and the only woman in the shop creating metalwork for the mining industry, she also finds time to be creative with welding projects for herself like making a new table top. “Pima has treated me well. I’ve learned the world of welding, how to apply it in today’s world, and I’ve earned certificates in four different types of welding processes. I’m hopeful for a career in welding that will allow me time for some artistic expression on the side.”  

Congratulations to our retirees! Thank you for your years of service and the legacy you leave behind as you begin the next chapter in your life. We celebrate you and thank you for your dedication to the students, families, and employees of the Sunnyside District.   APOLLO MIDDLE SCHOOL Lucy Placencio, Personal Care Assistant CRAYCROFT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Donna Bennett, Pathologist DESERT VIEW HIGH SCHOOL Irene Valenzuela, Office Assistant DREXEL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Ramon Sotelo, Teacher ELVIRA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Josephine Carrillo, Teacher Pictured above: Superintendent Steve Holmes, Elvira Retiree Josephine Carrillo and Elvira Office Manager Linda Guerrero ESPERANZA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Elizabeth Anguiano, ParaProfessional Patricia Ortiz, Teacher GALLEGO INTERMEDIATE FINE ARTS Carl McCurry, Teacher LIBERTY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Maria Camacho, Teacher Margaret Hoyos-Moreno, Teacher Pictured above: Superintendent Steve Holmes, Liberty Retiree Margaret Hoyos-Moreno and Liberty Principal Claudia Gaxiola OCOTILLO EARLY LEARNING CENTER Rose Ayup, Administrative Assistant Luz Chavez, Personal Care Assistant Paul Ohm, Principal Pictured above:  Retiree Rose Ayup, Superintendent Steve Holmes and Ocotillo Retiree Principal Paul Ohm SANTA CLARA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Lupe Leon, ParaProfessional Theresa Saltzman, Pathologist Maria Valencia, Native American Program Advisor Pictured above: Superintendent Steve Holmes, Santa Clara Retiree Lupe Leon and Santa Clara Principal Ernie Badilla SUNNYSIDE HIGH SCHOOL Warren Burda, Teacher Lynne Dailey, Teacher Veronica Duarte, Teacher Rosemarie Gonzalez, Teacher Amanda Hermosa, Data Specialist Marie Leon, Administrative Assistant Maria Olivas, Preschool Supervisor Deborah Roche, Counselor Raymond Siqueiros, Teacher Pictured above: Superintendent Steve Holmes, Sunnyside HS Retiree Warren Burda and Sunnyside HS Principal Ricky Torres   Pictured above: Superintendent Steve Holmes, Sunnyside HS Retiree Debbie Roche and Sunnyside HS Principal Ricky Torres   Pictured above: Superintendent Steve Holmes, Sunnyside HS Retiree Raymond Siqueiros and Sunnyside HS Principal Ricky Torres   ADMINISTRATION Dennis Dewoody, Media Center Technician Elvia Flores, Accounting Clerk Victor Martinez, Campus Monitor Jane Miclon, Social Worker Linda Rodriquez, Administrative Assistant Robert Sterner, Program Specialist Pictured above: Superintendent Steve Holmes, SPED Retiree Robert Sterner and Exceptional Education Director Leila Williams FOOD SERVICES Heidi Quattlebaum, Cafeteria Supervisor MAINTENANCE Maria Linn, Custodian (Challenger) Ernesto Beltran, Custodian (Craycroft) Alberto Alcantar, Custodian (Los Amigos) TRANSPORTATION Maria Contreras, Bus Driver Louis Tona, Bus Driver    

Our Vision: Every child... College, Career and Community Ready. Our Mission: Our mission is to develop students with a strong sense of identity, purpose and agency, so that they leave our system as effective learners who act with purpose to achieve the conditions they desire in their own and others’ lives. Since the release of the 1983 report “A Nation at Risk” our public school systems have been challenged with the task of improving public perception regarding how we prepare students for the future. This issue of a quality of education was compounded with the accountability requirements under the No Child Left Behind of 2001, which focused primarily on one assessment.  This narrow focus on one metric as the definitive measure of school quality misrepresents the complexity of educating students and diminishes the great work of educators across this nation who make a difference in the lives of students every day, in every classroom. And though aggregate performance is a key variable for measuring success, it simply fails to tell a bigger picture of what our students have and will be able to do in the future.  For this reason we felt it critical to recast our PROFILE OF A GRADUATE within a broader narrative of student success. This new framework provides an unparalleled level of clarity that aligns our mission, vision, and the work.  This new iteration of our graduate profile picks up where our Strategic Plan left off in 2015 and drives the work forward through five competencies, key to each student’s journey towards graduation: 1). Knowledge for Learning, 2). Knowledge for Impact, 3). Creative Confidence, 4). Critical Consciousness, and 5). Self and Systems Awareness.  In addition to college and career readiness, Community Ready was added to this iteration of the work thanks to feedback we received from community members, as well as industry and higher education professionals who expressed certain intangibles that Sunnyside students brought to their organizations. Attributing to our students traits like, “community-minded”, “a sense of social justice”, “respectfulness” we felt strongly that Community Ready also provided us with a framework to bridge the gap between knowledge and agency. This framework allows our District to capture the summative experiences that mark each child’s learning journey so that personalizing the classroom is less about technology, and more about each student’s ecology.  Thank you for being a part of our journey.      COMPETENCY #1: KNOWLEDGE FOR LEARNING Our students are knowledge creators. We look to them to not only master the content, but also to transfer knowledge across disciplines: From science to the humanities, from mathematics to the social sciences—Sunnyside students are deep thinkers and well-rounded learners with a strong sense of academic identity.  We trust our students as knowledge co-creators who share their expertise with peers and teachers as part of an intentional process of collaboration. Sunnyside students understand that learning is a social and shared responsibility. By listening respectfully, students value learning from one another as they begin to develop transferable skills like responding positively and constructively, which are important skills to employers as they are assembling their teams.   COMPETENCY #2: KNOWLEDGE FOR IMPACT When Hurricane Harvey crippled the Texas coast in 2018, Sunnyside students in our JTED Construction program rolled up their sleeves, gave up their spring break, and traveled across the country to rebuild homes. When faced with the opportunity to speak at the state capitol demanding an increase in teacher pay, one Sunnyside student took to the microphone, took a deep breath and pumped up a crowd of tens of thousands.    Our students are engaged participants in their future, not merely bystanders. Equipped with deep knowledge of history and a sense of what is fair, our students are adept at using social media and student organizations to drive change. Sunnyside students are aware of community issues and possess real-world knowledge gained from internships and other experiences that put global issues into a local context.   COMPETENCY #3: CREATIVE CONFIDENCE All students are creative, and it’s our responsibility to nurture that creativity. Borrowing from the work of Tom and David Kelley (IDEO, Stanford d.School) we define creative confidence as the natural human ability to come up with great ideas and the courage to act on those ideas.  Sunnyside students take part in human-centric experiences that use empathy, systems thinking, and design thinking to unlock their creativity. Through building prototypes, using causal loops, challenging assumptions, and acknowledging that all ideas are worthy, our students learn how to take risks. More importantly, creative confidence relies on human collaboration, which is embodied in the performing arts. Sunnyside's tradition of excellence in the fine arts provides a first point of entry for students into a world of creativity that gives them opportunities to gain confidence and succeed.    COMPETENCY #4: CRITICAL CONSCIOUSNESS Workplaces, schools and colleges, and other social environments are defined by internal cultures and norms that are not always visible from the outside. Some environments are built to nurture and empower, while other systems have internal cultures that hinder upward mobility. This is why we give students the tools to identify systems that perpetuate inequality so they’re prepared to take action.  In collaboration with League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson and the YWCA Southern Arizona we host workshops that help high school students learn about running for office while deconstructing issues such as racism, discrimination, and LGBTQ rights. Fostering critical consciousness through debate empowers our students to keep up with important issues and to demand a seat at the table.    COMPETENCY #5: SELF AND SOCIAL AWARENESS Students who are self-aware have strong intrapersonal skills such as self-regulation, which develops in the early years and aids in problem solving and supports volitional behavior. Social awareness (or social intelligence) is part of an important skill set that, later in life, is what sets a transformational leader apart from an everyday boss. This profile of a graduate takes into account our students’ social and emotional development and values traits such as assertiveness, conflict resolution, positive self-talk (to name a few)—as important indicators—of self- and social awareness, which is key to our students’ ability to thrive after high school.   NEXT STEPS 1. Create a graphic representation of the Graduate Profile 2. Introduce the Graduate Profile at the 2018 Administrative Summit 3. Develop indicators for each of the Graduate Profile competency areas 4. Establish a continuum or rubrics by grade band for each indicator that will be used to support internal accountability metrics with the desired outcome of establishing our own school label system    

On Thursday, February 14th Desert View High School and Sunnyside High School seniors participated in the National Career and Technical Education (CTE) Signing Day at Pima Community College (PCC). This event mirrored the NCAA's National Signing Day for students who commit to playing sports in college, this is a unique opportunity for seniors to be recognized in front of their parents and others. As done with collegiate athletic signings, new students inked their intentions to complete a technical program at Pima Community College. Sunnyside School District had approximately 50 students from each high school scheduled to attend Pima College Signing Day, 16 students signed for study in Manufacturing, and 7 in Administrative Justice. Last year, more than 2,400 students signed commitments nationwide. http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/video/2019/02/15/pcc-hosts-cte-letters-intent-signing-day/