BADGER NATION | Summer 2023 | A Talking Glass Media publication in support of PUSD

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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WELCOME TO BADGER NATION

LETTER FROM CLARK TENNEY

PUSD ACADEMIC CALENDAR

PUSD EDUCATION FOUNDATION

PUSD GARDENS: A POINT OF BADGER PRIDE

CIVIL DISCOURSE GUIDEBOOK FROM THE LAUNCHPAD’S TEEN CENTER

PHS 23-24 ATHLETIC INFORMATION

SUMMER 2023 IDEALIOS

PRESCOTT UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT P.U.S.D. OFFICES

300 East Gurley Street | Prescott, AZ 86301 928-445-5400 | 800-445-9806 | PrescottSchools.com

Hours: Monday – Friday | 7:45am – 4:30pm

JOE HOWARD, SUPERINTENDENT

joe.howard@prescottschools.com

@pusd1 @prescottschools @prescottunifiedschooldistr4802

Events & classes in this guide are subject to change. To confirm or for more info, please visit our website at PrescottSchools.com and follow us on our social media pages listed above.

TALKING GLASS MEDIA, LLC – a Fain Signature Group Company 2982 N. Park Ave. | Ste. F | Prescott Valley, AZ. 86314 928-257-4177 | Editor@SignalsAZ.com

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Elicia Morigeau, Sales Director 928-642-3552

Assistant Editor/Digital

Kristina Abbey

Art Direction

Dina Ponder

Graphic Design Wilson Van Ness

Graphic Design

Cecilia Villa

Media Manager

Merilee Mills

Executive Editor

Guy Roginson

A Talking Glass Media, LLC publication, in support of the Prescott Unified School District #1

On the cover: A PHS Racer participates in the Whiskey Off-Road. Photo credit: Blushing Cactus Photography

WELCOME TO Badger Pride is Hot Hot Hot this Summer!

Badger Pride is the name of the game as we enter into summer! This edition of Badger Nation is a celebration of Badger Pride focusing on areas of accomplishment across Prescott Unified School District (PUSD).

PUSD Education Foundation recognized some “Rising Stars” and celebrated eight accomplished seniors and the teachers who nominated them. The LaunchPad Teen Advisory Council shared some of the great work they do and continue to do in connecting with the community and with local teens.

PUSD also shared added accomplishments made throughout the district through the incorporation of the Farm-to-School

Program at all district schools.

As we go into summer and take some time to relax before fall rushes in, it’s essential to recognize the pride PUSD teachers and staff take in their schools. Teachers, staff, and administration are all hard at work in the summer getting everything ready for the new school year.

Badger Pride is well-deserved and recognized in this issue. Join us at Talking Glass Media as we celebrate just a few of those points of pride in the summer issue of Prescott Badger Nation!

Abia Judd Elementary

Granite Mountain Middle Taylor Hicks Elementary

Mile High Middle

Discovery Gardens Preschool

Prescott High Lincoln Elementary

PUSD Online Learning

Kristina Abbey Talking Glass Media

Charlie Marriott Real Estate Agent

FROM THE DESK OF

CITY COUNCIL Mr. Clark Tenney

When summer comes around, all school employees go on vacation, right? Not exactly! It is true that since most of our 4,000 students have the summer off, the majority of our teachers are not teaching their regular classes for 9 weeks. So what happens in our schools over the summer?

Many teachers don’t stop working when summer arrives. Many of our special education students qualify for an “Extended School Year,” and their teachers and support staff lead those learning efforts. Also, a number of our teachers and other staff will spend the month of June supporting nearly 300 students in our robust Prescott Unified School District Summer School programs. Each of these summer programs help students extend their learning, and they offer remediation opportunities for students who can benefit from this.

Because teachers often work 50 to 60 hours each week during the school year, summer is their best time to take continuing education courses at conferences and through local universities. Many teachers spend their summers working towards additional degrees, certificates, or endorsements to refine their craft. Summer is prime time for teachers’ professional development!

Our school leaders are also hard at work all summer. They work together to analyze each school’s standardized test scores and other data and have deep discussions about goals and action plans for the upcoming year to improve student learning even more. New curriculum and supplies often arrive over the summer, and this all needs to be distributed to nearly 200 classrooms on our 7 school campuses. Although PUSD enjoys very low staff turnover, summer is also our main season for hiring great new teachers and school leaders to replace those who have retired or moved on. New Teacher Orientation is also planned, prepared, and carried out each summer.

PUSD’s amazing support staff are also hard at work all summer. Our finance department works like crazy to wrap up the fiscal year for our $30,000,000 budget, our HR folks issue contracts to all of our new hires, our maintenance folks do needed repairs at each school site, and our custodial staff do deep cleaning at each school while the kids are away.

While you might not see our 4,000 students streaming in and out of their schools every day, our PUSD folks are definitely hard at work every summer. And yes, a few of them are even able to fit in a family vacation between all of this work.

Happy summer!

Clark Tenney PUSD Director of Human Resources and Special Programs Prescott City Councilman

WE’RE HIRING

RECRUIT & LATERAL POLICE OFFICERS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

The City of Prescott Police Department delivers quality Community-Based Policing in active partnership with the citizens we serve. We are seeking career and communityoriented individuals who desire to be a professional, positive influence in their community. We serve a familyfriendly community of approximately 40,000 residents, located adjacent to Prescott National Forest.

Our beautiful town square is in the heart of historic downtown and is the site of year-round community activities. What would such a beautiful small city, with big city services, be without the best people working for it?

SALARY RANGE $58,055 – $87,083

SWORN POSITIONS

The Department considers employment applications for police officers from two sources:

1. Regular recruitment process for new officers.

2. Arizona Certified Officers who are currently working as police officers in Arizona. Certified officers from other states may be eligible as well.

Major Benefits For

Full-Time Regular Employees: Paid time off; ten paid holidays and one floating holiday per year; employee and/or family health and life insurance; short-term and long-term disability; Retirement and Social Security contributions; other optional benefits such as deferred compensation plans and additional life insurance.

JOIN OUR TEAM!

Please visit: https://cityofprescott.applicantpro.com/jobs for additional information and submit your application TODAY!

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Get outdoors with a curated exhibitor list, subject matter experts & exciting off-road experiences.

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Guiding the Future

THE IMPACTFUL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PUSD EDUCATION FOUNDATION’S “RISING STARS” AND THEIR TEACHERS

Paul Kirchgraber | Director of PUSD Education Foundation

On May 2nd, the annual Prescott Unified School District Education Foundation “Rising Stars” banquet was held to honor eight accomplished PHS seniors. Alongside them that evening were eight distinguished educators who were praised for their belief in these students and their ability to inspire them to pursue their ambitions and achieve their dreams.

These Rising Stars were nominated by PUSD staff for surpassing expectations and excelling in the face of adversity, achieving a B average or better on their path to graduation. They have all demonstrated determination and resilience on their journey toward their goals, whether that means pursuing higher education, military service, or job training. They have embraced the valuable life lessons learned throughout their high school careers and are poised to achieve great things.

During the banquet, the Rising Stars shared video messages expressing their gratitude toward their selected “Distinguished Educator.” These teachers were instrumental in shaping their high school experiences, offering tough love, praise, confidence, high expectations, and compassion. Through their guidance, the Rising Stars were able to overcome their struggles both in and outside of school to complete their assignments and achieve success.

The Rising Stars spoke of their educators’ patience and perseverance, as they pushed the students to strive for excellence and never give up in the face of obstacles. These PUSD educators encouraged and brainstormed with their students on how to reach their full potential, never accepting excuses and always looking for solutions to help them achieve their goals.

CAMERON BROWN

Future plans include going on a mission for his church and then attending Arizona State University and majoring in Business Finance.

DISTINGUISHED TEACHER:

MISSY TOWNSEND - PHS Assistant Principal Athletic Director

ELIJAH RESNICK

Future plans include attending Seattle University.

DISTINGUISHED TEACHER: JIM RHINE - PHS@YC Algebra I Teach Geometry Teacher

MAUREA NORRIS

Future plans include attending UNLV and majoring in Engineering.

DISTINGUISHED TEACHER:

HELEN WANAMAKER - PHS English Teacher

JESSICA COPE

Future plans include attending the University of Michigan and majoring in Political Science.

DISTINGUISHED TEACHER:

JEN HAWLEY - PHS

AP Literature & Language Teacher

JOAQUIN SIERRA

Future plans include attending Florida International University and majoring in Music Production.

DISTINGUISHED TEACHER:

REBECCA WOOD - PHS English Teacher

SHAYLIN AMQUIST

Future plans include attending Yavapai College for an Associate’s Degree in Science and then pursue a degree in either Social Work or Ultrasound Technician.

DISTINGUISHED TEACHER: CRYSTAL ONTIVEROS - PHS Counselor

LEILANI CHUNING

Future plans include attending a 4-year University/College for a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, a Ph.D in Psychology, and a Juris Doctorate.

DISTINGUISHED TEACHER:

BRENDA LEE - PHS

Introduction to Law Teacher Mock Trial Coach

MICHELLA KPODO

Future plans include attending a university to major in Film and Media with a possible double major in Philosophy.

DISTINGUISHED TEACHER: MOLLY ORR - PHS@YC Early College Program Director

Gardens PUSD

A POINT OF BADGER PRIDE

Prescott Unified School District’s (PUSD) Farm-toSchool Program provides garden-based experiences to ignite students’ love of learning, build skills to sustainably grow food, improve environmental literacy, develop lifelong healthy habits, and cultivate community partnerships with farm-based organizations. PUSD fulfills this mission primarily through school garden education. The first garden was constructed in 2012 and, with over a decade of grassroots organizing, PUSD now has a garden at every school.

One point of pride for the district is that students from every grade level, preschool through high school, have the opportunity to grow their own food. In addition, produce not used during educational lessons is brought into the cafeteria to be incorporated into school meals. Students receive a great sense of pride and accomplishment when they get to eat the vegetables they planted, cared for, and harvested and share them with their peers.

Farm-to-School programming in PUSD has dramatically improved students’ willingness to try and develop an affinity toward new fruits and vegetables. During the 2022-23 school year, all three elementary schools participated in the Arizona Department of Education’s Farm Fresh Challenge, in which students taste-tested produce from local farmers. PUSD was one of only four other school districts in the state to receive the highest award of Platinum. The overwhelming response from students was, “Delicious!”

In addition to strengthening the connection students have with fresh, healthy food, the Farm-to-School Program also enriches core academic subjects by providing real-world examples of concepts learned in the classroom. PUSD’s school gardens serve as living libraries that are used as tools to teach virtually every subject area. Whether it be the plant life cycle in science, taking precise measurements in math, reading planting guides and garden stories, writing in a garden journal, learning the history of agriculture, engineering rainwater catchment systems, or painting garden murals and signs, school gardens have so much to offer!

PUSD’s Farm-to-School Program is made possible thanks to the generous support of community partners, local businesses, volunteers, teachers, and students. This generosity and enthusiasm have led to the creation of a fulltime Farm-to-School Coordinator position to run the program. PUSD’s Farm-to-School team is steadily growing in response to increased interest among teachers and students. PUSD offers AmeriCorps Garden Specialist opportunities year-round to those looking to gain experience in gardening and teaching. Thanks to this team, teachers can spend more time providing educational lessons in the garden and less time performing regular maintenance.

PUSD Farm-to-School program provides opportunity to connect students with fresh, healthy food

PUSD Students learn about composting

Sara Reveile | Prescott Unified School District

60 Years of Building Community

We understand that careful planning and community building require strong partnerships for thoughtful and meaningful growth that support opportunities for living a good life.

Fain Signature Group has been here for generations, and will work with the community for generations to come.

You have our word on it.

SHAPING THE SHAPINGFUTURE THE FUTURE

AT THE LAUNCH PAD

The Launch Pad’s T.A.C. Guidebook Furthers the Better Together Campaign Progress.

Maddie Stanik has been a part of The Launch Pad’s Better Together campaign for two years, initially helping as a researcher to gather surveys around the community and now as an active member of the Teen Advisory Council and author of the Better Together guidebook. She has lived in Prescott all her life and is currently a junior at BASIS Prescott.

In a world filled with uncertainties and tribulations, our youth are often deprived of the chance to feel unconditional acceptance and realize the value of their voices. In an effort to address these concerns within Yavapai County, the Launch Pad was created as an institution that is not only for teens but, more importantly, by teens. At the Launch Pad (TLP), teens are given the opportunity to reach their full potential with the complete support of compassionate adults. Beyond providing extracurricular programs and life skills to the youth, TLP empowers teens to share their ideas and stories in an environment that recognizes their immense value and potential.

Lia Killeen joined TAC in September of 2022 with the hope of becoming a voice of change within the Prescott community. Lia is a member of the 2024 graduating class at Prescott High School and enjoys reading, spending time with family, and exploring outdoors in her free time. After graduation, Lia intends to pursue a degree in anthropology, using what she has learned during the Better Together Campaign to further explore the values which bind people together.

Year-round, teens have the opportunity to engage in clubs and programs that are meaningful and relevant to their lives. Outside of numerous weekly clubs, TLP hosts a variety of fun summer camps and workshops, such as Art Camp, Adventure Camp, Games for Days, and Band Lab, where teens can dive deep into their interests with like-minded friends. Project Launch, a pertinent chance to practice workforce readiness by learning essential skills such as time management and interviewing, also takes place during the summer. Additionally, all TLP programs and events, most notably the annual Women’s Empowerment Breakthrough Conference (WEB), Boys to Men, One-n-Ten, and Q Prom embrace the diversity among youth. TLP ensures that no matter who a teen may be, they have the chance to find and express themselves as a valuable member and leader of the community.

For teens that are devoted to enacting change within Yavapai County, the Teen Advisory Council (TAC) offers a unique space in which youth are provided the resources they need to take action in addressing the problems they recognize within our community. Over the years, TAC teens have led numerous projects aimed at addressing issues affecting the community’s youth. For the past year, these teens have been working on

Maddie Stanik & Lia Killeen | Teen Advisory Council

their current project, Better Together, to create a guidebook on civil discourse.

The focus of the guidebook is centered around mending the division that was highlighted during the initial surveying process of the Better Together campaign. Written by the teens of TAC, the guidebook gives a voice to the youth of the community in their plea for a more united town while simultaneously remarking on the alarming data results of the Better Together Survey. The Guidebook is meant as an inspirational tool in the hopes that small groups, families, and larger communities may be able to put aside their differences and connect on a deeper, human level while practicing conversational skills over a shared meal.

As the teens voiced in their guidebook, “We all care deeply about the Prescott community, but as we continue to witness horrifying conflict between citizens, we realize that the version of Prescott that we all wish to see is not being upheld…We believe that by learning how to engage in civil discourse, we can begin to close some of the cracks that threaten to pull us apart. The goal of our guidebook is to provide a skill set of communicative techniques that empower people to voice their opinion in a way that invites considerate conversation and encourages empathy in a setting that is conducive to both understanding and growth….Beyond providing a step-by-step outline that encourages conversation and connection over food and family, we hope that by raising awareness on the divisive topics of our community we can prepare to safely tackle difficult conversations in a multitude of settings…and finally make Prescott everybody’s hometown.”

Currently, TAC is reaching out to families interested in tapping into the wisdom of youth and using the Guidebook to facilitate group dinners. While actively moving forwards with the Better

working to connect with the Prescott community at large. By volunteering through civic engagement projects such as Prescott’s annual Earth Day celebration and the Chalk It Up! festival, teens have the opportunity to demonstrate reciprocity, giving to the community with an ultimate vision of cultivating togetherness in return, thereby representing a greater goal of The Launch Pad.

The future of our community, our county, and our world is being shaped in this very instant as the entirety of a new generation is faced with current and constantly evolving challenges. With the help of organizations such as TLP, teens are provided with the occasion to exercise their agency and tackle the complex problems of the contemporary world. The greatest struggle of teens is not to find a way to use their voice, but to realize that they have one at all. At the Launch Pad, teens are not only encouraged to find their voices, but to use them, so that they may create a tangible difference in their own lives and in the lives of so many others.

ARE YOU READY TO START A CONVERSATION WITH YOUR FAMILY?

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2023-24

ATHLETICS INFORMATION

The vision of Prescott High School Athletics is to instill a passion for lifelong learning in all of our student-athletes through the development of our athletic programs. The purpose of the PHS Athletic Department is to improve skills, develop character, promote teamwork, and guide decisions.

WE HAVE YOU COVERED ON & OFF THE FIELD!

Men’s Sports

FOOTBALL | GOLF | SWIMMING | CROSS-COUNTRY | BASKETBALL | SOCCER

WRESTLING | BASEBALL | TRACK AND FIELD | TENNIS | VOLLEYBALL

Women’s Sports

VOLLEYBALL | SWIMMING | CROSS-COUNTRY | BASKETBALL | SOCCER

SOFTBALL | BADMINTON | TRACK AND FIELD | TENNIS | SPIRIT LINE

PRESCOTT HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC PROGRAM

Prescott Unified School District takes great pride in the development of each student to reach his/her full potential. The Athletic Department believes that the athletic experience is an integral part of the educational system that has many positive benefits associated with developing the whole child. Through a partnership between coaches and parents, we are confident that the athletic programs at Prescott High School will continue to thrive while emphasizing what we care about most – doing what’s best for “every child, every day.” We look forward to a great year where our teams and student-athletes are successful in competition but also have the opportunity to develop into amazing citizens and future leaders.

SCAN THIS CODE TO SHOP THE PHS

SIDELINE STORE FOR GEAR & APPAREL!

PHS ATHLETIC PROGRAM NO PASS - NO PLAY REQUIREMENTS

Pursuant to Prescott Unified School District Policy J.6, students must pass all classes for the academic period in which they are enrolled in order to be eligible to participate in any extracurricular or co-curricular activity. Extracurricular activities include, but are not limited to, all athletics, speech, school-sponsored clubs, and other activities which involve students in activities outside of the regular school day. Cocurricular activities include drama, choral music, band, art and teen court.

If a student does not receive a passing grade in all of his/her classes, the student becomes ineligible to participate in any extracurricular activities for a period of four to six weeks. If the student then passes all classes, he/she will become eligible for the next grading period.

A student who becomes ineligible at the end of a semester may re-establish eligibility by “regaining the credit” in a manner consistent with AdvancEd guidelines. A student or parent may contact the principal or athletic director to discuss these options.

A failing grade during one of the 4-6 week grade periods will cause ineligibility for the next grade eligibility period. There are no options to regain eligibility since credit has not been “lost.” A grade of “Incomplete” or “NC” renders a student ineligible until a passing grade is recorded by the registrar.

To be fair to all athletes and to comply with AIA rules, grades for all participating athletes will be checked at the same time and eligibility/ineligibility will be posted for all student-athletes at the same time.

Prescott Unified School District’s No Pass/No Play policy affects all students in grades 6 through 12. An 8th grader, in PUSD schools, who does not pass all his/her classes second semester will be ineligible for the first grading period of his/her freshman year and will continue to be ineligible until he/she passes all classes.

(By Missy Townsend on Sep 21, 2020)