Education notes

A Vail School District teacher is one of five educators in the running to be named the 2015 AEF Arizona Teacher of the Year.

Kevin Kehl, a bioscience/biology teacher at Andrada Polytechnic High School, was named an Ambassador for Excellence by the Arizona Educational Foundation, making him eligible for the coveted title, which comes with a $15,000 cash award, the opportunity to meet the president of the United States, more than $7,000 in equipment from SMART Technologies and a chance to compete for National Teacher of the Year, among other prizes.

The other four ambassadors are Margie Looney of the Willcox Unified School District, John-David Bowman of the Mesa Public School District, Kaci Heins from a Flagstaff charter school, and Jeffrey Taylor of the Flagstaff Unified School District.

Five others, including Angela Guerra of the Sahuarita School District and Jack Murphy of Flowing Wells School District, were named semifinalists. Guerra is a fifth-grade teacher at Sahuarita Intermediate School and Murphy is fifth-grade teacher at Centennial Elementary School.

The winner of the state honor will be announced Nov. 20. The AEF Arizona Teacher of the Year and four Ambassadors for Excellence will serve as spokespersons for their profession, advocating for excellence in the classroom by making presentations statewide to education, civic, government and professional organizations. Each Ambassador will receive a $5,000 cash award, professional speech training and a scholarship from Argosy University for 50 percent of the cost of tuition toward a master’s or doctorate in education and more.

The five semifinalists will receive a $1,000 cash award and a scholarship from Argosy University for 25 percent of the cost of tuition toward an advanced degree.

The Foundation promotes and awards the exceptional efforts made in Arizona public schools.

Tortolita MS teacher gets nutrition grant

A Tortolita Middle School teacher has received a grant to lead a semester-long service and learning project focusing on childhood obesity and nutritional deficiencies.

Kathleen Neighbors teaches seventh- and eighth-grade language arts, math and service learning. She was awarded the State Farm Student Achievement Grant to fund the project, which started Oct. 5 and will run through Global Youth Service Day in April.

Throughout the school year, students will develop and cultivate a garden, harvest the fruits and vegetables, and sell the produce.

Neighbors hopes that through participating in the service-learning project, her students will develop their self-confidence, realize their strength as leaders, and achieve a deeper understanding of their ability to transform the world around them.

Rincon/University choir rummage sale

The Rincon/University High School Concert Choir will be holding a rummage sale Saturday to support the award-winning performance group.

The sale will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Rincon/University High School cafeteria, 421 N. Arcadia Ave.

You can catch performances by the RUHS Choir Nov. 7 for Fall Fling at the outdoor amphitheater on campus. Fall fling will also include a jazz concert, local food truck roundup, games and a silent auction.

The choir will also put on a production of “Hello Dolly” at the midtown campus Nov. 20-22 at 7 p.m. and a matinee Nov. 22 at 2 p.m. Tickets will be $8 for general admission and $5 for students and children.

For information about the RUHS Choir, go to ruhschoir.weebly.com