Education notes: 4 area schools receive A+ label

Four Tucson-area schools have been named A+ Schools of Excellence by the Arizona Educational Foundation.

The honor recognizes outstanding public K-12 schools in an effort to create a comprehensive framework of successful programs and practices that other schools throughout the state and nation might adopt.

The 2015 A+ School of Excellence winners are: Anza Trail School and Sahuarita Primary School of the Sahuarita Unified School District; Catalina Foothills High School of the Catalina Foothills School District; and J. Robert Hendricks Elementary School of the Flowing Wells Unified School District.

In all, the Arizona Educational Foundation recognized 26 schools across the state. A second round of winning schools will be announced in late April.

Applicant schools are evaluated in the areas of student focus and support, school culture, active teaching and learning, curriculum, leadership, community and parent involvement and assessment data.

Each winning school receives $500 and a banner designating it an A+ School of Excellence. All staffers and faculty are also eligible to receive partial scholarships from Argosy University Phoenix.

Tucson middle school wins $13K in instruments

Alice Vail Middle School has been named the winner of more than $13,000 in brass instruments from Instrumental Music Center.

The Tucson Unified School District campus garnered the most Facebook votes in a month-long contest open to schools across Southern Arizona. It will receive a tuba, a double F horn, a baritone, two trombones and a trumpet, all of which were donated by vendors.

The band director will also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the Conn-Selmer Institute for an educational seminar.

Taking second place was Coatimundi Middle School in Rio Rico. Originally, the second-place winner was to receive a $300 Instrumental Music Center credit, but that was upped to $10,000 in equipment.

Taking third was Safford Middle School, also in TUSD, receiving a $300 credit. Sunnyside’s Challenger Middle School took fourth place for a $100 credit.

In all, the Brass-A-Palooza contest, put on by the locally owned and operated Instrumental Music Center, awarded more than $23,000 in prizes.

TUSD asks students to wear

red, white, blue on Friday

The Tucson Unified School District is encouraging Tucsonans to wear red, white and blue on Friday in support of Borman Elementary School.

Borman is located on the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, which is preparing for one of the biggest deployments in its history.

Send your red, white and blue photos to pics@tusd1.org and share on social media with hashtag: #RWB4Borman