Every fourth grade student at Mission View Elementary School will have their first two years of university or trade school paid for, after a local couple decided to step in and help.
Gary and Tandy Kipper, owners of Tucson Iron and Metal, pledged to help the total of 38 students with their future education.
“Tucson Iron and Metal has committed to paying the equivalent of two years’ tuition at Pima Community College for each of the 38 fourth graders at Mission View Elementary,” said Andrea Kippur, the Kippur’s youngest daughter who’s also taking part in the effort.
The only requirements for the financial help are that the students graduate from high school and go to an accredited higher education school. That could include a university, community college or trade school.
The Kippurs chose to help the students at Mission View Elementary because the school had a program in place in which the kids set their own goals, keep data binders for accountability and present their accomplishment to their teachers and parents.
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“When a child is in fourth grade, it’s the ideal time to show them what educational options are possible to them and to show them that the community cares for them,” Gary Kippur said.
Additionally, the Lapan Sunshine Foundation will work with the Kippers and Mission View Elementary to provide mentorship and resources needed to ensure that each child graduates from high school.
Flowing Wells donation
The Arizona Department of Corrections at Wilmot, through their DCA Inmate Fundraiser, raised more than $44,500 for Laguna Elementary School in the Flowing Wells School District.
Warden Christopher Josefowicz presented the check to School Principal Alan Schmidt late last month.
Laguna Elementary will use the donated funds to support teachers and students in classrooms, as well as to beautify the campus.
Scholarships
Two Tucson students were each awarded the Marge Gould Memorial Scholarship for $1,500 to put toward their post-secondary education.
Maria Verdugo of Sunnyside High School and Ivan Estrella Galvez of Catalina High School received the awards last month.
The scholarship is dedicated to the memory of Marge Gould, a longtime teacher at Catalina High School who specialized in teaching English and computer skills to at-risk students, many of whom were immigrants and refugees.
Teacher excellence award
Lucila Herrera, a pre-kinder teacher at Prince Head Start, was presented with the April Teacher Excellence Award by Tucson Values Teachers.
Herrera, who has been working at Prince Head Start for the past 18 years, was nominated by the site supervisor Tamara Paganini.
“Lucy is an excellent teacher because she is open to understanding each family’s story and background,” Paganini wrote in the nomination. “This understanding allows her to better individualize and support the children’s developmental and emotional needs.
Paganini added that Herrera embraces diversity within the classroom and involves parents in setting individual and family goals to help the students.
Tucson Values Teachers highlights a Southern Arizona educator every month. For more information or to nominate a teacher, visit www.tucsonvaluesteachers.com.
Contact reporter Genesis Lara at glara@tucson.com
