The 2024 Pima County Spelling Bee is slated for 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 17 at the Canyon del Oro High School Auditorium, 25 W. Calle Concordia in Oro Valley.
Speller check-in begins at 9:30 that morning.
Nathan Merrill poses with his father and his new hardware after winning the 2023 Pima County Spelling Bee, which lasted 12 rounds and 2.5 hours.
Forty of Pima County’s top student spellers will compete to become county champion. First place and runner-up will advance to the Arizona Spelling Bee on March 16.
District, charter, private and homeschool students will compete. Presenting sponsor is Team Volpe — Nova Home Loans.
Free parking is available in the lot west and north of the auditorium. The auditorium is at the west end of the campus.
“Brusque” was last year’s winning Pima County Spelling Bee word. Nathan Merrill, an eighth-grader from Legacy Traditional School Northwest Tucson, outlasted 33 other spellers to become the 2023 Pima County Champion Speller of the Year.
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Runner-up Karen Opoku-Appoh, also in eighth grade, from Marana Middle School, advanced to the state competition with Merrill. Opoku-Appoh ended up winning the 2023 Arizona Spelling Bee by correctly spelling the word “passage.”
TUSD celebrates Black History Month
Tucson Unified School District’s celebration of Black History Month included the Feb. 1 launch of a new website, tusd1.org/black-history, as a resource for teachers, parents, students and the community.
Led by TUSD’s director of the African American Student Services Department, Tonya R. Strozier, the celebration’s events and activities include:
TUSD students will take field trips to the African American Museum of Southern Arizona in February and March.
There will be an African American Read-In Feb. 12 – 29, in which AASSD staff and community members will read books by African American authors to TUSD elementary classes.
On Feb. 8, 11 new members of the Student Advisory Council at Innovation Tech High School were inducted at a Black History Makers Breakfast.
African American Youth Heritage Day is Friday, Feb. 16. Students will celebrate the accomplishments of young African Americans and inspire the next generation.
The district is also hosting Black Parent Involvement Week, Feb. 26 – March 1. The effort aims to promote active participation from parents in their children’s education while making connections with educators and other parents.
The 10th Annual Black History Month Brain Bowl is Thursday, Feb. 29. It is a fun and competitive trivia event that tests students’ knowledge of Black history and culture, the district says.
Commission names director
The Metropolitan Education Commission has selected Rocque Perez as executive director, a role he will begin on March 4.
Perez describes himself as a proud product of Tucson, public education, and the offerings of the Metropolitan Education Commission.
Perez
Perez, who lives in Tucson, joins the commission from Arizona State University, where he served as a manager for outreach and communications within the Office of the University Provost. Before that, Perez held various roles at the University of Arizona, contributing through communications, fundraising and organizing in areas of research and innovation, multicultural advancement, and government and community relations.
He credits the Metropolitan Education Commission with sparking his interest in serving Southern Arizona.
The commission says his expertise lies in developing and implementing award-winning strategies to drive outcomes in areas including enrollment, student and employee success and professional development, and academic discovery and innovation.
Perez can be reached at admin@metedu.org.
Scholarships announced
Hughes Federal Credit Union is accepting applications for The Roberta Reeves Memorial Scholarship, offering a total of $14,000 in educational funds to local high school students.
In its 19th year, the scholarship program will award seven students $2,000 each to support their higher education endeavors.
The scholarship was renamed last year in memory of Roberta Reeves, a long-serving Hughes Federal Credit Union board member. The scholarship recognizes her legacy in the Tucson community.
High school seniors who are entering a college, university, trade school or certification program in the fall of 2024 and are primary members of Hughes Federal Credit Union are eligible to apply. The application process involves submitting an online form, a written essay, or a 1- to 2-minute video.
The application deadline is March 15. Details and the application can be found at HughesFCU.org/Scholarship. The recipients will be announced in May.
Since its inception in 2005, the scholarship program has awarded over $100,000.
Reporter Jessica Votipka covers K-12 education for the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson.com. Email items for Education Notes to jvotipka@tucson.com.
