News

Elaine Griego, a fifth-grade teacher at Ishikawa Elementary, received the Abraham Lincoln Fellowship and the Coach Jesse Parker Legacy Award.

Save more than 60 percent on admission and skate rental, thanks to a partnership between Skateland and the Mesa Foundation for Educational Excellence.

A+'s, A's and B's abounded on the Mesa Public Schools Quality Service Survey of parents, students and staff.

Students collect drink pouches as a recycling and service-learning project. Proceeds benefits Arizona Brainfood, which provides food for hungry children on the weekends.

The Phoenix Suns and Century Link presented Westwood's basketball program this year's $5,000 Team Assist award for outstanding community service.

There's no better place to bring friends and family of every generation. Guests — young and young at heart, listeners and Lindy Hoppers – are guaranteed a great time from 6 to 9 p.m. May 18 at Mesa High. Tickets are on sale now.

Porter Elementary students in the Hope Club, an environmental awareness organization, are helping children affected by the global water crisis.

The Franklin West Elementary team won the grand-prize trophy in this spring's districtwide reading competition for fifth- and sixth-graders. Entz placed second; Salk, third.

Enjoy the unique, engaging and award-winning narratives, poems, essays and class books in the district's Voices 2013 writing competition.

Students throughout the East Valley — with a passion for science, technology, engineering, medicine or math — need look no further than Red Mountain High. Choose a comprehensive college-prep curriculum, and earn a new STEM Diploma.

The State Bar of Arizona will award Tom Pickrell, the school district's general counsel, the 2013 Public Lawyer Career Achievement Award in June.

The school board and superintendent proclaimed May 6-10 as Teacher Appreciation Week and May 7 as Teacher Day in Mesa Public Schools. Join us in acknowledging the lasting contributions of teachers to our lives, our community and our country.

Red Mountain High School won the national Rookie of the Year Award in Division I, and individual gold, silver and bronze medals in essay, music, economics, interview, speech, science, and language and literature. Harrison Finzel, winner of three gold medals, was named the top "scholastic" student nationwide.

May winners represent the district's Materiel Distribution Center and Mail Center, Red Mountain High, Rhodes Junior High and Westwood High.

Bonnie Long has volunteered at Rhodes Junior High for four years. The school board and superintendent honored her as the district's Volunteer of the Month for May.

Red Mountain High junior Kimran Sidhu is ready to graduate a year early. Then she's off to the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, near Dublin. She has important tips for teens to help them chart their pathway to a promising future.

The Red Mountain High School social studies teacher will tour Tokyo, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Nara, Kyoto and Yokohama.

Red Mountain has been named Arizona's No. 1 school. The Mountain Lions will be honored by the Arizona Interscholastic Association at the Champions Award Luncheon at the University of Phoenix Stadium on May 20.

Mesa Public Schools honored Educators and Classified Employees of the Month at the April 9 board meeting.

Benjamin Ellsworth, a student in David Gardner's theater program at Mountain View High School, finished in the top 10 at National Shakespeare Competition.

On April 26, the city of Mesa and MacArthur Elementary School will observe Arbor Day by planting a tree at Candlelight Park. Reading-aloud and tree-planting celebrations will also be conducted at 12 elementary campuses.

Bring your family and friends to see the smash-hit show at 7 p.m. April 25, 26 and 27 in the Rhodes Junior High auditorium, 1860 S. Longmore, Mesa. Tickets are $5 at the bookstore in advance and $6 at the door.

Zaharis Elementary's Lemonade Club presented $414 to Academy Award winner, author and musician Jeff Bridges, international spokesperson for Share Our Strength: No Kid Hungry. 

Arizona State University and Mesa Public Schools are proud of professional cellist, composer and arranger Zack Clark. Simply Three, Clark's pop and jazz trio, will debut its new music video and single April 23. Clark will perform at ASU April 26. 

The 44th annual Exceptional Student Services Awards will be presented at 7 p.m. May 10 at the Mesa Convention Center, 263 N. Center St., Mesa. Everyone's invited to attend.

Natalie Steinbrink and Brecken Denler qualified to compete at the National Forensic League tournament. Angela Zhang was named Arizona's Forensic League Student of the Year.

Katelyn Ulmschneider has a lot to smile about! She won the national grand prize in P.S. From Aéropostale's T-shirt design contest.

Joan Parish volunteers daily at Madison Elementary. She loves making a difference in the lives of students and staff. And it shows!

As student-achievement partners, Dobson counselors work as a team to provide comprehensive programs and services that are key to the school's exemplary educational environment.

Members of the Arizona Music Educators Association honored Mesa's Melanie Openshaw, Kelly Higgins, Walt Temme and Dorene Pool for their outstanding careers and contributions.

Ishikawa, Summit Academy, Entz and Hale elementary students will compete at the Regional Sixth-Grade Math Challenge in April.

Districtwide Elementary and Junior High Honor Bands will perform at 7 p.m. March 25 at the Mesa Arts Center. Admission is free. Everyone's welcome.

The Mesa Arts Center will feature student artwork, the Symphony of the Southwest and the Youth Symphony of the Southwest in a blockbuster program at 7:30 p.m. March 30. Discount tickets are on sale now.

East Valley students and their families are invited to meet experts on a wealth of programs and services that help students with disabilities succeed in the transition from high school to adulthood.

Parents are busy in the classroom and in the community — learning English language and life skills, pursuing fitness goals, and helping the hungry and homeless.

Enjoy this year's Mesa Young People's Orchestra and Junior High Festival Orchestra in concert at 7 p.m. March 26 at the Mesa Arts Center. 

School employees throughout the Valley and beyond are invited to attend the 2013 Educational Technology Expo on March 20 and 21. More than 80 vendors will be on hand. 

Enjoy the unique, engaging and award-winning narratives, poems, essays and class-books in the district's Voices 2013 writing competition.

The golf tournament at Red Mountain Ranch Country Club netted $6,048.94 to fund classroom SMART Boards.

Earth Day Cardboard Core Challenge champs won a Dinosaur Petting Zoo field trip, a day with a Disney designer and an award from the city of Mesa.

Washington Elementary's Amy Swietlik, music teacher, will research community music groups in Recife, Brazil, in 2014.

Registration is open now for Summer Aviation Camp, June 3-13, at Falcon Field Airport. The program is designed for students who will enter junior high next school year.

Parent University invites all parents to this month's featured class on March 26 — Deadly Drugs: What You Need to Know About Bath Salts and Spice! Parents are invited to bring their teens and preteens too. Preregistration is required. Admission is free.

See why Mesa's Music Education Program is the best. Celebrate Music in Our Schools Month with us. Come to special events and concerts at campuses throughout the district.

We are grateful to parents and the public for investing in the future by voting for basic improvements that kids need to succeed.

Mesa Academy and runner-up Poston Junior High qualified to compete in the National Academic League's Championship Tournament of Academic Excellence this spring.

Red Mountain and Mountain View high school students are U.S. Presidential Scholar candidates.

Annica Benning, award-winning author, photographer and philanthropist, will appear at Summit Academy on March 6 to celebrate Native American art and culture, literacy and voluntarism.

Register now to play in Dobson High School's April 6 golf tournament at Apache Wells. 

Current and former families, friends, faculty and staff are invited to attend Hawthorne Elementary's 50th anniversary party from 5 to 7 p.m. March 1 on the campus at 630 N. Hunt Drive, Mesa.

The finer points of fitness, academic achievement and money management are in the spotlight at Roosevelt Elementary School. We appreciate our partners in the pursuit of excellence in education!

Nathan Bergman, a student at the Mesa Academy for Advanced Studies, earned a perfect score and the championship trophy.

People of all ages are welcome at the districtwide MPS SciTech Expo from 4 to 8 p.m. Feb. 28. Stop by the Red Mountain High School cafeteria, 7301 E. Brown Road, Mesa.

Parents and guardians are invited to attend at 6 p.m. Feb. 26 in the school district's Student Services Center, 1025 N. Country Club Drive, Mesa.

Mesa's simulated space missions are a once-in-a-lifetime experience for 5,000 sixth-graders who push learning to the outer limits each year. Vote for MPS on Arizona's Expect More Excellence Tour.

District Spelling Bee champion Spencer Knighton, a fifth-grader at the Mesa Academy for Advanced Studies, and the 14 next best MPS spellers qualified to compete at the Maricopa County Region 1 Spelling Bee on Feb 9.

Mesa High will host a presentation by Bernard Scheer, Holocaust survivor, Feb. 11. East Valley residents are welcome. Call (480) 472-5789 to reserve a seat. Admission is free.

Elementary students throughout MPS are invited to the district's 1-Mile Fun Run at 9 a.m. Feb. 23 at Red Mountain Park. The run is free. Preregistration is required. 

Virginia McEnany devotes her time to students and staff at Adams Elementary School. She is the Mesa Public Schools Volunteer of the Month for January 2013.

MPS officials honored staff members from Crossroads Success School, Rhodes and Poston junior highs, and Robson and Field elementaries.

The Mesa Academy for Advanced Studies is accepting applications, now through Feb. 15, for admission to fourth grade in the 2013-14 school year. Limited openings are also available in fifth through eighth grade.

Mesa Public Schools invites national consultants and prominent Valley educators to offer Parent University workshops on child development, behavior, health and academic achievement. 

Colleagues statewide elected Nadine Miller president of the School Nurses Organization of Arizona. Miller is the Mesa Public Schools director of health services and audiology.

David Luna, award-winning director of the district's Educational Television Department, has earned the admiration and respect of a grateful community.

MPS students in kindergarten through 12th grade were honored for winning MLK Day academic contests in writing, art and multimedia.

The Arizona Science Teachers Association selected Erik Von Burg of MacArthur as the 2012 Elementary Science Teacher of the Year.

Sousa Elementary's Elizabeth Mullavey is among Arizona's most outstanding school leaders.

With your support, Taylor Junior High can win up to $15,000 for innovative and creative educational efforts.

Everyone's invited to enjoy the hit Broadway musical comedy Feb. 14, 15 and 16.

Join Mesa Public Schools in honoring school nurses and health assistants Jan. 30.

Eighth- and 10th-graders and their parents are invited to discover educational choices awaiting high school graduates. Join us from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 29 at the Mesa Convention Center, 200 N. Center St., Mesa.

Semester break is set for Dec. 24 through Jan. 6. Schools will reopen for second semester Jan. 7

More education means more money in your paycheck. We will help you with GED and community college completion. Register Jan. 12 or 19. Classes begin Jan. 29.

Arrive early! A sell-out crowd is expected for the Red Mountain vs. Mountain View basketball game, prize drawings and halftime show. Part of the proceeds will fund cancer research.

Mesa Public Schools is shocked and saddened by the senseless shooting and loss of life that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut today.

We offer many exciting options in education — at neighborhood schools, choice schools and success schools. We welcome students from other Mesa schools and from other school districts throughout the Valley.

Donate to extracurricular activities and character education at the Mesa school of your choice. You'll receive a state tax credit. It's good for you. And it's good for kids! The deadline is Dec. 31.

This year, the Arizona Association of School Psychologists presented School Psychologist of the Year and Administrator of the Year awards to Mesa Public Schools employees. 

Physical education specialists received funding for healthy eating, physical activities and professional involvement.

Proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society in memory of the late Kevin Cormier, school resource officer.

The school board and the superintendent honored staff members from Dobson High, Salk Elementary, Las Sendas Elementary and the MPS Transportation Department.

Chuck Holland, MPS Volunteer of the Month for November 2012, enhances student achievement in science at Stevenson Elementary.

MPS librarians led elementary students in a community service project that honored our nation's finest — our veterans.

Registration is open for boys and girls in kindergarten through eighth grade. Mesa Public Schools offers Mesa Youth Basketball to promote friendly competition, to build fundamental skills and to encourage students to succeed in athletics and in life. 

Mesa High brought home the 2012 State Marching Band Championship trophy in Division II competition.

The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada awarded Mesa Public Schools the highest form of recognition for accounting and financial reporting.

Skyline High School's Nancie Lindblom teaches 11th-grade Advanced Placement U.S. history. She will represent Arizona in competition for the National Teacher of the Year title.

Target and The Heart of America Foundation provided the library renovation and a Meals for Minds food pantry at Stevenson Elementary. 

Our voters approved the $230 million bond request and re-elected Governing Board members Steven Peterson, Michael Nichols and Dr. Ben Whiting.

Nicole Galindo, a Mesa High counselor, was honored as one of Arizona's 40 Hispanic Leaders Under 40.

Check out our Community, Health and Education Connections for Kids at the CHECK Fair from 10 a.m. to noon Nov. 3 at the Mesa Education Center, 855 W. Eighth Ave., Mesa.

The Pet SHOP (Students Helping Our Pets) is a new school community service project. The facility features free food, and information on free or low-cost spaying and neutering, licensing, housing and events. 

Library resource specialists support students and teachers by providing access to a variety of resources that develop imaginations, guide investigations and generate ideas to enrich and enhance student achievement.

The National Center for Educational Achievement honored nine Mesa schools for outstanding student achievement.

Girls on the Run integrates fitness training with life skills — inspiring girls to celebrate their unique identities, recognize their inner strength, make good decisions, and stand up for themselves and others.

The school board and superintendent presented Mike Pope the district's Volunteer of the Month Award in October. Pope, a Boeing retiree, works with fifth-graders at MPS Flight Centers.

October winners in the district's Take Time for People recognition program are Elsa Eberling of the Special Education Department, Susan Flores of Longfellow Elementary and Gary Ingle of Mendoza Elementary.

The school board proclaimed Nov. 12-16 as American Education Week in Mesa to honor parents, educators, support staff and substitute teachers.

Air Force Junior ROTC cadets are collecting new, unwrapped toys at the Westwood High School office, 945 W. Eighth St., Mesa. All donations will benefit Maricopa County children and charities in need. 

See moon rocks, meteorites and more. Participate in hands-on space science activities. View the night sky with the East Valley Astronomy Club. Join us from 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 15 at 2433 E. Adobe St., Mesa.