Success Stories 2024 - 2025

The Tempe Union High Schools Education Foundation sponsored and donated to the following:

2023-2024 School Year | 2022-2023 School Year

Grants the Foundation Awarded in 2024-2025

Promote effective and innovative teaching and challenge teachers to improve student performance:

Bridge Improv Theatre Workshops $1,225 Corona del Sol (Nick Taylor)
Physical Task Boxes $2,500 Tempe HS (Ry Sedrick Bolodo)
AVID Program Support $1,500 Mt. Pointe (Leah Gilbert)
Buffalo Grounds Student Run Business $10,000 Tempe HS (Jennifer Munoz)
Dance Lighting and Design Workshops $1,500 Corona del Sol (Elizabeth Pease)
Charger Maker Space in Library $2,000 McClintock (Amanda Johnson)
Mallets for Percussion Ensemble $1,000 Corona del Sol (Scott Werner)
McClintock Kindness Campaign $2,012 McClintock (Lori Elizabeth Robinson)
Library Revamping Project $355 Tempe HS (Charlotte Winsor)
THS Economic Fair & Scholarship Program $5,000 Tempe HS (Chris Rooney)
Bicycle Curriculum, Parts & Pieces $2,000 McClintock (Sarah Silverman)
Workshops for Japanese Theatre $1,500 Marcos de Niza (Dr. Angela Rollins)
Vernier Lab Quest Interfaces $1,800 Desert Vista (Kris Rademacher-Gorovitz)
Professional Effects Mixer for Advanced Microphone Techniques Marcos de Niza (Christian Luke Ottinger)

2024-25 Grant Recipients Recognized

Grant recipients being recognized at the September 25, 2024 TUHSD Governing Board Meeting.

Grant Recipients Recognition 9-25-24 Governing Bd Mtg.jpg

Tempe HS Economics Fair and Scholarship Program (Chris Rooney)

The Tempe High School Economics Fair was a highly impactful and successful Program designed by teacher Chris Rooney to present an opportunity for all Tempe HS students enrolled in Economics classes. Through a series of faculty sponsorships, student discourse, and community collaboration - the students imagined, refined, and presented new economic ideologies for future generations. Student scholarships were awarded to participants who excelled in the Economics Fair.

McClintock HS Bicycle Curriculum Project and Parts and Pieces (Sarah Silverman)

The McClintock High School Bike Club partnered with experienced bike educators from Bike Saviours to develop and teach comprehensive Advanced Bike Mechanics curriculum. This program was delivered in eight after school sessions from January through May 2025.

Marcos de Niza workshops for Japanese Theatre (Dr. Angela Rollins)

The Japanese Theatre Workshop offered students a rich cultural and artistic experience, introducing them to traditional forms like Noh, Kabuki, and Kyogen. The workshop enhanced performance skills, encouraged creativity, and fostered respect for ritual and precision movement. The overall impact was highly positive, promoting discipline, collaboration, and cross-cultural appreciation.

Mallets for Percussion Ensemble at Corona del Sol (Scott Werner)

Corona del Sol Percussion used the mallets for their 2025 competitive season. During this season, they attended the 2025 WGI Percussion Championship in Dayton, Ohio. They received 4th place in this competition against some of the best percussion groups in the country. Congratulations!

TEACCH Task Boxes - Ry Bolodo at Tempe High School

The TEACCH task boxes have had a positive impact in the life skills classroom by providing structured, hands-on learning opportunities that support student independence, focus, and skill development across various areas. These task boxes have been instrumental in reinforcing routines and academic goals tailored to each student’s needs. While one ongoing challenge is finding enough time to construct and prepare the materials, the grant funds have been incredibly helpful in purchasing supplies that significantly sped up the process. Overall, these resources have enhanced the quality of instruction and engagement in the classroom.

Lighting for Nutcracker Tale - Corona Dance Company - Elizabeth Pease, Dance Teacher

Technical Lighting Design for the Corona Dance Company’s production of “Nutcracker Tale”. We brought in an outside lighting designer, Mr. Todd Muller, to work with our students to produce our Winter Dance Concert. Mr. Muller served as the lighting designer and installation tech for additional lighting equipment. He visited the school prior to the production to install lighting package and give instruction to our directors and students. His positive, student focused, personality and depth of knowledge helped us reinforce state dance and theater production standards in our extracurricular performances.

This grant served our dance program of 150 dancers, myself as the director and the community at large and we believe that having an expert artist and lighting designer to work with our students provided a unique enrichment opportunity above and beyond a traditional high school dance concert. This grant will have a lasting impact because we were able to better prepare our students to perform in a professional setting and inspire them to see a world of dance beyond high school.
It was wonderful to provide our dancers with a professional lighting director and the impact was felt and seen during the performances. The added benefit was being able to teach the next generation of tech crew/lighting directors the complexities of lighting a moving dance production and helped to train our students to create lighting on their own in the future. The audience feedback was incredible and we were able to continue our tradition of excellence here at the Corona Dance Company.

McClintock Library Makerspace - Amanda Johnson, MHS

The arrival of the TUHSEF Makerspace Grant has allowed for increased student and staff creativity at McClintock High School, particularly within the Charger Library. This grant has not only equipped the library with technology novel to students and staff, but has also encouraged a community of learners to explore, create, and connect. By fostering both academic and social growth, the makerspace has become a hub of activity, eagerly anticipated by students.

Students participate in a wide range of activities in the makerspace. Among the most popular is the crafting of beaded friendship bracelets. This activity allows students to calmly, purposefully complete a project that expresses their individuality; they also maintain connections through the creation and gifting of these bracelets - many students share that their project is for a friend or family member! Equally popular is the “slime”-making station; the supplies purchased through the grant enable them to get their chemistry skills working, and we can’t seem to keep the materials in stock. This activity is not only a favorite but also a great way for students to explore scientific concepts in a hands-on manner - they make their own combinations of the typical slime ingredients to experiment with what makes the right consistency and functionality. Students also have the chance to take time out of a busy school day and build with our lego sets and the lego wall. Students also love taking a trip down memory lane and creating designs with the perler bead sets in the makerspace, for which the grant provided a supply of beads. With these activities, and others like them, students get a “brain break” while also making social connections.

The makerspace also offers students and staff the opportunity to engage with new technology, such as equipment for creating 3D prints and vinyl stickers (among other things). Students have taken to selecting and printing 3D character models, articulated fidget gadgets (dragons are a favorite!), and even holders for their gaming controllers. We have had a student on campus take the lead in working out the technology and adjustments needed to the printer, and he has become the campus expert to help staff and students with 3D printing. In fact, the popularity of the printer has motivated acquiring another 3D printer for the space to allow additional access. We’ve used out vinyl cutter to create an entire set of personalized stickers for the MHS boys tennis team to commemorate their season, and are working on designing and printing signage for the new equipment in the Charger gym. Students’ technical skills have the opportunity to expand in new ways with this grant.

Library Revamping Project at Tempe HS - Charlotte Winsor

With support from a generous grant, Tempe High’s library now features a vibrant mural showcasing a herd of buffalo—our school mascot—set against the familiar desert landscape and Tempe Butte. This powerful image celebrates our school’s identity, local environment, and community pride.

The mural has transformed the library into a more engaging and welcoming space. Students are drawn to the artwork, and teachers have commented on the increased school spirit due to its presence in the library. It has increased student traffic in the library and deepened their connection to the space.

By reflecting the strength and unity of our student body and the unique setting of Tempe, Arizona, the mural stands as a lasting source of inspiration and pride for our school community.