SPOTLIGHT
Local Students Honored for Essays
Kacey Dunnn from Canyon Ridge School and Caleb Leavitt from Freedom Traditional School were honored for their essay submissions at the Dysart Governing Board meeting on February 23, 2022.
Abel Mendoza from El Mirage Elementary School poses with his certificate at the El Mirage City Council meeting on March 1, 2022
Clare Ebere from El Mirage Elementary School smiles for the camera at the Dysart Governing Board meeting.
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n partnership between the Dysart Unified School District, the City of Surprise and the City of El Mirage, students across the district were invited to participate in the My El Mirage and My Surprise Essay Contest in November of 2021. Students were given the prompt: What Makes Your City Extraordinary? “The school district and the city are intertwined,” shared Shelley Isai, Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Director, 9-12. “We are fortunate to have a city council that believes in investing in their youth and the public school system. To this end we wanted to do a project that honored the city’s commitment to students and their voice.” More than 100 students in grades 3-12th submitted their essays with schools choosing the top 58 district-wide. The writings were evaluated based on understanding of city services/amenities, creativity, clarity, sincerity of thought, 18 APRIL 2022
and proper grammar. “We are so excited to celebrate our student’s writings with the City of El Mirage and City of Surprise,” said Dana Knoebel, Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Director, Prek-8. “We love sharing our student’s voices with the authentic audience of our communities.” Winners from Surprise were selected in specific grade bands and were honored February 15 at the Surprise city council meeting including: Caleb Leavitt from Freedom Traditional Academy, grade 3-4 division, Kacey Dunn from Canyon Ridge School for 5-8th grade, and Valerie Ortega from Valley Vista High School who won for the high school division. Mayor Skip Hall and members of the city council recognized the three students and took photos celebrating their wonderful essay submissions with excerpts included below.
