4 minute read
Education
By Cort Monroe, Ed.D., CCUSD Superintendent Photo Courtesy of CCUSD
Please join me in congratulating the Cactus Shadows High School Graduating Class of 2022!
HERE IS OUR FALCON CLASS OF 2022 BY THE NUMBERS:
• 473 students graduated. • 67 students were in our Cactus
Shadow eLearning Program and two were early graduates. • 198 students have been with us since kindergarten. • Their combined GPA is a 3.359 on a weighted scale and the highest is a 4.850. • Congratulations to Sophia Barnedo and Bryden Kaminsky on being named
Co-Valedictorians. They each had a weighted GPA of 4.850. Ryan Toughill was named Salutatorian and was also named a National Merit Finalist. • One senior had perfect attendance for the 21-22 school year. • 51 seniors participated in the
Superintendent’s Challenge, accruing 9,052 hours of community service in four years. Twenty-seven seniors completed the challenge. Senior
Elizabeth Hord had the most hours over her four years for a total of 658 hours. • 250 students are going to college/ university and three to the military to serve our country. • Two seniors received the Global Seal of Bi-literacy; nine seniors received the CCUSD Seal of Bi-literacy; and 34 received the Arizona State Seal of Biliteracy. • The Class of 2022 has been awarded over $16 million in scholarships to date. • Eleven of our senior student athletes have signed letters of intent to play at the collegiate level. And the Class of 2022 is very ready for college, already graduating with college credits: • 22 seniors achieved the Advanced
Placement Capstone Diploma. • 13 seniors were in the International
Baccalaureate program. • 12 seniors were in Paradise Valley
Community College’s Early College
Program. • Over four years, 254 students took Paradise Valley Community College Dual Enrollment courses.
• 27 attended EVIT, the East Valley
Institute of Technology. • Students took 240 Advanced Placement courses in four years. • 315 students took Career and Technical
Education courses.
Best of luck and the warmest congratulations Cactus Shadows’ Class of 2022!
CCUSD Preschool
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Education
Free FASFA Help Available for Local High School Students and Their Families
Applying for financial aid for college or any type of postsecondary education can be a challenge. Luckily for local students and their families, there’s 24/7 help available through an innovative chatbot program called Ask Benji.
Ask Benji is a first-of-its kind chatbot specifically designed to help students, parents/caregivers, and educators get quick answers to a wide variety of questions about the FAFSA. The FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid for post-secondary funding opportunities at universities, colleges, and trade schools. Ask Benji is free and easy to use. Questions are confidential and Benji responds 24/7 within 60 seconds.
“On behalf of the partners, we are thrilled to be able to expand Ask Benji statewide,” says Richard Daniel, executive vice president and chief operating officer for College Success Arizona, Expect More Arizona and Achieve60AZ. “The expansion of Ask Benji comes at an important time when we’ve seen drops in FAFSA completion and college going due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Ask Benji was launched in October 2019 as a partnership of ASU, College Success Arizona, Achieve60AZ, the Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education, the Arizona College Access Network (AzCAN), Helios Education Foundation, Mesa Public Schools, Maricopa Community Colleges and Be a Leader Foundation. In 2021, it was expanded to serve students state-wide thanks to a $1.5 million grant. Visit askbenji.org for more information about Benji, the FAFSA, and other resources. Text “Help” to Benji anytime at 602-7868171 to get started. Opt out at any time by texting “Stop.”
CONTINUE YOUR EDUCATION @PVCC
Fall Registration Now Open
At Paradise Valley Community College, we provide a variety of learning options, affordable tuition, and faculty and staff who care about your success. What’s more, we are close to home and provide easy access to our campus in north Phoenix, Carefree, Cave Creek, and North Scottsdale.
Online and in-person options are available. Register Today!
34250 N. 60th Street Scottsdale, Arizona 85266 paradisevalley.edu/chat paradisevalley.edu/black-mountain
BLACK MOUNTAIN
The Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) is an EEO/AA institution and an equal opportunity employer of protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or national origin. A lack of English language skills will not be a barrier to admission and participation in the career and technical education programs of the District.
The Maricopa County Community College District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age in its programs or activities. For Title IX/504 concerns, call the following number to reach the appointed coordinator: (480) 731-8499. For additional information, as well as a listing of all coordinators within the Maricopa College system, visit http://www.maricopa.edu/non-discrimination.
