FROM THE DESK OF JOHN SCHOLL

Welcome to the inaugural edition of Cougar Country, a magazine highlighting the students and staff of the Chino Valley Unified School District.

I want to thank a few people for making Cougar Country possible. I first need to thank Guy Roginson from Talking Glass Media for approaching us with his proposal for Cougar Country. The concept was his vision and the final product could not have happened without his leadership and guidance. I also want to thank Matt Santos, the public information officer for Chino Valley Schools. Matt takes most of the pictures that you see on the District’s website and Facebook page. Matt’s experience as a photographer, journalist, and podcaster were vital in getting this first issue published.

I want to share a little bit about Chino Valley Schools. There have been schools in the Chino Valley and Paulden area since 1867 under a variety of different districts that disbanded. Chino Valley Schools officially started 104 years ago as The Farms District No. 51. This name is quite appropriate given the importance of agriculture in the area at the time. The District carries on this tradition through operating the Cooper Ag Center, a 52-acre farm located on the southwest corner of Center Street and Highway 89, and the fact that Chino Valley High School has the largest FFA group in Yavapai County.

The District started by serving grades 1st through 8th. Later on, students were bussed into Prescott to attend Prescott High School. Kindergarten was added in the 1960’s and 9th grade was added in the 1970’s. The District added grades 10-12 in the late 1980’s and graduated its first class in 1992.

Today, Chino Valley Schools has four schools, Territorial Early Childhood Center with grades pre K through 2nd, Del Rio School serving grades 3rd through 5th, Heritage Middle School with grades 6th through 8th, and finally Chino Valley High School, grades 9th through 12th. We serve over 2400 students ranging in age from 3 years old to 22 years old and our staff consists of 119 teachers, 15 administrators and directors, and 164 support staff members.

This past May there were 160 graduating seniors that walked across the stage to accept their diplomas. These seniors completed 123 career and technical education programs which are two to four year programs leading to industry certication in a variety of areas such as aviation, pre-engineering, culinary arts, drafting, automotive, welding, biotechnology, electrical line worker, medical professions, and computer network technology. In partnership with Yavapai College, 108 of the seniors cumulatively earned almost 1400 college credit hours, saving themselves almost $150,000. Three quarters of the class will be attending college or university next year and earned over $2,000,000 in scholarships.

The success of the District could not happen without several important partners. The Chino Valley Education Foundation is an independent 501(c)3 organization that accepts both tax deductible and state tax credit donations. The CVEF’s mission is to support the students and staff of the District and does this in a variety of ways including supporting our weekend food bag program, supporting our family resource center, providing and administering scholarships for seniors, and provides awards and support for teachers and staff to name a few. Other important partners include the Lions and Lioness Clubs of Chino Valley, which provide financial support for a variety of programs in the District. There are a variety of ways that the public can support the District, either financially or with the gift of time. Please reach out to a school or the District Office if you are interested in donating or volunteering.

Thank you for taking time to learn more about Chino Valley Schools and I hope you enjoy the inaugural edition of Cougar Country.

Sincerely,

John Scholl, Superintendent

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Cougar Country is seeking new voices and articles for our upcoming Spring 2023 addition. If you’d like to submit a story idea or article, email Guy Roginson at editor@SignalsAZ.com