Last week's candidates for the state seal of civic engagement took the constitution assessment which requires a minimum of 70% or higher to pass. Congratulations to Kristen Santana for getting the highest score yet, 98 out of 100. Candidates who passed the assessment will move on to the portfolio presentations on April 29th at the town of Apple Valley. Mayor Scott Nassiff along with social studies teachers from each high school will judge each student's presentation as the final step to getting the state seal on their diplomas. Best of luck to Christian. >> We are so excited for the International Children's Day in the district. Last year we had a such a fun time painting faces and making bracelets with little kids. This year we will be plan we plan on painting faces because it was such a big hit and and having paper plane races. We hope to see you there.
I'd like to start tonight by recognizing where we are in the school year. Uh, this is a demanding time. State testing is underway. Classrooms are in full motion, and educators are continuing to show up every day for students with focus and care. Even during testing, learning doesn't stop. Educators are finding ways to keep students engaged, curious, and going every day. Across our district, educators are doing what they always do, adjusting in real time, supporting students academically and emotionally, and working to ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed. The work is complex, and it deserves to be seen and valued. I also want to acknowledge the collaborative relationship we've built here and why it matters. When educators feel respected and included, it directly impacts what happens in classrooms. Our current negotiations are a part of that process, and I appreciate the professionalism and commitment to problem solving that both sides are bringing to the table.
>> That's all for this month. Thank you all for your continued support and making sure our voices matter. We're HCPA where every student finds their way. >> Good job. Thank you, Granite Hills High School. Jilly Rodriguez. Good evening, board members, executive cabinet, and attendees. My name is Julie Rodriguez, and I'm the GC president for Granite Hills High School, and I'm excited to give you this month's update on all things Cougar Pride. It's spring and we are officially in the final countdown for seniors. With only eight more weeks left to go, Cougars are determinated to make the most of their time left. State testing is underway and juniors are giving it their all to show what they know. Counselors are busy completing final grad checks and making sure all of our seniors finish a year strong and cross that finish line to graduation. And prom, sporting events, plays, skills USA competitions, concerts, performances, and finals are all just around the corner.
At the same time, we cannot ignore the broader context we're working within. Here in Arizona, educators continue to navigate challenges that are largely outside of local control, including funding, policy decisions, and increasing demands on schools. These realities do not stay at the state level. They show up in our classrooms every day. And yet, despise despite those challenges, our educators continue to deliver for students. As we move forward, the focus remains clear. Let's build the environment where educators and students can thrive. That includes providing time, resources, and professional support for our educators, which directly instu impact students by ensuring they receive highquality instruction and meaningful learning experiences. Stability and respect for educators are not extras. They're essential for student success. We remain committed to working together in good faith to ensure that our district continues to be a place where both students and educators can thrive.
College accept acceptances are rolling in and Cougars are cleaning up. Four of our AVID students were admitted to UCLA and several others received acceptances to their dream schools throughout the country, including several HBCU. Three students received the R rims AVID scholarship and four students were honored at the Chamber of Comfer. Wait, how do I say that? >> Commerce. com. Thanks. State of education and received local scholarships. Our CTE students are ready for a Skills USA competition next week. And we have the exciting news that we are we we already know we are sending some students to nationals. Our Skills USA chapter was recently recognized as one of the 24 chapters in the country to receive the models of excellence status specifically for the outstanding work of our students and advisers in in the workplace skills component of the skills USA framework. This this honor reflects the strong support for CTE programs in our school and district.
Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Shore. Superintendent comments. Dr. Strereer, >> President Mcronis, governing board members, members of the audience, we've had a busy month, so I'm going to do this as quickly as I possibly can. Uh, and unfortunately, Miss Mcronone has hit a couple of mine, so that super helpful. Um, I earlier today I did have the opportunity to attend the annual state of the town event. The theme was building the town of tomorrow. I just want to congratulate Mayor Post, the council, and the chamber for a fantastic program. You could not have walked away from You just can't walk away from an event like that without feeling incredibly proud of the future that's being built right here in Morirana. Also, this past Monday, uh we held our quarterly parent partnership night. I want to thank Mr. Alexander who joined us at that event.
And our students will represent Granite Hills High School at the 2026 National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta this June. We are looking forward to sending more students to to compete at nationals alongside them. In the arts, our choir students returned from competition last week in San Diego with a lot of hardware. One group received silver and the other group received gold and the prestigious honor of being invited back to perform at Carnegie Hall for the third time in our school's history next year. Theater opens their play Little Shop of Horrors next weekend and it's destined to be another smashing success. Dance recently competed at Disneyland and took second place for their team and third place for duo in several individual honors including first place in overall grand championship for senior Aubrey Watts. Granny Hills will be hosting a competition May 3rd. ASB hosted a stu a Star Wars themed pep rally yesterday.
We had a great turnout. We spent the evening discussing uh elements of our strategic plan, but I think the real impact really came from the small groupoup breakout uh conversations. Uh it's been a great year connecting with our PTOs. Uh we get great feedback from those sessions and I want to specifically thank our chairs Britta Stum and Hope McDonald uh whose leadership continues to bring our families closer to the district. Also, last week I met with our high school student forum. Uh we did a branding exercise with this group where I asked them uh which national brand most resembles MUSD and this sparked a deep dive into our goal of becoming a national model of educational excellence and the students did a great job of identifying some of the accelerants that are currently in place that are moving us forward and then they were incredibly honest about some of the barriers that we need to navigate.
Powderpuff is tomorrow night and our juniors are smelling upset, but they're about to find out why seniors rule the school. Everyone Everyone is excited for prom. Our theme is and will be held and will be held at the March Air Museum in Riverside on May 2nd. Shout out to our family center for putting on our prom boutique last week and having a huge selection of suits and prom dresses. Students had fun trying on different outfits at lunch. Last week, our career center hosted a career fair with lots of local businesses and vendors. Thank you to all who participated and help and helped inform students about options after high school. Baseball has started has started league playing currently in second place with a with a huge victory this week, beating Barstow 15 to1 and traveled to play Silverado today. Softball is also sitting second in the DSL and hosted Silverado today.
What I was most impressed with was our students highlevel strategic thinking, identifying barriers that were not necessarily negatives. They were just things that we needed to be aware of, things like funding levels from from the state. Uh I'm excited to continue to work with our students and expand their involvement as we look into next year. And then just before spring break, uh, President Mcronis mentioned the 2340 celebration of excellence lunchon, an inspiring afternoon where we awarded scholarships and recognized our employees of the year. And we'll be bringing those awardees to a future board meeting for formal uh, introductions. But I do want to thank the 2340 Foundation and all of our partners who made that celebration possible. And then I just want to thank our schools and our staff for their massive presence throughout the community lately. From the Founders Day parade to little league opening ceremonies, our mascots have been everywhere.
Swim had their first home meet yesterday and we're excited to see how much our aquatics program has grown. Golf is teeing up for another league championship and hoping to continue to pull away from the field in the remaining matches. Track and field dominated the competition in their league cluster meet yesterday, beating all teams by an average of 50 points and clinching the league title. Stunt hosted Toronto yesterday and Jilly was amazing. So I heard. As always, thank you for your continued support of our students and our school. Maroon and Gray lead the way. Apple Valley High School, FE Aila. All right. Hello and good evening, Superintendent Nelson, President Buchanan, members of the board, and attendees. My name is Effie Avia and I'm the ASB line president at Apple Valley High School. It's great to be back tonight to share everything happening on our campus because as always, our Sunundevils have been busy, successful, and full of pride.
Uh in fact, I heard from a parent earlier today who was raving about how excited the kids were at Morirana Little League opening day because they got to get photos taken with their school mascot. Uh I think that's a pretty cool thing and I think that is the MUSD difference, right? We're not just in the community, uh, we are the community. Uh, and then I want to recognize our own, uh, PR and community engagement, uh, person, Alli Benjamin, who represented the district at the Morirana Insights earlier this week and did a great job uh, connecting with the town and representing the district and the town. Uh, they did a fantastic job with with their presentation. I've heard uh, rave reviews from from a few community members at this point. So, thank you Ally for representing us. And then my final thing was to just remind everybody the centennial celebration.
So, let's jump right into our Sunundevil news. Starting with athletics, our boys tennis team has had one of their best months ever with wins against Burrow, Sultana, Serrano, Oills, and more. Way to go, boys. Our track and field team has also been doing amazing things from setting new records to hitting new personal bests. We're so proud of our running Sunund Doubles and the dedication they continue to show. On the field, our softball teams had an incredible game against Toronto just yesterday. Varsity won 13 to4 and JV dominated with a 19 to1 victory. While these scores are exciting, we've come to expect nothing less from our Sunundevil athletes. Shifting into school events, Mr. Sunundevil was a huge success. We had an amazing turnout and it was such a fun night for everyone involved. From 100 cheeseburgers to a live cow, and even a special appearance for my six-year-old niece, Camila, it was definitely a night to remember.
President Micronis uh hit that. So, please, as uh she said, visit our website, get that information, and we look forward to celebrating a 100red years with our community. And this concludes my report. >> Thank you, Dr. Strereer. Consent agenda. Can I get a motion? >> I move the governing board approve the consent agenda as presented. >> Second.
With prizes like a flat screen TV, AirPods, prom tickets, and even a tuxedo, the energy in the room was unforgettable. We also had our annual spring break, which while we love being at school, it's nice to take some time to rest and recharge. Districtwide, we had our annual field day, which is always one of the most special days of the year. Seeing our students along with our football players come together to support and have fun with younger students is something we look forward to each year. Our senior superlative winners were also announced, highlighting everything from best dress to most pride and even who's most likely to crash their car in the student parking lot. It's always a fun and memorable tradition as we get closer to the end of the year. We also revealed our prom theme prom theme through our annual ASB prom reveal video.
>> Any discussion? All those in favor? I >> I. >> Motion carries. Unfinished business. None. New business. J1. Mr. Bogart. This is a public hearing. >> Thank you, President Micronis, governing board members, superintendent, and guests. This is uh the second uh public meeting for discussion regarding an instructional timeline model according to as ARS 15901.08. 08. The governing board must hold two of these meetings prior to holding a vote to approve of an instructional time model. The intention of this instructional time model is to offer educational services to students who may not be able to participate in a more traditional MUSD setting while also generating ADM. This request does not alter or change our core curriculum instructional delivery model. Rather, it provides an opportunity for us to recoup ADM for services already provided. Included in the board packet are several documents that we can describe. But before I I mention those, I'd like to do a shout out to Sheila Nakarati from the Ed services program for her work on this project as well as several folks in the IT department, Katie Tyler and Marie Pacheco.
and I'm excited to share that this year's theme is entangled in twilight inspired by the hit book and movie series. Tickets go on sale next week and we are all looking forward to the night of nights. This Tuesday we held our annual key club elections where students presented and voted to select our 2026 to 2027 officer team. After four years in Key Club, this one definitely meant a lot to me and it's something I will truly miss. This week, our ASB line has also been conducting interviews to select next year's officers. While I can't give too much away, I can say I'm very excited for what's ahead. The future of ASB is in great hands. Earlier today, we had our superintendent's advisory council where we were joined by elementary and middle school students from across the district. It was so meaningful to hear their ideas and perspectives on how to make our schools even better.
Um, the three things in the slide deck include uh, excuse me, the three items included in the board docs include a slide deck that gives you the why the district is going for this instructional time model and it also provides MUSD's intended application responses which provide the how the district is going to offer these. Uh, again, nothing has changed since the first public hearing. We we're planning on offering remote alternative hours and mastery based learning on a case-bycase basis for students. Um, and it also articulates which schools we would be offering this to, and it's all of our schools. And the last item in your board packet is a draft student contract that was developed between the two public hearings. Now, this provides you the process for which we will be implementing this practice as well as the rigor and show and and it expresses the parent support side of this plan.
Moving into CTE news, our Skills USA students are preparing for the state competition next weekend in Ontario, California. With 155 Sunundevils competing, we are excited to see all of their hard work pay off. Our mass sophomores recently participated in a biomedical debate discussing real world medical issues and gaining valuable insight into their field. On March 4th, we hosted our annual college and career fair where students had the opportunity to connect with professionals from a wide range of careers. From firefighters to college representatives, there was truly something for everyone. We also want to rec recognize three of our camp students, Olivia Nutter, Kinsley Hullbrook, and Leila Lovato for earning a Bronze Inland Empire Regional Award in the Streets Arts Safe Film and Poster Competition. Great job, ladies. Our welding students competed in the fifth annual MDCP and Victor Valley College competition where all 14 AVHs students contributed to earning first place as a team.
With that, I'm happy to stand for any questions you may have. This is an information item only and there will be no action taken. Does anybody have any questions? >> I have a question. Can you can you help us understand if we have more students enroll into this offering and it becomes a a resource issue with teachers? Do we would be would we would we uh sorry would we hire more teachers or would we limit the the accessibility of this program? >> Thank you, Mr. Alexander. That's a really great question. Um based on the numbers that we've been looking at historically, we don't anticipate there to be a rush of students because these would be very few and far between in terms of the individual need that we would have to address. If there was a concern that we have more of these students, we would still want to address that student need as we had in the past.