Help Us Celebrate Our 2023 Teacher of the Year Nominees

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At ASU Preparatory Academy, we recognize excellence in teaching, and want to thank all teachers for their skill, knowledge, and dedication to the profession. We are thrilled to announce the nominees selected for ASU Preparatory Academy’s 2023 Teacher of the Year. Meet our exemplary educators:

 

Guadalupe Diaz
ASU Prep Phoenix, K-6

Guadalupe Diaz is currently a Dual Language teacher who was instrumental in the development of ASU Preparatory Academy Downtown Phoenix’s Dual Language Spanish Immersion Program. She has demonstrated highly effective pedagogical skills and an understanding of language pedagogy. Guadalupe places high importance on fostering positive relationships with diverse populations of students while maintaining high standards in her classroom. She meets students at their cognitive level to provide comprehensible input and ensures that students master each standard. Her passion for student success, knowledge of quality instruction, and eagerness to continue learning, are just a few qualities that make her a wonderful teacher.  

 Eira Rodriguez
ASU Prep Phoenix, 7-12

For the past five years, Eira Rodriguez has taught Geometry, Algebra II with Trigonometry and College Algebra at ASU Prep Downtown Phoenix. She is also the campus’ National Honor Society advisor. Eira is dedicated to her students and wants them to become successful leaders. Under her guidance, the After school Tutoring Club not only helps younger students with their academics, but the fourth and fifth grade students learn mentoring skills. She believes the younger students will want to do well in their classes and will want to become leaders as well. Prior to ASU Prep, she taught at Carl Hayden High School for 24 years. 

Patricia Arrellanes
ASU Prep South Phoenix, K-6 

With 18+ years of experience in early childhood education, Patricia Arrellanes teaches second grade at ASU Prep South Phoenix. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in literacy education to further enhance her teaching skills to better serve her students. One of Patricia’s core beliefs is that every child has the ability to learn and grow, and it is her responsibility to provide them with the tools and opportunities to do so. Patricia has had the opportunity to also participate on the Design Team where she has been able to create a positive and engaging classroom environment that fosters student choice and independence.

Lisa Mills
ASU Prep South Phoenix, 7-12

Prior to teaching at ASU Prep, Lisa Mills taught both middle school and high school math for 10 years. For the past two years, she has taught high school math at ASU Prep South Phoenix High School. Lisa studied chemical engineering at ASU, and in addition to her love of math, also brings a love of science to her classroom. This year she received a STEM fellowship and has thoroughly enjoyed building rockets for an upcoming launch.

Danielle Houseman
ASU Prep Polytechnic, K-6

Elementary STEM teacher Danielle Houseman impacts her students through interactive scientific and mathematical application, and introductions into engineering and computer science fields. This year, she was accepted to the ASU STEM Fellowship program which provides STEM-specific professional development opportunities that she uses to enhance her curriculum and acquire new resources for the students at our ASU Prep STEM Academy. Danielle was a classroom teacher and reading specialist in the Apache Junction Unified School District for more than 24 years. Her experiences have given her the understanding of how effective instruction contains multiple academic disciplines, which she is mindful of when developing her STEM lessons.

Hector Herrera
ASU Prep Polytechnic, 7-12 

Seventh grade math teacher Hector Herrera brings his knowledge from the Poly Design and Innovation team to the ASU Prep Polytechnic campus. Hector completed his final year of student teaching and 200+ hours of volunteering/interning throughout his time at ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College. He challenges his students to think critically and stretch outside their comfort zone through various project-based learning units. With three years under his belt at ASU Prep, Hector is piloting the start of a Student Council club for middle school.

Jeff Whipple
ASU Prep Casa Grande, 7-12 

For the past seven years, Jeff Whipple has taught World History, American History, Economics, American Government, Entrepreneurship, and Senior Seminar at ASU Prep Casa Grande, along with co-sponsoring Student Government. He has Highly Qualified endorsements for History, Government, Business, and Criminal Justice. Jeff is also College Board approved to teach Advanced Placement courses in Government and Politics, U.S. History, and World History. Prior to ASU Prep, he taught middle and high school social studies in Coolidge. Jeff was also a member of the ASU Prep Casa Grande delegation that presented at the Blended and Personalized Learning Conference in Rhode Island, sponsored by the Highlander Institute. He continues to explore different tech tools to build fun, engaging, and active learning experiences.

Katherine Coleman
ASU Prep Pilgrim Rest, K-6 

Over the past 15 years, Katherine “Kat” Coleman has served the Phoenix metropolitan area as a veteran teacher, coach, mentor, and is a founding teacher at ASU Prep Pilgrim Rest. Her pedagogy is around designing and modeling strategies to advance teachers to shift their instructional style to best serve scholars under a personalized and student-centered learning environment. Kat thrives in classroom management while ensuring her students know that they are loved and belong, and have a safe environment for learning. From her elaborately decorated classrooms, willingness to try new approaches, and her bright persona, she is passionate about helping her students reach and exceed their goals through creating out-of-the-box lessons. Kat is currently completing her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. 

Laura Young
ASU Prep Digital, K-5 

With more than 15 years of teaching experience, nine of those in digital learning, Laura Young believes that all children are capable of achieving their dreams, goals, and experiencing academic success. Laura is a certified special education and general education teacher with a Bachelor’s degree in General Education and a Master’s in Special Education. She is passionate about helping children—specifically those with special needs—reach their goals and help parents successfully navigate the process and advocate for their children. Laura is dedicated to maintaining a safe, loving, and engaging learning environment for all her students, while also utilizing research-based methods to ensure their success.

Eric Roth
ASU Prep Digital, 6-8 

Eric Roth is a middle school math teacher at ASU Prep Digital. Prior to coming to ASU Prep, he taught math for more than 10 years at Coconino High School in Flagstaff, Arizona. During this time, Eric was also a special education teacher who worked with pre-kindergarten through second grade during the summer and high school during the school year. He aptly points out the strengths in each of his students, and supports them in attaining their academic and personal goals. Eric’s keen attention to detail, his communication with students and families, and his ability to make each student feel special enable him to create a welcoming classroom. 

Carli Stiller
ASU Prep Digital, 9-12 

Carli Stiller currently teaches Social Studies and Electives to high school students at ASU Prep Digital. She is a highly qualified educator with extensive credentials in various subject areas, including certifications in Math, Science, English, and Social Studies (grades 4-8); Technology Education and Technology Applications (K-12); and Social Studies (grades 8-12). Additionally, she is certified in 10 different states, allowing her to teach in multiple areas. One of her most notable career achievements has been assisting with data tracking and facilitating discussions among fellow educators to identify and support students. Throughout her 15-year career, Carli has shown an unwavering dedication to education, opening doors, and supporting students.

Congratulations to these outstanding educators! We appreciate you and are proud to see you #RepThePrep.

Kindness Week is Feb. 13-17

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The Great Kindness Challenge begins Feb. 13. One random act of kindness leads to a chain reaction which improves our connections with others and ourselves. Show your kindness all week and participate in the fun.

Color Guards Perform in ASU Homecoming Parade

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Congratulations to the ASU Prep Poly K–12 Color Guards who performed in the ASU Homecoming Parade and with the college team! Thank you to everyone who supported the day. VIEW a video clip of the parade.  

Menchie’s Mondays

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Stop by and treat yourself to Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt [Gilbert Gateway, 5022 S. Power Rd.]. Every Monday from 3-5 p.m., Menchie’s will donate a portion of their proceeds to ASU Prep Academy. It’s a sweet way to start the week and support your school!

 

Fourth Grade Had a Fabulous Fall

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Fourth Grade has been very busy working on projects across all subjects. Students completed a Pumpkin Book Report, focusing on character traits and summary writing. They decorated a pumpkin as a character in their book and have also been studying various regions of Native American civilization. They’re looking forward to wrapping up this quarter with their Summative Night on December 8th.

Learn About College Through Study Hall

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Through a partnership between ASU and Crash Course, you can learn more about the path to college through Study Hall videos on YouTube! Study Hall shares all things college to help you feel more confident that college success is possible. Subscribe now at: youtube.com/studyhall.

Volunteers Always Welcome – Please Sign Up

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There are many volunteer opportunities available, especially around the holidays. Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO) is always looking for help. To ensure you are contacted for all volunteer opportunities, please complete the Volunteer Sign Up form if you have not already filled it out this year. Thank you for all your help to make ASU Prep an amazing school! 

Students ‘Fall’ in Love with STEM

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Our second graders have fallen in love with a harvest of STEM activities to explore! We had bushels of fun with apples including an apple pie writing assignment and building an apple tree out of paper towels’ holders, popsicle sticks, and puff balls. We created airplanes using different weights and folds to see if it changed the distance the planes flew. Creating Oobleck, a mysterious concoction of ingredients that have some of the properties of both solids and liquids, was fun too! And students enjoyed using straws and tape to create stands to hold small pumpkins off the table. Overall, we learned a great deal through the STEM process—especially how to work as a team!

Pictures

Celebrating A Student’s Success

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Many of our students love ASU and we are honored when they allow us to be part of their educational journey for numerous years. We recently received a letter from a proud parent whose daughter just graduated from ASU Prep with honors. What makes this story so unique is that she has been part of the ASU family for 17 years—and she’s not about to stop. Read more about student Brelyn Fidler.  

Letter From A Parent

“My name is Emily and I thought I would share a fun little story about an incoming Undergraduate that will be attending ASU this fall. Her name is Brelyn Fidler (yep, she’s my daughter) and believe it or not, she’s been going to ASU since 2005! I wanted to share because I’m curious if you come across many students that can say they have been going to ASU basically their whole life.

It all started back in 2005 when we enrolled Brelyn in the Arizona State University Child Study Lab, under the direction of Beth Wiley (who was absolutely amazing by the way). She loved this little school so much and the staff was amazing. As we were nearing the end of our time at the Child Study Lab, we learned about a new school opening up that was affiliated with ASU and not too far from home. It was the ASU Prep STEM Academy, though the name has changed a few times, the basic fundamentals and education these children receive has not. So, in 2009 Brelyn was enrolled.

Fast forward to 2022, Brelyn will be graduating ASU Prep STEM Academy High School, with honors of course. She has been accepted to Arizona State University on a Provost Scholarship, majoring in either Forensic Psychology or Biological Sciences. For 17 years of her life, she’s been in some type of ASU program and she’s not about to stop.

“I honestly can’t imagine our lives without this school
and all the programs she has been able to partake in.”

But wait, there’s more! Brelyn has also been part of the ASU Prep Color Guard team since 2010. For 12 years she’s been spinning under the direction of Amy Kochis. As I write this, she’s trying out for the ASU College Color Guard team, in hopes that she will make the team and continue her spinning during her college career. By 2026 she will have been enrolled in an ASU program for 21 years. Brelyn doesn’t plan to stop there, as she would like to go on to graduate school to earn her master’s and possibly even her doctorate. Maybe then she can say she’s attended ASU her whole life.

As a mom, I just had to share because I kind of can’t even believe it myself. I truly can’t thank ASU and all its affiliated programs enough for the education my daughter has received. I honestly can’t imagine our lives without this school and all the programs she has been able to partake in.

If you’re ever at a future ASU football game, my hope is that you’ll see her spinning on that field, where she has dreamt of being since about the age of 13. GO SUN DEVILS!”

Thank you,
Emily Fidler

Thank you, Ms. Fidler, for entrusting Brelyn’s entire educational journey with ASU—that is such a powerful testimony! We also appreciate you giving a special shoutout to Ms. Wiley and Ms. Kochis. It means a lot when a parent takes the time to share a student’s success with us. We celebrate you, and Brelyn, and look forward to hearing more of her journey and success as a Sun Devil!