Dysart Honors 55 Staff Members as Heroes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — 4/22/2022

Dysart Unified School District annually names staff members as Heroes to recognize outstanding service to the district and the community. This year, 55 extraordinary staff members received the honor of being named a Dysart Hero, after being selected through a peer nomination process.  The number of nominations received doubled this year, truly demonstrating the hard work and dedication of Dysart’s staff. Heroes were surprised with the awards by the Dysart Hero Prize Patrol, made up of district administrators and Governing Board members, over the course of several days in March.

In lieu of the usual ceremony and dinner this year, Dysart Heroes were honored during a ceremony on April 20, 2022 at The Vista Center for the Arts. Dr. Jim Dean, Assistant Superintendent of Support Services, was the Master of Ceremonies and read excerpts from the nomination letters. A commemorative Hero plaque, sponsored by the Dysart Education Foundation, was presented by Superintendent Dr. Quinn Kellis and members of the Dysart Governing Board. The Shadow Ridge High School choir provided a brief performance onstage. A take home meal was provided for each Hero from Sharkos Catering, so they could enjoy it with their families.

2022 Dysart Heroes:

Certified / Classified: 

Asante Preparatory Academy : Marissa Grahlman, Debra Jones 

Ashton Ranch Middle School : Allison Mooney, Michael King 

Canyon Ridge School : Jennifer Klein, Kristin Binazeski 

Cimarron Springs Middle School : Virginia Trujillo, Coleen Welborn 

Countryside Elementary School :Natasha Fallon, Natalie Cole 

Dysart Middle School : Hillary Bond, Holly Morris 

Dysart High School : Ashley Mette, Robert Romero 

El Mirage Elementary School : Allison Carnes, Guillermina Munoz  

Freedom Traditional Academy : Katrina McCloud, Traci Henderson 

Kingswood Elementary School : Jaime Payne, Britny Kraft 

Luke Elementary School : Megan Harshman, Amber McKendrick 

Marley Park Elementary School : Renee Best, Nichole Courcey 

Mountain View School : Laurie Swanson Puddicombe, Tricia Schooler 

Rancho Gabriela Elementary School : Carrie Jasinski, Carina Gonzalez Bravo 

Riverview School : Kacee Bock, Sarah Hernandez 

Shadow Ridge High School : Amanda Norton, Linda Martinez 

Sonoran Heights Elementary School : Laura Lundy, Kelly Davidson 

Sundown Mountain Alternative Education Program: Cathi Miller, Heidi Lindemann 

Sunset Hills Elementary School : Jackie Older, Kimberly Baker 

Surprise Elementary School: Monica Puentes, Lisa Sikorski 

Thompson Ranch Elementary School: Aida Chacon, Leticia Vigilant 

Valley Vista High School:  Holly Bejarano, Tracy Sargent 

West Point Elementary School : Keri Crowther, Bryce Flink 

Western Peaks Elementary School : Erin Ireland, Kaitlyn Knize 

Willow Canyon High School : Al Titkemeyer Lisa Hounsell 

District Departments: Christina Bergeron, iSchool & Rogelio Hipolito, Maintenance

Volunteer: Annette Ahlemeyer, Luke Elementary School 

Administrators: Kathy Hill, Director of Federal Projects Hannah Pacheco, Dysart High School 

The Dysart Hero Awards were sponsored this year by generous community partners including: 

 Diamond Sponsors: MP BAS, Valley Schools 

 Platinum Sponsors: 1GPA, CHASSE Building Team 

 Gold Sponsors: AG Parts World Wide, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Arizona, Cox Communications and Wholesale Floors   Silver Sponsors: Bel-Aire Mechanical, Biddle and Brown Fence Co., Blumm 

 Bronze Sponsors: Delta Dental, Sun Life and Teledoc 

 A special thanks to the Dysart Education Foundation for sponsoring our Dysart Hero plaques.

To view photos of the event please visit: https://www.dysart.org/PhotoGallery/Galleries/1966

 Media inquiries or future sponsorship questions should be directed to the Communications and Public Relations Office at publicrelations@dysart.org or 623-876-7196.