Dysart Celebrates 53 Staff Members as Heroes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 04/23/2026

DYSART SCHOOLS - Dysart Unified School District annually names staff members as Heroes to recognize outstanding service to the district and the community. This year, 53 staff members received the honor of being named a Dysart Hero, after being selected through a peer nomination process.  Additionally, Smiling Out Loud (SOul) was recognized for their volunteer efforts for many years in the district. There were hundreds of nomination letters this year, truly demonstrating the hard work and dedication of Dysart’s staff. Heroes were surprised with the awards by the Dysart Hero Squad, made up of district administrators and Governing Board members, over the course of several days in March. 

The Dysart Heroes were honored during a ceremony on April 22, 2026 at Happy Trails Performing Arts Center. Dr. John Croteau, Superintendent of Dysart Schools, 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 members of the Dysart Governing Board.  Attendees enjoyed dinner and a silent auction along with the awards ceremony.

Yahzid Alcala, Rancho Gabriela 

Alexis Anderson, Asante 

Nicchia Bellitto, Mountain View 

Kathy Berger, Riverview 

Danielle Boore, Willow Canyon 

Amy Brewer, Ashton Ranch 

Aisha Brooks-Austin, Dysart Middle 

Sabrina Byram, Valley Vista 

Stephanie Carr, Surprise 

Octavio Cerda, Willow Canyon 

Angela Cooper, Cimarron Springs 

Maria Cruz, Thompson Ranch 

Santos Cruz, Countryside 

Danielle Danielak-Moehr, Transportation 

Jamie DiCarlo, Freedom 

David Dyb, Kingswood 

Jessica Frohlich, Sunset Hills 

Elain Gameros, Riverview 

Deborah Gunn, Ashton Ranch 

Chanale Gutierrez, El Mirage 

Pamela Hensley, Western Peaks 

Shante Jaquez, Shadow Ridge 

Leigh Johnson, Western Peaks 

Karen Kindem, IT 

Julia Kuettel, Sundown Mountain

Brianna Larson, Shadow Ridge

Melissa Laufer, Sonoran Heights

Kimberly Lawson-Byrd, Thompson Ranch

Sylvia Leija, Valley Vista

Joanne Linduff, West Point

Kathy Lovely, Sunset Hills

Alex Marquardt, Countryside

Charleen Mattingly, Rancho Gabriela

Mike McIntosh, Marley Park

Regina Montoya, Luke

Juliane Pfeiffer, Canyon Ridge

Tricia Parker, Cimarron Springs

Ysella Ramirez, Dysart Middle

Kim Rivera, West Point

Oscar Rodriguez Lopez, Dysart High

Kyl Rucker, Luke

Kimberly Sabidong, Mountain View

Crystal Salazar-Campa, Rancho Gabriela

Abbiegail Schallmo, Asante

Lindsey Serene, Freedom

Leslye Shumaker, Kingswood 

SOuL (Smiling Out Loud), District Volunteer

Trevor Tuttle, Dysart High

Kendra Wayne, El Mirage

Jessica Whynott, Marley Park

Destiny Wiedeke, Canyon Ridge

Jeannette Williams, Sundown Mountain

Terry Young, Sonoran Heights

Juan Zuniga, Surprise

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

Platinum Sponsors: 1GPA, Chasse, Dysart Education Foundation, Prime Therapeutics, Valley Schools 

Gold Sponsors: Blue Cross Blue Shield, CORE Construction 

Silver Sponsors: Bel-Aire Mechanical, Brock, Dave Bang Associates, Logicalis, The Brella Group 

Bronze Sponsors: Bluum, Sun Life

A special thanks to our schools and Parent Support organizations for donating silent auction items and to the Dysart Education Foundation for sponsoring our Dysart Hero plaques.

To view photos of the event please visit: Dysart Heroes 2026

Media inquiries or future sponsorship questions should be directed to the Communications and Public Relations Office at publicrelations@dysart.org or 623-876-7195.