In the final months of the decade the schools in Fountain Hills received some new paint, a new PTO president has started her tenure and a lot of former students from town came back to teach the next generation.

Following is a look at some of the biggest stories to come out of local schools from July through December, 2019.

New paint job

Local artist, Megan Junk, volunteered her time during the past summer break to paint some of her creative art at both McDowell Mountain Elementary School and at Fountain Hills Middle School.

Along with being fun and inviting, Junk’s art is also practical. One of the pieces she completed at MMES was any eye chart the school nurse can use for eye exams.

For Junk, adding some color the elementary and middle school was her way of giving back.

“I don’t know what someone would charge to do this but I can only imagine,” Junk said. “I can’t donate thousands of dollars but I can do this. It has been so much fun for me because this is the biggest canvas I’ve worked with.”

New PTO leader

One change in the new school year was the election of a new FHUSD PTO president.

Shawn Uphoff has been in the Fountain Hills community for 15 years. Currently, she has a daughter in the eighth grade and a son who graduated from FHHS in 2014.

Uphoff was initially reluctant to take on the role but, after talking with former president, Nicole Perkins, she’s excited to tackle the organization’s many events including the book fair and the upcoming PTO Gala.

“Fountain Hills is so unique compared to other districts in the Valley and one of the things that makes us that way is our size,” Uphoff said. “We just want to let people know that we are all in this together.”

Falcon legacy

Now this is only something that could happen in a town like Fountain Hills. At the start of the school year, FHUSD had 10 employees who attended district schools when they were students.

These 10 employees are spread out across MMES, FHMS and FHHS, across different roles including everything from teaching to counseling.

The Timesdid a five-part series in September that took a closer look at each one of these employees and their relationship with Fountain Hills.

EVIT indictment

In another tough moment this year for the East Valley Institute of Technology, Superintendent Dr. Chad Willison was indicted by a state grand jury on charges of theft and misuse of public monies.

The charges levied at Wilson come from his time as superintendent of the Apache Junction School District, not during his tenure at EVIT.

Despite the indictment the EVIT Governing Board voted to retain Wilson in his position after multiple teachers and staff spoke on his behalf.