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Spring brought staff shake-up, national movements to FH schools

Posted 12/26/18

It was a busy year for Fountain Hills schools in 2018.

Along with changes to staff in the Fountain Hills Unified School District and state titles for the high school band, national and statewide …

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Spring brought staff shake-up, national movements to FH schools

Posted

It was a busy year for Fountain Hills schools in 2018.

Along with changes to staff in the Fountain Hills Unified School District and state titles for the high school band, national and statewide events also left their mark on the community.

Following is a look at some of the biggest stories to come out of local school from January through June. Check the Jan. 2 edition of The Times for a look back at events ranging from July through December.

FHHS musicians

This record-breaking year for Fountain Hills High School marching band started with three of the group’s musicians being selected to play in the regional band.

Seniors Sam Aker and Brendan Tjeerdsma, along with junior Andrew Merica, beat out hundreds of other students in the region to earn a chair in the band.

After performing with the regional band on Feb. 16, the trio of talented musicians was given the chance to audition for the All-State band.

Previously, no Falcon had made the cut for All-State band but, this year, both Sam Aker and Andrew Merica were selected for the prestigious group and performed this past spring in Tucson.

National events

Just because Fountain Hills is a small community doesn’t mean what happens at the national level doesn’t ripple down to the town.

After the tragic massacre that occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14 resulting in 17 deaths, members of the country came together in a public demonstration for stricter gun control laws.

Some of the citizens of Fountain Hills joined those across the nation in these public demonstrations by observing 17 minutes of silence in front of FHHS a month after the tragedy and by participating in the March for Our Lives in Phoenix on March 24.

Staff changes

The Fountain Hills Unified School District experienced changes in management this year when Superintendent Patrick Sweeny announced his retirement in March.

The Governing Board was unable to find a candidate they all agreed upon to permanently fill the position, so they decide to appoint Dr. Robert Allen as an interim superintendent for a year.

To assist Dr. Allen with the numerous responsibilities of a superintendent, the board also created the position of Director of Instructional Support, which was filled by Allison Barbor.

Along with those changes, Fountain Hills Middle School also received a new principal when Linda McKeever resigned. Assistant principal at the high school, James Carrick, was tapped to fill McKeever’s position.

Athletics shake-up

Administrative roles were not the only FHUSD positions to experience changes this year.

Amanda Baca decided to resign from her role as Athletic Director so she could return to coaching girls basketball.

Golf coach Willie Dudley stepped up to fill the position and has been focusing on raising tax credit revenue for the athletics program.

Along with changes to the top role in the athletic department, new coaches were also hired for boys basketball, baseball, cross country and track.

Red for Ed

In April, teachers across the state came together to advocate for more state funding for education in a movement that came to be known as Red for Ed.

The first Red for Ed statewide event was a walk-in on April 11, which FHUSD teachers participated in.

Unsatisfied with Governor Doug Ducey’s initial proposal, the movement voted to stage a walk out beginning on April 26.

The walk out resulted in the closing of FHUSD for two days.