It was a busy year for local schools with both the Fountain Hills Charter School and Fountain Hills Unified School District upping security measures, adding new faces to their governing boards and celebrating the many achievements of local students.

At Fort McDowell, the ‘Hman ‘Shawa Early Childhood Development Center opened its doors, while the Fort welcomed new Education Division Director Bill Myhr and FHUSD welcomed Tom Lawrence on as the new superintendent.

Safety first

Following the tragic Connecticut school shootings in late 2012, students returned to FHUSD and FHCS to bolstered security measures included revamped emergency plans, new fencing and gating, additional security cameras, front office redesigns and more.

Additional new measures included new drop-off/pick-up routes at some campuses, as well as additional on-site drills by local law enforcement.

Fort McDowell

The Fort McDowell Education Division had a couple of big changes in early 2013, beginning with the introduction of new Director Bill Myhr.

Formerly the FHUSD superintendent, Myhr and his staff of about 40 are in charge of ‘Hman ‘Shawa, an early childhood development center. The school’s new building, located adjacent to the Fort McDowell Community Center and library, held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Feb. 14.

Five years ago, the new school was listed as a $3.1 million Capital Improvement Project funded by the nation. Construction began in July of 2012 and now it is educating students from infancy on up through kindergarten.

The state-of-the-art facility includes classrooms for each age group, as well as rooms for one-on-one sessions.

A gym/cafeteria takes up one wing of the building and the back exits give way to a playground featuring grass fields, shaded play structures and a basketball court.

Youth of the Year

Each year, the local Boys & Girls Club of Greater Scottsdale McKee Branch selects a highly achieving youth to represent the branch as its Youth of the Year.

In 2013, Samantha Elder was selected for this honor.

According to a statement from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale, a Youth of the Year candidate must exhibit sound character, leadership skills and a willingness to give back to the community; all traits branch leaders felt Elder exhibited on a daily basis.

Robotics

It was a massive year for the high school robotics team with local students going on to represent FHHS at multiple events around the state and country, earning numerous honors along the way.

In late February, the local club joined 39 teams from four states in the locally hosted Vex Robotics competition, with three local teams taking part in the event.

The Robotics Club went on to win the Arizona State Botball Robotics Competition in late March, followed by a showing at the Vex World Robotics Competition in Anaheim, Calif., where they ended their run in the top 5 percent for their division.

Election

Alongside the local road bond election, Fountain Hills residents in November also voted on a bond and budget override package for the FHUSD. While the actual election did not take place until last month, the ball got rolling on the matter back in February.

The School Board hosted an informal study session examining options surrounding the extension of two types of budget overrides for the 2013 election in the areas of maintenance and operations (M&O) and K-3, as well as a bond package. The two budget overrides were eventually rolled into a single item for the November election.

M&O can be utilized for salaries, benefits and operational expenses, as well as providing staff development initiatives.

A K-3 override specifically targets enhancing and expanding programs for a district’s youngest learners.

Locally, the K-3 override benefits full-day kindergarten, additional educators and a lower teacher/student ratio in the classrooms at McDowell Mountain Elementary School only.

Finally, a bond package will allow for building and renovations on district sites, furniture, equipment, technology, improving school grounds and the purchase of transportation vehicles.

The override and bond package were both passed by voters in November.

FCCLA service

While most Fountain Hills teens spent their spring breaks relaxing and having fun in the sun, the boys and girls of the Fountain Hills High School chapter of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) embarked on their latest service adventure, this time taking them to Anse La Raye, St. Lucia.

During the 2012-13 year, FCCLA participated in “Project Well Being,” a series of activities aimed at enhancing the wellbeing of those in need both locally and abroad.

From spreading awareness to running a dental hygiene donation drive and chipping in at various locations around the Valley, FCCLA completed the biggest, most demanding part of their project, a service trip to St. Lucia in the Caribbean, in early April.

Students took on projects such as working in schools, assisting with mobile medical efforts, construction and community improvement projects, as well as dental hygiene and hand-washing education campaigns.

Governing boards

Both the Fountain Hills Unified School District and Charter School governing boards welcomed new members to their ranks in 2013.

Dr. Glen E. Hadlock and Julianne Newman officially joined the FHCS board in late April.

Then, in June, Karl Gaardsmoe joined the FHUSD crew, replacing former board member Bill Mullaney after he stepped down in order to relocate at the beginning of the year.

Superintendent

After stepping in to fill the position of superintendent following the departure of Dr. Bill Myhr, Tom Lawrence was offered a contract extension for his new job following the May 15 FHUSD school board meeting.

The board met in executive session before the regular meeting in late May to discuss the superintendent’s contract, which it later voted to approve unanimously. The new contract began July 1 and runs through June 30, 2016.