Our Stories

We take a look at the district’s new and very first “Grow with SUSD” coloring book, illustrated by Chaparral High School junior Jackson Washburn. The “Grow with SUSD” coloring book is the start of a campaign to highlight the meaningful journey through SUSD schools that students can take.

Enjoy this exciting episode of the "SUSD Spotlight" podcast, where we sit down with Sam Primack, a talented musical theatre actor and SUSD alum, to discuss his impressive journey from Arizona to the bright lights of Broadway. Sam is most well-known from the final Broadway and National Tour casts of "Dear Evan Hansen," where he has performed the role across the country and in New York. We'll explore his experiences, the impact of his SUSD education, and his recent masterclass at Chaparral High School for current Firebirds.

In this episode of the "SUSD Spotlight" podcast, we are treated to a conversation with some voices behind “Gold Dust Avenue,” an a cappella group in SUSD that shines. Led by Dr. Sammy Brauer (who has been teaching music in SUSD since 2007) and featuring student singers such as Lillian Apostolou, Gold Dust Avenue has made Chaparral High School proud by placing 2^nd in the 2024 SingStrong New York School Competition with five superior ratings, plus Lillian winning for Best Arrangement. Today, we’ll learn more about some amazing musicianship in our schools, the SingStrong event, and hear the group sing an arrangement.

In this episode of the "SUSD Spotlight" podcast, we learn about the amazing academic program called SCORE which serves as a transition program to pair students, their families, and community partners to bridge high school students to future career opportunities. SCORE helps to develop skills to provide independent career exploration and transition planning with real-world mentorship and the PAES program. Learn more about the impact of the SCORE program by hearing from Stephanie Muecke and student, Nathan Clouse with us today on Spotlight!

Across the nation, National Board reviews the practice of accomplished teachers to evaluate whether they represent the values and standards of excellence in education. In SUSD, we have nearly 70 National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT) across our 29 schools. On this episode of Spotlight, we sit down with NBCT Susan Leonard, an Ingleside Middle School educator and SUSD’S lead trainer for NBCT candidates. We dive into a fun conversation about education excellence and how teachers in 2024 can feel appreciated and recognized for their achievements.