Twelve Peoria Unified schools participated in Love Our Schools Day on Saturday, Oct. 19. Love Our Schools Day, in partnership with local nonprofit, School Connect, is a project-based volunteer event that brings the community together to invest time and resources and show their neighborhood school a little love.
“School Connect believes community involvement is crucial for schools to reach their full potential,” shared School Connect Founder and CEO Tracey Beal. “Love Our Schools Day provides an opportunity for community members to serve alongside students, educators and families, exemplifying our valued partnership with Peoria Unified School District in fostering academic success and meaningful engagement.”
Volunteers came from across the valley to support Peoria Unified campuses, including Copperwood Elementary School, Coyote Hills Elementary, Desert Valley Elementary School, Frontier Elementary School, Ira A. Murphy Elementary School, Marshall Ranch Elementary School, Peoria Elementary School, Peoria High School, Peoria Traditional School, Sahuaro Ranch Elementary School, Sky View Elementary School and Zuni Hills Elementary School. Tasks completed in Peoria Unified schools for Love Our Schools Day included beautification projects, such as planting bushes and flowers, updating landscaping, pulling weeds, wiping down tables and chairs, painting bulletin boards, writing thank you notes and more.
Peoria High School Interim Principal Sammy Chagolla shared, “We had several community members, governing board members, district administrators, students, parents and our wonderful staff show up to be part of this event. It was incredible to see that the Peoria Flex Academy and the MET Professional Academy had several teachers and students participate in planting flowers around Old Main. The City of Peoria Firefighter Charities was well represented and cooked hotdogs for all the volunteers. It was just amazing! Our goal was to have 103 volunteers representing how many years our school has been open. The total was 184 volunteers.”
Additional Peoria Unified schools will hold their own version of Love Our Schools Day in the weeks ahead. Peoria Unified has participated in this tradition for more than five years, demonstrating how beneficial it is to have a strong connection to those in the community. This event allows school partners to serve the community while improving morale in small, but extremely valuable ways at each school site.
Established in Arizona’s Northwest Valley, the Peoria Unified School District brings over 130 years of educational distinction to students and families. Within Peoria Unified’s 43 unique, public schools, a variety of programs are designed to meet the needs of all students, including S.T.E.A.M., arts education, special education, gifted education, career and technical education and much more for kindergarten through 12th-grade students. Since 1889, Peoria Unified has achieved academic and athletic excellence through and with its students and families. To continue its long history of success, the district maintains its focus on four key components of its strategic plan: Student Success, Safety and Well-Being, Stewardship of Community Resources and Community Connection. The Peoria Unified School District is fully committed to ensuring that “Every student, every day, is prepared to shape tomorrow.”
