Dysart Education Foundation

Southwest Foodservice Excellence (SFE) not only ensures that Dysart students get healthy meals; they also sponsor scholarships so that deserving students can go on to college!

Shadow Ridge HS graduate Shannon Maloney and Valley Vista HS graduate Lydia Williams are this year's SFE Scholarship recipients!

Pictured below are SFE Manager Allyson Geary, scholarship recipient Shannon Maloney, Shannon's Champion Lisa Moberg, and Principal Ginger Richards. Ms. Richards accepted the award on behalf of recipient Lydia Williams.

DHS Art Teacher Elena Gonzales let us know how her new pottery wheel has impacted her students:

"Receiving the new pottery wheel through the district grant has made a huge impact in my ceramics classroom. Before receiving this equipment, I only had four working pottery wheels for students to share, which limited how much time students could spend learning wheel-throwing techniques.

With the new wheel, students were able to rotate faster and spend more meaningful time creating and practicing. During second semester, students successfully created cylinders, flower vases, and teapot sets on the pottery wheels. Students learned how to throw each form on the wheel and carefully assemble the pieces into complete teapot sets using advanced ceramics techniques. The added access helped students build confidence, improve their ceramic skills, and stay excited about the creative process.
One of our greatest accomplishments this year was having student teapot sets selected for the ASU West Art Show Gallery. This was especially meaningful because it was the first time Dysart Unified School District was invited to participate in the exhibition. One student even earned an Honorable Mention award for their teapot set, which demonstrated strong mastery of both wheel-throwing and hand-building techniques combined.

My students were incredibly excited and grateful to receive new equipment. Having updated tools made them feel proud of their artwork and showed them that what they create in the classroom truly matters. This grant will continue to impact future students by giving them more opportunities to create beautiful artwork and develop advanced ceramics skills for years to come.

I have attached photos below showcasing student artwork created using the new pottery wheel. Overall, I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and the positive impact it has made on my students and ceramics program."

Teacher Lynne Gibson and her second grade team at Asante Preparatory Academy encourage their young authors by celebrating their published pieces at the end of each writing cycle. DEF helped by providing supplies for the celebrations. Here's what she tells us:

"Thank you again for funding our second grade publishing parties. Publishing parties are unique to our grade level. We did get our first order later than our first publishing party, but the rest were enriched with accessories that brought our publishing parties to a new level. Students were excited to write and we celebrated their writing all year long. I have attached some photos for your sponsors."

Western Peaks teacher Huda Clemens sent us an update about her students' first experience with the 3-D printer that was funded through a DEF mini-grant. Here's what she wrote:

"Thank you again for awarding me the 2025 DEF Mini-Grant. I truly appreciate the opportunity to bring 3-D printing experiences into my classroom.

Unfortunately, there were delays in receiving the printer, and I did not receive it until March. Because of the limited time remaining in the school year, I only had the month of April to implement the project with students. Despite the shortened timeline, students were still able to learn the basic 3-D printing skills and successfully create their own personalized keychains.

This project became a great start-up experience for students to begin learning the possibilities of 3-D printing. Students demonstrated creativity, problem-solving, and perseverance through trial and error while designing their projects. One of the most exciting moments for them was seeing their own ideas come to life once the designs were printed.

Although we only had a short amount of time this year, this project has laid the foundation for future learning opportunities. Next year, students will be able to take their skills to the next level by using 3-D printing to create solutions for different problems, think more critically about design, and continue developing innovation and engineering skills.

I will also be including pictures of students and their designs to share the impact of this experience.

Thank you again for supporting innovative learning opportunities for our students and making projects like this possible."

DEF provided Laird Mini-Grant funds for Rancho Gabriela music teacher Crystal Borges to purchase headphones for sound sensitive students. Here's what she tells us:

"I am happy to report that the headphones are working wonderfully. They have been used as backups for my ESS students if they didn't bring any to class and my general education students that are having sensitive ear days. Here are some pictures of students using them."

We're happy we could help! Thanks to our community of donors who make these grants possible, including Southwest Foodservice Excellence, Surprise Community Outreach Program, and Subaru Superstore!

Teacher Jack Broughton requested better mouthpieces for his students' wind instruments in his DEF mini-grant application. Thompson Ranch band students used their new mouthpieces when they performed at Disneyland! Here's what Mr. Broughton had to say:

"I received all of my items for the mini grant awarded this year! Thank you!! We were able to switch out all of the old mouthpieces and use the upgraded ones for our last concert in April and used them on our workshop performance at Disneyland, too."

DHS graduate Nancy Nguyen is the recipient of the $7000 Randy Sterna Grand Opportunity Scholarship this year. She was presented the scholarship at the DEF Annual Awards Dinner by Alicia Sterna, on the left. Nancy's Champion, Alicia Wisbey, told the audience about Nancy's accomplishments and character.

Congratulations Nancy! We look forward to following your progress in the coming years!

Marley Park Elementary teacher Kathryn Voss sent DEF an update about her 2025 mini grant:

"I am incredibly grateful for the Dysart Education Foundation Laird Grant. This year, the grant allowed me to replace several outdated webcams with high-quality document cameras for my Stop Motion Animation elective.
My students were thrilled to help unbox the new equipment, and those who had taken the class the previous year were especially excited to see and use the upgraded cameras. The improved image quality made a noticeable difference in their projects and enhanced their overall experience in the course.
I have attached a few photos of the students using the new document cameras, along with a completed stop motion project created by two seventh-grade students."

Where did the school year go! As we begin Memorial Day weekend we are wrapping up our DEF monthly luncheons! Love supporting local businesses.
L-R: Dr Shelley Isai, Dr John Croteau, Billie Laird, Alicia Sterna, Donya Davis-Seay, Carolynn Barnett, Lisa Fowler, Monica Dorcey, and Kristi Richards