TUSD First Day of Classes

NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Sharon Dunham, (520) 225-6437, Sharon.Dunham@tusd1.org
Posted on: August 12, 2008

When classes began on Monday in the Tucson Unified School District, new Superintendent Elizabeth Celania-Fagen was on hand to greet students and teachers in the classrooms of five of the district's 105 schools. The daylong tour marked the beginning of the superintendent's plan to visit all the schools during her first year. The second round of visits will be Friday, Aug. 22.

Fagen visited Banks Elementary School at 3200 S. Lead Flower, Johnson Primary School, 6060 S. Joseph Ave., Lawrence Intermediate, 4850 W. Jeffrey Road, Hohokam Middle School, 7400 S. Settler Road and Cholla Magnet High School at 2001 W. Starr Pass Boulevard.

Joe Herrmann, the new Banks principal, said it was great to have Fagen visit his school on the far west side of the district because sometimes staff feels isolated. Besides that, he said Fagen "knows we have some special things going on here." He was referring to the recent death of last year's principal Victoire VickRoy. Banks counselor Zulema Suarez accompanied Herrmann on the tour with Fagen and Chief Academic Officer Albert Siqueiros, who supervises the school.

Lawrence Principal Ana Gallegos, whose school academic ranking has improved since she took the helm, said, "I'm thrilled to have Dr. Fagen here to see what we're doing. The teachers work hard, so it's good for others to see it."

Elsewhere around the district, many from central administration also visited schools, such as Engineering, Facilities and Planning Director Rudy Flores, who visited Pueblo Gardens Elementary School, 2210 E. 33rd St; Bonds Director Marcus Jones, who visited Hughes Elementary School, 700 N. Wilson, and Educational Support Services Director Beatriz Rendon, who visited Borton Primary Magnet School, 700 E. 22nd and Miles Exploratory Learning Center, 1400 E. Broadway.