The AZ Rural Leader Offi cial Publication of the Arizona Rural Schools Association SOG OG in this issue... FALL 2021 Page 1 • From the Executive Director Page 3 • Rural Imperative Initiative by Dr. Melissa Sadorf, ARSA President Page 7 • 2021 Teacher of the Year by Ty White, Wilcox Unified School District Page 10 • Hello Rural Educators by Barb Goodwin, PhD, Executive Director, ASPAA Page 11• ARSA Executive Board Members Page 14 • Society for Science and ARSA by Anna Pawlow (Rhymes), Director of STEM Literacy & Curriculum, Society for Science Page 20 • Making Teacher Preparation More Aff ordable, Accessible, and Flexible by Kevin Laack, Director of Student Recreuitment, Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College Message from the Executive Director Dear Rural Leaders, I hope you are all well and things are running smoothly in your districts and communities. Throughout this school year, I kept thinking things would settle down and we could all get back to doing what we do best: solve problems and provide support to our students and communities. Unfortunately, things haven’t quite settled down. COVID and the political arena continue to cause areas for concern in our rural communities. However, I am proud of the rural leadership that has occurred throughout this time. Despite the obstacles, you are continuing to solve problems so you can support your rural students and communities. I appreciate all the work of our rural leaders. On another note, I want to thank everyone who joined us at our annual conference in Flagstaff. After a long two years, it was a pleasure to see everyone again. Our 2021 Teacher of The Year winner was Mr. Ty White, Wilcox USD. He will represent Arizona as a candidate for the National Rural Teacher of the Year next October in Green Bay, Wisconsin. At the conference we also inducted Jacquline Price, former La Paz County School Superintendent, into Our Hall of Fame. Sherri Dorathy, Miami USD superintendent, became the inaugural GCU Women in Rural Leadership Award winner. Dr. Rebecca Stone was presented with the well-earned ASU Champions of Innovation Award. Lastly, the Rosy Rubio Scholarship winner was Carmen Chaidez, Superior USD. We had a superb turnout, and we hope you can join us next September 15-17 at Little America and Flagstaff Ranch for the 27th annual conference and golf tournament. Calls for presentations for the next conference will open in February. We will also have all our membership, nominations, and conference registration forms revised and posted on the ARSA website at www.azruralschools.org. The legislative session has the capacity to be tumultuous. If Sean Rickert, Melissa Sadorf, or I can provide any clarification on legislation or policy, please let us know. In addition, if you need any assistance with creating a Request to Speak account, I’ll be happy to help. Enjoy the holidays and the new year. Wes Brownfi eld “Stronger Together!”
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