Education
Learn about the women leading education in the Prescott area.
Kelli Bradstreet: Keeping PUSD at the Heart of the Community
For Kelli Bradstreet, Director of Instructional Support at Prescott Unified School District (PUSD), being a part of the District means being a part of the heart of the community.
Women of S.T.E.A.M – Q&A
Prescott Woman Magazine interviewed five women involved in S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) fields to find out what got them involved and why it’s important to encourage more women to explore careers in these areas.
Jessica Stickel: Balancing Family and Career with the Right Kind of Support
Challenges come for many with balancing career and family life, and Stickel has guidelines that help her achieve her goals by “making sure I am present in both my roles as a mom and as a coach.
Jennifer Woods: Opening Doors to PUSD Students Through Career and Technical Education
In newer terminology, CTE is the practice of teaching specific skills to prepare all students for a wide range of careers that may require varying levels of education, credentials, postsecondary certificates and two- and four-year degrees.
Maya Caldwell: Taking Risks by Seeking Quality Funding for PUSD
A newcomer to Prescott, Maya Caldwell found it easy to settle into her role as Federal Program and Grants Coordinator with the Prescott Unified School District (PUSD) when she started her job earlier this year. Caldwell says, “This district is embodied by the most caring and innovative people I have ever seen in a public school system. Not only do they support my vision and dreams for ‘out of box’ thinking—they embrace it!” With students in mind throughout all grant-seeking decisions, Caldwell says she feels an “unhindered creativity finding new grant opportunities and programs that will benefit our students.”
Teacher’s Supply Closet Open Weekly so PUSD Teachers Can Outfit Their Classrooms for Success
It probably isn’t a surprise to many Prescottonians that most classroom teachers spend their own personal money on necessary classroom supplies like writing paper, file folders, notebooks, envelopes, pencil sharpeners, pencils, pens, highlighters, crayons, glue sticks, markers, calculators, clipboards, erasers, and essentials like hand soap, Band-Aids, and Kleenex. Some teachers even purchase snacks for their students. Someone outside the education system may believe the school district should supply many of the items teachers purchase. Unfortunately, due to a slim state education budget, that’s just not feasible.
The Nurses of Prescott Unified School District: Teachers, Mentors and Skilled Healthcare Professionals All Rolled into One
As healthcare professionals, the nurses at Prescott Unified School District (PUSD) have a greater role than what many of us experienced growing up and visiting the nurse’s office hoping for a day pass to go home. Today, school nurses strive to address the physical, mental, emotional and social health needs of each student. From Monica Pardo in her first year as nurse at Lincoln School, to Carolyn Ernst in her 14th year with Prescott High School, school nurses are at the ready for whatever comes their way—from simple sore throats to medical emergencies.
Lessons By Lexe
From the time she was a little girl, Alexes Niekamp dreamed of opening a dance studio. Growing up in California, she went to Marti’s Dance Studio. She practiced and learned every style of dance offered. As the daughter of a single mother, she found that the dance world offered her a sense of community and belonging.
Arizona Provider Training expands course offerings to PV
With its focus on hiring quality instructors, Arizona Provider Training has expanded its classrooms from Phoenix to seven Arizona locations in just two years. The latest expansion brought APT to the Prescott region in May.
It’s a G.E.M.
The goal of G.E.M. Environmental, a 501(c)3 charity in Prescott, is twofold: to connect underserved STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math students) to integrated and collaborative educational programming and to work with government agencies to conserve public lands.
Play and Thrive
This past March, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Arizona (BGCCAZ) in partnership with Fiesta Bowl Charities and KaBOOM! rallied over 100 community volunteers to build a playground in just one day. Together, they transformed a section of the parking lot adjacent to the Prescott Clubhouse into a state-of-the-art playground—one of just a few in the downtown Prescott area (it’s on Aubrey Street). It’s now open for all families and children to use.
Robyn Bryce: Today’s Media Technology—Much More Than Just Lights! Camera! Action!
When former Prescott High School Principal Stephanie Hillig wanted to repurpose an old abandoned media studio, Media Instructor Robyn Bryce jumped on the opportunity to use that space to create the Film and Television department of the Media Arts program. Bryce, who pursued a Certification in Career and Technical Education (CTE) in Emerging and Industrial Technologies, began the program in 2014 and says, “The program has grown roughly 300% since its inception and now the bulk of my schedule consists of CTE classes, with plans to add more classes in the future.” In Bryce’s classes, students can explore their interests through team and independent projects. She adds, “I am always looking for ways to grow the scope of the program. For instance, the students produce the morning announcements and compete in local and state competitions.”