Women Who Teach
Shaping minds and inspiring futures, Prescott’s women educators make a lasting impact every day. In our Women Who Teach section, Prescott Woman Magazine honors the dedicated teachers, mentors, and education leaders who empower the next generation. Celebrate their passion, perseverance, and the powerful difference they make in our community and beyond.
PUSD Administrative Assistant Ellen Gershman: Arizona Pride Through and Through
By Tara Fort • Photo by Trisha Shaffer Arizona Native Ellen Gershman found a rewarding career in a journey that started 20 years ago at Gilbert Public Schools (GPS). When a friend encouraged her to apply for a secretarial position in the district, Gershman had no...
Recruitment and Retention: Prescott Unified School District Offers a Fresh Start for New Teachers
By Tara Fort • Photo by Trisha Shaffer Prescott Unified School District (PUSD) hit the jackpot when they hired two newcomers from South Dakota, proving that teaching in Prescott is not only an option for young professionals but also a wonderful choice for those...
How Instructional Coaching has Changed the Direction of Educators at PUSD
Kelli Bradstreet knew as soon as she visited a school with Instructional Coaches that her calling had taken a new course.
Summertime and the Teachin’ is Easy:
For Prescott Unified School District (PUSD) Instructional Coach Lisa Hosking and Granite Mountain Math and Science Teacher Emma Gifford, the school year doesn’t just end in May. Both Hosking and Gifford are part of the summer program made possible through the Frontier Rotary/21st Century Community Learning Center Grant Program, offering summer school for K-6 grades in the district. This year, in addition to academics, the grant has allowed the schools to add activities such as dance, sewing, teambuilding, coding and math games, plus two classes dedicated to helping students who are struggling to learn to read led by PUSD reading specialists Karen Benson and Melissa Scott.
Missy Townsend: Dedication, Commitment and Progress at Prescott High School
Missy Townsend, Dean of Students / Athletic Director for Prescott High School, knows that hard work pays off. Whether it be for herself, her staff, or her students, she knows that putting forth the effort will reap unbelievable rewards.
The Best Gifts Arrive When Least Expected:
Terry Gorman was teaching first and second grades in Springville, Iowa in 1992, when the mother of one of her students wanted her child with special needs included in a general education classroom for social interaction. That event proved to be an epiphany in Gorman’s teaching career. She recalls, “It was through working directly with the student and seeing the response of my first and second grade students in the classroom with him that lead to my love of special eduation. It was a very gratifying experience witnessing their opportunity to grow to love him and appreciate the gift that he had, even though they were not the same gifts a typical student would have. Right then, it made me realize, ‘Wow, I think this is my true calling.’”