United Way recognizes Tucson's literacy and early education champions

The two Literacy Champions announced are Bonita Stenbridge, a third grade teacher at Holladay Magnet School, and Carolina Rojas, a Head Start teacher at the Child Parent Center.

The Business Champion for Early Education Award was presented to Steve Lynn of Lynn Consulting Group and NuPoint Marketing, LLC.

School administrators, principals, parents and other community members nominated 32 teachers for this year's awards at the 19th Annual Early Education Breakfast Business hosted by Women United, an affiliate of United Way.・Awarded at Leaders.

Mr. Stenbridge has been teaching at Holladay for 21 years.

“I have a passion for teaching students and watching them learn.…I encourage my students to reach their full potential, be their personal best, and never give up. I strive to teach my students reading strategies and skills in a way that fosters a lifelong love of reading, and I strongly believe that great readers are great leaders. . ”

Rojas has been teaching Head Start at the Child Parent Center for 14 years.

“Working as a bilingual early childhood teacher at Prince Head Start has given me the opportunity to work with a diverse range of children and families, learning about their unique characteristics and needs, and learning about the different aspects of their lives,” said Rojas. It is a community of learners that provides support throughout the aspects.…Reading stories to kids in the classroom brings back memories of high school and reminds me why I chose my career.”

Lynn is a founding board member and vice chair/past chair of First Things First. He was instrumental in sponsoring legislation in the Arizona State Legislature that would allow library district funds to be used for early literacy and school readiness programs. In Pima County, Lynn was a member of the established Preschool Promise Committee. This became his PEEPS (Pima Early Education Program Scholarship) program, which resulted in nearly 1,000 low-income children receiving early childhood education. This program aims to break the cycle of poverty.

Last year's breakfast raised more than $125,000 for early childhood literacy.

United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona's Cradle to Career Partnership (C2C) has been recognized by StriveTogether with a System Change designation.

The announcement was made Wednesday at an event at the University of Arizona College of Education.

StriveTogether, a national network of community partnerships, recognized C2C's “work to drive systemic change that benefits young people, especially young people from marginalized communities.”

Since its launch in 2016, “C2C has impacted the lives of more than 36,286 people” in Pima County, the partnership said in a news release.

The Arizona School Public Relations Association awarded 22 Excellence and Achievement Awards to the Pima County School Communications Department at a ceremony Feb. 8 in Phoenix.

Tucson Unified School District received nine awards. Sunnyside Unified School District 6; Amphitheater Public Schools 5; Flowing Wells Unified School District No. 1. one Pima County Schools Superintendent's Office;