AJUSD board approves planned fundraisers at schools

By Richard Dyer
Mail | X: @RHDyer

More than 20 fundraising plans by students and organizations at Apache Junction Unified School District were recently approved.

The AJUSD governing board voted unanimously Oct. 28 to approve the 2025-26 fundraising proposals.

“The governing board is required to approve student fundraising activities on an annual basis. A list of current fundraisers from the school year is presented with the understanding that additional fundraisers will be submitted for approval as they are proposed throughout the year,” Board President Dena Kimble said before the vote.

“(I)f other groups decide to do fundraising, then we’ll bring you back more each month. So it’s a preliminary list. It’s never really completely done,” AJUSD Superintendent Robert Pappalardo said before the vote.

Plans for fundraisers in the 2025-26 school year include:

• A book fair raising funds at the Peralta Trail Elementary School library.

• Selling Desert Vista Elementary School bracelets, key chains or stickers to raise funds for an end-of-the-year luau party and get funds for student council needs.

• Selling concessions at sporting events and school festivals to purchase materials such as binders, planners and supplies, and to pay for field trips for the Advancement Via Individual Determination college and career program at Cactus Canyon Junior High School.

• Selling water bottles and treats during field day to fund equipment for sports and physical education at Four Peaks Elementary School.

• The marketing and graphics design club at Apache Junction High School selling products they make and snacks at sporting events to raise funds for activities and community events.

AJUSD has three elementary schools; a K-5 school designed to provide students with a traditional, liberal arts education; a junior high school; and a high school. The district boundaries run from Meridian Road on the west to the town of Queen Valley on the east and from the Goldfield Mountains to the north, south into the San Tan Corridor. Communities served include Apache Junction, Gold Canyon, Peralta Trail, Queen Valley and unincorporated Pinal County land in-between.

Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines, https://www.yourvalley.net/civility-checklist/.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley

rdyer@iniusa.org

Meet Richard
Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.  

Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions. 

Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.

Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.

Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.