Program brings local GCU graduates back as teachers at Apache Junction schools

By Richard Dyer
Mail | X: @RHDyer

Grand Canyon University is offering a $1,000 annual scholarship toward a teaching degree for high school students willing to return to Apache Junction Unified School District for three years of post-graduation employment.

The AJUSD governing board voted unanimously Feb. 24 to approve a memorandum of understanding with GCU for Rise 360 Pathway.

“Basically it is a scholarship program for students who would go to GCU and have the opportunity to earn a teaching degree ... and return to the community as educators,” Meara Verna, AJUSD’s executive director of educational services, said to the board.

“There’s also a small scholarship portion — I believe it is $1,000 a year — to help facilitate this as well. So this helps create another pipeline for future educators in our community,” she said.

The Rise 360 Pathway scholarship of $500 a semester has no cash value and applies to tuition and fees only. A student’s acceptance of the scholarship serves as a commitment to serve as an educator in the school district for a minimum of three years post-graduation, it states in the memorandum of understanding.

“I think this is a great pathway for students who want to go into teaching,” AJUSD Superintendent Robert Pappalardo said to the board.

During the student’s program of study, it is required that they complete any student teaching, substitute teaching or teacher’s aide work within the district that awarded the scholarship, it states in the memorandum of understanding.

“If the district cannot place you, you may seek opportunities elsewhere,” it states. “This award may be renewable exclusively for the fall and spring semesters, for a maximum of eight semesters, provided that the recipient maintains continuous full-time enrollment, remains in good academic standing and admissibility with Grand Canyon University and successfully fulfills all program milestones necessary for student teaching and graduation.”

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.