On April 21, the Scottsdale Charros hosted the 36th Annual Charros Education Awards at the Fieldhouse at Scottsdale Stadium, awarding educators and students for a stellar school year.
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On April 21, the Scottsdale Charros hosted the 36th Annual Charros Education Awards at the Fieldhouse at Scottsdale Stadium, awarding educators and students for a stellar school year.
More than 300 guests were in attendance, according to a press release, to celebrate Scottsdale’s students and teachers. Grand Canyon University, a long-time supporter of the Charros, returned as title sponsor this year.
The event had several highlights including numerous scholarship awards and a new Kriekard Lifetime Achievement Award named after Dr. John Kriekard who served as Scottsdale Unified School District superintendent from 2018-20.
Music was provided by Chaparral High School Drumline and Pueblo Dust Devil Singers.
The Kriekard Lifetime Achievement Award was created to honor of Dr. Kriekard was who passed away in February of this year.
“Dr. Kriekard was a fixture in Scottsdale and Paradise Valley school districts for decades. He served in many capacities in both districts, including principal, and superintendent for both Scottsdale and PV school districts. He even has the distinction of serving as assistant principal at Chaparral high school when I attended,” said Scottsdale Charros Executive Director Dennis Robbins.
Robbins shared that the award is intended to recognize educators and leaders who encourage, innovate, and challenge. The first award will be given at the 2024 Education awards.
Dr. Kriekard’s wife, Janey Kaufmann Kriekard, and his daughter, Erin Kosec, were in attendance to receive a memorial plaque.
Secondly, the Charros announced its “Supporting Arizona Education” license plate has raised more than $170,000 in its first 10 months.
Last summer, the Charros commissioned an official Arizona license plate featuring a gray and black design of the Arizona state flag with “Supporting Arizona Education” as the tagline. The Charros receive $17 dollars from each plate sold and donate these funds directly to Scottsdale education programs.
In the first 10 months, the Charros have sold 10,563 license plates.
Also on April 21, two scholarships were awarded to public safety cadets.
Michael Rivers was named the 2023 Scottsdale Police Cadet Scholarship winner and Michael Kiricoples was named the 2023 Scottsdale Fire Cadet Scholarship winner. Charro Ryan Schubert, who was instrumental in the creation and funding of the scholarships which began in 2022, and Alan Rodbell, Charro and former Scottsdale chief of police, presented the awards.
Next, Scottsdale Community College’s President Eric Leshinskie assisted with presenting the Scottsdale Community College Scholarship to Saguaro High School student Phillip Preston and the SCC Arthur W. DeCabooter Educator of the Year to Matthew Healy.
Another highlight of the event was the announcement of a new Scottsdale Champion scholarship to recognize students who wish to champion Scottsdale in the same way the Charros do.
For more than 60 years, the Scottsdale Charros have worked to celebrate, honor, and preserve the history and culture of the city of Scottsdale. The Scottsdale Champion scholarship recognized Ella Lahr and Andrew Roe, both seniors at Notre Dame Preparatory High School, for demonstrating superior achievement in high school.
This new award is the only Charro scholarship that does not require the winners to attend an SUSD public school.
For SUSD educators, the teacher awards were doubled this year from $1,000 to $2,000 with support from Grand Canyon University and the success of the Charros’ license plate. In total, 32 SUSD teachers received the $2,000 stipend.
The event came to a close by looking ahead with the presentation of the Future Teacher Scholarship. Since 1999, the Scottsdale Charros have been awarding scholarships to outstanding high school seniors in the Scottsdale Unified School District who plan to pursue a career in teaching.
The Charros know how important teachers are to the community and gladly support students’ interest in becoming an educator, the press release stated. Each year, two scholarship recipients receive $20,000 — to be awarded at $5,000 per academic year — to study education at Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, Northern Arizona University, or Grand Canyon University.
Coronado High School’s Shay St. Claire will be studying education at Northern Arizona University and Desert Mountain High School’s Anne Tuhy plans to attend the University of Arizona and study early education.
Scottsdale Charros congratulate all recipients of the 36th Annual Charros Education Awards:
Teachers of the Year
Michelle Moore, Anasazi Elementary School
Jean Leiphart, Arcadia High School
Sharon Akin, Chaparral High School
Anne Waddington, Cherokee Elementary School
Stephanie Haeggquist, Cheyenne Traditional School
Michael Wierzbicki, Cheyenne Traditional School
Ashley Plenge, Cochise Elementary School
Christine Jamison, Cocopah Middle School
Remi Braca, Copper Ridge School
Nicole Buongiorno, Copper Ridge School
Kevin Torres, Coronado High School
Huei-Ling (Megan) Chen, Desert Canyon Elementary School
