Choice is Yours / Academics Brags

Award-Winning Academics

The Chandler Unified School District is a premier district of choice. Academic achievement is a high priority in the district as evidenced by test scores which exceed state and national averages. We pride ourselves on providing outstanding educational programs at all grade levels.

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Our BRAGS!
Honors, Awards and Special Programs

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Arizona College Prep - Oakland Campus (2020-2021)

ACP Oakland VEX Robotics created and launched a new website to help interested parents, students and the community find out more about Chandler Unified School District robotics and other club programs. VEX Robotics (VRC) is a competitive robotics competition where various teams play against each other in several events every year, leading up to a world competition in Dallas, TX. Check out their website to learn more about robotics -- including opportunities to learn about design, coding, engineering and more at: ACPO Vex Robotics website

Basha Elementary (2020-2021)

The Sun Lakes Rotary honored Katherine Barton from Basha Elementary as teacher of the month for November. She received a framed certificate and $500 from the Sun Lakes Rotary - sponsored by Trust Bank and Earnhardt Auto Centers.

Weinberg Gifted Academy (2020-2021)

The Sun Lakes Rotary honored Lisa King from Weinberg Gifted Academy as teacher of the month for December. She received a framed certificate and $500 from the Sun Lakes Rotary - sponsored by Trust Bank and Earnhardt Auto Centers.

Patterson Elementary (2020-2021)

Congratulations to these students who ran and won 2020-2021 Student Council officer positions: Alexandra W. (President), Megan L. (Vice President), Sloane W. (Secretary), April S. (Treasurer), Madison L. and Amelia R. (Historians). We are so proud of you!

Basha High (2020-2021)

Basha High Bears Future Farmers of America (FFA) students, under the direction of teacher Sharon Metzger, shined in the district FFA competitions. They had two first place teams, Livestock Evaluation and Nursery Landscape, one second place team, Agriculture Mechanics, and many individual award winners.

Chandler High (2020-2021)

Chandler High senior Aryan Mathur has been named a Semifinalist for the 2021 Class of the Coca-Cola Scholars Program and is in the running for a $20,000 scholarship. Only 1,609 high school seniors were selected as semifinalists from a pool of 99,403 applications submitted from across the country based on their academic excellence, leadership and service demonstrated in school and community activities. A joint effort of Coca-Cola bottlers across the country and The Coca Cola Company, the Coca-Cola Scholars Program is the largest corporate-sponsored, achievement-based scholarship program in the United States. Good luck, Aryan! Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation 2021 Semifinalists

Chandler Traditional Academy - Liberty Campus (2020-2021)

CTA Liberty and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) recognized two 6th graders for outstanding writing. Our sixth graders participated in the Patriotism to Me Writing Contest sponsored by the VFW. Liberty had two winners at 6th grade -- competing with 7th and 8th graders. Second place at the Post Level went to Raenon Parson. He received a certificate and medal along with a $100 scholarship prize. Third place at the Post Level went to Adrian Aguilar. He received a certificate and medal along with a $75 scholarship prize. Way to go, 6th grade Eagles!

Bologna Elementary (2020-2021)

The first generation in her family to become a college graduate, Bologna teacher Selene Mendoza Vasquez graduated on December 12 with her Masters Degree. Here's to empowering everyone around you and giving #athopecusd. We are so proud of you!

Jacobson Elementary (2020-2021)

As part of our school holiday cheer, students passed out paper chains to each class. Then students in each class decorated their paper chain piece with their holiday traditions to celebrate our diversity! When they finished, fourth grade teacher Mrs. Estevez and her class hooked them all together and hung them for all to see in the front of the school. We may have to keep social distancing, but we are still working together as JETS!

Basha Elementary (2020-2021)

Special Education teacher Katie Barton was selected as the November's Sun Lakes Rotary Teacher of the Month. Katie is an outstanding educator with a heart of gold and a tremendous work ethic.

Jacobson Elementary (2020-2021)

Jacobson teachers are welcoming their new students VIRTUALLY to help new students get to know one another before the first day of school in January. Several Chandler Online Academy students are coming back in January after the winter break. Students who are in-person at school now are greeting their soon-to-be classmates virtually to help get to know each other before the first day! Students are grateful to see some smiling faces AND participate in a few activities with the classroom team before they officially come to class on January 5th! Friends get to CONNECT before the first day of school and are excited for when their IN-PERSON learning begins together! What a great idea to help support strong classroom learning environment. JETS fly with PRIDE!

Casteel High (2020-2021)

Robin Flyte's 7th and 8th grade STEM research methods class at Casteel High School (the only class of its kind in the district) explored Physics and Math using marshmallow catapults. Students determined the best angle for launch to achieve maximum distance and also how to hit a target. Photo Album

Patterson Elementary (2020-2021)

Congratulations to Nixon D. who won 1st place and Ashtyn Z. who won 2nd place in our school spelling bee.

Arizona College Prep - Erie Campus (2020-2021)

ACP High School senior Kristin Myer has been named a semifinalist for the 2021 class of the Coca Cola Scholars Program, moving to the next round of the selection process to become a Coca-Cola Scholar and win a $20,000 college scholarship. Only 1,609 high school seniors were selected as semifinalists from a pool of 99,403 applications submitted from across the country based on their academic excellence, leadership and service demonstrated in school and community activities. A joint effort of Coca-Cola bottlers across the country and The Coca Cola Company, the Coca-Cola Scholars Program is the largest corporate-sponsored, achievement-based scholarship program in the United States. Best of luck, Kristin! Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation 2021 Semifinalists

Bologna Elementary (2020-2021)

Congratulations to Du, our 20-21 Bologna Spelling Bee Champion! Congratulations also to Kimberly who is our Finalist!

Hamilton High (2020-2021)

Congratulations to Hamilton seniors Jayashree Adivarahan, Ria Manathkar, Viveka Chinnasamy, Matthew Torel, Manvi Harde and Aris Zhu who have been named Semifinalists for the 2021 class of the Coca-Cola Scholars Program. These students move now to the next round of the selection process to become a Coca-Cola Scholar and receive a $20,000 college scholarship. 1,609 high school seniors were selected as Semifinalists from a pool of 99,403 submitted applications from across the country based on their academic excellence, leadership and service demonstrated in school and community activities. A joint effort of Coca-Cola bottlers across the country and The Coca Cola Company, the Coca-Cola Scholars Program is the largest corporate-sponsored, achievement-based scholarship program in the United States. Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation 2021 Semifinalists

Hull Elementary (2020-2021)

Hull Elementary students in Heidi Raaf's second grade classroom learned all about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Students made their own hot air balloons to show off in their classroom parade.

Patterson Elementary (2020-2021)

Mrs. Manmano's kindergarten students earned the Clean Classroom trophy for keeping their classroom neat and tidy.

Santan Elementary (2020-2021)

Ernny Perez-Cortez was named Santan Elementary's "Kind Kid of the Month." Ernny will receive a certificate and a gift card to Menchie's Frozen Yogurt. The submitted form read: "Ernny in Jennifer Maize's kindergarten class greets each of his classmates by name every morning. The students begin their day with a big smile because of his act of kindness."

Arizona College Prep - Erie Campus (2020-2021)

[FILE PHOTO from 2019] Congratulations to the ACP Hydrohat team of ACP Innovators Sohani Sandhu, Abraham Troop, Kaitlyn Lai, Omina Nematova, Diya Nath, Ivan Alexander Kroumov, Jacob Kaufman-Warner, Nealin Banerjee and Daniel Wu on winning this year's Maricopa County Department of Public Health Climate and Health Champion Award 2020 in the Youth category! Their project in developing a hydrothermal-hat with sensors to monitor vital signs will play a vital role in helping to reduce heat illnesses in Maricopa County. Along with developing the Hydrothermal-Hat, their goal is to donate some of the hats to individuals and will most certainly help those most at risk of heat illness. The Maricopa County community is honored to have this team as part of our community.
Check out their Photo Album.
Check out their website at: SenseHydro, LLC

Arizona College Prep - Erie Campus (2020-2021)

Congratulations to ACP Erie teacher Rachna Nath who in November was named 2020 Teacher of the Year by the Arizona Technology Council and Arizona Commerce Authority at the 17th annual Governor's Celebration of Innovation (GCOI) Awards! Mrs. Nath received a plaque and a $1,500 award. The GCOI Awards honor the technology leaders and visionaries who are making critical contributions to technology, bioscience and education throughout the state of Arizona. 2020 Governor's Celebration of Innovation Awards

Arizona College Prep - Erie Campus (2020-2021)

Arizona College Prep freshman JT Mulvihill designed a tougher football helmet and won a national prize for his invention! Congratulations, JT! AZCentral.com website: A Chandler student designed a tougher football helmet and won a national prize for it

Arizona College Prep - Oakland Campus (2020-2021)

Congratulations to former Oakland student JT Mulvihill who was selected as a BROADCOM MASTERS 2020 National Finalist -- one of the top 30 finalists in the country! Congratulations also to his Investigative Science teacher, Larissa Brown. Science for Society & the Public website: 2020 Broadcom MASTERS Winners and Finalists

Chandler Traditional Academy - Independence Campus (2020-2021)

National Elementary Honor Society Inductees

We are proud to announce that 20 new members were inducted virtually into the National Elementary Honor Society. Congratulations!

Hull Elementary (2020-2021)

Hull Elementary third graders are so grateful for their new dictionaries. Thank you, Sun Lakes Rotary Club!

Hull Elementary (2020-2021)

Hull Elementary second graders shared what they would do if they were President of the United States.

Hull Elementary (2020-2021)

Third graders in Cara Fenton's class made Native American shelters using natural resources.

Hull Elementary (2020-2021)

Hull Elementary students and staff "give drugs the boot" during spirit week on Western Day.

Shumway Leadership Academy (2020-2021)

Danielle Gilbert's community preschool classroom at Shumway Leadership Academy investigated pumpkins and learned all about their lifecycle.

Jacobson Elementary (2020-2021)

At Jacobson, we are working hard on academics, but we also remember to have fun! Even though our Fun Fridays look different this year, students are still enjoying special individual activities to celebrate all their hard work each week.

Arizona College Prep - Erie Campus (2020-2021)

We are extremely proud of our Knights, Nevan Hanford, Blake Entwiller and Aahana Dugar, for their impressive presentation at a panel discussion at 2020 Arizona Recycling Coalition annual conference about their styrofoam recycling project. They have been using mealworms to reduce our contribution to styrofoam wastes at our school.

Auxier Elementary (2020-2021)

Auxier Elementary third grade teacher Maureen Alger was named the Sun Lakes Rotary November 2020 Rotarian of the Month. She joined the club in October 2018. She served on the education committee, stepped up and led the September and October 2020 Teachers of the Month selections, and helped present the awards to the teachers.

Chandler High (2020-2021)

Five members of the Chandler High Math Team, seniors Katarina Fenner and Chandler Ostroff, juniors Todd Applegate and Brandon Bowers, and sophomore, Alex Foster took part in an online qualifying round contest through Mathleague.org on Saturday, November 14. Congratulations to Katarina Fenner for a 3rd place finish among all the 12th graders, and to Katarina and Todd Applegate for qualifying to move on to the next State level contest!

Basha Elementary (2020-2021)

What's your hope? Our students and staff thought about this question throughout the week. It was amazing and eye opening! Thank you, Mrs. Sherri Beck, for organizing this.

Bologna Elementary (2020-2021)

Our fourth grade team creates STEM projects to keep students engaged.

Bologna Elementary (2020-2021)

For our 2nd grade social science unit, students learned how a global economy works and how they can contribute back to our community. Funds were raised for Alex's Lemonade Stand!

Arizona College Prep - Erie Campus (2020-2021)

Congratulations to seniors Yoojin Han and Sebastian Javadpoor on earning the National Speech & Debate Association's Academic All American award! This coveted award recognizes academic rigor, competitive speech and debate success, and personal excellence. From more than 141,000 student members of the National Speech & Debate Association, fewer than 1% of students earn the Academic All American award every year. This tremendous achievement places Yoojin and Sebastian among the top one-percent of all student members across the country!

Chandler Traditional Academy - Freedom Campus (2020-2021)

CTA Freedom first graders learned about the lifecycle of a pumpkin seed.

Chandler Traditional Academy - Freedom Campus (2020-2021)

CTA Freedom fourth grade is leaving drugs in the past, by participating in Red Ribbon Week.

Chandler Traditional Academy - Humphrey Campus (2020-2021)

CTA Humphrey learned about the voting process by casting votes for their favorite Arizona sports team!

Hull Elementary (2020-2021)

Second graders at Hull Elementary went batty! They have been reading informational text and using information to demonstrate what they have learned. Students researched, wrote, drew, and had a STEM project to create their favorite type of bat!

Hull Elementary (2020-2021)

Hull Elementary second graders from Heidi Raaf's classroom went to the polls and voted! They spent the past couple of weeks learning about voting and the process, and then voted for the best candidate -- Duck vs. Grace!

Basha Elementary (2020-2021)

Basha staff had a great time with our Mirrors and Windows Classroom Library project yesterday. Teachers are looking critically at our classroom libraries to make sure our students and the world around us are represented in the literature in our rooms. Photo Album

Jacobson Elementary (2020-2021)

Tough Competition - Bring It! Jacobson JETS are in a tough competition with the Tarwater Toros for the annual School Cents award, through the Chandler Mall. It's an easy way to support our PTO who directly supports our students with supplemental academic programs, playground equipment and so much more. Don't forget to shop, shop, shop till you drop and turn in your receipts in our front office OR send them in with your student! Take a look at the shopping-showdown that happened between Principal Wolf and Principal Hale! It might just make you laugh out loud... and we all need a little laughter these days. YouTube video: School Shopping Showdown

Bologna Elementary (2020-2021)

In honor of Red Ribbon week, our teachers decorated their doors to celebrate one of their favorite children's books. Congratulations to our winners: Mrs. Silva (1st Place), Mrs. Becerra (2nd Place), and Ms. Hasan, Mr. Oshita, and Mrs. Vasquez (3rd Place)! Photo Album

Chandler High (2020-2021)

Riana Alexander won the Champion Angus in the beef cattle division at the Arizona Virtual State Fair and Livestock Show. Murphy is an Angus steer that weighs 800 lbs.

Chandler High (2020-2021)

Annabelle Williams won the Grand Champion Reserve Feeder in the beef cattle division at the Arizona Virtual State Fair and Livestock Show. Butterscotch is a crossbreed steer that weighs 700 lbs.

Chandler High (2020-2021)

Chandra Andazola placed third in the Prospect Beef Division at the Arizona Virtual State Fair and Livestock Show. Blanco is a Charolais steer that weighs 850 lbs.

Chandler Traditional Academy - Humphrey Campus (2020-2021)

CTA Humphrey / Elite Performance Academy students in Deanna Hansen's class are learning about static electricity.

Elite Performance Academy (2020-2021)

CTA Humphrey / Elite Performance Academy students in Deanna Hansen's class are learning about static electricity.

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