In this special advertising section, we demonstrate how five trailblazing learning establishments are going above and beyond. From spearheading academic initiatives to unique immersive projects, these schools are molding the next generation of innovators.
Paradise Valley Unified School District
Traditional classroom settings can teach students about our world but may not prepare them for their future careers. Paradise Valley Unified School District, one of the Valley’s largest school districts, serves more than 27,000 students in northeast Phoenix and north Scottsdale, from pre-K through 12th grade, ensuring that every learner is empowered for a lifetime of success.
Paradise Valley Unified School District prepares students for the future with its Career and Technical Education classes. It offers myriad distinctive courses that are not just about learning in a classroom setting, but equip students with the skills and knowledge to thrive in today’s global economy. These classes, which include arts, science, technology, education, JROTC and business management, are a gateway to a world of possibilities.
The Center for Research in Engineering, Science and Technology (CREST) at Paradise Valley High School is a testament to the district’s commitment to excellence. Its STEAM program enriches students’ STEM and CTE skills. Learners can specialize in Bioscience, Engineering, or Software App and Development. The North Valley Arts Academies (NVAA) is a platform for students to showcase their talents in the fields of dance, theater, music technology and visual arts. In 2024, 85 seniors earned the AZ Seal of Arts Proficiency, a testament to the success of the district’s comprehensive fine arts program.
A range of highly gifted programs are available to help cultivate higher-level thinking skills, perseverance and innovative approaches to problem-solving. The district also offers K-8 Dual Language Immersion (DLI) classes in Mandarin and Spanish, where students thrive in their language studies and learn half of the day in English and the other half in their selected language. There is also a K-12 International Baccalaureate Programme and a comprehensive K-12 online school program.
Paradise Valley Unified School District believes the foundation of any educational experience is a positive learning environment that prioritizes student success and nurtures creativity, curiosity and strategic thinking through innovative and dynamic learning opportunities. pvschools.net
Midwestern University
Innovation is essential to Midwestern University’s efforts to prepare exceptional health-care professionals for service. To achieve this goal, its administration team has prioritized investing in and utilizing cutting-edge medical procedures and experiential instruction techniques and focusing on groundbreaking research and training technology.
Students and faculty work together to be “Day One Ready,” meaning graduates should be prepared to contribute effectively to human and animal health as soon as their instruction is complete, meaning students begin their educational experience with experiential, hands-on learning, using the latest technologies and tools to transition seamlessly into a skilled, patient-centered career.
By offering these experiences to students, Midwestern’s faculty teaches them to be aware of the demands of real-world medicine and encourages them to create connections with their patients that they could not make through textbooks and lectures. It reinforces the university’s ideal of training students to become compassionate, patient-centered professionals ready to meet the most demanding health-care challenges.
Midwestern University’s Glendale Campus is home to eight colleges that offer 25 graduate-level programs in the health sciences. Specialties include osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, dental medicine, optometry, veterinary medicine, podiatric medicine, physical and occupational therapy, physician assistant studies, cardiovascular perfusion, clinical psychology, speech-language pathology, nurse anesthesia, biomedical sciences, precision medicine, public health and graduate-level nursing programs.
Of its more than 17,000 Glendale Campus graduates, more than 40 percent of Midwestern alums remain in-state to practice, helping to address critical health-care shortages statewide. midwestern.edu
Phoenix Country Day School
Phoenix Country Day School’s multidisciplinary ideology, experiential approach and emphasis on engagement will prepare students at any level to feel ready for college and whatever comes next. For example, suppose a student wants to pursue an area of study outside the current curriculum. In that case, they can create their own independent project around that subject, culminating in an end-of-semester graded showcase presented to a faculty committee.
Founded in 1961, PCDS is the only independent, not-for-profit, pre-K-12 college preparatory school in the Phoenix area. The school’s independent status allows its faculty to pull from many research-based teaching approaches, ensuring that project-based learning and innovation occur at every level. With the goal of engaging students in critical inquiry and creative problem-solving, disciplines like art, music, technology and diverse electives are mixed in with core academic subjects for a dynamic curriculum that extends beyond the limits of standardized coursework. When PCDS students become juniors, their schedules are unique, depending on which higher-level seminars and electives they take.
In the upper school, new courses emerge yearly based on evolving student interests and teacher expertise. The current course options include Bioethics, Humans and the Wilderness, Organic Chemistry, Discrete Math, Cultural Anthropology, Classical Political Philosophy, International Comparative Politics, the Modern Middle East, Shakespearean Tragedy, Book-Length Writing, Sound Design, Coding as Art and Digital Media Synthesis Lab.
The small class sizes at PCDS empower students to build genuine relationships with their teachers and peers to achieve a depth of understanding. Learners appreciate perspectives different from their own. Weekly advisory meetings and assemblies promote learning through conversation, and inter-grade buddy programs teach older students leadership skills as they mentor younger students.
The school’s long-standing tradition of senior speeches requires every senior to deliver a seven- to 10-minute speech to the high school community on a topic of their choice, giving each student a chance to be recognized as an individual. Also, the middle and upper schools run an annual in-school conference called Humans of PCDS, consisting of keynote speakers and student-driven workshops that inspire conversations about community and culture. pcds.org
All Saints’ Episcopal Day School
Creating the ideal educational environment for students is central to All Saints’ Episcopal Day School’s vision for innovation. Every space at the campus, which includes the Christopher Ray Milisci Academic Building, which opened in 2022, and the Shaver Learning Commons, which opened in the fall of 2023, has been deliberately designed to inspire the students to think differently and take intellectual risks – and provide flexibility for teachers to integrate new learning approaches while also using the proven methods that have firmly established All Saints’ legacy of education excellence.
The student experience and the inquiry process are at the center of the design of these learning environments. Inside the Milisci Building, children can brainstorm ideas in new classrooms, research them in the Lenhardt Library and then watch them come to life in the Ward DREAMlabs, classroom terraces and the Middle
School Plaza.
In lower school, specialists in music, art, theater, science, technology, library, Spanish, life skills and religion collaborate with classroom teachers to integrate their disciplines with other core academic subjects. Creative Concentration classes are designed to allow middle school students to dive deeper and graduate with an emphasis on one of the creative arts offered, which include art, band, theater, and craft and design. The goal for every student is to graduate with a specialization in a creative art area.
Graduates will have the skills to excel in their specializations, a developed sense of curiosity and passion, and an independent body of work representing their learning. The faculty at All Saints is excited about the campus’ future possibilities. allsaints.org
Xavier College Preparatory
Xavier College Preparatory, a Roman Catholic high school, aims to educate the whole person intellectually, spiritually, artistically and physically. One hundred percent of Xavier graduates attend post-secondary institutions, with the class of 2023 accepted at 191 colleges and universities.
Xavier’s commitment to excellence goes beyond its National Merit and AP Scholars. The school’s creative and innovative programs include an interdisciplinary approach to science, technology, religion, engineering, arts and math (STREAM) learning that inspires creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, appreciation of the arts and ethics. A broad offering of electives, real-world experiences and internships allow students to explore their interests and develop leadership skills.
All students are required to take a core, college-prep curriculum. More than one-third of students graduate with an associate’s degree as part of Xavier’s dual enrollment with Rio Salado College. Honors and advanced placement courses are offered in each academic discipline, along with Great Books, a four-year program for the gifted and serious reader that integrates English, theology and social study concentrations.
Other programs include the Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) Laureate Program, an Accelerated Science Program and the AP Capstone Diploma, which includes AP Seminar and AP Research courses, which develop analytic research, problem-solving and communication skills.
In 2023, Xavier received the AP School Honor Roll Platinum Award for “developing a college-going culture and giving students the opportunity to earn college credit and to maximize their college outcomes.” The school was also honored with the 2023 AP Access Award for “ensuring AP coursework is equally available to students no matter their background.” For the sixth year in a row, the institution received the College Board AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award for achieving female representation in AP Computer Science A (CSA) and AP Computer Science Principles (CSP).
The graduating class of 2024 received more than $20 million in college scholarships from 191 colleges and universities. Xavier also had nine National Merit Finalists, seven National Merit Commended students, 14 Hispanic scholars and three African-American scholars. xcp.org
Beth Zink Art Painting Workshops
Painting is a way to relax, improve your concentration and dexterity, and capture the beauty of the world around you. Arizona has plenty of brilliance to see, and if you want to capture the grandeur of our state, the all-day themed workshops at Beth Zink’s spacious art studio in Cave Creek are the perfect way to get started.
Beth Zink has taught acrylic painting to adults in the Valley for more than 25 years. Her degree in art and her teaching background make her uniquely qualified to instruct students step-by-step on how to paint blooming cactus flowers, stark desert landscapes and colorful sunsets. Supplies are included with the class, and everyone goes home with a completed painting that they can display. Zink also offers a shorter, simplified version of her workshops for corporate events that can be held at local resorts and hotels.
Zink is excited about the latest innovation to her creative instructional offerings. Your Painting Coach is an annual online membership program that includes a monthly step-by-step painting video sent directly to students, interactive questions and answers, tips, shortcuts and more.
Register online at bethzinkart.com.
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