Sopori Elementary celebrates A+ rating

The Sahuarita Sun

Sopori Elementary School in Amado made history this month when the Arizona Education Foundation named the Pre K-8 the first A+ School of Excellence in the Sahuarita Unified School District.

An all-school award’s ceremony to honor Sopori’s staff and students was held in the Sopori School gymnasium May 6 and the atmosphere was electric, as school district dignitaries from Sahuarita, business community leaders, Sahuarita Town Council members and proud parents and friends gathered to congratulate the school for the AEF’s most prestigious honor.

Sopori principal Desi Raulston welcomed the audience which included most of the 208 students enrolled in the school, all wearing their A+ School T-shirts, presents from Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold for “a job well done.” Each child also received a copper coin from the mining company.

“Be the best you can be,” Raulston said, reiterating the school motto. ”We had a goal at the beginning of the school year to try for that A+ and we did it.”

Following a presentation of colors by the Sahuarita NJROTC and a joint band performance by Sopori Band and Sahuarita High School Band, Superintendant Jay St. John introduced many school dignitaries, including Pima County School Superintendent Linda Arzoumanian and SUSD’s assistant superintendent Manuel O. Valenzuela.

Arzoumanian presented a plaque to the school.

“I am so proud of you all and I wanted to make sure to be here today to present such hard working boys and girls, staff and principal, the honor they deserve,” Arzoumanian said. “I know it takes years of hard work and I wanted to make sure the county recognizes you as an A+ school, too.”

“You made history,” Valenzuela added. “You made history because this is the first school in the Sahuarita School District to be named an A+ school and that makes you one of only 17 A+ schools in Arizona to get that title this year. It’s now part of our district’s history and you made it happen.”

Bobbi O’Boyle, executive director Arizona Educational Foundation, congratulated Sopori School and asked the audience to give a “big round of applause” to the students, parents and staff.

“I think I have the best job in the state of Arizona,” O’Boyle said. “I get to travel around the state and see the best schools, the best students the best staff and administrators. I see a community here that rallies around its school to make it the best it can be.”

Since 1983, the Arizona Educational Foundation has honored exemplary Pre K-12 public schools in the state through the A+ Schools Award.

A+ Schools are evaluated on student focus and support; active teaching and learning; curriculum; leadership; community and parent involvement; and assessment data.

rford@gvnews.com