Teachers honored; Pima Butte gets business recognition

MUSD honored two teachers as educators of the month.

Shannon Hilsinger began teaching third grade at Pima Butte Elementary School in 2007 school year and is teaching fourth grade this year.

Superintendent Steve Chestnut said during Tuesday’s Maricopa Unified School District board meeting the teacher was thrilled she got to move a grade up with many of her students from the previous year.

Hilsinger is especially active in the supporting the school and the district through her membership in committees and organizations.

She is the school’s liaison to Synergy, the company that manages student records and report cards, a member of the Math Solutions team and represents Pima Butte in the district Socratic Seminar instructional team.

“We’re very proud of the good work that Shannon’s doing at Pima Butte,” Chestnut said.

Craig Shorey of Desert Wind Middle School also was named teacher of the month.

Shorey has taught at the middle school for three years and has taught sixth-grade science and social studies classes.

He started a Bring a Vet to School event in which students interviewed local veterans.

Shorey also started the cross-country team, which now has 30 students, and is coach of the boys’ basketball team.

Teachers of the month are chosen by the Maricopa TEAM – Together Everybody Accomplishes More – committee.

***ADVERTISEMENT***Pima Butte was recognized for being named a Higher Performing School by the Arizona Business and Education Coalition.

“This recognition was quite special,” Chestnut said, adding it was awarded for the “extreme student success” of the school’s fourth-grade students on the science Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards test.

The school was one of 140 in the state to get the award.

Accepting the award on behalf of her school, Pima Butte Elementary School Principal Korrin Ledbetter said, “Thanks to all the teachers. This goes to all the teachers at Pima Butte.”