Wildcat Wishes Award Recipients (2019)

Jessica Benites

5th Grade, Escuela Manzo, Tucson Unified School District

Thanks to her stellar personal statement and very evident, unequivocal passion for her students, Jessica's classroom received several brand new books and novels in the subjects of science, culture, important life lessons, inclusion, diversity, and more. Jessica is the true embodiment of what it means to be an advocate for education and we are so glad we were able to assist her and her classroom.

Andrea Gallegos

1st Grade, Roskruge Bilingual K-8, Tucson Unified School District

Dry erase lapboards are an essential teaching tool in Andrea's classroom. Unfortunately, the ones that she owned had 15 years of wear and tear on them. Thanks to Andrea's advocacy for her students, she was able to receive a brand new class set of dry erase lapboards, markers, and erasers. These boards will be used for daily word building exercises, small group interventions, and math practice activities in her classroom.

Alexis Rhyner

12th Grade, Cienega High School, Vail Unified School District

As an AP literary analysis teacher, reading is everything in Alexis's classroom. Alexis wanted to integrate culturally relevant books into her curriculum, and her requested selection of books that focused on culture, diversity, equality, and titles relevant to today's society was amazing. The integration of these types of literary works are lacking in the public school system, so as students who value the knowledge of culture and social justice, we greatly appreciated her fresh perspective; Alexis received several brand new books and novels that will surely open the eyes of her students.

Cindy James

Kindergarten, Safford K-8, Tucson Unified School District

As a kindergarten teacher, Cindy James strives to couple fun and learning together in her classroom. When interacting with young kids, it's the little things that matter. Thanks to Cindy's efforts for her classroom kiddos, she was able to receive fun trinkets and treasure box prizes for her students, in addition to customizable "graduation" caps to instill pride and joy in her young students once they completed their first year of school.