This award recognizes exceptional contributions of Arizona educators in furthering understanding of the role of the law in our democratic society.
Nominations are due March 1st and are to include:
Nominee's name;
Nominee's School;
Nominee's address & other contact information;
Award for which they are being nominated
Nominator's contact information;
Summary of their characteristics, experiences, and service that qualifies them for the award;
and support letters from others may be included.
Dave Beery
Mingus Union High School
Mock Trial
Yavapai County
Dave Beery is passionate about bringing law to life for his students. In order to achieve this, he has proposed to teach Arizona Civics Standards through mock trial and case law. Beery sees the value in his approach of teaching mock trial elements in his classroom as it allows students to better connect to broader world concepts rather than see the law just as abstract. His work has enabled students to consider how law impacts their own lives.
Erin Eisen
Verrado High School
Maricopa County
Erin Eisen promotes civic engagement through her continued involvement in the Teen Court Program. She has even extended the teachings of the program to be utilized in her classroom. Through her work, students are taught the importance of restorative justice in our community and what can be accomplished by honoring our civic duty. Eisen has created an environment in her classroom that champions civic responsibility.
Janet Emond
Desert Mountain High School
Maricopa County
Janet Emond is an exemplary criminology teacher as she provides many experiences for the students to get better acquainted with the law. For example, she has invited staff from various government agencies to speak with her students, leads her school's Teen Court Club, and has brought the Kids Voting program to her school. Her enthusiasm for law related education has transferred to her students as many are involved in these programs.
Cassandra Thomas
Desert Christian School
Pima County
Cassandra Thomas is a mock trial coach who goes above her duties as a teacher by attending summer coaches’ meetings and serving on a committee to bring high school mediation tournaments to Arizona. Thomas is dedicated in her role as a mock trial coach as she works closely with English Language Learners to help them prepare and participates in the preseason Mock Hawk Tournament each year. She is the heart of her school’s mock trial program as she mentors and coaches students as they navigate the processes of law and public speaking.
Bonnie Hickman
Patterson Elementary
Program: We the People, Project Citizen & Kids Voting Arizona
Maricopa County
Ms. Hickman believes in empowering her students to understand their rights and responsibilities as active citizens. Her students were involved in promoting traffic light safety to other students and their community. They investigated regulations around electric scooters for Project Citizen to find out what laws were currently in place and what laws needed to be passed. Bonnie Hickman also had her students attend a distracted driving event at State Capitol and meet with lawmakers. One lawmaker sponsoring bill on scooter regulations stated he was inspired and informed by the students’ research. Her students participated in the We the People state Showcase, Kids Voting Arizona (which she coordinated for her entire school) and she had students interview veterans and submitted their stories to the Library of Congress for its Veterans History Project.
Jill Maner
Capps Middle School
Program: We the People, & Kids Voting Arizona
Navajo County
Ms. Maner has been a stronger supporter of the We the People program. She uses the We the People curriculum in her 6th grade history class and brings students to participate in the We the People Showcase each year. One of her students stated that participating in We the People : “helped me gain confidence in my public speaking and I learned so much from the judges.”
Jennifer Roberts
Empire High School
Program: Mock Trial
Pima County
Ms. Roberts saw the importance of bringing the Mock Trial program to her school, so she worked over the summer with another Mock Trial teacher to learn the program and how to implement it in her own classroom. When it became difficult for students to participate, she then lobbied her administration to make Mock Trial an official class. Her administration approved the elective! In 2020, her second year running the program, she took three teams to regionals and one took 3rd place!
Shannon Sweat
Desert Edge High School
Program: We the People, Project Citizen, ICivics & Kids Voting Arizona
Maricopa County
Ms. Sweat deeply engaged in law related education programs and their impact. She has taken teams to the We the People state championship for the last two years. Shannon has incorporated ICivics into her classroom and took three teams to the Ecivics competition. Ms. Sweat has also included Project Citizen in her curriculum and had students showcase in her class. For the 2020 election, she coordinated with the Foundation staff to bring Kids Voting to her school.
Her involvement goes beyond her classroom. She judges at both the We the People and Project Citizen Summer Institutes, has coached We the People and Mock Trial at past schools, and is a We the People Regional Coordinator, mentor and faculty!
Eric Alvarez
Glenn L. Downs Elementary
We the People
Maricopa County
Joshua Guidote
Cibola High School
Mock Trial
Yuma County
Roger Lyman
Carson Junior High
Kids Voting
Maricopa County
Jeremy Samoy
Tanque Verde High School
Mock Trial
Pima County
Tara Bartlett
Carson Jr. High School
Program: We the People, Kids Voting & Project Citizen
Maricopa County
Joshua Guidote
Cibola High School
Program: Mock Trial
Yuma County
Bill Stewart
Santa Maria Middle School
Program: We the People
Maricopa County
Richard Zamorano
Sunnyside School District
Program: Mock Trial & We the People
Pima County
Harrison Chislock
Prescott High School
Program: We the People
Yavapai County
Jake Harvey
Hamilton High School
Program: We the People
Maricopa County
Matthew Smith
South MountainHigh School
Program: We the People
Maricopa County
Daniel Young
The Gregory School
Program: Mock Trial
Pima County
Warren Burda
Sunnyside High School
Program: We the People, Project Citizen, Student Congress
Pima County
Dr. Mary Ellen Halvorson
Tri-City College Prep High School
Program: Mock Trial, CSI, Project Citizen, and Kids Voting
Yavapai County
Melinda Newman
Pan-American Charter School
Program: We the People
Maricopa County
Mandy Wright
Gilbert Classical Academy
Program:We the People
Maricopa County
Officer Nathan Goetz
Santa Maria Middle School
Program: School Safety Program
Maricopa County
Janice Koenig
Dysart High School
Program: Mock Trial, Teen Court
Maricopa County
Brenda Lee
Prescott High School
Program: Mock Trial, Teen Court, We the People
Yavapai County
Erika Sparlin
Coronado K-8 School
Program: ICIVICS
Pima County
Shari Anton
Shadow Mountain High School
Program: CSI
Anna Van Zile
Payson High School
Program: Mock Trial
Norma Jean M Higuera-Trask
Challenger Middle School
Program: We the People
Jenifer Meadows
Walker Butte K-8
Program: ICIVICS
Becky Fitch Franklin Phonetic Primary School
Heather Matchett Lineweaver Elementary
Michael Dillon Metro Tech High School
Ofc. Matt Blech Bogle Junior High School
Ellyssa Eiring Copper Basin
Dawn Burstyn-Meyers Salt River Elementary
Wiley Popovich Smith Junior High
Justina Powell Thunderbolt Middle School
Bill Young - Mohave County Probation Department
Officer John Talley - Alhambra High School
Amy Price - Sonoran Heights Middle School
Terry Green - Blue Ridge High School
Officer Shawn Benjamin - Canyon Del Oro High School
Jill Benza - Skyline High School
Jaime Festa-Daigle - Lake Havasu High School
Eric Miller - Joseph City Junior and Senior High School
Elaine Potes - Centennial Middle School - Yuma
Felipe Navarro - Somerton Middle School - Somerton
Natalio Sabal - Douglas High School - Douglas
David Nach - Mountain Pointe High School - Phoenix
Marc Crowley - Jess Schwartz College Prep - Phoenix
Mark Goligoski - Prescott High School - Prescott
Nona Hanson - Benson Middle School - Benson
Charlene Roll - South Mountain High School - Phoenix
George Colebrook - Landmark Middle School - Glendale
Lisa Flores - Cactus Middle School - Casa Grande
John Cosden - Xavier High School - Phoenix
Patrick McAndrew - University High School - Tucson
Jim Maner - Capps Middle School - Heber
Jim Norman - Hamilton High School - Chandler
John Nitka - Palo Verde Magnet High School - Tucson
Rich Curtin - Palo Verde Middle School - Phoenix
Cheri Bludau- Tucson Unified School District - Tucson
Duane Phifer - Desert Sands Middle School - Phoenix
John Halverson - Desert Sands Middle School - Phoenix
Charlene Roll - South Mountain High School - Phoenix
Lisa Adams - Corona del Sol High School - Tempe
Lori Rodriguez - East Globe School - Globe
Phyllis Wolfskill/Cindy Pickett - Sinagua High School - Flagstaff
Patricia Downing - Crane Middle School, Yuma
Abby Dupke - Dobson High School, Mesa
Dave Franquero - Globe High School, Globe
Tim Smith - Corona del Sol High School, Tempe
Cathy Currier - Sahuaro High School (Tucson)
Michael Spears - Hamilton High School (Chandler)
Darla Johnson - Bradshaw Mountain High School
Arlie Hunt Anderson - Junior High School, Chandler
Robin Andre, Shelly Baker and Georgia Davidson - Mile High Middle School, Yavapai County
Tammy Waller - Mountain Ridge High School, Glendale
Julie McCall - Madison #1 Middle School, Phoenix
Nancy Haas - ASU West, Phoenix
Kathy Williams - Dobson High School, Mesa
Sarah Cromer - South Beaver Elementary, Flagstaff
Jody Arnold - Liberty Elementary School, Buckeye
Judy Cox - Thornydale Elementary School, Tucson
Marilyn Easton - Thornydale Elementary School, Tucson
Elnora Johnson - Blue Ridge School District, Lakeside
Janet Thor - Centennial Middle School, Phoenix
Katheryn Hedges - Deer Valley High School, Phoenix
Betsyann Wilson - Thornydale Elementary School, Tucson
Connie R. Boulton - Wilson Primary School, Phoenix
William Graham - Tempe High School, Tempe
W. Dorrean Walker - Prescott High School, Prescott
Mildred (dede) Havens - Buena High School, Sierra Vista
Mary Jo Hilpert - South Mountain High School, Phoenix
Mary Platt - St John's High School, St. Johns
George Thomson - Nogales High School, Nogales
Norma Jean Coulter - Madison #1 School, Phoenix
Paula Olson - Esperanza School, Tucson
Darlene Speaker - Creighton Middle School, Phoenix
Lorene Ely - South Mountain High School, Phoenix
Ron Trent - Amphitheater High School, Tucson
Elnora Johnson - Blue Ridge Junior High School, Lakeside
Tom Foster - Mountain View High School, Mesa
Kathy Hedges - Deer Valley High School, Phoenix
Winifred McAter - Flowing Wells High School, Tucson
George Thomson - Nogales High School, Nogales
Richard C. Brown - South Mountain High School, Phoenix
Augie Zito - Paradise Valley High School, Phoenix
Towne Bishop - Rincon High School, Tucson
John Yanez - Miami High School, Miami
4201 N 24 STREET
STE. 210
PHOENIX AZ 85016