GREEN VALLEY, Ariz. (KGUN) — Continental Elementary School in Green Valley celebrated a major milestone after being named an A+ School of Excellence by the Arizona Educational Foundation. Staff, students, parents and community members gathered on campus as the school was recognized for its whole‑school commitment to student success — and students began work on a new bottle‑cap mural to commemorate the honor.
VIDEO: Watch my report below:
“This is the little school with the big heart,” said Principal DeAnna Cuevas, who praised the school community for telling its story and earning the recognition. Community supporters echoed that sentiment: “Kids worked really hard — they deserve this honor,” said longtime volunteer Joyce Finkelstein.
The school hosted an assembly to commemorate the honor. Pima County Schools Superintendent Dustin John Williams came and spoke at the assembly called Continental’s staff and students “phenomenal.” He took a moment to speak with me and also said, "I'm here celebrating a phenomenal A+ school district, Continental, the kiddos are here and all the hard work that they've put in, and the teachers, and here you get to see some results, so I'm here to support them."
As part of the celebration, students held a drawing contest to design a mural that will be built from recycled bottle caps, which were donated by teachers, students and their families. The winning design, drawn by student Margarita, features a horse — a choice she said reflects her love of horses - also fitting, as the school's mascot is the Colt. Students also shared how the school’s arts programming fuels their ambitions: one student, Aspen (pictured with me below), told reporters she hopes to follow her mother into cosmetology and is grateful for the encouragement she receives at school.
When complete, the mural will be placed in the school's sensory garden, a space built entirely from recycled materials, designed to promote self-confidence, independence and unstructured play. Cuevas says, "The sensory garden is an area for students who need to touch, feel - if they're overwhelmed or overstimulated, they're able to go to the sensory garden and just calm down, get some peace, before they can get back to the classroom."
Director of Student Services Steven Lathen said, "Our goal in this project, specifically, was to have every single student involved, and so it started with Mr. Dean doing art classes with every grade level...Margarita came in, and we projected her artwork onto a board, she traced it, and then middle-school students came in and painted the base layer, and from there they started putting on the bottle caps."
Bonnie Klahr and Julie Ciruli of the Continental School District Educational Foundation told me the foundation helped bring the art project to life. The foundation — founded in 2000 by community members, teachers and parents — provides an artist‑in‑residence each year and funds materials for a community‑facing project. This year, the foundation hired local artist Mr. Dean to work with students; Bonnie, the foundation president, noted that in addition to guiding the mural, the artist has taught students about art history and technique, giving them a broader arts education. Julie, the foundation’s vice president, added that finding an artist willing to work closely with young students can be difficult, and the foundation was fortunate to secure Mr. Dean’s participation.
The A+ School of Excellence Award recognizes schools that go beyond test scores, evaluating every facet of school success. According to the Arizona Educational Foundation, award‑winning schools demonstrate high academic standards, a commitment to opportunity for all students, responsiveness to changing educational needs, safe and learner‑focused environments, support for innovative, teacher‑led instruction, holistic care for students’ social and academic needs, and outstanding service to families and the community. The A+ designation is intended to highlight schools that deliver exceptional, well‑rounded learning experiences.
Continental’s new mural and the foundation’s artist‑in‑residence program underscore the school’s emphasis on arts, community engagement and student opportunity — qualities the A+ program looks for when recognizing excellence.
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