• Dr. Osuna Honored with AZALAS Award
    Posted on 10/25/2019
     
    Rebecca OsunaWe are proud to announce that our very own Assistant Superintendent,  Dr. Rebecca Osuna will be receiving the AZALAS (Arizona Association of Latino Administrators & Superintendents) Lifetime Achievement Award.  


    Dr. Osuna has been a fierce advocate and educational leader since the moment she stepped inside a classroom. She has been a mentor to all who meet her. She is a kind-hearted person, who always has a good attitude and will share with you her wisdom.  One cannot walk into her office without being overly welcomed, she takes care of all of us at Cartwright, student, parent or staff. 

    In 2007, she retired as an educator to care for her parents, but soon came back to inspire and elevate everyone at Cartwright School District.  She was appointed as the Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services.  Prior to being an assistant superintendent, she was a principal for 14 years, where she had the lowest performing school.  Dr. Osuna made strides in that school, turning it an A+ rated school.  As the Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Osuna toured Cartwright’s then alternative education site, she was struck by what she saw. Students were relegated to row houses that did not resemble a school at all. There were no playgrounds and the whole scene had an “institutionalized” feel. Students who did not thrive in a regular school setting were brought to the location and if they failed there, they were expelled out of the system. Dr. Osuna believed in her heart that they deserved a second chance, so she created Academy for Success. The students were placed inside one of our schools, where they now learn social and emotional skills and where the academics are rigorous.  This year, 87% of the students at AFS have successfully transitioned back to their home schools. At Cartwright, she manages top-notch translators and Parent Liaisons.  She ensures that there is parent involvement, because it is essential to student achievement. Congratulations Dr. Osuna!