Phoenix Union High School District -

PXU would like to congratulate the Falcons Esports Varsity Super Smash Bros team for finally taking the AIA Esports State Championship home 🏆 The team placed first after defeating Queen Creek High School in a best of five. We know this team has worked hard, and after two years of being the runner up, it finally happened. Congrats to this team and to their coach, Michael Marmolejo! 🎮🔥

Introducing the incredible Class of 2026 🎓 Dom Rojas is a senior at Central who was a part of the back to back State Champions Boys Basketball team 🏀 He plans to attend Glendale Community College to keep playing basketball and study to become a firefighter 🧯Read his full story and other stories about amazing seniors at PXU.org/ClassOf2026 💻

PXU is proud to share that Joseph Parra Miguel from Phoenix Coding Academy is the first-ever $5M Scholar in Phoenix Union history! He has been offered $5M in total scholarships across all of the schools he has been admitted to. He plans to attend Arizona State University to study business. Joseph said, “I chose to study business with an emphasis on language and culture because I want to learn how to work within and support diverse communities. In the end, choosing ASU also meant staying close to my family, which made that decision even more meaningful. Huge shoutout to my friends, my family, and Ms. Zaiser for always encouraging me to see what I’m capable of—I wouldn’t be here without that support.” Congratulations to Joseph and the Phoenix Coding Academy community!

Happy Principal Appreciation Day, PXU Family! We are so grateful to have a team of dedicated, passionate principals who love their campuses and students. If you see your principal today, we encourage you to thank them 🔥

Mr. Cruz Apodaca was officially sworn into office to serve Ward One of the Phoenix Union High School District Governing Board on April 29, 2026. Mr. Apodaca was appointed by Maricopa County Superintendent Shelli Boggs to replace previously appointed member Jeremiah Cota, who resigned in February 2026. Ward One includes Betty H. Fairfax and Champion Circle High Schools, along with the microschool ARCH. Mr. Apodaca is a proud alumnus of Phoenix Union and an active parent. He served as a volunteer on the District’s safety committee, and brings a business acumen and background to this seat. A graduate of the University of Phoenix, Mr. Apodaca holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration and is currently working on his Doctorate in Business Administration at Grand Canyon University. "I am pleased to welcome Mr. Apodaca to the Governing Board to serve Ward One," said PXU Superintendent Thea Andrade. "His perspective as a parent and community member will serve as an important voice for the Laveen community. We appreciate Superintendent Boggs for taking the time to find someone who knows and cares about the future of our amazing district.” “Good governance isn’t about who wins the argument; it’s about making the right call for the people we serve,” PXU Governing Board President Frankie Pastor-Rivera said. “I appreciate Superintendent Boggs for selecting a current PXU parent and alum who understands the needs of our diverse community.” Phoenix Union has the only seven-member Governing Board in Arizona, with two at-large and five ward seats. For more information, visit www.PXU.org/page/governing-board.

Today, we hosted a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the baseball and softball fields at North ⚾️🥎 Then, Superintendent Andrade, Governing Board President Pastor-Rivera, and Principal Johnston threw the ceremonial first pitch for both the baseball and softball games tonight 🔥 Thank you to Wilmeng for their continued partnership and hard work on these beautiful fields.

The PXU Student Art Show tonight at the Heard Museum was a huge success 🎉 It was incredible to see artwork by our very own students displayed at the Museum for all to see and enjoy. Congratulations to all of the artists who had art displayed, and a huge congratulations and thank you to @pxuvapa for coordinating this experience. 🔥

Today was such an amazing day at South✨ South’s ELD students made their way over to the Upward and Onward Cafe to practice ordering in English. They got free drinks and brownies all made by the incredible Upward and Onward interns. Whether placing orders, taking them, or making them, every single one of the students from both programs did a wonderful job and it was a blast. 🎉❤️

Happy Administrative Professionals day, PXU Family 🎉 Today and every day, we are so thankful for all of the hard work and dedication of our Administrative Assistants district-wide. They truly keep everything running smoothly, and we are so grateful. Thank you to all of our Administrative Professionals ❤️

PXU is so proud to congratulate two of our very own incredible teachers, Ms. Carly Bacha from the Academies at South Mountain and Ms. Reema Sharma from Central High School for being among the top 15 finalists for the @azedfoundation 2027 Teacher of the Year 🎉 We wish them both the very best and are hoping the next Teacher of the Year will be from Phoenix Union ❤️

PXU is so proud to share the news of two more Class of 2026 Million Dollar Scholars 🎓 Congratulations to Charlotte Williams Gross from North and Morgan Costa from ARCH for each being offered over $1M in total scholarships. Charlotte accepted the Flinn Scholarship and will attend the University of Arizona to study Biochemistry and Public Health. Morgan accepted the Posse Scholarship and will attend Case Western Reserve University to double major in psychology and sociology or political science, with the goal of going to law school. Congratulations to both of them! ✨

Today in the North High School Old Gym, North’s Art Department is hosting the 2026 Senior Art Show 🎨🖼️ Senior art students put together exhibitions of their artwork from over the years and other classes can come look at the art and interview the artists about their work. We are so amazed by the level of talent our art students have in all mediums. Congratulations to North’s art seniors who are showcasing their work today! ✨

Tonight, we are happy to celebrate the inspiring @pxu.naep Career Expo at the Heard Museum. Native students from across PXU attended this important event full of career advice from native professionals, a professional clothing swap, indigenous fashion show, and much more.

Today is Maryvale High School Mariachi Las Panteras de Oro Day 💛🖤 Maryvale’s Mariachi made their way to the Capitol today where Arizona State Representative Anna Abeytia had a House Proclamation read in honor of them. Thank you so much to Representative Abeytia for hosting the students, giving them a tour, and for this Proclamation.

Yesterday, Metro Tech Fashion Design students held their annual Fashion Show with the theme “Candyland Couture.” The students spent this year creating garments, accessories, and decor for the show. We are so amazed by the incredible creativity and talent of our students💖 Congratulations, Metro Tech Fashion Design! 🍭🍬🍫

This Saturday, Betty Fairfax hosted the 33rd Annual Arizona Japanese Speech Contest 🇯🇵 Competitors prepared speeches in Japanese to recite with judges present, with the theme this year being food. PXU had 6 students compete, 5 from Betty Fairfax, and 1 from Central. Congratulations to Ivan Mendez Moreno from Betty Fairfax for placing first in Category B of the competition! 🔥

Today was the most beautiful day ever at Central ❤️🖤 Students and staff dressed up and celebrated their annual Multicultural Day celebration that allows students and staff from any culture to showcase their traditions and come together to uplift each other. Central is an incredible place to be, and the diversity makes it even stronger as a community. We love you Central! ✨

Today, students from Alhambra, Coding, and Carl Hayden participated in a PXU Student Day at Phoenix City Hall 🌆 Students had a packed day including career exploration, mentorship, learning about job-shadow and apprenticeship opportunities, and more. The best part? All of the individuals students heard from today were all PXU alumni. Thank you to the City for this experience and to all of the employers who took time to educate our students ❤️

PXU is proud to share the news of two more additions to our Class of 2026 Million Dollar Scholars 🎓 Kallysta-Cydney Komlan and Anthony Sotelo from Bioscience High School have each been offered over $2M in total scholarships. Kallysta will attend Princeton to study Neuroscience. She specifically hopes to research neurodegenerative diseases since her grandmother passed away from Alzheimers. Anthony will attended Yale to study Biomedical Engineering and Education Studies. His career plan is in two parts: 1) Use his Biomedical Engineering background to help low income families receive assistive technology and 2) Become a high school Engineering teacher after he accomplishes his other goals. We are so proud of both of these incredible students!

Today, Fairfax Freshmen Connections students had the opportunity to participate in a financial literacy activity called Bite of Reality, presented by the Arizona Credit Union Collaborative 💰 Students were given a pretend life with details such as occupation, income, family size, credit score, and more, and tasked with budgeting their life with their given parameters. Examples of what they budgeted for were things like housing, transportation, food, clothing, and entertainment. Thank you to all of the credit unions and their representatives for educating our students on this important information 🔥