The School Connect Podcast

How do you create spaces to make Mental Health issues less of a stigma and more of a normalized topic of conversation?  How do we help build mental health resiliency in our youth and the educators who pour into them daily?

On today's season finale, we shine a light on voices that need to be heard. We hear from Emiliano Carranza and Gerardo "Tre" Chavez about what it means to be a leader and how leadership can uplift communities. They discuss the importance of working towards their dreams and how teamwork is vital in leadership. They express their belief that leadership in youth is beneficial to the future of communi...

The health of our future leaders is key to building a stronger community. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona has provided health services across the state for years, all while giving back through programs that promote healthy living. In today's episode, they discuss the importance of talking about mental health and healthy eating and how their initiative and programs are helping make a change.

How do we ensure our students have the tools they need to succeed? Our guest this week, Jason Catanese, shares the importance of taking initiative to build math skills in Arizona youth. Tune in to hear about the crucial role mathematics plays on our children's future.

Our School Connect Champions of Education Awards Emcee, Danielle Lerner, has been a crucial part of education in the media. She believes storytelling plays a vital role in bringing a community together. Join the conversation as Danielle shares how we can all play a role in journalism and meet her in person at our Awards Breakfast.

What does it take to lead a team? How can we ensure all hands are on deck in our community? Tune in to hear more about nurturing unexpected relationships and building support in neighborhoods.

What can  you find when you're willing to look and listen to your community? You get a front row seat into the needs, strengths and potential of the community. Tune in to hear more about Denis Parcells' experience as the Director of the Glendale Elementary System of Care and how understanding the community is key to leveraging support, solving problems and fostering success. 

How can you take the first step into giving back? JustServe opens up connections, using a system that links a community's volunteer needs with helping hands. Tune in to hear more about the opportunities their organization provides locally and remotely.

Nurturing our children's creativity makes everyone a rockstar. Randy Spencer joins us to talk about how the Alice Cooper Teen Rock Center is a safe space for Arizona youth and how they help discover their talents and cultivate creativity. 

Want to bring in more partnerships for your school's community but don't know how to start building those connections? Paradise Valley School District started to incorporate this and is leading to continuous collaborations and resources for their students.

Being bilingual has become crucial in today's society. The 2021 Arizona Teacher of the Year, Sara Wyffels, has grown through the discovery of the Spanish language and culture. Tune in to hear from our School Connect Summit's emcee discuss her adventures abroad and how she is teaching the next generation of bilingual speakers. 

How do you engage an entire village to work alongside your school this year? Our model is seeing academic achievement and collaboration efforts increase. Learn more about how the seed planted in our partnering schools in 2022 has already had tremendous growth and success. 

Quincy Natay knows what it takes to change the culture of Chinle Unified School District in order to help it truly flourish. Tune in to hear how he engages his entire community, expands funding and multiplies leadership.

Franklin Police & Fire High School, the first of its kind in the nation, offers a rigorous physical and academic high school education and a head start to a career in public safety. Tune in to today’s episode to hear how Franklin partners with surrounding cities’ police and fire departments and other agencies to provide students with real world, hands-on opportunities that include internships, phy...

From grabbing his tools to construct classrooms across the state to mentoring an incoming generation in STEM, our guest is all hands on deck in helping build a better education for our children!

Life outside the city can be rewarding when the communities find harmony and support between each other. But how do these cities find sufficient outside support for their students? Small but mighty connections are made like this...

It's another podcast Wednesday and Tracey begins the show with the story of her journey - from helping kids to starting School Connect and navigating its mission through every school we enter and get to be involved with. In today's episode, we invite a guest who was the first person to expand the School Connect model to another city - Margaret Judson, City Director for School Connect in San Antoni...

It’s that time of year - Love Our Schools Day is here! Tracey and Tim have invited Dr. Jennifer Johnson and Doreen Zannis this week. Dr. Johnson works with Grand Canyon University for their Educational Alliances team and Doreen Zannis has worked as a school nurse for more than 15 years and started the Support Our Schools AZ organization.  This entire month, we have seen all the wonderful work that...

In today's episode, Pastor Dan Steffen, Senior Pastor at Pure Heart Church and Co-Founder of School Connect, takes the mic and is our host for the show. How do faith communities lift our schools and help be part of the change? To talk about how these communities come alongside campuses, he brings on special guests, Ryan Nunez from Palm Valley Church and Jake Hancock from Christ's Church of the Val...

For the first guest episode of season 2, Tracey and Tim welcome Maria Cristina Fuentes, Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Youth Faith & Family in Arizona. She has worked with George W. Bush at the US Department of Labor, served in the White House Faith-Based Office and the Justice Department. Throughout her career, she has helped governors set up their own faith-based offices. In this...

Welcome back to part two of the season 2 podcast launch! Today, Tracey begins by talking about participating in CAFE roundtables where a principal can speak to community partners about the goals for their school. Thanks to an exciting opportunity to participate in 'A Community Thrives' campaign, many schools across Arizona will be able to complete projects that are important to them. In this episo...

Welcome back!! School is back in session and so is the School Connect Podcast. Tracey and Tim are launching season 2 with a quick look back at what made season 1 so special and giving new and returning listeners all the important reasons to listen and get involved to help our kids.   The discussion turns to an exciting new collaboration and work with the Table Group, They help to create smart, hea...

Today Tracey and Tim have a very special show with not one, but three guests! Superintendent of Pendergast Elementary School District, Dr. Jennifer Cruz, is here with Keymora and Kelly who are members of the Eighth Grade Superintendent Student Council. The council began as a way to guide students toward higher education, particularly Ivy League Colleges. Over the years it has grown to become an in...

The construction industry. The perception around that is one that often doesn’t include women. But today’s guest is one that has broken those barriers wide open. Antonya Williams, Executive Vice President at McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. and board member of ACE Mentor Program Phoenix joins today’s episode. Antonya shares her story of the lessons she learned from starting out working at her fat...

On today's show... You may have heard the term 'The Great Resignation.' There's a sea change in the way people are viewing their work life and how it coexists with their personal life. Education is not immune from this, and today, Tracey and Tim look at some startling statistics and dive a bit deeper into this area. They have invited an exemplary guest to discuss this topic - Dr. Sarah Lindstrom J...