Nominations sought for education excellence

Expect More Arizona, an advocacy organization for statewide education, is accepting nominations for their Excellence Tour as a means of highlighting successful schools around the state.

“The Excellence Tour will shine a light on what Arizonans are doing all over the state to make progress toward a world-class education,” stated a news release.

The group is aiming to raise the expectations of school performance around the state so that all students will benefit from a quality education and help unite communities to make that commitment.

“Students in Arizona need to be prepared to succeed in today's global economy, and that requires a world-class education,” said Pearl Chang Esau, Expect More Arizona's president and CEO. “Countless students, educators, parents and communities are already working to raise the bar to that world-class level, and this tour is a way to both recognize their commitment and inspire excellence for all Arizona students.”

Photo or video nominations along with a written description can be submitted on ExpectMoreArizona.org until March 15.

Content will be judged based on the Five Building Blocks of World-Class Education as well as their content, not judged on the production value of their video or image. Building blocks include communities working together, excellence for all, world-class achievement, commitment to innovation and strategic investment.

“Excellence Spotlights will be given to those submissions that best reflect the Five Building Blocks of World-Class Education as well as the impact of their content, and not judged on the production value of the video/image,” the release said.

The top three Excellence Spotlights will be recognized during a statewide tour and will receive $1,000 for the education program of their choice. Additionally, a People's Choice of Excellence will be determined by the most votes online and will receive $1,000 for the education program of choice.

Examples of submissions can be found on the website, where you can also vote and share submissions on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Sarah Womer can be reached at swomer@yumasun.com or 539-6858. Find her on Facebook at Facebook.com/YSSarahWomer or on Twitter at @YSSarahWomer.