Rivera Elementary School
Tucson, AZ
Connie is a S.U.N. (Serving Unique Needs) Program teacher at Sunnyside Unified School District in Tucson and has been in the teaching profession for more than 30 years. The S.U.N. program is for gifted students and she currently teaches 2nd-6th grade students who are a part of this program. In June 2018, Connie attended the We the People Summer Institute and ever since, has been implementing the We the People (WTP) curriculum in her classes. She has been determined from the start and has put in the extra time and effort to implement WTP. During the 2018-2019 school year, Connie participated in a Sunnyside Unified School District WTP competition. Approximately 60 students participated in the competition. Connie’s ability to open doors for students and provide them with opportunities to showcase their knowledge to their peers, parents, and teachers is remarkable. She strives to share teaching strategies and experience with fellow teachers and this team work approach has allowed more students to be positively impacted by the WTP curriculum. By providing her students with enriching civic education, Connie is enabling them to become critical thinkers in addition to active and responsible citizens.