August 2024
Before the 2024-2025 school year officially began for Santa Cruz Valley Unified School District No. 35, its faculty and staff gathered together on August 2 for its annual Welcome-Back celebration. This celebration reflected on the hard work and accomplishments made by employees throughout the 2023-2024 school year, and also served as a rally to recognize incoming employees and goals for the upcoming year.
The Welcome-Back celebration consisted of a breakfast spread provided by Sodexo, sponsor tables, a fun photo booth with an array of props, upbeat performances by the Rio Rico High School Hawx Dance Team and Marching Band, inspiring and reflective speeches from Superintendent Mr. David Verdugo and various dignitaries, and a presentation of awards for Teacher and Employee of the Year nominees and winners. New employees were given a warm welcome and recognized individually in their respective departments. A number of other staff members were also recognized for their many years of hard work, dedication, and tireless service to the district, ranging from five years all the way to 37 years of service.
During the awards section of the event, plaques were presented to a faculty member from each school site within the district who were named the nominee of their school for SCVUSD’s Teacher of the Year award. This honor was granted to individuals who embody the mission and goals of the district as well as being a leader in and out of the classroom. It is clear that these individuals provide a well-rounded education and experience for students while also encouraging them to strive for excellence every day. Nominees for this award include Laura Ramos from Calabasas School, Maritza Olivas-Carrillo from Coatimundi Middle School, Cris Regala from Mountain View Elementary School, Luz Mendez from Rio Rico High School, and Jennifer Martinez from San Cayetano Elementary School. The winner chosen from this group of tremendous teachers was Cris Regala, who then also went on to win the award for Santa Cruz County 2024 Teacher of the Year on August 9.
Plaques were also awarded to Support Staff Nominees for the 2023-2024 school year. These individuals were Miriam Molina from San Cayetano Elementary School, Celia Dietrich from Mountain View Elementary School, Natalie Longorio from Calabasas School, Ana Ortiz from Rio Rico High School, John Rojahn from Coatimundi Middle School, and Lalo Robles from the Transportation Department. San Cayetano Cheetah, Miriam Molina, was the winner of this honorable award, and was surprised by her family members who showed up to support her during the award ceremony.
Overall, SCVUSD’s Welcome-Back Event focused on continuing to provide its students with an Above the Bar education and recognizing the people who collaborate and work cohesively as one unit to accomplish this major task. We thank our sponsors Santa Cruz County School Superintendent Office, Edward Jones Investments, International Medical Solutions, Grand Canyon University, South32, ASBAIT, and Meritain Health who provided invaluable support to our district before and throughout the event!
In May, the faculty at Mountain View named unassuming third grade teacher, Mr. Cris Regala their 2024 Teacher of the Year. Little did they know that within two months, a host of administrators and school community members throughout Santa Cruz County would also recognize him as both the Santa Cruz Valley Unified School District 35 2024 Teacher of the Year and the Santa Cruz County 2024 Teacher of the Year.
This author knows Mr. Regala professionally and personally, but was unaware of what his coworkers thought of him until interviewing the MVES staff for this article. Then, descriptive adjectives such as fabulous, wonderful, dedicated, passionate, hardworking, amazing, team-player, knowledgeable, professional, positive, etc. were spoken again and again.
“Mr. Regala embodies all the qualities of an exceptional teacher. His exemplary classroom management and continuous growth in teaching abilities make him a true asset to our community,” said Mountain View Principal, Mr. Dominic Armijo. “I have no doubt he will continue to inspire and positively impact the lives of his students for years to come.”
Before joining the Mountain View staff in 2021, Mr. Regala was a successful elementary and middle school teacher in the Philippines, where he was named Teacher of the Year twice. There, he also taught teachers, wrote articles for educational publications and spoke at conferences. He earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in education from Bataan Peninsula State University, where he is currently working on his dissertation for a Doctorate in Educational Management.
Mr. Regala credits his third grade teacher, Mrs. Malang, for inspiring him to become a teacher. As a boy he was naturally shy and fell behind in school, but Malang saw his potential, built up his confidence, and helped him overcome his deficiencies. “She never gave up on me,” the grateful teacher said.
Although he has taught other grades, the 2024 Teacher of the Year especially enjoys working with 3rd graders. “The excitement of discovery and learning that students at this grade have is wonderful,” he said. “They are developing a greater depth of understanding of the world around them. They also have a more complex sense of humor, and a desire to improve themselves and work collaboratively with others. It gives me so much joy to see my students develop their skills and grow into literate individuals.”
Cris Regala began his Arizona teaching career three years ago but his way of thinking about education hasn’t changed since leaving the Philippines where he was twice named Teacher of the Year. He still believes every child has great potential. “All they need is a good coach,” he said.
But with an increasing focus on mastering objectives, he also believes students benefit from a broader range of experiences and exposure to learning about the world around them. “When parents spend talking, reading, and sharing experiences with their children,” said Mr. Regala, “students come to school with a greater foundation upon which to build.”
“I think the students in this community are so unique,” said “Sir Cris,” a title of respect he is often given by other Filipino teachers. “Here, near the border, there’s a lot of history and a rich diversity of heritage, culture, and language. The richness and the closeness of the community, the families and our schools work together to make our students very special.”
Cris Regala came to America on a J-1 Visa to escape discrimination in his home country and learn all he can about the American educational system, which he says “is one of the best in the world.” Although he loves America, in 2026, he must return to the Philippines and share what he has learned with teachers there for two years. After which, he hopes to return to Arizona and finish his teaching career here.
“Oh, I so hope he comes back!” exclaimed Mrs. Tania Barojas, Mountain View Assistant Principal. “He’s wonderful! I love going in his classroom to watch him teach. He’s so hardworking and dedicated, and really has a heart for kids.”
When asked what advice he would offer someone just starting out in the field, the Bataan native answered thoughtfully, “I would advise new teachers to draw on their colleagues for support the first two or three years so they don’t give up when things get difficult. For the overly zealous ones, they would do well to stick with the program and try to accept things they can’t change and some of those things may be coworkers.”
“And most importantly, every teacher needs to make time for themselves; it’s very easy to burn out in this profession. Personally, I like to sing, cook, read and travel. These things help keep me fresh.”
The night of the Santa Cruz County Teacher of the Year Celebration, no one knew for certain who the winner would be, but few were as surprised as Mr. Regala himself when the winner was announced. “I wish I’d thought to take his picture the second the announcement was made,” said Principal Dominic Armijo, who sat at a table with Mr. Regala awaiting the call. “He was shocked!”
Three cheers for Mr. Cris Regala, the Mountain View, District 35, and Santa Cruz County 2024 Teacher of the Year! All the best going forward, Sir Cris, we are very proud of you.
Santa Cruz Valley USD No.35 announces a partnership with Kajeet, a leading wireless connectivity and device management provider for education, governments, and commercial markets, to deploy its Kajeet SmartBus Wi-Fi solution to extend learning outside the classroom for students. Utilizing funding awarded through the E-Rate program, the district is equipping 44 of its school buses with reliable, secure Wi-Fi.
With this wireless router-based solution, students in Santa Cruz Valley USD will now be able to access educational apps, complete online assignments, study for exams, or communicate with their teachers – all while on the school bus. This access will be available to students while traveling to and from school each day, as well as during extracurricular activities such as traveling to sporting events.
Included is a CIPA-compliant filtering to keep students safe and on-task, as well as a data management platform, Sentinel®, which allows administrators to manage devices and data allocations, access controls, and gain key insights into program performance.
“This provides an end to end solution providing internet access to our students from home to school and back again” said Santa Cruz Valley USD No.35 technology coordinator Steve Saint-Coeur. This initiative represents Santa Cruz Valley USD’s commitment to advancing digital equity, providing all students – even those who do not have reliable access to the Internet at home – with an equitable opportunity to succeed.
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