Keeping Up With the Classroom: Season II, Part II
Keeping Up With the Classroom: Season II, Part II
Tristan Chavez
As the first semester of the 2025/2026 school year comes to a close, Gilbert Public Schools is checking in with some of its newest teachers to see how their students are growing and thriving in their classrooms. From junior high science labs to elementary school communities, drama stages to English language learning, these educators are helping students build knowledge, confidence, and creativity while creating welcoming and collaborative classroom environments.
Francie Perez, ELL Teacher at Meridian Elementary
Francie Perez says one of the most rewarding parts of the semester has been watching her English Language Learner students grow as confident readers, writers, and communicators. She reports steady progress as they take more risks, engage in conversations, and apply what they’re learning to their daily work.
Perez says parents might be surprised by just how much their children now understand about language, from identifying nouns and verbs to using capitalization and punctuation with growing accuracy. “Their knowledge has expanded so much already,” she shared.
Perez describes her class as “a loving, caring, and confident community” where students learn while building trust and friendships. She also credits Meridian Elementary’s staff for making her first year positive and supportive, which has helped her create a welcoming environment in her classroom.
Looking towards the second semester, she hopes to host an EL Family Engagement event next semester to connect with parents and share more about the program and the learning happening each day.
Christina Pjura, 4th Grade Teacher at Patterson Elementary
Reflecting on the semester, Christina Pjura says her favorite moments come from seeing students grow academically while also building strong relationships and confidence with one another.
“They love working with their classmates at our giant vertical whiteboards,” she shared, noting that students are applying prior knowledge to new math concepts and discovering that their peers have valuable ideas to share. So far this year, Pjura says her students have achieved an 81% growth average on iReady diagnostics, even though they’re only halfway through the school year.
Looking ahead, Christina and her students are excited for Reading Around the World in February, as well as hands-on demonstrations, experiments, and STEM activities about weather and natural disasters after winter break. Her classroom encourages collaboration and confidence through daily morning meetings, partner and group work, and rotating partnerships so students learn to work with everyone in the class.
Amanda Moe, 1st Grade Teacher at Highland Park Elementary
For Amanda Moe, the highlight of the school year has been watching her class grow together in a welcoming and joyful environment. Moe says one of the biggest areas of growth she’s seen is her students’ confidence, both in themselves and with each other. Students who began the year hesitant are now sharing ideas and taking pride in getting their thoughts onto paper.
Moe has enjoyed her first year at Highland Park, noting that this semester has been fun and busy in the best way possible. She is thankful for the school and its effort in building a positive environment across the campus. “Highland Park Elementary has my heart with all the incredible effort they put into constantly putting on events. This is what I love as a teacher, integrating the fun and memories into learning, because learning is fun and should be memorable,” she adds.
For the second semester, Amanda Moe and her students are excited for 1st grade traditions like the 101st day of school, Valentine’s Day, animal dioramas, and a trip to the zoo. “The first semester was this fun, so I can only imagine what the second semester will hold!”
Rachel Solis, Drama Teacher at Mesquite High
Rachel Solis says the highlight of the school has been witnessing students take ownership of their work, support one another, and gain confidence through the creative process. She adds that one of the most exciting moments for her was the student-led production of Animal Farm, which drew an audience so large they ran out of chairs.
“What’s special about drama is that everything my students do takes courage. It’s not easy to go on stage and perform in front of a lot of people. I’m extremely proud of my students, their courage, and the leadership they’ve taken over their performances,” said Solis.
Solis has seen her students grow not just in their artistic skills but also in their ability to collaborate and build strong relationships. Students are working together and taking charge of their productions, including writing, directing, and designing their own plays. This teamwork among drama students has created a sense of camaraderie and community that extends both inside and outside the classroom.
For the future, Solis and her students are looking forward to the spring musical, School House Rock Live, as well as creating and performing their own original play.
Tyler Lopez, Science Teacher at South Valley Junior High
Looking back on the school year, Tyler Lopez shares that one of the highlights of the semester has been watching his students grow during hands-on lab activities. This year, his students are experiencing real lab work and learning to collect evidence, analyze results, and understand the importance of scientific reasoning in practical, real-world ways.
Lopez has also noticed growth in students’ professionalism and collaboration as they work together in the lab. “Once my students started to understand the importance of science and collecting evidence, they matured into great young scientists who work together to solve problems,” he said. “It has been really fun to see.”
Outside of the classroom, Lopez has enjoyed building friendships and strong connections with colleagues, emphasizing that the support from the South Valley staff has made his first year feel more comfortable.
Lopez and his students are eager to continue exploring STEM through Project Lead the Way in the second semester, including 3D printing, simulations, and other hands-on projects that make science engaging and fun.
The stories of Francie Perez, Christina Pjura, Amanda Moe, Rachel Solis, and Tyler Lopez offer a glimpse into our students’ growth and accomplishments across the district. GPS thanks our teachers for helping students gain knowledge, confidence, and creativity while building welcoming and engaging learning communities. Keep up with these teachers or read more stories in this series at GilbertSchools.net/GOLD.