SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (November 20, 2023) – Working in collaboration, students in Scottsdale Unified School District’s (SUSD) three International Baccalaureate (IB) schools – Anasazi Elementary School, Mountainside Middle School and Desert Mountain High School – assembled learning kits last week to support some new Valley residents.

Their work, part of Arizona’s nearly 40 IB schools’ annual “Day of Service” on November 15, will be delivered to the Welcome to America Project (WTAP), a Tempe-based organization that assists refugees from around the world who have been recently relocated to the Phoenix area through the U.S. State Department.

In the weeks leading up to the Day of Service, SUSD’s IB students and their families donated and collected school and personal care supplies for the Valley newcomers. Anasazi students also created welcome cards in Swahili, Spanish, Arabic, English, Farsi, Burmese and French to deliver with the kits.

Anasazi IB Coordinator Sara Armstrong hopes this first Day of Service is the beginning of other joint initiatives with Mountainside and Desert Mountain. “WTAP provided a perfect opportunity for our students to embrace the key fundamentals of the IB, which include international mindedness and action.”

At Mountainside, student government and National Junior Honors Society members put together middle school supply kits that included pencils, pencil sharpeners, highlighters, erasers, pocket dictionaries, folders, pens, spiral notebooks and rulers. At Desert Mountain, students enrolled in the school’s IB Diploma Programme assembled both learning and personal hygiene kits.

Mountainside IB Coordinator Traci Gillespie said that the families WTAP helps are highly motivated, resourceful and eager to start their new lives in the U.S. “They develop strong ties to their new communities, make active contributions, work hard, pay taxes and are expected to become self-sufficient within six months.”

“The IB Day of Service is an important undertaking as we embody our mission statement of striving to develop principled, caring and inquisitive learners in order to prepare them to be knowledgeable and respectful global citizens,” Gillespie added.

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About the Scottsdale Unified School District With more than 21,000 students in 30 schools, the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) has been a premier choice for pre-kindergarten through grade 12 public education for 127 years. Located northeast of metropolitan Phoenix, the District serves the educational needs of students and families in Phoenix, Paradise Valley, Fountain Hills, Tempe and Scottsdale. A highly experienced, professionally certified teaching staff fosters a diverse and rigorous educational environment that engages all students in world-class, future-focused learning. Offering gifted learning, special education, career and technical education, and a variety of athletics, arts and enrichment programs and clubs, SUSD provides the rich environment today’s students need to explore their interests, develop important social skills and grow into tomorrow’s leaders. For more information, visit www.susd.org and follow along on social media: Facebook: @ScottsdaleUSD, Twitter: @ScottsdaleUSD, Instagram: @ScottsdaleUnifiedSD, LinkedIn and YouTube