Awards and Achievements | Yuma Elementary School District One

Gillian Eberhart, Teacher of the Year for Middle School Category and Desiree Cooksey, Teacher of the Year for Primary Grade Category

2025 Teachers of the Year

This year, two outstanding District One teachers were celebrated at the annual Yuma County Teacher of the Year Banquet. For the Middle School Category, we congratulate Gillian Eberhart from Ron Watson Middle School. For the Primary Grade Category we congratulate Desiree Cooksey from C.W. McGraw Elementary School.

Purple Star representatives under a "Military children bloom where they're planted" banner

2025 Student Ambassador Appreciation

For the first time ever in Yuma County, the Arizona Department of Education presented a Certificate of Appreciation to a 5th grade student from Desert Mesa Elementary School. This student was recognized for her heartfelt letter to ADE, where she shared the incredible impact of the Purple Star Program at Desert Mesa, which helps welcome and support military-connected students as they transition into the school community.

Castle Dome Middle School AzDEO 2025 K-12 Dance Program of Excellence

2025 Dance Program of Excellence

Led by Mrs. Florey, Castle Dome Middle School’s dance program was awarded the 2025 K–12 Dance Program of Excellence Award by the Arizona Dance Education Organization (AzDEO). According to AzDEO, “These teachers and programs represent the best of Arizona dance education.”

2024 Purple Star Appreciation

Sandra Carbajal was honored with an award of appreciation by the Arizona Department of Education Purple Star Coordinator for her outstanding support and dedication to our Purple Star Schools in Yuma School District One.

VFW Essay winners proudly holding up certificates

2024 VFW Essay Winners

Every year our district encourages students to enter the VFW-sponsored youth Patriot’s Pen essay contest where students submit an essay about a patriotic theme. This year, all winners were Castle Dome Middle School students!

Certificates of Achievement - 2023-2024 School Year - Letter A grade awarded to James D. Price & Letter B grade awarded to C.W. McGraw, Dorothy Hall, Desert Mesa, James B. Rolle, Palmcroft, Roosevelt, and Woodard Jr. High

2023 AZ Board of Education Awards School Letter Grades

Yuma School District One

Congratulations Aneli Obregon Arizona Department of Education El Teacher of the Year award winner.

24/25 OELAS Teacher of the Year

Eighteen-year Kindergarten teacher at Sunrise Elementary School, Aneli Obregon, is the proud recipient of the Arizona English Language (EL) Teacher of the Year Award, presented by the Arizona Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition Services (OELAS).

Yuma Co. Essay Winners - Sunrise Elementary

Two Sunrise Elementary School students were winners of the September Essay Contest by the Yuma County Superintendent’s Office. Their winning 250 word essays were about why someone should attend Sunrise School.

Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting 32 Years and Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting 2023

Excellence in Accounting

District One celebrates 32 years of excellence in financial accounting with an award from GFOA and ASBO.

Arizona Purple Star Schools

We are proud to celebrate our District One schools that have officially been designated as Purple Star Schools!

C.W. McGraw
Desert Mesa
Dorothy Hall
James B. Rolle
James D. Price
Mary A. Otondo
Palmcroft
Ron Watson
Sunrise

This prestigious recognition is awarded to schools that go above and beyond to support the unique needs of military-connected students and their families.

Female student wearing Happy Birthday tiara standing in front of white board with math problem on it. Caption says: 23 students achieved perfect scores on the 23-24 math AASA test

Perfect Score on AASA Math Test

Twenty-three students achieved a perfect score on the AASA Math test for the 2023-24 school year. Arizona’s Academic Standards Assessment (AASA) is Arizona’s statewide achievement test given to students in grades 3rd-8th. Congratulations on this achievement.

Students and mascot holding up a check from Burlington for 5000.00

$5000 Donation from Burlington Stores

Roosevelt School is honored to receive a $5000 donation from Burlington Stores and AdoptAClassroom.org to purchase classroom supplies for students.

National Honor Society for Dance Arts Inductees

The NHSDA welcomed the first junior chapter inductees to represent Yuma and Castle Dome Middle School. These six students join a nation-wide group of dedicated dancers, ranging from middle-school through collegiate level.

Highly Performing Preschool

Preschoolers at OC Johnson have consistently outperformed statewide averages, according to Read On Arizona.

Ron Watson Cheer team in front of STATE competition sign

Second Place at State

The Ron Watson Cheer Team placed second in this year’s state competition! Great job, Wolves!

Yuma County Spelling Bee Winners

Congratulations to Dorothy Hall Elementary School’s Natalie Pinkerton and Castle Dome Middle School’s Catherine McCoy for taking home first and second place respectively at the 2024 Yuma County spelling bee.