Educators across Valley celebrated during Teacher Appreciation Week

PHOENIX — It’s Teacher Appreciation Week, and schools and organizations across the Valley have been honoring educators.

The Fiesta Sports Foundation celebrated by giving $1,000 each to five teachers at Arizona Desert Elementary School in Tolleson on Thursday.

The charity picked the recipients through a nomination contest that challenged students to submit letters explaining why they are grateful for their teachers.

Sandra Avila with the Fiesta Sports Foundation said the charity picked the five winning letters from over 100 submissions.

“It’s an opportunity to make sure the teachers know that they’re important and that work that they’re doing is important,” Avila said.

Arizona educators win $1,000 for Teacher Appreciation Week

While the winning teachers won their award, their students read their nominating letters.

One of the winners was Ericka Green, a fourth grade science teacher who said her student’s letter was heartwarming.

“The words that she wrote about helping her in her worst days, helping her outside of school — sometimes you don’t realize that you make that impact on students,” Green said. “They kind of carry that when they go home, so that’s what makes this one super special.”

The Fiesta Sports Foundation arranged similar events at other schools this week, including a collaboration with All in Education that will bring an ice cream truck to Westwood Elementary school for teachers Friday afternoon.

Some restaurants are also participating in Teacher Appreciation Week. For example, Buffalo Wild Wings, Whataburger, Insomnia Cookies and Raising Cane’s are offering discounts for teachers through Friday.

KTAR featured five educators during Teacher Appreciation Week

KTAR News 92.3 FM put five teachers in the spotlight over the course of the week.

Nerwin Balilu is a middle school special education resource teacher at Desert Wind Middle School in Maricopa.

Originally from the Philippines, he has been teaching for 11 years, helping students with disabilities learn in the way they can be most successful.

Balilu wants to help his students become more confident and realize that having disabilities doesn’t mean they can’t learn or grow. He was named 2025 special education educator of the year by Save our Schools Arizona and recently won the monthly KTAR News’ Outspoken with Bruce and Gaydos Pay Tribute to a Teacher award.

Sarah Daffe is an art teacher at Madison Park Middle School in Phoenix. For over 18 years, she has been teaching kids how to take materials and, as she calls it, “make magic.” Her goal is to inspire her students the way her high school art teacher inspired her.

Efrain Casillas is a music teacher at multiple schools in the Tolleson School District, where she teaches middle and elementary school students mariachi music, Latin jazz and classical arrangements.

Casillas is the 2024 Arizona Teacher of the Year. She visited the White House twice, once when then first lady Jill Biden held a Teacher of the Year state dinner, and again when his students were invited to perform mariachi music at the annual Easter egg roll. His students also performed in the Fiesta Bowl parade.

Anna Andrews teaches seventh and eighth grade social studies at Madison Meadows Middle School in Phoenix. When teaching history, Andrews wants her students to feel safe and respected but also be able to have difficult conversations and historical arguments.

Katie Stell is an eighth grade English teacher at Phoenix’s Inspiration Mountain School, which is in the Deer Valley Unified School District.

She incorporates multiple forms of literature into her curriculum, using creative writing, informative history books and speeches. Stell said her class is very structured and focused on preparing students for high school. However, her favorite part of teaching is watching kids find something they love.

To nominate someone for the Pay Tribute to a Teacher award, which comes with a $2,500 prize, text “TEACHER” to 620-620.

Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.

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