Phoenix elementary teacher wins statewide excellence award

PHOENIX – A Phoenix elementary teacher recently won a statewide excellence award from the Arizona Education Association.

Roseanne Knight, a physical education teacher from Sunburst Elementary, was this year’s recipient of the Christa McAuliffe “I Touch the Future, I Teach” Award.

Knight received the award for exemplifying excellence in teaching, according to the AEA.

In addition to the award, Knight will receive $1,000 and will be honored at the Salute to Excellence Luncheon on May 11.

The award was created in 1987 to honor Christa McAuliffe, one of the seven astronauts who died in the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle in 1986.

McAuliffe was a teacher in New Hampshire, and the award’s title “I Touch the Future, I Teach” came from her description of her profession.

According to a Washington Elementary School District press release, the award honors “inspiring, committed, visionary leaders and activists.”

A permanent plaque of each year’s recipient will be on display at the AEA headquarters in Phoenix.

The AEA is the largest association for public school employees in Arizona with more than 20,000 members, according to its website.

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