SCOTTSDALE, AZ – In its annual tradition to honor, support and celebrate Arizona’s educators, Fiesta Bowl Charities has granted 500 teachers–including Navajo County teachers–with $2,500 each during the Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers Draft Day presented by Salt River Project (SRP), for a total of $1.25 million.

In its eighth year, the Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers program increased its giving by 25% to Arizona K-12 public and charter schoolteachers. The funding will positively impact more than 220,000 students across 73 cities and towns statewide, with 368 different schools receiving grant awards.

This season’s 500 granted wishes will fulfill requests from teachers in the areas of agricultural studies, arts, math, physical education and wellness, science and special needs. The grants will provide needed resources such as new reading materials, classroom makeovers, educational events and programs and much more.

Through the program, here are the classroom wishes being granted to Navajo County teachers:

Kaitlyn Flake, a second-grade teacher at Highland Primary School in Snowflake, will purchase general supplies for their science class.

Carmen Thompson, an 11th-grade English teacher at Snowflake High School, will purchase a color printer and new books for their classroom.

Allison Ward, a firstgrade teacher at Taylor Elementary School in Taylor, will provide flexible seating options for their students.

Monapoppy Dunton, an Earth and space science, biology, performing arts teacher at Winslow High School, will purchase equipment for their performance arts program.

Natasha Naha, a thirdgrade teacher at Bonnie Brennan Elementary School in Winslow, will enhance the reading space in their classroom with new books and flexible seating options.

Julie Thomas, a math teacher at Winslow High School, will purchase math game prizes for their students.

“Educating the next generation is a responsibility shared by our entire community and spearheaded by our teachers and other educational professionals. We are thrilled to provide needed funding to Arizona’s teachers and educators through the Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers Draft Day presented by SRP as part of our commitment to honor, celebrate and support teachers,” said Fiesta Bowl Executive Director and CEO Erik Moses.

Over the eight years of the Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers, the program has awarded approximately $7 million to more than 2,100 educators, impacting over 920,000 students statewide.

“Education is huge for us and we’re so proud to be a part of Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers, a program that goes out into the community and takes our values into the classrooms. The teachers who apply are looking at getting these children the tools they need to succeed, and we’re really humbled to be a part of it,” said Kory Raftery, External Affairs Manager at Palo Verde.

Established in 2016, the Fiesta Bowl Wishes for Teachers initiative grants classroom wishes to Arizona teachers in K-12 public and charter schools, who often pull spend their own money for classroom materials and activities. Recipients of the grants are invited to attend the Guaranteed Rate Bowl where they are honored on the field in a halftime presentation and to march in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe.

“SRP is proud to be part of the Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers event which makes a positive impact on teachers and students,” said Andrea Moreno, Senior Community Stewardship Representative at SRP. “This initiative is part of our ongoing commitment to support education and the overall community. SRP provides $1.4 million annually to education initiatives, grants and partnerships throughout Arizona, in addition to providing free training and resources to educators throughout the state.”