What We’ve Learned

Dr. Gestson, the visionary principal who originally invited us to participate in 2009 was subsequently promoted to be the Superintendent of the entire Phoenix Union High School District. So he was replaced by a new principal who was also promoted and replaced, etc. And just recently (2023), Dr. Gestson has moved on from his successful experience as superintendent. He has been replaced by Ms. Thea Andrade.

With over a decade of our effort spanning four different Camelback HS principals and three district superintendents we have concluded that we should follow these basic rules:

1. Support those programs for which each current principal asks.
2. Be flexible and ready to let go of even our previously successful programs if the current principal wants something new or different.
3. Help build an ongoing “infrastructure” to support the students.

Infrastructure in this context means other non-profit organizations serving the students. These entities employ professional, well-trained staff people who can do the best job improving student outcomes. It also includes supporting the school’s alumni association.

Our effort at Camelback High School was in its early years a group effort including dozens of community members. However, after our network’s innovative, dynamic and charismatic founder became less involved, we experienced a decline in engagement from our community participants each of whom he had personally invited to the program. This demonstrates how dependent an effort like ours can be on the continued leadership of its original “champion.”

In addition the COVID-19 pandemic has also made it challenging for our network participants to interact directly with students for the past couple of years.

The current programs are carried on by that founder and one other network participant who has made Camelback the focus of his community service.

Our contribution today is mainly financial via grants

• to fund our scholarship awards,
• to the local non-profit organizations serving the students, and
• to the alumni association to fund a CPA to handle its accounting and to a principal’s discretionary fund through which he reimburses teachers for expenses that benefit their students (which costs they might otherwise have to pay for themselves.)

Our community network is a “virtual” non-profit in that it has no official existence as an entity and it has no overhead or staff. Our loyal donors direct their tax deductible contributions to either our scholarship fund at the Arizona Community Foundation (“ACF”) or to the Camelback High School Alumni Association, which is a 501 (c) (3) entity. So virtually 100% of all our donors’ financial contributions go directly to benefit the students and the school staff. The only expense is the small ACF annual fee for handling the scholarship fund.

Our very popular Gap Scholarship program provided since 2013 over 140 awards averaging $3,000 to assist Camelback graduates in filling their gap between their other scholarships and grants and the total cost of attendance at their college of choice.

The current principal ended that gap scholarship program and has created a new scholarship program which funds tuition at colleges for Camelback students who are “dual-enrolled.” This means they are taking high school courses at their high school for which they are also receiving college credits. While most of the dual enrolled students qualify for in-state tuition and a grant from the community college’s foundation, two cohorts of students do not receive these benefits. Those are the out of state students (e.g. undocumented students and refugees). Those two groups of students must come out of pocket to pay for their community college tuition at a rate of just over $1,000 per class per year. Those are the students this new scholarship program is supporting.