| La Paloma Academy Welcomes New P.E. Teacher |
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CONTACT: Alejandra Cardenas La Paloma Academy Welcomes New P.E. TeacherDemond Williams joins charter school to teach, coach school’s first tackle football team Tucson, AZ (10/13/11) – As parent/teacher conference time approaches, one of the new faces parents will meet at La Paloma Academy is the new P.E. teacher and tackle football coach, Demond Williams. A former Michigan State special teams football player, Williams is the newest addition to La Paloma’s Central Campus. His athletic background has allowed the charter school to add a tackle football team to their sports offerings for the first time ever, and the students have been eager to take part. At the same time, his personal experiences make him a unique role model for the kids he teaches and coaches. Williams has been dedicated to football his entire life, playing at the high school and college level. Despite losing his mother when he was in sixth grade and his father in high school, Williams focused on his football and college goals, always aware of the role model he represented to his younger sisters. Williams went on to play cornerback for the Pima Community College football team in Tucson and later played on the special teams unit at Michigan State, a school that allowed him to be near his sister. "Williams’ demonstrated ability to overcome life’s obstacles to reach his goals in football and in school, as well as his dedication to family and his football dream, are an inspiration," said Jackie Trujillo-Watins, La Paloma’s Chief Academic Officer. “His students can really learn a lot from him – on and off the field – about character, something we stress the importance of every day at La Paloma. We're glad to have him on our team." La Paloma Academy is a character-based charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade. In addition to focusing on academics and community service, La Paloma Academy implements a values curriculum based on the Character Counts! program’s Six Pillars of Character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. The tuition-free school also offers art, computer and P.E. classes, as well as extracurricular sports teams including volleyball, basketball, soccer and now, thanks to Williams, tackle football. The football program at La Paloma Academy serves students ages 11-14 who try out at the beginning of the school year and make the team. The La Paloma football team practices at the Central campus at 2050 N. Wilmot Road, which also hosts a portion of the games. Games take place on Saturdays. To learn more about La Paloma Academy, please visit www.lpatucson.org. For interviews with Jackie Trujillo-Watins or La Paloma Founder and Superintendent Raena Janes, please call the contacts listed at the top of this release. About La Paloma AcademyAs the largest and fastest-growing charter school system in Southern Arizona, La Paloma Academy continually discovers new fun and innovative ways to make the educational experience at each of its campuses entertaining and challenging. In just three short years, La Paloma experienced unprecedented growth, expanding from one campus in Tucson with 350 students to two campuses with over 1,400 students. Raena Janes, the founder and superintendent of La Paloma Academy, focuses her efforts on education with individualized instruction, incorporation of extra curricular activities and emphasis on the importance of family and community values. La Paloma Academy was awarded the State of Arizona’s 2005 Excellence in Education Award. In addition, Ms. Janes was named as one of Tucson’s 40 Under 40 in 2006, Phoenix’s 40 Under 40 in 2011 and Tucson’s Mentor of the Year in 2008. Visit the school’s website at www.lpatucson.org. |
