Block 1 Blood Drive
September 20th marked the first successful Blood Drive of the 2017-18 school. Sponsored by United Blood Services and coordinated on campus by Key Club student, many students stepped up to the challenge and provided 81 life-saving procedures with their 27 donations. Th next Blood Drive will be Tuesday, December 6th. 

Field Trip Friday
During the month of September, student took full advantage of Field Trip Fridays. Students in Ms. Fortino and Mrs. Jacob's science classes were able to spend a day at the World Wildlife Zoo & Aquarium. Mrs. Sparks took her classes to a Shakespeare production and Ms Lieu's class went to the Phoenix Art Museum. Seniors also took a campus tour of Glendale Community College. Be sure to check out Tiny's Calendar to see where PA will be going next! 

Release the Fear
PAHS's Art Humanities class had the unique opportunity to work with guest artists from the Release the Fear program, which seeks to instill "acceptance, hope, and self empowerment...through the creative process".  Students worked through team building exercises and shared some powerful moments with each other. Through the various games, students developed their communication skills, worked with others to problem solve, and learned to see that there were others around them who were facing the same struggles, fears, and self doubt.  Students learned to look within to realize and actualize their own potential and creativity. In the end, students came together to complete a collaborative mural. 

Fall Festival
​What an amazing way to end a busy September! Thank you to all students and guests who came out to our Fall Festival that took place on Friday, September 29th! Lunch was extended so that everyone could enjoy a free BBQ lunch and play all the games for prizes. Additonally, we had 17 high-school-age guests on our campus with their friends to check out the campus! A  special thanks goes out to Key Club, Gay-Straight Alliance, #BulldogPride, Something Better, Art club, and all staff members that ran the games and helped make this first Fall Festival a great one! 

Important October Dates: 
Monday, October 2-5: SPRIDE Week. Check Tiny's Calendar to see what dress days and lunch-time activities are in progress. 
Thursday, October 12: Last Day of Block 1! All Block 1 grads are invited to attend a small celebration and pick up their grad shirt in the office at 1pm. The Student of the Block presentation will occur during 2nd hour and we'll be raffling off two prizes for the final Tiny Token Raffle of Block 1: A Chromebook & 2 lower-level tickets to an upcoming Coyotes Hockey game. 
Fall Break, October 13-22: The office will be open for Block 2 enrollments. Block 2 Schedules will be available in Synergy on Friday, October 20th. 
Monday, October 23: 1st Day of Block 2! Schedules will be available for pick-up in the courtyard beginning at 7:30 am. 

On Thursday, September 7th from 5:30pm-7pm, Peoria Accelerated High School will be holding a Kick-off event for our new High School Health and Wellness (HSHW) Program.  Thanks to a 3-year grant overseen by the Governor's Office of Youth, Faith, and Family, we will be able to provide a comprehensive substance use prevention program for our students.  Multiple health and wellness agencies geared towards teens will be present and providing information about their services within our community.  We will be setting up Fatal Vision marijuana activities in our classrooms in order to provide a hands-on learning experience as to how drugs can effect cognitive functioning.    

The goal of the HSHW Program is to prevent the onset of underage drinking, marijuana use, and prescription drug misuse while creating a healthy learning environment.  We are also utilizing an evidence-based approach to encourage healthy choices through our student club Something Better. Held every Friday, students have the ability to participate in a group aimed at reducing risky behaviors while also having fun. 

​Peoria Accelerated High School's Key Club collaborated with The United Blood Services to run quarterly blood collections during the 2016-17 school year. Key Club members worked each block to advertise and promote the drive, register donors, and run the drive the day of by pulling students to donate and ushering them to the blood bus. This was truly a student driven campaign. April Flores, a second year Key Club member and graduating Senior, completed all online registrations every block. Her leadership and organization helped to ensure 114 successful donations this year. PA's Key Club members again received a platinum award from The United Blood Services for their efforts. Thank you to all PA staff and students who donated blood throughout the year. The club is looking forward to next year's donations starting on September 20, 2017. Remember one donations can save three lives!