WESTAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
AND MR. DAVE BOGART
AUGUST 14, 2015
Jen's Editing Note: Summer is over and it's time to go back to school!
West Valley Families - Estrella wants to find out more about each award-winning school in the Estrella community. This week, we shine the light on Westar Elemetnary School. A few years ago, through the nonprofit Arizona in ACTION, I worked with Mr. Bogart to bring the Move-A-Thon, helmet safety and safety day programs to his school. He was great about bringing programs to his school that benefited the students. We thank Mr. Bogart, Principal, at Westar Elementary School for showing us what makes his school unique. We hope you all enjoy a great school year! |
Q. Tell me about your family. Where are you from and if you live in Estrella - how did you decide to move here?
A. I am the proud father of three fabulous children who are now all adults! All of them are either living in Flagstaff or working at a camp in Upstate New York. Two of them followed their mom and dad and attended Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona….and my oldest will probably do the same(: This is where I also spent my high school years eventually moving to the west valley during the early 80s.
I have spent most of that time in Litchfield Park and now am a proud citizen of Goodyear. Once I decided to follow my heart, I began as a substitute teacher looking for a place to call home while attending Arizona State University West pursuing my teaching certification. This led me to the Liberty School District the moment I landed in the original school taking over a fourth grade class as a long-term substitute. Eventually, I completed my degree and signed my first contract with Liberty Elementary in 1992 and have never ventured anywhere else!
A. I am the proud father of three fabulous children who are now all adults! All of them are either living in Flagstaff or working at a camp in Upstate New York. Two of them followed their mom and dad and attended Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona….and my oldest will probably do the same(: This is where I also spent my high school years eventually moving to the west valley during the early 80s.
I have spent most of that time in Litchfield Park and now am a proud citizen of Goodyear. Once I decided to follow my heart, I began as a substitute teacher looking for a place to call home while attending Arizona State University West pursuing my teaching certification. This led me to the Liberty School District the moment I landed in the original school taking over a fourth grade class as a long-term substitute. Eventually, I completed my degree and signed my first contract with Liberty Elementary in 1992 and have never ventured anywhere else!
Q. Tell me about your interests… what do you like to do?
A. During my time in our district I have enjoyed coaching just about every sport available to our kids in the district. It started with my first love…basketball but moved into baseball and some refereeing in volleyball. I have run student council, coordinated our summer school program for migrant students as well as been to more junior high dances than you can count on all of your families fingers and toes combined(:
A. During my time in our district I have enjoyed coaching just about every sport available to our kids in the district. It started with my first love…basketball but moved into baseball and some refereeing in volleyball. I have run student council, coordinated our summer school program for migrant students as well as been to more junior high dances than you can count on all of your families fingers and toes combined(:
Q. Please tell us about Westar Elementary School. How long has it been serving students and how long have you been at the school?
A. After teaching fourth grade and one year of fifth grade for nearly ten years, I began to pursue a degree in administration eventually becoming the Assistant Principal at Estrella Mountain Elementary for one year. This led me to become the Principal there from 2000-2009 before I was asked to move to Westar Elementary during the middle of that school year. I have been in this community ever since and feel as though this is really where I live. I spend most of waking hours here at Westar planning and preparing the many facets of being the leader of such a great group of dedicated educators!
A. After teaching fourth grade and one year of fifth grade for nearly ten years, I began to pursue a degree in administration eventually becoming the Assistant Principal at Estrella Mountain Elementary for one year. This led me to become the Principal there from 2000-2009 before I was asked to move to Westar Elementary during the middle of that school year. I have been in this community ever since and feel as though this is really where I live. I spend most of waking hours here at Westar planning and preparing the many facets of being the leader of such a great group of dedicated educators!
There are so many fabulous families that chose to live in Estrella Mountain Ranch with a wide-range of expertise which we hope to tap into for the enjoyment of our students. We want them to see the different types of careers available to them as they begin their life journey!
Q. What is unique about your elementary school?
A. Westar became a STEM school after we spent many weeks meeting with parents, students and community leaders to dig down at where we felt our entire stake holders wanted us to focus on. In that time, we have planned thousands of lessons as a team, attended trainings throughout our state, run after school clubs ranging from Robotics, Lego’s, Spanish, Photography, Clay Animation, Chess, Character Counts, Recycling, Video, Yearbook, Drama and so many, many more. This past school year we produced our first Musical having nearly sixty children tryout for parts!
Our staff is very committed to making this place the focus of our community but we work very, very hard to make sure we include anyone who is willing to join our team. This school year we have launched our volunteer program as we have had so many parents become involved over the years that we hope to take this endeavor to the next level. There are so many fabulous families that chose to live in Estrella Mountain Ranch with a wide-range of expertise which we hope to tap into for the enjoyment of our students. We want them to see the different types of careers available to them as they begin their life journey!
This past year we began hanging university banners from the rafters in the gym to show where our parents attended their college years. If you have not had the time to stop by, please do and see if yours is hanging there and if not…drop one off and we will raise it proudly! Our goal is to fill the balance of our gymnasium this year!
A. Westar became a STEM school after we spent many weeks meeting with parents, students and community leaders to dig down at where we felt our entire stake holders wanted us to focus on. In that time, we have planned thousands of lessons as a team, attended trainings throughout our state, run after school clubs ranging from Robotics, Lego’s, Spanish, Photography, Clay Animation, Chess, Character Counts, Recycling, Video, Yearbook, Drama and so many, many more. This past school year we produced our first Musical having nearly sixty children tryout for parts!
Our staff is very committed to making this place the focus of our community but we work very, very hard to make sure we include anyone who is willing to join our team. This school year we have launched our volunteer program as we have had so many parents become involved over the years that we hope to take this endeavor to the next level. There are so many fabulous families that chose to live in Estrella Mountain Ranch with a wide-range of expertise which we hope to tap into for the enjoyment of our students. We want them to see the different types of careers available to them as they begin their life journey!
This past year we began hanging university banners from the rafters in the gym to show where our parents attended their college years. If you have not had the time to stop by, please do and see if yours is hanging there and if not…drop one off and we will raise it proudly! Our goal is to fill the balance of our gymnasium this year!
Q. Anything else you’d like to add??
A. As someone who has been involved in the community for more than 15 years, it has been fun to watch the growth here over time. At one time, Estrella Mountain Elementary had only 125 students eventually growing to more than 850 one year!!! There were no after school programs available to students when I first became a Principal with the exception to competitive athletic programs our district ran. Back in the day I approached the City of Litchfield to run recreation leagues for our school and then I was able to attract the Southwest YMCA before they built a facility in Goodyear.
It was fantastic to see Estrella Youth Sports start a program in our area dedicated to the families in this community. It has provided our kids the opportunities to stay close to home and use our district facilities to play games close enough to walk to! With the addition of the BMX track down the hill and the new mountain bike track by the high school, community members have the opportunity to participate in a growing sport spreading like wild fire across the country. The mountain bike and hiking trails in our area have attracted many families to choose this area to call home. With the lake and the options available to families there is no other place on the west side quite like Estrella Mountain Ranch.
A. As someone who has been involved in the community for more than 15 years, it has been fun to watch the growth here over time. At one time, Estrella Mountain Elementary had only 125 students eventually growing to more than 850 one year!!! There were no after school programs available to students when I first became a Principal with the exception to competitive athletic programs our district ran. Back in the day I approached the City of Litchfield to run recreation leagues for our school and then I was able to attract the Southwest YMCA before they built a facility in Goodyear.
It was fantastic to see Estrella Youth Sports start a program in our area dedicated to the families in this community. It has provided our kids the opportunities to stay close to home and use our district facilities to play games close enough to walk to! With the addition of the BMX track down the hill and the new mountain bike track by the high school, community members have the opportunity to participate in a growing sport spreading like wild fire across the country. The mountain bike and hiking trails in our area have attracted many families to choose this area to call home. With the lake and the options available to families there is no other place on the west side quite like Estrella Mountain Ranch.
CONNECT WITH WESTAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
ON THE WEB
BY PHONE: 623-327-2840 Westar Elementary School 17777 W. Westar Drive Goodyear, Arizona 85338 |
THE LIBERTY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT
ON THE WEB
BY PHONE: 623-474-6600 Liberty Elementary School District 19871 W. Fremont Road Buckeye, Az 85326 |