We love the small size of our Academy of Tucson District. It allows us all to truly know – and value – each other. To that end, we reached out to recent AOT alumni to hear about where they are now and how their time with us has influenced their adult life.
Academy of Tucson is known its close-knit community of students and teachers. Jenna Allardice (Valedictorian ‘17) says, “the school as a whole is very welcoming.” “The teachers are supportive and constantly trying to improve themselves to better the students.” Timothy Anderson (Salutatorian ‘17) agrees, adding “I enjoyed developing real relationships with the teachers because the classes were so small, and I had most teachers for more than one year.”
An especially rewarding experience for Jenna was "doing science fair with Ms. Friedman. Without her, I would not be where I am today. Even now when I see her, she is always pushing me to do my best!” Jenna continues to strive for excellence as a student at Northern Arizona University, where she is pursuing two bachelor’s degrees and won a scholarship for her work in NAU department of chemistry and biochemistry for outstanding work in chemistry and extracurricular activities.
Both Timothy and Jenna took advantage of the wide range of sports and activities offered at AOT. Timothy told us the most valuable part of high school at AOT was staying involved in activities and sports, including student council, National Honor Society, soccer, basketball and track. “The relationships and experiences I gained from sports and clubs were extraordinary and those memories will carry far into my future.” Timothy took advantage of AP classes and dual enrollment credit during high school and received a full ride scholarship to Northern Arizona University, where he is on the Dean’s List studying Mechanical Engineering, so his future certainly looks bright!
