2022 Updates to the Sunnyside Dollars for Scholars Program

The Sunnyside Foundation is excited to share that as of Fall 2022, the organization will now be managing the Dollars for Scholars Scholarship program started by the Sunnyside Alumni Association. 

The Foundation is excited to carry on the Alumni Association's rich legacy of supporting higher education opportunities for SUSD seniors. 

The scholarship program aligns with the Sunnyside Foundation's Excellence in Education initiatives and our mission to advance an intergenerational culture of learning by investing in projects rooted in courage, community, equity and imagination in Tucson's southside. 

Scholarships are awarded each year to graduating seniors at Desert View, Sunnyside and STAR Academic high schools. The scholarship application will open Dec. 1, 2022 and the deadline to apply is Feb. 3, 2022. 

Please direct any questions about the Dollars for Scholars Scholarship Program to info@sunnysidefoundation.org or (520) 437-1163.

Sunnyside Alumni Association awards $44,500 to 38 grads

The Sunnyside School District Alumni Association will host its seventh annual scholarship reception Wednesday, April 25 at Desert View High School. The event will honor 38 students and the sponsors of scholarships totaling $44,500.

Also at the event, the Alumni Association will present the 2012 Learning Community Leader Award to Desert View senior Timothy Crain, who has been accepted to the U.S. Air Force Academy. Tim has held every command role in his four years in Desert View's Air Force JROTC. He has been a Sunnyside District student since kindergarten, at Gallego Basic Elementary School and Lauffer Middle School. Guest speaker at the April 25 event will be Daniel Hernandez, Jr., the 2011 Learning Community Leader Award recipient and a member of the SUSD Governing Board.

In seven years, the Alumni Association has awarded $424,500 to 358 graduates from the Sunnyside District. It was named the 2011 National New Chapter of the Year by Scholarship America - Dollars for Scholars.

The Alumni Association adopted the national Dollars for Scholars program to increase support for Sunnyside District students to pursue postsecondary education. This is the first year that students from Desert View and Sunnyside high schools and S.T.A.R. Academic Center applied for Dollars for Scholars scholarships online; by connecting to the national network, they are also eligible for other scholarships in addition to the Alumni Association's awards.  This effort is a significant part of the district's Learning Community Initiative; its mission is to increase the number of students who graduate from high school and continue their education. The Sunnyside District is one of four sites in the nation selected to participate in the Learning Communities Coalition. Coalition members include USA Funds and Scholarship America.

2012 Alumni Association Dollars for Scholars scholarships:

Brush Ceramics, CORE Construction, Dr. Raúl Bejarano, Fred T. Bull Memorial, Friends of Diego, Jim & Bonita Garrett, George & Eugenia Favela, Gilbert Koestel Memorial, Hector Encinas, Humana, Alma J. Bowen Buza & Audrey L. Bowen Powers Memorial - Class of 1958, Staff Sergeant James Roberts Memorial, Isquierdo Family in Memory of Delphine Nowak, Michael Chihak, Mike Parker Memorial, Paul Hernandez Memorial, Pima Federal Credit Union, Raytheon, Raúl Aguirre, Raúl Nido, Rich Mayorga, Robert Lee Bostic Memorial, Rose Marie Lopez Memorial, Rosemont Copper Mining/Sunnyside Foundation, Scholarship America, Simone Soria Memorial, Sunnyside Administrators Association, Sunnyside Education Association, Tom Dalrymple Memorial, Tucson Federal Credit Union, USA Funds.