AZ Network Board Meeting
The board meeting commenced with a roll call confirming quorum, with all members participating via Zoom. A new board member, Maria, was introduced and welcomed, sharing her extensive background, including previous roles with Great Hearts and Phoenix City Council. Following a brief call to the public with no attendees, the board addressed a lengthy consent agenda, which was approved unanimously after clarifying the naming convention for a potential expansion property in Peoria (Archway Classical AC Academy Peoria). The primary focus then shifted to academy operations reports from Great Hearts Glendale and Glendale Prep. Glendale presented their annual thematic goal of 'Dare to Be Virtuous,' detailing efforts to encourage virtuous behavior through student exemplars (like a knighting ceremony for fourth graders), deep dives into virtues for faculty, and parent engagement events such as a session on human flourishing in a digital age. Survey results indicated strong agreement (93%) that the school fosters virtuous habits and that students are kind to one another (90%). Glendale Prep reported on their goal to 'return to our roots' concerning moral and intellectual development, focusing on curriculum/pedagogy, faculty cohesiveness (through shared readings like The Iliad), and student culture/discipline. New initiatives included revamped typing instruction and increased Tier 2/3 interventions at Glendale, and a faculty vs. faculty basketball game and a leadership pinning tradition at Glendale Prep.