May 2023

Dear Parents, Community and CCUSD Staff,

Congratulations to the Class of 2023 on their graduation!  This is an exciting time as they embark on the next step of their life’s journey.  Their hard work, dedication, and accomplishments have led them to this moment. As they move forward into college, the military, community college, trade school or the workforce, we wish them the best of luck and success in all their endeavors.  They have accomplished so much already, and we have no doubt that they will continue to achieve great things in the future.

As they prepare to move on to the next chapter of their lives, they can take pride in their accomplishments and draw upon their experiences to succeed in the future. It is our hope that their time at Cactus Shadows has taught them valuable skills such as independence, critical thinking, problem-solving, and a sense of empowerment to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

We congratulate the graduates of 2023 on their hard work and dedication, and we wish them all the best in their future endeavors. May they continue to learn, grow, and make a positive impact on their communities and the world.

Here are a few noteworthy accomplishments of the Class of 2023:

The class of 2023 consists of approximately 382 graduating seniors

• Congratulations to Lani MacMillan; Parker McQuain; and Nathan Pozen on being named Co-Valedictorians.  They each had a weighted GPA of 4.86

• There were 10 graduates who were in the International Baccalaureate Program, 197 that were in the Early College Program and six seniors attending EVIT

• There were 854 Advanced Placement courses taken and 197 Dual Enrollment classes taken over the past four years by the Class of 2023

• As of this article, we have 18 student athletes who have signed to continue on playing at the collegiate level

Among the many team and individual athletic and fine arts accolades that occurred this school year with the Class of 2023 are the following:

• Both baseball and softball qualified and hosted a home playoff game. Boys advanced to the second round, while our young ladies lost. Baseball plays in the second round today, May 1,  at Catalina Foothills 

• Boys volleyball is a part of the play-in tournament. If they win they will qualify for the state tournament 

• Both girls and boys tennis had a doubles team make the state tournament. The girls doubles team was composed of Madeline Lewis and Emma Hansen. The boys double team included Cole Diefenderfer and Cole Martin 

The Superintendent’s Challenge involves students committing to serve in the community and giving of their time freely through volunteering.  Senior Isabella Fletcher accumulated 741.5 volunteer service hours over her four years at Cactus Shadows High School.  Fifty four seniors participated in this Superintendent’s Challenge and the Class of 2023 contributed over 6,100 hours in bettering the local community over the past 4 years of their high school career.

Again, congratulations to the Class of 2023 for all of your successes.

We are proud of you and are excited for your future - WE ARE FALCONS!

Ms. Marcie Rodriguez 
Acting Superintendent and CFO
Cave Creek Unified School District