In Cave Creek USD it is our mission to provide an innovative, high-quality learning experience for all students. By facilitating strategies to develop curious, resilient, critical-thinking problem-solvers, students and educators will be empowered to make a difference, while inspiring excellence in our families, community, and world.

We believe teachers are at the core of this mission as they influence our students daily. Each year, we recognize seven teachers who exemplify what it means to be a part of our Cave Creek USD learning community. The criteria we use to select these teachers is based in part on the Arizona Education Foundation application as well as highlights from our CCUSD Strategic Plan.

We encourage you to nominate a Cave Creek teacher you know who meets these criteria:
* Spend the majority (over 50%) of their teaching assignment in direct instruction to students.
* Teach any grade Pre-K-12th (or combination) in Arizona. Teachers may work in any content area, including Special Education, P.E., the Arts, etc.
* Have completed at least six (6) full years as a classroom teacher at the time the application is submitted with the most recent three years in Arizona. Years of student teaching do not count toward the 6 year requirement.
* Be a full-time teacher and plan to continue in an active teaching status through the school year 2022-2023.
* Exemplify a “one team” mentality by taking responsibility for all of the unwritten additional duties in order to support our students. (i.e., creating community partnerships, serving our community beyond school hours, serving on campus and district committees, etc.)
* Support student success by encouraging students to take ownership of their learning through student-directed learning tasks so that they can successfully navigate career and life.
* Promote employee excellence by engaging in professional learning communities in a way that not only improves their own teaching, but the teaching of their colleagues as well.
* Create a safe learning environment by developing strong relationships with students, families, and colleagues.
* Demonstrate commitment to the Cave Creek community (i.e., engage in community events, longevity in the district, etc.).