Johnson K3

Antonio is a 26-year Tucson Unified employee – and has spent his entire tenure at Johnson Primary. The main reason he first came to the southwest school, and has continued to stay at, is his affiliation to the Pasqua Yaqui Tribe. Due to its proximity to the reservation, Johnson Primary has a lot of students that are affiliated with the Tribe as well.  

Because of that connection, Antonio loves that he’s able to maintain relationships with his students past school. 

“I’m in a unique position in that, when I do go over to the reservation, a lot of the students that I’ve taught, I see there,” Antonio said. “I don’t think a lot of teachers get that. Once a student leaves, you may bump into a student [randomly], but you may never see them again. But actually, I see a lot of my students that have attended here over there [on the reservation].” 

Lilly has worked at Johnson Primary for about 20 years and, although she’s had a couple of different positions in that time, she’s always worked in the front office. And she loves it. Lilly loves being able to impact all parts of the school – staff, students, parents, and the community. 

Some of Lilly’s favorite memories of her tenure revolve around working with a variety of students and just being able to work with children. She loves being able to see how every student progresses over the course of their stay at Johnson Primary.  

Years ago, Lilly and her family moved down to Sahuarita, but she never considered changing schools. She loves Johnson Primary so much that she doesn’t mind making the longer commute. 

Roni is a 29-year employee of Tucson Unified, but has spent the last four years at Johnson Primary and has had a broad experience of positions in that time. Although she now serves as the Curriculum Service Provider, she started her career working in a library, before moving onto a teacher, then mentor, and instructional coach. 

As a CSP, Roni’s day usually includes making classroom observations, managing behavior management meetings, being part of the school leadership team, and more. She’s involved in multiple facets that help the school run smoother. But she loves it. She loves being part of such a special school. 

“It’s a strong community – everyone pulls together,” Roni said. “The staff is wonderful to work with, and everybody’s on the same page and the team spirit is great.”