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Tempe Union students earn 24 Rocky Mountain Emmy nominations; Corona del Sol pilots FAFSA beta test
Summary
Tempe Union superintendent highlighted 24 Rocky Mountain Emmy Student Production nominations across three schools and reported Corona del Sol was one of five national pilot sites for the U.S. Department of Education FAFSA beta test, with 147 applications submitted so far.
Superintendent Dr. Sylvia Wilson told the Tempe Union High School District Governing Board that students from three district schools earned a total of 24 nominations in the 2025 Rocky Mountain Emmy Student Production Awards.
Dr. Wilson said Corona del Sol accounted for 16 nominations, Marcos de Niza for six, and another school for two, marking the most nominations the district has received in a single year. She credited students, teachers and the district’s career and technical education satellite programs for the recognition.
Elizabeth Banashevsky, identified in the meeting as a film and television teacher, described how the program at her school has changed campus culture and helped students find career focus. Ben Forbes, film and TV teacher at Corona del Sol, said he was “incredibly proud” of his students and specifically named a student, Colin, who received five nominations.
In the same superintendent report, Dr. Wilson said Corona del Sol was one of five high schools and districts nationwide selected to beta test the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. She said more than 600 seniors participated in an on-campus FAFSA workshop supported by 35 volunteers and federal officials and that 147 FAFSA applications have been fully submitted so far, with more in progress.
Dr. Wilson recognized staff members Cheryl Genuzzi and Maggie Fountain for coordinating the FAFSA event and said the pilot will be expanded districtwide to help seniors prepare for postsecondary plans.
The board offered congratulations to students and staff at the meeting; no board action was required on the recognitions or the FAFSA pilot update.
