Davis Bilingual Elementary Magnet School

The Valenzuela family has built a lasting mariachi legacy throughout Tucson and southeastern Arizona. At Davis Elementary, they’re family. 

Patriarch Alfredo, lovingly referred to as Dr. V, started working for Tucson Unified in 1972 and moved to Davis a decade later. There he has continued to stay. He initially retired in 2003, but continued working as the mariachi instructor. That was when son Jaime started working alongside his father part-time. Dr. V once again retired in 2011, and that’s when, after completing his college degree at NAU, Jaime became the mariachi teacher full-time. 

“It just makes me so proud to see so many kids have something so positive,” Dr. V said. “And what really touches me is the fact that my two sons and my daughter, and a lot of my grandchildren now, have continued the mariachi tradition.” 

Lesvia is in her third year at Davis, fifth in the district – and she has no plans of changing schools again. The Honduran teacher loves working in a school where students and the community are always engaged and where lessons are bilingual in English and Spanish. 

For Hispanic Heritage month, Lesvia taught her class a traditional Honduran dance and conducted a class project where students were assigned different Latin countries to research. When time came to present, students were asked to bring a traditional food dish from their assigned country. 

“It’s just amazing to work in a place like this and know that I’m actually doing something to teach them, and especially in a second language,” Lesvia said. 

A veteran teacher, Sonia has been at Davis the full 12 years she’s been with Tucson Unified. She loves the school because teachers are able to teach in both English and Spanish. And it’s not just about being able to speak another language, but learning formal Spanish while also learning to write, read and speak proficiently. 

Sonia believes it is so important for students to be bilingual because it opens their minds and opens up additional opportunities down the line. 

“Being able to also express themselves [in Spanish] – it’s so important,” Sonia said.