Holbrook Junior High School - Helping Unique Students Develop

Get ready for a night of swing and soul!

Join The Commanders Jazz Ensemble from the Air Force Band of the Golden West for an unforgettable evening at the George Gardner Performing Arts Center. From big band jazz classics and contemporary charts to patriotic favorites, this high-energy performance is one you won’t want to miss!

📅 Event Details
When: Thursday, February 5, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Where: George Gardner Performing Arts Center
585 N 9th Ave, Holbrook, AZ 86025

Cost: FREE and open to the public!

♿ Accessibility
This event is wheelchair accessible, ensuring everyone in our community can enjoy the music.

🎙️ About the Host
The Air Force Band of the Golden West is dedicated to honoring our nation and connecting with communities through the power of music. The Commanders Jazz Ensemble brings together 20 world-class Airmen-musicians to deliver a professional, rousing, and patriotic musical experience.

Great girls basketball action tonight with our student athletes giving it their all. We saw excellent sportsmanship from both teams and truly appreciate all of the Roadrunner fans and our St John visitors who traveled to support their team. A big congratulations to the Roadrunners on another exciting victory.

Wow what a night! HJHS swept the district spelling bee taking 1st 2nd 3rd and 4th place! It was an exciting evening filled with hard work and school pride from our students families and staff.

Congratulations to our amazing spellers
1st place Bicenti Gurule 6th grade
2nd place Arianna Brown 7th grade
3rd place Tatum Manygoats 7th grade
4th place Keaira Bachtell 7th grade

We also want to recognize Ryker Shank 7th grade for competing with confidence.

We are so proud of all of our Roadrunners and thankful to everyone who came out to cheer them on!

Come out and cheer on our amazing district spelling bee contestants. Representing the junior high are Keaira Bachtell, Arianna Brown, Tatum Manygoats, Bicente Gurule, and Ryker Shank. These students have worked hard and are ready to shine and we wish them the very best of luck. A special thank you to Ms. Estridge for dedicating her after school time to support and prepare our spellers. We are proud of you all.

Prizes arrived today for our winners of the Homeland Cyber Security Calendar Contest. We are proud of our student winners: Jessica Lerma, Clarice Pack, Starla Harragarra, Mr. Tucker (Art Teacher) Not picture is Tatum Begay.

Boys and girls basketball pictures will be taken on Monday, January 26, 2026. All picture orders must be placed online. No money will be accepted on picture day. Please use the following website to place your order: https://v2.myproimages.com/www.spanglerpics.com/54290/search?code=GNCHU

Thank you to all of our parents for coming out and cheering on our students who received awards for grades and attendance. We had a large number of students recognized, and parents, give yourselves a pat on the back for encouraging your children to complete their schoolwork, study for tests, and attend school daily. Your support truly makes a difference.

Congratulations to all of our students who were recognized for Being the One Roadrunner. We are proud of your hard work and commitment to excellence.

Thank you to our staff for their dedication and hard work in supporting, encouraging, and guiding our students every day. These successes would not be possible without you.

There will be no school on Monday, January 19, as we will be observing Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Congratulations to our boys basketball teams. Both of our boys teams won tonight. The boys played at home while the girls team traveled to Mogollon to take on the Mogollon Mustangs. Thank you to the parents of all teams for your continued support and great sportsmanship..

We would like to remind parents about our upcoming Academic Awards Assembly. Students who are receiving an award were given an invitation. If you are unsure whether your child is receiving an award please ask them. The assembly will begin promptly at 9:30 am on Friday and will be held in the gymnasium. We look forward to celebrating our students’ achievements with you.

Come out and pack the HJHS gymnasium to support our boys basketball team. Our Roadrunners will take on the Mogollon Mustangs in what is sure to be an exciting matchup. Bring your energy, cheer loud, and show great sportsmanship as we encourage and support our young athletes. Let’s make it a great day of Roadrunner pride.

The feathers were flying between the Roadrunners and the Eagles. It was a great home opener with an outstanding crowd and fast paced action from both the girls and boys basketball teams. The energy in the gym was amazing. Thank you to everyone for showing great sportsmanship and for being encouraging and supportive of all players. What a fantastic night for junior high basketball.

Friday marked the Grand Opening of the BIJOU (Bee zhoo) Teen Center located at 1002 W. Hopi Drive and HJHS is thrilled to partner with our community to support our students. This exciting new space offers a welcoming place for students to connect and grow whether they are making new friends, playing shuffleboard or board games, finding a quiet place to study, participating in a group, communicating through a podcast, or enjoying activities that make use of the beautiful kitchen.
Opportunities like this strengthen the bond between our school and community and create positive spaces for our students to thrive. Be on the lookout for more information.

It has been a great week welcoming students back from Winter Recess. Today we enjoyed our scheduled Student Council sponsored Game Day, and the energy on campus was amazing. Laughter, teamwork, and school spirit filled the gym as students participated and cheered each other on.

This month’s most spirited class was our 8th graders. They showed outstanding enthusiasm and pride throughout the event. A special thank you to Ms. Jimenez and Mrs. Paschal for sponsoring and supporting this great group of students. Their leadership helped make the day a success.

Moments like these remind us how special our junior high community is. The excitement, positive attitudes, and student engagement truly made today something to celebrate. Be sure to check out the photos to see the smiles, spirit, and fun that made this Game Day unforgettable.

We would like to recognize our December Students and Staff of the Month. Congratulations to Miriam Stacey classified staff, Summer Charley, Reis Nez, Nevaeh Keoni, Abigail Chee, Cash Tisi, Camilo Pupo-Cacer, and Erik Salley certified staff.

Congratulations to Karen Estridge and Kris Manning on being selected as recipients of the Fiesta Sports Foundation’s Wishes for Teachers grant! 🎉

They were recognized at halftime of the Rate Bowl and had the honor of participating in the Fiesta Bowl Parade. Each recipient will receive $2,500 to use toward classroom and school supplies to bring their instructional wishes to life.

The Fiesta Sports Foundation’s Wishes for Teachers program is celebrating its 10th year, and this year’s increased funding will support a record 540 Arizona educators. We are proud to have Karen and Kris recognized among so many deserving teachers across the state.

Thank you both for your dedication to our students and for representing our school with excellence!

HJHS will be hosting our Academic Awards Assembly on January 16 at 9:30 a.m. in the gymnasium. We look forward to recognizing our students for their academic achievements. More information to come.

This week we are wrapping up the semester with lots of school spirit and festive fun as we celebrate Spirit Week. Classrooms and hallways are full of energy, smiles, and holiday cheer. While we celebrate, we will also continue to keep students engaged with meaningful schoolwork in their classrooms as we finish the semester strong.

Winter Recess will be December 22 through January 2, giving everyone time to rest, recharge, and enjoy the holidays with family and friends.

We will return refreshed and ready to learn as we begin a new semester on Monday, January 5, 2026.

Thank you to our students, staff, and families for an amazing semester. Wishing everyone a joyful, safe, and restful holiday season.

Thank you to all the families who came out to support your children at our music concerts held on December 10. We kicked off the evening at 5:00 with an intimate gathering of family and friends cheering on our guitar class. From there, the musical magic continued at the George Gardner Performing Arts Center, where our band and choir filled the auditorium with festive Christmas music.

A huge thank you to Mrs. Taylor for guiding our students as they learn to read music, sing with confidence, and share their talents with our parents and community. It was a wonderful night of celebration, creativity, and holiday spirit.

So proud of our amazing teams of 6th and 7th graders who competed in their first Lego League robotics competition on December 6 at Coconino High School in Flagstaff. These students worked incredibly hard, learned a ton, and represented their school with energy, dedication, and endless curiosity. They truly are young innovators.

Both teams are already buzzing with excitement for next year and cannot wait to compete again. It was a marathon day for everyone. Students met at 5:15 in the morning and did not return until after 7 in the evening, but every moment was filled with learning, teamwork, and fun.

A huge thank you to Coach Baloo and Coach Jimenez for the time, passion, and commitment you pour into this program. You make opportunities like this possible.