Fountain Hills Unified School District’s goal is to prepare students to venture out and succeed in the world, but there is a fair share of successful graduates who have come back to their alma mater to help the next generation of Falcons soar.

Currently, there are 10 staff members working across the three FHUSD campuses who attended the district when they were students.

This is the fifth and final article in a series profiling the FHUSD staff who returned to the nest.

Laura Lorenz

Laura Lorenz has worn many hats in the education field since she graduated from Fountain Hills High School in 2003.

Lorenz has taught English internationally, special education here in Arizona and is currently one of the newest counselors at Fountain Hills Middle School.

Before moving back to her home town, Lorenz was up north working at a Navajo Nation non-profit in Flagstaff where she worked with adults.

Lorenz realized during her time there, though, that she could be doing more by working with younger people.

“I decided that the biggest impact that I can make was going back and working with kids,” Lorenz explained. “Before I was doing court-mandated domestic violence therapy for offenders and got to see that part of the spectrum of human choices. It was heartbreaking and a lot of times people would say all I wanted was someone to listen when I was kid.”

Lorenz said it feels like coming full circle returning to Fountain Hills and working in the school system that she not only studied in, but also a school system that her mother worked in for over a decade.

“I love this community; its home,” Lorenz said. “My parents live here, I am raising my son here so it feels like coming full circle. It’s also funny because a lot of people know my mom, who was the guidance counselor at the high school for 15 years. We joked that my mom has passed the torch to me.”

Along with her role as counselor, Lorenz is also working with Fort McDowell to be, as she puts it, the bridge between the two institutions.

Ryann Johnson

When Ryann Johnson applied for a position at FHMS over the summer she was originally interested in the position of administrative assistant but, during her interview, the school realized they could use Johnson elsewhere.

“Getting into teaching was kind of an accident, really,” Johnson explained. “When I was interviewing for a different job they pointed out that my degree was in biology and biochemistry and said they were in need of science teachers.”

Johnson isn’t new to the world of education, though.

“When I was in college I did a lot of work in the world of higher education and I had decided that was what I wanted to do,” Johnson said. “I was a resident assistant for three years, I worked with desk operations and helped plan conferences. I really like being in a position of mentorship for other students and making their educational experience the best possible.”

Johnson graduated from FHHS in 2015 and, during her career as a student at FHUSD, she attended McDowell Mountain, Four Peaks and her current work place, FHMS. Being back has been a little odd for her.

“It is certainly weird,” Johnson said with a laugh. “Everything has changed but also nothing has changed. It has also been good, too. It feels like I am sticking to my roots.”