Message from Our Superintendent
Superintendent’s Message
Dear Altar Valley Families,
What Do You Want to Be for Halloween—or When You Grow Up?
As we get ready for Halloween, one of the big discussions in our house since the summer has been, “What are we going to be for Halloween?”
Over the years, the Dumon family has had some great family Halloween themes. We have been Barbie—with my daughter as Cowgirl Barbie and Mom and Dad as roller-skating Barbie and Ken. We have been Aladdin, with my daughter as Princess Jasmine and Dad as the Genie. We have even been The Little Mermaid, with my daughter as Ariel and Dad as Aquaman, inspired by Jason Momoa (my favorite). And there have been plenty of others along the way.
I bring this up because Halloween gives us a fun opportunity to ask another important question: What do we want to be when we grow up?
My daughter often talks about becoming a fashion designer and, at times, even the President of the United States. I would like to think that some of our conversations about being a confident, kind, smart, and determined helped inspire this year’s Halloween costume. She has decided to be Elle Woods from Legally Blonde and Legally Blonde 2, two movies we happened to watch over the past eight months.
Elle Woods is fashionable, bubbly, determined, and confident. She starts as a sorority president and later becomes an attorney. More importantly, she is positive, kind, smart, and refuses to change who she is just to fit someone else’s expectations
So, when I think about what my daughter wants to be for Halloween and what she dreams of becoming when she grows up, I can’t help but be excited. Halloween may be about pretending to be someone else for a day, but it can also give us an opportunity to think about who we want to become.
For me, this Halloween—and as I think about the year ahead—I want to model some of my own actions and practices after a character I recently watched on the big screen: He-Man from Masters of the Universe.
He-Man represents strength used for a purpose. He stands for the protection of Eternia and uses his power to help and protect those who cannot always protect themselves. His strength is not simply about being powerful; it is about how he chooses to use that power.
Adam transforms into He-Man by raising the Sword of Power and declaring:
“By the Power of Grayskull, I have the Power!”
As we enter this Halloween season and look toward the year ahead, I want to challenge all of us at Altar Valley to think about the power we have—not just individually, but together.
We have the power to encourage.
We have the power to support one another.
We have the power to make a difference for our kids, students, and families.
We have the power to help one another grow.
So, as Altar Valley continues to Build, Grow, Flourish, and Succeed, I invite you to join me in creating our own Altar Valley version:
“By the Power of Altar Valley, WE HAVE THE POWER!”
Happy Halloween!
Dr. Dave Dumon
Superintendent
Altar Valley School District #51
ddumon@avsd.org
520-822-1484
#AllStarsRead
DR. DAVID DUMON COMPLETES AASA NATIONAL SUPERINTENDENT CERTIFICATE PROGRAM
The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) selected 30 superintendents from across Arizona to participate in the National Board Certification Program, a 20-month professional experience designed to bolster the effectiveness of superintendents across the nation. The program followed a cohort model and supported leaders with the knowledge, skills, and practices to advance, guide and support superintendents to be future-ready as they enhance learning opportunities for students. The AASA National Superintendent Certification Program provided a real-time focus on key issues that superintendents are facing today. Congratulations, Dr. Dumon!
CONGRATULATIONS, DR. DUMON!
Congratulations to Dr. David Dumon for being selected to receive ASA’s All Arizona Superintendent Award for the Small Size School Districts.
Dr. Dumon is superintendent of the Altar Valley School District in Tucson, Arizona. Dr. Dumon and the Governing Board have developed a strong rapport that centers on common goals around students achievement and an understanding that the schools are social and cultural anchors in the small community of Three Points. Within the first year, he and his board created a strategic plan that focused on students achieving both personal and academic excellence. The strategic plan has guided the district toward their goals and is revisited frequently with stakeholders.
Dr. Dumon identified, adopted, and implemented a comprehensive core reading program during the beginning of his tenure. He led the restructuring of the K–8 literacy instruction to include rigorous Tier I instruction and targeted Tier II and Tier III interventions.
He is involved with professional development, instructional coaching, and implementation of DIBELS benchmark screening for teachers and administrators. He believes data should be used to guide teaching, learning, and professional development.
The district is a key partner in the annual Three Points Community Festival where Dr. Dumon serves on the planning committee. At this annual event, the Three Points community, a rural, unincorporated area 25 miles west of Tucson come together. Board members, staff, and community partners come together each Thanksgiving to cook, serve, and enjoy Thanksgiving dinner for families in need. During the pandemic Altar Valley School District partnered with Pima County and provided fresh food boxes to more than 30 families each month.
He is guided by the word of Lewis Carroll, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” Dr. Dumon cares deeply about teaching and learning. He appreciates school isn’t easy for everyone (him included) and that each child has a right to quality instruction. He visits classrooms, playgrounds, and attends extra-curricular events and enjoys taking on the role of motivator-in-chief. You may see him as Professor “Dumon”-dore from Harry Potter, reminding Altar Valley School District students that they have the magic within them to succeed, the Last Jedi inspiring students to find the force within themselves to achieve, or putting the “Super” in Superintendent as Altar Valley Man.
Altar Valley School District is a social and cultural anchor in the Three Points community. It serves nearly 600 students, encompassing nearly 700 square miles of high Sonoran Desert and mountains situated between metro Tucson and the Tohono O’odham Nation.
Meet Our Superintendent
Dr. David Dumon serves as the superintendent of Altar Valley School District. He began his career in 1995 as a social studies teacher at Alhambra School District in Phoenix. In 2000, Dr. Dumon started his administrative career at Surprise Elementary, a K–8 school, in Dysart Unified School District. He spent the next 14 years in Dysart, most of which was as the principal at Surprise Elementary. His school’s achievements were recognized in 2012 when he was selected for the Arizona School Administrator, Distinguished Administrator Award – Elementary Division and honored as a finalist for the Rodel Exemplary Principal Award.
As superintendent of Altar Valley, Dr. Dumon has focused on ensuring schools run efficiently and allocating resources appropriately, while always considering what is best for kids. Dr. Dumon is committed to maintaining small class sizes and offering free, full-day pre-school and kindergarten. In 2022, Dr. Dumon was awarded the All Arizona Superintendent Award for Small Districts and completed his certification for American Association for School Administrators (AASA) National Superintendent Certification.
Dr. Dumon is a three-time graduate of Arizona State University where he received his bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees. He lives in Tucson with his wife, daughter, and two dogs.