Arizona school named for Socorro graduate

For Loretta Zumbro, education has been a lifelong passion — one that has now earned her an extraordinary honor: a brand-new elementary school bearing her name. Loretta Zumbro Elementary School will begin opening in phases starting August 2025.

Originally from Socorro, Zumbro moved to town when she was in third grade and attended Socorro’s elementary, junior high, and high schools. After graduating high school, she pursued her dream of teaching by attending Grand Canyon College in Phoenix, Arizona, where she earned her degree in education in 1986.

That same year, she began her career with the Liberty Elementary School District in Buckeye, Arizona, starting as a fourth-grade teacher at Liberty Elementary School — then the district’s only school. “Now, we’re preparing to open our eighth school,” Zumbro said. “We’ve grown from one school to serving around 4,500 students across the Buckeye-Goodyear area.”

Throughout her 39-year career, Zumbro has worn many hats. She spent her first 18 years as a fourth-grade teacher while coaching basketball and volleyball. Later, she transitioned to become the school’s computer lab teacher for six years. When the district created a new position for a Technology Integration Coach, she eagerly stepped into the role, supporting kindergarten through eighth-grade classrooms in using technology to enhance learning.

“I always knew I wanted to be a teacher,” Zumbro said. During her senior year at Socorro High School, a child development program allowed her to spend afternoons at a local elementary school. “Spending time with those students confirmed it for me.”

The idea to name the school after Zumbro was first raised by the district’s school board president, Michael Todd. His proposal cited her decades of dedication and influence on the district’s growth. Having taught his daughter and countless other students over the years, Zumbro’s impact was deeply personal for many in the community.

“It’s an incredible honor,” she said. “I’ve spent my whole career working with kids and teachers. I never imagined something like this. Kids in elementary school are just wonderful people. They’re little sponges. They want to learn. For the most part, they accept somebody being in their life and helping support them in their life, and watching them when the light bulb turns on and it clicks for them, it’s just amazing.”