North Central News - School Days: School News

School Days: School News

SVA honors Super Students
The Sunnyslope Village Alliance’s Seventh Grade Super Student of the Month winners for January were: Zachary Smith of Royal Palm Middle School; Cassandra Myers and Norma Cruz of Mountain View Elementary School, and Dafne Gracia and Gerardo Espericueta of Sunnyslope Elementary School.
The SVA’s Super Student program for seventh graders began nine years ago in partnership with Arizona Public Service, who generously funds the program. The students are chosen by their teachers for exhibiting positive citizenship and academic achievement..

Kiwanis honor local students

Three local students were honored by the Kiwanis Club of Sunnyslope during its “Student of the Month” luncheon, held Feb. 14 on the campus of Sunnyslope High School.

Odalys Hernandez

Desert View Elementary fifth grader Odalys Hernandez was described as being a budding athlete who enjoys soccer and cross country running while maintaining high enough grades to continually appear on the honor roll.

Robert Heath

Royal Palm Middle School eighth grader Robert Heath also is an athlete who plays shortstop and plans on being on the Sunnyslope High School baseball team next year as a freshman. At Royal Palm, he excels academically and serves on the Student Council. Robert drew his own ticket at the luncheon to win the Kiwanis 50/50 raffle.

Miles Dallas Dehlin

Sunnyslope High School senior Miles Dallas Dehlin was praised for achieving the Excel level for math and reading on the AIMS test. The longtime member of the Boy Scouts has dabbled in theater, ROTC and football while at Sunnyslope, and plans to study mechanical engineering at Northern Arizona University in the fall.
   The Kiwanis honor outstanding students each month as a way of applauding their academic and leadership successes and encouraging them to continue to set an example for their fellow students.

Metro Tech students compete in skills event
   Metro Tech High School hosted the Sixth Annual Arizona Construction Championships on Feb. 15. Almost 200 students from Arizona high schools, including about 90 from the Construction Technology programs of Metro Tech, were given an opportunity to show their stuff to industry representatives.
   Both male and female students showcased their skills in Carpentry, Construction Technology, Electrical Wiring, Masonry, Medal Stud Framing and Pluming, and tested their leadership skills with Job Interview and Prepared Speech contests. Every contestant also took construction-related math tests.
   The construction students are members of SkillsUSA–Arizona, which is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization for students enrolled in trade, technical, service and health occupations education programs. SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers, and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. Schools represented include Peoria, Centennial, Cactus, Florence and Payson.

Glendale Union High School District
Musician, athlete, and top student

Jeremiah Denton, one of two drum majors for this year’s Washington High School marching band, counts outstanding musicianship as only one of many accomplishments (submitted photo).

Washington High School Drum Major Jeremiah Denton is an extraordinarily talented senior. He plays a variety of musical instruments, conducts, sings, competes in various sports and does community service work. Denton also is an academically motivated student, taking Advanced Placement English, Government, and Biology in addition to choir, jazz band and concert band. He also is a peer tutor for accelerated math classes.
   Denton comes from a musical family. He began taking private piano lessons at the age of 5. He went on to play the French horn and violin at Abraham Lincoln Traditional School and plays the bass clarinet and trumpet in WHS’s award-winning band.
   Denton was one of two drum majors for this year’s WHS marching band. He was selected to play in the District Honor Band and was in the All Region Honor Band last year.
   Last year was Denton’s first year in the WHS choir. He made Regional Honor Choir and All State Honor Choir. This year he was selected to sing in the 2008 Arizona All State Jazz Clinic Choir. Denton was among 20 students chosen to perform at a luncheon of choir directors for the Arizona Music Educators Association State Convention in January.
   Denton performed on stage last month in the lead role for this year’s school musical, “Grease.” In addition to singing for Washington, he also sings in his church choir.
   As if all that weren’t enough, Denton also is a WHS athlete. He competed in swim, tennis and soccer. This year he won third place in the regional swim meet and competed at the state level. As Director of Bands, Eileen McGonigal says, “Jeremiah does it all.”

WHS students win at FBLA conference
   The Future Business Leaders of America chapter at Washington High School has an impressive showing at the FBLA Regional Conference on Feb. 18. Seventeen students from WHS competed on President’s Day at Desert Edge High School and eight awards were won by the Washington chapter.
   Students who received trophies for their performances were: Mariah Barron (Word Processing), Brianda Lizarraga (Accounting), Jessica Lopez (Business Communications), Sally Lopez (Business Math), Elias Valdez (Marketing and Accounting II), and Marjuana Wright (Intro. to Business Communications and Word Processing).

Two from SHS earn Bronze
   Glendale Union and Thunderbird High School hosted this year’s Region II Arizona Academic Decathlon Feb. 1-2. Winners from Sunnyslope High School included Michael Calderon, who earned a Bronze in SuperQuiz (Scholastic Division), and Taylor Higgs, who also captured a Bronze in Interview (Honors Division).
   The purpose of the decathlon is “to promote and acknowledge scholastic excellence through a program of high school-level competitions.”
   Approximately 270 students from 30 Valley high schools participated in the event.

Madison Elementary School District
Simis collects 1 million pop tops

Ronald McDonald, along with Simis Elementary teachers Jean Long and Scott Butler, hold a portion of the 1 million collected pop tops (submitted photo).

Simis students met their goal of collecting one million pop tops thanks to the help of Palo Verde Middle School teacher Scott Butler who donated over 500,000. The school celebrated its accomplishment on Family Math Night on Jan. 31. Ronald McDonald was on hand to present the school with a plaque honoring the students’ achievement.
   The students who began this project in 2003 chose the Ronald McDonald House as the recipient of the proceeds from the pop-top recycling. Irwin Sheinbein of the American Metal Company picked up the 900 pounds of pop-tops, which translated to $650 for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. The students have decided to start collecting another million.

Phoenix Suns Gorilla visits Madison academy
   The Phoenix Suns Gorilla visited Madison Traditional Academy students on Feb. 7 to promote his “Book the Gorilla” program. His “handler” read the Gorilla’s favorite book to students while the Gorilla acted the story out.
   The program encourages reading and creative writing.

Rose Lane welcomes Chinese guests
Lin Ling Lee and Wen Chyi Chiu visited Madison Rose Lane School last month to teach second graders about Chinese culture and traditions. The students each made a rat to commemorate the Chinese New Year, which began on Feb. 7.
   Lin Ling Lee showed students some basic written characters, and each child received his or her name written in beautiful calligraphy.

MTA student wins MLK contest
   Madison Traditional Academy third grader Tatum Cork won third place in the intermediate category of the Arizona State University 2008 Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration essay contest.
   Tatum was honored at the 23rd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast on Jan. 28 in Tempe. She wrote about her aunt, who had visited Africa and helped children.

Meadows captures state volleyball title

The Madison Meadows’ Arizona J.H.S. Girls’ State Volleyball Championship team includes, from left: back row, Coach Erica Secosky, Maeghan Goldman, Allie Teilborg, Anna Panagiotakopoulos, Logan Rae, Alicia Moser, Erin Hill, Darby Oberg, Audrey Nolander, and Sarah Sommerville; front row, Laura Scheel, Kelly Kemp and Jessica Whitney (submitted photo).

   Madison Meadows Middle School, recently captured the Arizona J.H.S. Girls’ State Volleyball Championship, beating rival All Saints’ Episcopal Day School in a dramatic comeback victory.
Meadows battled back from a 0-1 deficit, winning the second and third games of the match to win the title. The Meadows girls were down 17-24 (match point) in the second game and came back to win the game 26-24.
   The school’s victory makes Madison Meadows back-to-back state champions under coach Erica Secosky.

Osborn Elementary School District
Kinder registration
Begins March 27
   Preschool and kindergarten registration for the Osborn District will begin on March 27. Offices at Encanto, Longview, Montecito, and Solano schools will be open until 6 p.m. that day.
   Bring immunization records and birth certificates. All children who will be 5 before Sept. 1, 2008 are eligible to register for kindergarten. Children who will be 4 before Sept. 1 may be eligible for preschool.
For more information, call the district office at 602-707-2000.

Screenings from Child Find in March
   Free Child Find Screenings will take place in this month at Encanto School, 15th Avenue and Osborn Road. Child Find is a program designed to identify, locate and evaluate children that are suspected of having developmental delays or disabilities.
   The district is responsible for providing children who qualify with special supports and services so that the child will develop to his or her full potential. Children who learn slowly or have difficulty understanding; have difficulty speaking or pronouncing words correctly; have trouble picking up or holding objects; have trouble walking, running or climbing; do not get along with other children or adults; dislike the feel of different textures; or have other special health problems qualify for the program.
   Screenings will take place 9-11 a.m. Friday, March 28, at Encanto School, 1420 W. Osborn Road. For more information, call the district office at 602-707-2000.

Volunteers needed for Basnett Book Fair
   Volunteers are needed for Basnett Book Fairs weekday mornings or afternoons March 17-April 4. Students are in the process of earning up to 5 Basnett Book Bucks, which will be used to purchase books at the school book fair. The books are theirs to keep because research shows that having books in the home is critical to becoming a successful, life-long reader.
   Whatever students earn in “Basnett bucks” will be doubled when they get to the book fair, up to a maximum of $10. Books in the amount of $18,000 are being purchased by a generous donor; however, the district is in need of more volunteers to help run the book fairs in all six Osborn District schools.
   Half-day shifts are planned. If you could spare all or part of a day during the Basnett Book Fair, call Sindi Westberg at 602-707-2000.

NFL players visit schools
   Encanto and Clarendon schools hosted a special NFL Character Breakfast, focusing on healthy living, during Super Bowl week.

Roland Williams, formerly with the St. Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders, supervises fitness exercises with Clarendon’s fifth grade (submitted photo).

On Jan. 31, D’Brickashaw Ferguson of the New York Jets, Cleo Lemon of the Miami Dolphins and former St Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders player Roland Williams visited the schools accompanied by Nickelodeon and NFL characters Spongebob Squarepants, Arizona Host Committee team captain Spike and an NFLRUSH ZONE mascot for breakfast with students.
Players discussed nutrition, good sportsmanship and the importance of maintaining an active lifestyle as part of NFL PLAY 60, the league’s youth health and fitness campaign. Following the breakfast, the players led Clarendon 5th graders in a fitness activity.

Firehawk squad heads to state
   On Saturday, Feb. 9, Osborn Middle School hosted the inaugrual Valley Athletic Conference Cheerleading Championship. The Osborn Middle School Firehawk Cheerleading Squad took second place and was scheduled to compete in the state championship on Feb. 29.
   Firehawk Squad members include Alexis Artis, Markeitta Myers, Yesenia Lopez, Andra Miranda, Jamiea Howard, Eunice Zarate, Gina Lerma, Dulce Sanchez, Leah Wilhelms, Cecilia Lopez, Aisha Garcia, Karen Diaz, Diana Mendoza, Cashe Almeda, and Angel Klingensmith.

Phoenix Union High School District
Golf tourney to aid scholarships
   The Scholarship Open Golf Tournament, the Phoenix Union Partnership of Business and Education’s largest fundraiser of the year, will be held Friday, April 25, at the ASU Karsten Golf Course.
   Presented by AAMCO, the event raises money for scholarships for Phoenix Union students pursuing post-secondary education. Individuals or companies interested in supporting the students can call 602-764-1500.

Science small school enrolling freshmen
   Bioscience High School is taking applications for its 2008-09 freshman class, and will hold orientation sessions in March for new students. The school begins its third year but next year’s freshmen class will be the first to start at the brand new downtown campus that opened Oct. 15, 2007.
   The unique small school, focusing on a rigorous curricula of math and science, also will take in some sophomores and juniors next year as the school expands toward its capacity of 400 students. A new development to the program is the creation of four career strands. Bio-medical/Health has two areas: research and healthcare, which includes nursing, pharmacology, and medicine. The other strands are Environmental Science and Sustainability; Engineering, which includes robotics, and Legal/Business, with classes in forensics and advanced crime scene analysis.
   For more information or to schedule a personal tour, call 602-764-5600.

Former board member remembered
   A memorial service for Donald Kennedy, a former Phoenix Union Governing Board Member, was held Feb. 16 at the District Governing Board Room. Kennedy, who passed away last month at 88, was a board member from 1981 through 1987, and served as president in 1981 and 1985.
   Kennedy cherished his role on the Phoenix Union board, calling it the highlight of his life, according to his son, Mike. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to a scholarship in his name through the district foundation: Phoenix Union Partnership Don Kennedy Scholarship, 4502 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85012.
   For more information, contact Mike Kennedy at 602-469-2677.

Three make it to Scholar Finalists
   North High students Emma Ignazewski, Hayden Mapel and Erin Price-Wright have become National Merit Scholar Finalists. The three qualified as semifinalists last fall by scoring in the in the top half of the top 1 percent of students in Arizona in the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT).
   Ignaszewski is the top ranked senior in her class. She was in the International Baccalaureate program, a swimming team captain, competes in tennis and track, and participates with North Drama, school newspaper and National Honor Society. She also is the 2008 valedictorian.
   Price-Wright is an IB Diploma candidate and is involved in music, drama, academic competition and community service. She is a member of the school’s drama club, plays trumpet for Phoenix City Jazz, sings in the Phoenix Children’s Chorus and has competed in Valley High Math and the National French Contest.
   Mapel is an IB student and an outstanding musician. He plays trombone for the school band and the concert band, and is busy with music groups outside of school. He is a member of Youngsounds of Arizona, City Jazz, and a Sedona Jazz on the Rocks combo.

Washington Elementary School District
NFL moms aid Cardinals school
   The mothers of more than a dozen NFL Players paid a visit to the Arizona Cardinals Preparatory Academy on Feb. 1 to present the Academy and students with a check for $1,000. The Cardinals Academy is located on the campus of Richard E. Miller Elementary School.
   The women are members of the Professional Football Players Mothers’ Association (PFPMA), a nonprofit organization of women whose sons play professional football. Through ongoing meetings with Cardinals Charities, the Arizona Cardinals Preparatory Academy was selected as the 2008 Super Bowl PFPMA Charity of Choice.
   The Arizona Cardinals Preparatory Academy offers accelerated instruction to help middle-school-aged students focus on education and service learning. The academy promotes a small-school environment, quality teachers, and community resources delivered in an accessible way to reduce or eliminate nonscholastic barriers to staying in school.
   The academy was developed by the Washington Elementary School District, the Arizona Cardinals Football Club, Cardinals Charities, Communities in Schools of Arizona and the University of Phoenix.

Private AND Charter Schools
Students named to All Region Teams
   The 2008 Desert Valley Region Boys and Girls Basketball All Region Teams were announced Feb. 11.
   The Desert Valley Region is a 5A Conference in Division 1 of the Arizona Interscholastic Association. Four schools make up the region for boys and girls: Desert Mountain, Mountain Ridge and St. Mary’s High Schools, and Xavier and Brophy College Preparatories.
   Several students from North Central schools received All Region Team honors including Byron Fulton and Davellyn Whyte of St. Mary’s, who were named Players of the Year for boys basketball and girls basketball, respectively.
   Also receiving honors were Austin Pidgeon and Jeff Hart of Brophy for Boys Basketball All Region First Team; James Hollins and Blake Davis of St. Mary’s for Second Team. Marques Valdez of Brophy and George Matthews and Anthony Resendes of St. Mary’s received Honorable Mentions.
   Cassie Keating Jeanna Furst and Chrishay May of Xavier were named Girls Basketball All Region First Team, along with Tyler Stevens-Jenkins of St. Mary’s. Ashley Madl and Rikki Mulloy of Xavier and Gianné Flemming and Hailee Rhymes of St. Mary’s received Honorable Mentions.
   Jennifer Gillom of Xavier College Prep was named Coach of the Year.

Fashion show to benefit Xavier
   Valley fashionistas will gather on Sunday, March 9, at the Westin Kierland Resort to support the Mothers’ Guild of Xavier College Preparatory’s annual Scholarship Fashion Show, “That Girl!”
   Xavier will partner again with Saks Fifth Avenue to highlight a unique selection of must-have looks, as Saks models and Xavier students from the Class of 2008 walk the runway in spring’s most compelling apparel and accessories.
   “This is our signature social and fundraising event and we are expecting over 1,200 guests,” said Xavier parent and event chairwoman Jennifer Carmer. “Having Saks Fifth Avenue join us in supporting the education of Arizona’s young women is a powerful statement. Proceeds from this event will benefit the Xavier Scholarship Fund, and students of great promise are empowered by a Xavier education.”
   “We are excited to continue this community partnership that benefits so many young women,” said Dave Dodge, Saks Public Relations director for the Phoenix store.
   Tickets are $100 each. The Westin Kierland is located at 6902 E. Greenway Parkway. For invitations, donation opportunities or more information, contact chairwoman Jennifer Carmer at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 480-747-5560.

Students head to Catalina
   A select group of middle school students from AmeriSchools Academy, 1333 W. Camelback Road, will be attending the Catalina Island Marine Institute (CIMI) this month.
   Students were selected based on academics and character. Those selected were: Coy Mattox, Lathan Teague, Paul Chambers, Nicole Perez, Adrianna Palomo, Ali Ford, Logan Ford, Jamil Johnson, Keyaanna Pausch, Matt Richardson, Sarah Slaughter, and Danielle Jackson.
   Every Thursday, the school’s CIMI Club meets to allow students to prepare for their weeklong trip to the island, located off the California coast.

AmeriSchools Academy lauds poster winner

Rayann Galindo

   AmeriSchools Academy student Rayann Galindo was the school winner for the 2008 Arbor Day National Poster Contest. Her poster will be submitted to the state coordinator to be judged in the national contest.
   Galindo’s poster includes the contest theme “Trees are Terrific... inside and out!” For more information, visit www.amerischools.org/camelback.html.

Xavier, Brophy team For ‘Twelfth Night’
   The Xavier and Brophy Theater Departments announce their spring production, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Performances will be held 7 p.m. March 13-15 in the Kemper and Ethel Marley Theater in the Virginia G. Piper Performing Arts Center, located on the Xavier campus at 4710 N. 5th St.
   Set in the late 1930’s in the golden age of Hollywood, “Twelfth Night” is a comedy exploring love and all its forms. Twins Viola and Sebastian, separated by a storm at sea, happen upon the same locale, unbeknownst to either of them. The people they meet along their individual journeys provide hilarious diversion.
   The cast members and crew are students who attend either Xavier College Preparatory or Brophy College Preparatory. Playing the lead couples are Jessica Haag and Claude Renner as Viola and Orsino, Mara Polansky and Alex Fredrickson as Olivia and Sebastian, and Danielle Stout and Michael Margetis as Maria and Sir Toby Belch.
   Other lead roles will be played by Julian Micallef , Merry Herbst, and Josh Rubbelke. The ensemble also includes Robert Allison, Troy Lovelady, Mike Wren, Kelsey Schmidt, and Molly Bardon.
   All shows are open to the community and tickets, which are $7 general admission, are available at the door. Tickets also are available by calling the Jackson Box Office at 602-240-3161.

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