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Inside This Week
The Voice of the West Valley for 37 years
March 29, 2023
Downtown Goodyear wins 2023 RED Award BY JOE MCHUGH
West Valley View Staff Writer
G NEWS .............. 4 Buckeye’s annual Spring Celebration returns
SPORTS ........ 19 Verrado athlete named 5A Player of the Year
oodyear Civic Square (GSQ), is the future walkable downtown of Goodyear. Despite its full glory yet to be seen, it has already been recognized in a big way, as it was named the 2023 Real Estate Development Awards winner for the Recreation or Public Works Project of the Year. With the project already drawing tons of attention from retailers and residents alike, GSQ has become a splash hit before the first brick has even been set. “For us, it certainly is an honor to be selected for the Recreation or Public Works Project of the Year,” Goodyear Vice Mayor Laura Kaino said. “We’re so proud of this project, but to have it be recognized by industry leaders is very exciting. This collaboration with George Getz with Globe Corporation and the city, taking the next step to fully develop GSQ. What a great way to kick this all off,
Before the first brick is even laid, GSQ, the future of Downtown Goodyear, has already taken home the Recreation or Public Works Project of the Year for 2023. (City of Goodyear/Submitted)
not only is our project outstanding but it’s now award winning as well.” The RED Awards are considered by many to be the “Academy Awards” for Arizona’s commercial real estate industry and give awards to outstanding work
in the field. GSQ was selected as the one above a record-setting number of nominations for its excellence in the field of recreation or public works.
RED...continued on page 3
Millennium students create shoes for charity in group project KIDS CAMP .. 23 Summer camps tackle myriad subjects
OPINION ...............12 BUSINESS.............. 18 SPORTS ..................19 CALENDAR ............22 FEATURES ..............28 OBITUARIES ...........31 YOUTH ..................33 CLASSIFIEDS ..........35 EAST
BY JOE MCHUGH
West Valley View Staff Writer
R
emembering back to the time of high school, there were many things that were a part of the curriculum that could be considered a bore. Math, tests and taxing work were some of the things that could deflate the motivation to learn and make the days feel long. But at Millennium High School, English teacher Amie Gilbert is spicing things up. For the next two to three weeks, she and her two sophomore classes will be immersed in an experience like no other in the Valley.
The students will design their own shoes from scratch, researching their ideas and selling them to donate to a charity of their choosing to help make a positive impact in the community and revitalize their “learning spirits” to close out the school year. “The shoe (design project) is more of what’s going to grab their attention,” Gilbert said. “But all of the research skills, the communication skills, the writing skills, that’s why we’re doing it in our English class.” The project has been teased to the class for the entirety of the year, leaving a sense of mystery as to when it would
actually happen, but the time has now come for the students to execute on their plans of a real-world application of skills. The process is thorough, teaming up and creating a concept for a shoe that they think would sell well, pitching it to their classmates on their plans of creation and distribution, and then fulfilling that pitch and coming out with profit that will then be transferred to a charity, therefore helping their community in the end. “What they’re learning through all
Shoes...continued on page 3