Glendale’s Community Newspaper
Vol. 79 No. 33
Special Supplement to The Glendale
Star and Peoria Times
CAREER & EDUCATION ITIES OPPORTUN local career and education] [Your complete guide to
INSIDE
This Issue
GESD connects schools, families and
SUMMER 2023
communities
BY CINDY SEGOTTA-JONES GESD Superintendent
W
2 PENDERGAST......... a beacon Pendergast district’s of excellence
elcome back to another exciting year in GESD! We had a successful start to the new school year. We are thriving and making a positive impact on our community. We celebrate together after being named Glendale’s Best School District for the fourth consecutive year. This year, we are focused on weaving of our unique story into the very fabric our community. All schools are launchexing signature programs to provide for ceptional educational experiences all students. not These signature programs are are just educational initiatives; they to the the threads that bind our schools comcommunity. They represent our to mitment to excellence and our desire of make a lasting difference in the lives our students. Whether it’s our innovative STEAM programs, our enriching arts programs, Moour exceptional sports teams or our saic Clubs, each aspect of our district’s of identity contributes to the tapestry
Seven steps to upgrading your career
DISCOVERY DETECTIVE ACADEMY .............. 6 Women PI’s are no longer the minority
classroom. Above, students are back in the yearLeft, welcome back to the 2023-24 school round. (GESD/Submitted)
Most recently, the SoCC hosted a backMerchants strengthen our community to-school resource fair serving 2,500 inlegaties. GESD honors the history and dividuals with medical immunizations, cy of the local community by celebrating dental screenings, free haircuts and generaour community. exto and preserving traditions for school supplies. This year, services are As a school district, we are fortunate are heri- tions to come. to pected to grow as more partnerships have a rich cultural and historical Meaningful partnerships also extend our community. tage embedded in the heart of Down- GESD’s System of Care Center (SoCC), a cultivated on behalf of and With extraordinary enthusiasm town Glendale. Our small-business hub for supporting families and all Glenand growth I look forward to working economic excitement, drive partners dale residents. The SoCC aims to connect this school enhance the quality of life for Glendale people to resources and provide quality with the GESD community year. residents. Collaborative efforts between programs and activities for all ages. GESD and Historic Downtown Glendale Free Full-Day Kindergarten Experience
Rigorous Academics
PHOENIX | GLENDALE | AVONDALE
Exceptional Learning Opportunities
Official: Mattel park is making progress BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI
Glendale Star Executive Editor
Career & Education Opportunities
GLENDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE ................ 4
August 17, 2023
www.glendalestar.com
Inside This Week
V TIVE SCHOOLS VA INNOVA INNOVATIVE
S NERS LEARNERS D LEARN POWERED EMP EMPOWERED ENROLL TODAY! WWW.PESD92.ORG/ENROLL
BUSINESS ....... 12
Hot summer not slowing down Abrazo expansion
“
Substantial progress” has been made on the Mattel Adventure Park slated to open next year just south of State Farm Stadium at VAI Resort. The 9-acre park will feature Hot Wheels roller coasters and a life-size Barbie Beach House, among other attractions. Fans can watch the construction via a cam at matteladventurepark. com. “Mattel Adventure Park is an
amazing opportunity to bring our beloved brands to life,” said Julie Freeland, senior director of global location-based entertainment at Mattel. “Construction is underway and substantial progress has been made on what will give fans of all ages a day of thrills and nostalgia. We’re especially excited for families to experience the Hot Wheels Bone Shaker roller coaster — a dream come true for any Hot Wheels fan.”
BY JORDAN ROGERS
T SPORTS .......... 13
OPINION ......................8 BUSINESS ...................12 SPORTS ..................... 13 CALENDAR................. 14 FEATURES.................. 16 RELIGION ................... 20 CLASSIFIEDS ............. 22
SEE MATTEL PAGE 4
A rendering of Mattel Adventure Park’s entrance. The attraction is slated to open next year. (Mattel/Submitted)
Glendale police release online statistics dashboard Glendale Star Managing Editor
GCC hires new women’s basketball head coach
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he Glendale Police Department recently went live with its new Police Call and Crime Statistics Dashboard. The dashboard went live on Aug. 8 and was created to provide key information and metrics to the public that shows the department’s performance on the job. “We want to be in communication with the public about how we’re serving them,” said Michaelanne Acree, Glendale police administrator over technical services. “We’re trying new initiatives to make sure we’re providing the best service possible, and we want to let them know that we do track those things. We’re trying to gauge areas where we can improve and get better
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and also show when those changes are making a difference and when there is improvement. We want to communicate well with our constituents and our citizens that we’re serving and that we’re looking out for their best interest.” The Police Call and Crime Statistics Dashboard has been a conversation for over a year. Acree said those conversations have been spearheaded by the department’s executive staff. Up until now, the information in the dashboard has been shared with the public once each year as part of the annual review given to Glendale City Council. Acree said a discussion started surrounding one question: “Wouldn’t it be great if we could make this available all the time, instead of once a
year?” “It’s been a desire of our executive staff for transparency to be able to provide this information to the public and also to our (city) council so they can keep track of things month by month instead of just when they see it once a year in a presentation,” Acree added. For Acree, getting the dashboard up and running has been a team effort. “This has actually been a collaboration between our city IT and our police business services and crime statistics group that have been working on this to make this available,” she said. The dashboard updates monthly, and SEE DASHBOARD PAGE 5
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