SanTan Sun 01-03-15: Youth

Chandler Air Service completes holiday toy drive

BY CURT BLAKENEY

For the 23rd consecutive year, holiday revelers gathered at the Chandler Municipal Airport to donate toys for less fortunate East Valley children.

The recent Toys 4 Tots Hangar Party was a rousing success as hundreds gathered to enjoy good food, music and holiday spirit that was in ample supply throughout the evening.

“This year’s event had a fantastic turn out,” says John Walkup, president of Chandler Air Service, the event sponsor. “I want to extend a big thank you to everyone that helped make this happen.”

Chandler Air Service asked participants to bring unwrapped toys and nonperishable food items and in exchange they got to meet Santa and chow down on mesquite-smoked barbecue.

“This really is a fun event,” says Jeff Cooper of Coopers BBQ, a Chandlerbased catering service that provided the food for the event. “We’re so happy to participate and give back to the community.”

The local rock band Unknown Associates played music throughout the night. The eight-member crew had partiers dancing in the aisles with its mix of classic rock, blues and southern rock.

“The night was a whole lot of fun,” says band manager and percussionist Robert Shinn. “We brought our wives and girlfriends, so it was a night of family, good times and giving back to the community with plenty of holiday cheer.”

An estimated 500 people brought toys and canned goods, including 23 new bicycles. The morning after the event, the Chandler Compadres wrapped up hundreds of donated toys at a local Boys & Girls Club and then hand-delivered the wrapped gifts and nonperishable food items to roughly 50 less fortunate Chandler-area families on Dec. 20.

“It really makes the holidays that much more meaningful when the airport people and neighbors get to do something good for the community,” Walkup says. “We’ve been doing this for 23 years now, and are looking forward to many more.”

Walkup says the annual event began in 1992 when the Chandler Compadres

came up with the idea to collect toys for local kids in need. Today, Chandler Air Service funds the entire event.

Chandler Air Service is an FAA-approved flight school, providing training for pilot certifications, custom flight training programs and small aircraft maintenance.

Walkup has already announced plans for the 2015 holiday drive, scheduled for Friday, Dec. 11.

“We’re going all out for a bigger contribution,” he says. We got to beat those 23 bikes!”

Curt Blakeney is the associate editor of the SanTan Sun News. He can be reached at curt@santansun.com.

CUSD high schools offer tours

The four Chandler Unified School District high schools will offer tours for approximately 3,000 CUSD eighth graders in January.

Tours highlighting the schools’ Career and Technical Education programs, food/lounge areas and other campus features will be held Wednesday, Jan. 7, Thursday, Jan. 8, and Friday, Jan. 9, at Basha High School, 5990 S. Val Vista Road, Chandler; Wednesday, Jan. 7, Thursday, Jan. 8, and Friday, Jan. 9, at Chandler High School, 350 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler; Wednesday, Jan. 7, Thursday, Jan. 8, and Friday, Jan. 9, at Hamilton High School, 3700 S. Arizona Ave., Chandler; and Thursday, Jan. 8, and Friday, Jan. 9, at Perry High School, 1919 E. Queen Creek Road, Gilbert. All tours will begin at approximately 9:45 a.m. and end at 1:30 p.m.

For more information call: Basha High School at (480) 224-2100, Chandler High School at (480) 812-7700, Hamilton High School at (480) 883-5000 and Perry High School at (480) 224-2800.

Chandler Christian Academy hosting open house TOUCHDOWN FOR HEALTHY LIVING

Take the opportunity to learn about Chandler Christian Academy during its open house from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 12, at the school on the campus of Desert Springs Church, 19620 S. McQueen Rd., Chandler.

Parents of children in preschool through eighth grade can visit the new location’s classrooms and see the curriculum. It is also a chance to meet the teachers and the administrator Ruth Zappe. Parents can register for the 20152016 school year.

Chandler Christian Academy has been in the heart of Chandler for 40 years, formed as Chandler Christian School, merging with San Tan Christian Academy, and finally with changing its name to Chandler Christian Academy.

According to the press release, students are spiritually and academically renewed. Chandler Christian Academy

provides a caring, safe and supportive community that focuses on educating the whole person, it adds.

The school boasts a specialized education department to meet the needs of different learning styles with a highly qualified teaching staff. Since the school moved to its new location in 2014, it has seen a 60-percent increase in enrollment.

Chandler Christian Academy is also involved in the community. For example, it participated in an Adopt-a-Cop program, in which the school partners with the Chandler Police Department. Each child in the school prays for specific officers.

Each class also does a community service project, whether it is sending troops letters, volunteering at Feed My Starving Children or assisting the elderly.

For more information, visit www. chandlerchristianacademy.org.

New option at online school

A new tuition-free, in-person option for Primavera Online High School’s sixththrough 12th-grade students is offered through its Chandler-based blended learning center.

Combining Primavera’s established online curriculum with new in-person programs and resources, the program aims to help students improve in math and reading to reach grade-level competency. The Primavera Blended Learning Center is at 2451 N. Arizona Ave. in Chandler. Open house events are offered from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays. For more information, visit www.primaverablend.com.

welcomed

in second through eighth grades who participated in five skills-based activity stations that challenged them to catch footballs thrown by Catanzaro, run through ladder cone drills and maneuver through obstacle courses. “Our Athlos students receive four days of PE each week and learn about the importance of being active and eating healthy as a way to combat childhood obesity,” says Athlos Traditional Academy Principal Nicole McMillian. “So to have an NFL player reiterate and reinforce what they are learning in class makes a tremendous impact on their lives.” At the end of the camp, Catanzaro gave the students autographed backpacks. Submitted photo

Brand new family fitness center offering group classes for both children and adults in Yoga, Zumba, Sports and Circuit Training. Over 30 classes to choose from each week! We also offer fun and original birthday parties: Zumba Glow, Yoga Spa, Sports, Yoga Journey and many more options to choose from!

Clancy performs in Wheaton College Christmas festival

Mary Clancy, a student at Wheaton College, Illinois, recently performed in “Love’s Pure Light,” the 2014 Christmas festival presented by the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music.

Clancy, a freshman from Chandler, performed with the Women’s Chorale. Clancy sang soprano I.

To view the 2014 Wheaton College Christmas Festival, along with Christmas festivals from previous years, visit bit. ly/wcchristmasfest. To view a gallery of Christmas-related student artwork, visit www.wheaton.edu/advent.

The Wheaton College Conservatory of Music provides students with comprehensive instruction that cultivates creativity, proficiency and achievement in a Christ-centered environment. For more information, visit www.wheaton.edu/conservatory.

Wheaton College is a coeducational Christian liberal arts college noted for its rigorous academics, integration of faith and learning, and consistent ranking among the top liberal arts colleges in the country. For more information, visit www.wheaton.edu.

Applications due for study abroad scholarships

The application deadline for the 2015-2016 Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad scholarship program is Jan. 7. The program provides full scholarships to American high school students to experience overseas communities and cultures, preparing students to collaborate on today’s global challenges such as human rights, community development, workforce development, climate change, and global health.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the YES Abroad program enables students to study for one academic year in countries that may include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ghana, South Africa, India, Indonesia, Macedonia, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman,

Philippines, Thailand and Turkey.

The merit-based scholarship covers domestic and international travel; applicable visa fees; medical benefits; room and board; tuition at the local high school; orientations; and fees for educational and cultural activities.

Participants in the program fully immerse themselves into the culture of their host family while attending local high school. Erica, a current scholarship recipient from Wisconsin, who was named the October American Abroad of the Month by the State Department, says: “My time in South Africa has given me a chance to learn from daily life in my host school, while focusing my attention outward to my host family and community. Every day I am both a student and teacher to my peers, and

I have learned so much not just about what it means to be Zulu, Xhosa or Afrikaans, but also what it means to be an American. I have found that it is in the informal conversations between classes and sport where I have learned and shared the most.”

A 2012 participant, Hannah, who studied in Malaysia for one year, stated that, “The YES Abroad program opened my eyes. I learned about a new culture and shared my own. I now have two homes, two families and countless friends from around the world.”

Interested students should visit www.yes-abroad.org to learn more the program and to apply. Contact the YES Abroad program at yesabroad@afsusa. org or (800) 237-4636 ext. 2151 for more information.

German school enrolling students

German School Phoenix’s spring semester is enrolling adult speakers of all levels of German at King of Glory Lutheran Church, 2085 E. Southern Ave., Tempe.

Beginner classes are held from 12:15 to 2:15 p.m. Saturdays, beginning Jan. 10; intermediate and advanced classes are held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Classes continue for 15 weeks. New participants are welcome to try out a class if they are unsure what level to attend.

To learn more or to register, visit www.germanschoolphoenix.org or email germanschoolphoenix@gmail.com.

Plumbers help raise spirits of hospitalized children

Children spending the holiday season at Phoenix Children’s Hospital may not be laughing all the way, but Benjamin Franklin Plumbing is hoping to make sure children’s spirits are bright this holiday season.

Benjamin Franklin Plumbing made good use of one of its busiest months and be “purposeful plumbers” by matching customer donations to give more than $5,000 to Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Benjamin Franklin Plumbing’s sister company, One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating, also contributed more than $500.

“We help bring things back to normal in our customers’ homes each day and deliver comfort,” says Linda Stanfield, owner who leads Benjamin Franklin, The Punctual Plumber. “That’s what Phoenix Children’s Hospital and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals do as well for children and families.

We are pleased to be able to help children in our community.”

More than 60 children enter a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital for treatment every minute, which is one child every second.

Earlier this year, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing launched a nationwide partnership with CMNH and its November campaign was part of the company’s ongoing commitment. Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals raise funds for 170 children’s hospitals across North America, which, in turn, use the money where it’s needed the most. Phoenix Children’s Hospital is Arizona’s only children’s hospital that is ranked in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospitals, providing world-class care across more than 75 pediatric specialties to the state’s sickest children.

East Valley singers to compete in Southwest Vocal Competition

Two East Valley singers, Jessica Tisdale of Chandler and Samuel Thomas Loose of Gilbert, will compete in a statewide vocal contest.

The first round will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix. Twenty contestants will advance to the second round, which is set for 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 18, also at the Mayo Clinic.

The competition is being sponsored by the Mayo Clinic.

“The Mayo Clinic Voice Program is proud to sponsor the Southwest Vocal Competition,” says Dr. David G. Lott, M.D. and director of the Mayor Clinic Voice Program in Arizona.

“It is beautifully aligned with our mission to bring the art and science of medicine to the performing arts community and our passion to care for professional vocalists by focusing on the vocal arts, healthy vocal technique and advancements in medicine.”

The judges for the preliminary rounds and Master Class will be Jacqueline Zander-Wall renowned mezzosoprano and founder of the Vocal Artistry Art Song Festival; Georg Stangelberger, artistic director, Phoenix Boys Choir; and Barbara Honn, retired professor of voice, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Ten singers will advance to the finals concert and perform with Phoenix Opera Orchestra under the baton of Maestro John Massaro, on stage at

the Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix and compete for cash prizes.

The finals concert will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8.

The finalists will compete for a $5,000 grand prize and all contestants will receive special instruction in healthy vocal techniques conducted by health professionals from the Mayo Clinic Voice Program in Arizona.

The cash prizes include $5,000 for the first place female and male; $3,000 for second place; $2,000 for third place and $1,000 for fourth place. If all ten finalists are of the same gender, the first place cash award will double to $10,000. All remaining finalists who perform in the finals concert will each receive a $500 cash award.

“We are so proud to welcome Mayo Clinic as title sponsor of the Southwest Vocal Competition. This has truly transformed the competition into a showcase of excellence in voice and vocal health,” says Massaro, executive director of Phoenix Opera.

Winners will be announced immediately following the concert.

The judges for the finals concert will be Katherine Olsen, founder and artistic manager, Encompass Arts LLC; William Florescu, general director, Florentine Opera Company; and Karan Armstrong, celebrated international operatic soprano.

Tickets for the finals concert can be purchased through the Orpheum Box Office at www.orpheum-theater.com.

STUDENT CHRONICLES

John-Thomas Dietrich of Chandler is a fall 2014 graduate of Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina. John-Thomas earned a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies.

Kaitlyn Kauffmann of Chandler, a student musician at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois,

performed in the college’s annual “Christmas at Augustana” production recently.

Nathan Walker of Chandler is on the fall 2014 Dean’s High Honors List at Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio. Nathan is majoring in Petroleum Engineering and is scheduled to graduate in 2017.

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum showcases natural treasures

BY KIMBERLY HOSEY

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum was recently ranked among the top 10 U.S. museums in TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards for the second consecutive year; the only Arizona museum to receive such an honor.

Founded in 1952, the 98-acre ArizonaSonora Desert Museum in west Tucson is a fusion of zoo, botanical garden, art gallery, natural-history museum and (new since we last visited) aquarium. About 85 percent of the museum experience is outdoors, so now is a great time to check it out or revisit if you haven’t been for a while.

It boasts 21 interpreted acres, 2 miles of walking paths, 16 individual gardens, 1,200 native plant species and a live animal collection with 230 native mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects and birds. So it’s not like we needed much of an excuse to revisit this gem. But the season and recent accolades were certainly a good reason to check it out again, so my son and I ventured out to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, largely because we’d so loved it the last time.

What we found was all the same stuff we knew and loved, plus some great new additions. It will be hard to justify not making the trip down every weekend. We started at the Orientation Ramada near the entrance, where the museum posts events for the day and regularly hosts presentations of Arizona’s flora and fauna. This time, a docent was introducing visitors to a kestrel, North

America’s smallest falcon and an Arizona native.

From there we went to one of my son’s favorites from our previous trip: The limestone cave. The replica cave—complete with stalagmites and stalactites, water, fossils and interpretive displays about cave-dwelling animals—is a huge hit with kids, and adults who are game can earn extra points by going through the “true caving experience” tunnel inside.

From there our path took us past a prowling mountain lion and playing Mexican gray wolves, social parrots and cuddling beavers, javelina resting in the shade of a footbridge and much more. One of our favorite presentations, “Live and (Sort of) on the Loose,” introduced us to a very easygoing Gila monster, a slightly more rattled (pun intended) snake and some very knowledgeable presenters keen on protecting reptiles and humans alike.

Other live animal presentations include “Fur, Feathers and Fangs,” where workers share knowledge and stories about working with some of the museum’s most interesting residents and the popular Raptor Free Flight, running through April 5, where you watch from the flight path as native birds of prey zoom by so close you might feel their wings brush your hair.

We visited the walk-in aviary, which was going through renovation—a disappointment to my budding ornithologist, but one he decided was acceptable if it meant the birds were getting better digs. A visit to the hummingbird aviary was cut short as a private party came in and we were asked to come back in an hour.

The delay was OK, though, because it was a prime time to visit the museum’s newest addition, the Warden Aquarium.

The aquarium, unveiled in 2013 to celebrate the museum’s 60th anniversary, includes two galleries—one featuring freshwater species and one showcasing marine life from the Gulf of California.

It might seem odd to have a dedicated aquarium in a facility centered on native desert life, but the desert is actually home to about 100 species of freshwater fish, some threatened or endangered. Many are featured in the aquarium as it explores Arizona’s creeks, rivers and riparian areas as well as waterways leading into and

entering the Gulf of California.

Threats to Arizona’s aquatic habitats and species are discussed, as well as conservation efforts and why these animals are so crucial to our ecosystem and even human-centered research, like the endangered desert pupfish, which has evolved to tolerate low oxygen levels, temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and salinity greater than that found in ocean saltwater—but is disappearing as its habitat is destroyed and nonnative species prey on it.

The great thing is the exhibits are so engagingly arranged that kids (and adults) learn about biology and conservation in an enjoyable and painless setting. After taking a field trip with U.S. Fish and Wildlife workers years ago to relocate pupfish, I’ve long lectured my family about their plight. But here, my son could learn about them while watching the diminutive blue and silvery fish darting about as they formed breeding pairs. Seeing the actual animals—and knowing that this is their home, just as it is ours—drives the

message of the aquarium and museum home in a way no amount of dinnertable lecturing ever would.

If you really want to get your kids excited about our aquatic life, you absolutely must visit the aquarium around 10 a.m. or 2 p.m., when the touch tank is open. Visitors—who have clean hands, listening ears and their best behavior ready—can touch crabs, snails and other sea life from our marine neighborhood, and may even get a closeup view of a sea star eating its lunch as it turns its stomach inside-out to engulf a morsel.

Check the museum’s website for details on daily events, grab some nature-loving people big or small and go check out the wilder side of our state.

Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum is located at 2021 N. Kinney Rd., Tucson. For more information, call (520) 8831380 or www.desertmuseum.org.

Kimberly Hosey is a freelancer for the SanTan Sun News. She can be reached at news@santansun.com.

Cigna celebrates Cardinals’ kicks

DONATION: Cigna presented a $10,000 donation to the Muscular Dystrophy Association at the Arizona Cardinals game Sunday, Dec. 21, as a sponsor of the Cardinals Charities “Kick for Kids” program. Submitted photo

Cigna presented a $10,000 donation to the Muscular Dystrophy Association at the Arizona Cardinals game Sunday, Dec. 21, as a sponsor of the Cardinals Charities “Kick for Kids” program.

For the fifth consecutive year, Cigna contributed up to $10,000 to Cardinals Charities for every field goal the Cardinals made during the season. As a result of Cigna’s sponsorship, Cardinals Charities has donated a total of $50,000 to area organizations focused on wellness, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix, Florence Crittenton of Arizona, the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

“The Muscular Dystrophy Association

is an amazing organization dedicated to finding treatments and cures for neuromuscular diseases,” says Edward Kim, president and general manager for Cigna in Arizona. “We are proud to work together with the Cardinals Charities again this year to support organizations like the Muscular Dystrophy Association that share our same goal of improving the health of communities where we live and work.”

Cigna was also the sponsor of the Cardinals’ Breast Awareness Game in October for the fifth year in a row, recognizing October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Cigna employees, along with other breast cancer survivors, performed and were honored during halftime.

CHANDLER UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Jan. 5: Teacher Inservice/Workday; no school

Jan. 19: Martin Luther King Jr. holiday; no school

Hancock Heat

Now enrolling – Open enrollment for students in grades kindergarten through sixth grade for the upcoming 2015-2016 school year begins Monday, Jan. 12, for new enrollments (those who attend a different school in Chandler Unified School District). Open enrollment for students in grades kindergarten through sixth grade begins Monday, Feb. 2, for returning enrollments (students who are attending on an open enrollment and returning). Visit www.cusd80.com/ openenrollment for more information. Running Club – Kudos to Hancock’s 176 Running Club participants who have been braving the chilly weather to practice on Monday and Thursday mornings. The Running Club races will take place Tuesdays Jan. 20, Feb. 3 and Feb. 24 at Snedigar Park.

Calendar

Jan. 12: PTO meeting, 6 p.m.

Jan. 16: PTO Family Fun Night at Peter Piper Pizza

Jan. 20: Running Club Race at Snedigar Park

Feb. 2: Kindergarten registration begins Feb. 3: Running Club race at Snedigar Park

Feb. 24: Running Club race at Snedigar Park

Feb. 26: Kindergarten Open House, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

—Amy Fricke

of

CTA-Goodman Gators

Calendar

Jan. 7: Report cards sent home Jan. 7-9: Second grade CATS testing Jan. 8: School tour, 3:15 p.m. Jan. 12: Flag ceremony presented by second grade, 8 a.m., amphitheater Jan. 12: Open enrollment begins for 2015-16 school year Jan. 13: PTO meeting, 3 p.m., Media Center

Take free SAT, ACT practice test at Tutor House in Chandler

High school juniors and seniors are invited to take a free SAT or ACT practice test on Saturday, Jan. 10, at Tutor House Tutoring Services, 100 W. Boston St., Suite 4, Chandler.

Testing is from 9:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a welcome and registration from 9 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. Students should bring a calculator to the session.

Taking the practice test is a way for students to find strengths and weaknesses in a low-pressure environment. Participants will become familiar with the test format, question types, timing and content tested on these college entrance exams. Test results and analysis are given at a separately scheduled conference.

This free practice test is offered in addition to Tutor House’s regular SAT and ACT prep programs. Tutor House is

a family-owned and -operated learning center helping students reach their full potential by providing an individualized approach to education. The tutoring process begins with a skills assessment that will identify students’ academic strengths and weaknesses; test results are then reviewed with parents, and a program is designed to address the student’s individual needs.

A wide range of one-on-one and small group tutoring for students in grades K-12 is available, including tutoring in reading, math, writing, Spanish, study skills, algebra, geometry, calculus, SAT/ACT prep and more.

Sign up at www.TutorHouseAZ.com on the homepage to reserve a seat. For more information, call (480) 8571222 or email Tutoring@TutorHouseAZ. com.