12 7 2013stsn p30 38 youth

Valley Christian club builds ‘Bridges’ of friendship

BY TRACY HOUSE

It’s Wednesday and the newly formed “Bridges” club is having its weekly meeting. Students are sharing their lunch time playing games, chatting and building what club president and founder Nicole Morgan hopes are lifelong friendships.

Nicole is a senior at Valley Christian High School in Chandler. This year’s homecoming queen, Nicole has been working since her junior year to establish a club that unites regular education and VINE (Valley’s Individual Needs Enhancement) students to celebrate friendship and create lasting bonds.

As a part of Best Buddies program at Hamilton High School and having had a sister who was special needs who died when Nicole was 9 years old, Nicole says she’s always been compassionate toward special needs kids. “When I left Hamilton and I came to Valley I wanted to start a club.” The result is Bridges.

“We decided to make it ‘Bridges’ because it’s one person connecting with another to make a lasting friendship,” says Nicole. “It’s the non-VINE students with the VINE students coming together.”

Reaching out to the students at VCHS was natural for Nicole. Her mom is a special education teacher and Nicole has been involved with special needs kids through schools she’s attended and other activities. “I want to teach and be a special needs therapist,” Nicole says. She has a buddy from Hamilton, Talie, with whom she still spends time by going to movies,

ice skating, hanging out and baking. Nicole says she met with the principal, presenting her vision and how she was going to get the information out to the school before she could start Bridges. To get other students from VCHS involved, Nicole started talking about the club, approaching other students to see if they were familiar with Best Buddies from other schools. “It was basically word of mouth,” says Nicole. The club is for ninth through 12th graders interested in getting to know other students and forming friendships. There are 20 VINE and non-VINE students participating in Bridges.

Hannah Jeffries is the vice president of

Bridges and freshman Gracie Bear is going to be president next year after Nicole graduates. Robin Johnson is the club sponsor, and is on hand for the Wednesday lunch activities. “She loves the club,” says Nicole. “She is the best lady ever. Honestly, if I didn’t have her I don’t even know if I could have got this started at all.”

Weekly meetings are a time to share lunch, play games and interact, but the commitment doesn’t end with the lunch bell. “If you have a buddy, the non-VINE student has to make sure they text the VINE student at least once a week to see how they’re doing, they have to interact with them if they see them at school and talk to them. It’s a commitment because it’s a friendship they’re making and if they don’t try to make time for their buddy then they shouldn’t be part of this club.”

Students volunteer to be part of Bridges. Nicole says, the expectation is that they spend time together at least once a month outside of school as well.

Nicole sees Bridges going out into the community to do projects, getting together for movies and participating in other outside activities. She mentions the club will be participating in Special Olympics in the spring. Some of the activities Nicole says she hopes Bridges will get involved with is Unify through Special Olympics. “The next sport we can join is basketball, soccer and track. They also said we can make a cheerleader team.”

Bridges is beginning to schedule

activities outside of lunch. “Right now we’re going to start off with a Christmas party,” explains Nicole of the elf-themed event. “Each person who got buddied up with another person, they’re going to interact more and get to know (each other) more and then I’m going to start doing more activities for them to be more like a family, so each one of us can get to know each other on deeper levels—make sure we have those lasting friendships even after high school.”

Valley Christian High School is located at 6900 W. Galveston St., Chandler. Visit vchsaz.org for more information.

Tracy House is the SanTan Sun News news editor. She lives in Ironwood Vistas with her husband and four children and can be reached at tracy@santansun.com.

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Basha’s American Sign Language program finds ‘success’

BY MAX KRAUST

Basha High School’s American Sign Language program may be young, but it is already making an impact on the community.

BHS sign language teacher Denise TrimbleSmith was asked to begin the program last school year and has instilled her passion for the deaf community in her students. The program has grown to more than 150 students, who also participate in a community service-based club called “PAH!” which, in deaf culture, means “We finally have success.”

“Our whole focus is to honor the deaf community in everything we say and do,” TrimbleSmith says.

TrimbleSmith’s love for the language began while watching “Sesame Street” and grew further after she learned of a family member who was deaf and had been abused in a mental institution.

“Because she had no language she couldn’t tell us what happened and that haunted me,” she says. “I knew that I had to do something to help with dispelling the myths of deafness being such a handicap and such a burden.”

It was not enough to just be an interpreter or a teacher and TrimbleSmith is making the most of the opportunity with her students.

The PAH! Sign Language Club recently adopted six deaf families and provided their Thanksgiving meals for them. It also was involved with the Smiles for Christmas program, and Deaf Awareness Day, where members went to Denny’s and taught customers sign language while raising proceeds for the club.

“We are going to try and do what we can to make an impact not just in the deaf community but in the hearing community, to let the hearing community people

know that deafness is not a handicap, that it is a culture.”

PAH! is planning its first “Sign Language College and Deaf Culture Tour” in March where about 40 students will visit Gallaudet University, the world’s only deaf liberal arts university. Next school year they plan to visit San Francisco to experience more of the deaf community’s arts and culture, according to TrimbleSmith.

“The trip is silent. The entire time we’re there we aren’t allowed to voice. So we sign the entire time,” she says. “That’s pretty exciting.”

Upcoming for the sign language program is the BHS Winter Choir Concert when members will be interpreting the concert on Dec. 12 for the deaf community. They are also hosting a Winter Festival on Dec. 13 and will have a yard sale in January to raise money for the program.

Rain stops year-end little league tournament

BY MEGHAN MCCOY

The Chandler National Little League cancelled its junior baseball tournament due to the rain that hit the region during the last week of November.

Chandler National Little League President Doug Brewster says the league was unable to finish its fall baseball season before the storm. Therefore the end-of-the-season junior baseball tournament was cancelled due to the

rain and Thanksgiving holiday.

“It’s a quick bang-bang tournament,” Brewster explains. “The tournament is not part of our season. It’s just an extra little thing we do at the end.”

The tournament allows the baseball players to practice what they learned during the fall season, which Brewster describes as instructional ball.

“It’s all about teaching kids how to play baseball,” he explains of the season.

“It’s back to fundamentals in fall ball.”

The single-elimination tournament included six junior teams. They played two games before the rain put a stop to the tournament Fri., Nov. 22, Sat., Nov. 23, and Mon., Nov. 25.

“It would have pushed out past Thanksgiving,” he says about the possibility of rescheduling the postponed games. “After talking to the managers and to everyone, everyone was

The Winter Festival is a free event at BHS featuring a toy drive benefiting the Phoenix Day School for the Deaf as well as Silent Hope Church. Attendees are asked to bring a new toy in place of an admission fee. Students and local businesses will set up mini holiday boutiques and stores.

“They are so excited about doing things in the community and making a difference,” TrimbleSmith says.

“It’s really turning out to be more than I imagined and I’m just hoping it continues to grow.”

For more information, contact Denise TrimbleSmith at trimblesmith.denise@ cusd80.com.

Max Kraust is a student at the Arizona State University’s The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He can be reached at news@santansun.com.

fine not finishing off the tournament.”

Many of the managers and players were unavailable during the holidays.

“The schedule dictated us being done by now,” Brewster says.

Meghan McCoy is the Neighbors and Business section editor for the SanTan Sun News. She can be reached at meghan@santansun.com.

Dec. 23-Jan. 3: Winter intersession

Jan. 6: Teacher Inservice Workday; no

Carlson Champions

Holiday Store – The holiday store is back and better than ever! A way to teach students the value of money, the gift of giving and how to manage a budget, the Holiday Store will be set up in the music

room the week of Dec. 9. Volunteers are needed; sign up through PTO.

Pizza, Pizza! – Carlson will host a Family Food Night all day Wed., Dec. 11, at Little Caesar’s Pizza, Chandler Heights and Higley roads. For every pizza sold, PTO will earn $1, so spread the word to friends, family and neighbors.

Calendar

Dec. 9-13: Holiday Store

Dec. 11: Little Caesar’s Pizza Family Food Night, all day, Chandler Heights and Higley roads

Dec. 13: Family Fun Night holiday pottery painting with As You Wish, 6-8:30 p.m., Multipurpose Room

Dec. 19: Champions Assembly, 1:45 p.m., Multipurpose Room

—Lora Robinson

SIXTH-GRADE SPIRIT: Sixth graders entertain the student body with its rendition of “Wavin’ Flag” during the last school assembly. Submitted photo

Kudos – CTA-Independence has again been recognized as a 2013 National Center for Educational Achievement Higher Performing School. Congrats to all students, staff and parents for working together to make CTA a high-achieving school.

High honors – Congrats to CTAIndependence’s AAA Award winners: teacher Carolyn McCleary, volunteer Alicia Hastings and student Stormy Light. Changing of the guards – Thanks to Lisa Shore, dean of students, for her time at

CTA-Independence, and congrats to her on her new principal position at Frye Elementary. Welcome to the new dean, Annette Addair, who will begin at CTAIndependence after winter intersession, coming from ACP-Oakland. Tax credits – CTA-Independence families and friends are asked to consider donating to the school through the extracurricular tax credit program and to encourage friends, neighbors and relatives who live in Arizona to also donate. Donations can be made in any amount or in increments; married couples can donate up to $400 or singles up to $200. The full donation will be returned in the form of a tax credit. Donations go directly to the school for clubs and field trips. School tours – School tours for prospective parents will be held at 3:45 p.m. Jan. 7 and 8. No reservations are necessary; just stop in after school.

Calendar

Dec. 10: Chorus concert

Dec. 19: Dollar Dress Down

Jan. 8: Report cards go home

For a spell – The Hancock Spelling Bee is at 12:30 p.m. Fri., Dec. 6, in the Multipurpose Room. The winner will represent Hancock at the District Spelling Bee in January.

Help wanted – Volunteers are needed for a committee for the spring dance in February. Email hancockpto@gmail. com for more information on the PTO’s December meeting.

Winter Program – The entire second grade recently presented a musical program, “Holiday Celebrations,” that featured singing, dancing, musical instruments and more.

Character Counts – In December, Hancock focuses on the character trait of “Caring”: be kind and compassionate, express gratitude, forgive others and help people in need.

Tax credits – Hancock families are asked to consider donating to the school through the extracurricular tax credit program, and to encourage friends, neighbors and relatives who live in Arizona to also donate. Donations can be made in any amount or in increments; married couples can donate up to $400 or singles up to $200. The full donation will be returned in the form of a tax credit.

—Guia Lehr, Andrea Dickson

Holiday shopping – Order holiday gift cards through Hull PTO; order forms are in the office and are due before Dec. 10 for delivery on Dec. 19. News flash – “Like” Hull Elementary on Facebook for up-to-date PTO information and check out the PTO blog at hullelementary.blogspot.com.

—Kristen Boyd

Knox Knights

Thanks due – Thanks to parents and teachers for supporting Knox’s successful Book Fair and Fall Festival. Shop and earn – Shop for the holidays at Amazon.com and earn money for Knox. Visit knoxpto.com, click on the Amazon link, shop and earn referral fees for Knox. Tax credits – Support extracurricular activities for Knox Knights by making an Arizona state tax credit donation. A tax credit is a full refund, not just a deduction. Married persons filing jointly can contribute a maximum of $400 per calendar year; single filers can contribute a maximum of $200 per calendar year.

—Christine Weiss

BIG WINNERS: The Knox Knights K-3 chess team won third place in the Best of Phoenix Tournament recently. Team members include Allen Peng, Kenneth Su, Benjamin Higgins, Marvin Sin and Thomas Southmayd. Evan Higgins won second place for kindergarten. Submitted photo

Holiday School Cents – Through Dec. 31, any Visa gift cards purchased at Guest

Services at Chandler Fashion Center will earn 2,000 bonus points. Tarwater families can also earn an additional 1,000 points when they adopt an angel from the mall’s Salvation Army Angel Tree, located in the Sears Court. Receipts from donations can be brought to Guest Services. Class notes – Fourth graders researched the Hopi, Navajo and Apache tribes and created dwellings as an at-home project. The students are planning presentations about their dwellings to share with their classmates. They also visited the Zelma Salmeri Basha Art Gallery accompanied by CUSD Art Masterpiece coordinators Dana Melcher and Julie Smith. The students were introduced to artists’ stories, art techniques and great works of art by Eddie Basha’s favorite Western American and Native American artists. They have also been studying electricity and magnetism; learning about properties of magnetic fields; testing magnetic attraction; building simple circuits, series circuits and parallel circuits; and making paperclip switches to test conductors and insulators.

Helping hands – Recently while serving at Chandler Christian Community Center, Tarwater Toro Ambassadors realized there was a shortage of canned vegetables for the Thanksgiving food baskets for needy families, and followed up with an unplanned canned food drive for one week, collecting baby food and canned vegetables. The school ended up donating 632 pounds of food. Thanks to all the

families who participated.

—Robyn Kelly

HISTORY LESSONS: Fifth graders Jaidin Moore, Jacque Rochin, Max Poole and Sophia Elggren enjoy Colonial Day. Fifth graders at Tarwater recently brought the colonial period to life, rotating through classrooms and participating in stations depicting the military, calligraphy, tin-punching, candle-making and manners. The day was made possible by a CEF grant and many parent volunteers. Submitted photo

Basha High Bears

Committed to Donate- Basha High School band members have committed to donate 1,000 hours of community service during the 2013-14 academic year. September, October and November events have so far yielded 482 hours of volunteer service, or 48% of the total goal. In September, 56 students and adults from the Basha High band worked to feed thousands of starving children in developing countries. Basha volunteers teamed up with Tempe-based Feed My Starving Children to prepare 12,096 lifesaving meals, enough to feed 33 children

for a year. In October, 25 Basha students and adult volunteers joined with Hancock Elementary Principal Heather Anguiano to paint a house in Sun Lakes, giving up two days of their fall break to assist a neighbor in need of a helping hand. An additional 45 students came together in November to help Children First Academy set up its new library, organizing some of the 40,000 books received from a recent donation. In December, Basha students will spend an afternoon making and writing cards that will be sent to military personnel in hospitals and installations around the world.

—Jana Smith

Hamilton High Huskies

That’s the spirit – Hamilton High’s Spiritline hosts a Shred-A-Thon from 9 a.m. to noon Sat., Dec. 21, in the Hamilton High parking lot at 3700 S. Arizona Ave., Chandler. Area residents can bring boxed documents and have them shredded for only $5 per banker’s box. In addition, for only $10, children may be dropped off between 9 a.m. and noon Sat., Dec. 21, in the Hamilton High cafeteria, where they will enjoy a fun morning of crafts, games, activities and a visit from Santa in a safe, adult-supervised environment. The Spiritline “Elves” will also be wrapping gifts for donations between 11 a.m. and noon. For more information or to preregister, visit leaguelineup.com/ hamiltonspiritline. Funds raised will go to cheer competitions.

—Lesley Anderson

CTA-Freedom Falcons

Food for families – Student Council will collect turkeys for the Chandler Care Center throughout December. Food boxes will be distributed to families before Christmas to ensure a happy holiday season.

Robotics Club – The Freedombots recently participated in the First Lego League Regional Tournament at ASU’s Polytechnic campus.

Tax credits – Arizona taxpayers can donate to CTA-Freedom and earn a 100% tax refund on their state taxes—up to $400 filing jointly, $200 filing singly. The money goes toward fieldtrips and extracurricular activities. For more information, visit ctafreedom.com and click on the Tax Credit link in the announcements.

KUDOS: Congrats to CTA-Freedom student Averie Dunn, who was chosen as Gilbert Citizen of the Month. Submitted photo

1:30 p.m., Multipurpose Room; Second Quarter Box Tops/Labels Contest ends —Kathie Butters

Seton Catholic Prep Sentinels

MOMENT OF SILENCE: Students at Seton Catholic Prep in Chandler pray a rosary for America at the school’s first Tribute to Veterans. Students participated in a morning full of programs including a flag-raising ceremony, several educational sessions about the real reason Veterans Day is celebrated and a veterans ceremony. Submitted photo

YOUTH CHRONICLES

Calendar

Dec. 12: Band concert, 6:30 p.m., Multipurpose Room

Dec. 13: Good News Gators assembly,

Austin Falk of Chandler is on the spring 2013 Dean’s List at Biola University in La Mirada, CA. Biola students are placed on the Dean’s List for earning a grade point average of 3.6 or higher while enrolled in 12 or more credit units with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.2.