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This Week
NEWS ................................ 11 Conservative Purple for Parents emerging as school board force.
COMMUNITY ........... 26 Ahwatukee decorator recalls her wrangling summer in a new book.
BUSINESS..................... 32 Ahwatukee seafood eatery owners are expanding their reach.
COMMUNITY...................... 26 BUSINESS .......................... 32 SPORTS ............................... 36 GETOUT...............................40 CLASSIFIEDS ...................... 47
www.ahwatukee.com
Wednesday, December 7, 2022
Ahwatukee schools shine in new state grading AFN NEWS STAFF
F
or the first time in two years, Arizona district and charter schools have received letter grades, and for those in Ahwatukee, it’s bragging rights all around. Eight district and two charters received an “A” while the rest in Ahwatukee got a “B,” according to the state Department of Education. Of the more than 1,700 public district and
charter schools across Arizona that received preliminary grades, about 27% were given “A;” 42% got “B;” 23% C; 5% D and 2% failed. Statewide, public school districts outperformed charter schools in many of the main categories. Districts had only 1% with an “F” while 3% of charters flunked. And 28% of district schools earned an “A” while 27% of charters got that grade. However, charters did better when it came to overall
totals for a “B” grade. Among charters, 47% got a “B” compared to 42% of district schools. Federal law requires states to measure schools’ performance using objective indicators, and since 2010, state law has required schools to receive a letter grade corresponding to those performance measures. Grading was suspended the last two years
see GRADES page 12
Ahwatukee’s Christmas classics coming ACT expands its scope with ‘A Christmas Carol’
Rebranded ‘Nutcracker’ to unfold for 23rd year
BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA AFN Contirbutor
A
Christmas Carol” to many people celebrates the miracle of Christmas. And to a large degree, it’s also a miracle that the Ahwatukee Children’s Theatre will be able to present a time-honored local rendition of the holiday classic It will be offered at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, and 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Dec. 10 at the Kroc Salvation Army Center for the Arts, 1375 E. Broadway Road, Phoenix. General assigned seats are $20 and the $25 VIP ticket includes a custom cookie from Lookie It’s A Cookie! in addition to the musical rendition of Charles Dickens’ novel. Tickets can be bought at azact.org. Nothing short of a miracle saved the theater
see ACT page 19
I The Nutcracker and the Mouse King are central to Dance Studio 111 owner Kimberly Lewis’ 23rd annual presentation of a local classic she has rebranded “Arizona Nutcracker.” (Zachary BonDurant/AFN Contributor)
t was 23 years go when the “Ahwatukee Foothills Nutcracker Ballet” debuted at the Desert Vista High School theater. This year, the 23rd local holiday classic presented by Dance Studio 111 and owner Kimberly Lewis, the ballet has a new name and new stars with 65 performers, ages 3 to 18, as well as a smattering of parents filling smaller roles and scores of backstage crew members. “Arizona Nutcracker” is the new moniker for the venerable production – which Lewis said more accurately reflects the growing Valleywide appeal of a production that initially was largely an Ahwatukee one. Now it attracts youngsters and teens from across the Valley who are eager to perform
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see NUTCRACKER page 14
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