Ruohan (Hannah) Miao, a senior at Hamilton High School, is set to follow in the footsteps of some of the greatest writers including Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote and Myla Goldberg.
The inspired author was recently selected as a national Portfolio Gold medalist in the 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
“A Gold Medal Portfolio is the highest possible award from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards,” she said. “There were nearly 320,000 submissions this year, and I was lucky enough to be one of the 16 teens to receive this honor.”
Hannah was previous profiled in 2014, as the young scribe (who is a Chinese citizen with aspirations to achieve American citizenship) was on her way to the prestigious University of Iowa Creative Writing and Cultural Exchange Program. Designed as a platform to bring together aspiring writers from around the globe, the program gave Hannah an entirely new perspective on writing.
“At first [when I attended that camp], I followed the advice of ‘write what you know,’ but over the years, I’ve attempted to push past my boundaries and use more experimental, innovative approaches in my writing,” she said.
Hannah’s hard work and dedication paid off as the nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, which administers the awards, recognized her work as creative and thought provoking, while superbly
addressing the judge’s three distinct criterion: originality, technical skill and emergence of personal vision or voice.
“I submitted a writing portfolio called ‘Anatomy of a Voice’ which contained six different pieces—one critical essay, two personal memoirs, and three poems,” she said. “The subjects in the portfolio pieces I submitted are fairly varied—ranging from modern interpretations of Shakespeare’s Ophelia to Chinese culture to finding the intersection between science and the humanities.”
From the initial submission in December, Hannah’s work first received praise in February with the alliance’s regional Gold Key award, which advanced her work to the national adjudication phase.
“In early March, I received a phone call notifying me that my portfolio had received a Gold Medal,” she said.
With the honor of joining the 15 other senior winners, as well as a distinguished list of alumni—Andy Warhol, Richard Avedon, Philip Pearlstein, Richard Linklater, Zac Posen and Ken Burns among them— Hannah has earned a $10,000 scholarship to help pay for her next level of higher education.
“It’s just surreal; it’s almost like a dream. It’s amazing to receive such recognition,” she said.
According to the alliance, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards were founded in 1923 and are “the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious
recognition program for creative teens in grades 7 to 12.” There are 29 categories, including poetry, photography, sculpture, humor, editorial cartoons and video game design.
Up next for Hannah and her fellow winners is a Carnegie Hall ceremony honoring their achievements on June 2. Their work, along with 1,000 other Scholastic Art & Writing Award winning pieces, will be on display.
“I’m definitely looking forward to the ceremony at Carnegie Hall. I can’t wait to meet the other winners,” Hannah said. “Besides the ceremony, I’m also looking forward to showcasing my work at the Parsons School of Design and the Pratt Institute’s Pratt Manhattan Gallery in New York City.”
Virginia McEnerney, executive director of the Alliance of Young Artists & Writers, said Hannah’s portfolio exemplifies the best qualities of the young writers who receive the recognition.
“She is talented and thoughtful, and has an insightful command of the language that goes beyond her years,” McEnerney said. “Her writing reflects on timeless themes of love and family and growing up, with a clear-eyed understanding of the transition from childhood to adulthood.
Her poetry and essays hold the promise of great work to come.”
Certainly Hannah’s life is going to be changing in a big way soon as she completes her final year at Hamilton.
“Senior year is going well, though it does feel rather bittersweet that my friends and I will all be moving in separate directions for college,” she said. “I will most likely be attending Stanford University in the fall.”
On her writing journey, Hannah has many influential voices to thank for her success.
“I’ve always been interested in creative writing, but that interest was really rejuvenated in my sophomore year of high school, thanks to the encouragement of my incredible English teacher, Mrs. [Phyllis] Carr,” she said. “My parents have always been supportive of my creative endeavors, and I know they’re very happy and excited for me.”
As she takes on the next steps in her academic career, Hannah can rely on a reassuring and supportive friend to accompany her.
“Writing is really such a multifaceted activity, so I’m constantly looking for new ways to express myself in my work,” she said. “Every single time I put pen to paper or open up that Word document, it’s like releasing this giant breath I’ve been holding and letting out all the wonder and uncertainty of daily life.”
From Dr. Chamberlain’s Desktop
Parents who have a child with an overjet, or what is commonly referred to by people as “buck teeth,” know some of the problems that may arise as a result. While they realize that their child may be at a higher risk for being teased or even have more difficulty biting into certain foods, they may not be aware that it actually puts their child at a higher risk for dental trauma.
Research in the “Journal of Dental Traumatology” reports that children who have an overjet are at a higher risk for experiencing dental trauma at some point. With the teeth protruding out more, it puts them in a vulnerable position that may lead to traumatic
Dr. Thomas Chamberlain
experiences that include chipped teeth or fractures, dislodged teeth, knocked-out teeth, and root fractures. The study also indicates that males are at a higher risk for the trauma than females are, and that those children who have an overjet that is greater than 6 mm have four times the risk of dental trauma.
Overjet can occur for a variety of reasons, including heredity, improper alignment, thumb sucking, overuse of pacifiers, and overcrowding of teeth. Left untreated, it can also impact speech, leading to impediments. As most children who have an overjet can attest, it is also an aesthetic issue that may attract unwanted attention to those who have it. The good news is that overjet can successfully be corrected by working with an orthodontist.
Today, there are several treatment options available to help correct an overjet, thus reducing the risks of dental trauma and other related
issues. Options range from braces and dental appliances to surgery for extreme overjet situations. The important issue for parents to remember is that it is a treatment that should not be ignored. Getting a proper treatment timeline may save the child years of problems and help them to avoid dental traumas.
Parents who have a child with overjet will want to make an appointment with an orthodontist. During that visit, the severity of the condition can be assessed, and treatment options and timing can also be discussed. This is just one more step toward helping their child to avoid further injury, and move closer to having optimal oral health!
Dr. Thomas Chamberlain
Hannah Miao. Submitted photo
Basha student fills backpacks with goodies for foster children
BY SRIANTHI PERERA
When 17-year-old Mackenzie Healy of Chandler was younger, she developed an interest in helping care for foster children at her best friend’s home.
Although her family didn’t sponsor any foster kids, Mackenzie found a way to help them: the Basha High School student devoted her senior school project to soliciting donations and raising funds to purchase backpacks and filled them with utility items for foster children.
“I learned that foster children go into these homes empty-handed. I think that’s super sad, and I kind of take things that I have for granted,” said Mackenzie, who has three brothers and is the only girl in her family.
Kenzie Kare Packages—35 backpacks filled with a toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush/ comb, soap, deodorant, shampoo, book, coloring book/sketch pad, crayons, pencils/ pens, snack and a fleece blanket—were presented to the Department of Children Services.
For her effort, Mackenzie was given the Mighty Duck Award, which is usually reserved for the staff at the department.
Mackenzie said that her project was successful because of the help she received from her school and from Payne Junior High of Queen Creek. She received permission from the two principals to send fliers home
17, of Basha High filled backpacks with utility items for foster children as her senior school project. Submitted photo
with students, hang posters in hallways and make daily announcements. Students from Basha High donated $200, while those in Payne Junior High donated $1,300 and also hand-tied the fleece blankets.
Gilbert Fire Department donated 20 backpacks and 80 teddy bears, while the Apache Junction-based nonprofit organization Books Are Fun donated 11 children’s books.
“With my backpacks that I donated, when the [foster] children go into the homes, they’re able to take those backpacks and go from home to home with that in hand,” Mackenzie said. “It made me really happy.”
Basketball academy begins at Tumbleweed center
Teens looking for something to do on Friday nights can participate in basketball games and friendly competition at the Tumbleweed Recreation Center.
Designed for children and teens 12 to 17 years old, the REACH Basketball Academy is open from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. every other Friday through May 20, at the TRC, 745 E. Germann Rd., Chandler. Fees are $33 for Chandler residents and $45 for nonresidents.
Teenagers can sign up for twilight basketball clinics, play in 3-on-3 competitions and more. All skill sets are welcome.
“Whether you’re picking up a basketball for the first time or aspire to play at the high school level and beyond, REACH Basketball Academy is a great opportunity for teens looking for a little bit of glory, a good workout and a sense of community,” said Shawn Peoples, recreation coordinator.
The academy gives Chandler youth a
place where they can “hang out on Friday evenings in a safe, monitored environment that’s fun,” Peoples said.
This sports clinic, a collaboration between the City of Chandler and the REACH Basketball Organization, a sports clinic helps young athletes acquire fundamental basketball skills and learn life lessons, including accountability, teamwork and leadership. Founder and head coach Rodger Farrington brings more than 25 years of professional basketball experience to the program.
Teens also can enjoy the Teen Lounge’s video games, ping-pong and movie nights at the center from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. every other Friday through May 20. Fees are $3 for residents and $5 for nonresidents.
For more information, contact Shawn Peoples at (480) 782-2746 or e-mail shawn. peoples@chandleraz.org.
BASIS Chandler team takes state title
The BASIS Chandler Bobcat Academic Decathlon team won its third consecutive 1A state title at the 32nd Annual Arizona Academic Decathlon. The team finished fifth out of 39 teams and were the only small school to finish in the top 10.
Anna Cheng, who tallied a perfect score in language and literature, won the top student trophy for her overall highest score for the second year in a row. She also earned a gold medal in economics and a silver in science. Liam Lawson
earned a silver in math, Anika Banister earned bronze in art, gold in science and silver in speech, Dalton Wood earned silver in language and literature and silver in science, and Mackenzie Moore-Kosslow earned gold in math.
The team will now compete April 28 in the national small schools United States Academic Decathlon where the Bobcats have posted consecutive fourth place finishes.
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Mackenzie Healy,
Gateway Pediatrics
205 S. Dobson Rd, Suite 1, Chandler AZ 85224 (480) 963-6668
Our distinctive services:
• Comprehensive Pediatric care from Birth to 18 Years
• In-house Lactation (Breastfeeding) consultation
• In-house consultation in Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics
• Medical home for children with Special Health Care Needs
• Complimentary Meet the Doctor visit for expecting parents
• Evening hours Monday-Thursday until 8pm by appt only
• Saturday hours from 8am-12pm by appointment only
• Bilingual office staff and providers
NOW ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS OF ALL AGES!
★ Dr. Sudha Chandrasekhar, MD, FAAP, IBCLC
★ Dr. Mariah Scott, DO, FAAP
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Camp offers solace for children, adults
Grieving children and adults can create friendships and start the healing process at Camp Paz on the weekend of April 16 and 17 at Whispering Hope Ranch in Payson.
Hosted by Arizona-based nonprofit Stepping Stones of Hope, the overnight camp helps grieving children 6 to 17 years old and adults by providing a neutral, safe environment.
Camp Paz for Kids (paz means peace in Spanish) was created in 1999 to give children, whose lives have been disrupted by the death of a loved one, a chance to be around other kids who understand and share a similar experience.
Children and adults are divided at the camp into small groups to partake in activities, including music, animal
CHANDLER
UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
March 21: Teacher inservice workday— no school
March 25: Spring holiday—no school
May 23 through May 24: High school early dismissal
May 24: Fourth quarter ends
CTA INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY
AzMerit and AIMS testing
State testing for students in third through sixth grades was scheduled to begin March 30 and run through April 18. Teachers will provide specific dates they will be testing. Parents are asked not to schedule any appointments during this time.
Spring Fling event
The 10th annual Spring Fling will be held from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday, April 8. All families and neighbors are invited to come for a full evening of fun. There will be bounce houses, dunk tank, bungee
interactions, humor and art. Themes of the weekend include trust, vulnerability, interpersonal relationships, guilt, anger, family dynamics, memories, hopes and dreams.
Stepping Stones of Hope is dedicated to providing comprehensive support-based programs, continuing care and education to grieving children, families, adults and communities.
Camp Paz for Kids & Grown-Ups is subsidized by Capital Group and K-2 Adventures.
For information, email Diane Raden at dianer@steppingstonesofhope. org or call (602) 264-7520. Registration can be completed online at www. steppingstonesofhope.org.
run, Tilt-a-Whirl, food trucks and more. Tickets and wristbands will be available for purchase that evening; payment can be made by cash and credit card. Parents are also encouraged to sign up to volunteer at the event. Feel free to email the PTO at ctaptofundraising@gmail. com. Hope to see you there!
Triple A Award Winners
Congratulations to CTA’s most recent Triple A Awards winners—sixth grader Katerina Rohrs, parent Joal Watson and staff member Becky Babcock. They were honored at the Chandler Center for the Arts on Wednesday, Feb. 17.
Mark Your Calendar:
April 19: Volunteer celebration from 8 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. April 22: PTO general meeting from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. April 22: STUCO movie night April 27: Second-grade patriotic program 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
—Jana Thrash
Mark H. Wilson, M.D. and Lois Henderson, FNP—
1076 W. Chandler Blvd., Ste.
Thousands of Cinderellas find their fairy godmothers
BY KENNETH LAFAVE
“Every girl deserves to feel like a princess,” reads the motto of “Cinderella Affair,” a project of the East Valley Women’s League.
For the 15th year in a row, the League is recycling thousands of previously worn prom dresses, shoes and accessories, to high school juniors and seniors. The first giveaway for this year happened March 26, and there will be two additional giveaways: Saturday, April 2, and Saturday, April 9. Both will take place between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the Cinderella Affair Boutique, 411 N. McKemy, Chandler.
It’s open to all Arizona high school juniors and seniors with valid ID.
If you missed the first giveaway—or
even if you miss the second—don’t worry.
This year, the League gathered more items than ever before.
“Every February, we hold the dress drive, and this year the outpouring of dresses was just incredible,” explained Traci Estenson, project manager for a Cinderella Affair.
“Currently, we have about 4,000 dresses of all colors and sizes. We have short ones, long ones, poofy ones and shapely ones.”
The project acts the role of fairy godmother in the Cinderella fairytale, outfitting girls whose budgets might keep them away from their school’s biggest social event, allowing them to participate. It has given away nearly 9,000 dresses total—1,500 of them last year alone.
The reason for its increasing popularity
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is easy to see,
“A lot of girls don’t go to prom because of cost issues. But this is 100 percent free,” Estenson said.
Estenson recalled that for her own prom, she had to go to a second-hand store, which made it “less magical.” But the dresses in the Cinderella Affair project are no ordinary hand-me-downs. They are dresses with a history of dazzling the eyes at previous proms.
When a girl arrives at the boutique, she is escorted by a volunteer to the dress room where she can try on up to five different dresses. Shoes and accessories are chosen in a different room. Volunteer seamstresses are on hand to make alterations, and a dry-cleaning certificate is
provided if required. All selections are final.
As plentiful as the dresses are this year, Estenson admitted that some styles go faster than others. Girls wanting to get in and make first choices have been known to camp outside the facility the night before.
The girls may keep the items they find at Cinderella Affair, but the are also invited to return them for the next year’s giveaway.
“Some of these girls even come back as volunteers. They want to help other girls feel as special as they did, walking through these doors.”
For more information, go to www. cinderellaaffair.org.
C handler-T ullamore Sister C ities
Recep tion : Friday, April 15 from 6:00 to 10:00pm 3rd Friday Artw alk in Historic Dow ntow n Chandler
• Exhibit will feature poetry, essays an d artworks submitted by Chandler students for ou r 2016 Art and Author Showcase
• Chandler-Tullamore Sister Cities was chosen to h ost th e 2015 Sister Cities Internation al Showcase, featuring Young Authors and Artists from arou nd the world! The pieces are included in the Exhibit for th e month of April.
• Beibhinn Cullen, student from Sacred Heart High School in ou r Sister City Tullamore, was the 2015 SCI Internation al Grand Prize E ssay Win ner, and is represented in the Exhibit.
For information an d to view our winners an d Reception photos (after April 15), please see our website, www.chandlerirish.org, or con tact chan.to.tu ll@gmail.com
Hosting o f the 2016 Art & Autho r Showcase is made po ssible by a grant from Chandler Spec ial E vents S ponsorship Funding and the Chandler Cultural Foundatio n, and thr ough the gener ous suppo rt of Downtown Chandler Community Par tnership.
More than 300 young women started lining up at 7:30 p.m. the night before the doors opened to the Cinderella Boutique on the first of three Saturdays. Once inside, girls could choose up to five dresses to try on and then select shoes and accessories for their upcoming proms. Submitted photos
Affordable Braces!
STUDENT CHRONICLES
Know a student who is doing something remarkable? Email the news to christina@santansun.com.
Dordt College and join the softball program.
Jacob Legumina, a Chandler native studying sociology at San Diego State University, was named to Scholars Without Borders, an honors society dedicated to promoting international exchange and service and recognizing scholarly achievement in an international context.
Heeringa has a .715 batting average, .730 on-base percentage, 16 hits, and 19 runs batted in this season. The infielder has already hit two home runs, with three triples, and two doubles through six games played. She earned allstate and all-section honors during her junior season. In 2015 she hit .510 with a .519 on-base percentage. She had 44 hits, 38 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases.
Scholars Without Borders supports programs with an international focus and builds awareness of international issues and opportunities. Members strive to inspire SDSU students, faculty and staff to become engaged and committed scholar-citizens of the global community.
San Diego State University is a major public research institution offering bachelor’s degrees in 89 areas, master’s degrees in 78 areas and doctorates in 21 areas. The university provides transformative experiences, both inside and outside of the classroom, for its 35,000 students. For information, visit www.sdsu.edu
Hailey Heeringa, a senior at Valley Christian High School in Chandler, has announced her intention to attend
Heeringa was also part of a Valley Christian team that finished the 2014 state softball runner-up. She is a twoyear team captain and earned the team’s Total Release (hustle) Award as a sophomore. Heeringa was also a part of Valley Christians 2014 basketball team that finished runner-up at the state tournament and earned the team’s “Rookie of the Year” award in 2013. Hailey is the daughter of Keith and Erica Heeringa of Chandler. She intends to study education at Dordt.
Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa, is a comprehensive Christian college rooted in the Reformed tradition. The Defender athletic program is a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and the Great Plains Athletic Conference.
