Sometimes it’s best to start out small and work up to something bigger.

Teens are bound to be excited to leave backpacks and books behind for carefree summer fun. However, if your teen’s summer includes driving or riding with a teen driver, there are a few things to consider.

The Maricopa Community Colleges Governing Board unanimously approved the appointment of Steven R. Gonzales, Ed.D., as president of GateWay Community College, effective July 1.

Local school districts, including Kyrene, will now be able to pay for capital needs as bond legislation was passed in conjunction with the state’s budget early on Friday.

Voters who have seen how medical marijuana works in Arizona may get a chance to extend the ability to use the drug to all other adults.

Not waiting for formal gubernatorial approval, foes of her Medicaid expansion already are moving to undo at the ballot box and in court what they could not block at the Legislature.

Mohammed Saleem bet one brother instead of chasing another.

In completing the process of finalizing a new district policy manual, Tempe Union High School District administration will be reviewing policies like emergency plans and student discipline as well as others before the start of the 2013-14 school year.

Three students recently promoted from the eighth grade at St. John. Bosco Catholic School in Ahwatukee recently received scholarships for private high school tuition, each worth $8,000.


The rookie class at Mountain Pointe next year is a rather large one.


The Court of Appeals won't stop the state from continuing to fund a controversial voucher program, at least not now.

Katlyn Youngblood, a sophomore early childhood education major from Ahwatukee Foothills, was among approximately 1,500 Bob Jones University students who were named to the spring 2013 dean’s list. Bob Jones University is located in Greenville, S.C. 
To qualify for the dean’s list, students must earn a 3.0 GPA.


Part of a new sponsorship program, the Kyrene School District was able to save more than 1.5 million kilowatts in energy this past school year, saving the district around $200,000.

Like most future college freshmen, Ahwatukee’s Alexis Lupercio is determined and eager to make it to every class her first semester.
But the driving factor isn’t just a headstrong devotion to her education, it’s also because she’s never missed a day of school in her life.
Proving that senioritis didn’t get the best of her, Lupercio, 17, recently graduated from Mountain Pointe High School and has gone through some 13 years of schooling without calling in sick or leaving town, giving her a true perfect attendance record.
“It kind of just happened,” said Lupercio. “There have definitely been days where I asked my mom if I could miss school, but in the back of my head I knew I couldn’t miss.”
Though she never got sick enough to stay home all of those years, Lupercio insisted on going to school albeit tiredness from late-night study sessions and light colds.
Noting that both of her parents were supportive and encouraged her to keep up the record, Lupercio also credited a sense of independence.
“It’s just me being independent and taking responsibility instead of relying on others,” she said, mentioning that a pet peeve of hers is asking others for class notes or making up tests.
Though she was present on campus for all of her primary school years, being involved in student council as Mountain Pointe’s senior class president this year took her away from some classes for event set-up or other activities.
“I was even the one who had never missed a student council meeting last year,” Lupercio said.
Along with student council, Lupercio played volleyball as an underclassman and also was a member of the National Honors Society and the Language Honors Society. She also attended Kyrene de la Esperanza Elementary and Kyrene Centennial Middle schools.
With a plan to study business exploratory at Arizona State University this fall, Lupercio wants to be just as involved on a new turf.
“I really like being involved, I got to get to know more about the school and our other students so that was cool,” she said. “I want to see all that’s out there.”
For others who might want to finish out their high school days with daily attendance, Lupercio said it’s all about responsibility.
“I think anyone can do this,” she said. “It’s your responsibility to go to school, just go for it.”


Ahwatukee resident Victor A. Cogco-Hernandez won a scholarship to the soccer camp of his choice this summer thanks to Scion, the Toyota car brand.

Kyrene School District officials on Tuesday presented a capital plan for the upcoming 2013-14 school year to its governing board, hoping to modify its current “run to failure” effort to fund capital needs.
With its biggest challenge of funding capital items like leaky roofs, air conditioning towers and rusted water pipes, the district is modifying its “run to failure” plan to only pay for high-priority projects and maintenance projects with excessive or recurring costs.
Kyrene Superintendent Dr. David Schauer said on Tuesday that the plan is “not something we are happy about, but something we believe we can do.”
Still waiting on whether bond legislation from the state will come out in favor of school districts this summer, district chief financial officer Jeremy Calles said select schools with the high-priority capital needs will be addressed first.
“The pile is only growing bigger and bigger each year,” Calles said.


With a unique style of commencement ceremony, Horizon Community Learning Center in Ahwatukee graduated 92 seniors on Tuesday night.

Taylor Guthrie, a student from Chandler, was recently honored as one of the brightest young students in the nation at a statewide awards ceremony for academically advanced children sponsored by The Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth (CTY).

All-day kindergarten registration opened this week for the Kyrene School District, offering parents tuition-free classes where kids can engage in music, art, technology and other activities.

When executives of corporations are caught aiding and abetting criminal behavior of their employees, the executives are prosecuted and the businesses are destroyed.

The Village Preschool • 2156 E. Liberty Lane