Desert Vista High School students this week presented a near-complete application for teacher evaluations to be rolled out in the fall, a project more than a year in the making.

Instead of asking for gifts, St. John Bosco sixth-graders Lauren A. and Shea S. combined their recent 12th birthday parties into a fundraiser for a family in need. The Perres are local residents facing heart wrenching medical issues and staggering medical costs. Within two months of one another, Mrs. Perre was diagnosed with a form of Lou Gehrig’s disease and her 16-year-old son was diagnosed with cancer. Lauren and Shea invited the entire sixth-grade population of St. John Bosco, as well as many other friends, to party at Desert Foothills Park on April 26. In lieu of birthday gifts, Shea, Lauren and their friends dug into their piggy banks and donated money to help the Perres. In the end, Lauren, She and their friends collected approximately $1,700. The Perres were overwhelmed at the compassion and generosity of both the girls and the community.

A family fundraising event will be from 1 to 7 p.m. on May 19 at the parking lot at Foothills Park Plaza, Desert Foothills Parkway and Chandler Boulevard. This is a chance for the community to come out and support all levels of Blue and Gold football.

Sydney and Eryn Schmisseur found the sport of synchronized swimming somewhat serendipitously.

Brock Wilson, captain of the Desert Vista Volleyball team (one of two captains, the other is Ryan Adams), played Salpointe May 7 and swept them 3-0. The Thunder, seeded No. 1, lost 3-1 to No. 4 Gilbert in the state semifinals.

Team Phoenix, a youth basketball program in Ahwatukee Foothills, will have a Family Fun Movie Night and Raffle Fundraiser on Friday at the AMC Ahwatukee 24, 4915 E. Ray Road.

It’s no secret that Arizona offers some of the best and most luxurious AAA Four and Five Diamond resorts in the country. However, many travelers don’t realize that many of these properties also feature kid camps that aim to please even the pickiest pint-sized traveler. This provides mom and dad with a guilt-free way to indulge in some much-needed couple time, while allowing kids to make friends and create memories of their own.

Even though “The Great Gatsby” has gotten the movie treatment several times in the past, no film adaptation has ever really stood out as the definitive version of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s celebrated novel. Director Baz Luhrmann’s film is certainly the most visually arresting interpretation of “The Great Gatsby” ever produced. Catherine Martin, who previous worked with Luhrmann on “Moulin Rouge,” “Romeo + Juliet,” and “Australia,” deserves multiple Oscar nominations for her hyper sets and eye-popping costumes. As wonderful as Luhrmann’s “Great Gatsby” is to look at, the enchanting visuals are also ironically the movie’s downfall. In the midst of the art direction, costumes, and music, the story and characters that made Fitzgerald’s book a classic become a mere afterthought.

There were hurdles, blocks and bars all over the track Saturday at Mesa Community College.

The success of the spring sports kept me away from all but one day of three weeks of spring football.

A lacrosse stick is a simple piece of equipment: a metal pole, a plastic head and some coarse netting.

The 2013 Academy of Country Music Female Vocalist of the Year performs along with Dierks Bentley, Randy Houser, Joanna Smith and the Pistol Annies.

Something I didn’t get a chance to acknowledge at the time was the very cool gesture by the Gilbert volleyball team.

The scenes were about 20 miles and three hours apart on Thursday, but nonetheless felt much the same.