A class of fifth-grade students Friday opened up ping-pong balls with small science experiments inside after they returned from a trip to the “edge of space” inside the Earth’s atmosphere.

It started off as a challenge to celebrate Martin Luther King Day. In our class we were discussing how we could make a difference in the world. There are so many “NO Bullying,” “No Name-Calling,” and “No Hate” programs. They are good, but we felt they were all negative messages. We wanted to do something positive. One of the ways we have found to make a difference is to do a project called “100 Random Acts of Kindness.” Random acts of kindness are random and kind things you do for others. For example, you can hold the door for an elderly person.

Though she’s going to miss seeing her students grow in their love of books, Kyrene Monte Vista Elementary librarian Sue Race said it’s time for her to move on.

Phoenix film makers Marcus A. Stricklin and Sandy Kim, of Future Legends Production, have been invited to the Cannes Short Film Corner for the production of their film, “The Last Dance,” working with children actors from Ahwatukee.

A new statewide survey suggests that if Arizonans were asked about it today, it's more likely that gay couples would be able to marry here.

Alex Shin, a kindergartner at Kyrene de la Sierra Elementary School, placed first in a writing contest for PBS Kids Go! He was invited to a special awards ceremony in downtown Phoenix where local author, Terri Fields, presented Shin with his first place prize, a Kindle Fire.

Learning about the difference between wants and needs, students within the Kyrene School District learned the basics of finance and saving in a program through Bank of America.

The Arizona Educational Foundation (AEF) announced that 28 Arizona public schools earned the A+ School of Excellence award for the 2012-2013 academic year including one in Ahwatukee Foothills, Kyrene de los Cerritos Elementary School in the Kyrene Elementary District. Darcy DiCosmo is principal.

The Chandler Children’s Choir is presenting its spring concert, “Dancing Around the World,” a collection of songs representing different nationalities and cultures in different languages.

Keystone Montessori • 1025 E. Liberty Lane

Stretched along Kyrene Centennial Middle School’s track on Saturday for the district’s first Acts of Kindness event, Kyrene Monte Vista Elementary students raked in a paper chain with more than 3,000 links representing random acts of kindness.

According to the majority of the media and most of our elected officials we are not supposed to judge all Muslims by the acts of a few “crazies.” But the acts of a few American “crazies” are enough to judge all Americans who own guns.

Just after the school bell rang last Friday morning, Kyrene de la Sierra Elementary Principal Dave Maloney headed straight for his school’s media center to do live morning announcements.

Having observed the failure of our education system by dumbing-down our children for the past 50 years, concern has to be expressed about the “new” Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI).

Running around their school field and doing drills just outside of the multi-purpose room, a team of girls from Kyrene de la Sierra Elementary School weren’t just training for their upcoming 5K in Tempe this Saturday, but also giving each other encouragement and learning self-esteem.

Samantha Blau has travelled outside of the country before, but an upcoming trip this summer is particularly nerve wracking.

An Ahwatukee Foothills native’s life-long love for soccer skyrocketed to professional heights last August, when he became the first amateur player to sign a professional contract from Premier Development League club FC Tucson.