Recently, I had a meaningful and slightly curious experience.

Close to a thousand high school seniors tossed their caps up to the evening sky as Desert Vista and Mountain Pointe high schools hosted commencement ceremonies on their home football fields Thursday.

The mass exodus the last two seasons has people wondering about the level of talent remaining in the Desert Vista football program.

Most of us already realize “normal” is relative. Yet, we are only human. And as such, we can scarcely stop ourselves from the very-human behavior of seizing every available opportunity to try to quantify and define the term.

If you grew up in the early 90s, you probably remember an animated feature from 20th Century Fox called “FernGully: The Last Rainforest.” It was the environmentally-conscious movie every 90s kid saw, and yet, nobody really liked. The film’s intentions might have been good, but even the youngest children seemed to find its blatant green message overly preachy. The fact that “FernGully” was lacking in any interesting characters or magic didn’t help. “Epic,” which was also coincidentally distributed by Fox, is a bit like “FernGully” if it had smarter, more imaginative filmmakers backing it. While it’s not a massive improvement, “Epic” is at least fun, energized, and subtle with its environmental themes.

Indie-folk artist Jay Nash will be performing in the Valley’s very own The Rhythm Room this Wednesday May 22, with fellow performer David Ramirez.

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.

Cox Communications, in partnership with The Trust for Public Land, is seeking nominations for Arizona’s second Cox Conserves Heroes awards program. Nominations are being accepted at www.cox7.com/cox-conserves for volunteers who are creating, preserving or enhancing outdoor spaces.

Urban AZ’s first Spoken Word Showcase brings together a range of poetic performers, along with R&B artists Dwele and Bilal with a band, at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18 at Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix.

Senate Republicans are proposing a nearly $8.8 billion spending plan for the coming year, a tiny -- 1.6 percent -- hike over current levels.

Summer School … these two words can sound like a one- to two-month jail sentence for students in school.

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.

Using their talents for hilarious, family-friendly improvisational comedy, Jef and Shurlin Rawls of Mesa hope to lift spirits while lightening the load for a family in their neighborhood with an event they are calling a “FUN-draiser.”

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

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.

This hit ’80s band, responsible for songs “Heart and Soul,” “The Heart of Rock and Roll,” and “The Power of Love,” performs in Chandler.

Jerome; Willcox; Mormon Lake

Even with a healthy appreciation for the arts and a career that puts me in close proximity to them — not to mention a cousin who’s an accomplished professional ballerina — I can’t say I clamor for a night at the ballet.

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