Canyon Ridge School - Dysart Unified School District

Canyon Ridge School
January 6, 2010
Canyon Ridge Art Club:
The Canyon Ridge Art Club has spent the last 3 months working on a school wide mural project. Art club
students in grades 5 th -8 th painted small murals outside classroom doors throughout the entire campus. The
students either copied an image, or created their own. Currently, there are over 2 dozen of these murals
decorating our campus and we are still working on more.
Capitol Christmas Tree:
Kaitlyn Ferencik, our Capitol Christmas Tree contest winner, went to Washington, D.C on December 7 th
to light the tree with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Kaitlyn was accompanied by her family, Mrs.
Attillio and Mrs. Moore her 7th grade teachers. While there they attended the Chief of the Forest Service
Recognition Reception and watched the White Apache Tribe Crown Dancers perform a ceremonial dance
prior to the lighting. She was also interviewed about the ceremony by the HGTV channel. Kaitlyn was
able to meet Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick, Congressman John Shadegg, Governor Jan Brewer and of

course Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. The Congressional Reception followed where Kaitlyn met
Senator John McCain and Congressman Jeff Flake. Kaitlyn had a fantastic time and was an excellent
representative for Canyon Ridge School and Dysart Unified School District.
Desert Moon School
3 rd Grade:
Students from Mrs. Denise Leadabrand’s 3 rd grade class at Desert Moon spent their evening on December
15 th giving back to their community. The students and some DMS staff members donated holiday gifts to
residents of Heritage Legacy, an elderly residential home in Sun City West. This is the second year that
Mrs. Leadabrand’s students from Desert Moon have taken part in this great event. A wonderful time was
had by all in attendance.
Dysart Elementary School
Cheer and Dance Club:
The 1st-3 rd grade cheerleading and dance club performed for their parents on Friday, December 11 th after
school. The 45 girls performed their second dance with cheers and stunts! Way to go girls! The club also

performed at the DHS football game half time on October 30 of this year. Thank you Dysart High School
for allowing the DES Cheer club put on a show!! This club is year round and will continue to perform at
other events in the district.
Kingswood Elementary School
Place mats:
Mrs. Klaproth’s 8 th graders assisted Mrs. Linzey’s kindergartners in creating Kwanzaa place mats. The
older students helped their little “buddies” weave a colorful construction paper place mat. Leadership and
mentoring everyday makes a difference.
Employees of the Month:
Certified Staff: Mrs. Mills, 7th grade Math Teacher
Mrs. Mills has been teaching at Kingswood for the last 8 years as the 7th grade math teacher. She
graduated from ASU West. Mrs. Mills is married and has 4 children and 3 grandchildren. She has one cat
at home that is her baby. She loves to travel and hang out on the beach when she gets the chance; one of
her favorite spots is Rocky Point. Her goal is to teach students to have fun with math and enjoy it.

Support Staff: Mrs. Opsahl, School Monitor
Mrs. Opsahl is the school monitor at Kingswood and has been since October of this year, before that she
was the reading first data entry clerk. She is a graduate of University of Phoenix. She is married and the
mother of 3 Dysart District students. She loves to read and bake in her spare time. She enjoys getting to
know all of the students at Kingswood. Mrs. Opsahl has three cats and one dog at home that keep her
busy. She also volunteers at the school when she has the opportunity. She is an active member of the
PTSA.
Luke Elementary School
Choir Concert:
Luke Elementary School hosted their “Christmas Choir
Concert” on Tuesday night, December 16 th . Luke’s Choir, Bell
Choir, and Luke’s 1 st graders sang wonderful holiday songs to a
packed house. This definitely started our winter season with
great holiday cheer!! Thank you to Ms. Busby, Luke’s music
teacher, for a stellar performance and wonderful music! We are
so glad to have Ms. Busby as part of our family!!!
NJHS:
The Luke Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society inducted five new members on Thursday,
December 10. Seventh graders Ashley McManus, Felipe Moreno-Hernandez, Nicole Carter, Christopher
Patterson and Shami Kalo were welcomed to the chapter with a candle lighting ceremony. Each signed
the membership roll and received their Society pin from Principal Jean Meier and Assistant Principal
Brad Johnson.

Seventh graders Sarah Miladin and Jeremeiah Whiteside also received a special recognition. Already
Society members from their previous schools, they recently transferred to Luke and were immediately
welcomed to the group. Sarah and Meiah also signed the membership roster and received an NJHS pin
for the Luke chapter.
Luke will host another ceremony in the spring that will induct qualified sixth grade students.
Marley Park Elementary School
MP Basketball Clinic:
Coach Spanos hosted the annual Marley Park Basketball Clinic on Dec 15 and 16th.
Approximately 26 - 6th, 7th and 8th graders showed up to participate in the clinic. Coach
Rogers and Coach Dawn were on hand to help out and give advice to the students. The Blue team
defeated the Gold team by a final score of 36 to 29. Great Job!
Christmas Tree Decorating Party:
Congratulations to:
Mrs. Dawn’s class
for coming in second place in the tree decoration contest
On December 11th, City of Surprise hosted a tree decorating party at Dream

Catcher Park. Students from Mrs. Dawn’s and Mr. Price’s classes participated in the annual event. The
students had a wonderful time decorating the trees and dancing the Macarena and Electric Slide. City of
Surprise provided lemonade and cookies. There were even surprise visits from the Phoenix Coyote
mascot, Rudolph and even the jolly ol’ man himself, Santa! Santa handed out Jingle Bells and toys to the
children. What a fantastic way to celebrate the spirit of the season!
Character Counts at Marley Park:
Each week K-6 teachers will choose one student from their classroom who exhibits Character Counts
traits. Every Thursday Mrs. Mady and Mr. Nevers will announce the students names over the intercom
and invite the students to the front office where they will receive a character bracelet and pose for a group
picture. The pictures will be displayed in the “Principals’ Hall of Fame” between Mrs. Mady and Mr.
Nevers offices. Congratulations!
The winners for the Month of December are:
Week of Dec 7th:
Kindergarten: Ms Day’s: Abby Medrano, Ms McDaniel’s: Charlie Truax, Ms Nead’s: Angelica
Casados, Ms Schoonover’s: Adrian “Danny” Garcia
First Grade: Ms Espinoza’s: Phoebe Carlson, Ms Frassetto’s: Amber Riley, Ms Higgenbotham’s:
Ashley Cancillo
Second Class: Ms Hemsley’s: Hailey Hough, Ms Purin’s: Stephanie Gomez, Ms Schroeder’s: Rachel
Wilkens
Third Grade: Mr Brachmann’s: Nicholas Villegas, Ms Hanson’s: Zachary Rapp, Ms Hope’s: Gavin
Souder, Ms Tarleton’s Class: Brenden Brinkman
Forth Grade: Ms Mayfield’s: Scott Metcalf, Ms Sinex’s: Paige Moedt, Ms Weiler’s: Angel Valenzuela
Fifth Grade: Ms Harshbarger’s: Jordan Frieberg, Ms Voter’s: Alex Ramirez, Ms Wilken’s: Leah Curtis
Sixth Grade: Ms Anderson’s: Caleb Ortega, Ms Franklin’s: Cassie Montoya, Ms Scianna’s: Angelic
Delgado
Ms Dawn’s Class: Anthony Ledesma

Week of Dec 14th:
Kindergarten: Ms Day’s: Chase Tellez, Ms McDaniel’s: Julliana Jones, Ms Nead’s: Blake Hines
Ms Schoonover’s: Emma Wages
First Grade: Ms Espinoza’s: Samuel Penney, Ms Frassetto’s: Dylon Loper,
Second Grade: Ms Hemsley’s: Claudia Campbell, Ms Purin’s: Aidan Boyd, Ms Schroeder’s: Tya
Rowitz
Third Grade: Mr Brachmann’s: Nina Ramirez, Ms Hanson’s: Aryah McCoy, Ms Hope’s: Rachel
Lomeli, Ms Tarleton’s: Mollie Konieczny
Forth Grade: Ms Mayfield’s: Austin Young, Ms Sinex’s: Tyler Glover, Ms Weiler’s: Dana Rowitz
Fifth Grade: Ms Harshbarger’s: Jerry Broughton, Ms Voter’s: Christa Tortorice, Ms Wilken’s: Maya
Scianna
Sixth Grade: Ms Anderson’s: Katie Southard, Ms Franklin’s: Alex Shamley
Ms Dawn’s: Kaylee Espinoza
Mountain View School
Choir:
The Mountain View Choirs visited Brighton Gardens, a senior living facility in Sun City, on December
15 th , 2009. The choir sang for residents in the Nursing Care unit, the Alzheimer’s unit and for those who
live independently but eat in the dining hall. The choir also made special holiday greetings which they
gave to the residents as they sang “We wish you a merry Christmas!” The choir was invited to come back
“any time” as the residents enjoyed our visit with laughter and singing!

Parkview Elementary School
Peace Week and Service Learning Project:
Parkview Elementary School held their annual Peace Week and Service Learning Project presentations
the week of December 14 th . Each grade level took on a service learning project and presented their hard
work for the school on December 18 th . All students had the chance to see the wonderful work through a
gallery walk.
Annual Choir Performance:
Mrs. Featherstone held her annual choir performance as well. We would like to say thank you to all of our
wonderful students and commend them for their hard work and effort toward making a difference in the
world!

Rancho Gabriela Elementary School
Dysart Honor Choir:
The following Rancho students auditioned and made the Dysart Honor Choir! Congratulations!
4 th /5 th Grade:
Soprano -- August Blair, Ryleigh Erickson, Ashley Wagner
Alto -- Cabriegh Lane, Kortlynn Wesson, Miranda Torres
6 th /7 th /8 th Grade:
Soprano 1 -- Zoe Curtis, Emily Ledezma
Soprano 2 -- Elizabeth Layman, Mercedes Torres
Alto -- Sydney Richards, Joyce Vizor
1 st Grade:
Miss Zagara’s first grade class made butter just like the Pilgrims! After finishing their theme on the lives’
of Pilgrims and Indians, the students got to see the process of butter-making. First, you shake heavy
cream in a container. Next, the cream becomes heavy and sounds like a bouncing ball inside the container.
Last, the heavy cream separates into half milk and half butter! This is our version of churning butter. The
students were excited to see butter being made before their very eyes!
All 1 st graders took a magical journey on The Polar Express and studied five different countries and their
holiday traditions! On Friday the students wore their pajamas and watch the movie The Polar Express.

Students enjoyed hot chocolate and doughnuts while watching the movie and then compared/contrasted
elements of the book and the movie with their tables! It was a magical end to a very successful semester!
2 nd Grade:
Second grade is beginning a social studies unit on Traditions Around the World. We will
be visiting various countries around the world using map skills and will be learning about
different holiday customs that are celebrated.
4 th Grade:
The 4 th grade students are writing tradition speeches and will be sharing a family
tradition with the rest of the class. They will be bringing in visual aides that reflect their
family’s celebrations to help enhance their speeches. They have been practicing good
presentation skills such as a loud clear voice, good posture and eye contact with their
audience. It is exciting to hear about many of the traditions from all around the world
that the families in our classes celebrate. Some of the traditions include selecting a
special ornament each year, Scottish New Year’s, Polish Christmas celebrations, as well as Tamale
Making celebrations!!
NJHS:
Rancho recently inducted 31 new members into our chapter of The National Junior Honor Society. They
joined the 12 returning members. The National Junior Honor Society is a prestigious society who’s
members must hold up the highest standards of the 5 pillars; Scholarship, leadership, service, character,
and citizenship. We are proud of all our NJHS students! Congratulations!
Eighth Grade Transferring NJHS member:
Rust,Alexus
New Inductees from 8 th Grade:
Lauren Carlson, Sydney Cons, David Gorka, Janae Hall, Bianca Horn-Esparza, Ben Schwartz, Dreax
Thomas, Mercedes Torres, Mariah Veretto
New Inductees from 7 th Grade:
Christian Cabral, Cameron Feliciano, Gabriela Fernandez, Justyn Florentino, Kaylee Flores, Sarah Gryc,
Jered Head, Troy Johnson, Alisha Kalsi, Kaitlyn Kelsey,
Elizabeth Layman, Ricardo Lopez, Natalia Mares, Giselle Masedo, Julia McMonigal, Tyler Miller,
Jessica Ramirez, Nicole Rosales, Adam Rosen, Satya Van Dunk, Alyssa Wong
Returning NJHS members:
Nadia Abbott, Kevin Bernal, Taylor Canelli, Madison Fleming, Julia Hargis, Andrew Kenney, Molly
McCormick, Jason Moore, George Quagliano, Banna Tesfay, Joyce Vizor, Alora Wandrey

Riverview School
Sun’s Game:
Here is our group photo from the December 15 th game! What an awesome experience for all of our kids!
Thank you so much to all of you who made it happen and who created memories for students that will last
a life time! A huge thank you to all of the Riverview staff and families who helped me keep those extra
set of eyes on all of our students and to help us return home safely with everyone we left with!

Dysart High School
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Varsity Soccer:
The Boys’ Junior Varsity Soccer Team beat Kellis High School 2 – 0 in an exciting soccer game
yesterday. The defense of Fernando Nunez, Justin Castle, Jordan Hubbard, Herbie Duah, Mathew
Cardenas, and Keeper Alex Vega preserved the shutout victor. The first goal was scored on a breakaway
by Ezequiel Garcia, the team captain and leading scorer. The second goal was scored by Francisco
Landeverde assisted by Brandon Robles.
The Boys’ Junior Varsity record is 2 – 1 – 1.
Please congratulate the team.
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