Andre Paternina, a Maricopa High School senior has been chosen The Maricopa Rotary Club February Student of the Month.  Paternina has been chosen for the status of his grades, citizenship and honors classes that he is enrolled in.  He is also a participant in student clubs, The Link, Key Club, National Honor Society, Journalism, and Orchestra and is involved in community projects and your local church organization.

Mr.Paternina will be eligible with other students at the end of the year for a scholarship to be used at your choice of a post secondary school after graduation from Maricopa High School.

Madison Moncel, a Desert Winds Middle School eighth grade honors student has been chosen to be the Rotary February Middle School Student of the Month. She is the daughter of Mitchell and Lois Moncel. At school she is active in student council, band, yearbook, and softball. Outside of school she is active in club softball and dance.  Madison will be eligible for a $250 high school scholarship to be used at Maricopa High School.

Madison and her mother were honored guests at a recent Rotary Club meeting where she was honored and presented a certificate and gift certificates from various businesses in Maricopa.

Show your artistic talent and environmental stewardship this

Earth Day by participating in the Art Recycling Contest sponsored by Environmental Concerns Organization, Inc. and your local

Maricopa residents are encouraged to take items from their waste basket and recreate them into an art object. The art objects submitted will be judged in both student and adult categories and winners will be given awards.

1. What is the purpose of the Art Recycling Contest?

The purpose of the Art Recycling Contest is to encourage Maricopa residents to recycle their trash instead of throwing it away.

2. Who can participate?

Maricopa students – Grades K-12 can enter the art contest.  Adults of all ages can also participate.

3. How do I get more information?

Contact the Recycling Association of Maricopa at 520-568-9428 or e-mail 1earth@cox.net.

4. What is the entry deadline?

Artwork must be submitted to your local Recycling Association of Maricopa facility any Saturday between the hours of 9 am and 2 pm. Entries must be received by 2 pm Saturday, April 3rd, 2010 to qualify.

5. What are the prizes?

Judges will choose one winner from each of five different categories – Grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 and Adult. Category winners will receive a “Certificate of Accomplishment” and Valuable Gift Cards from local participating businesses. A “Best of Show” will be awarded to one winner, who may come from any of the five categories. Winners will be announced on Earth Day, April 22nd, 2010 in the media and will have their artwork, their name and, for the students, the name of their teacher and school displayed at the Maricopa Library.

6. What are the contest rules?  How will the entries be judged? To get a copy of the detailed information regarding the contest rules, submission requirements and the point system used to judge the entries, call the Recycling Association of Maricopa at 520-568-9428 or e-mail 1earth@cox.net

Everywhere you looked at Legacy Traditional School on Tuesday, March 2^nd you could see a celebration of reading. This is the thirteenth year that schools across the country have honored one of the best children’s authors in history, Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss.  This event, Read Across America Day, was created by the National Education Association and this year, First Lady Michelle Obama kicked off the day by reading The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss to children at the Library of Congress.  At Legacy Traditional School, located at 17760 Regent Drive Maricopa, Arizona “Read Across America Day” was full of surprise guests that came to the school to share their love of reading.  Legacy invited community members, family and friends to come and read to the students. Maricopa Firefighters, Policemen, and community leaders also shared their favorite books with students in Kindergarten-6^th grade. Many “Readers” also shared how important reading is not only for their personal enjoyment but in their jobs as well.

This week Legacy not only hosted a Read Across America Day but the students also celebrated School Spirit Week. Tuesday’s theme for School Spirit Week was Pajama Day so the students enjoyed the reading event by dressing in their pajamas and having pancakes and sausage for lunch.  In Ms. Colleary’s room the students were encouraged to bring in a pillow or blanket for the reading fun. The kids then lay on the classroom floor, some with stuffed animals and listened as their teacher read them stories. The younger students spent their art period making colorful hats that were so tall they could rival the famous cat in the Cat in the Hat series. In 3^rd grade the students created an amusement park that was Dr. Seuss themed. The first grade students in Mrs. Bennett’s class said that one of their favorite books read to them was The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.  You could have heard a pin drop as they listened to the story of a tree who loved a little boy. Principal Dr. Croatt said, “At Legacy we teach our students the skills that they will need to be successful adults by inspiring a lifelong love of reading.”  For more information on Legacy Traditional School please call 520-423-9999.

The Legacy Traditional School Girl’s Junior High Basketball team recently won the Arizona Charter Athletic Association AZCAA Division B State Championship defeating Leading Edge Academy 34 – 10.  The Legacy Lions came out roaring and took an early lead in the first quarter, 10 – 2.  By the first half the Legacy Lions had aggressively increased the lead to 22 – 6.  The Lions demonstrated impressive team work, sportsmanship, and defensive prowess.

The Legacy Lions were led by Elisabeth Eames – 8 points, Aundria Littlejohn – 7 points, Ieisha Smith 6 points, Tailor Goods – 5 points, Sydnee Akers – 4 points, and Ki Beattie – 4 points.  All Legacy players were valuable contributors to Legacy Traditional School’s 1st AZCAA State Championship.  The Lions were led to victory by Coach Williams and Coach Peresich.

After the trophy was awarded it was announced that Elisabeth Eames, a seventh grader at Legacy, was named the Most Valuable Player by AZCAA officials. Elisabeth Eames, Tailor Goods, Brandon Holcomb, and Jared Barney were also invited to participate in the AZCAA JH All-Star Basketball tournament.

All of our Legacy Traditional School student athletes represent Legacy with excellent sportsmanship and character.  The Legacy Traditional School Athletics Program looks forward to more great things to come.  Legacy Traditional School welcomes all students 6^th-9^th grade to participate in many various sports.  If you have any questions about Legacy Traditional School or its sports programs please call 520-423-9999.

Legacy Traditional School Student Takes 3^rd Place in Pinal County Spelling Bee

Three students from Legacy Traditional School participated in the Pinal County Spelling Bee. Out of sixty competitors, Anab Abdulle, a sixth grader, placed third in Pinal County. She performed without hesitation while on stage; stating that she was not nervous at all since she prepared by studying over her winter break. She also explained that the Spalding curriculum she is taught at school helps her to identify word origin and spelling rules.

Although Anab hoped to compete in the state spelling bee this year, she was pleased that she improved from her last year’s standings of sixth place in the 2009 Pinal County Spelling Bee.  She is encouraged with her progress and plans to continue to study in order to take first place in the Pinal County Spelling Bee next year.

Peñasco strengthens ties with Maricopa, Arizona

Puerto Peñasco and the city of Maricopa, Arizona are embarking on a new relationship of friendship and collaboration, with the greatest beneficiaries being the residents of both communities. This was agreed upon recently in a gathering of authorities from both communities.
Mayor Alejandro Zepeda Munro underscored the importance of the agreement reached with city authorities from the neighboring U.S. state, with whom he met recently, in establishing the beginning of more constant communication.
Those in attendance at the meeting included Maricopa Mayor Anthony Smith, accompanied by Vincent Abramo and Rusty Akers, who reaffirmed their interest in strengthening collaborative ties.
“It was a very positive meeting; we can say that this is the beginning of a new and better relationship between Peñasco and Maricopa, which allows us to begin to plan for cultural, athletic and commercial exchanges between the two cities,” noted Zepeda Munro.
“The (Maricopa) Mayor and I,” he added, “share an interest in promoting this new relationship between both cities, with the citizens themselves being the principal beneficiaries through activities set to be programmed as part of this communication.”

He mentioned that Mayor Smith, as representative for Maricopa, is interested in assuring residents of Peñasco are confident in visiting his city, as they will be well received and there is the openness of the authorities to assist them as needed.
During the meeting, an invitation was made to the Maricopa authorities to attend the 2010 February Peñasco Carnival, as well as to be open to the possibility of embarking on athletic, artistic and cultural exchanges.

From the Office of the Chief:

Occasionally the police department may be dispatched to your business after normal business hours.  Businesses with an active alarm system in place allow us to contact business owners if there was a problem with their property.

There are times, however, when issues occur on or around a business property which may not activate the alarm so having the information in the attached document helps us to contact a representative in a timely manner. Please email your completed After Hours Contact Info form to Rebecca.molus@maricopa-az.gov or fax it to 520-316-6888.

Maricopa, AZ (March 8, 2010):

M.A.S.H. is back; meeting Monday, March 15

Like the long-running TV series, the M.A.S.H. Coalition is alive and well, and it wants you to become a part of addressing substance abuse prevention in the Maricopa area.

Founded in May 2006, the M.A.S.H. (Maricopa, Ak-Chin, Stanfield, Hidden Valley) Anti-Substance Abuse Coalition exists for non-profit community service. Its mission is to provide resources, promote citizen involvement and create innovative ways to prevent and reduce substance abuse, particularly underage drinking.

The coalition has a new coordinator, Leonard “Tad” Roberts, a long-time Pinal County resident with a background in education, counseling, psychology and criminal justice. Roberts recently retired as a member of the Arizona State Board of Executive Clemency.

Kirsten Page-Burrell is the chairman of the coalition, and JoAnne Pinto from Against Abuse, Inc. is the project director for the coalition’s recent, federal Drug-Free Communities Program grant. Funds in the amount of $125,000 have been awarded to the coalition and are available each year, renewable for five years.

Substance abuse prevention is both ongoing and an essential task, to which the M.A.S.H. Coalition is completely dedicated.

Who makes up the coalition? Volunteers. Parents, grandparents, educators, interested community members are all invited to be a part of the coalition.

The first, re-organizational M.A.S.H. meeting will be held on Monday, March 15, at 6:30 p.m. in the Prevention Center at Maricopa Wells Middle School, 45725 W. Honeycutt Ave.

For additional information, contact Roberts at mashcoalition@gmail.com or at 520-840-1375.

From Harvey Mackay’s Column This Week

Today I received this as part of Harvey Mackay’s weekly column and thought is was “right-on.”

Some of the worst employees a manager will ever deal with have a vocabulary problem.  “No” and “maybe” don’t seem to be in their dictionary. Who are they?  The “Yes” people – those who answer “How high?” every time the boss says “Jump!”

At first glance, they might seem like a manager’s dream employee – someone who doesn’t give you a hard time every time you make a request, who appears to treat your every wish as a command. Someone who never has a different – or better – idea. But is this what you really want?

Ineffective leaders surround themselves with the familiar, the comfortable – and people who think exactly like they do.  In other words, Yes people. These employees tell the boss whatever he wants to hear and withhold any negative information. Like a horse with blinders on, the manager runs the race without any idea whether she is going in the right direction or if there are obstacles in the way.

The best leaders seek out those who think differently, and they encourage creativity and innovation in their employees.  If everyone agrees with you all the time due to fear or constant rejection, how will you hear any new ideas?  If you only have Yes people around you, you can’t improve.
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All Aspects General Contracting, as the name suggests, provides a complete range of construction services to meet your needs. From scraping and retexturing popcorn ceilings to building a custom home from the ground up, every size project is treated with professionalism and care.

The owner of All Aspects, Matt Gleash, has 18+ years of experience in the construction industry ranging from hands-on to supervisory to Customer Service Manager for a nationally based homebuilder. This  background has lead to a “customer first” philosophy which permeates every facet of All Aspects and is what sets us apart. Our customer focus is evident from the first time you speak with us until you are surprised and delighted with the outcome of the project. Our attention to service is why the vast majority of our business comes from repeat customers and referrals. Let us become your partner to help with All Aspects of your construction needs.

Please check out this video segment on Matt and Maricopa!

Channel 12 News Segment