Community Joins Together to Help Audrey Thoenen Battle EDS

Audrey Thoenen is like any other fifteen-year-old girl Öexcept that prior to her fifteenth birthday, she spent five weeks in Phoenix Childrenís Hospital with puzzled doctors trying to figure out what could possibly be wrong with her.

As a child, Audreyís parents knew that Audrey was ìdouble-jointedî, as she was always showing off her flexibility to her friends. As she grew older, however, the fun turned into a painful nightmare as her joints would not stay in place. Over a period of four years, Audrey went from being an absolutely normal child to a teenager who is in chronic pain and limited to a wheelchair.

Thoenen was eventually diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) at Phoenix Childrenís Hospital. EDS is a painful, debilitating, rare disease. People with EDS have a defect of the connective tissue. The connective tissue in a typical person provides support to many body parts including the skin, ligaments, and muscles. In a person with EDS, the collagen in their body is faulty which results in extreme pain, unstable joints, and fragile skin.

Unfortunately, just months after her family bought their two story home in Anthem, she wound up in a wheelchair. The stairs have proven to be very difficult with Audreyís disease. She has to be carried up and down the stairs and many days she spends not leaving her bedroom because she is so weak and in so much pain. Audreyís muscles have become so weak that she canít even hold her head up. She wears a neck brace and braces on her arms and legs. There is some hope that she will regain some of her strength through her therapy.

The community is hoping to not only bring awareness of EDS to the community but to come alongside this family with love and support. The community will aim to raise money to help with the surmounting medical bills, home modifications, and a new full-size diesel van to accommodate the wheelchair lift that has been donated to the family.

On April 27th there will be a Family Fun Day to benefit Audreyís Hope for Tomorrow in the big community park at the ramada by the train station from noon to 3 PM. Families are welcome to bring their kites, bats, balls, and fishing poles. Hog Wild will be catering pulled pork sandwiches, hamburgers, and hot dogs. There will be a silent auction, bounce houses, and many more surprises. Hilary Angelís Happy 2 Help  ice cream truck will be on site or the kids, and a percentage of the proceeds will be donated to the cause.

We Care in Anthem and AZ Hills Church is sponsoring the event, and all proceeds will go to Audreyís Hope for Tomorrow. The cost for tickets will be $20 per family if purchased prior to the event. Tickets may be purchased in advance by calling Teresa Oorin at 551-8310.

People may also make a contribution directly to a Wells Fargo Account set up for Audrey.

Service award PROVIDES APPROPRIATE WAY TO HONOR FOUNDING PRINCIPAL

In anticipation of founding principal, Charles Kevin Imesí departure at the end of this 2007-2008 school year, a service award has been founded in his honor by numerous contributions from the community of Boulder Creek High School, its students, staff, parents, and supporting community members.

Recipients of this award will show the same characteristics that Mr. Imes has modeled and give the school: high ethical standards, promotion of goodwill and peace in and around our community, humanitarian service, and an aura of professionalism that is an example for all.

Applicants must be graduating seniors of Boulder Creek High School, in Anthem, that have been accepted to an accredited institution of higher education or an accredited vocational training program. They must be able to demonstrate that they have reached out to others through community service above and beyond that required for graduation, school involvement, or promotion of world peace through community involvement and understanding.

Applications must be mailed or delivered to the BCHS Counseling Office no later than April 25th

One Lucky Graduating Senior Has a Ticket to Ride!

For the very first time in Boulder Creek High School history, a car has been donated to the PTA for an end-of-the-year giveaway.

Bradís Collision of Deer Valley donated the car, a fully-loaded gold, four-door, 2005 Dodge Stratus worth about $12,000.

Myong Covert, president of the PTA, said, ìThe Boulder Creek High School PTA is incredibly thrilled at the generosity of Bradís Collision of Deer Valley (623.587.9825; www.bradscollisioncenter.com) to donate a mint condition 2005 Dodge Stratus for one of our very own seniors to win at the May 16th Senior Celebration. The PTA has never received a donation of this magnitude before, and we are again, grateful beyond words. What touches the PTA is the overwhelming generosity many businesses have for our high school and our students. Through generous acts, we the volunteers are able to continue with our mission of making BCHS one of the best in our state.î

Paul Beebe, owner of Bradís Collision of Deer Valley, said ìWe are very proud to be a part of a celebration such as this one. We have been involved in similar programs in Tucson, and we believe that safety is a great concern for young people during this time of the year. Graduation should be the start of a Seniorís life Önot the end of it.î

Speaking on behalf of the PTA, Covert said ìThe Anthem Rotary Organization has generously donated necessary funds for the senior celebration on May 16th. The funds allow the PTA and the senior graduation committee to say farewell to the very first class who attended BCHS for all four years.î They are also very thankful for the involvement of Sweetheart Donuts in Anthem. ìSweetheart Donuts have kindly have kindly stepped up and offered to keep their donut fryers running for an extended period so that close to 400 sweet pastries can be give to the BCHS seniors the morning of their graduation rehearsal,î said Covert

The car will be given away during Senior celebration, which will be held on May 16th from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM at the football practice field. There will be water inflatables, music, and food ñ donated and grilled by the Anthem Rotary. The car will be on display the week prior to the event.
Congratulations to the lucky new owner of this car!

Samantha Masson Leaves With Copper and Brings Home the Gold

For fourteen-year-old Samantha Masson, Eighth Grade student at Gavilan Peak School, there is no such thing as a ìbad pennyî! With the encouragement of her Science teacher, Shannon Harshman, and her family, parents Thomas and Michelle Masson, and sister Taylor, a Sixth grader at GPS, she took her Science project ìFunny Money ñ Dissolving Penniesî to the AzSEF, Arizonaís Science and Engineering Fair.

The purpose of the project was to determine the percent of Zinc in a penny and the mass of Hydrogen produced from a penny by creating a single replacement reaction. She compared pre 1982 and post 1982 pennies. 1982 was the year the composition of the penny changed from pure copper to copper-coated zinc. Samantha dissolved a pennyís inner zinc core with an HCI solution, resulting in hollow pennies. She then calculated the percent of zinc in each penny, as well as the amount of hydrogen that was produced during the experiment.

Samantha won First Place in the Junior High ñ Chemistry Division. She took home a medal, certificate, and a monetary award.  Her experimental display is currently being exhibited for all to observe in the Gavilan Peak School Library. Could Anthem be home to the next ìMarie Curieî? Only time will tell.

Fellowship Child Development Center Bike Rodeo
There was much fun being had at Fellowship on Friday, March 28th when they held their first ìBike Safety Rodeoî.  The students had a special visit from the Daisy Mountain Fire Department earlier in the week to talk about bike safety and helmet safety when riding bicycles. Daisy Mountain Fire Department then came out and set up a mini bike route in the Fellowship parking lot. Each child brought his own bike and helmet, and once the helmet was properly fitted by the firefighters, the children rode the bike path practicing stop sign safety and where to ride.

The children had an entertaining and educational day and were given a lot of information that will help to keep them safe.

Thank you, Daisy Mountain Fire Department!

Boulder Creek Students Learn First -Hand About Citizenship & Character

The meaning of ìcitizenshipî is coming to life in American Government classes this semester. Kathy Pondy, along with fellow  Boulder Creek Social Studies teachers Chris Pondy and Nicole Duquette, required each of their American Government students to put their words into action, and positively affect history themselves.

American Government students were required to complete ten hours of community service in the surrounding community. Students are participating in a wide variety of activities including volunteering at animal shelters, church missions, school groups, youth coaching, and tutoring. There are more than 150 seniors who will be completing community service in the next six weeks. This translates to more than 1500 hours of time donated to the community in a positive, meaningful way.

Our community has already begun to reap the awards of this project. Volunteers have donated time to the North Valley Regional Library, as well as to the Anthem Days event last month.

Steve Boyle, Special Events Director in Anthem marvels at how much help the students were during the Anthem Days event. ìThese students deserve recognition. What a pleasure it always is to have them on our team!î said Boyle.

Jane Gresham of the North Valley Regional Library shared, ìItís great to have volunteers because the library always needs extra help. Our childrenís librarians use volunteers to help prepare materials, and help in the programs. Volunteers can help with surveys, displays, straightening, and cleaning. We can also use long-term volunteers to help shelve materials. Some of the Boulder Creek students who have volunteered have helped with all of these needs as well as statistics and projects involving our collection. We take applications all year long, but in May we will be having two special Teen Volunteer Orientations for summer teen volunteers. Interested teens between twelve and eighteen years old may sign up for an orientation either Wednesday May 14 at 7 PM or Saturday May 17 at 1 PM.î

Part of the great surprise with this project, is that there are many students who had been doing ongoing volunteer work before the American Government class assignment, and it was just a matter of recording hours once the project was assigned.

According to Ronald Van Amburgh, one of Pondyís students, he was, at age thirteen, one of the youngest scouts to achieve the ìEagle Scoutî status in the history of the organization. As an Eagle Scout, he attends Boy Scout meetings once per week and helps other scouts work toward achieving their next rank. He completes many hours of community service on his own, including a project in which he organized resources to cut down more than 2000 dead trees infested with bark beetles in Woods Canyon Lake. ìVolunteering makes you a better person, helps the community, and keep you focused on constructive activities,î explained Van Amburgh.

David Murphy, a student of Chris Pondy, believes that ìvolunteering builds character and gives you a sense of accomplishment.î Murphy has volunteered for Teen Challenge, a faith-based rehabilitation program in New River, for the past four years.

Reflecting on the value of the program, Kathy Pondy said, ìBy requiring students to step outside of their normal, daily high school life, we help them to realize that no man is an island, and that we all need each other in this community, this state, and this nation. All students have a responsibility to contribute to their community in some way whether small or large. That is the objective of this assignment.î

Boulder Creek Deca: Success at State Conference

Twenty-nine students from Boulder Creek High School traveled to Tucson to attend the Arizona DECA Career Development Conference on March 4th and 5th. During the conference, students participated in competitions involving role-plays where they were provided with a situation within their specialized occupational area and they prepared a response that they then presented to a judge. In addition to the role-plays, students also completed a marketing competency and industry focused examination.

The results of studentsí scores on their role plays and examinations were compared with those of the 1,600 students in attendance at the conference. Within each occupational category, students were recognized at the closing award session for placing in the top four within each component and overall for their event category. Boulder Creekís students who placed in the top four and were recognized on stage at the conferenceís closing awards session include:

• Wesley DeMoss (11): Top 4 on Role Play - Restaurant and Food Service Management
• Susan Eckman (12): Top 4 on Role Play, Top 4 on Test, and 1st Place Overall - Marketing Management (For placing 1st overall in her event, Susan will be competing at DECAís International Career Development Conference in Atlanta, Georgia on April 26-29.)
• Tyler Kopas (10): Top 4 on Test - Buying and Merchandising
• Christine Sweet (11): Top 4 on Test - Apparel and Accessories Marketing
• Hillary Weiler (11): Top 4 on 11-Page Paper and Presentation - Advertising Campaign (Hillary selected to prepare an advertising campaign prior to the conference, which was submitted for competition. Her campaign was for Career and Technical Education at Boulder Creek High School and included an eleven page paper and the design work for multiple advertising media.)

All of Boulder Creekís DECA students put forth great effort and demonstrated their ability to face the challenge of this competition. The excitement is certainly building as we look forward to next year.