Not only is our zip code magical, but our kids are too. Check out these star students.
Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School Student Named Maricopa County Regional II Spelling Bee Co-Champion
Jaime Prendiville, a sixth-grader at Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary, was recently named a co-champion of the Maricopa County Regional II Spelling Bee. She shares this title with Sai Malreddy, a sixth-grader at Fireside Elementary School.
Malreddy and Prendiville advance to the Arizona Spelling Bee, which will be held on March 20. The Arizona Spelling Bee is hosted annually by the Arizona Educational Foundation. This year, 27 students from across the state will compete to determine who will represent Arizona in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Horizon High School’s DECA Recognized for Outstanding School-Based Enterprise
Dawg Pound Central, the school-based enterprise at Horizon High School, was among 246 school-based enterprises achieving Gold Standard for the 2020-2021 school year and will be recognized during DECA’s Virtual International Career Development Conference next month.
A school-based enterprise (SBE) is an entrepreneurial operation in a school setting that provides goods and services to meet the needs of the market. SBEs are managed and operated by students as hands-on learning laboratories that integrate National Curriculum Standards in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. DECA advisors have utilized this effective educational tool for over four decades to provide their students with realistic and practical learning experiences that reinforce classroom instruction, enhance 21st century skill development, and prepare students for college and careers.
David Palmieri, the school’s DECA advisor, explains, “In CTE, we prepare students for workforce success. We focus on positive student outcomes through rigor and relevance. Our school store called the Dawg Pound Central is the learning lab at Horizon High School for our marketing and retailing students. The students were faced with a real-world challenge: how to open the school store safely in a pandemic. With analysis and planning, the students found realistic solutions that were implemented.”
The Horizon High School DECA members who contributed to the certification were Kai Anderson, Leo Bonacci, Timothy Clay, David Drinen, Lily Forman, Peyton Hipp, Shia James, Matthew Johnson, Aiden Larson, Candace Lee, Julian Lyle, Joshua Magness, Zachary Martinelli, Matthew Muehleisen, Jack Persigehl, Maxwell Rabin, Camden Reith, Julia Wasson, MiReina Nunez, and Tatum Yob with the assistance of Palmieri.
