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august 2014 VOLUME VIII ISSUE I
PERRY HIGH SCHOOL || PRIDE · PROGRESS · PURPOSE || GILBERT, AZ
New tax credit requirements enact changes By Natalie Eberhard the precedent
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or years, clubs and extracurricular activities have gone on field trips, out of state competitions, and have funded themselves thanks to state tax credit donations. Classes, clubs and sports are just a few of the activities on campus that use tax credits. However, because of a recent judgement from the state attorney general’s office about how the Chandler Unified School District uses tax credits, students will now be required to pay a fee if their club is using tax credit donations. The AG crack down According to a recent article in the Arizona Republic, an investigation stemming from a Hamilton High School parent’s complaint to the attorney general’s office determined that CUSD misused tax credits. After an investigation, the attorney general’s office determined that nearly $200 thousand were misused, with $71 thousand of the misused funds coming from HHS. Now CUSD has been ordered to refund $183,968 to 41 of their schools for misused tax credits. The district will pay Perry $7,310 for misused tax credits, much of which came from Advanced Placement exam payments
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Inquisitive minds at Perry High wonder: why is Homecoming in early September rather than late October as it has been in the past? There are many aspects that play a part in choosing a homecoming date, such as the opponent that varsity football is up against for the annual homecoming game, and when fall break starts and ends. The football team will be up against Gila Ridge High School for the homecoming game on September 12th for which Principal Dan Serrano explains, “Typically you want a game that you think you’re going to win.” During fall break, it is problematic to have the homecoming game and dance because students and teachers go out of town for vacation and other activities. Brandon Keeling, dean of Perry High and advisor of StuGo, delegates the tasks of disciplining students and making sure that StuGo puts on the best homecoming possible. “I hold myself to very high
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photo by Katie Perry Students in Sharon Biemond’s class use hot glue guns to put together sculptures. The art club is one of many on campus that uses tax credit donations.
(paying for AP exams with tax credit dollars was deemed a misuse because tax credit cannot pay for college credit). Revenue-Taxpayer Guidelines state: “Tax credits cannot be
issued for tuition-based classes where the student earns credit,” therefore, AP exams, along with any college or summer school course, cannot be covered by tax credit donations.
News || 1-3 Opinions || 4-5 Volunteers Abroad || 6-7 A & E || 8-9 Sports || 10-12
standards; so everything I do, I want to do with excellence,” Keeling expresses on juggling his two positions here at Perry. Having an early homecoming presents a challenge to not only Keeling but to the homecoming committee and other students involved in planning this year’s festivities. “There’s a lot of stuff that has to happen, a lot of contracts that have to get signed, a lot of orders that need to get written in order to get everything here on time,” Keeling mentions on preparing for homecoming. In order to have the greatest homecoming Perry has to offer, there are multiple aspects in making sure that happens such as having a great theme, making sure that students have a good time at the homecoming carnival, and that they have a DJ that rocks the floor with his or her music. In discussing the topic of this year’s theme, Keeling answers with, “I think if you can have a really good theme where you can tie all of the week’s activities into that theme, that’s awesome.” Homecoming dance committee chair, senior Ashley Spencer, explains that choosing the theme is
a time consuming process in which all of the StuGo members take part in. “We split up into committees of where you are and you come up with a bunch of names and themes,” Spencer explains, “and then from there, I write all of them down and then we put them under the projector.” She explains that in order to come to a decision, they go through a process of elimination to come to a conclusion on the theme. This year’s homecoming theme, “Masked”, a Mystery Masquerade, has student body buzzing about
Is Volleyball the real deal? Take a look at the 201415 girls volleyball season preview.
Students join the wave of volunteers traveling overseas to perform humanitarian work this summer.
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New tax credit fees According to the Chandler Unified School District, the fees have been established to provide “Opportunities equitably to all
see FEES pg. 3
photo by Sarah Chapple
Student Government Spirit Commissioner Aaron Clouse (10) prepares for the Homecoming assembly by making posters. Homecoming this year is over a month earlier than last year.
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what Perry has planned for this mystifying motif. The homecoming carnival, which falls on September 11th, is going to contain different rides and inflatables that is said to be a good time. Keeling adds, “As far as the dance goes, ultimately it comes down to the DJ and how the DJ does; we’re really excited not only about the decorations but about some of the new sound [equipment] that they’re going to be able to bring and I think the students are really going to enjoy it.”
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There’s a student who is just like you, navigating his way through the campus of nearly 3,200, trying to get to his seat before his teacher marks him tardy. Senior Caleb Chapman might go unnoticed to many students he is not the tallest guy on campus, but if you have seen him, you probably have seen his smile. For a part of his life, however, he didn’t have a reason to smile. “I’ve just always had that thing about me; I always smile. It doesn’t matter what my mom felt like, it doesn’t matter what I thought she felt like. I just felt happy. It’s just a thing that I do.” Senior Caleb Chapman is a survivor. Chapman, 18, has won two bouts with rhabdomyosarcoma, a tumor in the muscles attached to the bones. “I’ve had cancer twice. The first one I got when I was six or seven,” he explained, “I’ve had 11 surgeries and my last surgery was about when I was eleven.” “I needed that many” continued Chapman, “so that we could try to get my leg to bend farther. A lot of times, it would only bend like 90 degrees and the tissue that [was] developed under the scars [was] resisting my leg to bend any farther.” Chapman’s surgeries left him with a prosthetic leg. But the loss of his leg doesn’t stop chapman from making a difference. For the past six summers, Chapman has been a camper at Arizona Camp Sunrise and Sidekicks, a non-profit summer camp for kids that have experienced cancer and their siblings. The camp provides an opportunity for kids to have a normal summer camp experience, with the bonus of a 24-hour medical staff on hand. The program serves thousands of kids each year and is equipped with over one hundred adult volunteers. Camp activities range from horseback riding and fishing to a carnival and the famous Jello war. These activities have kids like Chapman coming back every summer. Chapman commented, “my favorite part of the camp is pretty much just everything. Just like what we do and the activities that all the campers can do.” Just like a typical summer camp, counsellors aid in running the camp. Chapman had the opportunity to be an LIT (leader in training) this past summer. This position is gives kids the opportunity to be with the campers, but also to observe the older counselors and prepare to
see CHAPMAN pg. 3
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Table of Contents
Muscle cancer survivor runs summer camp By Molly Ogden
StuGo prepares for early homecoming By August Bowers
STUDENT FEATURE