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April 2, 2014 • Vol. 12, No.20
Postal Patron Cave Creek
ECRWSS Carrier Route PreSorted Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 371 Cave Creek, AZ
r pe pa ! s ew nty y N Cou l ek a ee p W rico t a es rg h M La ort e N Th in
E R F
• Anthem
• Black Canyon City
• Carefree
• Cave Creek
• Desert Hills
• New River
• North Phoenix
• Tramonto
Cactus Shadows publications net Gold Crown Awards
Two Cactus Shadows High School publications were recently presented with Gold Crown Awards at a ceremony in New York. No other Arizona high schools received the distinction this year. The awards come from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, an international organization that helps bring together student journalists and faculty advisers from around the world. Lori Hart, Cactus Shadows’ journalism adviser, was in New York over spring break with students from two of the school’s publications to accept the CSPAsponsored Gold Crown Awards. She said that the school’s literary magazine, Shadows Magazine, and its newspaper, CS Press, came away with top honors. “It is a fantastic honor and
the result of much hard work by these student journalists,” Hart said. “As a teacher, it is so rewarding to see students putting their energy and creativity in to these publications and to watch them grow and change from their experiences.” Hart said that both school publications now have two Gold Crown Awards a piece under their belts. CS Press last won one in 2013, and Shadows Magazine earned their first in the year prior. The Cave Creek area journalists also taught a class at the recent convention in New York, said their adviser. “I was impressed with how my students handled questions from other students and advisers about our successes as a paper,” Hart said. “They are articulate, thoughtful and dedicated.”
Rebecca Castillo photo
Celebrating their prize — Students from Shadows Magazine, along with their adviser Lori Hart (pictured on left) pose for a victory photo after receiving a Gold Crown Award.
Swimming safety education a top priority for Anthem couple Eric Quade Editor
As Arizona summer draws nearer, more residents will be looking to cool off by enjoying a leisurely swim in a pool. But one Anthem couple has been working hard to convince others to not take their poolside manner too casually. Rotarians Bonnie and Tom Markham are in the midst of another year of teaching children the importance of water safety. The Markhams speak in front of more than 500 kids in school settings annually and are on track
Inside: Events.......................4 Bluhm........................6 Film Festival....... 11 Movie Review..... 13 Editorial.............. 19 Services................. 20 Crossword......... 23 Classifieds.......... 24
to hit that mark yet again this year. Last week, one of their stops was at Diamond Canyon School in Anthem. The program Bonnie and Tom present at schools uses “Josh the Baby Otter” as a unifying theme, complete with otter puppets, stickers and a book by the same name. The author’s son had died in a drowning accident, and the book was created to heighten public awareness about the potential danger in people’s backyards. At the March 26 presentation at Diamond Canyon, Bonnie read from “Josh the Baby Otter,” while Tom showed the illustrations from each page to a library full of youngsters. In the story, the otter characters learn to swim by floating first and a few other choice tips are shared. “Remember to always stay away from the water unless you’re with an—” Bonnie said. “Adult,” the children replied in unison. So how did the Markhams get started on this water safety quest? Bonnie said it started about 4 years ago. “We were at a Rotary convention in New Orleans,” she said. “I saw this booth way out someplace, and all I could think about was (that) Tom and I are RVers, and every year when we come home, the paper has a list of all the people in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area that have drowned.”
That booth that Bonnie found was for the “Josh the Baby Otter” education program. She then went back to her Rotary club in Anthem to pitch the idea of supporting the cause. The club agreed, putting funds toward the project each year to buy books, plus the Markhams purchase some on their own, too.
Bonnie said that she liked the program’s focus on encouraging kids to teach other kids about water safety and also promoting child-parent interaction on the subject. When a child comes home with a Josh the Baby Otter sticker on their shirt, the “badge” gives parents a talking point. Bonnie, with her psychotherapy
background, said that reinforcing the child-parent connection is important, including in the area of water safety. “Parental neglect is a huge issue,” she said. “There is a lot of parental neglect that is unintentional. I mean, I don’t think anyone sets up to have their kids drown.”
Eric Quade photo
Timely messengers — Tom and Bonnie Markham present their “Josh the Baby Otter” water safety program to kids in Anthem and other local schools.