The Foothills Focus 081722 Zone 1

School employees undergo active shooter training

“According to the FBI, there were 61 active shooter incidents in 2021, which was an over 50% increase from the year before,” Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said about the initiative. “Active shooter incidents are a reality that we face. As we go back to school, we want to make sure that our teachers and our school employ ees have the tools that they need to respond. We will do our best to prevent these situations from going forward, but we want to make sure that we are training those who work at schools to respond to active shooter incidents.”

Phoenix still faces staggering pension debt

see PENSION page 8

BY ALLISON BROWN Foothills Focus Staff Writer Mike Townsend is administrator of the Public Safe ty Personnel Retirement System, which covers pen sions for thousands of police officers, firefighters, corrections officers and court workers. (PSPRS/Sub mitted)

A rizona municipalities, counties and fire districts last fiscal year took advantage of unanticipated general fund revenue increases to make big addi tional payments on their debt to the fund that pays the pensions earned by thou sands of retired police officers and fire fighters. But those government entities still have a long way to go before they erase their huge unfunded liabilities and none has a bigger debt among them than the city of Phoenix. Phoenix owes $3.4 billion to the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System, re cordsThatshow.accounts for nearly half the $8.84 billion of the plan’s unfunded liability that existed at the close of the 2021-22 fiscal year on June 30. For the entire state sys tem, including county and state correc tions officers’ retirement plans and the plan for judges and elected officials, that number was $10.9 billion. Still, the state Legislature — together with county, municipalities and fire dis tricts — eliminated $2.85 billion of un funded pension debt last fiscal year. “I think it’s great,” said PSPRS Admin istrator Mike Townsend, who has been in the job since November 2019. “This system has been underfunded for so long and those lingering unfunded li abilities just ended up costing taxpayers more and more money over time,” he said, calling the government employers’ addi tional pay-downs “a huge move.”

BY PAUL MARYNIAK Foothills Focus Staff Writer

see TRAINING page 4

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Over 100 Phoenix-area school employees received critical preparedness training to help better equip school employees in case of an active shooter event thanks to efforts from community partners. The Phoenix Suns Charities donated $40,000 to the United Phoenix Firefighters Charities, which was used to provide 120 Phoenix-area school employees lifesaving training at four dif ferent Valley locations. Over 25 school districts sent educators to attend the training that took place July 27 and July 28, in preparation for the start of the new school year.

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THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS

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“We live in this reality now and after what we’ve seen over the past few years, trainings like this are vital to saving as many lives as possible during critical inci dents,” she said. “It is crucial that our teach ers and school staff are prepared should a situation happen here in Phoenix.”

The national program is known as A.L.I.C.E., which stands for alert, lockdown, inform, counter and evacuate. The training provides basic violent incident awareness that demonstrates different techniques on lockdown, classroom security and how to actively distract the shooter, among other important safety tips. Gallego said the training empowers good survival decisions that help people prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from active threats and other critical incidents.

“Our kids are our most valuable com modity and society and we have to do everything to protect them. And so that’s what we’re going to continue to do,” Will ingham said.

Phoenix Councilwoman Ann O’Brien said while she wished there wasn’t a need for this kind of training, it’s become a necessity.

O’Brien represents district 1, which cov ers the Anthem area, on the city council and also serves as the Phoenix Public Safety and Justice subcommittee chair. More than that, though, she is president of the Deer Valley Unified School District board and a mother of a high school teacher, which is another reason why school safety is such a priority to her. “I’m thankful for programs and trainings like A.L.I.C.E. that provide vital life saving techniques,” O’Brien said. “All 1.1 million Arizona students deserve to feel safe in their schools. And their parents deserve to know that when they drop their kids off at the staff and teachers have the knowledge and the training to keep them safe.”

TRAINING from page 1 An edition of the East Valley Tribune The Foothills Focus is published every Wednesday and distributed free of charge to homes and in single-copy locations throughout the North Valley. To find out where you can pick up a copy of The Foothills Focus, please visit www.thefoothillsfocus.com CONTACT INFORMATION Main number: 623-465-5808 | Fax: 623-465-1363 Circulation: 480-898-5641 Publisher: Steve T. Strickbine Vice President: Michael Hiatt ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Display Advertising: 480-348-0343 Classifieds/Inside Sales: Elaine Cota | 480-898-7926 | ecota@timeslocalmedia.com TJ Higgins | 480-898-5902 | tjhiggins@timeslocalmedia.com Steve Insalaco | 480-898-5635 | sinsalaco@timeslocalmedia.com Advertising Office Manager: Tricia Simpson | tsimpson@timeslocalmedia.com480-898-5624 Director of National Advertising Zac Reynolds | 480-898-5603 | zac@timeslocalmedia.com NEWSExecutiveDEPARTMENTEditor: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski | christina@timeslocalmedia.com480-898-5631 Design: Nathalie Proulx | nproulx@timeslocalmedia.com Production Coordinator: Courtney Oldham | production@timeslocalmedia.com480-898-5617 CIRCULATION : 623-535-8439 Circulation Director: Aaron Kolodny | aaron@phoenix.org Distribution Manager: Brian Juhl | brian@timeslocalmedia.com The content of any advertisements are the sole responsibility of the advertiser. The Foothills Focus assumes no responsibility for the claims of any advertisement. © 2022 Strickbine Publishing, Inc. Proud member of : To start or stop delivery of the paper, please visit: https://timespublications.com/phoenix/orcall480-898-7901 Queen Creek Tribune is distributed by AZ Integrated Media, a circulation company owned & operated by Times Media Group The public is limited to one copy per reader. For circulation services, please contact Aaron Kolodny at aaron@phoenix.org. To your free online edition subscription, please visite: https://www.thefoothillsfocus.com/e-subscribe/ Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, left, stands with representatives from the Phoenix Suns Charities and the United Phoenix Firefighters Charities holding the donation that made the active shooter training possible. (Phoenix Fire Department/Submitted) HILLCREST BAPTIST CHURCH (Meets inside Ridgeline Academy) www.hillcrestbaptistaz.org602.350.0968 ✔ Practical Bible message ✔ Inspiring music ✔ Family atmosphere Grow With Us! SUNDAYS AT 10:30AM HILLCREST BAPTIST CHURCH

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The training was provided by Navi gate360, the company that designed the A.L.I.C.E. training program. Members and representatives of the United Phoenix Fire fighters Association, Phoenix Fire Depart ment, Phoenix Law Enforcement Associ ation, Phoenix Elementary School and the 100 Club of Arizona were also at the train ing to Bryanassist.Willingham, president of the Unit ed Phoenix Firefighters Association, said a little preparation goes a long way and they “will try to expand upon this program.”

Willingham, Gallego and O’Brien each said they were thankful for the generosity of the Phoenix Suns Charities and the Unit ed Phoenix Firefighters Charities.

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BY FOOTHILLS FOCUS AnthemSTAFF Veterans

• AVM Docents. Docents will be instructed on how to provide tours at the AVM, teach classes to youth visiting the AVM and serve as information sources at the AVM during community events. Classes at the AVM in clude: Honoring our Veterans, the Symbol ism Behind the AVM, POW/MIA Day, Pearl Harbor Day, D-Day and The Great Seal of the United States.

see VETERAN page 9

• Thank You Cards for Veterans. The An them Veterans Memorial volunteers give over 2,000 veteran thank you cards to vet erans at the Veterans Day ceremony. All students are encouraged to make original thank you cards using common patriotic themes, drawings of the Anthem Veter an Memorial, eagle, flag, military branch seals, etc. Language may include, but is not limited to: Thank you for your service. We appreciate you. Thank you for your service and sacrifice. Happy Veterans Day. We are grateful for your service, etc. Cards may be dropped off to the Anthem Communi ty Council Office no later than Nov. 8 to be given at this year’s ceremony.

• Educational Speakers. The AVM is always Memorial is calling for volunteers

• Writers for the Salute Our Veterans Pro gram. Aspiring writers are invited to assist in writing veteran focus stories and poetry honoring veterans and their families.

• Veterans Day Ceremony volunteers. Youth and/or youth clubs are invited to distrib ute thank you cards to veterans and cer emony programs to attendees at the Vet erans Day ceremony. Teen volunteers are invited to assist in seating, directions and informational guidance at the Veterans Day ceremony. Post Ceremony Volunteers are asked to assist after the Veterans Day ceremony by picking up trash and water bottles in the ceremony location following the ceremony from 11:30 a.m. to noon.

Admiral’s Club The Admiral’s Club provides adult vol unteers to assist in following activities that support the Anthem Veterans Memorial.

• Art for Veterans. Youth artists of all ages are encouraged to summit original art that honors our veterans. The art may depict the Anthem Veterans Memorial, the mili tary branches, The Great Seal of the Unit ed States, veterans and veteran families. It should be patriotic and serve to honor, support and salute our veterans and their families. The art will be photographed for use in future marketing materials for the Anthem Veterans Memorial, including the Veterans Day program, banners, and brochures. All submitted art will become property of the Anthem Veterans Memo rial. Art may be submitted to the Anthem Community Council Office.

The Youth Ambassador Program pro vides youth volunteers to participate in the following activities that support the Anthem Veterans Memorial.

The Anthem Veterans Memorial is proud to announce two new volun teer programs: the Youth Ambassa dor Program and the adult Admiral’s Club. “Volunteerism is the heart of the Anthem community,” said Elizabeth Turner, AVM programming director. “We hope these new Anthem Veterans Memorial programs will enhance the community involvement with our veterans and the Anthem Veterans Me morial educational programming for the years to come. Local businesses and clubs also are invited to join these volunteer ef forts.” Youth Ambassador Program

• Sponsorship/Donors. Sponsorship and donations are invited to assist in offsetting the costs of the ceremony.

• High School Photographers and Videog raphers. Videos highlighting veterans and AVM programming are important to the educational outreach. Students’ talents are needed to capture highlights of the Veter ans Day ceremony. All photos will become property of the Anthem Community Coun cil for Anthem Veterans Memorial mar keting and media purposes, Credit: Name, AVM Volunteer Youth Ambassador.

8 THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | AUGUST 17, 2022NEWS “I think also it speaks well to the staff that we’ve put in place and the chang es we’ve made,” he added, referring to both his agency’s investment strate gies and other internal moves as well as the vibrancy of Wall Street prior to its current woes. Phoenix was part of the overall ef fort to attack the pension debt. Re cords show it made $65.6 million in additional payments over the last two fiscalStill,years.itsplan for city firefighters is only 43.4% funded, leaving a debt of $1.2 billion. Currently, 1,223 retirees are collecting an average $74,158 a year. The Phoenix Police plan is only 41.4% funded, leaving a debt of $2.2 billion. There are 2,699 retirees col lecting an average $69,371 a year. City officials don’t expect to pay off that debt until somewhere around 2042, according to testimony they gave last year before city council. The effort by local governments to pay down their unfunded pension lia bilities isn’t just a matter of kindness for the men and women who spent years putting their lives on the line day in and day out. It’s a legal obligation with genuine operational consequenc es that impact municipal spending de cisions and capabilities for everything from supplies and infrastructure to payrolls. Former Phoenix City Man ager Ed Zuercher outlined those con sequences for his city council in June 2021.Atthe time, he sought permission to borrow $1 billion at a fixed-inter est rate of about 3% to pay down part of the city’s total $5.4 billion pension debt — which includes other plans besides the $3.4 billion PSPRS debt. It pays a 7% rate on its back payments to PSPRS. “This taxpayer burden must be bal anced with being fiscally responsible and committed in providing pensions to retirees,” Zuercher told Council in a memo. He said the pension fund liabilities and costs already had “placed signif icant budgetary constraints on the City’s ability to provide employee wage and non-pension benefit increas es, public services and infrastructure maintenance.” And he noted that “while currently manageable, this pressure will contin ue into the foreseeable future.

Though several Phoenix Council members, including Mayor Kate Galle go, voiced support for Zuercher’s pro posal, it never came up for a vote. When he released the city’s 202223 spending proposal in April, City Manager Jeff Barton said employee pension costs overall “have consumed a growing share of our General Fund GF resources.” He acknowledged “the significant unfunded sworn pension liability unfunded liability to PSPRS” but only said it “will require continued diligence and further resource strate gies in the coming years” to address it. Phoenix aside, the status of the state retirement plan for public safety retir ees and retired court personnel and corrections officers appears to be on solid footing. Although the final results of PSPRS’ investments for the 2021-22 fiscal year won’t be known for a few months, success in the 2020-21 fis cal year drew kudos in the Pensions & Investments annual 1,000 Largest Re tirement Plans report. It said the combined PSPRS plan pension trust and defined contribution plan assets under Townsend’s man agement grew 44% to $16.1 billion in 2020-21, exceeding the percentage growth of all public pensions in the top 200 of the largest 1,000 U.S. retire ment plans surveyed. Townsend said his agency’s success was more than just a matter of hiring new auditors, new actuaries, changing “a lot of the actuarial assumptions and the processes of how we’re managing the money.” It also was a matter of convincing the municipalities and other government employers about the efficacy of those changes and showing them options for whittling down their pension debt. “When you think about the decision makers, you’re talking about elected boards and councils around the state,” Townsend said. “They’re not pension people, obviously, and a lot of them are really not financial people. They need to get to a place where they can un derstand and understand what we’re doing.”The agency’s moves increased the government employers’ trust in the system, which had been battered more than a decade ago by the Great Reces sion of 2007-08. The Legislature last fiscal year ap plied $1.15 billion to the state public safety and corrections officers’ pen sion debts. Over the last two years, Maricopa County has put an extra $10 million into its jail officers’ pension plan, which is only 56.7% funded with an unfunded liability of $283.7 million, PSPRS records show.

Tempe led all cities in Arizona with its additional police and fire pension debt contributions — $341 million last year alone. Even so, both its police and its firefighter pension plans are only about 45% funded with a total unfund ed liability of $341 million.

“Further, credit rating agencies and lenders place strong consideration on the funding plan and funding levels of the City’s pension systems when deter mining their view of the overall finan cial health of the City,” Zuercher said.

The $2.85 billion in additional gov ernment employer contributions last fiscal year surpassed the $1.58 billion in additional payments made in 202021 and dwarfed the $120 million in ex tra payments made in 2019-20. Townsend said his agency is working to help governments pay down their pension debt in a somewhat less bur densome manner. He said it will take years to eliminate that debt and voiced optimism that municipalities at some point in the future will have another opportunity to secure fixed-interest loans that will make it easier to pay off their PSPRS obligations. He also said PSPRS is recalculating their contribu tion rates “to get their payments down to something similar to debt financing where they’re on more of a level dollar amortization for those unfunded lia bilities.”“They’re on a big way down,” he said. “They’re going to pay it down one way or the other and so we’re changing the system to help account for that. If they want to put additional cash up front, pay it down faster, it just makes it bet ter for them.”

PENSION from page 1

This chart compares rising costs between the city’s pension plan for public safety personnel and the plan that covers other city workers. (City of Phoenix/Submitted)

“Clearing this much unfunded pen sion debt off the books in a single year takes an incredible amount of re solve and initiative among employers throughout the state,” Townsend said. “It also takes faith in our commitment to protect members’ retirement bene fits and to help employers and taxpay ers save money.”

42211 N. 41st

• Gardeners. For those with a green thumb, we invite gardeners to assist in planting or maintaining the AVM flowers.

Suite

The Empire Group of Companies recently closed on 40 acres near the Taiwan Semiconductor Man ufacturing Company north of the Valley where it plans to build approximately 354 single-family homes for rent. The proposed development will be named the Village at Bronco Trail. The Land Advisors Organization team of Bret Rinehart, Ryan Semro and Ben Heglie represented the Empire Group (Principal Richard Felker) in the $14.37 million acquisition of the property at 31st Avenue and Lone Mountain Road in Phoenix. The seller was the David McHenry Family Trust (Principal David McHenry).Thesales price fetched $359,370 per acre.“The unprecedented growth of devel opment projects in proximity to the Loop 303 and I-17 is going to foster the need for residential housing,” Rinehart said. “The Empire Group’s proposed multi family community will be a boon to that area. Empire Group has a great track re cord of serving the communities that it develops.”Construction on TSMC’s latest semi conductor fabrication facility is well un derway. TSMC’s Arizona plant – Fab21 – occupies at least 1,100 acres and will produce tens of thousands of semicon ductor wafers once it is operational. Ac cording to a city of Phoenix analysis, the first phase of TSMC is estimated to have an economic impact of $38.2 billion over 20Theyears.Empire Group is active in rolling out its Village communities, which are all build-for-rent developments. Currently, Empire Group has six projects are under construction totaling 1,337 homes with another five communities that are target Drive, A109, Anthem 623.399.8222 PremierWellnessAZ.com Pho tographers are needed to capture educa tional programming and special events at the AVM. Videographers are needed to make original videos on local veterans and AVM educational programming. All video and photos will become property of the Anthem Community Council for market ing and media purposes. Credit: Name, AVM Admiral’s Club Volunteer.

THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | AUGUST 17, 2022 9NEWS

BackSpecials!SchoolSchooltoo Receive a FREE LATISSE 5 ml ($150 value) when you purchase our TOTAL EYEPACKAGEREJUVENATION Wake up tired-looking eyes with Botox for Crow’s Feet, Tear Trough Filler, and a Eye Resurfacing Laser Treatment $1,499 (reg. $1,699) ACHIEVE LIFT, TIGHTENING, AND A MORE YOUTHFUL NECK with PLASMA PEN $799 (reg. $1,000) MONSOON SPECIAL Drench your skin with moisture and hefty doses of antioxidants to combat UV rays with YUZU CITRUS Facial from SkinScriptRx $69 SHOW OFF YOUR BEAUTIFUL LEGS after Laser Spider Vein Treatment $299 treatment OR $750 package of 3 treatments Get Holiday Ready Now with our SKIN SCRUB LASER FACIAL (combines Dermaplaning, Clear Lift Yag Laser, and IPL) $299 (reg. $349) OR $1,096 (reg. $1396) package of 4 treatments DEEP CLEAN PORES, INCREASE CELLULAR TURNOVER, AND HEAL ACNE with SkinScriptRx Acne Kit $119 looking for individuals willing to share their service stories and knowledge about military service with our youth at classes at the AVM or on educational panels. • Photographers and Videographers.

• Sponsorship Acquisition. Volunteers are invited to meet with local businesses and contacts to secure Veterans Day ceremony sponsorship to offset the costs of the pro gram. If any individuals, clubs, organizations or businesses are interested in volunteer ing for the Anthem Veterans Memorial or sponsoring the Anthem Veterans Memorial educational programming, please contact Elizabeth Turner at ElizabethTurnerUS@ yahoo.com or 623-640-8417. For those participating in the Youth Ambassador Pro gram, art for veterans and thank you cards for veterans can be mailed to the Anthem Community Council Office, 3701 W. Anthem Way, Suite 201, Attn: Communication De partment.Theaward-winning Anthem Veterans Me morial, a project of the Anthem Community Council, is located in Anthem Community Park. The Memorial was dedicated Nov. 11, 2011, and received Arizona Historic Land mark status six months later. Fundraising efforts and the sale of pavers in the Circle of Honor continue. For more information, visit OnlineAtAnthem.com. Empire Group of Companies closes on 40 acres near TSMC for $14.37M

VETERAN from page 6 The

see EMPIRE GROUP page 10 BY FOOTHILLS FOCUS STAFF

• Ceremony Assistants. Volunteers are in vited to assist in setting up chairs on Nov. 10 at 11 a.m. Additional volunteers are in vited on Nov. 11 to assist at the informa tion table, assist in directions or answer ing questions and to provide information about the AVM. Volunteers are also asked to assist in taking down chairs and stack ing them after the ceremony from 11:30 a.m. to noon.

10 THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | AUGUST 17, 2022NEWS ed to start construction before the end of 2022.The Land Advisors Organization, who represented the owner in the transaction, was founded in 1987. It is the nation’s largest land brokerage firm specializ ing in providing deep market insights to landowners and purchasers for the most comprehensive and effective evaluation of land in markets across the country. By integrating current local market information with cut ting-edge technology and geographically spe cialized professionals, Land Advisors Organi zation advises clients in identifying and cap italizing on valuable land opportunities in all economic environ ments. Land Advisors Organization serves landowners and pur chasers from offices in Phoenix, Tucson, Casa Grande and Prescott; Irvine, San Francisco, Century City, Pasade na, Roseville and San Diego, California; Or lando, Jacksonville and Tampa Bay, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; Charlotte, North Caro lina; Nashville, Tennessee; Boise, Idaho; Las Vegas, Nevada; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Austin, Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah; Kansas City, Kansas; and Seattle, Washington.

9 The Empire Group of Companies closed on 40 acres for $14.37M near the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company north of the Valley. (Land Advisors/Submitted) The 40 acres will be turned into the Village at Bronco Trail, a resi dential development with approximately 350 single-family homes for rent. (Land Advisors/Submitted)

Justin Simons, Agent 3655 W Anthem Way Anthem, AZ 85086 Business: 623-551-3700 justin.simons.j663@statefarm.com Discount up to 30% with Drive Safe & Save™!* I’m inviting you to make our roads safer and get rewarded for doing so. Are you in? Contact me today to get started. *Some customers could see a discount up to 50%. Discount names, percentages, availability and eligibility may vary by state and coverage selected. Enrollment, terms and conditions apply. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, State Farm Indemnity Company Bloomington, IL State Farm County Mutual Insurance Company of Texas Richardson, TX 1901979 Justin Simons, Agent 41722 N. Gavilan Peak Parkway, #110 Anthem, AZ 85086 (Next to Barro’s Pizza) Business: 623-551-3700 justin.simons.j663@statefam.com EMPIRE GROUP from

The Empire Group Companies, head quartered in Scottsdale, was founded by Richard Felker in the early 1970s. Under Felker’s direction the company built its reputation as a leading developer of Class A mixed-use projects and luxury build-forrent communities throughout Arizona. page

BY JUDY FoothillsBLUHMFocusColumnist

Can you substitute baking oil with ap plesauce? Hmm, this was the big question that I had to answer yesterday. You see, I have decid ed to try one new recipe a week, and it has not been easy. Sometimes cooking and baking is a recipe for disaster. It takes tools, ingredients rarely graced on our pantry shelves (like tahini), luck and imagination. I have stacks of cook books scattered all over the place while I look for one “new experience.” Oh, yeah, cooking delicious food is more like an extreme sport than a hobby. Oh, did I mention that beef rolled up (with a scrumptious mixture of fennel, onion and mushrooms), tied with twine and sautéed with a brown sauce is too much work? You have to pound the beef (my husband, Doug, suggested he use one of his hammers) and then tie the rolled beef in three places (again, Doug was running to the garage to get some string). Back off! Garage items need to stay out of my kitchen! That’s why chefs like to go shopping and get special kitch en twine and a meat mallet, which does look suspiciously like a hammer and string, but is a lot more expensive. My most recent success was sole Par mesan, which is a mouth-watering dish that takes a lot of preparation. Come to think of it, most cooking takes time. Now I know Rachael Ray says that you can cook great meals in 30 minutes, but she has a staff and stocked kitchen. For most of us, we have a staff of one. And short cuts don’t usually result in excellence. Cooking (and eating) can be mundane. You’ve cooked this and eaten that, then suddenly, you want to try something with tilapia and marmalade. (Don’t do it!) Cooking, like life, can be one big adven ture. I did make my own spaghetti sauce from scratch, which I admit was an awful lot of work. But mamma mia, I will never buy a jar of sauce again! Sadly, my new experience with the “real thing” means that my life just got more complicated. My daughter and a few of her friends have challenged me to a chicken enchi lada cook-off. Their enchiladas are pret ty boring. I have a winning recipe and perfected it until my own family is sur prised. See what cooking can do? It can shock your family! My secret weapon? Cream cheese… but don’t tell anyone. Cooking is a metaphor for life. One sim ple ingredient can magically transform ordinary into extraordinary! All right, so there are bigger fish to fry than improving cooking skills. I know that! But some adventures start at home. Like tonight, my husband may be long ing for a simple taco, but instead, he will be taking a culinary trip to Italy. Or may be India. I’ll pick the destination (I mean recipe) and whip up something that will take us far, far away. With any luck, it will be a good trip. Otherwise, there is a garbage disposal and tomorrow is a new day. Until next week… try something new. Good luck, and bon appetit. Judy Bluhm is a writer and a local Real tor. Have a comment or a story? Email her at judy@judybluhm.com.

steal undergarments, Tent City tours on 117-degree days, meals of donated fruit and green baloney to save the taxpayers money. There was a roguish charm to Arpaio then, like he was in on the joke, a hound for headlines who reveled in be ing despised by reporters and liberals alike.During my early days as a columnist for the Tribune, I went to Arpaio with an insane idea: put me undercover on the chain gang. He couldn’t say “yes” fast enough. MCSO deputies sneaked me into the jail at 3 a.m., gave me a sweatstained uniform, and chained me to a crew of convicts. To a man, my fellow inmates confid ed that chain gang duty was better than sitting in the tents all day. We gathered trash from roadsides in the sweltering summer heat, passers-by constantly honking and giving us the finger. I got a column and a bunch of TV in terviews out of the deal. Arpaio got to read his name in bold news type yet again.Inthe early days, I thought Arpaio’s mantra would serve him for eternity: You will never live better in jail than you live on the street. Eventually he lost sight of what made him a political rock star, instead using the sheriff’s office to target political opponents. Arpaio failed to investigate serious DAVID LEIBOWITZ defeat a sad end Arpaio

Unable to leave the fanfare behind, the great ones in evitably hang on too long. There’s a sad ness watching them fade in plain sight. Think Muhammad Ali out on his feet against Trevor Berbick, Willie Mays bat ting a feeble .211 in his last year with the Mets, Elizabeth Taylor picking up a paycheck in the TV flick “These Old Broads.”Thenthere’s former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Once a political juggernaut, a lawman sought out by presidents seeking to kiss his ring and parts further south, Arpaio, now 90, lost his fourth consecutive elec tion earlier this month for the lofty title of mayor of Fountain Hills. He lost to someone named Ginny Dickey, who beat Arpaio, once “Ameri ca’s Toughest Sheriff,” by 213 votes. This is despite Arpaio spending $161,000 — or about $31 for each of his 5,207 votes. The great ones never know when to bid us goodbye. I met Arpaio in 1995, a few weeks after I moved to Arizona. He was two years into his 24-year run as sheriff, a law enforcement sideshow full of bom bast and bull. The gimmicks seemed endless: pink underwear so jail inmates wouldn’t

TheFoothillsFocus.com | @TheFoothills.Focus /TheFoothillsFocus Opinion For more opinions visit thefoothillsfocus.com 12 THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | AUGUST 17, 2022OPINION

Foothills Focus FourthColumnist election

AROUND THE BLUHMIN’ TOWN

for

see LEIBOWITZ page 14

BY

Roll up your sleeves and try something new

While conservative historian and for mer House Speaker Newt Gingrich de scribes Reagan’s distinguishing charac teristic as “cheerful persistence,” the fact is that the former radio sportscaster and Hollywood actor was likewise persistent in warning Americans about a fate con siderably less cheerful.

Thoughtful Americans, regardless of partisan label or political philosophy, find themselves mourning the unprece dented FBI raid on the home of a former president.Noless a liberal than Alan Dershow itz, lifelong Democrat and Harvard Law professor emeritus, wrote that the “fullscale morning raid on former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home does not seem justified. … If it is true that the ba sis of the raid was the former president’s alleged removal of classified material from the White House, that would con stitute a double standard of justice.” In a column written for “The Hill,” Dershowitz goes on to explain that two figures who have enjoyed his political support — 2016 Democratic presiden tial nominee Hillary Clinton and former national security adviser Sandy Berger — were spared raids of their homes “for comparable allegations of mishandling official records in the recent past.”

THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | AUGUST 17, 2022 13OPINION

The “Reagan Re naissance” is sel dom heralded by today’s history scholars, and that’s a shame.Forthose who do attempt to explain it, a one-liner is usually all they can spare from their considerable labors to re vise the past so that they may pacify the “woke” among us. And predictably, their minimalist assessment goes something like this: “Ronald Reagan’s boundless optimism induced his fellow countrymen into believing it was ‘Morning in America’ again.”That’s it. But for the vast majority of Americans who were of voting age in the 1980s and experienced the “Age of Reagan” firsthand, they know it was much more. The end of “stagflation.” The restoration of a strong national defense as well as a strong economy. And yes, a consensus that “America was back.”

No wonder the 40th president won a second term in a landslide of historic proportions, carrying 49 states and the District of Columbia. The television ad that typified the successful 1984 cam paign proclaimed that “It’s ‘Morning in America’ again.” As mentioned before, that line so resonated within the na tional consciousness that even contem porary critics employ it in fashioning a quick dismissal of the Reagan years.

“Freedom,” Reagan said, “is never more than one generation away from ex tinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected and handed on for them to do theReagansame…”concluded that thought in a way that sounded both presidential and prophetic: “Or one day, we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States. where men wereSadly,free.”itnow appears that “one day” is fastWelcomeapproaching.to“Mourning in America.”

Dershowitz has repeatedly warned against the criminalization of political differences, but that appears to be pre cisely what the Department of “Just Us” is doing right now. Simply stated, the Biden administra tion authorized a raid of the home of a former president, who could very well face Joe Biden as the Republican presi dential nominee again in 2024. As the shocking news spread, former

BY J.D. FoothillsHAYWORTHFocusColumnistIt’s‘Mourning in America’ $225 27¢ $30.00 $40.00 $50.00 $60.00 $100.00 $140.00 $89 see HAYWORTH page 14

Newt’s concern is compounded by the left’s goal of adding 87,000 new IRS agents.Rest assured, when they show up at your door, they won’t be there for tea and crumpets… they’ll go for your “cook ie jar” instead. What else will crumble? The cornerstone of American jurispru dence — the presumption of innocence to which the accused is entitled. An earlier Congress (in which this col umnist served) enacted the “Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights” to assure that the burden of proof remained on the IRS during an audit… but like the original Bill of Rights, drafted by our founders, certain individ ual freedoms appear headed for per manent misplacement in the “lost and found” of a newly founded “Enforcement State.”What can be done to rescue our Re public? Listen again to President Rea gan: “The future is best decided by bal lots, not bullets.” Your vote can turn the current “Mourning” into “Morning” once again.That’s a promise.

HAYWORTH from page 13 LEIBOWITZ from page 12

14 THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | AUGUST 17, 2022OPINION crimes, and he misused the people’s money like a drunken lottery winner. As American politics got meaner after the turn of the century, tough Old Joe moved his crosshairs from criminals to anyone with brown skin. In 2016, Arpaio lost to Paul Penzone, a retired Phoenix cop who has returned law enforcement focus and decorum back to the sheriff’s office. Two years later, Arpaio lost in a GOP Senate pri mary. In 2020, he lost in the Republican primary for sheriff. Last year, announcing his candidacy for mayor of Fountain Hills, he told Fox News, “What do you want me to do? Go fishing? Go golfing? I don’t do anything. My hobby is work. I’ve done that my whole life. I’m not stopping now.” Arpaio in his prime fooled me total ly. Back in 2001, “60 Minutes” did a bio piece headlined “Joe the Jailer.” How does it end for Arpaio? “It’s gonna wear out when this guy passes away giving his speech in Sun City at 9 at night and he slumps forward into his rubber chicken,” was my assess ment. “That’s when it wears out and not a moment before.” We were younger then. The moment seemed eternal. It always does with the great ones, until it does no longer. Now in our 38th year! ARIZONA’S LONGEST-RUNNING EXPO IS HERE! Healthcare | Retirement Living | Financial Leisure | Home Repair | Education Casinos | Tour & Travel and More... (480) 898-6500 • (480) www.seniorexpos.com959-1566 Lots of PrizesandEveryINCLUDINGGiveawaysa$100CASHDRAWINGHour! Entertainment by MS. SENIOR ARIZONA FREE PARKING! FREE ENTRY! Wednesday, November 2nd 8am - 12pm Mesa Convention Center 201 N. Center Street, Mesa, AZ 85201 Title Sponsor Entertainment Sponsor Bag Sponsor Gingrich put the sordid episode into context: “If they can do this to a former and potentially future president, what can they do to you … or your cousin, or your friends, or your neighbors? And I think it’s a very scary step towards a po lice state.”

BY ALLISON BROWN Foothills Focus Staff Writer Sfizio Modern Italian Kitchen 21050 N. Tatum 480-687-8107Boulevard sfizioitaliano.com

TheFoothillsFocus.com | @TheFoothills.Focus /TheFoothillsFocus Business For more Business News visit thefoothillsfocus.com THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | AUGUST 17, 2022 15BUSINESS

Sfizio Modern Italian Kitchen is located at 21050 N. Tatum Boulevard in Phoenix. Sfizio is open for lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday. Dinner is available from 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday and 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Happy hour is offered all day in the bar only.

Sfizio Modern Italian Kitchen is a product of father and son Rocco and Marco Pezzano. (David Minton/Staff Photographer) Sfizio is a scratch kitchen with authentic Italian food like brick-oven pizzas and hand-crafted pastas offered in a modern space. (Sfizio/Submitted)

The old fashion way, as he called it, draws from his Italian roots and the foods his fami ly had there. In fact, some menu items based on dishes Rocco had growing up, like sfizini, which is an original invention that is a take on a sandwich. Rocco said it’s an old taste wrapped in a new shape. Sfizinis are avail able for lunch, including Marco’s favorite, which is actually called Marco’s Favorite on the menu. It has three meat ragu meatballs, san marzano sauce and mozzarella stuffed inside a piece of hollowed fresh bread. That bread, along with everything at Sfizio, is made by hand and in house. “We pride ourselves in that we are a scratch kitchen. We do everything by hand. We do all the pasta in house… I’m really picky,” Rocco said. “I don’t compromise. I try to sometimes but it’s hard for me to do, be cause I think you lose quality. It’s a lot more labor, there are a lot more steps involved, you spend more time, but I think if you go out (to eat) you want to look for quality.” He even goes so far as to import flour and tomatoes to make sure they are the best quality ingredients. Because Sfizio is a scratch kitchen, its menu changes seasonal ly to feature the freshest ingredients. Rocco said typical menu favorites are the braised short ribs that come with saffron creamy risotto and mixed seasonal vegeta bles ($28), or any of the handmade, brick oven pizzas. The restaurant also has a full bar with specialty cocktails, indoor and outdoor seating, and an all day happy hour. Marco said he and his dad didn’t want Sfizio to be just another classic Italian diner that was “more catered towards the older people with just spaghetti and meatballs.” Instead, it’s more of a modern, relaxed en vironment, and Marco said they get a wide variety of customers.

Now a young adult, Marco wanted to re live those memories and asked his dad to open a restaurant with him. The two opened Sfizio together in July 2021 and have not only had good business, but a lot of fun. “It worked out very well,” Rocco said about getting to work with his son. “And I think we work great together because he does a part of the restaurant that I don’t know very well, which is all the media, the computer, the POS (point of sale) — all the background that I am not aware of. So he takes care of that part. Of course, my job is the kitchen, the old fashion way.”

Rocco Pezzano and his son, Marco, combine food, family, traditional fla vors and modern culinary creations with Sfizio, a scratch-kitchen restaurant with an authentic, Italian focused menu. Rocco was born and raised in southern Italy. At 18, he got his first job working at a bakery and then a pizza place, where he fell in love with the food. Then, at 23, Rocco moved to the states and opened up his own restaurant.Roccosaid restaurants and food are what he knows best and it’s something he is pas sionate about. For him, food has always had a connection to family. He said he re members his whole family being together, talking, laughing and sharing stories, and it was always over food. “I’ve always worked in a restaurant, first with the bakery then in a pizza place for a long time. Then I decided to come here, and my passion stayed with food and restau rants. I was always cooking,” Rocco said. “When I left Italy, I missed my Italian food, things my mother used to cook, things I used to make. So, I was always trying to get that particular taste that I was so used to from the right ingredients.” Within a few years, he had opened sev eral successful restaurants. In that time he also got married and had two kids, which changed his perspective. “I started to get a little tired with the restaurants because the hours are a little different,” Rocco said. “My kids will get up early and go to school and I’ll come home late and we never get to see each other. On weekends I would be at the restaurant, so I said I wanted to take some time and spend some time with them.” So, just like that, he left the restaurant business behind. Ten years went by, and the kids grew up. But Marco remembered growing up around the restaurant business and said it shaped him a lot. “Growing up, my father had restaurants, my uncle had his restaurant, and growing up there, it was just part of my upbringing. It was part of my way of life,” Marco said. “It was so fun and exciting for me. We were always cooking at home together. I re member one of my early birthdays, we had a lasagna crafting party, and I had a bunch of friends over and we were all creating la sagna. So it was a really core memory of my childhood.”

Sfizio Modern Italian Kitchen brings together food and family

Focus

Instrument

Lee

19. He’s pushing “Live @ MIM Pt. 2.” (Lee

TheFoothillsFocus.com | @TheFoothills.Focus /TheFoothillsFocus Features For more features visit thefoothillsfocus.com 16 THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | AUGUST 17, 2022FEATURES

19 WHERE:

Tickets start at $30 INFO: mim.org,

“I was this crazy white gringo running laps all day, but I needed to focus on something,” he said. “I said, ‘Let me break this down. What would a marathon be? Oh, 26.2 miles. That would be 102 laps.’”

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A TV news outlet filmed Perreira with some of the veterans and, he said, good en ergy filled the room. To celebrate finishing his run, he’s headed to Costa Rica with his fiancée and then re turns to the Valley to play the Musical Instru ment Museum on Friday, Aug. 19. He’s push ing “Live @ MIM Pt. 2,” recorded last July. “We actually filmed the night, too,” he said. “We’ll be back with a full 10-piece band. The horn section adds so much energy. The last time I saved the horn section for the encore. Nobody even knew the horns were there. I’ll be using them, not for just the encore.”

Boulevard,

Veterans are personal to singer Lee Perreira.Hisfather was in the Air Force and his grandfathers were in the Air Force and Marines. Following his mantra of “Inspira tion inspires inspiration,” Perreira ran 16 marathons in 16 days in mid-June to raise $5,000 for an egress door and a handicap ramp at the Buckeye VFW. “That was my attempt at running 100 miles in 24 hours to raise money for vet erans through my nonprofit, 16 x 16,” Per reira“Thesaid.goal was $5,000, and we raised over $15,000. I have so much respect for veterans.”Hewillpresent the check in early Septem ber. Previously, he collected funds for Chrys alis, AHCF and Arizona Cancer Foundation for“IChildren.recently donated my time at Chrysalis, which works with domestic violence survi vors,” he said. “I went during a time when people were eating and played songs. Once I started playing, this little girl got closer and closer — then she got really close. Music brings out the best in people.” Running 100 miles in one day was the goal; he stopped at 81. He longed to finish, so three days later he did just that. “I’ve been pretty beat up since then,” he said with a laugh. “But seriously, I find it so fulfilling. It gives me extra motivation to work out and be physical. Whenever I do any of these things, personally, I grow a lot. I learned a lot about myself and pushing through tough times.”

Lee Perreira to play at Musical Instrument Museum

will perform at the Musical Instru ment Museum with a full, 10-piece band Friday,

Several years ago, Perreira decided to con sistently release music, longing not to have gaps in release dates. “I don’t make enough money to be able to invest the time and money into putting out a full-length album every year, which is what I would want to do,” he said. “I have tons of tunes. I release something three to 10 times a year, whether it’s a single or an album or whatever. I have two singles ready to drop. I just don’t know when I’m go ing to do it. I may do fall and winter. I have enough music to get me through this year and all of next year.” The plan works for Perreira and allows him to feel like he has forward momentum with music. A rebirth Music is part of Perreira’s rebirth. He nev er felt like he was a bad guy, but “I definitely could have done better.” His downward spiral began when his brother, who was struggling with heroin, died unexpectedly. “If you would have asked me if I was OK, I probably would have told you, ‘I’m fine,’” he said. “Then I got three DUIs in less than six months. My brother died right in the middle of that. He was living on the streets. He had stolen from our family. It was a hard thing to go through, to have your brother reaching out to you. I told him I would pay a bill, but I wasn’t going to give him money. That wears on“Then,you. for him to die, it just really rocked our family. Then, here I am (screwing) up my own life, getting three DUIs. That was weigh ing on my family, too. Obviously, it needed to happen because I fought this case for three years. I lost and had to go to Florence West for four months.” In prison he ran his first marathon. After all, he wasn’t trying to make friends there.

On Father’s Day 2018, he ran 26.2 miles in prison. When he got out, he figured he would pro mote his record by running and performing at the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon. Forty-five min utes after he finished, he was onstage per forming with his band. “I was devastated afterward,” he said now with a laugh. “My feet were throbbing, and the band was like, ‘Are we doing this again?’ I said, ‘Hell no.’” That, in turn, has lifted up every other as pect of his life. “My business has gone up,” he said. “My songwriting has gone up. My original music reach has gone up. My relationship with my fiancée has improved. I really want to sur round myself with positive people and peo ple who are moving in a certain direction.”

reira/Submitted)

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Foothills Executive Perreira WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. Musical Museum, 4725 E. Mayo Phoenix COST: leeperreira.com Perreira Aug. Per

“Notice the difference? Two differ ent scenarios started the same. Both ended differently. Why? Because of how you reacted. You have no con trol over 10% of what happens in your life. Your reaction determines the other 90%.”

CHURCH COMMUNITY CONNECTION Pastor Ed Delph Foothills Focus Columnist

The takeaway: when problems come, don’t go with them. What you believe and how you respond to what happens to you determines whether you retreat or advance. It’s our re sponsibility to respond to God’s abil ity. We can touch heaven to change earth if we respond to God’s power and the ability God gave us. Recently, I found a chart on the differences between successful and unsuccessful people. They had com pletely different perspectives about life. Of course, the differences are not true in every case, but certainly true in most cases. Whitney Houston said, “Success doesn’t change you. Fame does.” I’m not sure I like the terms successful and unsuccessful in this application, so I’ll use the words advancing and retreating. Advancing people read every day or grow in some way every day. Re treating people spend all their time watching television every day. Re treating people don’t lead their lives; they accept what someone else says about their lives. Advancing people compliment and build up people. Retreating people criticize and tear people down. Robbie Sherrah said, “Do you know what I like about con fident people? I rarely hear them saying a bad word about anyone.” Advancing people forgive others. Retreating people hold a grudge. Re member, forgiveness makes the fu ture possible. Advancing people talk about ideas. Retreating people talk about other people. Advancing peo ple continuously learn. Retreating people think they know it all. They shut others out by shutting them up. Advancing people accept responsi bility for their failures. Retreating people blame others and circum stances for their mistakes or failures. It was the coffee’s fault! Advancing people have a sense of gratitude. Retreating people have a sense of entitlement. Advancing people set goals and have life plans. They determine their future in the present. Retreating people never or seldom set goals. Their perspective is to live for today, which unfortu nately determines their future in the present, too. Here’s some sage advice for both groups that I recently heard. “If you are willing to look at another per son’s behavior toward you as a re flection of the state of their relation ship with themselves rather than a statement about your value as a per son, then you will, over time, cease to react adversely at all.” Us humans tend to see things the way we are, not the way they really are. Now that you know the 90/10 Principle, apply it. Of course, taking responsibility for your life is more difficult than accepting your life, but remember, difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.

I recently discovered a principle of life that I knew was working but didn’t understand very well. I have spoken for years now on this principle. Stephen Covey wrote the 90/10 Principle, and I have quoted him in this article with some minor editing.“Tenpercent of life is made up of what happens to you. The other 90% of life is decided by how you react. What does this mean? We have no control over 10% of what happens to us. The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%. How? By your reactions. You cannot control a red light. However, you can manage your response to the red light. Do not let people fool you. You can control how you react. “Here’s an example of how this works. You are having breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your busi ness shirt. You have no control over what has just happened. What hap pens next will be determined by how you“Youreact.curse. You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over. She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your wife and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish her breakfast and getting ready to go to school. She misses the bus. “Your spouse must leave immedi ately for work. You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles per hour in a 30 mph speed-lim it zone. After a 15-minute delay and throwing a $60 traffic fine away, you arrive at school. Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you realize you for got your briefcase. “Your day has started terribly. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse. You look forward to coming home. But, when you arrive home, you find a small wedge in your rela tionship with your wife and daugh ter. Why? Because of how you react ed in the morning. Remember, when the queen and princess are happy, there is peace in the kingdom. “Why did you have a bad day? A) Did the coffee cause it? B) Did your daughter cause it? C) Did the police man cause it? D) Did you cause it? The answer is D. “You had no control over what hap pened with the coffee. How you re acted in those few seconds is what caused your bad day. Here’s what could have and should have hap pened.“Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say, ‘It’s OK, honey, you just need to be more careful next time.’ Grabbing a towel, you go upstairs and change your shirt. You grab your briefcase and come back down in time to look through the window. Your child gets on the bus, and she turns and waves. You arrive five minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff.

Author James Clear adds to this idea. “There are many situations in life you do not control, but you often contribute (positively or negatively) to them. I cannot control the rain, but I can control my clothing. I can not control your feelings, but I can control my kindness. I cannot con trol my opponent, but I can control my response to my opponent. You cannot control most outcomes in life, but you can usually influence them. Releasing your attachment to the re sults does not mean releasing your responsibility to the situation.”

Take responsibility for your life

Ed Delph is a noted author of 10 books, as well as a pastor, teacher, former business owner and speaker. He has traveled extensively, having been to more than 100 countries. He is president of NationStrategy, a nonprofit organization involved in uplifting and transforming communities worldwide. For more information, see nationstrategy.com. He may be contacted nationstrategy@cs.com.at

18 THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | AUGUST 17, 2022FEATURES

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TheFoothillsFocus.com @TheFoothills.Focus /TheFoothillsFocus Youth For more Youth News visit thefoothillsfocus.com 20 THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | AUGUST 17, 2022YOUTH BY ALLISON BROWN Foothills Focus Staff Writer

Student creates award-winning app to store milestones and memories A rnav Hingorani started learn ing coding at 9 years old. Now, four years later, the North Scottsdale student has been named one of 18 finalists in a prestigious, global coding competition for an app he“Anyonecreated.with advanced level cod ing (was invited) to make an app that can help solve a real world problem,” they’re all very good.” Naresh, Arnav’s dad, said he and his wife encourage their kids to pur sue different educational and athlet ic opportunities. Coding was one of those opportunities, and Arnav ex celled at it. “I believe learning AI and data sci ence are table stakes for all students in the future,” Naresh said. “Studying coding has developed Arnav’s ap proach to solving complex problems and, as a parent, it’s gratifying to course at BYJU’S FutureSchool, an online learning platform that teach es math, coding, music, arts and film via one-on-one, live instruction with a teacher. Arnav said he was already advanced in math and had a knack for learning languages, so coding seemed like a natural progression and something he knew would be helpful to “Learninglearn.tocode has many ben efits,” said Richa Agnihotri, Arnav’s coding teacher at BYJU’S Future School. “First and foremost, it is a skill that is highly valued in the workforce, and jobs related to com

As for Arnav, said he plans to keep learning and continue to build. Na resh said maybe Arnav will create an app that helps with tennis and combine his two hobbies. Or, Naresh joked that maybe Arnav will become a chef, because he also loves to cook in his free time. Whatever it may be, he knows his son has learned a lot and has a bright future. “In any industry, these concepts are going to be part of it,” Naresh said. “No matter what field you pick, it will interact with technology. So I think it just gives that opportunity to have a good foundation and I think he has aspirations.” The “18u18” finalist, national ten nis champion, national math champi on, Taekwondo black belt holder and beginner chef currently attends ASU Preparatory Academy. The curricu lum is rigorous and programs are de signed to be difficult, with the aim of preparing students not just for col lege, but for careers and for life.

THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | AUGUST 17, 2022 21YOUTH puter programming are growing exponentially. Beyond the comput er, coding teaches critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity and re silience.”Having studied coding since age 9 and having already built some games using Lua in Roblox and Javascript, Arnav’s journey at BYJU’S started with learning some basics and ex panded to various programming lan guages such as html, css, jsx, python andDuringdart. the summer of 2021, Ar nav’s coding teacher encouraged him to think of a problem that can be solved using technology, via an app. Arnav decided to create an app for students like him to keep track of im portant personal events, milestones and memories, organize them and share them. “I do a lot of things in my life. I do tennis, coding, math and other stuff, and I had no easy way to store all of the milestones that I got in all these different things,” he said about his inspiration for the app. “I talked with a lot of different people and they all agreed there was no easy way to or ganize these different milestones us ing an Whenapp.”Arnav says he “does a lot of things,” he’s not kidding. He has fre quently participated in national ten nis tournaments, math contests and taekwondo competitions, and his hobbies include traveling and cook ing. With all these events, it’s hard to keep track of everything, which is why he created his app, My Life Re sume.The app is designed to help kids upload and organize events by cat egories like academics, sports, arts or volunteer, and they can search for their events using keywords. Users can also share noteworthy events with friends and family. In addition, the app is a way to network with oth ers in the same age group with com mon interests. In July 2021, Arnav was selected to participate in BYJU’S “18u18” com petition, where 18 advanced coding students younger than 18 globally compete for recognition. As a final ist, he was then assigned a mentor to help develop his prototype into a functioning app. “I had to build the app on a certain (coding) language that was com pletely new to me. And you have to do it within about two months, so my mentor helped me to learn that lan guage, transfer things over and then make more features,” Arnav said about developing his app. “The new language was certainly very interesting, but just being able to think of a problem, being creative with it and building different func tions of the app were all learning ex periences.”MyLife Resume, along with the other apps in the final stage of the competition, are in the process of be ing published on Google Play. Arnav isn’t waiting around, though. In fact, he’s already working on a new mov ie recommendation app that uses AI and machine learning concepts to rate movies and give users recom mendations.“Itisavery proud moment for me as a teacher to witness the success of my coding student, Arnav,” Agnihotri said. “I feel that I was able to help him learn and pass along my knowl edge, technical concepts and experi ence in coding. I wish Arnav a bright future and all the best.”

APP from page 20

Arnav Hingorani created the app My Life Resume to help students like him keep track of, organ ize and share important personal events, milestones and memories. His app was chosen out of thousands to be a finalist in a prestigious, global coding competition and is now in the process of being uploaded to Google Play. (Naresh Hingorani/Submitted)

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