Spotlight on Schools: Second grade students in Marana develop student-run business

Tucson News Now posted a great story about second graders at a Marana Unified School District school that have started their own business to raise money for charity.

Second grade teacher, Aimee Katz, and her students at DeGrazia Elementary, within the Marana Unified School District, have embarked on a unique journey and are learning real-world business skills. 

Made possible through a Real World Scholars EdCorp grant, these young hard working, entrepreneurial thinking students have developed their own student-run business, Corky Kidz, making a variety of creative designs and items out of reused corks!

Learning entrepreneurship skills through real-world learning, students developed their business from the ground up. After creating their business name, Corky Kidz, and tagline, "Fun, Funky, and creative cork designs made by Kidz," students spent months seeking cork donations from local businesses, family and friends; researching and developing product prototypes; and learning various aspects of business.

"I wanted to start an EdCorp to provide my students with the opportunity to do some real-world learning but also do something that they will remember," states Aimee Katz, second grade Degrazia Elementary teacher. "I want students to be able to understand that what they are learning is and will be used in their life. While students are having fun, they are learning. They are learning real-life skills and if there is something they don’t know how to do, we research it."

Spotlight on Schools: MHS earns Special Olympics honor

The Marana News had a great story on Marana High School being honored for their participation in Special Olympics.

A shower of gold glitter unveiled Marana High School’s new title: National Unified Champion School for the Special Olympics of Arizona. The title came on a new banner revealed at the high school’s pep rally last Friday, Dec. 1.

“Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools equip students with the necessary tools and training to create inclusive sports, classroom and community experiences that reduce bullying, promote healthy activities, combat stereotypes, eliminate hurtful language and improve the overall school climate,” Holly Thompson,  area director for Special Olympics Arizona announced at the school assembly. “Marana High School continues to excel in all these areas and this is why you have received this national recognition.”

The dozens of special education students at Marana High School kicked off the assembly by parading into the school gym holding a sign announcing their new title. They marched into the gym among applause and through a tunnel formed by cheerleaders and mascots. Thompson awarded a certificate to Brett Secemski, the school’s life skills teacher and Special Olympics coach.

Mountain View High School also won the award though a celebratory assembly is still being planned.

Read the whole story at the Marana News

Nightly Holiday Light Show encores

Did you miss the Marana Holiday Festival & Christmas Tree Lighting? Catch any of the encore shows every night from 5-9 PM on the hour at the Marana Municipal Complex. Or watch it/relive it here!

Every night at 5:00, 6:00, 7:00, 8:00, and 9:00 p.m. we will be re-running the light show, that is synchronized to great holiday music.

The encores are at the Marana Municipal Complex roundabout at 11555 W. Civic Center Drive.

Did you come out to the Marana Holiday Festival and Christmas Tree Lighting? If so, please take our survey to help us find out what we did right, and what we can do even better next year. 

Marana News: Food tour brings area’s UNESCO designation to life

In 2015, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added 47 locations to its “Creative Cities” network. Tucson (and all of Southern Arizona) was added for gastronomy. In response to this designation, the Town of Marana created a unique Gastronomy Tour. The Marana News covered the designation and tour in a recent issue

Marana possesses a rich food culture, blending ancient flavors with contemporary techniques, that it was deserving of its own showcase.

This showcase comes in the form of the Marana gastronomy tour program, a five hour ride with tastings of local wild foods, samples of craft beers, and historical explorations.

“I’ve found that everything people use to describe Tucson’s food describes Marana better,” said Laura Cortelyou, tourism and marketing manager for the Town of Marana.

In development since December 2016, Marana’s tour is the first food tour approved by a UNESCO creative city in the United States.

With a 4,000-year-old agricultural history (one of the oldest in North America) surrounding them, patrons of Marana’s food tour will experience what few rarely do: visiting archaeological sites, learning about their food history, and then going to modern restaurants where the same styles of dishes are made today. Some of the stops will include drinks at Catalina Brewing Company and a sampling of wild gourmet foods from Bean Tree Farm foods, and cocktails and more at The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain.

“The best part is that we’re not setting up a fake tour to show the food,” Cortelyou said. “These really are local foods we use all the time—prickly pear, nopales, Sonoran wheat, mesquite, tepary beans. You can forage more wild foods here than in any other desert in the world.”

The tour runs twice a week, from Dec. 1 through April 2018, and promises to hold up to a worldwide UNESCO standard. To sign up, visit sign up: graylinearizona.com/tours/marana-gastronomy-tour/.

“I designed this so that anyone in the world who came to our city could understand our food culture.” Cortelyou said, “The goal is to showcase the creativity of our brewers and bakers, and show how their food is inspired by the local flavors. The tour works because it’s what we already do here. It all just fell into place.”

Read the full story in the Marana News

Marana PD hosts Dispose-A-Med

The Marana Police Department and several of their community partners are conducting a Dispose-A-Med event on Saturday, December 9th at the Target at 3901 W. Ina Rd. The event is from 10 a.m. – noon and will be set up directly in front of the store. Residents are able to safely dispose of any unused or expired prescription medications. Prescription and over-the-counter tablets and capsules will be collected. We will not be able to collect liquids, creams, veterinary medications, vitamins, and needles.

The Marana Police Department is collaborating with the Marana Health Center, Marana-Foothills Optimist Club, Marana Mortuary, and the Marana Prevention Alliance to put on these monthly events. 

Since the program’s inception in 2010, they have collected over 4,100 pounds of medication. Since the start of 2017, they have already properly disposed of 642 pounds of medication.

For safety and confidentiality reasons, any items turned over for collection cannot be returned. They cannot accept drugs from commercial organizations. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Unused prescription drugs that are not disposed of safely can be retrieved and abused or illegally sold, while unused drugs that are flushed down the toilet can contaminate the water supply. Proper disposal of unused drugs saves lives and protects the environment.

For more information, contact Officer David Danielson at the Marana PD Community Resource Unit at 520-382-2051.

Marana In The Media: KVOA at Holiday Festival

This past weekend the Town of Marana hosted their annual Holiday Festival and Christmas Tree Lighting and KVOA was on hand to cover the event. They produced a great video from the festival (although there were several thousand people in attendance, not several hundred.)

Read the full account at KVOA.com

VIDEO: Holiday Festival Walkthrough

Tomorrow is the Marana Holiday Festival and Christmas Tree Lighting. We are in the process of getting the area ready for the festivities. We recorded a little sneak preview of what you can expect. The event is at the Marana Municipal Complex from 3-8 p.m.

Marana News: Holiday Festival Preview

The Marana News previewed this Saturday's Marana Holliday Festival and Christmas Tree Lighting.

Town of Marana’s annual holiday event is expected to draw more than 6,000 attendees this year, and will take place this Saturday, Dec. 2, from 3 to 8 p.m. at the Marana Municipal Complex Roundabout (11555 W. Civic Center Drive).

“Our hope is that we can create an experience that will help people to build new traditions and family memories,” said Town of Marana Special Events Coordinator Monique Hagberg. “We carefully think through every element so that there is something for everyone. We want this to be a fun, festive event for the entire family.” 

The centerpiece of any holiday festival tends to be the lighting of the Christmas tree, and Marana has long embraced this tradition in the form of a 40-foot tree. Not only will the evergreen monolith act as the centerpiece of the entire gathering, but the tree is also part of a massive, synchronized light show that incorporates the surrounding area. The lighting and first performance of the show will take place at 6 p.m., and is the largest in Southern Arizona. The light show will run every hour from 5 to 9 p.m. beginning next Monday, Dec. 4 through New Year’s Eve.

Even though the event takes place in Southern Arizona, don’t be surprised to find a bit of snow in the desert at the Marana event. After a successful debut last year, the town has announced that the snow globe will make a triumphant return for a second year. According to the town, 20 tons of snow will be shipped in—leaving plenty for a snowball, sledding and maybe a snowman (or woman) or two.

“We’ve nearly doubled the amount of snow we are bringing in this year to enhance the experience of walking into an actual snow globe,” Hagberg said.

The roundabout affair will host a variety of local dancers, singers and musicians, including the Silver Steppers, Estes Elementary Ukulele club, the Marana Chamber High School Chamber Orchestra, the Mountain View High School Jazz Band and more. The live show kicks off at 3 p.m. with the Silver Steppers, and the Marana High School Symphonic Choir close the show when they take the stage at 7:30 p.m.

Make sure to bring an empty stomach, because no festival is complete without a wide selection of food. According to Hagberg, the selection will satisfy any craving, from ice cream to barbecue, French pastries to authentic Hawaiian delights.

Nearly two dozen vendors will attend the event, including an “Elf Flea Market,” and The Humane Society of Southern Arizona will join Marana’s Animal Services Division with some “fur-babies” to adopt. And most importantly (to some), the red-coated couple of Christmas spirit is returning to Marana in the form of Mr. and Ms. Claus.

Read the full story at the Explorer News.

Marana News: Deer Dedication

The Marana News had an in-depth story on the new public art installation on Tangerine Road:

A family of massive deer has settled down in the Town of Marana, and they’re here to stay.

Built of metal and painted to match the surrounding environment, the deer can be found on the south side of West Tangerine Road between Camino De Oeste and Camino De Mañana. Unveiled in a public ceremony earlier this month led by Mayor Ed Honea and town staff, the public art installation at the site of the under-development Tangerine Sky Park is aptly named “Deer at Tangerine Sky Park.”

The multi-year project was made possible by the Transportation Art by Youth Program, part of the Pima Association of Governments, which granted the town $75,000. The art program incorporates art into regional transportation projects, in this case the Tangerine Corridor Project.

The artist behind the deer concept was Trevor O’Tool, who worked alongside Marana High School Welding Teacher Kenton Webb in supervising a handful of students who crafted the three fawns. With some assistance, O’Tool constructed the doe and buck.

Tony Hunter, Marana’s assistant to the town manager, said the concept developed from a brainstorming session. The desire for public art mixed well with an interest in involving the youth of the community and the PAG grant seemed to “fit perfectly” into the mix, according to Hunter.

Read the full story at the Marana News

Spotlight on Schools: Marana High singers among "best of the best"

Marana High School singers, Cassandra Brandriff and Nick Victoratos will perform at the National Association for Music Education's 2017 All-National Honor Ensembles this week at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort/Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. This is a collection of the “best of the best” high school singers.

“These outstanding artists qualified for their state-level honor ensemble program and competed against top students for one of 609 spots in these national honor ensembles,” explained the Marana Unified School District in a press release.

Brandriff and Victoratos will have the honor to perform under the baton of five of the most prominent conductors in the United States. The All-National Honor Ensembles consist of a concert band, symphony orchestra, mixed choir, and jazz ensemble.

Marana Holiday Festival and Christmas Tree Lighting preview

The Town of Marana will host its annual Holiday Festival and Christmas Tree Lighting on Saturday, December 2 from 3:00-8:00 p.m. at the Marana Municipal Complex Roundabout.

The event has grown from its humble beginnings, and over 6,000 people are expected to attend this year’s edition. The event moved from the MMC courtyard to the roundabout in 2015 to accommodate the growth and open up the event for a variety of new activities, as well as giving ample space to old favorites.

The centerpiece of the event is the Christmas Tree lighting itself. Not only is the 40-foot Christmas Tree illuminated, but it is part of a synchronized, musical light show that incorporates the surrounding trees. The lighting and first performance of the show will take place at 6:00 p.m. and is the biggest in Southern Arizona. The light show is not a one-time event, it will run every hour from 5 to 9 p.m. beginning Monday, Dec. 4 until New Year’s Eve.

Snow is back at Holiday Festival. After a successful debut last year, the snow globe returns for kids to play in. Due to the popularity, this year 20 tons will be brought in for children to play in, sled on, and make snow men with. It is our way to bring a little bit of a winter wonderland to the Marana.

Santa and Mrs. Claus return to Marana. Always one of the more popular features of the event, The jolly couple will make their arrival and then be on hand to listen to the Christmas wishes of all the good boys and girls. Make sure you are on the “good” list!

The roundabout will again host the stage and it will feature a variety of entertainment. Nine acts from the community will perform, including dancers, singers, and musicians of all ages.

A wide selection of food vendors will be on hand to satisfy any craving. Nearly 20 food vendors will be on hand, serving everything from ice cream to barbecue to French pastry to authentic Hawaiian fare.

20 non-food vendors will also be on hand. Some will be selling their wares, while others will be trying raise awareness for their non-profit organizations. The Elf Flea Market will be open for business. You will find gently used and beautifully hand crafted holiday decor at reasonable prices. All items are donated and funds benefit the Community Food Bank in Marana. The Humane Society of Southern Arizona will join Marana’s Animal Services Division, and will have some furry friends for adoption.

Musical Acts:

• 3:00 - 3:20: Silver Steppers

• 3:30 - 3:50: The Thornydale Songbirds

• 4:00 - 4:20: Estes Elementary Ukulele Club

• 4:30 - 4:50: Open Doors Community School

• 5:00 - 5:20: Marana High School Chamber Orchestra

• 5:30 - 5:50: Pointe of Grace Dancers

• 6:00 - 6:20: Christmas Tree Light Show

• 6:30 - 6:50: Mountain View Jazz Band

• 7:00 - 7:20: ShowBiz Academy of Dance

• 7:30 - 7:50: Marana High School Symphonic Choir

Food Vendors

• Bugaloo's Soft Serve

• Cafe Fancais

• Ciao Down

• Cody Coyote Kettle Corn

• Dickey's Barbecue Pit

• I & C Kitchen

• Jakesdonuts and Treat Trolley

• La Garrafa

• Marana Heritage Conservancy

• Meatball Madness

• Mona's Frybread

• Mutt's Restaurant

• Red Rock Ice Cream Company

• Ro's Rollout American Comfort Food

• Road Running Wood Fired Pizza

• Ry's Snacks

• Sonoran Mexican Cuisine

• Sugar & Spice

• Taste of Island Paradise AZ

Spotlight on Schools: Dual honors for MV's Oliver

Mountain View Head Athletic Trainer and Sports Medicine Teacher Leah Oliver received a pair of honors over the past few weeks.

At the last Marana Unified School District Governing Board meeting, she was formally recognized for being named a 2018 Arizona Educational Foundation Top 10 Teacher of the Year.

The AEF™ Arizona Teacher of the Year program spotlights the contributions of outstanding public school teachers throughout Arizona by annually recognizing 10 exceptionally skilled and dedicated pre-kindergarten through 12th grade public school teachers.

Oliver was one of just two teachers from Southern Arizona to make the top-10, and the only from the Tucson area.

Oliver was also honored by the students and staff at Mountain View high School, but naming their athletic training center in her honor. The honored Oliver with the renamed “Ms. O's Athletic Training Center” during a surprise celebration in the school’s gymnasium. Former and current students (dating back to her first class in 1989), former coaches, staff, administration, and family and friends came out to honor her.

Oliver has been an educator since 1989 and has earned a reputation as “a phenomenal teacher who truly cares for students, staff and parents.” Her sports medicine class and student athletic trainers are the most award-winning in the state

Marana 28-Mile El Tour Segment Drone footage

HawkView Aerial Aerial was on-hand at the Town of Marana’s 28-Mile Segment of the El Tour de Tucson. Their drone captured the start of the race at Marana Heritage River Park.

The video below has the full start of the 28-Mile Segment:

HawkView Aerial Solutions is a Marana-based company.

Spotlight on Schools: MUSD's Wilson honored

Marana Unified School Districts’ superintendent - Dr. Doug Wilson – was selected as the 2018 American Association of School Administrators National Superintendent of the Year® for Arizona by the Arizona School Administrators.

Dr. Wilson has worked in public education for the last 36 years, and he is “humbled by this honor.”

According to an MUSD press release, Dr. Wilson “believes the ability to make a difference in the life of a child and influence the future through education is one of the noblest professions there is.”

“This recognition speaks more to the quality of the people who I am surrounded by, than anything I have accomplished,” Wilson added. “I cannot think of anyplace I would rather be, or anything I would rather be doing than serving the educational community in Marana as superintendent. The last nine and a half years working beside our dedicated teachers, support staff, administrators, Governing Board members, and parents have been the best years of my professional life… there is not a day that goes by that I am not inspired.”

The AASA, The School Superintendents Association National Superintendent of the Year® Program pays tribute to the talent and vision of the men and women who lead our nation's public schools. The program is designed to recognize the outstanding leadership of active, front-line superintendents.

Dr. Wilson will be recognized as the award recipient at the Arizona School Boards Association/Arizona School Administrators Annual Superintendents Conference in December and at the 2018 AASA National Conference on Education in February.

November Manager's Message

On Monday, November 20, I formally become the interim town manager for the Town of Marana. Thank you, Marana Town Council, for entrusting me with this responsibility. I look forward to serving this great community with the zeal and conviction we have all grown accustomed to from our town leader, Gilbert Davidson.

Gilbert took the reins as Town Manager during the dark days of the economic recession. Today, he leaves behind a community that is not only financially stable but is sought after by businesses and families who want to call Marana home. Some of us know him all too well and believe that his passion and energy to turn things around will do wonders with the state. We wish him well as he assumes the role of Arizona’s chief operating officer.

We have a great town staff and it’s an honor being a part of this team. Driven by our cultural values—dedicated service, teamwork, respect, and engaged innovation—every day is an opportunity to make Marana the choice place to live, work, and play.

These are exciting times in Marana. People of all ages are moving into our town. With two months left in the year, we have already exceeded our projections for construction of new single-family residential homes. Our challenge is to meet that demand, but also ensure that essential municipal services and quality of life remains a high priority. 

Businesses too are coming to Marana. Over the past few months we have met with executives from large corporations who want to locate thousands of new jobs in Marana. I attribute their interest in us because we’ve earned that reputation of being responsive, providing great customer service and ensuring their investments are sustainable in our community.

The holidays are upon us and that is always a fun time in Marana. Last weekend’s Turkey Trot is the start of the holiday season for many Marana residents and we are just a few weeks away from the Marana Holiday Festival and Christmas Tree Lighting. I have seen a sneak peak of this year’s light show and like all of our signature events, it promises to be our biggest yet. Without giving away too much, we have a great slate of food trucks and vendors on tap, more snow in the snow globe and talented local performers providing the entertainment. Like all of our signature events, the Holiday Festival on Dec. 2 is a free event, making it the perfect outing for Marana families. 

This is a busy week in the Town. On Thursday we formally unveiled the deer sculptures on Tangerine Road. This is a striking public art project that not only celebrates the great wildlife in the area, it also provided Marana high school welding students an opportunity to assist the artist in putting together these magnificent metal sculptures. The statues not only add beauty to the improvements being made on Tangerine Road, but are also a terrific neighbor to Tangerine Sky Park, which is being built adjacent to the statues. 

This weekend, Marana hosts our own 28-mile segment of the El Tour de Tucson. We are proud to again partner with El Tour and are excited to show off Marana to the riders who race through the town, as well as those who are using our Marana Heritage River Park as their starting point. Whether you are a cyclist, or just want to have a good time watching the race, we encourage you to come out to the park and participate in the festivities. 

I am excited about where the town is going. Since coming on board in March of 2014, I have seen so much growth, but we’ve also succeeded in maintaining that small-town neighborly feel. I came to Marana from the Phoenix area, where I last served as Glendale’s interim assistant city manager. Having worked in local government in a variety of roles since 1988, I find Marana different in many ways. It’s at the edge of this region but the center of attention for commerce and employment. It’s a young town growing quickly but always mindful of its deep-rooted heritage and the great outdoors that surrounds us. 

There is so much going on in Marana, which is a good thing. People want to live here, companies want to do business here and Marana Town Hall will bring it all together successfully.

Jamsheed Mehta is the Interim Town Manager for the Town of Marana. The Manager's Message runs monthly in the Marana News/Explorer News, as well as on MaranaAZ.gov.

El Tour de Tucson Marana 28-Mile Segment Photo Gallery

On Saturday, November 18 the Town of Marana hosted their second 28-Mile Segment of the El Tour de Tucson. The race drew well over 300 riders, who began their journey at the Marana Heritage River Park and winded their way through north Marana before heading south on I-10 and finishing the race in Downtown Tucson. 

Photos by J.D. Fitzgerald/JDFitzgeraldphotography.com

Deer Dedication: Photo Gallery

On Thursday, November 16 the Town of Marana held a dedication ceremony for their latest public art installation. "Deer at Tangerine Sky Park" was a made possible from a grant from the Pima Association of Governments and utilized the talents of artist Trevor O'Tool, as well as welding students from Marana High School.

The steel deer statues sit on the southside of Tangerine Road, just outside of what will become Tangerine Sky Park.

Marana unveils new deer family as the Town's latest public art installation

Click to view the unveiling ceremony of the new public art installation on Tangerine Road. 

This Thursday, the Town of Marana formally debuted the “Deer at Tangerine Sky Park” art installation. The small ceremony to unveil the five metal sculptures was the culmination of a two-year project.

The sculptures are made of solid steel and feature a family of foraging deer. They are located on Tangerine Road and are part of the Tangerine Corridor Project and will serve as a centerpiece of the upcoming Tangerine Sky Park.

“This project is absolutely beautiful,” said Marana Mayor Ed Honea. “The design is beautiful; the construction is beautiful. It is something we should all be very proud of."

Town of Marana Assistant to the Town Manager Tony Hunter coordinated the project, which was funded by the Transportation Art by Youth fund through the Pima Association of Governments.

This project began with the brainstorm of "how can we get public art in the community, but also how can we get youth involved as well?’” said Hunter.

The Town enlisted the help of Marana High School welding students, who have previously created other metal art pieces for Marana. Once the students were on board, the idea was to get the community on board to help with the search for an artist.

Hunter worked closely with the Marana Citizens’ Forum, who created a Public Art Committee to help come up with project.

“They were a huge help with the project,” said Hunter, who explained the artist selection process with the sub-committee. The parameters were simple. The work had to be metal to accommodate the students' skill set, and it had to represent the Marana community.

Trevor O’Tool's submitted proposal for the deer design was ultimately selected due to how he connected his work to Marana's natural environment.

“It represented our natural environment, but also represented family and our history,” Hunter said.

“It shows how the Town and artists and young people can work together to make something that our Town can be proud of for many years to come,” Honea added.

Installation of the deer was made possible due to the Town of Marana project management team and the Tangerine Corridor Constructors. It was no easy feat to put the deer in place. Not only did they have to be placed in the alignment the artist envisioned, but the sculptures are not easy to move. The sculptures are steel and weigh several hundred pounds. The buck statue weighs over 750 pounds and had to be placed with a forklift. 

They also had to be painted to protect the metal from the elements and the landscaping needed to be completed by the project management team and the contractors. 

The Deer at Tangerine Sky Park art installation is located on the Southside of Tangerine Road, East of Camino de Oeste.

Marana High School Welding Students: Austin Bott, John Campbell, Randall Chambliss, Cameron Daily, Mikaila Rodriguez, Brandon Shulls, Scott Washington. Kenton Webb – Instructor.

Marana Citizen’ Forum Public Art Committee: Ron Hill, Angela Wagner-Gabbard, Don Duncan, Valerie Pullara, Michael Smentek.

Marana News: Marana prepares for El Tour

The Marana News previewed Marana's 28-Mile Segment of the El Tour de Tucson. 

On Saturday, Nov. 18, Marana’s Heritage River Park will be host to food trucks, music and event booths in a festive send off for hundreds of cyclists beginning one of the largest bike-riding events in the nation, El Tour de Tucson. 

“Recreation is an important part of a healthy community,” said Interim Town Manager Jamsheed Mehta. “And we take having fun very seriously.”

While Marana has always been involved with the larger El Tour de Tucson process, it only began hosting its own leg of the race two years ago. The section fits well with Marana’s health-conscious, outdoorsy ethos, as all new roads built in the city are equipped with bike lanes.

“It’s just a great event for our community,” Marana mayor Ed Honea said. “People wear colorful outfits and helmets, and even if they don’t plan on finishing the whole event, they ride their bikes for a little while just to join in the fun.”

In addition to the thousands of pedaling legs, there are multiple legs to the event: cyclists can choose to ride distances of 106, 76, 54, 37 or Marana’s stretch, the shortest, of 28 miles. 

“I feel fortunate we have the shortest leg of the race,” Honea said. “It makes things available for families and non-professionals. Moms, dads and kids can all ride together.”

There will be booths run by a local bike shop, healthy food options and a craft station for families to make signs supporting the cyclists.

Read the rest of the story at the Marana News

Turkey Trot '17 Photo Gallery

This past weekend's Turkey Trot was another successful event by Marana Parks and Recreation. Whether you ran in the race, or just want to see everyone having fun, check out the photo gallery below. 

Photos by JD Fitzgerald.