Page 12 November 2014 Coveted for high standards By Christina Surrano As a kid, Ari Blankstein didn’t necessarily have aspirations to be a teacher, but he did have a tremendous respect and admiration for the special teachers in his life who demanded the most of their students and truly cared about them as individuals. For 18 years Ari has taught social studies at Ingleside Middle School. During that time he has been tough and compassionate, developing relationships with families in the community, like the teachers who inspired him. Student, Casey Greene, who nominated him for the award said, “He encourages you… and helps you any way that he can, but will give you an honest grade. Even though it’s not always the best grade, it’s the right grade. So he is kind of like a tough parent. We are kind of like his kids. It’s like he feels like he is responsible for us.” Casey adds, “He wants us to learn how to deal with life and learn from our mistakes.” Some of Ari’s passion for education comes from watching the resulting difficult challenges and struggles of a family member who never finished high school. When asked what he hopes most for his students, Ari said soberly, “I hope they take their education seriously. There are people in other parts of the world who risk their lives for the right to an education. I want them to have the background and skill sets so they can be as [successful] as possible.” Casey’s mom, Stacey, who also happens to be a teacher, notes that Ari has developed a great reputation among students and parents as having, “high standards for his kids. [He] builds excellent habits.” She adds that the creativity and passion that he puts into his lessons are exceptional. According to Casey, Mr. Blankstein is not one to teach straight out of the textbook. He encourages students to think independently. “You have to figure stuff out for yourself,” Casey stated. Ari currently teaches social studies at Ingleside to sixth-graders in the self- contained gifted program as well as to seventh- and eighth-graders. When asked what he hopes students learn from social studies specifically, he said, “I want them to take away the value of freedom… Freedom dies when we stop paying attention to it. [I want them to think about] what we need to do to uphold it.” Ari Blankstein’s reputation as a fun but challenging teacher has earned him highly desirable status among Ingleside students. Teachers chosen for the Arcadia News Teachers We Love Award receive an Arcadia News tote and T-shirt, a $125.00 gift certificate from Salon Sandoval, a gift certificate for dinner for two at The Henry and an invitation to an end of the year luncheon for the year’s winners at The Henry. To nominate your teacher fill out the form on page 18 or on arcadianews.com. As Casey Greene gave his favorite teacher the award, he explained his reasons for nominating him, one of which was his creativity when teaching his middle schoolers. Teacher of the Month Nomination Form Online: arcadiadaily.com/teachers.pdf Like us on Senior Loan Officer 602.791.5861 www.asktomross.com TOm ROSS

Page 13 November 2 0 14 Behind the Business By Michelle Donati-Grayman Tony Guido grew up around cars. His father, Anthony, owned an Exxon gas station on the southeast corner of 44th Street and Thomas Road for 30 years. After graduating from Arizona State University and working in the family business, Guido opened a shop of his own in the late 1980s. “I didn’t go far,” Guido says. “We’re only 12 blocks away from the original. Arcadia has always been home.” Tony’s Auto Service Center has called the northeast corner of 56th Street and Thomas Road home for 26 years. It started as Tony’s Texaco, a small two-bay gas station, before being converted into an auto repair facility. “It’s a real community shop,” Guido says. “The main thing that’s important to us is taking care of people our customers, employees and the community.” One longtime customer who was recently widowed expressed concern to one of Tony’s employee’s that he didn’t have any family to check in on him. After hearing this, manager Scott Petrie made an arrangement with him and his mail carrier. If the daily mail didn’t get picked up, the mail carrier would call the shop and alert Petrie to check on the customer. In addition to loyal customers, the auto shop is full of veteran employees. In fact, many have worked at the shop for more than a decade and one employee came to work for Guido after working in his father’s shop. Community involvement is also a priority to Guido. Each year, the shop performs discounted repairs for several charities, including St. Vincent de Paul, the Salvation Army and St. Mary’s Food Bank. They’ve hosted a Christmas party for a local assisted living facility and sponsor Arcadia High School’s football, baseball, soccer and golf teams. OPENING SOON: Juby True 3908 E Camelback Road foxrc.com NOW OPEN: Pig’s Meow Beer & Wine Bar 3730 E Indian School Road facebook.com/TheWhiningPig Forge Pizza 2502 E Camelback Rd 148A theforgepizza.com CELEBRATING: Keegan’s 25th Anniversary 3114 E. Camelback Road keegansgrill.com h (Top) Tony’s in 1970. (Bottom left) A look at Tony’s Auto today. (Bottom right) Tony’s crew. Guido’s business approach of putting people first has earned his shop an array of prestigious honors, including AAA Arizona’s Top Shop award for six years running. “As an auto resource, the Top Shop award is designed to recognize local shops that exceed our expectations and standards,” says John Walter, director of automotive services for AAA Arizona. “When it comes to AAA Approved Auto Repair facilities, Tony’s Auto Service Center represents the best of the best.” In 2013, the shop was one of five local businesses to receive the 2013 Better Business Bureau’s Business Ethics Award. This year, Tony’s Auto Service Center received the BBB International Torch Awards for Ethics. The award is presented to businesses in four categories, in recognition of their best practices in leadership character and organizational ethics. “Tony’s Auto Service Centers has proven to be a strong leader in our business community,” says Erin Harshfield, BBB foundation director. “The company’s leadership team is highly committed to developing positive, long- term relationships with its employees, customers and the community around them.” Guido says both the AAA and BBB honors serve as a confirmation of what his business tries to do every day. “We want to make sure our customers, employees and community are taken care of the way they should.” Michelle Donati-Grayman is an Arcadia resident who works for AAA Arizona, an automotive resource.