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Send Entries to: Teachers We Love c/o Arcadia News 3850 E. Indian School Rd., Phx, AZ 85018 or fill out a nomination form online at: www.arcadianews.com Teacher/Administrator Name: _____________________________________________ School Name: _________________________________________________________ Your Name: ___________________________________________________________ Your Email Address: ____________________________________________________ Your Phone Number: ___________________________________________________ How does this person make a difference? __________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ It’s easy to recognize and nominate your favorite teacher for Teachers We Love! Just fill out this form and mail, fax or drop it by our office. OR, you can nominate a teacher online at www.arcadianews.com Be sure to include details about why your teacher is great (more details = better chance of winning!) Winning teachers will receive special gift certificates to Postino and Salon Sandoval! Do you know a teacher who really makes a difference? Page 57 March 2016 By Gabrielle Mercer The Arcadia High School Spiritline placed seventh in the AIA state competition at Grand Canyon University on January 23. The spiritline consists of eight girls from Arcadia High, coached by Amanda Richards. The team had a total score of 236, tying with the sixth place school, Estrella Foothills. Richards said that by far the biggest contributor to the team’s success was the relentless effort put in by the squad members. “They spent countless hours perfecting this routine in addition to balancing schoolwork, friends and family,” Richards said. Richards added that making the championship was a huge accomplishment for the team. “Our goal for this season was to introduce the element of competition to our squad,” Richards said. “We didn’t have high expectations as this was something new to our program…We couldn’t be more proud of [the girls].” The team qualified for the championship by placing in the top 10 at the AIA regional competition in November. “To make it to the championship is incredibly special to our team, especially because it is our first year competing,” said spiritline captain, Taylor Everroad. AHS Athletic Director Kevin Mooney said having the team make it to the competition meant a great deal to him and the school, too. “The entire school community is very proud and supportive of the team,” Mooney said. “I’m happy to say that we saw a lot of students and parents dressed in red at the state finals on Saturday night at GCU.” Before coaching the team, Richards spent five years as an NFL cheerleader for the Arizona Cardinals, and also danced for the Phoenix Suns. Looking to the future, Richards said she wants to eventually have both a cheer team and a pom line compete. “We were very proud that our new coach, Coach Richards, and her assistants, Sonya Kim and Dani Miller, were eager to prepare their athletes to compete,” Mooney said. “Arcadia has never participated in spirit competitions and this seemed like a huge commitment of time and effort.” “We never expected to make it to state the very first year…We were delighted at the team’s success! Miller said team captain Everroad has shown exceptional growth while on the team. During the summer before her freshman year, Everroad made JV spiritline and attended         *   ˆ  had little dance and cheer experience. Miller said she and Kim watched her struggle to keep up with the other dancers, but something clicked and she is now participating in tumbling and stunting in addition to dance and cheer. “Taylor has proven to not only us coaches but also to herself that with a little motivation, you can accomplish anything,” Miller said. Everroad is now a junior and on varsity spiritline. When asked what makes this team special, Richards said the team went above and beyond expectations for a first year team. “They approached every obstacle with a positive attitude and perseverance,” Richards said. “They are truly a unique group of girls who we admire greatly for taking on an extra challenge and pioneering spiritline’s first ever competition team for Arcadia High School.” The Spiritline at Arcadia High is new this year and coached by former NFL and NBA cheerleader Amanda Richards. AHS Spiritline places in the Top 10 at State Competition