42 SEPTEMBER 2017 ARCAD A NEWS By Elaina Verhoff On the first day of the new school year, things looked a little different at one neighborhood school. The K-8 school at 62nd Street at Exeter, formerly known as Arcadia Neighborhood Learning Center, had become Echo Canyon School. Kat Hughes, who is entering her second year as principal of the school, says the name change came about for a couple reasons. She explained that Arcadia Neighborhood Learning Center, which was founded in the mid-90s, was named before the words “learning center’ were widely used among tutoring centers such as Sylvan Learning Center. “It was a misnomer,” Hughes said. “The school name wasn’t capturing who we are… a Scottsdale public school.” She said the name caused confusion, with frequent questions about whether the school was a charter school or served a particular type of student. Another reason for changing the name was the shift in educational model. This year the school is moving away from a multi-age classroom, where two grades are taught together in one classroom. “We surveyed the staff and they said ‘We’d like a single grade in a classroom, but we like having kids for two years,’” Hughes said. Echo Canyon School now employs what Hughes calls a “looping model” where classrooms contain a single grade, like most schools, but students will have the same teacher two years in a row. “Everyone loves it,” Hughes said. “So far it’s been really positive.” Before implementing these changes, administrators held three community meetings back in February, presenting the rationale for the model change, and taking name suggestions. “We had three pages of name suggestions!” Hughes said. Teachers and staff selected the finalists, and the staff ultimately picked the winning name of Echo Canyon School. When asked why the school didn’t retain the Arcadia name, which seems to carry a lot of cache among local businesses, Hughes said ultimately it was concern over confusion with Arcadia High School that led the staff to choose a name without the Arcadia moniker. And what exactly is involved with the name change? “Fortunately, there wasn’t a lot that needed to be changed,” Hughes explained. The school changed its colors from purple and teal to purple and black, switched out the plastic on the marquee, updated the ironwork out front, and replaced the gym floor logo, which she says was overdue for a replacement. The parent-teacher organization (PTO) will be wrapping the planters in front of the school to cover the old school name, and a new welcome mat is on the way. Hughes says the school will continue to focus on the social, emotional and academic well-being of its students as it always has. The K-8 model allows students to take leadership roles, such as having “buddy classrooms” and seventh and eighth grade students who escort kindergarteners to their classrooms from the drop-off location. The gardens will also continue to play a key role, with visiting local chefs who harvest and cook with the kids. “All of the things that made us great as ANLC, we are keeping. At our heart, we are still the same school with some changes that we think will better meet the needs of students in our community,” Hughes said. Echo Canyon School is a “school of choice,” meaning it has no set boundaries. Those interested in learning more are invited to call the school office and sign up for a weekly tour, which takes place every Tuesday at 9 a.m. Enrollment is first come, first serve, and there are currently limited spots available. Arcadia Neighborhood Learning Center becomes Echo Canyon School The new logo on the gym floor is one sure-fire way students will know they are now Echo Canyon Jaguars. Sept. 22: AHS homecoming parade promises delight By Kaylee Sumpter On Friday, Sept. 22, Arcadia High School will be celebrating one of the best parts of the fall semester – the homecoming parade. The parade was first put together in 2011, after members of Arcadia’s PTO felt that the student’s homecoming floats were impressive enough to be shown outside of campus. The homecoming parade has always been a great community involvement for all of those who plan, supervise, and watch. “Arcadia Spiritline is part of the parade. The students create class floats for the parade and reach out to the other clubs on campus who want to create floats or be in the parade,” said Caitlin Munn, a science teacher at Arcadia High School who oversees the Student Council (STUGO) students who put together the parade. “A lot of planning goes into the parade starting weeks before homecoming week. The students all have jobs they are in charge of along with working with all the other people involved in the parade.” The STUGO students put countless hours of planning and work into making the homecoming parade a successful community event. The students put together the parade each year by following a checklist that has been created by Arcadia High School’s administration, previous STUGO advisors, and the students themselves. On top of needing to make floats and help the other Arcadia High School clubs with their floats, Student Council students are in charge of planning the parade route, setting up city permits, getting the cars and trailers needed for the floats, and reaching out to the community to encourage its involvement. The Arcadia High School PTO and AP of activities are there to assist the students with what they need to put together the homecoming parade. So, after all this planning and work, what can the Arcadia community look forward to when watching this year’s upcoming parade? “The community can look for lots of school spirit, lots of clubs involved, amazing class floats,” said Munn. “There will be large community involvement, and a great kick off to the Arcadia football game and dance the following day.” E. CAMELBACK RD. E. EXETER BLVD. E. LAFAYETTE BLVD. N. RUBICON AVE. Hopi Elementary School (Ends) N. ARCADIA DR. 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