4 JANUARY 2018 ARCAD A NEWS completely changed the way I teach. The modeling curriculum is almost Socratic in the sense that a teacher stays out of it as much as possible. You ask leading questions, but let the kids discover things. I think science should be hands on! If I could do labs every single day, I would do it. Now obviously that’s not always possible, but I’ll always try to look at my schedule and make sure that we do labs several days each week. So instead of saying, here’s the equations, we do a lab where the students collect data, make graphs, and come up with the equations on their own. I like everything to be as hands on as possible. What do you enjoy about teaching at Arcadia High School? I love that Arcadia has such a community feel about it. I talk to kids whose parents, and sometimes even grandparents, went to the school. That’s rare enough, but especially in Phoenix! The kids are proud of being here, you can feel that excited vibe when you go to assemblies and games. It’s a great place to teach! What was your path to becoming a teacher? I’m from right in the middle of Illinois and moved here in 1980. I went to Chandler High School and then to ASU, where I got my degree in Mechanical Engineering. I worked in that field for a while and then spent time raising my children. Engineering was never really my passion though. Science was. So, I wasn’t always happy with my job. My parents were both in education, so I was familiar with that career, and I’d spent a lot of time helping out in science classrooms when my kids were in school and I remember really liking it. I did my student teaching at Desert Mountain and taught at Chaparral for six years before coming to Arcadia. You teach both Biology and Physics. How do you balance teaching two different subjects? Everybody thinks it’s a weird combination, but science is science. I bring a lot of biology knowledge into physics class, and vice versa. As an example, we were learning about terminal velocity in physics and using a falcon as an example. We got to learn about how they fly from a biology standpoint, so there are fun crossovers like that. Are there methods of teaching that you have moved away from as you became more experienced? When I first started teaching, I made power points for everything, especially in physics. It was a new technology and everyone thought “look, animation”, you know? I had grown up with chalkboards, so it seemed cool to me! But I noticed that I didn’t get a ton of excitement with it from the students. I was taking some modeling classes at ASU and learning about that method THIS MONTH’S WINNER: Angie Berk, Arcadia High School NOMINATED BY: Cathy Massimi Angie Berk teaches Biology and Physics at Arcadia High School. Winning teachers receive Arcadia News gift items, a gift certifi cate for Elements Massage-Phoenix Arcadia and a gift certifi cate to Postino. All winners are invited to an end of school year celebratory luncheon. Nominate a teacher you love at arcadianews.com. With the new year off and running, it seemed like a good opportunity to introduce myself. Back in 2013, I walked into the Arcadia News and asked if they were looking for any writers. As luck would have it, they were looking for someone to help cover sports. I spent three years going to games, meeting coaches and getting to know athletes in the community. In October of 2016, I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to take over the reigns as editor. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed getting to spend 2017 reading about the incredible businesses, events and people that make up our Arcadia neighborhood. All of us at the Arcadia News are excited about what stories 2018 will hold! We’re starting the year off by looking back at an incredible accomplishment by the Spirit of Arcadia (Arcadia High School’s Marching Band and Color Guard), who proudly represented The Titans by winning a state championship. A new year also means new beginnings, and our writers have covered a variety of ways to start the year off right, from decluttering your home, to finding a new fitness workout and taking the opportunity to travel around our state for new experiences. A couple of my favorite stories from this issue strike a more poignant tone. “An Equine Touch” is about a local church that is using horses to help change lives of people in the community (page 22). Also, this month’s Ask the Appraisers column shares a very personal and emotional story about the dangers of hoarding (page 21). I encourage you to reach out to me with any story ideas, suggestions or feedback. Many neighborhood stories are made possible by readers contacting us. We hope you enjoy this first issue of 2018 – and thank you for reading the Arcadia News ! — Nick Smith nick@arcadianews.com EDITOR’S NOTE ArcadiaKidsDental.com @ArcadiaPediatricDental @ArcadiaPediatricDental

2017 TAVAN SCHOOL DISTRICT SALES RESULTS (1/01/2017-11/30/2017) Active Homes - 75 Homes Homes Sold - 224 Homes Average Sale Price - $609,000 Average Sold $ Per SF - $256 Average Days On Market - 75 days There is currently 4 months of home inventory. (based on 2016 sales results) 2017 home sales have increased 10% this year. (based on 2016 sales results) 2017 home prices have increased 13%. (based on 2016 sales results) 2017 $ Per Square Foot prices have increased 8%. (based on 2016 sales results) 2017 Homes are taking 19% less time to sell. (based on 2016 sales results) 2016 TAVAN SCHOOL DISTRICT SALES RESULTS Homes Sold - 219 Homes Average Sale Price - $527,000 Average Sold $ Per SF - $235 Average Days On Market - 93 days 2015 TAVAN SCHOOL DISTRICT YEAR END SALES RESULTS Homes Sold - 216 Homes Average Sale Price - $477,000 Average Sold $ Per SF - $225 Average Days On Market - 108 days Arcadia Real Estate Stats 2017 HOPI SCHOOL DISTRICT SALES RESULTS (1/01/2017-11/30/2017) Active Homes - 186 homes Homes Sold - 250 homes Average Sale Price - $1,150,000 Average Sold $ Per SF - $332 Average Days On Market - 118 days There is currently 8 months of home inventory. (based on 2016 sales results) 2017 home sales have increased 0% this year. (based on 2016 sales results) 2017 home prices have decreased 5%. (based on 2016 sales results) 2017 $ Per Square Foot prices have increased 1%. (based on 2016 sales results) 2017 homes are taking 8% less time to sell. (based on 2016 sales results) 2016 HOPI SCHOOL DISTRICT SALES RESULTS Homes Sold - 278 homes Average Sale Price - $1,210,000 Average Sold $ Per SF - $328 Average Days On Market - 128 days 2015 HOPI SCHOOL DISTRICT YEAR END SALES RESULTS Homes Sold - 291 homes Average Sale Price - $990,000 Average Sold $ Per SF - $300 Average Days On Market - 108 days If you are buying or selling a home in Arcadia, call Tommy! visit Tommy Atkinson .com Free MLS Access • Complete list of ALL Hopi properties for sale Complete List of ALL Tavan properties for sale West USA Realty Cell: 602-625-6020 4219 N 62nd Street • $ 1,140,000 5 Bedroom/ 3 bathroom • 4,000 square feet Santa Barbara Meets Arcadia 4811 E Camelhead • $ 1,650,000 3 Bedroom/ 2.5 bathroom • 4,748 square feet Camelback Mountain Views 6009 E Osborn • $ 859,000 4 Bedroom/ 5 bathroom • 4,200 square feet Arizona Country Club 3114 N Marigold • $ 799,000 4 bedroom/ 3.5 Bath • 3,050 square feet Arizona Country Club 4350 E Vermont • $ 899,000 4 Bedroom/ 5 bathroom • 3,935 square feet • 4 cg Where Arcadia Meets PV 6114 E Calle Del Norte • $ 2,000,000 5 Bedroom/ 5 bathroom • 22,629 sq ft cul-de-sac lot Quentessential Arcadia Ranch I have several buyers looking for houses in Arcadia. If you don’t want to list your house but would consider selling, please call me.