4 JANUARY 2019 I think the tendency to make changes when the calendar flips over is an unavoidable human trait. This seems to increase as we age, when we peel the wrapper off a new calendar and wonder where the last year went. While we don’t have any huge changes planned with your neighborhood newspaper, there’s always room for improvement. This issue is chock full of great articles. My favorite story this month involves our UPS driver, Jeremy Giles, who came up with an idea of relaying a “safety baton” through UPS centers around the world. This creative safety campaign contributed to the prevention of injuries and may have even saved some lives. UPS has more than 450,000 global employees delivering over five billion packages and documents per year, with 130,000 vehicles and 550 airplanes in over 220 countries. Clearly, safety is near the top of their list of concerns. Around the world in 183 days starts on page 34. As always, we encourage you to reach out to us with any story ideas, suggestions or feedback. Many of our best neighborhood stories are made possible by our readers. Reach our editorial team here: editor@arcadianews.com. Our readers and advertisers are the foundation of this paper and we are very grateful for all of you. I wish you all the best with your own “improvements” in 2019. Thank you for reading the Arcadia News ! — Greg A. Bruns, Publisher P.S. – The Arcadia News has an opening in our delivery department. It’s a part-time job that requires four weekdays per month. See the Help Wanted ad on page 58. FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK THIS MONTH’S WINNER: Brighton Demerest-Smith — 3rd grade teacher at Archway Veritas Nominated by: Robbyn Salganick How long have you been teaching? This is my sixth year teaching with Great Hearts Academies. In my first year I taught kindergarten, 1st grade and 6th grade art and 5th grade w r i t i n g a n d spelling. In my second through fifth years, I taught 6th, 7th, 8th, 11th and 12th grade art. This is my first year in a 3rd grade classroom. I had such wonderful teachers growing up, and many of them invested so much time and energy in me, it changed my life. Teaching really is a life-changing profession, for both the student and the teacher, and I wanted to be a part of that. You’re also a professional artist. Do you incorporate art into your teaching? I don’t directly incorporate art into my teaching style, but I do incorporate a love for beautiful things and try to explore the beauty in each subject. Where did you grow up? I grew up in Southern California and moved to Arizona six years ago to teach with Great Hearts Academies. I still travel to California regularly to visit family and friends and I appreciate many things about both places, but my wife and I both enjoy the Arcadia area. Do you use a particular teaching style or technique? My teaching philosophy is to begin with love and care for each of my students. It is important to me to remember that each of my students is someone’s child. Their child is their most prized possession and I am responsible for caring and for teaching them to read, write and love learning. Another part is to teach my students how to be virtuous hu man bei ngs, which is a great responsibility. Often the temptation is to tell the student what they did wrong and focu s on t he negative when they make a mistake. But I try to lead with the positive and ask questions of them that help them realize where their mistake was. I ask them how they would like to correct this mistake and I build them up by expressing how proud I am of them. What is your favorite part about being a teacher? My favorite part of my day is getting to read to my students. I not only love art but I also enjoy acting. My fondest memories were listening to audio books and I try to bring that experience to my classroom by reading our books with many different voices. The students seem to take a greater interest in the books and are more invested in the characters when they can hear them and visualize them. Winning teachers receive Arcadia News gift items, a gift certifi cate for the Phoenician Spa 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. Empower yourself at Velocity stylebar, a place where you can relax, be spoiled and let your hair down. Blowouts/Style • Shampoo Scalp Massage • Braids 4290 E. Indian School Road, Suite 119 Phoenix AZ 85018 velocitystylebar.com Ask about our membership discounts. OPENING SOON!

2018 TAVAN SCHOOL DISTRICT SALES RESULTS (1/01/2018-11/30/2018) Active Homes - 86 Homes Homes Sold - 205 Homes Average Sale Price - $638,000 Average Sold $ Per SF - $270 Average Days On Market - 85 days There is currently 4 months of home inventory. (based on 2017 sales results) 2018 home sales have decreased 1% this year. (based on 2017 sales results) 2018 home prices have increased 4%. (based on 2017 sales results) 2018 $ Per Square Foot prices have increased 5%. (based on 2017 sales results) 2018 Homes are taking 8% more time to sell. (based on 2017 sales results) 2017 TAVAN SCHOOL DISTRICT SALES RESULTS Homes Sold - 241 Homes Average Sale Price - $612,000 Average Sold $ Per SF - $257 Average Days On Market - 78 days Arcadia Real Estate Stats 2018 HOPI SCHOOL DISTRICT SALES RESULTS (1/01/2018-11/30/2018) Active Homes - 140 homes Homes Sold - 291 homes Average Sale Price - $1,277,000 Average Sold $ Per SF - $353 Average Days On Market - 134 days There is currently 6 months of home inventory. (based on 2017 sales results) 2018 home sales have increased 13% this year. (based on 2017 sales results) 2018 home prices have increased 11%. (based on 2017 sales results) 2018 $ Per Square Foot prices have increased 6%. (based on 2017 sales results) 2018 homes are taking 13% more time to sell. (based on 2017 sales results) 2017 HOPI SCHOOL DISTRICT SALES RESULTS Homes Sold - 276 homes Average Sale Price - $1,140,000 Average Sold $ Per SF - $332 Average Days On Market - 116 days visit Tommy Atkinson .com West USA Realty Cell: 602-625-6020 6143 E Exeter • $ 1,995,000 4 Bedroom/ 5 Bath • 5,329 square feet COMING SOON West USA Realty Cell: 602-625-6020 West USA Realty Cell: 602-625-6020 Free MLS Access • Complete list of ALL Hopi properties for sale Complete List of ALL Tavan properties for sale