44 APRIL 2019 By Mallory Gleich This year, Arcadia’s neighborhood schools pulled out all the stops for their spring school performances. We’ve highlighted a few, in case you missed them: PHOENIX COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL THE WIZARD OF OZ Students at PCDS put on their rendition of “ The Wizard of Oz ,” with students from each division becoming the well-known Scarecrow, Tinman, Lion and Dorothy characters we all know and love. The PCDS rendition also included the classics: “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” “We’re off to see the Wizard,” and of course, “Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead.” VERITAS PREP THE SOUND OF MUSIC The movie version of “ The Sound of Music ” is just under three hours long, but Veritas didn’t need that much time to impress. The production included students from 12th grade all the way to Gretl’s character, played by kindergartners Nicole Huisman and Vera Mercuri. Even more impressive is that some of the technical work like the costume assistants and stage hands were Veritas students. “Speaking as a parent, it was an extraordinary experience to see children from as young as six work so hard and love every second of it. As an audience member, I was blown away by these kids’ Broadway quality performances,” said Producer Ginny Cardenas. Guests were treated to familiar songs like “My Favorite Things” and “So long, Farewell,” and a few laughs from the nuns and the von Trapp children. “I’m amazed at the vocal strength and acting chops of the kids in this year’s ‘Sound of Music.’ Our school is known for its rigorous academics…but these kids are both smart and talented,” said Veritas’ PSO President Mari Jo Clark. HOPI ELEMENTARY HOPI VARIETY SHOW The theme of this year’s performance was “ The Greatest Show ,” and it was truly great. Each act was related back to a circus theme. There were more than 35 acts, including a bearded lady, a strong man, ringmasters, dancing elephants, clowns and twins on a tightrope as well as a teachers-only performance of “High Hopes,” choreographed by Hopi parent/ librarian Jenny Kelly. “The kids worked on their routines for months rehearsing for the show. It was a wonderful opportunity for the kids of Hopi to participate and make forever memories in front of a sold-out crowd,” said Hopi PTA President Kyle Christensen. “The Variety Show is not a competition, it is just a fun celebration of the kids’ talent. We do the teachers-only performance to make the kids happy, and most of them were singing and dancing along with us. It was perfect,” said third grade teacher Whitney Keeler. COMING SOON TO ARCADIA HIGH DONE TO DEATH Arcadia High’s production of “ Done to Death” is coming up on April 11 – 13. The show follows several different mystery writers as they come together to try and write the perfect mystery – but hilarity ensues as their different writing styles start to clash. The students rehearsed for four months and the tech crew is comprised of Arcadia students. “People should definitely come see it. It’s so funny, they’ll die of laughter – pun intended,” said Arcadia theater crew member Grace Woehler. Admission is $5. For more: arcadia.susd.org. First stop Arcadia, next stop Broadway Phoenix Country Day School’s spring musical The Wizard of Oz . PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS HALL PHOTO COURTESY OF NICKI ESS The Harlequins were among 35 acts at the 2019 Hopi Variety Show.

45 APRIL 2019 By Anthony Wallace Dr. John Kriekard retired for the first time in 2009 after six years as the superintendent of Paradise Valley School District and a much longer career in roles as an educator and administrator. The next nine years would see him come out of retirement three times to serve the education system in various ways. “I’m not very good at retirement,” Kriekard said. His most recent comeback, in 2018, came in a time of great controversy for the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD). Former Superintendent Denise Birdwell and other administrators were fired among allegations of corruption and eroding trust in the district. “It became a district where good employees were leaving and families started to leave the schools,” Kriekard said. Kriekard had spent 23 of his 40 years in education serving SUSD and when crises struck, he knew he could help. “Scottsdale School District had been my home professionally. When they were dealing with their issues, I felt that I could lend a hand and right the ship,” Kriekard said. “It wasn’t a difficult decision knowing how I felt about the district and my desire to help it.” Although his most recent return was on an interim basis, he recently agreed to a contract to stay superintendent through July 2020. Prior to his educational career, Kriekard graduated college and joined the Army in the midst of the Vietnam War. During this time, he became inspired to pursue a career as an educator through a growing belief that a lot of what was wrong with the country could be addressed through education. “I went into teaching with the idea that we could make this country a more understanding country, in terms of understanding other points of view and people of other backgrounds,” he said. Despite some negative sentiment locally and nationally, he believes that over the course of his long career, he has seen progress. “I look at things that were happening in this country in the late 1950s and early 60s especially; I think we’ve made great strides,” he said. “Sometimes it’s one step back for every two steps forward, but I do believe that people in America across all cultural and diverse backgrounds are in a better place now than they were then.” Kriekard hopes to return to retirement in time, but not before he revives Scottsdale Unified School District to its former glory. He has two primary goals for his time in office. First and foremost, he wants to reestablish an emphasis on academic achievement. He believes that all students, regardless of socioeconomic status and other factors, have the opportunity to succeed academically and that this must be the priority for the district. Secondly, he wants to rehabilitate the district’s reputation and re-instill trust and confidence among parents, teachers and students. “It is important that the decisions that we are making are seen as being logical, correct, student-centered, responsive to the community and fiscally responsible to the community,” Kriekard said. Kriekard also previously worked as a consultant promoting STEM education in the Valley. This cause remains important to him and it is an emphasis for his administration. “I really believe that’s the future that our students will face as they grow and mature,” Kriekard said. “It will be more about science and technology in the world than it has been and knowing how to deal with those things requires math and engineering.” Kriekard hopes to hand the reins of a more stable school district to a permanent superintendent at the end of next summer. Maybe then he can actually stay in retirement. Kriekard answers call for Scottsdale Unified once again Dr. John Kriekard Christ Lutheran School Preschool - Grade 8 • www.clsphx.org LC-MS Worship Sunday 8 am & 10:45 am – Traditional* Sunday 8 am & 10:30 am – Contemporary* Sunday School/Bible Classes – 9:40 am* Sunday 12:30 pm – Spanish Sunday 5 pm – Sunday Night Worship Wednesday 11 am & 7 pm – Lenten Service: April 3 and 10 Saturday 5 pm – Contemporary 3901 E. 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