46 MARCH 2022 By Rachael Bouley On Friday, January 8, 2022, over 400 people gathered on the Xavier Prep campus to watch 1999 alumna Kathryn Hackett King be installed as a Justice to the Arizona Supreme Court, a first for Xavier graduates. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey announced her appointment in July 2021, and Justice King is only the fifth woman in state history to serve in the esteemed position. Xavier’s president, Sister Joan Fitzgerald, BVM, gave the invocation for Justice King. Family, friends and her high school community stood by in support. The audience heard remarks from Chief Justice the Honorable Robert M. Brutinel, Ducey, Christine Burns, Esq., U.S. District Court Judge Michael Liburdi, and Anita Hackett, King’s mother. “It was a very proud day for Xavier. Reflecting on her success in high school, she was in a perfect place to draw upon her leadership and intellectual abilities all through those days,” said Fitzgerald. “She has maintained that through her service in the community and the field of law. Kathryn is another success story about a woman who has taken advantage of her education and her gifts to make her mark on the world and help others.” After graduating from Xavier, Justice King attended Duke University, earning a Bachelor of Arts with a major in political science and a minor in history before getting her law degree from the University of Arizona College of Law. She joined numerous boards and committees as she remained dedicated to community service, which was instilled in her throughout her time at Xavier. Justice King was a student-athlete, ambassador and award winner in high school, receiving the school’s highest honor at graduation, the Regina Caeli Award for Service. Justice King served as a law clerk for Arizona Supreme Court Justice Michael Ryan and as deputy general counsel for Governor Ducey. She was also a law partner at BurnsBarton and a regent on the Arizona Board of Regents [the governing body of Arizona’s public university system that provides guidance to ASU, NAU, University of Arizona and their branch campuses]. The Supreme Court’s primary judicial duties are to review appeals and to provide rules of procedure for all the courts in Arizona. It is the highest court in Arizona and is often called the “court of last resort.” Seven justices serve on the Supreme Court for a term of six years. Xavier alumna installed as Arizona Supreme Court Justice Vicki Richardson, Anne Burns, Kathryn Hackett King, Lauren Parson, Catherine Tiffany and Natalie Meszaros at King’s induction ceremony in January. PHOTOS COURTESY OF KATHRYN KING 2022 Direct-mailed to households in 85018, 85016, 85251 and 85253, the Arcadia News targets affluent families with our trusted and award-winning monthly publication. RESERVE YOUR SPACE BY MARCH 13 AT NOON. Contact Roni Mier at roni@arcadianews.com or call 602-840-6379. Display Ad + Listing • 1/4* Page Print Ready Color Ad in the APRIL Issue ($775 value) Need help with ad design? We are happy to design your ad for $45. • FREE Summer Camp Directory Listing in the APRIL Issue ($130 value) Want to reach more happy campers? Our comprehensive summer camp advertising program offers a multi-media approach to reaching 45,000+ potential campers in an affordable way. Camp Directory is also published online at arcadianews.com Camp Directory Listing • Promote your camp with a full-color listing in our APRIL Camp Guide OPTION ONE Display Ad + Listing OPTION TWO Camp Directory Listing TWO ONLY $ 595 ($905 value) ONLY $ 130

47 MARCH 2022 By Jennifer Marshall More than ever, science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education is critical to success in the global marketplace. Girls have always been underrepresented in these subjects and in the spirit of encouraging them to participate, a Phoenix organization called Sisters in STEM was created. “In 2018, the Saguaro High School Robotics team found out that Scottsdale Community College could not host Girl Powered, one of their annual events. In response, members Eli Arnold, Kayli Battel and Laney Olsen took the initiative and created their own event, which they called Sisters in STEM,” President Natalie Foster said. The first event took place in November 2018, and a whopping 130 girls participated. Though the three founders are now enrolled in college, they are still active and help current Saguaro students operate and manage the program. “The objective of Sisters in STEM is to inspire elementary and middle school girls to pursue their interests in science, math, engineering and technology,” Foster said. “Students that are in high school have the chance to volunteer, but we encourage everyone – boys and girls – to get involved,” Foster said. Their most recent event featured 25 unique activities, encompassing physics, math, chemistry, robotics, engineering, astronomy and biology. “We like to take a hands-on approach. We want students to learn about STEM actively,” Foster said. Just as important as the students who participate, the teacher and parent volunteers are essential to keeping the program running effectively. Because of their support, Sisters in STEM has gained over 1,000 members, including students from six different cities and 25 separate schools. “Over the last two years, our program has transformed from one annual event to providing opportunities for students every month,” Foster said. “In April 2021, we launched ‘First Fridays,’ a virtual event where kids could participate in an experiment on the first Friday of every month. With these events, we can reach out to students across the U.S.” The organization recently acquired a trailer to take events on the road to help educate students in underserved communities in Arizona and, hopefully, other states as the program grows. sistersinstem.net With this organization, girl power takes the lead PHOTO COURTESY OF POLLY PICKETT Sisters in STEM attendees at their most recent event. By Sabrina Proffitt Making friendship bracelets is one of the many rites of passage during early school years. Threading big bulky beads and letters onto a stretchy string and passing them out at school is something we all remember doing, right? For two Valley third graders, Madison DiGianfilippo and Delaney Garsha, this fun past-time activity has become a full- fledged business that they call Sunshine Accessories. Because of their passion for being creative and making jewelry, the duo decided it was time to go official with their skills. They drew out a logo on a piece of paper, and Madison asked her mother, Melissa, if she could help them create a website. By the end of holiday break, the website was up-and-running, and the girls gathered up a group of students to help out. The seven jewelry makers are made up of students from around Phoenix and include Tatum DiGianfilippo and Hopi students Cash and Kaiden Krisay. Creators are in first, second and third grade. “Madison and I met in kindergarten,” Delaney said. “And when we were in third grade, we started learning to make bracelets together, and that’s how this started. I like putting a bunch of different colors together and making the bracelets whatever we want them to be.” Their jewelry collection ranges from beaded and stretchy bracelets, anklets, rings, bracelet and ring combos, necklaces and customized pieces. “We take special requests,” Madison said. “You can email us, and we have this thing on our page that talks about how to make your bracelet and what the best color combinations are. We’ve tried them before, and some look good, some don’t.” With a mix of colorful beads, pastel string, letter beads and various pendants, each piece of jewelry is unique and handmade. The jewelry also has a theme and a name to pair with it. A few of their creations are the Bumble Bee Bracelet, The Cat in The Hat Choker, the Sun Ray Ring and the Monkey Party Bracelet. As of now, they’ve already sold over 40 pieces. “I like making all of the different bracelets and putting on all of the accessories and making different kinds,” Delaney said. “We use clay beads, yarn and other beads. We love to use different colors like red, black and white. Our other friends in the business go to school with us, and they love making bracelets, too.” Because of their growing success, the team has decided to pick out a local nonprofit to donate a percentage of their sales so they can give back to their community in the future. sunshineaccessoriesaz.com Go ahead, wear some sunshine Bumblebee bracelet Carmella Lucchesi, Madison DiGianfilippo, Delaney Garsha and Gwen Morgan. Neon Happy bracelet