34 MARCH 2023 By Rachael Bouley The spring sports season is upon us, and high school tennis teams are eager to hit the court in search of individual bests and team success. Here’s a preview of the local tennis talent we’ll see this spring. ARCADIA The Arcadia boys team is looking to build on a 13-2 record from last season, which ended with an elimination in the first round of state. Playing in Division 2 Section 6, the Titans will have an action-packed schedule with 14 matches, including section matchups against St. Mary’s, Tempe, Coronado and McClintock. They have wasted no time preparing for a season that started in late February, with teams hitting the court early to get on top of their training. “It shows. The team does not look rusty and looks like they are mentally and physically ready for the season,” Coach Karen Fleissner said. “We’re actually playing quite a few different teams this year than we normally do, so I’m expecting some good competition and fun matches.” The Lady Titans are also ready to pick up where they left off after an undefeated regular season run and a Division 2 state runner-up title in 2022. Their campaign opened with Peoria, AZ College Prep, and Paradise Valley, with five straight section matches at the end of the regular season against Coronado, Betty H. Fairfax, Metro Tech, McClintock, and Saguaro. BROPHY Brophy Prep hopes to keep up the momentum after their memorable performance last year, winning first place in Division 1. “Our first goal is to defend our state championship and replicate our success in our out-of-state tournaments,” Coach Eric Chalmers said. “More importantly, though, I always hope our team ends the season as better friends and teammates than we did to start.” The Broncos went undefeated 18-0 in last year’s regular season and are focused on sharpening their skills and staying healthy in hopes of dominating the division in 2023. The 19-man roster is ready for tough section competition in Basha, Casteel, Chandler and Perry. “I’m excited about this year’s team,” Chalmers added. “The guys have great energy and know how to balance having fun and being focused.” VERITAS The Falcons are eager to return to the playoffs after the boys ranked third and the girls came in fourth in their region last season. “The goal for the team this season is what it has been every season – to secure a place in state and to make it further than we did the year before. Although winning might be one end result, Coach Peter Townsend and I still hope to build lasting friendships among all of our players,” Coach Lisa Townsend said. She explained that the strength of the student athletes is the ability to adapt. “With the challenge of their school workload and extracurricular activities outside of just tennis, they show up every day with a smile, ready to tackle the drills of the day and prepare for our next opponent,” Townsend said. “We are Veritas Prep athletes and would love to win every match. But to do so, we will not compromise our high standard of great sportsmanship and team comradery.” Playing in Division 3 Section 5, Veritas will face Valley Lutheran, Cicero Prep, BASIS Phoenix, Rancho Solano Prep, Lincoln Prep, and Scottsdale Prep. XAVIER After a 13-1 regular season and a second-place finish at state last year, the Gators are motivated to take the court and win this spring. “Being in the Premier division, we have good competition from Desert Mountain, Hamilton and Chaparral – to name a few,” Coach Joy Rodey said. “Our preseason always brings about excitement and a few nerves and wondering how it all will come together.” While the varsity squad sets its sights on playoffs at the end of April, the coaches focus on providing a positive and fun team sport environment. “Our team’s strengths and challenges are the same, as we have a young team, but that gives us an opportunity to grow together and improve for next year,” Rodey added. High school teams are looking to ace this season I t’s natural for parents to wonder if their child is developing similarly to children of the same age. Educators, pediatricians, and speech-language pathologists may be the first professionals that parents ask about their child’s development. As useful as normative comparisons can be, we want to refrain from thinking of child development as a kind of product with an ending or outcome that is only reached in comparison to others. The same is true for schooling. When we group children in batches by age, it isn’t always the best way to address the four areas they are developing: cognitively, socially, emotionally and physically. It’s useful to think about a metaphor that describes a type of schooling we can’t seem to shake. The school-as-a-factory metaphor is one of efficiency: facts are dispensed in an assembly line fashion to students grouped by age who acquire the skills and knowledge necessary for the workforce. The raw material to be shaped and produced in the metaphor is disconcerting to state: it is children. Despite decades of educational research on how children best learn, this century- old remnant of schooling persists even as children face a wholly different world. Policymakers stick with the factory model because it’s familiar. It’s likely how they, and most of us, went through school. In this way of schooling, children grouped by age receive information from a teacher, while standardized tests provide simple data to relay in soundbites. The message, “This school/child/district/program got an A/B/C/D,” is cut and dried and easy to understand. It’s much more difficult to convey multidimensional, complex learning. The school-as-a-factory model will finally lose steam once we recognize that all four areas of child development are equally important: cognitive, social, emotional and physical development. Recently, policymakers have questioned whether social and emotional learning should be a part of education. However, any educational institution meant to equip our youth with life skills and resources cannot bolster programs if catering to only half of early human development. This type of learning won’t prepare children to be capable in a complex, changing, and still unknown future. A thoughtful prompt for discussions on education is, “What does it mean to be well-educated, and who gets to decide?” It’s an open question to ponder, but we can agree that the best we can do at home and school is to consider the child in their full humanity, in the wholeness of their cognitive, emotional, social and physical selves. Let’s not forget child development Director at The Hills School, 5524 E. Lafayette Blvd. For more: thehillsschool.org. BY NOLA ENGE, PH.D. Nola ’ s Notes WE HAVE MOVED 4600 E Shea Blvd | Suite 100 | Phoenix, AZ 85028 NW corner Tatum and Shea | West of Trader Joes 602.955.8700 • FPSAZ.com IN PRACTICE CELEBRATING EXPERT DOCTORS AND PRACTITIONERS. CONVENIENT SERVICES. EXTENDED HOURS. 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