22 JULY 2024 with engines revving, horns honking, music playing, and participants waving. “It’s fun to see little kids laughing and parents driving their favorite vehicle,” participant Bonnie Tomlin said. “It’s the one time of the year that my 1948 Overland Jeepster gets out of the garage and makes everyone happy.” “Some of the vehicles my kids enjoyed were the boat, trucks, ‘fanbulance’, and especially the ice cream truck,” parent Laura Denley said. “The kids got to see the vehicles at their school versus seeing them on the streets. They enjoy seeing family members involved because it makes them happy to have family at school.” Transportation Day also holds educational significance for young learners, according to Pachman. “At Prince of Peace, our philosophy of education is that all learning is through play,” she said. “Transportation Day encourages these concepts by building vocabulary and strengthening children’s imagination.” Pachman explained that the children develop essential skills such as learning letters, number recognition, cooperation, and planning. Moreover, the event serves as a window into future career paths, inspiring children to see what jobs they could hold. Plus, the children love it. “It’s great seeing the kids’ happy faces and to see how much fun they were having while watching the different vehicles pass by,” parent JD Bushard said. “It was a fun event and we’re already looking forward to next year’s parade.” This year, Prince of Peace saw 17 vehicles stop by for its annual Transportation Day parade. PHOTO COURTESY OF HAYLEY PACHMAN By Tiffany Gonzalez Prince of Peace Preschool played host to a variety of vehicles for its annual Transportation Day Parade. This event is a continued vision from the preschool’s director, Sue Covey, in the early 1990s. Transportation Day serves as a demonstration and celebration for preschoolers to learn about a variety of transportation modes that can be found on our streets, in our water, even above our heads. “Sue invited other preschools and always ended the day with treats from an ice cream truck,” Admin Assistant Hayley Pachman said. This year, 17 different vehicles participated, including a motorcycle, dump truck, boat, the ASU ‘Fanbulance,’ and the students’ favorite, the Positively Polar ice cream truck. “The parade is only about 30 minutes long, and many of our teachers take the opportunity to make a lesson plan for the week educating students about the various types and methods of transportation,” Pachman said. The excitement for this occasion starts building months in advance, with Prince of Peace reaching out to parents and community members to request their participation. As the parade unfolds, students watch from the playground as vehicles make laps around the school grounds, Education and fun rolled into one J M Chapman Agency Inc Jay Chapman, Agent Bus: (480) 945-7122 7055 E Thomas Rd Scottsdale, AZ 85251 jchapman@amfam.com American Family Mutual Insurance Company, S.I. & its Operating Companies, 6000 American Parkway, Madison, WI 53783 ©2015 006441 – Rev. 2/20 – 12923221 CALL (480) 945-7122 FOR A NO-OBLIGATION FREE QUOTE. INSURANCE DESIGNED WITH YOU AND YOUR DREAMS IN MIND. J M Chapman Agency Inc Jay Chapman, Agent Bus: (480) 945-7122 7055 E Thomas Rd Scottsdale, AZ 85251 jchapman@amfam.com mily Mutual Insurance Company, rating Companies, an Parkway, Madison, WI 53783 441 – Rev. 2/20 – 12923221 (480) 945-7122 FOR A BLIGATION FREE QUOTE. RANCE DESIGNED WITH AND YOUR DREAMS IN D. J M Chapman Agency Inc Jay Chapman, Agent Bus: (480) 945-7122 7055 E Thomas Rd Scottsdale, AZ 85251 jchapman@amfam.com American Family Mutual Insurance Company, S.I. & its Operating Companies, 6000 American Parkway, Madison, WI 53783 ©2015 006441 – Rev. 2/20 – 12923221 CALL (480) 945-7122 FOR A NO-OBLIGATION FREE QUOTE. INSURANCE DESIGNED WITH YOU AND YOUR DREAMS IN MIND. INSURANCE DESIGNED WITH YOU AND YOUR DREAMS IN MIND. CALL (480) 990-8855 FOR A NO-OBLIGATION FREE QUOTE. By Jennifer Marshall Arcadia High’s robust and successful Dance Program is led by teacher Tracy Puddy. Over the past 10 years, she has poured her heart into creating a space where students can express themselves and showcase their creativity. She started dancing at age two and said she’s had a passion for it her entire life. After joining high school dance and pom teams, Puddy took the hobby a step further and started taking studio classes and choreographing for musicals. “I decided to major in dance in college and became the director of my college dance company. One of my teachers, Leslie Miller, was trained by Fosse/Chet Walker, and she inspired me to continue in dance in some capacity,” Puddy said. She moved to Washington, D.C., in 2002 and was chosen to dance for Chita Rivera at the Kennedy Center Honors. When her now-husband moved to Phoenix, Puddy tagged along and started her own dance company, MarioCoDance. “We had two successful seasons at The Herberger Theater before I decided to focus more on teaching,” she said. “I started in the district at Coronado in 2013 and moved over to Arcadia in 2014.” When putting together upcoming shows, she finds inspiration from themes, music, movies and books that give her visions or inspire her to create – and then movement comes. P u d d y c at e r s each piece based on dancer’s personalities and strengths, making them inclusive to everyone on stage. She works with the Scottsdale Unified School District and administration to gather funds for costumes and stage props. In addition to running the program, she also takes the dancers on field trips to broaden and deepen their knowledge and experience of dance. In the spring, 40 advanced students traveled to Chicago where they explored various studios and learned the history of where some styles started. They participated in jazz classes at Gus Giordano’s School, ballet at Ballet Chicago, hip hop at Rhythmhood Studio and contemporary at Joel Hall Dancers. The students attended The New York City Ballet at Millennium Park and the Broadway show “Gloria Estefan’s ‘On Your Feet.’” They also did some sightseeing at Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum, and went on the Skydeck at Willis Tower. This year, Arcadia hosted the Scottsdale District Dance Festival, where all five high schools’ dance programs participated in three classes and performed for family and friends at the end of the day. “This was a fantastic time of support and encouragement to students and teachers in attendance,” dance mom Sue Tessmer said. “As the Dance Guild President and a program parent for the past nine years, I can’t say enough about Tracy Puddy and her hard work and dedication to these students.” All interested students are welcome to audition at the beginning of the year. Depending on how they perform various styles, dancers are placed in a particular skill class: Dance 1, Dance 2, Dance 3, Advance Dance and Dance Company, which is Arcadia’s performance ensemble. More than 100 students were involved in the program in 2023-24. All members perform two shows during the year, in the fall and spring. Each level performs at least two pieces. Students can also audition for small group performances, duets and solos. Celebrating an AHS teacher’s decade of dance Brooke Tessmer and Brittany Tirado perform at the Garden of Enchantment show, which debuted in May. PHOTO: TRACY PUDDY Tracy Puddy

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