4 JANUARY 2025 EDITOR’S NOTE Somewhere out in the ether, a friend of mine has a 10-year-old video on her phone of me attempting to do a pull-up. I really gave it the ol’ college try, but I couldn’t even get my feet three inches off the ground. You can hear me in the video, defeated, saying “I just…can’t!” Now, if Scott Jagodzinski had been in that room, he probably would have given me some words of encouragement, or schooled me on my form, or perhaps given me a table to stand on. Scott is the founder of Argent Alpha, a workout group that is “Helping men over 50 become harder to kill.” In 2019, he developed a severe bone-on-bone issue that caused pain and limited mobility. Instead of taking the surgery route, Scott researched and experimented with different workouts to come up with his own. He decided to share those workouts with the world, and now Argent Alpha is gaining national attention. Also – if you’re curious – I still can’t do a pull-up. We have plenty of success stories in our January edition. Terri Sue Rossi won a Women Achievers of Arizona award, and AHS’s Zoe McClure won Scottsdale Public Library’s design-a-card contest. Our Arcadia neighbors are starting 2025 off on the right foot. Keep an eye out for the Home and Design and Camp Guide editions coming your way in a few months. Happy New Year to you, dear readers. We wish you all the best in 2025, and thank you for reading Arcadia News! – Mallory Gleich UPCOMING THEMES: No one has better coverage in the areas of Arcadia, Biltmore and the Camelback Corridor. Promote your business to 45,000 loyal Arcadia News readers. For more: 602-840-6379 or email ads@arcadianews.com .                 1. My name is Lucy and I’m a three-year- old golden doodle. I love taking walks around my neighborhood and running into my fellow dog friends, Henry and Lulu. Broccoli is my favorite vegetable and I do not like garbage trucks. I am spoiled most by my dad! – Dorcas G. 2. This is Shire and Butters . She is named after Lord of the Rings and he is named after the cartoon South Park . They are both rescues from Houston. Shire was adopted from a shelter 10 years ago and Butters was found on the side of the road nine years ago. Both dogs are sweet, goofy, and naughty. – Caroline C. 3. This is Lucy Lou . She is a five- month-old Old English Sheepdog. Lucy is a goofy, playful, sweet puppy adopted from a rescue in Wisconsin in July 2024. She has made a great (and entertaining) addition to the pack after my beloved pit bull, Penny, passed away. She keeps me on my toes and laughing and I look forward to watching her grow. – Erica N. 4. Oliver is a golden retriever and is three years old. Recently he has been learning how to be a therapy dog and is excellent at his job! – Debbie D. 1 2 4 3 ARCADIA 'S PETS Would you like to share your pet? Send a photo and a description (50 words max) of your pet to editor@arcadianews.com . Include your pet’s name and age, along with any fun facts about them you’d like to share. All animals are welcome! • RELACING & REPAIRS • CLEANING & CONDITIONING • GLOVE & MITT BREAK-IN • NEW & USED GLOVES FOR SALE FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED Complete care for your baseball & softball gloves @azglovelab | TheGloveLab.com | chris@theglovelab.com Burgers, Dogs, Burritos! Scrumptious Fish & Chips! Best Chicken Nuggets & Tenders! Fresh Breaded Onion Rings! Best Shrimp & Chips in the Valley! Drive Thru/Take-Out is Our Specialty! 20% off any order over $14.00! Offer expires 1/31/25. Valid with coupon only. Present coupon at time of purchase. May not be combined with any other offer. 1 coupon per person. Valid at all 8 locations. No cash value. Coupon cannot be reproduced. Phone orders taken till 10:00pm Monday thru Saturday. Closed Sundays. 602-840-0630 4121 N. 44th St., Phoenix Cash only. ATM on Patio. VOTED BEST SEAFOOD IN THE EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 VOTED BEST LOCAL BURGER IN THE EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE 2020, 2022 VOTED BEST SEAFOOD IN THE WEST VALLEY VIEW 2021 VOTED BEST TAKEOUT IN THE WEST VALLEY VIEW 2023 VOTED BEST SEAFOOD IN THE GLENDALE STAR 2020, 2023 VOTED BEST SEAFOOD IN LOVING LIFE AFTER 50 2023

5 JANUARY 2025 By Lauren Geiser Books are portals to endless worlds, each page offering a new adventure, perspective, or idea. They have the power to transport readers across time, space, and imagination, sparking curiosity and enriching the minds of all who turn their pages. Arcadia High sophomore Zoe McClure recently captured that magic in her award- winning design for Scottsdale Public Library’s design-a-card competition. Her artwork, which features an Arizona sunset, saguaros, and majestic mountains emerging from the pages of an open book, will soon appear on thousands of library cards throughout Scottsdale. Zoe was selected from 52 entries, including finalists from Desert Mountain and Chaparral High Schools, by over 3,000 community votes. Her design celebrates Arizona’s desert landscape while illustrating the boundless adventures readers can embark on through books. “When you read a book, you’re transported to different worlds,” Zoe said. “I wanted to capture that feeling on the card.” By blending a love of reading with her passion for art, Zoe’s design captures the excitement of turning every page. She learned about the competition from art teacher Cira Riccio, who posted about it in their Google Classroom. Inspired by the challenge, Zoe dedicated her fall break to working on the design. She started the process by creating different thumbnails until she found one that met her vision. Using her favorite medium – colored pencils – she blended and shaded rich colors, adding fine detail and textures to create the sunset on the card. Zoe’s artistic journey began as a child, but she credits her middle school art teacher with helping her discover her full potential. “I’ve been drawing my entire life, but I really flourished in Art 1 last year,” she said. “I love the projects we do, and I plan on continuing to take art classes until graduation to meet the Art Seals requirement.” Zoe said she didn’t expect to become a finalist, so she was overjoyed when she heard the news. Winning this competition is a significant milestone – in addition to the excitement of seeing her design on library cards, she received special recognition from the Scottsdale Public Library in December when she attended a celebratory event to announce her win. “I can’t go a few days without drawing,” Zoe said. “I’m always working on art projects during every break from school.” She enjoys participating in art class assignments and competitions, using her free time to create pieces that brings her joy. New library card design competition won by AHS student Zoe McClure’s winning design was selected out of 52 entries. PHOTO COURTESY OF SUSD THE ORIGINAL ARCADIA SPORTS LEAGUE. REGISTRATION NOW OPEN BASEBALL SOFTBALL TEE-BALL Boys & Girls Ages 4-12 VISIT OUR WEBSITE AND REGISTER www.arcadialittleleague.com Registration closes on Jan 31 SCHOOLS WITHIN OUR BOUNDARY INCLUDE: Archway Veritas, Biltmore Preparatory Academy, Desert View Learning Center, Echo Canyon, Hopi, Ingleside, Phoenix Country Day, Tavan Placement evaluations are mandatory for the upper Baseball and Softball divisions. Practice will begin in February. Season runs from early March until May.