By Shannon Willoby

The month of August symbolizes many things to many different people, from scorching temperatures to thundering monsoons. To parents and children alike, however, it means the return of the school season and, of course, back-to-school shopping!

From backpacks and books to crayons and calculators, back-to-school shopping is a great way to get your child excited about the first day of school; but it can also put a big strain on you financially. Consequently, the rising prices at the pump mean that many people are wondering how they’re going to afford all those school supplies and new clothes this year. If you’re feeling the economic squeeze this school season, read on for ideas that will save you money and satisfy your child—no matter what age they are!

1. First of all, it’s very important to set a budget and firmly stick to it. Once you’ve decided on a reasonable limit, withdraw the exact amount of cash needed and leave your credit cards at home. You won’t be tempted to overspend, and it will force you to stick to your initial budget without giving in to any unnecessary whims along the way.

2. Make a comprehensive shopping list. If you have a list, you’ll be much less likely to allow your child to add on any needless items that will increase your bill. Sit down with your child before you hit the stores and discuss his or her needs. Eliminate any avoidable items, and don’t believe little Timmy if he tells you his new teacher requires each student to have an iPhone!

3. If you have an older child who no longer finds it “cool” to go shopping with a parent, providing a prepaid gift card is always going to be a much smarter choice than allowing free rein with your credit card. Prepaid gift cards allow you to set a decisive limit on spending, and it will teach the value of a dollar, too!

4. Name-brand clothes are usually on the front of most kids’ back-to-school shopping lists, but designer jeans may not be in your price range. If this is the case, forgo the mall and try hitting up the Outlets at Anthem or a store like Buffalo Exchange, where you can get the same designer duds your child craves for much less. You might also want to consider selling any of last year’s clothing that your child no longer wears to consignment or used clothing stores. You can use any money earned to purchase new items for your child.

5. If your student is college-bound, consider purchasing books online instead of at the college bookstore. On-campus bookstore prices are notoriously high, and it’s worth the effort to check Web sites like half.com, which has a textbook “superstore” with new and used book bargains, and amazon.com, where you can find great deals on new and used textbooks.

6. Don’t automatically throw away last year’s school supplies. Instead, take the time to go through all your child’s supplies from last year and see if there is anything reusable. You might be surprised to find that many of the items are still good, and you’ll be able to put the money you saved toward things that are more important—like piano lessons or a math tutor.

7. If your little one needs items such as notebooks, binders, crayons, pens, paper and pencils, try visiting your local dollar store or a discount store like Target before going anywhere else. These stores often carry the items you need at heavily discounted prices.

8. Consider packing your child’s lunch instead of sending him or her off to school with a twenty-dollar bill burning a hole in the pocket. With vending machines filled with sugary sodas and chocolate candy bars calling their names, many children will end up spending your hard-earned cash on anything but a healthy lunch. Stocking your child’s lunch with a turkey or veggie sandwich on whole-wheat bread, carrot sticks with low-cal ranch dip, apples, dried fruit and nuts will give them the energy they need to get through their school day without the inevitable crash that comes with consuming too much sugar; plus it will be much easier on your pocketbook!

9. Carpooling can help save gas money and the environment, but it also means that you can practice back-to-school shopping in bulk. Grab a few friends and turn shopping for students into a group outing where you purchase supplies from warehouse stores like Costco or Sam’s Club. You’ll find great deals at these stores, and you’ll be able to get all of your shopping done in one place, from shoes to Scotch tape!

10. Big-ticket items like computers, high-tech calculators, PDAs and uniforms are the ones most likely to break the bank, so take the time to do a little comparison shopping. You can find amazing deals online if you search around, and you might be able to save even more money if you catch a company when they’re advertising a great sale. Ebay.com and amazon.com are great places to check for the items you’re most worried about buying; and don’t forget to browse the newspaper for advertised specials.

With the ever-increasing price of gas, everyone could use a little help these days. Whether it’s gift cards, carpooling, or trips to Costco or the Anthem Outlets, this list should get you through that back-to-school crunch with money to spare. All it takes is a little time and effort on your part, and the new school season will begin with a happy child and a bank account with something in it. And if your funds allow, treat yourself to some de-stressing spa time or a few rounds of golf as soon as the kids are off and running!

By Colette Georgii

Any community with a profusion of arts activity is a community alive with culture. If you’re looking to join an artistic environment and cultivate your talent, check out the following list of some of the top arts schools in the Southwest.

FILM

UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television
This is the only school in the country where theater, film, television, and digital media are offered in one place. The faculty consists of industry leaders, and the programs are ranked first among 500 similar programs nationally. The school also provides excellent resources, housing the largest film and television archive in the world. Competition for admission is “intense” and the average student is “extraordinary.” Students are selected solely on talent and intellect, not financial status.
tft.ucla.edu

Also check out:
The Sundance Institute in Utah. sundance.org
New York Film Academy in Hollywood, Calif. nyfa.com

PHOTOGRAPHY

Brooks Institute of Photography
With three locations in beautiful Santa Barbara and Ventura, Calif., this school offers diplomas as well as associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees in professional photography, visual journalism, film and video production, and graphic design. The emphasis is on professional photography and motion picture education, and their philosophy of learning by doing is appropriate for novices and those looking to advance an established career.
brooks.edu

ARCHITECTURE

Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture
The Arizona campus, Taliesin West, is set on 600 acres of preserved Sonoran desert located in Scottsdale. The school offers two fully accredited degrees: Bachelor of Architectural Studies and Master of Architecture. Using project-based learning and fostering close relationships between students, faculty, and staff through an individualized education experience, this school of architecture provides students with a rigorous but stimulating and creative environment. Admission is on a rolling basis, though students are encouraged to apply for fall admission.
taliesin.edu

CULINARY ARTS

Scottsdale Culinary Institute
This prestigious school, also located in Scottsdale, offers world-renowned Le Cordon Bleu programs in culinary arts, hospitality and restaurant management, patisserie and baking, and culinary management at associate and bachelor levels, as well as certificate programs. SCI emphasizes hands-on training, and classic techniques and modern application to prepare students to meet the needs of the current industry. With students of all backgrounds, education, and ages, the institute provides a unique and diverse learning environment.
chefs.edu

Also check out:
The International Culinary Schools at the Art Institute in locations such as Phoenix and Tucson, Los Angeles and San Diego, and Las Vegas. artinstitutes.edu

DESIGN

Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising
This coeducational specialized private college is committed to prepare students to excel in the fashion, graphics, interior design, and entertainment industries. The school offers Associate of Arts, Associate of Arts Professional Designation, and Associate of Arts Advanced Study degree programs, with sixteen majors, including merchandise marketing, interior design, fashion design, textile design, jewelry design, footwear design, theater costume design, film and television costume design, and apparel manufacturing management. It has locations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Orange County in California and has rolling admissions.
fidm.edu

Also check out:
California Design College in Los Angeles. artinstitutes.edu/cdc
American Institute of Interior Design in Scottsdale. americandesignschool.com
Collins College in Tempe. collinscollege.edu
Art Center College of Design in Albuquerque and Tucson. artcenter.edu
Art Institute of Phoenix in Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Salt Lake City. artinstitutes.edu/phoenix

MUSIC

Musicians Institute
L.A. leads the way in music studies on the West Coast. With certificated programs and associate’s and bachelor’s degrees available in commercial music, film, guitar craft, instrument/performance, music business, occupational degree, recording artistry, and recording engineering, the Musicians Institute presents a new string of musicians each year. Located in Hollywood, the institute prides itself on world-class facilities, small hands-on classes, and a complete musical environment.
mi.edu

For other arts programs in the Southwest, check out artschools.com.

By Dan Weaver

If you think those massive lions guarding the New York City Public Library should be replaced by statues of housecats because of the diminishing role of the library in an Internet-based society, think again. The library’s role is what it has always been—a place where people go to get information in a variety of formats; but that now includes books, movies, CDs, newspapers, magazines, and computer files. More importantly, it is a place where people go to learn where and how to find information, and how to use and evaluate the worth of the information they have found.

When a Google search returns several googol-bytes of information to a college student, it is difficult for the undiscerning student to evaluate them. He or she might feel that information on the Holocaust from the jazzed-up and carefully disguised Web site that advocates prejudice is better than that written in broken English on a Holocaust survivor’s blog.

Librarians are the key to guiding students to where they can find the best information, no matter what the source. They can also teach students how to evaluate the information they have retrieved. That is why, when I was an adjunct English teacher at my local community college, our first field trip was to the college library. A librarian gave a lecture on how to find and evaluate information in the library and on the Internet. The students then worked on their term papers while the librarian worked one-on-one with each student.

Most libraries have successfully integrated the Internet into the mix of media sources that they already have, and its addition has only enhanced libraries. For example, many college libraries make JSTOR, a Web site where scholarly articles are archived, available for free. The typical Internet user cannot access this valuable resource without a college library card. JSTOR exists because libraries pay fees to use its services. Similar services like ARTstor and Aluka are also offered only through libraries.

Finally, what makes libraries indispensable in this modern era is not only the new technologies they have embraced, like the Internet, but also the old technologies they have not discarded. These include the antiquarian books, maps, and ephemera that they protect against destruction and decay, and make available for scholarly research. Libraries also digitize stereoviews and microfilm before they decompose, and share them with the world. The most important technology of all, of course, is the thousands of books available for public browsing.

What computer users call browsing is not the same as what booklovers call browsing. While Google Book Search has made it possible to look inside a book, the Internet has yet to make it possible to run your fingers along a row of books until you find a title that excites you, a title that sometimes changes your life. It is this act—the act of the flesh touching the word and the word becoming flesh, and not just the successful integration of the Internet into the library—that guarantees that libraries will be around for a long time.

By Cassaundra Brooks

“Hmmm…I’d like to go to cooking school.” This was the persistent thought that eventually led California resident Rebecca Chazan to pack up and move to Arizona just over a year ago, with supportive husband Manny and six children in tow. In October of last year, Chazan took on yet another full-time job: culinary student at the Scottsdale Culinary Institute (SCI). Working and raising her children during the day and attending culinary school at night, Chazan relied on her family for assistance and support.

“I cried all the way to school the first day,” Chazan says of her first of many 58-mile drives to SCI. She felt pangs of guilt at being away from home for such long hours, and worried whether at nearly 40, she was capable of starting something new. Considering that Chazan received the highest grade in all her classes but one, and that she was accepted onto a full staff at Binkley’s in Cave Creek for her externship, it is safe to say that she not only started it, but accomplished her goal and excels in it as well.

After the school’s career services gave a high recommendation of Chazan to Chef Kevin Binkley, also an SCI graduate, he granted Chazan a one-day trial at his French restaurant. She survived her thirteen-hour-long Saturday night, and when he offered her a three-month externship, she happily accepted. “I’m so thrilled to have this opportunity because every single person in his kitchen is extremely talented,” says Chazan.

Chazan has always enjoyed cooking and baking, especially for others. She has created cakes for friends’ weddings and fund-raisers after some cake decorating classes, so it was no stretch for her to branch out toward the culinary route in school. Though she still enjoys making pastries and baking other goodies, and incorporates them into her other jobs, she prefers the excitement of being a culinary chef. December marks the completion of her school training, and while Binkley’s may opt to keep Chazan on as a chef, graduation will at the very least provide an associate’s degree in culinary arts as well as a Cordon Bleu certificate.

Although SCI is affiliated with the famous French cooking school, students are not required to extern or take positions at French restaurants. The institute merely ensures that classic French techniques are taught. Chazan, who likes almost all food, admits to being partial to “French, buttery, rich foods—anything with truffles in it!” But don’t wait for her to open a French restaurant—she says that opening any restaurant is a big financial risk, and that option is out for her.

However, working in a small, personable bistro or restaurant where she can interact with the customers is definitely in. And she’s getting in some practice—her externship at Binkley’s requires her to work not only the kitchen, but also the front of the house. Then, of course, there’s always the lure of Food Network stardom.

“The nation became a group of foodies, thanks to the Food Network,” says Chazan, who is an avid fan of the network. Watching Emeril has become a bedtime ritual for her and her children, and the show extends to her own kitchen. Chazan’s work is also her favorite pastime. At home, she can cook with and for her family. If Mom makes mac ’n’ cheese, everyone expects multilayered, multicheese macaroni. Frozen dinners and boxed meals are not staples in this house.

Chazan’s children are also catching the cooking fever. Two of her little girls have recently declared chef as their future profession, and her oldest son loves to bake and make pastries.

“My kids have unbelievable tastes,” Chazan says. “My 5-year-old is a rib connoisseur.”

Rebecca Chazan’s success shows that although male chefs outnumber the females, women can match men in being incredible professional chefs. It also presents a prime example of someone who pursues and captures a dream while balancing a full life and a family. As Chazan herself says, “If you want something bad enough, you’ll do whatever it takes. I like the ‘do whatever it takes’ attitude!”

For information on the Scottsdale Culinary Institute, visit chefs.edu.

By John Riddle

Homework can be a source of stress and anxiety for both children and parents. Between hectic schedules and parental obligations, homework may at times seem like an unwelcome chore. But with the right attitude and a little organization, the homework battle can be won.

The National Education Association (NEA) suggests that parents become involved in their children’s education, and that includes homework. When parents extend this involvement to the home, children do better in school. Teachers assign homework to help students understand and review the work that has been covered in the classroom. If parents are the first to see the homework after it has been completed, they will also have a handle on how their child is doing in school.

How Parents Can Help

•    Make sure you ask your child about his or her homework assignment each day. Of course, this will be easier for children in elementary grades. Research has indicated that younger students are eager to show off their homework assignments to their parents.
•    Ask your child what happened during school. Pay attention to the responses, and ask follow-up questions. As children learn that their parents are interested in their schoolwork, they tend to work and study harder.
•    Make sure you do not make any negative comments about homework. Avoid such phrases as “this homework is a waste of time.” A positive attitude can make the homework experience pleasant for everyone.
•    Be sure to have a comfortable, quiet study area where your child can do homework. Have adequate supplies and materials on hand as well.
•    Children should not be allowed to do homework in front of the television set. Soft background music can help set the right mood. Be judicious in your choice of CDs; classical or cool jazz will be more conducive to study than will hip-hop or rock.
•    Praise your child when the homework assignment is completed.
•    If you find yourself overwhelmed by the subject matter, see if your school provides “homework help” in the classroom or on the school Web site.

How Students Can Help

•    Make sure you understand your homework assignment before you leave school. If there is something that is confusing to you, ask your teacher to explain it more clearly.
•    Don’t forget to bring home the right books for the right homework. There is nothing more disappointing than finding out that you left your math book in your locker when you have math homework that evening.
•    Allow enough time to get your homework finished. Do not do it right before bedtime, or right before your favorite television show is about to come on. You never know when you will need some extra time for your assignment.
•    If you discover that your homework is too easy and you are bored, ask your teacher for more challenging work. Believe it or not, that will make it more fun!

Together, parents and students can make homework a more enjoyable experience in the home.

By Cassaundra Brooks

Many parents frequently urge their children to attend college, stressing the importance of education and perhaps pointing out key benefits, such as better jobs and higher wages. However, many high school students have restrictive visions of academic life. They expect college to be all work or all play: a chance to build a better life, or a chance to put off responsibility for a few years. With these mindsets, they fail to realize the momentous potential of the opportunity that lies before them.

Balance is key. “Experimenting” has gained such a negative connotation that parents threaten, caution, or beg their college-bound teenagers to play it safe. But experimentation can be a wonderful thing.

Experiment with classes! High schools demand the basic subjects, but colleges throw the door wide open to areas that students never before have had a chance to explore. Occasionally, college freshmen have considered their majors, but even so, minds can change. Say, for example, you enter college as a biology major. Perhaps your interest in the subject deepens with each class you take. But there is also a good possibility that one of two things will happen: you discover you don’t like biology after all, or you find your interests slipping away toward an entirely new area that you may have never before considered or even heard of. Five of my friends who focused on psychology had each begun college with a different major. Another graduated with a degree in speech pathology, something she knew little about before our sophomore year. Degree programs should contain room for sampling new classes. Just make certain you stay on track with your core classes so as not to fall behind.

Experiment with extracurriculars! Follow your love of reading to the Literary Club, or your affinity for airplanes to the Aviation Club. Do you like sports, but aren’t a star athlete? Try intramurals, or club sports. Maybe you don’t know much about sailing or Latin dances, but what better way to learn about such activities than testing out a no-pressure organization or club that accepts all levels of experience? Whatever your points of humanitarian or environmental concern, you can usually find an organization in which to volunteer. Interested in politics? Run for student government. It is important to tailor your college experience to yourself as an individual. Music, theater, art; history, science, math, English; religion, politics, sports, medicine; there is something for everyone.

Experiment with programs! Studying abroad may just be one of the most underappreciated college experiences. For people who have never before traveled outside the country, traveling abroad might sound a little scary or overwhelming. However, nothing can take its place. Thankfully, many universities offer a variety of programs, and some students do just as well planning a trip on their own. Typically, you can choose from a long list of destinations and time spans. Go for a semester. Go for a summer. Go for spring break. Just go. You not only see, taste, and hear magnificent new things, but you also meet fascinating people, open your eyes and mind to other cultures, and create within yourself a stronger sense of independence and personal strength. And start early in your college career, because the longer you wait, the harder it is to make it work with your schedule—and you just may want to take more than one trip!

Internships are another fabulous way to gain life experience. Whether you decide to continue on with school after your first degree or choose instead to join the work force immediately, you eventually will need to secure a steady full-time job. Of course, you will want to use the education you just spent years (and a fortune) acquiring, but the degree you earned often constitutes only part of your appeal to potential employers. Depending on your desired field and position, you will also need experience. Internships provide a means of gaining that experience with little inconvenience to you. Internships can be a foot in the door, and can help you eliminate or highlight jobs of interest. If you are so fortunate as to obtain a paid internship, wonderful! But if not, though you may have loans out or bills to pay, taking an unpaid internship while still in school is far more practical than trying to once you’re out.

And if traditional academic education does not appeal to you? Your parents may dream about you becoming a doctor or a teacher, but you long to work as a mechanic, a massage therapist, or a chef. In fact, aren’t you the one your parents and friends call on to help fix the car, or rewire the stereo when they blow out the speakers? Trade schools offer education, training, and experience in multiple areas. In addition, students are prepared to step out into the job market with confidence and a set of skills that make them valuable to potential employers—as well as to themselves, with a rather nice salary. There’s always a demand for tradespeople. Who’s going to call an economics major to solve their plumbing problems? And as long as there’s electricity, people are going to need electricians.

Everyone is different. We all have our own interests and personalities, strengths and weaknesses. Use your education not only to secure your financial future, but also to learn about and strengthen yourself, to build your confidence, and to help you capitalize on your interests and talents. Use it to learn about other people. The rewards are great, and you will have shaped yourself into a person who is positioned to benefit the lives of others and make your mark on the world.

By Mary Ann Biermeier

Math and Science Academy in North Scottsdale

A promising trend is emerging around the country, and is evident in our part of Arizona. Educators and communities are redefining the American high school and creating dynamic learning environments designed to prepare students for success in today’s world. Both research and a bumper crop of newly launched small high school initiatives are evidence of this success in the making.

Certainly, the troubles with large, industrial-scale high schools have been the complaint of education critics for years. Richard Riley, the previous U.S. Secretary of Education, has taken a few good shots of his own. In his 1999 speech delivered to the National Press Club, Sec. Riley issued a call to get the word out on what many educators have believed for years: traditional high schools are too large and impersonal to nurture teenagers through the often-tough period of adolescence.

“Now is the right time to challenge ourselves to do some creative thinking about the future of the American high school,” Riley said. “The majority of our nation’s high schools seem to be caught in a time warp from long ago.”

Today’s high schools were conceived at the beginning of the twentieth century to prepare students to work in an industrial economy that looked very different from the economy we have today. In the early 1900s, large comprehensive high schools were designed to efficiently educate all the students within a community, providing different programs, or tracks, based on the students’ perceived academic prowess and interests.

“Top-performing students, although usually prepared for college, often complain that their education lacks relevance and, in many cases, rigor,” says Tom Vander Ark, executive director of education for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “Low-performing students are often pushed through a watered-down curriculum with virtually no individualized support to develop the skills—such as reading, writing, and problem solving—needed to succeed in life. Average students frequently fall through the cracks, virtually ignored by a system that accepts mediocrity. The bottom line is that we are losing nearly one-third of all our students before graduation day—and nearly half of all African-American and Hispanic youth. It’s a clear signal that the system is broken.”

Perhaps no organization has been more outspoken or proactive in changing the American education system than the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The belief is held within the organization that our schools need to be based upon a new set of 3 Rs: Rigor, Relevance and Relationships.

Rigor: All students need the chance to succeed at challenging classes such as algebra, writing, and chemistry.
Relevance: Courses and projects must spark student interest and relate clearly to their lives in today’s rapidly changing world.
Relationships: All students need adult mentors who know them, look out for them, and push them to achieve.

These new 3 Rs are the building blocks for a redesigned system of high schools, one that will truly prepare graduates for college, work, and global citizenship.

This year, the Scottsdale Unified School District launched a high school/college preparatory located within the Copper Ridge campus. The Copper Ridge Math & Science Academy is a new approach to high school, drawing students with demonstrated interest and talent into the math and science disciplines. It is the first public school of its kind in the state of Arizona. With its small campus, three core teachers, and class sizes of twelve or fewer students, this high school provides a level of personalization through which all students can receive personal attention and support to achieve at high levels.

It is a school that is rethinking the relationships among the adults in the school community. Teachers who once felt isolated in their classrooms are now invited to participate in leadership roles. It is a collaborative teaching environment with the inclusion of families and the larger community in the life of the school.

The Academy has open enrollment, attracting students from the surrounding Phoenix metropolitan area. Students are provided with a strong college preparatory program, relevant field trips, and professional presentations by leaders in industry, sciences, engineering, and technology: in short, rigor, relevance, and relationships.

The Academy also has an impressive and talented advisory board that includes Scottsdale Mayor Mary Manross; Dr. Edward Motikcka, Scottsdale Healthcare research director; Jan Belt, executive director of Oxford Learning; Dr. Susan Bradley, dean of education for Wayland University; Richard Harrer, attorney for Dial Corporation; Liz Harvey, senior vice president and general manager of Dial Corporation; Ted Tyler, Lucent Technologies; and Dr. Candice Nulsen, Translational Genomics Research Institute Program Manager.

There is no denying the level of commitment required to transform our high schools. For the transformation to occur and remain sustainable, huge investments of resources, time, and expertise are needed.

The time for change is now. The challenge is great. Believe in the possibilities.

To learn more about Scottsdale Unified School District’s unique Copper Ridge Math & Science Academy, visit us online at susd.org/crmsa or call Dr. Mike Wolf at (480) 484-1559.

By Steve Isham

Parents have more choices than they’re aware of about the education of their children from three years old through their twenty-second birthday. The clock is ticking away the opportunity for your children to receive an education that is appropriate for them during those nineteen years.

The debate over private school vs. public school vs. home schooling vs. parochial school is a starting point for your many decisions for your family. Never forget that you know your children better than anyone else does. You know how they act, feel, dream, need, and want, and what is in their best interests. It is as important to choose the setting and the people who will be working with your children every year as it is to decide which doctor will take care of their health.

Your children’s education is a significant and timely priority. Schedule a time to visit your choice of school settings, especially when class is in session. Observe the interactions of staff and students. Check the security of the school and how safe your children are while there. The ease of how you can walk right into and through a number of school campuses would amaze you. I have on several occasions gone into my grandchildren’s schools and picked them up without the slightest delay or interference from anyone. Once, the school “lost” my grandson for five hours during the school day and I had to come to school and call 911 to get them to do as little as address his absence. It scared me, and I have been in education for 31 years.

Do your homework. Talk to the people who truly know what is going on at the school, and not the people trained to tell you what you want to hear. Who are the people who truly know a school’s performance?

The children know the most. They will tell you the truth if you know how to ask them and how listen to them. Ask a few of your children’s friends, or the children of some of your neighbors, with their parents’ permission:

“Is Mr. Isham a good teacher?”

“Oh, yes! He is the best teacher at our school. We hardly do any work and he tells us jokes.”

Or: “Is Mr. Isham a good teacher?”

“Heck no! He works us all the time and rarely lets us have free time or goof around.”

“Yes, but is he a good teacher?”

“Yeah. He cares about us and helps us learn.”

Statistics and data will give you information, but look at data and statistics that cannot be played with, colored, or explained away: graduation rates, student performance, and student-teacher ratios, for example. Look up student and staff attendance rates, staff turnover and retention rates of teachers, police incident reports, occurrences of school vandalism, and the complaints filed with the Arizona Department of Education for your school and district. The types of complaints are more important and telling than the number.

Finally, know your rights as parents. If you don’t know them, please, for your child’s sake, ask somebody—and be sure to question every single thing you are told, because your child’s future depends upon it. Education is power and freedom.

By Diana Bocco

At a time when other 16-years-olds are thinking about sports, girls, or school pressure, Chef Claudio Urciuoli was already in the kitchen. In fact, he had been there for two years, first as a student at the IPSA cooking school in Liguria, Italy, and then building a career in a series of hotels and resorts across Italy and Switzerland. By the time he moved to California at the age of 23, Urciuoli was already a seasoned chef.

Urciuoli is now the executive chef at Taggia at the FireSky Resort and Spa in Scottsdale, and he has also become well-known for his support of the Slow Food Movement. This project backs local farmers and instills a belief that the food we eat should taste good and be produced in a clean, healthy way that does not harm the environment or our health.

It was, in fact, his early attachment to the Slow Food Movement that led to Urciuoli’s concern with healthy school lunches. “When my daughter started kindergarten, I realized that the school system didn’t pay enough attention to the food that they provide for their students,” he says. He was so concerned that the school’s kitchens consisted mostly of frozen foods and were not prepared with fresh ingredients, that when his daughter entered kindergarten, he went to the school on several occasions and made pizza for the children.

“In Italy, the school’s dining areas are much different,” Urciuoli says. “The children are served in a proper way—by cooks with established nutritional backgrounds who understand what nutrients and vitamins children need. They are served balanced, healthy meals.”

With that in mind, Urciuoli set out to educate parents about what they can do to make their children eat healthier, starting by integrating them to the process itself. “It could be by growing gardens with vegetables in the schools, implementing food education classes where chefs do cooking demonstrations, etc.,” he says. “It’s really important to have children understand what they are eating and to be educated on the preparation of food and where to find seasonal ingredients.”

By making food part of their cultural richness, Urciuoli hopes that children will understand the importance of making time to eat and enjoy their meals instead of rushing through them.

As for parents, Urciuoli believes they can help by including three basic elements in their child’s lunch: fruits, vegetables, and bread. ”I like to prepare my daughter’s meals the night before,” he says. “I suggest seasonal fruit, some form of vegetables such as carrots, celery, baby tomatoes, beets, etc.—anything that can be eaten without dressing. Sandwiches with prosciutto and fresh mozzarella, tuna with beans, rice salad, lentil salad, Faro salad and pasta salad. I prepare the pasta the night before with a little bit of extra-virgin olive oil. Also, it’s important to have a good bread—I usually give my daughter whole-grain bread.”

Urciuoli also suggests adding some kind of fruit juice mixed with a little bit of water—something that is full of nutrients and vitamins. And then, there is the art and custom of cuisine.

“Above all, we should remember that there is a strong connection between plate and planet and that it’s our responsibility to protect the heritage of food, tradition, and culture,” he says.

By Heather Vaughn Williams

Yes, it is that time of year again. A new school year is here, and the back-to-school checklists have arrived. Books, pencils, clothes, shoes…and physical exam! August means back to the classroom, and just as important as new school supplies is your child’s physical, which will prepare him or her for the upcoming year.

School athletic programs require a sports physical every year. Children entering kindergarten, middle school, or high school may need a health evaluation as well. Even though it may not be required, an annual checkup for all children and teenagers should be performed.

At every complete checkup, your physician should calculate your child’s Body Mass Index (BMI)—the weight-to-height ratio. With the dramatic rise in childhood obesity, nutrition and exercise counseling are essential. Overweight children suffer from not only high cholesterol, heart disease, and diabetes, but they also have higher risks of depression, lower self-esteem, and more incidences of failure.

If your child has asthma or another chronic degenerative disease, a frequent follow-up to review their medications is crucial. Now that they are older, their dosages could have changed or they could have outgrown their condition.

In addition to disease and illness, there are other issues such as sleep troubles, behavior problems, and stress that can be related to going back to school. Imagine that you have been away from your job for three months, and now you have to go back to work full time after twelve weeks of relaxing, playing, and doing whatever you want to do. That can be stressful. It can be even more difficult for young people if they are switching schools within the same district or moving to a new place altogether.

Creating a connection with your child requires an arena of comfort, a place where you can relax and talk. There needs to exist a stable place where your child can speak to you. Research shows that there are certain times of the day—the drive to school, dinnertime, or just before they go to bed—when children tend to open up. Parents who are consistently around at one or more of these times tend to have children who function better.

If your child had difficulty in school last year, don’t wait until they get behind this year. Plan ahead. Speak to your physician about any underlying conditions that may be inhibiting academic performance. Invest in a tutor for math, or after-school set-aside time to help them with their homework.

When a child has an ear infection or cold, it seems that we can always find the time to take them to the doctor. Sometimes, we can get them in on the same day. A complete physical evaluation takes much longer and needs to be booked in advance. Prepare your child for this upcoming year—schedule a back-to-school checkup as soon as possible.