July 21 - Aug. 3, 2012
www.SanTanSun.com
Record enrollment as CUSD expands choices
Voters prepare for forum, city primary election Candidates answer questions for SanTan Sun News readers
BY LAURIE FAGEN With a little more than a month
before the Tue., Aug. 28 City of Chandler Primary Election, seven candidates for three open spots are putting up signs, promoting websites and encouraging residents to vote for them. Mayor Jay Tibshraeny, who is finishing
a two-year term, is running unopposed in Chandler’s nonpartisan city council and mayoral races. An amendment to the City Charter that would change
the mayor’s term of office to four years from two years, the same as city councilmembers, will be on the Nov. 6 General Election Chandler ballot, following recent approval by the Chandler City Council. Councilmembers each serve a four-year term and are each limited to two consecutive terms. See “Community” for a more in-depth story. Two of the available seats are currently held by incumbent
SEE Election PAGE 4
THE PARTY’S OVER: While it may still feel like summer, it’s back to school next week for more than 40,000 Chandler Unified School District students and teachers, including Vorthana Lin, a first grade instructor at the new Carlson Elementary, near Lindsay and Chandler Heights roads. Carlson will offer classic or traditional learning tracts, modeled after a similar, successful program at Patterson Elementary. STSN photo
BY MIRIAM VAN SCOTT The first official day of school, July 23, marks a milestone for Chandler Unified School District (CUSD), as steady population growth in the SanTan Sun area yields a bumper crop of pupils in the city’s educational system. “We anticipate our enrollment
growing by 500 students this year,” says CUSD spokesman Terry Locke. “With this growth, we will top the 40,000 student mark for the first time.” This expansion is the result of a demographic shift in Chandler as younger families continue to move into the area. For local schools, this means the number of incoming children at the elementary level is outpacing the number of students graduating. CUSD officials anticipate this trend will continue well into the future, and are incorporating those figures into the planning process. “We are fortunate to have a consistent
growth pattern, with each of our grades kindergarten through sixth having
between 3,084 and 3,225 students,” notes Locke. “We have just under 3,000 students at seventh and eighth grades and just over 3,000 in grades nine to 11. Our smallest class is our senior class with 2,556 students, which reflects the youth of our community.”
Carlson opens Teachers and staff are preparing to
welcome the inaugural students of Carlson Elementary, built near Lindsay and Chandler Heights roads in Southern Chandler. The new CUSD site helps ease overcrowding at nearby schools and offers educational options to those enrolled. “Parents will have a choice between
classic or traditional classroom. This is modeled after the successful program at Patterson Elementary which offers a dual track, recognizing that not one style best serves children, even within a family,” says Locke. “The opening of Carlson will help Ryan, Weinberg and potentially Santan,
SEE Back to school PAGE 32
SIGN OF THE TIMES: Candidate signs are cropping up around Chandler in preparation for the upcoming primary and general elections. STSN photo
Local athlete leaves limitation behind BY K. M. LANG
The first time Tony Volpentest’s mother held him in her arms, she called him beautiful. Then she turned to his father. “If there was any doubt about our
mission in life,” she said, “there is no doubt now.” Volpentest’s life has always been full of
purpose. Born without hands or feet, the Southern Chandler resident has soared above the challenges of his circumstances to become a world-class runner, a four- time Paralympics gold medalist and an inspiration to countless others. This year alone, Volpentest, who lives in
Redwood Estates with his wife, Kami, and their four children, has been nominated to the 2012 Olympic Hall of Fame, served as a Team USA athlete ambassador and published his autobiography, “Fastest Man in the World: The Tony Volpentest Story.” “I have my whole life felt, and I believe
my parents feel, that everything happens for a reason,” says Volpentest. “Usually, at least when we’re receptive to it, we’re able to at some point figure out why things happened the way they did.”
SEE Athlete PAGE 8
FINISHING FIRST: Tony Volpentest, born without hands or feet, sprinted his way to four gold medals and three world records in the ’92 and ’96 Paralympics Games, which were held after the Olympic Games in the same facilities. This year’s Paralympics will take place Aug. 29 through Sept. 9 in London. Submitted photo
F E AT U R E D S TO R I E S Mayor’s term length up to voters . . . . . . COMMUNITY . . . Page 9 Personal, custom interiors offered . . . . . BUSINESS . . . . . Page 17 Online school ‘connects’ gymnasts . . . . . YOUTH . . . . . . .Page 31 Sushi Room reels in quality, comfort . . . NEIGHBORS . . . Page 43 Irish music free concerts downtown . . . . SPIRITUALITY . . Page 58
CLIP IT Coupons – Center Section More
Community . . . . . . . . 4-16 Business . . . . . . . . . . 17-27 Youth. . . . . . . . . . . . .27-36 Opinion. . . . . . . . . . .41-42 Neighbors. . . . . . . . . 43-53 Spirituality . . . . . . . .54-57 Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58-65 Directory . . . . . . . . 66-68 Classifieds. . . . . . . . 69-70 Where to eat . . . . . . 71-76
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