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Going Down Grand Canyon Hard, Coming Back Up Even Harder

I hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon in March and camped there for two nights! I want to tell you about my experience.

First, I want to talk about going down. At the top it was pretty icy, so we put on these ice cleats! We also had to put moleskin pads in our boots so we wouldn’t get blisters. It took forever to get down—about eight hours of walking! Not that short! And did I tell you we had to carry backpacks with all of our camping gear?

Once we got down, we stayed at a campsite for two nights. It’s much warmer at the bottom than at the top. The place we stayed was near a lodge called Phantom Ranch. It’s great there! You can play games, go to the canteen or just hang out. The Grand Canyon is really beautiful. The Colorado River runs along the bottom. It’s fun to splash around in the river during the day. At night, the stars are amazing. It’s like you can touch them. There’s lots of wildlife, too. We had a bunch of deer hanging around our camp.

Once our fun was over, we went back up. AGONIZING! Twelve hours of uphill stairs—really hard! So if any of you do the canyon, be prepared!

Touch a Turtle at Tohono Chul

Would you like to touch a tortoise or stroke a snake? Tohono Chul Park’s Reptile Rambles lets you to do just that. Each Friday at 10 a.m. throughout the summer, docents at Tohono Chul will teach you about Southern Arizona reptiles, including snakes, tortoises, turtles, lizards and gila monsters. You will learn how to tell species of lizards and snakes apart, and to recognize venomous and non-venomous snakes.

The knowledgeable and friendly docents start with a presentation under a ramada where they show a variety of snakes including kingsnakes, hognose snakes, rattlesnakes and more! This is when you might be able to touch and hold several snakes, but not the rattler! Then they lead you on a tour of the Tohono Chul walking paths, pointing out lizards and snakes that you’ll find along the way. The tour finishes at the tortoise exhibit under a shady ramada.

Tohono Chul Park is located in Oro Valley, at 7366 North Paseo Del Norte. The park is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Reptile Rambles runs through June, then will experience a break in July (call for exact dates), and start up again August through October.

U.S. Rep Talks About Life in the Nation’s Capital

Do you know how many congresswomen and congressmen work for the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.? There are 435! One of them, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., came to my school. Meeting her was a great pleasure, and talking to her was a wonderful experience.

Before the interview, we gave her a tour of the school. Then, she and Marana Mayor Ed Honea addressed the fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade classes in the cafeteria. They read a book about the Declaration of Independence.

Giffords also talked about her work in Washington, D.C., and answered students’ questions about what it is like to be a congresswoman. She told us that she has to fly to our nation’s capital almost every week to do her work. She does go to the White House occasionally for meetings with the president.

I found out that Giffords was born and raised in Tucson and that even as a child she liked to do volunteer work. As an adult, she didn’t think that our country was going in the right direction. She wanted to do a better job.

Giffords worked in the Arizona legislature between 2000 and 2005. She was the youngest woman ever elected to the state senate! When U.S. Rep. Jim Kolbe retired, she felt it was “a phenomenal opportunity” to run for Congress.

Giffords told me the hardest thing she has had to do in her job was “voting for the health care bill.” She has previously said that she felt more time needed to be taken to get the job of health reform done right.

Giffords is busy with many issues and committees, including her work chairing the Space and Aeronautics subcommittee. In her home life, she also has a connection to space and aeronautics, since she is married to astronaut Mark Kelly.

I liked hearing that as a child, Giffords liked to read. She would read Nancy Drew books and she mentioned enjoying “The Diary of Anne Frank.” Later in life, she also loved reading the Harry Potter books. She must of have liked to write, too, because she also wrote for Bear Essential News for Kids when she was in school She is a great example of how far a young reporter can go.

Find out more about Giffords at http://giffords.house.gov/.

Wanna Sheik with Laughter?

The Gaslight Theatre has wowed me once again with its new show, “The Son of the Sheik!” This is another great show filled with comedy, love and adventure. When The Wazir wants to claim the kingdom and win the hand of Princess Serena, The Son of the Sheik has to travel through the Sahara Desert to some tombs in search of treasure!

The music was one of the best features of the show. We have Linda Ackerman to thank for that! My favorite number in the whole show was “Sheik your Booty.” It was so catchy and such a crowd pleaser! The choreography added the perfect touch to make the musical numbers out of this world.

Another great asset was the set design. There were collapsing walls, a magic carpet, and moving horses and camels. The Son of the Sheik was played by David Fanning, and he was awesome. Another great part was Sheik Yerboutie, played by Todd Thompson.

If you would like to witness this spectacular show, call the Gaslight at 834-3463. It is playing until June 12. So sheik your booty to the phone and get your tickets today!

Summer Break Is Almost Here!

Summer vacation is coming up and there is a lot to do! First things first. Make sure you pass your grade level. If you flunk, it’s another year of school you have to do. Here are some ideas for summer fun:

• Go to summer school.
• Go to summer camp.
• Go to the pool.
• Have sleepovers.
• Have parties.
• Get a summer job.
• Study (yeah, right).
• Have a water balloon fight.

‘Avatar’ Now Available on DVD

“Avatar” won an Oscar for “Best Picture.” The point of the movie is that aliens are trying to save their home from destruction by a corporation from Earth. The movie, which hit theaters on Dec. 18, was recently released on DVD.

The aliens are big, blue creatures with long tails. The animation is amazing—the creatures walk and talk so realistically. Their hair connects to nature, and they can control things by connecting with them. The movie was amazing because the aliens took on the personalities of the actors who played them.

“Avatar” directors used tons of cameras and took shots of every movement. There is lots of violence, so that is why viewer discretion is advised. It is rated PG-13.

Stuff the Bus Helps TUSD

The Tucson Unified School District was in need of school supplies, so the Educational Enrichment Foundation held an event called “Stuff the Bus.” The drive was held on March 6 in the parking lot of the Sam Levitz furniture store.

A yellow school bus was parked in the lot for people to drop off donations.

The TUSD Clothing Bank was also accepting donations. Chris Molina, who manages the organization, says Stuff the Bus has been helping students since 1957. The clothes that were collected on this day (and throughout the year) are made available for students in need.

Molina believes it helps students to “concentrate on their studies” when they don’t have to worry about having presentable clothes to wear.

Also in attendance were women from a club called Soroptimists. Zoila deRolf, a member, was there to help collect items. The organization, which helps women and girls, generously donated $5,000 to the Educational Enrichment Foundation. After the drive, Molina stated, “EEF was collecting school supplies, but I talked to them and they were very happy with what they got. They got pencils, paper and erasers.”

The TUSD Clothing Bank is located at 5100 E. Andrew. For more information on how you can help, or if you know a student who is in need of clothes, call 584-6742. Due to drastic budget cuts, TUSD is always in need of school supplies. Please call the Educational Enrichment Foundation at 325-8688 to see how you can help.

Going Down Grand Canyon Hard, Coming Back Up Even Harder

I hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon in March and camped there for two nights! I want to tell you about my experience.

First, I want to talk about going down. At the top it was pretty icy, so we put on these ice cleats! We also had to put moleskin pads in our boots so we wouldn’t get blisters. It took forever to get down—about eight hours of walking! Not that short! And did I tell you we had to carry backpacks with all of our camping gear?

Once we got down, we stayed at a campsite for two nights. It’s much warmer at the bottom than at the top. The place we stayed was near a lodge called Phantom Ranch. It’s great there! You can play games, go to the canteen or just hang out. The Grand Canyon is really beautiful. The Colorado River runs along the bottom. It’s fun to splash around in the river during the day. At night, the stars are amazing. It’s like you can touch them. There’s lots of wildlife, too. We had a bunch of deer hanging around our camp.

Once our fun was over, we went back up. AGONIZING! Twelve hours of uphill stairs—really hard! So if any of you do the canyon, be prepared!

Life on the Border!

Growing up on the border is an indescribable experience. Every day, I get to experience things that other kids around the country don’t. The area includes three cultures, two languages and two countries. Living on the border forever changes the lives of the residents.

The American culture is found here in the United States. We get to eat hamburgers, hotdogs and hot pretzels. We speak English, listen to rock ’n roll and celebrate the Fourth of July.

The second is the Mexican culture, the most prominent one here on the border. In Mexican culture, everybody thinks nana’s food is the best; people listen to mariachi music, and people throw grand parties with lots of music and dancing.

Nogales residents also get to experience Native American culture, which doesn’t stand out as much as the other two but is still an important influence. Residents use their casinos, eat their food, listen to their music, enjoy their dances and admire their clothing. Such cultural diversity is beneficial to everybody here.

The two major languages here are English and Spanish. This is so beneficial to kids like me. We get more scholarships, jobs and college acceptances because we are bilingual. We can travel to more places without experiencing large language barriers. Living in Nogales helps you develop a large vocabulary in both languages.

Unfortunately, the large increase in crime cannot be overlooked. Marijuana and other illegal drugs are a big problem on the border. And kids are being hurt by them, too. The Mexican mafia is also kidnapping or killing so many people, it’s frightening. These crimes leave people of Ambos Nogales (both sides of Nogales) in fear, limiting border travel, which affects the local economies. Hopefully sometime soon, border peace will be restored.

Despite its serious problems, Nogales is still a wonderful place to grow up. Other kids in other areas don’t get to experience the things that we do. We are a Dairy Queen twist cone—two totally different flavors swirled into one!

Living on the border is an indescribable feeling. The area bordered by Nogales, Ariz., to the north and Nogales, Sonora, to the south is a place of contradictions, though it can be a fun and unique experience. Here are two cities with two complete different stories, with a fence in between. While one city is in danger, the other enjoys a great deal of happiness.

Sometimes I feel as if we, who live on the border, get the best of both worlds. We get two languages, double the culture, and dual celebrations. One day we could be enjoying great Mexican tacos and then eating American hotdogs and hamburgers the next.

Being bilingual gives better opportunities for everyone on the border. And life on the border is as thrilling as a roller coaster ride.

Beside all the good things also comes the bad. Nogales, Sonora, can be very dangerous and scary.

Too many killings and drug dealings have been occurring lately. Everyone, including those in Nogales, Ariz., must be very cautious. Violence affects both sides of the border and the back-and-forth travel. And nowhere is safe on the late night streets of Nogales, Sonora.

Still, Nogales, Ariz. and Nogales, Sonora are great cities. Many celebrations and festivals combine into one to make a stunning festival with dual cultures.

Two completely different stories with a fence in between. This describes Ambos Nogales, yet it still shares the best of both worlds!

U.S. Rep Talks About Life in the Nation’s Capital

There are 435 members in the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. One of them, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., came to my school.

After touring the school, she and Marana Mayor Ed Honea addressed the fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade classes in the cafeteria. They read a book about the Declaration of Independence. Giffords also talked about her work in Washington, D.C., and fielded students’ questions. She flies to D.C. almost every week. Occasionally, she gets to meet with the president at the White House!

Giffords was born and raised in Tucson and loved to read and do volunteer work. As an adult, she didn’t think the country was going in the right direction—she wanted to do a better job.

She told me the hardest thing she has done as a congresswoman was “voting for the health care bill.” She didn’t support the Senate version of the bill—she supported the House bill. She has previously said that she felt more time was needed to get the job of health reform done right.