The ¡Sombra! art installation is something happening summer of 2025 in Phoenix, where big pieces of art get installed into parks. Not only do these art pieces look amazing, but they also give shade for people who want to enjoy parks in the summer. This innovative installation is funded by the Public Art Challenge, a part of Bloomberg Philanthropies, which helps address local issues in cities. Anybody can participate in this project, ranging from international artists to civilians who simply want to help give shade to their city.

At night, I have interesting dreams that I love sharing with my family. At school, I learned something exciting. I can transform these dreams into stories! We had special guests come to my 5th grade class at Immaculate Heart School—Gail Dent and Ann Banwell, judges for the Tucson Festival of Books Young Authors contest sponsored by Altrusa International of Tucson. They taught us what makes a story stand out and win the Young Authors contest.

The Tucson Country Day School Veterans Day assembly included a variety of fun-filled activities. It took place the Friday before Veterans Day, Nov. 8. Preschool through eighth-grade students were gathered there at the Activity Center for the patriotic remembrance day. Twenty-three veterans were on stage, sharing their names and explaining their position and branch of the military. The veterans are all connected to the students here at TCDS—they are family members of different students. Two middle school teachers, Mr.

Do you like Christmas lights? In Winterhaven they have plenty of Christmas lights. Winterhaven is in Tucson. The Winterhaven Festival of Lights runs Dec. 14–28 this year. The hours are 6–10 p.m.

Have you ever heard of the Children’s Entrepreneur Market? On Nov. 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Desert Ridge Market Place, 21001 N. Tatum Boulevard in Phoenix, many kid entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to sell their products or services. Children can sell almost anything handmade, store-bought, food, games or services. This market is completely run by kids ages 5–17.

Have you ever wanted to be an artist? There’s a local painter named Joe Pagac who has many murals around Tucson. Pagac has painted murals in such far away places as India, too!

Pagac has made hundreds of murals over the years. He comes from a long line of artists. He attended Sam Hughes Elementary and eventually the University of Arizona. He began painting when he was about 16 when he painted a mural in his bedroom. During college, art professor Sheila Pitt inspired him to pursue painting. After college, Pagac began working as a painter.

At Easter, I like munching on a chocolate bunny. Last Easter, I also helped take care of the Earth. It’s almost like I was celebrating Easter and Earth Day at the same time last year.

Since they have vitamins to help plants grow big and strong, I reused the egg shells from eggs that had been cracked open. I did that by breaking the shells into tiny bits to make them into egg shell fertilizer instead of throwing them into the trash. Then I mixed the bits into the soil around my privet plant.

Have you been to Reid Park Zoo lately and noticed the mama elephant is pregnant? Well, if you like elephants and their cool adaptations, then read on!

 “The mother elephant (Samba) will give birth any day now,” says zookeeper Cassandra Dodds. The zookeepers know when the mother will give birth by doing urine tests. Elephants have the longest pregnancies. They are pregnant for 22 months!

Did you know there are three types of formations of rocks? They are metamorphic, sedimentary and igneous. In my opinion rocks are a good thing to collect. If you are bored and looking for something to do, then you should go to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show!

This year, two schools from the Tucson area were nominated for the National Blue Ribbon, a prestigious award given to schools from around the country. The schools were Senita Valley Elementary School and Sunrise Drive Elementary School, which I attended. I am very proud of my former elementary school winning such a distinguished award, so I decided to interview the Sunrise Drive principal, Andrea Davidson. Principal Davidson has been in the Catalina Foothills School District for 37 years and is delighted that the school has been chosen.