LETS BE LAVISH WITH PRAISE
Arizona Republic
April 7, 2007


Estimated printed pages: 2

A high five goes to Jonathan Horton of Gilbert and Pooja Paode of Chandler, two finalists in this year's Arizona Spelling Bee. Horton won the competition plus a shot at participating in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., next month. And we'll be rooting for him.

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It certainly wasn't scientific, but a whopping 83 percent of respondents to an online Tempe Republic poll said they would ride a neighborhood circulator shuttle if it stopped in their neighborhood. Our expert, unscientific analyzing device says this poll is yet another reason cities should be pushing to offer cheap, convenient mass transit.

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Not that Mesa Arts Academy needed a visit from U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings to know it was doing a good job. The fact that every one of its eighth-graders passed the AIMS test last year, even with a high population of low-income and English-learner students, is proof enough. But the charter school deserves a high five for catching Spellings' eye. It may one day influence how thousands of other at-risk students are taught across the nation.

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A couple of weeks ago, we praised Ahwatukee's Corpus Christi Catholic Church for taking up Father Albert Francis Hoorman's idea to raise 40,000 cans of food for his 40 years of service at the church. And wow! Parishioners deserve a high five for more than doubling that goal. They are making a huge, positive impact on the area's needy.

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An A-OK goes to the 1,000 or so people who brought their dogs to Gabriel's Angels sixth annual Walk for Kids and Doggie Beach Party on Saturday. The event, held at Cosmo Dog Park in Gilbert for the first time this year, raised $25,000 after expenses for the Mesa-based charity, which provides pet therapy for neglected and abused kids.

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And an A-OK goes to those who attended the dog show Sunday at the Ahwatukee Community Swim and Tennis Center, raising more than $400. Funds will go to MASH (Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Animal Safe Hospice) and to the Arizona Humane Society.

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A high five goes to Ty Leon of Gilbert who was recently crowned Best Teen Chef in Arizona. In between attending Gilbert High and the East Valley Institute of Technology, he works evenings at Taneko Japanese Tavern. The 17-year-old senior plans on going to college and opening a restaurant.

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An A-OK goes to the employees in the Chandler City Clerk's Office who have processed a high volume of passports lately, following a new policy requiring that travelers flying to Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean have one. Chandler is the only Southeast Valley municipality to offer passport services.

CAPTION: 1. Jonathan Horton CAPTION: 2. Pooja Paode
Edition: Final Chaser
Section: Mesa Republic East
Page: 22
Column: OUR VIEW - HIGH FIVES