Team 7A's "Awesome Arizona" Speakers

Team 7A's Awesome Arizona Speaker's program is something that had been in the idea stage for years and was finally implemented for the first time in the 2007-2008 school year. After many years of teaching I had found that today's kids are harder and harder to reach and motivate. I have been continually searching for strategies to connect with and guide my students. Being a transplanted midwesterner (from Iowa), I have always been amazed at the opportunities that Arizona offers - from the beautiful weather providing year-round sporting and outdoor recreation opportunities to the astronomical growth providing enormous career opportunities. But, the thing that I have found most interesting is the people. Arizona is filled with amazing people with all kinds of experiences, knowledge, successes, and stories. I started thinking about all the people that there are here locally, in all walks of life that are so interesting. The things that these people have accomplished in life are absolutely amazing. We call can learn so much from people like this. There are so many interesting facts, experiences, lessons, and stories from their journeys. My hope for this project has been to have these people from varied walks of life come and share some of that with our students. Each student may connect with or learn something from someone different, but the ultimate goal is to motivate students, connecty them to real world experiences, help guide them in life, and help them become better students, citizens, and people in general.

Tuesday, August 19, 3:00-3:45 p.m.

• Author Jennifer Anne Kogler is visiting. She is the author of Ruby Tuesday and is introducing her new book The Otherworldlies. Ms. Kogler will be selling and signing her books.

Monday, Sept. 8, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

• Amanda Borden is nationally known as captain of the 'Magnificent Seven' - the 1996 U.S. women's gymnastics team that won the gold medal in the Atlanta Olympics. She operates two local gyms (Gold Medal Gymnastics) training more than 600 gymnasts. She also serves as a commentator on CBS Sports, Fox Sports, Turner Broadcasting, and ESPN, for gymnastics and cheerleading events. [Pictures from that day]

Wednesday, September 24, 9:10 - 10:00 a.m.

• Big Mouth Presentations will be on campus sharing their assembly. They are committed to helping inspire schools develop a culture of good character traits through the philosophies of Character Counts! with the Six Pillars of Character.

Thursday, September 25, 9:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m.

• Fieldtrip to the Desert Outdoor Center at Lake Pleasant. Here groups of students will rotate through three different 40-50 minute long classes covering various science topics. Students will need to bring a sack lunch as we will be eating at the facility before returning to Akimel A-al. [Pictures from that day]

Friday, October 3, 11:17 - 11:52 a.m.

• 'Cori James' is the mother of one of our Team 7A students and is a talk radio personality. She will share knowledge and experiences about the life of radio broadcasting.

Friday, October 24, 11:42-11:52 a.m.

• Steve Welker is a local Phoenix resident who in his words lived a normal life until one day in 1994 when he was in a terrible car accident and lost his sight. Steve is the author of the book The World At My Fingertips which tells his story. In the years since he lost his sight, Steve has become active and mightily contributory to the Arizona Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ACVBI).

11:17-11:52 a.m.

Johnny Rock Page is an Ahwatukee resident who founded and runs the company CGI Direct ATMs which in turn funded his dream - being an AMA Pro Roadracer. He also has his own clothing line and is working on a reality TV show.

, 11:17-11:52 a.m.

• Kim Hayashi is a 22 year old professional BMX racer from Chandler, Arizona who was one of four women favored for the U.S.'s two women's spots on the Olympic Team in Beijing. She races for Team Redline.

October,11:17 - 11:52 a.m.

• Kids That Rip Skateboard School will come and share about their programs and skateboarding in general.

, 11:17-11:52 a.m.

• Kevin Nee, one of the top five competitors in the World's Strongest Man (WSP) competition. He was featured in the MTV reality series 'True Life" and has been named one of the '25 Fittest Men in the World' by Men's Fitness magazine. Was the Sports Illustrated Athlete of the Week in 2002.

,11:17 - 11:52 a.m.

• Ari Peress is a member of the Phoenix Fire Department Technical Rescue Team and he also was able to summit the tallest mountain in the world this past summer - Mt. Everest.

,11:17-11:52 a.m.

• Paul Jacobson is the father of one of our Team 7A students who builds and flys remote control aircraft. Mr. Jacobson will share the art and skill of flight and model building as well as display and fly his planes.

November/December, 11:17-11:52 a.m.

• Ryan Clark is a local resident who races on the Monster Energy AMA Supercross FIM World Championship circuit. He currently races for Team Solitaire and races under the number 39. The circuit will be in town and racing at Chase Field on January 10, 2009.