Leadership West graduates Class XV

As part of its mission to cultivate West Valley leaders, Leadership West graduated Class XV June 4 during a ceremony at the West Valley Art Museum in Surprise. The 19 members completed a nine-month course that involved monthly issue days on various topics such as government, public safety, education and health care. They also were assigned to teams, required to complete a class project and present it during Synthesis Day the morning of the final day.

Class XV graduates are Spencer Anderson, West Valley National Bank; Jennifer Campbell, city of Goodyear; Tamara Caraway, Adolfson & Peterson Construction; Sophia Combs, SRP; Kenneth Lynch, city of Surprise; Stephanie Kegley-Scott, The New Foundation; Erik Miller, For Those Without a Voice; Bernadette Mills, West Valley Arts Council; Othell Newbill, city of Goodyear; Garrett Olexa Jennings, Strouss & Salmon Law; Thomas Payton, Architectural Dimensions, LLC; Deanna Rada, Bade Companies; John Rowan, city of Goodyear; Melinda Sanchez, Liberty One Real Estate; Jessie Singer, Marley Park; Susan Stout, U.S. Air Force; Jenni Thomas, Arizona State University; Kevin Turner, Waste Management, Inc.; and Larry Woods, Sun City West PORA.

The class projects were judged by a panel of West Valley leaders. The winning project earned a cash prize to be used toward the project and bragging rights for a year. The judging panel consisted of Sharolyn Hohman, Southwest Valley Chamber of Commerce; Scott Phillips, Carefree Partners; and Mike Whiting, Recreation Centers of Sun City West.

Projects and teams were:

• Team Kamikaze: (Winning project) — Caraway, Singer, Rada, Miller, Rowan and Woods: Following the motto "People helping people," the group partnered with Nadaburg School to develop an instructional unit on Africa, including climate, animals and water conservation curriculum. The project culminated in a field trip to Out of Africa Wildlife Park, where students could see animals and desert conditions similar to those of Africa.

• The Basics — Combs, Lynch, Mills, Newbill and Payton: Created Centennial Outdoor Classroom Garden on the grounds of Liberty Elementary School. The outdoor classroom will occupy more than 7,500 square feet of undeveloped area on the grounds of one of the West Valley’s most historic schools. Students from the Liberty School District will be able to participate in an ongoing, interactive learning experience centered on plants, the environment and climate change.

• Shake & Bake — Anderson, Campbell, Stout, Thomas and Turner: Worked with the Goodyear Branch Library to recruit and establish a volunteer base for the new branch, supported the grand opening in March and coordinated a yearlong art display at the library featuring local high school artists.

• Ignite — Kegley-Scott, Olexa and Sanchez: Aided HandsOn Greater Phoenix to bridge the gap between organizations and entities in the West Valley that are in need of volunteers and people looking to volunteer. The group led an effort by researching and compiling contact information for more than 500 potential partner organizations to explain the benefits and to facilitate the start of a relationship with HandsOn.

For information on Leadership West, visit www.leadershipwest.org.