Youth Service 2021-22 | District 5495

District 5495 Youth Services News

Rotary Club of Sedona Village announces youth summer scholarships

The Rotary Club of Sedona Village (RCSV) is proud to announce $4,800 in summer scholarships awarded to outstanding local students for 2025.

Summer Camp Scholarships ($3,000 total):

• Sofia Wolfe, 10th Grade — $750 for Sedona Dance Academy

• Teddy Arizmendo, 8th Grade — $750 for Sedona Dance Academy

• Phoebe Jones, 8th Grade — $500 for School of Ballet in Mesa

• Lotus Flores, 11th Grade — $500 for NAU Curry Summer Music Camp (violin)

• Elizabeth Kraus, 9th Grade — $500 for NAU Curry Summer Music Camp (violin)

These scholarships support students’ participation in dance, music, and performing arts programs across Arizona. RSCV has a dedicated youth services committee with a proven track record of assisting local families with the financial burden of summer enrichment camps.

The Summer Camp Scholarship team—Holly Johnson (Lead), Karen Heinze, and Jennette Bill—generously volunteered their time to review applications and make awards.

Additional Leadership Scholarship ($1,800):

• Khrystian Cordova, SRRHS Junior and Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) attendee — $1,800 to attend the Sister Cities International Youth Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C.

RCSV raises funds to empower youth and support their academic, artistic, and leadership development.

Peoria North Rotary Club recognizes students of the month

Peoria North Rotary Club recognized Peoria Unified School District "Students of the Month" for March and April during a ceremony held April 25 at Peoria High School.

Students from Peoria High School, Peoria Flex Academy, Ironwood High School and Centennial High School were recognized and presented with a $150 stipend as well as a certificate signifying the club has donated a wheelchair in their names to a disabled person living in Mexico.

In addition to honoring students at the four PUSD high schools, the club also recognizes in a separate ceremony Students of the Month at Mountain Ridge High School in Glendale.

During the April 25 event, the club for the first time also recognized top media arts students at each of the four PUSD schools. The award is co-sponsored by Huntington University's campus in Peoria.

Dave Evans, the club's Youth Services Chair, served as emcee for the event and introduced faculty from each high school to announce their honorees. Students of the Month honored April 25:

Peoria High School: Rylie Brooks, March, and Dawn Drake for April.

Peoria Flex Academy: Kitera Thomas, April.

Ironwood High School: Violet Luna, March, and Trinity Haver, April.

Centennial High School: Shane Harmon, March, and Jacob Sajan for April.

Receiving the Media Arts Student of the Semester Award were Julianna Ronfeldt, Ironwood High School; Gavin Niemeyer, Peoria Flex Academy; Brooklyn Koressel, Peoria High School; and Gerald Heck, Centennial High School.

"Our club is so happy and proud to recognize these students," said Dave Evans. "These students really represent the best of the best in the Peoria Unified School District."

The Peoria North Rotary Club is a strong supporter of education and literacy and has for many years provided dictionaries to all third-grade students in the district. Two years ago, the club launched its George and Willi Wheeler Scholarship, which provides financial assistance to PUSD students attending college after graduation from high school. For the past 15 years the club has also sponsored The Prom Closet, an annual event that provides formal wear free of charge to high school students attending their school prom.

Sedona Student Selected for Prestigious National Youth Leadership Summit

The Sister Cities International Youth Leadership Summit, held annually in Washington, D.C., brings together 50 outstanding young leaders from across the United States for a week of hands-on leadership and global engagement training. This year’s summit will take place June 15–21, 2025, at American University.

Sedona is proud to announce that Khrystian Cordova, a student at Sedona Red Rock High School, has been selected to participate in the 2025 Summit. Khrystian exemplifies the qualities of a global citizen and future leader, with a 4.0 GPA, strong leadership in both school and community, and athletic excellence in track and soccer.

Khrystian’s selection reflects his commitment to academic achievement, personal growth, and service. He is sponsored by the Sedona Sister Cities Association and the Rotary Club of Sedona Village, two organizations dedicated to fostering international understanding and youth development.

The Summit will provide Khrystian and his peers the opportunity to engage in policy discussions, diplomacy simulations, and cross-cultural exchange, preparing them to become tomorrow’s leaders.

Rotary Club of Sun Lakes names February Teacher of the Month

Submitted by: Dr. Honora Norton, RCSL Public Image Director

The Rotary Club of Sun Lakes awarded its February 2025 RCSL Teacher of the Month Award to Ann Marie Filiere, CUSD Arizona College Preparatory High School Robotics, 3D Design and Modelling Teacher.

Ann Marie has over 15 years’ teaching experience (as a second career). She received her teaching certificate from ASU and earned her bachelor’s degree in Applied Human Ecology from Bowling Green State University. Per Reddy Manjula, who submitted the award application, Ann Marie is appreciated for her ability to facilitate each child’s growth by stimulating imagination and energizing each student’s spirit.

According to Gary Kay, RCSL's Education Chair, the award selection is based on a teacher's total years of service in the field of education; examples of how the teacher goes above the normal requirements and enhances student education; the respect shown for the teacher by his/her peers, students and parents; and, the teacher’s involvement in extracurricular activities and service in the community. RCSL awards a $700 check to the honored teacher - $500 from Earnhardt Auto Centers and $200 from TrustBank.

For more info about RCSL – see www.sunlakesrotary.com

Interact District Governor Update | March 2025

I am thrilled to announce that the Interact District Conference of 2025 was a huge success!

The 12th conference to date, this IDC went wonderfully; from engaging and fun breakouts to empowering and heartfelt speakers, all tied in with the sharing of ideas, knowledge, stories and successes. To top it off, the picturesque setting of red rocks in Sedona made it all the more a great experience. Thank you to everyone who helped plan, organize, and facilitate the conference, you all made it so fantastic! And thank you to everyone who was able to attend. These events would never happen without interested and excited Interactors eager to come and participate!

Along those lines, there are still ways for your club to help support this project! This can be done through collecting mobility devices for our next shipment from nursing homes, local thrift stores, or even garage sales! Also, fundraising is greatly appreciated as well! Doing things like walkathons, restaurant fundraisers, and bake sales is a great way to get involved! The collection of devices and funds are both so important for this project to continue, and all help is welcome!

In addition, please continue to kick off the Interact Global Schisto Project in your clubs! This project is growing quickly, and we are excited to see it come to life in each one of your communities. Remember, all you need for this project is a jar and some Life Saver candies; and with just two dollars, anyone in your community, school, or club can save a life! We have high hopes that this kids helping kids initiative will have the capabilities of saving so many lives, and we are grateful for your participation and support!

Finally, if you are someone who would be interested in getting even more involved with Interact, apply for District Leadership! It is a great opportunity to get connected with fellow Interactors across the state, and allows for even more involvement in community service and helping those around us.

Here is the form for the District Leadership Assistant Governor Position:AG Application - Interact District 5495.pdf

Applications are due April 15th, we hope to see your applications soon!

Anise

Anise Carroll Covarrubias

Interact District Governor

D5495 Interact Advisors Update | February 2025

Interact District Governor Update | February 2025

I am thrilled to announce that the Interact District Conference of 2025 was a huge success! The 12th conference to date, this IDC went wonderfully; from engaging and fun breakouts to empowering and heartfelt speakers, all tied in with the sharing of ideas, knowledge, stories and successes. To top it off, the picturesque setting of red rocks in Sedona made it all the more a great experience. Thank you to everyone who helped plan, organize, and facilitate the conference, you all made it so fantastic! And thank you to everyone who was able to attend. These events would never happen without interested and excited Interactors eager to come and participate!

In other news, our Crutches 4 Africa Ambassadors and their Team Advisors have been revealed! Congratulations to Victoria Arias, Candace Basham, Hugo Garcia, and Lilly Hellman on the Mexico Team, as well as Derrick Boateng, Isabelle Brown, Amyla Buckhannon, Piper Rietz, and Ceiba Sherman on the Kenya Team! Thank you for your commitment to the Crutches 4 Africa Project, and for all of the time and effort you will no doubt put in to make this project a continued success. Along those lines, there are still ways for your club to help support this project! This can be done through collecting mobility devices for our next shipment from nursing homes, local thrift stores, or even garage sales! Also, fundraising is greatly appreciated as well! Doing things like walkathons, restaurant fundraisers, and bake sales is a great way to get involved! The collection of devices and funds are both so important for this project to continue, and all help is welcome!

Anise

Anise Carroll Covarrubias

Interact District Governor

Rotary Club of Sun Lakes Honors CUSD Teachers

Submitted by: Dr. Honora Norton RCSL Public Image Chair

Rotary Club of Sun Lakes presents its December 2024 Teacher of the Month Award to Sarah Aitken, CUSD Perry High School Math Teacher and its January 2025 Teacher of the Month to Tyler Chase, CUSD Castell High School Math Teacher/Baseball Coach.

A $700 check is awarded to the honored teacher - $500 from Earnhardt Auto Centers and $200 from TrustBank.

D5495 Interact Advisors' Update | January 2025

Interact District Governor Update | January 2025

By Anise Carroll Covarrubias

Interact District 5495 Governor

Happy New Year everyone!!

With the new year comes exciting news and many upcoming deadlines and events, which include our Interact Global Schisto Project, Crutches 4 Africa, and Interact District Conference 2025.

The Interact Global Schisto Project, dedicated to fighting the deadly disease schistosomiasis in children, is continuously growing, increasing our capacity to save more children’s lives. The project is planning to have a booth at the House of Friendship at the Rotary International Convention in Calgary, in order to spread the word about our project to Rotary and Interact Districts all over the world!

But, we still need YOUR help! This project is easily set up and a good club-building activity - just grab a jar and a bag of lifesavers and for every two dollars you raise, add a lifesaver to the jar! Every lifesaver represents a treatment being sent to a child with schistosomiasis to cure them of the disease. How many lives can your club save?

In Crutches 4 Africa news, we are hitting the ground running in the new year with deadlines coming quickly! Due to holiday difficulty in getting applications done and recommendation letters written, the Crutches 4 Africa Ambassadors Team deadline for Kenya and Mexico has been extended to January 11. This leaves an extra 11 days to get an application submitted if you haven’t already, so if you are interested submit ASAP! In other news, this year’s shipment of mobility devices has been sent off to Uganda and Kenya, after a productive loading day on December 7th, and the efforts of Crutches 4 Africa founder David Talbot.

The Interact District Conference is coming fast! This motivating and informational event, which will occur on February 22 from 9am-4pm at Verde Valley School in Sedona, is a perfect way for Interactors and their Advisors to get together and learn from each other and guest speakers, and take part in enriching activities with the District’s Interact Council. Registration is now open, using this link: https://forms.gle/wfTasRQ6Wn4deWdk6. Early Bird registration will be until January 22 and will be $25. All registrations after that will be $30 and will officially close on Feb. 15. Register your clubs as soon as possible to take part in this exciting event!