••••
THE NEWSPAPER OF AVONDALE, BUCKEYE, GOODYEAR, LITCHFIELD PARK & TOLLESON
Buckeye’s Spring Celebration PAGE
PAGE
20
westvalleyview.com
INSIDE
This Week
NEWS .............. 4 Willmeng celebrates opening of fire station
NEWS ............ 10 Students lead McCain tours for administrators
SPORTS ......... 17 Spencer honored for excellence
OPINION ...............12 BUSINESS...............15 SPORTS ..................17 CALENDAR ............18 FEATURES ..............19 OBITUARIES ...........23 YOUTH ..................25 CLASSIFIEDS ..........26 NORTH
Avondale KidFest
25
April 6, 2022
The Voice of the West Valley for 36 years
AESD staff celebrates employees of over 20 years BY LAUREN SERRATO
West Valley View Staff Writer
F
or many educators, advancing their careers or finding the perfect fit means having to transfer to different campuses. However, three Avondale Elementary School District staff members have called AESD their home for decades. Belia Hernandez Years served: 40 Position: Secretary Those who have attended, worked or visited Avondale Middle School know Belia Hernandez is no stranger to the campus. Coming up on her 41st anniversary with the district, Hernandez said her time with the school has been incomparable, deeming Avondale Middle School her “home away from home.” Hernandez started as a paraprofessional for kindergarten through third grade students in 1981, when the district was called Avondale, No. 1. Now serving as secretary, she said one of her favorite memories has been
seeing her sons and grandchildren attend Avondale Middle School and being a part of their school days. “It just feels so good to see kids coming in and all the new faces, because when I started here at the middle school, I had my own two sons come here, and then my grandkids, and now I’m having my first students’ children coming in,” Hernandez said. “I love when they come in and say good morning to me. I don’t really like staying home. I always can’t wait to come back to work.” In 1991, she moved over to what was then Avondale Junior High, which is now Avondale Middle School. In 40 years, Hernandez said she has made lifelong friends on campus. That played a major factor into her decision to stay at AESD. “I’ve had so many principals throughout the years, assistant principals, different teachers that have come into my life, and I
AESD...continued on page 6
Belia Hernandez, a secretary at Avondale Middle School, has worked for Avondale Elementary School District for 40 years. (Avondale Elementary School District/Submitted)
Goodyear program inspires diversity in aviation BY SEDONA MEADOWS AND HOPE O’BRIEN Cronkite News
S
tanding on the tarmac of Phoenix Goodyear Airport, more than 1,800 miles from her two children, Ricki Foster has chosen to chase a dream she never thought was possible: becoming a pilot. “I didn’t aspire to be a pilot. It wasn’t a path that was accessible to me in my
mind,” Foster said. “I didn’t see many female pilots, and I definitely didn’t see any Black female pilots at the airline I was working at.” According to a 2021 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 3.9% of aircraft pilots and flight engineers were Black or African American, and only 5.3% were women. Growing up in Jamaica, Foster, 38, be-
lieved that becoming a flight attendant was her only path to the sky, but even that wasn’t easy. It wasn’t until a friend pushed her to take a chance at becoming a pilot — after more than 10 years as a flight attendant — that she truly thought she could take that leap. Foster began the journey by trying to obtain her private pilot’s license.
The latest breaking news and top local stories in the West Valley!
Diversity...continued on page 8
www.WestValleyView.com .com
JUST A CLICK AWAY