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Chandler native publishes new fantasy series installment

BY JANELLE MOLONY

Contributor

Chandler native Parris Sheets, Desert Ridge High School’s color guard coach and now a popular young adult author, has published the third book in her fantasy series, The Essence of Ohr.

The new title, Beyond the Flame, also contains a secret reveal at the end that is certain to excite fans.

Sheets’ books are inspired by her own experiences as a youth and explore a fantastical new universe on the planet Ohr. In the series, a ragtag team of elemental do-gooders fight a fallen god who has sent their world into chaos.

Unforeseen events demand fifteenyear-old Kole accept hard truths about himself, while managing to keep in step with mythical gods on a mission. Readers are introduced to walking trees, shadow villains, rock beings, talking blossoms and more, as Kole navigates a world unlike any seen before.

The book series is different from many YA novels because of the special challenge that the main character faces. “He goes through a big transformation in the first book which makes him more vulnerable and more relatable to today’s generation,” Sheets said.

Though ugly-duckling tales have long been told, Sheets emphasized a degree of empathy teens and adult YA fans can experience through Kole’s journey.

In 2015, Sheets began her own personal transformation towards being a healthier, stronger self. She began weightlifting and has since lost 100 lbs.

On relating to her main character, she explained, “It’s like, you’ve always been you, but [because of an exterior change] the world sees you as somebody different and with new expectations.” In her fictional book, she coaches youth through the insecurities and doubts that arise with such an event.

Sheets’ first book, Warden’s Reign, published in 2020, won the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award for YA fantasy and secured a bronze medal in the Reader’s Favorite Book Awards for YA fiction. Readers have commented on Amazon, “I was hooked by the first paragraph,” and that it “sweeps you away right from the beginning.”

Sheets confessed it took her nearly 10 years to finish. “It was a long and difficult process, but with a gratifying result,” she explained.

Sheets attributed her passion for writing to an encouraging fifth grade teacher she hopes to thank in person one day.

In junior high, she read voraciously and felt convicted to write the kind of books that she already loved reading.

As a YA author now, she still wants her readers (of any age) to feel like they can “relax and get lost in the story.” By the reviews coming in, it is reasonable to say she has hit the mark.

Sheets said fans can expect a surprise in her fourth book, The Hollow Key, in the way the main characters will complete the final leg of their journey.

“It’s complicated,” Sheets said, explaining that preview readers have become quite emotional over the book so far.

She hinted at a bittersweet ending because of the epic battles Kole faces.

“It can never be a perfect ending for him,” said, assuring her reading audience that the final chapter will be extremely satisfying.

Visit ParrisSheetsAuthor.com and find her first three books on Amazon today.

Chandler native Parris Sheets holds a copy of her first novel, “Warden’s Reign.” She has published the third book in her fantasy series, “The Essence of Ohr.”

(Special to SanTan Sun News)

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Auxier teacher honored by Sun Lakes Rotary

Flanked by Chandler Unified Superintendent Frank Narducci on his right and Sun Lakes Rotary Club President Jon Lyons, Auxier Elementary special ed teacher Sawyer Merrill holds a blow-up of the check representing his award for being named the club’s Teacher

of the Year. (Special to SanTan Sun News)

SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF

The Rotary Club of Sun Lakes has named Sawyer Merrill, a special education teacher at Chandler Unified’s Auxier Elementary School in Queen Creek, educator of the year.

Merrill received the club’s 2023 Sandy Lundberg Educator of the Year Award, which was established in 2017 to demonstrate the club’s continuing commitment to the Chandler Unified School District’s educational objectives and “the educators who work so diligently and professionally to achieve those objectives.” Merrill graduated from California Lutheran University with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and sports medicine with an emphasis in education in 2010. He received his cross-categorical K-12 teaching certificate from Rio Salado University in 2011.

With over 10 years of teaching special education, Merrill’s philosophy of education is that all children are unique, and each student must have a motivating educational environment where they can meet their full potential through growing physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially.

The Rotary Club’s education committee’s selection process included review of several parent testimonials in support of Merrill.

“Our family has been affected by Mr. Merrill’s amazing abilities and his passion to challenge each student to be the best one can be,” a parent wrote. “We have seen a complete transformation in our child and trust Mr. Merrill to shape our child’s education. Mr. Merrill is a voice for his students and advocates for their inclusion in school activities; and Mr. Merrill is the embodiment of this award, his spirit lights up the lives of every child he works with.”

In May 2018, the first award was proudly presented to Sandy Lundberg, the principal of the newly opened Casteel High School and an active member of the Rotary Club of Sun Lakes, “in which she provided the same energy to the Club endeavors as she did to her profession” a club spokeswoman explained.

“Her passion for children and community shone through whatever she did. Due to Sandy’s untimely passing, the Rotary Club of Sun Lakes proudly sponsors and has named the award - The Sandy Lundberg Educator of the Year Award.”

Sun Lakes Rotary powers robotics team to global meet

SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF

Rotary Club of Sun Lakes members and guests met students during a demonstration of the competitive robotics program it supports through a $2,000 donation.

Several teams of students attended a three-day tournament at the VEX IQ Middle School World Robotics Championship in Dallas and two teams reached the division finals by placing fifth and seventh in their divisions out of 800 teams from 40+ countries around the world.

An all-girl team won the Inspire Award for the second time.

“The world competition is the experience of a lifetime,” Sun Lakes Rotary spokeswoman Dr. Honora Norton said. “The opening ceremonies included a parade of nations, much like the Olympics. The closing ceremony is known for the game reveal for the next year.”

Sun Lakes Rotarians met three competitive teams with students from several CUSD schools and one student from a Phoenix High School. All the students attended Fulton Elementary School at one time or another. Current competitive students are from Gilbert’s

Lori Ruff, far right rear, poses with Chandler Unified students who attended the VEX IQ competition in Texas last month. (Dr. Honora Norton) Weinberg Elementary and Chandler’s Knox Elementary, San Tan and Bogle junior high schools.

The Robotic Competition teacher is Lori Ruff, a retired engineer who started teaching robotics at Fulton Elementary in 2017 and currently teaches robotics intro to 10 students there.

These students learn the fundamentals for a year before progressing to the competitive program. After teaching a group of middle school students on a volunteer basis for a couple years, Lori decided to form Robotics Edge LLC to teach competitive teams.

Her former students often come back to help coach the current students. Her dream has always been a self-sustaining program and this year she achieved it. Next year, she plans to have three elementary competitive teams, one middle school competitive team and a new high school competitive team.

As part of the Robotics demonstration at the RCSL dinner meeting held at Sun Lakes Palo Verde Restaurant, each student shared his/her best robotics learning experience. The students, as well as, Ruff, also expressed gratitude for RCSL’s several years of support of this exciting program.

Rotary adds muscle to Fulton Elementary STEM teams

BY DR. HONORA NORTON

Guest Writer

The Rotary Club of Sun Lakes (RCSL) supported the A World in Motion (AWIM) program, which was created by the Society of Automotive Engineers Foundation to get elementary students excited about math and science in support of Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM.)

Ten different classes at Fulton Elementary School worked in design teams to build, test, and race model balloon powered JetToy cars and gravity cruiser vehicles. The JetToy cars were required to meet specific criteria to travel far and go fast. Jet propulsion, friction, air resistance, and design were the core scientific concepts students explored in this challenge. The cruiser gravity vehicles design concepts included forces, Newton’s laws of motion, gravity, and engineering design.

Last month, each competing class raced in the preliminaries where the top three teams in each class were awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals. Following the class races, the first-place winners raced for the final top race award.

The medals were presented by RCSL/AWIM volunteers. The committee included Rotay President Jon Lyons, Club Event Chair Don Robins, and Bill Giessing, Stan Klein, Bill Klein, Gary Kay, Ana Logan, Bill Crump, Val Crump, and ASU Polytechnic students Lauren Castillo ND Mikayla Castillo.

The committee members, who are residents of San Tan Valley, Sun Lakes and Chandler, were on site for weeks at the school to assist the students with the design, building, and testing their vehicles.

The Rotary Club of Sun Lakes is grateful to the school’s faculty for letting it bring AWIM Program to Fulton Elementary School again. All those involved noted that it is always a wonderful experience for the students.

An updated school award plaque will be presented to Fulton Elementary Principal Shannon Hannon for placement in the school trophy bookcase.

Information: sunlakesrotary.com.

Above: Fulton Elementary Gravity Cruiser Vehicle Competition participants had a blast. Right: Sun Lakes Rotarian AWIM volunteers attending the Gravity Cruiser Vehicle Competition at Fulton Elementary included, from left, Gary Kay, Stan Klein,

Bill Klein, Ana Logan (holding school’s award plaque), Bill Giessing and Jon Lyons. (Courtesy Sun Lakes Rotary)