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March 7 - March 20, 2015
Youth
www.SanTanSun.com
Playground improvements help student attain Eagle Scout honor paint was scraped off and Jake Daily, a freshman at then the walls were painted. Seton Catholic Prep School The old gravel and fill were in Chandler, attained the dug up and removed from rank of Eagle Scout recently, the playground. New fill after he completed repairs, and sand were added and painting and improvements leveled, then artificial grass at his former school, Our was installed, according Lady of Mount Carmel in to Scoutmaster Alan Tempe. Garlington, who leads Jake’s Jake, 14, repaired and troop, No. 379. painted three brick walls, “It was a nice little and laid 345 square feet project,” Garlington says. Jake Daily of Chandler of artificial grass in the “Like a lot of other Eagle recently achieved the rank preschool playground at the of Eagle Scout after he and projects, it had good value school. to the community. He did a other volunteers repaired He volunteered to three walls and installed good job.” complete the project, which artificial grass at Our Lady Jake organized the group of Mount Carmel School. was finished in December. of volunteers, consisting of Submitted photo He attended Our Lady Garlington, other scouts, of Mount Carmel from Jake’s parents and other kindergarten to eighth grade. adults. For a project of this magnitude, “I wanted to give back to the school adults are needed to provide supervision, for my nine years of education,” Jake says but Jake showed leadership in organizing Jake remembers that the preschoolers the group, Garlington says were not permitted to play on an old The project was completed in surface of gravel there because teachers December. The total of 123 volunteer feared the children would fall and hurt hours easily surpassed the Eagle themselves. requirement of 100 hours. He decided that as his Eagle Jake’s mother, Laura Daily, says she Scout project, he would tackle the has enjoyed watching Jake take on the improvements with assistance from other additional responsibilities during his scouts and volunteers. Last August the years in Boy Scouts, which he has been a crew began the work there. member since first grade. Cracks in three walls were filled, old Jake has attended camps from
BY KEN ABRAMCZYK
Jake Daily, center, red sweatshirt, was joined by other Boy Scouts and adult volunteers to complete his playground improvements and wall repairs. Submitted photo
Connecticut to California, sometimes gone for a week at a time, learning to be on his own and take care of responsibilities and chores. “It’s been incredible to watch him grow,” Laura says. She says she and her husband, Fred, are proud of her son attaining the Eagle Scout status,
Chandler teen youngest Symetra winner BY TIM J. RANDALL
Chandler teen Hannah O’Sullivan took a step toward her plan to play and compete with the world’s best golfers on the LPGA tour by winning the Symetra Gateway Classic in late February. Playing at the 6,463-yard, par-72 Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, the 16-yearold golfer carded an impressive three-day aggregate total of 15 under par, while besting the second place finisher by four strokes. “I took one shot at a time and was lucky that I came out on top,” Hannah says. “To be able to represent the local area and come out with a win, I can’t even describe the feeling.” The Symetra Tour is the development arm of the LPGA tour and showcases some of the best young women golfers from around the globe. With her victory, O’Sullivan became the youngest winner on the Symantec stage at 16 years, 9 months and 11 days, assuming the mantle held for 20 years by LPGA superstar Cristie Kerr. Additionally, she is the fourth youngest golfer to win on either the LPGA or Symetra Tour. “To be able to win on the Symetra Tour, at any age, means so much,” she says. O’Sullivan’s impressive three-day run to the title included 17 birdies and two bogeys with a concluding round of 3-under-par 69. “I knew my game was good, I was happy with where it was entering the week,” O’Sullivan says. Playing on a sponsor’s exemption for the week, O’Sullivan had no thoughts of winning the event, but just wanted to make the cut. “I am so grateful for this opportunity,
especially at the age of 14. “He’s a good kid,” she says. Ken Abramczyk is an associate editor at the SanTan Sun News. He can be reached at ken@timespublications.com.
Girls raise awareness and funds through dance BY LYNETTE CARRINGTON
Hannah O’Sullivan is the youngest winner at the Symetra Gateway Classic. Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri
it has not really sunk in yet, but it feels incredible to know that all of my hard work over the off season has paid off,” she says. O’Sullivan would have liked to have cashed the $15,000 prize, but her amateur status eschewed that possibility. In the same breath, she mentions she has history and math tests to study for, and an English paper due for her studies at Hamilton High School. “My ultimate dream is to play on the LPGA Tour and compete at the highest level after I graduate from college,” she says. That matriculation will occur at USC. “I am verbally committed, so Fight On,” she says, referencing the school’s official fight song.
The next step for O’Sullivan is trying to compete at the LPGA Founders Cup at Wildfire Golf Club at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa March 19 through March 22. Following this will be an expected appearance April 2 through April 5 at Longbow Golf Club for the American Junior Golf Association Winn Grips Heather Farr Classic. “The win gives me a big boost of confidence and I am just so thankful to given this opportunity,” she says. Tim J. Randall is a freelancer for the SanTan Sun News. He can be reached at news@santansun.com.
Four Valley students striving to improve the lives of girls in India raised more than $6,000 during a recent dance fundraiser at the Tempe Center for the Arts. Among the organizers/dancers was Anagha Deshpande, a student at Hamilton High School. The monies raised went to the nonprofit organization She’s the First in an effort to raise awareness to the plight of girls in developing nations who are often faced with gender inequality and wind up in controlling or abusive relationships. “The donation will be used to sponsor girls at our partner school in a village outside of Bangalore, India,” says Katie Riley, campus program coordinator for She’s the First. The organization sponsors the education of girls in low-income countries with a goal of creating firstgeneration graduates and the next generation of global leaders. “The event is an inspiring example of what young people can do to support the causes that they are passionate about,” Riley explains. Anagha was joined by fellow dancers and BASIS Scottsdale students Divya Vatsa, Natasha Menon and Shourya Kothakapu. “Their commitment to girls’ education SEE DANCE PAGE 27