MISSING WOMAN’S BODY FOUND IN TONOPAH, PAGE 9
westvalleyview.com — the newspaper of Avondale, Buckeye, Goodyear, Litchfield Park & Tolleson, AZ 50¢ Wednesday, June 1, 2016 (623) 535-8439
INSIDE
Summer feeding program kicks off
KEEPING THEIR COOL
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Free meals offered to children throughout West Valley by Emily Toepfer assistant editor
An administrator with experience at West Valley schools is the new superintendent of the Saddle Mountain Unified School District. Paul Tighe, superintendent of the Mingus Union High School District in Cottonwood, will start his new job on July 1. At Saddle Mountain, Tighe will lead a district of about 1,500 pupils attending an elementary school in Buckeye and an elementary school and high school in Tonopah.
School might be out for the summer, but thousands of pupils can continue to count on their campuses for a nutritious meal. More than 60 percent of youths in the West Valley depend on free and reduced-price lunches during the school year, according to the Arizona Department of Education. To help keep children in low-income areas fed during the summer months, 33 schools and other sites throughout the area are taking part in the Summer Food Service Program. Children younger than 18 eat free, and parents can often purchase a meal for a small charge. In order for a location to qualify as a feeding site, at least 50 percent of pupils must be eligible for the free and reduced-price meals, which means their family’s income is at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Typically, a district will host the summer feeding program at a few of its schools, but this year, all 12 campuses in the Pendergast Elementary District will be sites. “We’re answering the call of the community,” said Jamie Triolo, food service director in the district. “There’s a definite need when you’re looking at one out of every five households is food poor. So we need to keep the kids we feed and take care of all year fed into the summer months.” The Litchfield Elementary District is also offering a variety of options for pupils to get food, with meals served Monday through Saturday and also for dinner. “I just can’t find kids that are hungry only Monday through Thursday, or just breakfast and lunch,” said David Schwake, food director for the district. The district is also partnering with St. Mary’s Food Bank to provide families with bags of food they can take home, including fruits, vegetables, cereal and bread. “We just want to give them a big variety, and we want it to all be healthy,” Schwake said. Avondale resident Tracey Grimsley has been taking her children to the district’s summer feeding sites for about five years. “It’s a good balanced meal that I’m not going to make for them, because I’m busy,” she said. “Plus, my friends are here and I get to sit and socialize with other adults in the summer time.” At the district’s three sites, youths are given the option of creating their own burrito or another lunch item, such as meatballs or barbecue chicken. “There’s something different every day,”
(See Superintendent on Page 5)
(See Feeding on Page 2)
PUPPY PROTECTOR 9 puppies rescued from storm drain in Avondale — Page 12.
BEEWARE 5 stung by bees on hiking trail in Goodyear — Page 10.
BALANCING ACTS Avondale, Goodyear pass tentative budgets — Page 11.
DAILY UPDATES! News Updates and fresh Classified ads posted Monday - Friday at 4:30 p.m. online at www.westvalleyview.com Volume 31, No. 8 32 Pages 1 Section Circulation: 73,391 INDEX Classifieds .................... 27 Editorials & Letters .......... 6 Obituaries ...................... 24 Sports ........................... 15 Briefcase ....................... 14 9 Days a Week............... 22 Recycle this paper
View photo by Ray Thomas
TAUREAN HALL, 9, front, and Michael Dandoval, 9, both of Laveen, race through the sprayers May 28 at Goodyear Community Park. Splash pads and community pools will be the places to be this week as temperatures are expected to be in the triple digits, topping out at 118 degrees Saturday.
Saddle Mountain names new superintendent Paul Tighe will move from H.S. district in Cottonwood by Glenn Gullickson
“I’m very student centered … then what’s best for staff. We’re here for kids.” — Paul Tighe
Saddle Mountain Unified School District superintendent
staff writer