By Anne Gibson It was a day in 1987 when four unknown children with distinct blond hair entered the then Rincon Creek General Store. When welcomed and questioned they informed curious customers and employees alike that they were Shad, Sommer, Hessel, and Everett Baker from Alaska. They also shared that their parents had just moved in up the hill...
By Anne Gibson The twelve members of the Vail Serves Vail subcommittee spent six months developing a three question “Survey Monkey” to determine what parents considered their biggest concerns for themselves and their children. Two thousand and forty-one responses were received. As could be expected, the majority of the 55% responses came from...
By Anne Gibson It was early August in the summer of 2019 when the word came that the prestigious Niche team had ranked the Vail School District as the number two of the “Best School Districts” in the state of Arizona. Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Niche is a team with a unique blend of professionals who have gained national respect for its...
By Anne Gibson The Pima County South East Regional Council (SERC) is a citizens group that combines the three areas of Corona de Tucson, Southeast City of Tucson, and Vail to speak with one voice and serve as community ambassadors, said Lucretia Free as she opened the meeting at 6 PM on Thursday, July 25th at the Vail Innovation Center. The...
By Anne Gibson Eighty preschool through eighth grade new-to-Vail teachers gathered at the Vail Education Center for an Orientation led by Vail Director of Professional Development Megan Cloud to prepare for the school year. A week later an orientation program was held for thirty new Vail high school teachers who welcomed students on July 19th. I...
By Anne Gibson The dining theatre at Empire High School was full of cheers and clapping as 65 community members heard presentations on the proposed library to serve Southeast Pima County, on Wednesday, May 15th. It was ten years of attending Pima County bond committee meetings in the hopes of getting a library to serve the Vail area only to have...
By Anne Gibson The four traditional Vail high schools and one alternative are preparing to say goodbye to 814 qualifying senior students with graduation ceremonies. The culture of each high school varies, but all four traditional schools have received the grade of “A” from the Arizona State Board of Education. Alternative schools are not graded...
By Anne Gibson The newly named South East Regional Council (SERC) began slowly in the dance studio at the Civano Coffee Shop with Ms. Free as the lead. “The purpose of SERC from the very beginning was to address issues of importance and to communicate with one voice to local government, businesses, or organizations,” said Ms. Free. Within a...
By Anne Gibson Vail Pride Day (VPD), a Vail School District (VSD) event, celebrated its twentieth anniversary on Saturday, February 16th at the Pima County Fairgrounds with cheers and acknowledgements of student, staff and volunteer achievement. Producers of the three days of festivities were Co-Chairs Linda Kubiak and Heather Stough with a cast...
By Anne Gibson It was 25 years ago that Vail Superintendent Calvin Baker and former Community Services Coordinator Rosemary McCain invited the clergy serving the greater Vail area to lunch; four attended. The quarterly lunches continue today. The difference is at the first luncheon of 2019 hosted by Father Martin Martinez at St. Rita’s in the...
