Grad Night 2007 – Catalina Foothills High

One of the many advantages of living in the Catalina Foothills area of Tucson, is that your children will be able to attend Catalina Foothills High School. I am now in my 8th year as an involved parent of a high school student at “Foothills” as the kids like to call it.Through my involvement with the parent organization, I have met many wonderful people who I’m sure will remain my friends long after our children have flown the nest.

One of the perks of being a Foothills parent is knowing that our kids will have a safe and fabulous graduation night thanks to the efforts of hundreds of caring parents.  Grad Night has now become a right of passage at Catalina Foothills High School and is the party of choice for over 95% of the graduates.  This year attendance was the largest ever - 418 students!

Immediately following the graduation ceremony, the graduates enter the gymnasium decorated in a theme chosen by the class when they were Juniors.  (This year’s theme was James Bond 007 – quite appropriate in light of their graduation year.)  The kids are not allowed to bring anything in with them.  Backpacks with a change of clothes are delivered the day before and searched for contraband to assure a drug and alchohol free event.  Once the kids have entered, unless their parents consent, they are not allowed to leave until 5:00 the next morning.

It literally does take hundreds of parents to make this event the success it has become.  The planning for next year’s grad night has already begun.   The decor has always been amazing.  Parents with artistic and construction skills step forward to ensure the gym’s total transformation.  One of the highlights of the party has consistently been the “Dancing Dads” made up of 26 Junior Dads willling to make total fools of themselves to the delight of the graduates.  This year’s “Bond Boys” strutted their stuff decked out in tuxedos.  After a quick change, three of the Bond Boys became Bond Girls which the kids (and working parents) found to be hysterically funny.   In prior years the Dads have worn anything from pirate costumes to grass skirts with coconut bras depending on the theme.   

The kids are served a sit down dinner which is followed later in the evening by a dessert bar and finally breakfast.  They have access to an all night carnival, movies and casino style games.  There is also a slide show made up of their pictures from babyhood onward playing throughout the night and a DJ for dancing.  All of these activities are run by parents of kids who are not Seniors.  Although Senior parents can help with all aspects of the preparations, they are not allowed to be present that night. 

Foothills Grad Night 2007 was a fabulous success.  I have been told it totally lived up to the kids’ expectations.  The graduates were thankful, happy, and amazed that so many parents cared enough to put forth the effort to throw them such a wonderful celebration.  It’s nice to know that our efforts were appreciated.  Next year when my youngest son graduates, I’m sure he will feel the same way.  As for me, I’ll be happy to know he’ll be having the time of his life while staying safe.  Congrats to you Class of 2007!

Great Tucson Neighbors in Shadow Hills

I’ve loved living in Shadow Hills in the Catalina Foothills area of Tucson from the day we moved in when some of our new neighbors came over to introduce themselves and brought us some home made chocolate chip cookies. In the 13 years we’ve lived here, I’ve come to know most of the people who live on our street and many others throughout the 500 home subdivision.  The many people who walk, run and bike through the winding streets  never fail to greet one another.  The neighborhood is a pleasant mixture of families and retired folks.  All of the homes look different from one another and are on approximately an acre of land which by deed restriction must maintain natural desert landscaping in all visible areas.

On Saturday night I met a new neighbor to whom I will be eternally grateful.  My husband and I had invited some friends for dinner.  When they arrived, one of our two dogs, a Beagle, ran outside to greet them and then made a run for it into the desert.  Before we knew it she was nowhere to be found.  We searched for her by car and on foot asking everyone we saw along the way to keep an eye out for her.   While driving around, one person we spoke with said she was about to take her dog out for a walk and would help look.  I told her where we lived and a short while later she and her dog Charlie (a Bloodhound!)  came to our home asking if we had something with our Beagle’s scent on it.   I brought out the dog’s bed,  Charlie took a whiff of it,  and they were off.

We gave up looking after about an hour because it was almost dark.  I decided to print up flyers to put around the neighborhood with the hope that someone would find her.  Although she had on a collar and was microchipped, she lost her tag recently and I had not yet replaced it so whoever found her wouldn’t know where she belonged.  My husband also put up a notice on our neighborhood list serve.  My biggest concern was how she would fare with the wildlife in the area.  Several neighbors have had incidents in the last couple of months where their small dogs (one a Beagle) had been attacked by bob cats coming over their backyard walls.  We also have frequent sightings of coyotes and javelinas (wild pigs) who have been known to attack domestic pets.  Needless to say, I was very concerned for her safety.

As I was getting into my car with the “Lost Dog” posters, I looked up and there was Charlie, and my new favorite neighbor, with our lost Beagle.  They found her lying on someone’s porch, many streets away.  The most amazing part of this great neighbor tale (tail?) is that Charlie’s handler was headed for Fresno the next day for a week-long class so that Charlie could be trained to be a pet finder!  As I thanked them profusely, my wonderful neighbor kept thanking me for the opportunity to help.  I know Charlie has a great future ahead of him.  He’s obviously a natural.   Thank you again dear Charlie and friend.  You’re truly great neighbors!

Tucson in the Summer – But it is a dry heat!

If you are considering becoming a full time or part time resident of Tucson, you’ve probably heard that it’s hot here in the summer. There is no getting around the fact that temperatures in June and July hover around the 100 degree mark. What you may not know is that Tucson consistently has temperatures almost 10 degrees cooler than Phoenix and that we also have quite a bit less humidity than Phoenix does.  Although daytime temperatures in Tucson are high, the nights and early mornings are very pleasant.  Because we have extremely low humidity for most of the summer (often less than 10%), even 100 degrees is not uncomfortable.  It is a “dry heat” and that truly makes quite a difference.

Now is a great time to buy real estate in Tucson.  There are plenty of homes to choose from in every price range.  Sellers are starting to get impatient and there are bargains to be found for those who are not afraid to venture out into the heat.   All you need is an air conditioned car and some bottles of cold water.  I have both and would be happy to share them with you. 

If you’re interested in Tucson real estate contact me for more information.