Mesa Academy Newsletter
March 2025
Despite having a week off for Spring Break, our Knights were extremely busy in March. The
4th graders explored the Grand Canyon and Bearizona. We completed State testing in
science. Orchestra performed a wonderful concert, and after months of practice and
rehearsal, the drama club put on the musical Anastasia at the Fremont auditorium. We
topped off the month with the International Festival, where hundreds of attendees came
to enjoy food, games, performances, and fun from countries worldwide.- Ms. Wilfert
(Principal)
Upcoming Dates
April
4/1: Jr. High Honor Band at the MAC
4/3: MPYO & JHFO at the MAC
4/4: Baked Goods and Bingo: 5:30-7pm
4/14: PTO Meeting in Media Center: 6:30-7:30pm
4/18: No School (Spring Holiday)
4/23: National Administrative Professionals' Day
4/25: Spirit Day: Careers
4/22: Panda Express Eating for Ed. 9am-10pm Power/McDowell
4/22: Battle of the Books Semi-Finals @ Historic Irving
4/28: Meet the New Principal Night 6-7pm in the MPR
State Testing:
It’s important students are at school, on time, with a charged computer and corded
headphones on testing days.
4/1: AASA Writing (6-8) 8-10 am
4/2-4: AASA Make Ups 8-10 am
4/7-8: AASA 4/5 ELA and Math Part 1 & Part 2 8-10 am
4/9-11: AASA Make Ups in Library 8-10 am
4/14-15: AASA 6-8 ELA and Math Part 1 & Part 2 8-11 am
4/16-25: AASA Make Ups in Library8-10 am
Principal’s Message
May
5/2: Band Dress Rehearsals- MPR 12:45-2:45 pm
5/5-5/10: Teacher Appreciation Week
5/7: Adv. Band Required Dress Rehearsal-6-8 pm
5/9: 4th gr. Invention Convention- Science lab- 7:45-10am
5/8: Band & Orchestra @ ABODA All-State Festival
5/9: Beginning Band Dress Rehearsal-10-11:15 am
5/9: 8th Grade Graduation Dance 6-8 pm
5/10-5/16: 8th Grade Close-up Trip
5/12-14: 7th gr. California Trip
5/12: PTO Meeting/Library 6:30-7:30pm
5/13: Orchestra Concert (4th/5th)
See Orchestra Section for times.
5/20: 6th & 7th Gr. Award Assembly 9:15-10:30 am
5/20: All Bands: Band Concert 6-8pm
5/21: 4th & 5th Gr. Award Assembly 9:15-10:30 am
5/21: 8th Grade Awards Ceremony 5:30-6:30 pm
5/21: Spirit Day: Twin Day
5/22: Last Day of School- 2 Hour Early Release Day
4th 8th Grade News:
Orchestra May 13th Concert Times
4A and 5A will arrive at 5:15 to be tuned and perform at 5:30-5:45 pm
4B and 5B will arrive at 6pm to be tuned and perform at 6:15-6:30 pm
4C and 5C wil arrive at 6:45 to be tuned and perform at 7:00-7:15 pm
May 13th Concert in the MPR
"Calling all 7th and 8th grade artists! Our District Art Show is coming up in
April. Mrs. Chiren is open to submitting art from ANY of our creative 7th and
8th graders. So, if you're an artist who would like to have art considered for
the show, start working on it now! All artwork is due in hardcopy to Mrs.
Chiren by Tuesday, April 8, 2025. See Mrs. Chiren if you are interested or to
ask any questions."- Mrs. Chiren
"Please join us in celebrating the 37th annual Mesa Public Schools Young at Art
Show at our evening gala event on April 25, 2025, from 5 PM - 10 PM. The gala will
feature adjudicated junior and senior high student artwork as well as live
performances by junior and senior high dance, theatre, and music students.
Cuisine creations by Mesa Public Schools Culinary Art Students will also be
available. If you're unable to attend the opening night gala, there are additional
times when you can come view the show: Mon-Tues, April 28-29 4 pm -7 pm.
Address: Historic Irving 155 N Center St, Mesa, AZ 85201."- Mrs. Chiren
Counselor’s Corner
State Testing:
It’s important students are at
school, on time, with a charged
computer and corded
headphones on testing days.
Service opportunity for Mesa Academy 8th-grade students
The Maricopa County Department of Public Health is currently seeking youth aged 13-19 to join our Youth Advisory
Council for its 5th cohort. The purpose of this council is to offer leadership opportunities, training, relationship-
building experiences, and a platform for youth to voice health issues impacting their communities within the County.
For more information, check out the website and/or application.
Maricopa County website: https://www.maricopa.gov/5918/Youth-Advisory-Council
Link to Application: https://forms.office.com/g/1NhDGyD9jB
Battle of The Books
Attention, bookworms and page-turners!! Drumroll, please, for the grand reveal of our final scores from the epic 2024-2025
Battle of the Books showdown:
In 6th place with 46 points - The Girls in Pink
In 5th place with 154 points - The Trouble Maker Turkeys
In 4th place with 158 points - Mr. Minions
In 3rd place with 180 points - The Bookworms
The Water Monsters and Team Frylie were neck and neck at the top with a whopping 182 points each! They dove into 5 nail-
biting tie-breaker rounds, and after a thrilling showdown, the champions emerged:
In 2nd place - The Water Monsters
And in FIRST PLACE - TEAM FRYLIE!!!
Now Team Frylie is charging into the Semi-Final Showdown on April 22nd! If they snag a win there, they’ll strut their stuff in
the Finals on April 24th. Keep your fingers crossed because if they clinch that victory too, it’s off to the Regionals on May 7th!
Go Team Frylie, you guys are rockstars! 🎉
Mesa Academy’s 2025 Drama Club
On March 21st, the MAAS Drama Club captivated the audience with a stunning
performance of Anastasia: The Musical (Youth Edition). The cast brought the story to
life with powerful performances,vibrant choreography, and breathtaking costumes.
The production followed Anya’s (Addie Wells) journey from St. Petersburg to Paris in
search of her past, with the ensemble adding energy and depth to every scene.
Months of hard work paid off as the students delivered a polished, heartfelt
performance.
A special thanks to the directors, volunteers and parents for their support. This night
is one all involved won’t soon forget.
Join us for a night of fun? NJHS is
hosting a Baked Goods and BINGO
night on Friday, April 4th in the MPR
5:30-7pm
NJHS Baked Goods and BINGO
On Saturday our Mesa Academy Chess Club took 2nd
Place at the tournaments. A big shout-out to Diego
Sanchez, who is moving on to the State Championship
after taking 1st place on March 22nd!
Chess Club
Every month teachers nominate one student from their homeroom who best exhibits one of the IB Traits. March’s IB Trait
was Principled. A Principled student acts with integrity and honesty, demonstrating a strong sense of fairness and justice,
and respecting the dignity and rights of others.
This month’s winners were:
Duci Dominguez
Zack Swinehart
Sophia Harper
William Taylor
Duci Dominguez
Isaac Matthew
Rachel Cornia
Austin Huegle
Maddy Hon
Zaiden Clanton
Kenleigh Christensen
Giovanni Manzo
Adam Magnusson
Skye Matosevic
Anna Vee Taylor
IB Trait of the Month Recognitions
Mesa Academy’s International Festival
On Friday, March 28th, Mesa Academy hosted over 500 people at our annual International Festival. Our amazing PTO did a
great job planning this HUGE event. This event would not have been possible without the support and help from our
parents, staff, students, and alumni. The festival included entertainment from our PTO DJ, Mr. Chris, student dancers, and
musicians. Our 8th-grade Chinese Language students once again did their Flash Mob. The Desert Sounds Mariachi group,
along with Fremont’s Folklorico Club and Kilali’s Polynesian Revue and Dance School, delighted us with their talented
dances and music. Our very own 8th-grade student, Tyson, was one of the Polynesian Dancers. Families were happy to
sponsor booths and share their culture with our MAAS community. Parents, Mesa Academy alumni, and current Mesa
Academy students were quick to volunteer and host food and activity booths. Many of our families had an opportunity to
meet and chat with our incoming principal, Dr. Davis. The night was filled with happy people enjoying cultures from around
the world. Thank you to all who helped put the event together and to those who attended.
A Soaking Mystery Cow
Our Red Mtn. and Westwood High School alumni back to be part of our International Festival
Our Mesa Academy students and families did a great job meeting the fundraising
goal that PTO and our Mystery Cow set of $12k and $15k. Mesa Academy raised
just a bit over $17K! When we returned from Spring Break, our top fundraisers
received a certificate and a cold treat. In addition to that, our 2 top performers,
Ethan and Danny, got to drench Mystery Cow with a bucket of ice-cold water.
Students had a blast, enjoying the beautiful weather and cheering on their peers.
Our first outside spirit celebration assembly was led by our incoming principal,
Dr. Davis. Next week, our PTO D.J., Mr. Chris, will do some ‘Lunch-D.J-ing’ as we
wrap up our FunRun Celebrations!
Attention 8th Grade Parents!!!
We are looking for parents to form our 8th Grade
Graduation Dance Committee. The dance is scheduled for
Friday, May 9th, in the MPR. Please join us at our planning
meeting on Tuesday, April 8th at 6:30 pm in the Media
Center. If you cannot make it but would like to help in some
way, email Mrs. Fish at tarafish09@gmail.com
There are many ways to help make this a special event for
our 8th graders. We will need drinks, snacks and help
decorating the MPR. Please check your emails and Parent
Square for much more information.
An email with specific information will be sent out soon
requesting pictures that captured our 8th graders making
fun memories while they were part of Mesa Academy. Start
looking for those pictures but, please hold off on sending
them until after the April 8th planning meeting.
Meet
Dr. Jake Davis,
Our New Principal!
We are excited to invite the Academy staff and community to a Meet &
Greet with Dr. Jake Davis, the incoming principal of Mesa Academy!
Join us on April 28th from 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM in the MPR for an opportunity to hear a little
about Dr. Davis and his enthusiasm for joining our incredible Academy community.
Dr. Davis will also be available for a brief Q&A session, so bring your questions and help
us give him a warm Academy welcome. We look forward to seeing you there!
Location :
Student Body Pres. Interiew with Dr.
Davis
RSVP Meet & Greet