Welcome to EVLiving.com - An eastern phoenix blog !

East Valley is a booming area within the Greater Phoenix region. If you don’t know what this implies, this means that there is always something interesting that's happening! The question is - how do you keep up with East Valley's awesome places and events when there is little information about it on the web?

We asked the same question, and it has lead to the creation of EVLiving.com.

EV Living

What You Can Expect From The Site

Important News - we don't cover every news that simply pop-up within East Valley. That's a newspaper's job; and frankly, that's a bit boring. We handpick only the most awesome and interesting East Valley news for you.

Big Events - EVLiving.com provides you with the significant upcoming events in East Valley. This ensures that you don't miss anything memorable and exciting.

Awesome Spots - as mentioned before, East Valley is a growing area. There is always a new fantastic spot that's worth your interest. We will give you the details and the location, so you can enjoy and experience East Valley yourself.

ELiving.com is a Eastern Phoenix blog that is truly dedicated to bringing you the best of the best in East Valley. We regularly update the site, thus it is a good idea to give us a visit periodically.

Best schools in phoenix

Best schools in phoenix

In phoenix, the students in high school must earn 22 credits to be graduated. This credit also includes credits in American history and economics. State end exam must be taken in Math and English language arts by high school students. Out of the list of Best high schools released by U.S News many of them are present in Arizona. BASIS Scottsdale is the highest ranked school. This is located in BASIS Schools District. From Arizona’s capital of phoenix it takes half an hour drive to reach this.

Top rated Arizona schools are follows:

  • University High School (Tucson)
  • BASIS Oro Valley
  • Catalina Foothills High School
  • Arizona School for the Arts
  • Gilbert Classical Academy High School
  • Arizona College Prep
  • University High School (Tolleson)
  • BASIS Tucson North
  • Northland Preparatory Academy
  • BASIS Scottsdale

Within Arizona, BASIS Scottsdale school has got first ranking. Here the students are provided with advanced placement exams and course work. Moreover in this school the Ap participation rate is believed to be 100 %.  The student body consists 46% female and 54 % male. 53% percent is the minority enrollment. In the BASIS School Inc, this is the only high school.

Within Arizona BASIS Tucson North has got 2nd ranking. Here also students will get advanced placement exams and work. 100 % is the Ap participation rate for this school as well. 50% female and 50% male is the student body makeup. Here 48% is the total minority enrollment.

Within Arizona ASIS Oro Valley has earned third ranking. Here enrolled students have given opportunity to take up advanced placement course and exams. Even for this school 100% is the Ap participation rate.  Here 47% is the female and 53 % is the male student body makeup. 39 % will be the minority enrollment in ASIS Oro Valley.

Within Arizona, Arizona College prep Erie Campus has earned fourth ranking. Here 100% is the Ap participation rate. Students are given opportunity here to take advanced placement exams and course work. Here the student body makeup will have 55 % female and 45% male. 36 % is the minority enrollment fixed for Arizona College prep. Among the Chandler Unified School District high schools this has gained high popularity. There are 7 high schools in this district.

Along with offering advanced courses and honors, University High school also offers beginning dance and software development. They offer enrollment for concurrent engineering courses by partnering with University of Arizona. It also includes foreign language teaching like German and Chinese. Here students group usually range from Model United Nations to archery.

Teenage students in classroom.

Within Arizona Gilbert Classical Academy has earned seventh ranking. Here also students get opportunity to take up advanced courses and exams in placements. 100% is the Ap participation rate for this school. 52 % female and the 48% male is the student body makeup in this school. 33 % is the minority enrollment for this school. In the Gilbert Unifies District there are 7 high schools and Gilbert Classical Academy is one among them.

Best places to work in phoenix

Best places to work in phoenix

There are many options to choose from when it comes to best work place in phoenix. But few of them are considered as Top companies and best places to work in phoenix. Medias have done survey and recognized few companies as best employers. These companies have received highest marks when it comes to employee engagement and they have commendable workplace practices.

Let’s look at some top companies in phoenix.

Protiviti:

This company is into business consulting. It is located in phoenix. Their website is protiviti.com. This company empowers employees in all levels. When there is a new joinee in the company he will be assigned a mentor. Mentor will help the new hires in advocate promotion and guide them in building their career. Mentors are responsible for new hires employment meetings as well. Retention and growth of women are encouraged by a women’s networking group called iGrow. Veterans are recruited by company’s Networking group of recruiters called U. S veterans group and then they are integrated into workforce of protiviti’s. There is bonus program in the company which recognizes individual contributors and they are rewarded accordingly. Employees will work in flexible time. This will help in supporting the local community and to take care of their personal business.

 McCarthy Building Companies Inc.:

This company is into construction. It is located in phoenix. Their website is mccarthy.com. This was initially founded as a family business. But today this company is 100% owned by employees. From CEO to the receptionist salaried employees are not capped bonuses. There will be medal premiums which can be redeemed by individuals. This can be done through the wellness portal and Vitality online health portals. Along with all these in a year there will be a premium free month. There will be programs for career development as well. Field groups are regularly trained by McCarthy. This will be supported by BuildU portal and office staff. This portal is always open and employees can use the career development programs. Employees can vacation around the country in condos owned by companies.

Laser Spine Institute:

This company is into healthcare providing. It is located in Scottdale. Their website is laserspineinstitute.com. One of their main choices when it comes to values is Have Fun. This is also supported by values like Excellence and commitment, integrity, one team, and care. In these company employees favorites can be listed like appreciation events like free ice cream, summer fun series, holiday parties, and team lunches. Importance of healthy life style is reinforced by annual weight loss challenges. Low cost and healthy foods through company vending machines and Cigna wellness programs are arranged for employees. If they participate in these programs, employees will get cash back. There will be awards luncheons to honor employees who are exampled CHOICE values quarterly.

Navy Federal Credit Union:

This company is into banking sector. It is located in many locations like MCAS Yuma, Yuma uptown, Mesa, Luke AFB, and Fort Huachuca. Their website is navyfederal.org. This company keeps separate fund for employee recognition which will be received by team leaders every year. They will also arrange family events, branch outings, and team buildings activities. For service, leadership qualities, and by their innovative ideas employees are rewarded. Company considered these employees as pip or partners in performance and they will be given performance bonus yearly. Mortgage loans, equity, credit card, and discounts are given based on employee’s experience. During their six month president’s wellness challenge if one meets personal wellness goals then that employee will receive a prize.

Fun things to do in tempe

Fun things to do in tempe

In the phoenix Metropolitan area, Tempe is considered offbeat and quirky urban. One can find many attractions here and it is the home for Arizona State University. It is popular for lively nightlife, pedestrian friendly downtown, and brick sidewalks.

Some of the famous attractions here include Tempe Historical Museum, Arizona State University Art Museum, and Hayden Butte preserve. The attractions which children can enjoy are Big Surf Waterpark, SEA LIFE Aquarium, and Halle Heart Children’s Museum.

Downtown Tempe:

Located in South Mill Avenue Downtown Tempe is near Arizona State University. Tempe is known for its lively nigh life, shops, restaurants, microbreweries, entertainment venues, bars and mainly for its brick sidewalks. It is the great place to enjoy and exploring new things.

Tempe is popular for one more reason that is for events which are hosted throughout the year. It is pedestrian friendly. Some of the events include in Mill Avenue’s New year’s Eve Block party, fireworks celebration on July 4th, and Temple art festival. When it comes to cultural events, concerts are hosted in Gammage Auditorium like Wicked, Opera, phantom, and Cats.

Arizona State University Art Museum:

There are more than 12 thousand objects in this museum. It is established in 1950. This museum features permanent collection of objects. Some of them are contemporary and historic European and American prints, contemporary arts which includes new media, American ceramics which includes 3500 pieces, Mexican ceramics and folk art, many works by artists especially Latin American, and art from Southwestern United states and Arizona, and much more. There are many education outreach programs offered by these art museums. Some of them are activities in neighborhoods and schools. Throughout the year there will be events hosted by museum.

Hayden Butte Preserve:

This is present in the southeast corner of Rio Salado parkway and Mill Avenue. It is a protected area. It is a very famous landmark. It is also called as Tempe butte. 1398 feet is the height of the butte. In 1973, City of Tempe has declared this as park. In 2002 it is designated as preserve. This is due to the presence of many desert animals and plants.

There are 500 petroglyphs and which are made by Hohokam Native Americans in between 750 AD and 1450 AD. This is also famous for hiking and much other outdoor exercise.

Tempe center:

This is located in West Rio Salado parkway on the Salt River of Tempe. It is the center for both performing and visual art. The roof of the center is made of intricate geometric folded plates. This is built between 2004 and 2007. This is the main home for dance companies like Chidsplay which is a theatre company, Tempe Symbolic Wind Ensemble, Tempe community Chorus, Arizona Wind Symphony which is a music group, A Ludwig Dance Theatre, Desert Dance theatre and ConderDance.

Tempe Historical Museum:

This museum is mainly dedicated for exploring the history of Tempe. There is a exhibit which entitled Tempe: distinct, diverse, dynamics which is present in the main hall. Through variety of media this tries to present the history of Tempe. There are temporary art exhibitions held in Changing Exhibits Gallery and Community Room Art Gallery. For meeting and performances Community Room can be rented. This museum also offers many education outreach programs as well mainly for children. Other programs hosted by this museum are Tempe historic society’s Lunch Talks, films, concerts, and plays.

Fun things to do in mesa az

Fun things to do in mesa az

It is not that difficult to find adventure at mesa az. There are many outdoor attractions along with cultural and educational attractions. These range from Broadway musicals to interactive museums and old west towns. Yes. Mesa offers all of these in a bundle.

One more thing is to it is easy in Mesa to reach these adventures. The adventures also includes very famous natural attractions like Superstition Mountains, area lakes, Usery Mountain Regional park, Salt and Verde Rivers, and Apache trail. One can explore Cruise Saguaro Lake, Desert Belle, Dolly Steamboat, and Canyon Lake.

It also includes many adventures which are considered family fun. There are many kid friendly museums in Mesa. These will be able to entertain even little ones. The museum which has Natural History is the Arizona Museum where one can hear the roar of dinosaurs. At Commemorative Air Force Airbase Arizona one can learn all about vintage aircraft. There is a museum called i.d.e.a museum which will definitely entertain kids and sparks their creativity. At Rockin’R Ranch one can feel that they have taken a step back in time. On a hot air balloon ride one can oar the Sonoran skies. Desert Botanical Garden and phoenix Zoo will help to get in touch with the nature. Whatever one chooses to explore in Mesa az they will definitely experience surprise, fun, entertainment, and playful.

Some of the other adventures include:

Orange patch:

At orange patch one can pluck oranges by their own. This is founded in 1960s. Along with oranges orchard and stores also offers acres of citrus which includes, tangerines, Valencisa, Arizona sweets, Rio Red grapefruit, navels, and pink grapefruit. It also offers candy counters, pickled produce and locally prepared preserves.

Arizona Celebration of Freedom:

This offers a jump into fireworks. This is usually held in January. Many adventures are part of this which includes street performers, music, art walk, beer gardens, motorcycles, and classic cars.

Wind Cave Trail:

This is present at Usery Mountain Regional Park. This is mainly meant for octogenarians and toddlers. This is less challenging since it contains lower and easy stretches.  It is present at the base of a cliff and is a wind carved hollow. That is why it is considered best spot for expansive views and it is a popular lunch spot.

Buckhorn Baths:

When waiting for Mesa icon Buckhorn Baths one can peek in the windows. It is the time to spy the taxidermy collection. This is opened in 1935 as a trading post in pristine desert. When a well got dug here a source of mineral water was discovered after that it became Buckhorn Baths. For motor court motels it is the early example.

Mesa Historical Museum:

One among the most underrated tours that too Valley home tours is historic home tour on Mesa Historical Museum in the time of winter. There is a Evergreen Historic District which is one among the highlights and homes here are built between 1910-1940. This was only meant for Whites.  But one among them is for non-whites only that is Alston House. This was believed to own by first Black Doctor in Mesa. Then recently this house has been restored and now it is home for celebration committee of Mesa Martin Luther King Jr. and Hispanic Citizens.

How I paid Homage to my Deceased Father

A father is responsible for the emotional well-being of his child from the time they are born until they are graduated from high school or leave home for good. He shows concern for their happiness, helps them when they are worried or upset, comforts them when they are sad, and fulfill their emotional needs. The value of a father is unmatched in the life of every individual.

However, nothing is permanent in this world and everyone has to go one day or the other. But, it is important that we recognize the good things that a father has done for us and pay adequate respect and homage to him after he is gone.

When my father passed away unexpectedly, I didn’t know how to handle the process of grieving. I felt lost and confused and didn’t know if I wanted to spend the time with him or go off and do something productive. I wasn’t sure which option would protect me more—the time spent with him or my newfound independence. Eventually, I realized that it was time to pay tribute to him for all the happiness he gave us throughout his life.

I thought of some unique ideas to pay homage to my deceased father and summarised them in a list, and I would like to share those with you by means of this post. 

  • Celebrating my father’s birthday: Celebrating my father’s birthday is a time to pay tribute and thank him for the many gifts he had given me. It is also an opportunity to share the joy of a life lived well with others.
  • Installed a bench at my father’s favourite park: My dad loved to take walks on the weekends and we would often meet at a park bench for lunch. I had no idea where to begin, so I hired a funeral parlor to help me plan. After installing the bench, as the months progress and the years pass by, my father’s memory will forever remain in my heart.
  • Charity Drive for the Needy: My father always believed that raising awareness about hunger was more important than making money; and, today I realize that he was right! I organized a charity drive in my deceased father’s name and the money I raised helped to provide a meal to someone in need and provide shelter to the homeless.
  • Popularised my Dad on Social Media: My dad always wanted to be famous; so, I tried a simple trick to at least make him popular on my social media pages on his anniversary. To make his death anniversary special, I posted his photos with customized online photo frames. I took the help of a free death anniversary photo editing online tool that created amazing photos of my dad along with stunning frames. If you too want to do the same for your father, there are many free death anniversary photo editing online tools and apps over the internet that you can use.
  • Plant Saplings: My father was an outdoor enthusiast and a lover of trees. Before passing on, he was always in favor of planting more of them. I am proud to honor his memory by donating tree saplings in his name.