2026 June issue of InMaricopa Magazine

2026 June issue of InMaricopa Magazine InMaricopa.com InMaricopa is Maricopa's premier local news source InMaricopa is your go-to source for hyper-local news and information about Maricopa, Arizona. Stay informed with the latest community updates, events, and stories that matter to our city. InMaricopa is the only dedicated news outlet focusing exclusively on the city of Maricopa, ensuring residents are always in the know.

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June 2026

Rope fiends Three generations later, rodeo family keeps legacy alive in Maricopa

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CONTENTS

LEADING OFF Editor’s letter 4 Contributors 4 HISTORY This month in history 6 Maricopa, six elementary schools ago 8 GOVERNMENT Permits 10 Crime is down, but arrests are up in the city 12 Inaugural ‘bike rodeo’ comes as sidewalks open to cyclists 14 COMMUNTY Who’s the Best Mom InMaricopa? 16 Churches come together for National Day of Prayer 18 From Yuma to Maricopa, this multi- generational Black rodeo family is building something special 20 THINGS TO DO Maricopa’s hottest summer activity may be at the library 28 Events 30 Weekly recurring activities 32 EDUCATION Graduating seniors declare their colleges and majors 36 Saluting Heritage Academy’s seniors 40 First powwow since pre-pandemic celebrates the Southwest 42 BUSINESS Peek over Nissan’s walls for the first time 44 Restaurant inspections 47 Mapping recent business news 48 HEALTH & WELLNESS Whether melasma or tattoo, new tech has made skin correction less frustrating 50

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HOME Why pool noodles are the secret to leveling up your garden 52 How to stage your listing without breaking the bank 53 When tenants move out, what felt clear starts getting complicated 54 Keep sweetness on the table with this summer recipe 55

TRENDING A look at what’s hot on InMaricopa.com 63 PARTING SHOT Quacking up! 64

ON THE COVER Monica D. Spencer captures Elvenee Dees, 61, roping a steer at the family’s Hidden Valley Ranch in May.

*Select units, select lease terms and restrictions apply.

InMaricopa.com | June 2026

FROM THE EDITOR

E Plain old neighbors EXACTLY THREE YEARS AGO, I SAT DOWN TO write my very first editor’s note for InMaricopa Magazine . I called it “Welcome home.” My first day on the job, I left my North Scottsdale apartment and drove down State Route 347 for the first time. I’d been in Arizona just two years, with one editorship under my belt. I had never been to the city of Maricopa, nor did I realize it was in Pinal County. I didn’t know anyone. Three Junes ago, it was the second-hardest editor’s note I’ve ever had to write. This one is harder, because it is my last. In summer 2023, I wrote of Maricopa, “Safe to say, I’ve finally found my home.” And while my time at InMaricopa has come to a close, those words ring truer than ever. As I write this, my family had dinner at our next-door neighbors’ house for the first time last night. My once-new-built home, a blank canvas, has become a young family’s sanctuary. This is the city where my fiancée and I met, where we went on our first date and where my 4-month-old son will grow up. I may be leaving the magazine world in favor of TV news, but I am not leaving Maricopa. It’s a place where you can plant roots. The job or the house may change, but the community is constant. I’ve found that here. My three years leading this newsroom have been some of the most important in the publication’s 22-

year history, and for me personally, they’ve been indescribably rewarding and action-packed. I wrote our most-read story of all time and won our first investigative and narrative journalism awards. I got to publish the outlet’s 25,000th story and its 30,000th. And I made so many friends along the way, covering stolen valor, government waste and human triumph. I hope and believe you will all be at least as kind

Publisher SCOTT BARTLE

Advertising Director VINCENT MANFREDI

Editorial Director ELIAS WEISS

to our incoming editor, Monica D. Spencer, as you were to me when I took over. She has three and a half years at InMaricopa under her belt, half a year more than me, and is among the journalists I respect and admire most in the Phoenix area. Starting this month, for the first time, I’ll both live in Maricopa and read InMaricopa while not working at the magazine. I’m looking forward

Operations Director TIFFANY WELCH

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to what its reimagined future brings. And you may see me contribute local stories in future editions because, like I wrote three whole years ago, I’ve found my home. To my readers, thank you for letting me tell your stories. We’re plain old neighbors now.

KAYDENCE SHIPMAN MONICA D. SPENCER SHERMAN AND EUPHEMIA WEEKES

Photographers MONICA D. SPENCER RYAN TAFOYA

Designer CARL BEZUIDENHOUT

ELIAS WEISS EDITORIAL DIRECTOR | Elias@InMaricopa.com

Our Services

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Send your reactions with a photo of yourself at the QR code to be published in a future edition of InMaricopa magazine.

Now O ffering!

BELIEFS We believe in: • An informed citizenry. • Holding ourselves and others accountable. • The success of deserving businesses.

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• Integrity • Accountability

CONTRIBUTORS

• Open, honest, real-time communication • Prosperity for clients, community, company

Volume 21, Issue 6 InMaricopa 44400 W. Honeycutt Road, Suite 101 Maricopa, AZ 85138

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CHERYL PURVIS Cheryl has a second act for your pool noodles after swim season.

SHERMAN & EUPHEMIA WEEKES Property duo Sherman

KRISTINA DONNAY Dr. Kristina ushers in a new era of skin correction.

and Euphemia warn about hidden landmines in the move-out process.

InMaricopa.com | June 2026

HISTORY

THIS MONTH IN HISTORY For these and other historical stories, visit InMaricopa.com.

5 years ago Rockstar Cheer brought a national championship back to Maricopa after its “Journey” squad won the Senior Level 3 co-ed division at the All-Star World Championships in Orlando. The 19-member team, coached by Beth Mundell and Jam Davis, had overcome pandemic closures and Zoom practices to earn the title. The championship marked the program’s first win at that level after 10 years in business.

Ak-Chin Indian Community leaders and Caesars Entertainment executives broke ground on a $100 million Harrah’s Ak-Chin Hotel & Casino expansion. The project added a spa, conference center with multiuse ballroom space, parking garage, additional restaurants and more than 200 rooms, doubling the hotel’s capacity. 10 years ago

15 years ago

20 years ago

A welfare call led Maricopa firefighters to a debris-filled home where an 83-year-old paraplegic man was found lying on a floor covered with feces. Pinal County Animal Care & Control removed nine dogs and seven cats, though Director Kaye Dickson said officers likely weren’t able to recover every animal inside. The man survived after recovering in the hospital.

One of Maricopa’s O.G. restaurants, On the Go Bistro, tried to answer the city’s breakfast drought, adding pancakes, French toast, eggs and a $3.99 breakfast burrito while switching to full-service dining. But two weeks after the move, the family-owned restaurant served its last meal, undone by $4,000 rent, thin customer traffic and a suddenly crowded restaurant scene.

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InMaricopa.com | June 2026

HISTORY

Old school BY ELIAS WEISS

district’s youngest students all shared one playground off Honeycutt Avenue. This undated family photo shows the old Maricopa Unified Schools playground, now the site of the current Maricopa Elementary School playground. Submitted by 28-year-old Homestead resident Terese Bochat, the

photo shows Bochat as a child with her aunt, captured by her grandmother. “It was Maricopa Elementary School’s old playground before they built the new Maricopa Elementary in Alterra,” Bochat said. “I’m not sure how many people knew all the grade schools used to be in just one area!”

Before Maricopa Unified School District spread six elementary schools (seven when Alma Farrell Innovation Academy opens next month) across town, the

BILL GRIFFIN as Constable Bill Griffin has spent a lifetime serving others through law enforcement, public safety, and community involvement.

• Married for 43 years • Proud father of 5

• Served as a Contract Investigator for the Department of Homeland Security • Active community volunteer • Boy Scouts of America • Master Gardener • Maricopa Community Garden • Addiction Recovery Support • Make-A-Wish Foundation

• Proud grandfather of 16 • Maricopa resident for 19 years • 25 years with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department

• Emergency Response Unit • Drug Recognition Expert • Child Abuse Investigations

LEARN MORE

Facebook.com/BillGriffinAZ | www.GriffinAZ.com GriffinForConstable@gmail.com

InMaricopa.com | June 2026

June 2026 | InMaricopa.com

GOVERNMENT

BRIEF

Permits April 11-May 10

AZ Real Estate 005 shade structure for Circle K at 42150 W. Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway, valued at $788,730. The contractor is Stansell Properties & Development. Honeycutt Run monument sign permit for entrance sign to community at 36635 W. Honeycutt Road. The contractor is Number One Signs Corp. Ironwood Ranch Apartments at 39695 W. Lococo St. shade structure for a playground canopy, valued at $10,877. The contractor is Lopez Family. Rancho Mirage retaining wall permit, valued at $30,330. The contractor is Prime Masonry & Stone. Someburros noise variance at 42618 W. Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway. Virginia Brown home occupation permit

for gunsmithing and manufacturing at 19997 N. Herbert Ave. RESIDENTIAL Castlerock Communities to construct 1 home in Rancho Mirage Estates. Dream Finders Homes to construct 6 homes in Rancho Mirage Estates. D.R. Horton to construct 16 homes in Sorrento, 14 in Elena Trails and 2 in Moonlight. Gehan Homes to construct 5 homes in The Lakes Rancho El Dorado. Meritage Homes to construct 11 homes in Rancho Mirage Estates. Pulte Homes to construct 7 homes in El Rancho Santa Rosa. Richmond American Homes to construct 4 homes in The Lakes at Rancho El Dorado.

COMMERCIAL Anderson Farms retaining wall permit for 472 linear feet at Hartman and Farrell Roads, valued at $200,000. PH Maricopa minor development review permit for drive-thru Black Rock Coffee Bar at 20265 N. John Wayne Parkway. Blazing Wings Properties construction for Buffalo Wild Wings at 17819 N. Stonegate Road. The contractor is A T Meridian Construction. AZ Real Estate 005 construction for Circle K at 42150 W. Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway, valued at $613,028. The contractor is Stansell Properties & Development.

Curious about development in the City of Maricopa? Did you know we have an online tool that lets you search commercial and residential projects currently in review, under construction, and recently completed?

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InMaricopa.com | June 2026

GOVERNMENT

75,713 Dispatch calls in 2025 Up more than 9%

99.45% Calls answered within 15 seconds

67% Increase in criminal indictments

2% Crimes per capita fell in 2025, from 60.8 to 59.7 per 1,000 residents.

CRIMES BY CATEGORY

22% 11%

36% 17%

13%

15%

14%

BIGGEST CRIME INCREASES

BIGGEST CRIME DROPS

HE CITY’S CRIME RATE TICKED DOWN IN 2025, BUT THE WORK INSIDE THE police department got heavier. Maricopa Police Department reported 4,178 total crimes last year, down 2% from 4,256 in 2024. Measured per 1,000 residents, crimes fell from 60.8 to 59.7. At the same time, arrests increased 5%, reports climbed and criminal investigations grew sharply. Chief Mark Goodman told City Council in April the numbers showed a department with more capacity to pursue difficult cases, not just close to them. “Our commitment is not just to close cases,” Goodman said. “It is to make arrests and to give justice to victims.” The data shows a mixed public safety picture: property crimes rose 11%, crimes against people rose 22% and crimes against society fell 13%. Arrests for crimes against people rose 36%, and arrests tied to property crimes rose 17%. Goodman said the department’s shift is intentional. With more training, technology and investigative resources, detectives are taking on more complex cases and pushing more of them toward arrests and indictments. Crime down, arrests up BY MONICA D. SPENCER T

29% DUI 25% DRUG CRIMES

26% TRESPASS 14% GROUP B CRIMES

90% BURGLARY 34% CRIMINAL DAMAGE 22% ASSAULTS

80% ROBBERY 26% SEX OFFENSES 26% FAMILY OFFENSES

“Our commitment is not just to close cases. It is to make arrests and to give justice to

4,178 Total crimes in 2025 Down from 4,256 in 2024 2,751 Total arrests in 2025 Up from 2,629 in 2024

victims.” POLICE CHIEF MARK GOODMAN

13% CRIMES AGAINST SOCIETY

Source: MPD December 2025 year-to-date crime statistics.

InMaricopa.com | June 2026

June 2026 | InMaricopa.com

GOVERNMENT

Pedaling safety MPD’s inaugural bike rodeo teaches behind the handlebars

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MONICA D. SPENCER

F OR MORE THAN AN HOUR ONE FRIDAY afternoon this spring, a winding line of children on tricycles and bicycles practiced navigating mock intersections, traffic signs and roadway obstacles outside the Maricopa Library & Cultural Center. It was part of Maricopa Police Department’s inaugural bicycle rodeo in late April, an event designed to promote cyclist safety among local youth. Families could have helmets properly fitted, get lights and reflectors installed on their bicycles and get a quick tune up. Chief Mark Goodman said the event was part of the department’s ongoing community safety initiatives around bicycle safety, adding MPD wants “to try to prevent some of those incidents where kids and bicycles and cars may all come together at the wrong place.” The event followed a string of 2026 crashes involving young pedestrians and bicyclists, including multiple children hospitalized and a 24-year-old woman killed. “We want to try to prevent that and ensure safety for our community,” Goodman said.

InMaricopa.com | June 2026

June 2026 | InMaricopa.com

COMMUNITY

InMaricopa’s social media coordinator Erika Paramo (left) awards Ace Hardware’s winner, Misty McKenzie.

normal and great life,” Johnson wrote. “She inspires me every day to work hard for things I want and not take for granted the life she provided for me.” Smith, nominated by her family, was described as an “INCREDIBLE mom of 3” whose kindness and warmth extend beyond her own children. “She has a warmth of no judgment and kindness that is shown through the acts of service she performs for everybody,” the nomination read. “She is the mom that would drive her kids plus anybody else that can fit in the car.” Her family described her as a mother, friend and mentor who helps other moms when they are struggling and always puts her children first. Each winner received a prize selected by Ace Hardware. The prizes were a Craftsman V20 steel cordless pruner and Craftsman V20 3-speed misting fan, a YETI Roadie 32 Big Sky Blue 50 roller cooler and a Living Accents steel round wood fire pit.

Monique Mullenaux wrote that Misty teaches her children important values, works full-time, and shows up every day with unconditional love. “Misty is my hero in this way,” Mullenaux wrote. “She accepts what is while working toward her beautiful goals and visions for her life and family’s benefit.” Johnson was nominated by Maryah Johnson, who wrote that her mother raised five children as a single mother and always put them first. “She has given everything to raise me and my four siblings right as a single mother,” Maryah Johnson wrote. “Every day for the past 26 years she has made us her priority.” Her nomination described years of sacrifice, including leaving an abusive relationship, struggling to pay bills and building her own business so she could stay home with her children. “My mom deserves everything in this world, and she definitely deserves recognition for all the sacrifices she made for us to have a

In its 15th year, Best Mom InMaricopa winners are crowned at Karsten’s Ace Hardware May 9.

Who’s the Best Mom InMaricopa? BY ELIAS WEISS T

HREE MARICOPA MOMS HAVE NEW BRAGGING RIGHTS. Best Mom InMaricopa, an annual Mother’s Day tradition dating back to 2012, returned this year with 46 nominated moms and more than 750 votes cast. The winners were presented May 9 at Karsten’s Maricopa Ace Hardware, 21542 N. John Wayne Parkway. This year’s Best Moms were Misty McKenzie (Ace Hardware’s winner), Maria Johnson ( InMaricopa ’s winner) and Jeanette Smith (People’s Choice winner), each nominated by family members who described them as selfless, loving and tireless in their devotion to their children and families. McKenzie, who received three nominations, was described as a single mother working full time while pursuing a college degree and raising a loving household. “She’s my mama and I can say with 1000% certainty that she is always there for us whether she’s busy or not,” Lexie McKenzie wrote in her nomination. “She’s always there to talk and she does kind acts of service for everyone around her without having to be asked.” Bailey McKenzie called her “the best mom ever,” writing that Misty, a single mother of four, has made her home a safe space for her family while working hard to support her children’s dreams.

Popular vote winner Jeanette Smith grins with a rose bouquet.

InMaricopa’s winner, Maria Johnson.

InMaricopa.com | June 2026

June 2026 | InMaricopa.com

COMMUNITY

National Day of Prayer

The city celebrated National Day of Prayer like never before in May. Hosted by Calvary Chapel in conjunction with Maricopa Alliance Church, Be Community Church and Propel Church, about 100 pious residents congregated at the Copper Sky veranda; group prayers occurred between five-minute sermons as the sun fell behind the mountains.

InMaricopa.com | June 2026

June 2026 | InMaricopa.com

COMMUNITY

For them, rodeo is more than competition. It’s more than shiny buckles, armfuls of ribbons, gifted saddles and expensive horses. It is family structure, therapy session, classroom and never-ending reunion rolled into one dusty arena just off Warren Road. “This is just what we do,” Phylliss said. “We Long before R.J. and Delilah started collecting buckles, Alexis and Phylliss were the little girls following Ree through arenas and ranches across Arizona with their brother, J.R. Dees. “I was pretty much the [other] boy he had but didn’t have,” Alexis said with a laugh. She learned to ride young and spent years training under her father, eventually following in his footsteps to Central Arizona College, where she competed on the rodeo team. live every day like this.” Raised in the arena “I wanted to experience what he experienced,” Alexis said. “College rodeo was my thing.” The family’s rodeo roots stretch back generations. Ree first learned to ride on his father’s cattle ranch in Yuma, where rounding up cattle naturally led him into rodeo. “My dad, he built an arena on the [Yuma] ranch. We started roping at home there,” Ree said. “Then I started high school rodeoing, college rodeoing and pro-rodeoing. Now I’m here and my grandson rodeos. My son is one of the top ropers in the world.” His son, J.R. Dees, is a professional team roper and two-time qualifier for the National Finals Rodeo. It’s all a stark contrast to the prediction Ree’s father, Alex, made years ago. “There’s an interview he did and the very last words he gave were, ‘Nobody in my family will ever continue this legacy,’” Phylliss said. “I thought, ‘Oh, really? I got you.’ In this family, the tradition’s not going away.” Now Ree spends his evenings teaching his grandchildren the same lessons once passed down to him, almost always on horseback. During practice, he moves between roles seamlessly, helping saddle horses one minute before stepping into the arena himself the next. “He wakes up every morning and has purpose,” Phylliss said. “There’s people out there that need him and believe in him.” That work ethic became part of daily life for the entire family. Horses need consistency. Riders need repetition. Some nights, practice stretches long after sunset. “You’ll ride every day, and then out of nowhere the horse forgets everything,” Phylliss said. “So, it teaches you patience and hustle.”

R.J. Ruiz and his father, Ricardo, practice team roping.

A legacy multiplied At 61, Ree Dees still ropes alongside his children and grandchildren, helping carry a family tradition into another generation.

HE HEAT FROM THE YEAR’S first 100-degree day still clung to the air well after sunset. Inside the arena, dust rose

with each horse’s trot as a 10-year-old, his grandfather and aunt rushed after a steer. A rope whooshed through the air and hooked the back legs. Someone yelled from the arena’s edge to keep their eyes open. At the center of the organized chaos was Elvenee “Ree” Dees, sitting tall atop his horse. At 61, Ree still does nearly all of it himself. He moves cattle, coaches riders, breaks and trains horses and ropes alongside his children and grandchildren, who now carry on the family tradition he first learned growing up in Yuma. Not far away, 10-year-old Ricardo “R.J.” Ruiz Jr. sat on his horse and adjusted his rope before another practice run. His younger sister, 7-year-old Delilah, tied up her pony after running through several barrel patterns. Their aunt, Alexis Dees, prepared for another team roping drill with R.J. Their mother, Phylliss Ruiz, watched from the gate, keeping an eye on the horses and talking rodeo with the same lifelong familiarity she grew up with.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MONICA D. SPENCER

The Dees and Ruiz family stands for a photo on their Hidden Valley ranch.

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June 2026 | InMaricopa.com

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Right: Delilah Ruiz, 7, practices barrel racing on her horse, White Lightning. Left: Elvenee Dees on horseback May 9.

Left: R.J. Ruiz’s belt buckles, books and awards sit on display. He’s won 39 buckles, three saddles and many other horse tack prizes. Above: A saddle R.J. Ruiz won during a competition sits on his horse.

Learning more than rodeo As the sun drops lower and the arena lights begin flickering on, practice slowly blends into family time. The youngest children play feet from the arena gates while the adults move cattle through the chute for another run. Someone starts preparing food. Occasionally, music

“I was, like, leaning and the horse was walking then stopped. My dad came into the arena and picked me up,” she recalled matter- of-factly. Between them, the siblings have earned several dozen buckles, armfuls of ribbons and a saddle.

is one of the biggest reasons she embraced rodeo life for her children, even knowing how demanding it could become. “I honestly didn’t want my kids to rodeo at first, because I knew what went into it,” she said. “There’s crying and breakdowns and hard days.” But she also saw what the lifestyle gave

“I wasn’t too good then,” R.J. admitted with a grin. “But I won two buckles my first time.” For Delilah, rodeo started by watching her older brother practice. “I wanted to do it too,” she said. Her first memories involve carefully trotting through barrel patterns before eventually falling off her saddle.

drifts across the property. Family members settle into lawn chairs along the arena fence as riders continue practicing into the evening. Everyone contributes somehow. “One’s helping saddle, one’s helping move horses, one’s helping with cattle,” Alexis said. “Everybody’s part of the process.” For Phylliss, that sense of family connection

R.J. started roping around age 5 after spending years watching his grandfather and uncle compete. “I thought, ‘What if I try this out?’” he said. “And it turned out to be really fun.” His first buckle came on a brown horse named Little Man, the same horse Delilah would later learn on, too.

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them in return: responsibility, resilience and time together. “A lot of kids don’t get this anymore,” she said. “My kids are out here with family, with horses, learning responsibility.” This summer, the family plans to begin offering riding lessons and camps for children, especially kids who may never have had access to horses or rodeo before. “We want kids that have never even pet a horse to experience it,” Phylliss said. The vision goes beyond teaching rodeo skills. The family hopes the property becomes a safe place where children can unplug, build confidence and simply feel included. “I just want other kids to know they have a safe place,” Phylliss said. For R.J., the dream is already growing larger. He wants to someday compete in the NFR. “That’s where I want to be,” he said. Back in the arena, Ree continues working cattle and offering riding lessons between team roping drills with his daughter and grandson well after the sun sets. It seems his father was wrong. That legacy didn’t disappear. It multiplied. Nobody’s last rodeo As the sun drops lower and the arena lights begin flickering on, practice slowly blends into family time. The youngest children play feet away from the arena gates, while the adults move cattle through the chute for another run. Someone starts preparing food. Occasionally, music drifts across the property. Family members settle into lawn chairs along the arena fence as riders continue practicing into the evening.

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Everyone contributes somehow. “One’s helping saddle, one’s helping move horses, one’s helping with cattle,” Alexis said. “Everybody’s part of the process.” For Phylliss, that sense of family connection is one of the biggest reasons she embraced rodeo life for her children, even knowing how demanding it could become. “I honestly didn’t want my kids to rodeo at first, because I knew what went into it,” she said. “There’s crying and breakdowns and hard days.” But she also saw what the lifestyle gave them in return: responsibility, resilience and time together. “A lot of kids don’t get this anymore,” she said. “My kids are out here with family, with horses, learning responsibility.” This summer, the family plans to begin offering riding lessons and camps for children

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— especially kids who may never have had access to horses or rodeo before. “We want kids that have never even pet a horse to experience it,” Phylliss said. The vision goes beyond teaching rodeo skills. The family hopes the property becomes a safe place where children can unplug, build confidence and simply feel included. I just want other kids to know they have a safe place.” For R.J., the dream is already growing larger. He wants to someday compete in the NFR. “That’s where I want to be,” he said. Back in the arena, Ree continues working cattle and offering riding lessons between team roping drills with his daughter and grandson well after the sun sets. It seems his father was wrong. That legacy didn’t disappear. It multiplied.

Bella’s Favorite Quote “Equality is treating everyone the same. Equity is taking differences into account, so everyone has a chance to succeed.” -Jodi icoult -“Small reat hings”

RODEO GLOSSARY

Bella Washington is a dedicated school leader and passionate educator serving as the leader of Flourish Microschool in Maricopa, opening in fall 2026. Originally from Texas and raised in North Carolina, she relocated to Arizona in 2019 and has proudly called Maricopa home for over four years. With more than a decade of experience in education, Bella has taught students from Pre-K through 8th grade, developing a strong understanding of the academic and social needs of children at every stage. She believes education is her true calling and approaches her work with purpose and heart. Bella is especially passionate about youth mental wellness and the power of meaningful relationships in shaping a child’s success. She prioritizes creating safe, supportive spaces where students feel seen, valued, and under- stood, knowing emotional well-being is essential to academic growth. Driven by the belief that every child deserves access to an excellent education, regardless of background or learning style, Bella is committed to building an inclusive, nurturing environment. Through her leadership at Flourish Microschool, she strives to help all students grow, thrive, and reach their full potential. Outside of work, Bella is a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother who enjoys traveling and attending sporting events with her loved ones.

From roping and wrestling to racing barrels, here’s a quick guide to some of rodeo’s most common event jargon. All-around: Award honoring the cowboy earning the most money while competing in multiple rodeo events. Bareback riding: Rider stays aboard a bucking horse one-handed

for eight seconds while judges score control and technique.

Barrel racing: Horse and rider race a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels in the fastest time possible. Bull riding: Rider attempts to stay on a bucking bull one-handed for eight seconds while judges score the ride. Saddle bronc riding: Rider uses a specialized saddle while staying aboard a bucking horse for eight scored seconds.

Steer roping: Rider ropes a steer, brings it down and ties three legs together for time.

Steer wrestling: Contestant leaps from horseback to wrestle a steer to the ground as quickly as possible. Team roping: Two riders work together to rope a steer’s horns and hind legs in the fastest time. Tie-down roping: Rider ropes a calf, dismounts and ties three legs together against the clock.

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