News
WHS grads gaining experience in Marana
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| Town of Marana Parks & Recreation award recipients Jen Ward, Krista Skillings, Tammy Haley, and Willcox's own, Edward Blair and Kristy Diaz-Trahan. (Photo courtesy/Kristy Diaz-Trahan) |
By Ainslee S. Wittig/Arizona Range News
Five Willcox High School graduates -- with 24 years between the oldest the youngest - have recently worked together for the Town of Marana.
From administrators to summer employees, Willcox kids have made good in the bustling, growing community north of Tucson with an estimated population of 35,000.
Former Willcox city manager and 1993 Willcox High School graduate Gilbert Davidson was named Marana's town manager in July 2008. He had served as the deputy town manager since July 2005, after leaving Willcox, where he was city manager from 2002 to 2005.
Asked what he brings to Marana from his Willcox upbringing, Davidson said, "Growing up in Willcox -- living and working with the same classmates all the way through -- taught me the importance of friendship and people in the community.
"I learned the importance of building community and understanding and knowing where people are coming from," he said.
Being Willcox city manager trained him "how to do a little bit of everything" for his new post in Marana.
He said managing the town in this current economic climate "has been a challenge from a financial standpoint, but I am trying to meet the community's needs with less money. And things are getting more positive."
Last summer, he went to Harvard University for a month for a Senior Executive Program, which he said was a "tremendous educational opportunity."
"Willcox is my hometown. I'm very proud of it," Davidson said. "It will always be a part of my life. I have a deep appreciation for the people who live there - my family and friends."
Ryan Benavides, a 1992 WHS graduate, is the Town of Marana's assistant public works director, specifically in the Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) Engineering Division.
"I've been here for three years. I work for Gilbert (Davidson) and I oversee the capital improvement projects - all new construction such as overpasses, bridges and roads, as well as maintenance and operation. It's a prosperous up and coming community - lots of things happening," he said.
He left his job as Willcox's director of public services and works to go to Marana in 2007.
Benavides was born in Tucson and moved to Willcox with his family, entering the Willcox school system as a first grader. After high school, he got his degree in Business Management at Wayland Baptist University, and then spent seven years in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1994 until 2002, where he was a utility chief/project manager, coordinating the base camp for three to five thousand people at a time.
Benavides came home to serve Willcox as its public services and works director in 2003.
"I'm forever grateful to the City of Willcox for allowing me to serve and perform as the director of public services and works. I've received a tremendous amount of support over the years from the citizens in this community."
"I had a lot of great times when I was here," he added. "Willcox is a very special place and I believe that is why we all have chosen to call it home."
His two children, Gabriel, 13 and Brayden, 9, and wife Jodi, live in Willcox. Benavides still commutes from Willcox to Marana daily, as his children are in school in Willcox.
Always active in sports, he played baseball, football and wrestled in high school. Later, he coached Little League and high school football as an assistant for many years in Willcox, and now coaches his son's 13-and-under traveling baseball team, which is ranked fifth in the state, he said.
"We spend a lot of time in Phoenix and out of town, but it's well worth it. I wouldn't have it any other way," he said.
Kristy Diaz-Trahan, a 1983 WHS graduate, was Marana's Parks & Recreation Department's Recreation superintendent for five years.
Just weeks ago, she relocated with her husband, who took a position in Albuquerque, N.M., and she is taking advantage of the break (and an incentive separation package) to stay at home with her four-year-old daughter.
Diaz-Trahan had received her bachelor's degree in Business Administration from New Mexico Highlands. She then worked with the City of Rio Rancho, N.M., where she was deputy director of senior services in their parks and recreation department.
"I wanted to be a P.E. teacher and coach - I was very much into sports," she said. She was a member of the WHS girls basketball state championship team in 1981, and was all-state basketball and volleyball for several years.
"But when I became superintendent of recreation, I totally liked it," she said. "I liked the variety of being able to work with school kids, adults, businesses for special events and as sponsors to support what we did. We did what we could to help those businesses grow."
And she did very well with the department.
The Parks & Recreation Department was recognized last year as having the "Outstanding Program of the Year" - the Twin Peaks Elementary School program -- by the Arizona Parks & Recreation Associations Southern Arizona Branch.
Diaz-Trahan said, "Arizona Parks & Recreation Association's Southern Arizona Branch is the third largest parks and recreation region in the U.S., behind Texas and California. Twin Peaks Elementary School submitted a nomination for their summer program and received the Outstanding Program of the Year for 2009. Edward Blair, a Willcox graduate, was a direct part of that team."
Davidson said Diaz-Trahan "did some unique things with the Parks & Rec Department. They developed after-school, before-school and child-care programs. Kristy was instrumental in making those new programs work."
Diaz-Trahan said Marana may be larger than Willcox, but it has "kept its small-town heritage. I understood the importance of those who had done things for this community before me. And I think that going to school and being an athlete in Willcox helped me learn that if you don't put limits on yourself, anything is possible and your community can be your support."
That was also the case with Willcox graduates, Edward and Brianna Blair, who have been a part of her department.
Edward Blair, 21, graduated in 2007 from WHS, where he played football, basketball and baseball. He went to Pima Community College and worked at a dress clothing store until he was hired as a summer employee, and later as a permanent employee, at the Town of Marana's Parks and Recreation Department.
At Marana, he was a recreation assistant working with the Twin Peaks Elementary School program after school and full time last summer. With about 75 kids a day during the school year and 100-120 in the summer, they had field trips, played games and had many other activities.
Edward said, "We put in a lot of work for the program. We had 18 guest speakers, arts and crafts daily, field trips, swimming at the Marana Pool, and more. Me and Kristy and another recreation assistant, Krista Skillings, put in a lot of hours."
"We even did a musical production of 101 Dalmations with a contracted drama teacher that we put on at the end of the six-week program. All the kids participated. About 30 had main roles and the rest were dalmations," he said. "It was cool that we received the award and we were recognized at a banquet in Tucson."
Edward said will be taking classes at Pima Community College again toward a degree in Primary Education. Currently, he is working with Willcox Against Substance Abuse summer program, where you can see him working with kids in a multitude of activities.
He added, "I'd like to teach elementary school - fourth grade, particularly. I work with kindergarteners through sixth graders now. With fourth graders, they're still young, but not as much crying!"
Brianna Blair, 23, a 2005 Willcox High School graduate, is currently on maternity leave (with her new baby boy) from being a recreation assistant with the Marana Parks and Recreation Department.
"I work with kids a lot -- after school, through a tiny tots program and during big events, such as the Fourth of July," she said. "Kristy (Diaz-Trahan) was kind of intimidating when I first got there, but she's a great person to talk with. It's interesting that we all ended up here!"
Brianna said she doesn't see Davidson or Benavides very often, as they are in a different building than she and Kristy are located, but it's nice to know they are from her town.
Brianna said she was "always interested in sports and recreation."
"I played softball and volleyball in high school and I went to Eastern Arizona College on a partial scholarship playing softball for two years. After I received my associate's degree there, I moved to Tucson to work, and then ended up here," Brianna said.
Her and Edward's mother, Clarissa, and father, Brian, graduated with Kristy from WHS in 1983.
Diaz-Trahan complimented both kids.
"Brianna, who was at Rattlesnake Ridge Elementary School, and Edward, who was at Twin Peaks Elementary -- that site that received this prestigious award - have done a great job here in Marana. They were honored at an awards banquet held in Tucson. I also believe Edward got the confidence to manage the WASA summer program after working in Marana. Let's give it up for our small town kids! Nicely done!"
Diaz-Trahan said, "If anyone gets the opportunity to work in Marana, they should do it - it's a great place to be and Gilbert is a great leader."
Davidson summed up the Marana-Willcox connection.
"Having these Willcox graduates come here shows the quality of the individuals and their ability to compete for jobs with many other applicants. It shows that kids from Willcox schools are able to work anywhere they want.
"On a personal note, there is an automatic connection with those who come from Willcox. You have an understanding of where they grew up. It's special to have that connection," he said, adding, "I do get to go home ... and Willcox will always be home."
Arizona Range News Reporter Carol Broeder contributed to this article.
From administrators to summer employees, Willcox kids have made good in the bustling, growing community north of Tucson with an estimated population of 35,000.
Former Willcox city manager and 1993 Willcox High School graduate Gilbert Davidson was named Marana's town manager in July 2008. He had served as the deputy town manager since July 2005, after leaving Willcox, where he was city manager from 2002 to 2005.
Asked what he brings to Marana from his Willcox upbringing, Davidson said, "Growing up in Willcox -- living and working with the same classmates all the way through -- taught me the importance of friendship and people in the community.
"I learned the importance of building community and understanding and knowing where people are coming from," he said.
Being Willcox city manager trained him "how to do a little bit of everything" for his new post in Marana.
He said managing the town in this current economic climate "has been a challenge from a financial standpoint, but I am trying to meet the community's needs with less money. And things are getting more positive."
Last summer, he went to Harvard University for a month for a Senior Executive Program, which he said was a "tremendous educational opportunity."
"Willcox is my hometown. I'm very proud of it," Davidson said. "It will always be a part of my life. I have a deep appreciation for the people who live there - my family and friends."
Ryan Benavides, a 1992 WHS graduate, is the Town of Marana's assistant public works director, specifically in the Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) Engineering Division.
"I've been here for three years. I work for Gilbert (Davidson) and I oversee the capital improvement projects - all new construction such as overpasses, bridges and roads, as well as maintenance and operation. It's a prosperous up and coming community - lots of things happening," he said.
He left his job as Willcox's director of public services and works to go to Marana in 2007.
Benavides was born in Tucson and moved to Willcox with his family, entering the Willcox school system as a first grader. After high school, he got his degree in Business Management at Wayland Baptist University, and then spent seven years in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1994 until 2002, where he was a utility chief/project manager, coordinating the base camp for three to five thousand people at a time.
Benavides came home to serve Willcox as its public services and works director in 2003.
"I'm forever grateful to the City of Willcox for allowing me to serve and perform as the director of public services and works. I've received a tremendous amount of support over the years from the citizens in this community."
"I had a lot of great times when I was here," he added. "Willcox is a very special place and I believe that is why we all have chosen to call it home."
His two children, Gabriel, 13 and Brayden, 9, and wife Jodi, live in Willcox. Benavides still commutes from Willcox to Marana daily, as his children are in school in Willcox.
Always active in sports, he played baseball, football and wrestled in high school. Later, he coached Little League and high school football as an assistant for many years in Willcox, and now coaches his son's 13-and-under traveling baseball team, which is ranked fifth in the state, he said.
"We spend a lot of time in Phoenix and out of town, but it's well worth it. I wouldn't have it any other way," he said.
Kristy Diaz-Trahan, a 1983 WHS graduate, was Marana's Parks & Recreation Department's Recreation superintendent for five years.
Just weeks ago, she relocated with her husband, who took a position in Albuquerque, N.M., and she is taking advantage of the break (and an incentive separation package) to stay at home with her four-year-old daughter.
Diaz-Trahan had received her bachelor's degree in Business Administration from New Mexico Highlands. She then worked with the City of Rio Rancho, N.M., where she was deputy director of senior services in their parks and recreation department.
"I wanted to be a P.E. teacher and coach - I was very much into sports," she said. She was a member of the WHS girls basketball state championship team in 1981, and was all-state basketball and volleyball for several years.
"But when I became superintendent of recreation, I totally liked it," she said. "I liked the variety of being able to work with school kids, adults, businesses for special events and as sponsors to support what we did. We did what we could to help those businesses grow."
And she did very well with the department.
The Parks & Recreation Department was recognized last year as having the "Outstanding Program of the Year" - the Twin Peaks Elementary School program -- by the Arizona Parks & Recreation Associations Southern Arizona Branch.
Diaz-Trahan said, "Arizona Parks & Recreation Association's Southern Arizona Branch is the third largest parks and recreation region in the U.S., behind Texas and California. Twin Peaks Elementary School submitted a nomination for their summer program and received the Outstanding Program of the Year for 2009. Edward Blair, a Willcox graduate, was a direct part of that team."
Davidson said Diaz-Trahan "did some unique things with the Parks & Rec Department. They developed after-school, before-school and child-care programs. Kristy was instrumental in making those new programs work."
Diaz-Trahan said Marana may be larger than Willcox, but it has "kept its small-town heritage. I understood the importance of those who had done things for this community before me. And I think that going to school and being an athlete in Willcox helped me learn that if you don't put limits on yourself, anything is possible and your community can be your support."
That was also the case with Willcox graduates, Edward and Brianna Blair, who have been a part of her department.
Edward Blair, 21, graduated in 2007 from WHS, where he played football, basketball and baseball. He went to Pima Community College and worked at a dress clothing store until he was hired as a summer employee, and later as a permanent employee, at the Town of Marana's Parks and Recreation Department.
At Marana, he was a recreation assistant working with the Twin Peaks Elementary School program after school and full time last summer. With about 75 kids a day during the school year and 100-120 in the summer, they had field trips, played games and had many other activities.
Edward said, "We put in a lot of work for the program. We had 18 guest speakers, arts and crafts daily, field trips, swimming at the Marana Pool, and more. Me and Kristy and another recreation assistant, Krista Skillings, put in a lot of hours."
"We even did a musical production of 101 Dalmations with a contracted drama teacher that we put on at the end of the six-week program. All the kids participated. About 30 had main roles and the rest were dalmations," he said. "It was cool that we received the award and we were recognized at a banquet in Tucson."
Edward said will be taking classes at Pima Community College again toward a degree in Primary Education. Currently, he is working with Willcox Against Substance Abuse summer program, where you can see him working with kids in a multitude of activities.
He added, "I'd like to teach elementary school - fourth grade, particularly. I work with kindergarteners through sixth graders now. With fourth graders, they're still young, but not as much crying!"
Brianna Blair, 23, a 2005 Willcox High School graduate, is currently on maternity leave (with her new baby boy) from being a recreation assistant with the Marana Parks and Recreation Department.
"I work with kids a lot -- after school, through a tiny tots program and during big events, such as the Fourth of July," she said. "Kristy (Diaz-Trahan) was kind of intimidating when I first got there, but she's a great person to talk with. It's interesting that we all ended up here!"
Brianna said she doesn't see Davidson or Benavides very often, as they are in a different building than she and Kristy are located, but it's nice to know they are from her town.
Brianna said she was "always interested in sports and recreation."
"I played softball and volleyball in high school and I went to Eastern Arizona College on a partial scholarship playing softball for two years. After I received my associate's degree there, I moved to Tucson to work, and then ended up here," Brianna said.
Her and Edward's mother, Clarissa, and father, Brian, graduated with Kristy from WHS in 1983.
Diaz-Trahan complimented both kids.
"Brianna, who was at Rattlesnake Ridge Elementary School, and Edward, who was at Twin Peaks Elementary -- that site that received this prestigious award - have done a great job here in Marana. They were honored at an awards banquet held in Tucson. I also believe Edward got the confidence to manage the WASA summer program after working in Marana. Let's give it up for our small town kids! Nicely done!"
Diaz-Trahan said, "If anyone gets the opportunity to work in Marana, they should do it - it's a great place to be and Gilbert is a great leader."
Davidson summed up the Marana-Willcox connection.
"Having these Willcox graduates come here shows the quality of the individuals and their ability to compete for jobs with many other applicants. It shows that kids from Willcox schools are able to work anywhere they want.
"On a personal note, there is an automatic connection with those who come from Willcox. You have an understanding of where they grew up. It's special to have that connection," he said, adding, "I do get to go home ... and Willcox will always be home."
Arizona Range News Reporter Carol Broeder contributed to this article.
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