MESA, AZ — There is a school in Mesa where the kids wait quietly for their turn, but they are not shy.
On a recent morning at Entz Elementary near Brown and Greenfield, more than two dozen students filed out of the gymnasium somewhere to be.
They had practiced their forecasts. They had practiced their smiles. When the camera turned on, they were ready.
Principal Cally Pursley has been at Entz for two years. She grew up in Mesa Public Schools. Coming back, she says, was the right call.
"I never thought I'd be back in Mesa, but here I am, and I absolutely love it," Pursley said.
Entz has been part of this neighborhood for more than 30 years. Some of the teachers have been there for nearly that long.
Pursley says the school's strength comes from its community, and she makes a point of exposing her students to people and possibilities they might not otherwise encounter.
"We have the absolute best students in Mesa Public Schools. In Arizona. In the country. I tell them that all the time," she said.
She means it.
Students in grades three through six entered a raffle for a chance to deliver a weather forecast on camera. The competition was real, but so was the support.
"They're so happy for their friends that they have the opportunity to do this," Pursley said of the students who were not selected.
The day before the visit, students practiced. Not just the forecast. The smile, too.
"People can hear a smile in your voice," Pursley said.
When asked what she hopes students take away from the experience, Pursley did not hesitate.
"I'm hoping that it opens a world of possibilities for them. That they can be anything they want to be. Does it just happen by magic or luck?
No. What did you do to earn your way, academically and socially and through kindness and citizenship? How did you get to where you were?"
One by one, students stepped up to the camera. Some stumbled. Some laughed. All of them kept going.
When they nailed it, their classmates let them know.
Entz Elementary is the second Mesa school to take part in the ABC15 KidCasters program.
