City kid Anna Rose Canzano: Detroit is her playground

Anna Rose Canzano is a 13-year-old eighth grader at the Detroit Waldorf School. She's lived in Lafayette Park with her parents and sister her entire life, and attended grade school at Chrysler Elementary, a Detroit Public School.

Model D: What do you love about living in Detroit? What would you change about it?

Anna Rose: Living in the suburbs would be torture for me. From my house I can walk to the Riverfront, the Dequindre Cut, Greektown and anywhere else downtown. I love going to all the festivals, concerts, and all the other things going on around here. If there's a show that starts in five minutes, we can still get there in time.
If I could change something about the city I'd make it have more people and stores. Also, I would make people realize how awesome living in Detroit is!

Model D: What is the coolest thing you did in the city last year?

Anna Rose: Every year my family has a tradition of picking wild fruit in Detroit. In summer we stain our fingers and mouths picking mulberries, and in fall we pick bushels of apples from our secret old tree. Afterwards, I bake delicious pies with the wild, organic Detroit fruit. Some other cool things we did last year: watch shooting stars from the top of the hill in the new state park on the riverfront during the meteor shower in August; going for bike rides with my dad and exploring the neighborhoods on the east side; taking our inflatable boat and swimming in the canals on Belle Isle in the summer; and ice skating on the canals in the winter.

Model D: What do you like about your school?

Anna Rose: There is such a sense of community at my school. Detroit Waldorf School is really small, so everyone knows each other and you can talk to anyone. The teachers are really great, and bullies and mean girls are completely unheard of. If our conversation turns to something about TV, movies or other media, our teacher makes us talk about the "real world." I just can't say how much I love my school.

Model D: What are some of your hobbies and interests, and how does your school or living in Detroit support those pursuits?

Anna Rose: I love to read. I could spend hours at John L. King bookstore. I'm sad that the Borders in the Compuware building closed, but I still can go to the Elmwood and Skillman libraries whenever I need a book.

I am part of the 313 Jumpers Double Dutch team. The other jumpers are my classmates at DWS and some former classmates from Chrysler. My mom is the coach. We have been doing shows around the city to raise money for our eighth grade trip.

Also, I am really good at spelling. Last year I made it to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. I couldn't have done it without all the help and support I got from my teacher and Detroit Waldorf School. I also learned some good spelling skills at Chrysler.

What do other city kids say about their life in Detroit? Click here for more. Send feedback here.

All Photographs © Marvin Shaouni Photography
Contact Marvin here