• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About Us
  • Videos
    • Featured Video
    • Foodie Friday
    • Monthly ReCap
  • Online E-Editions
    • This Week’s E-Editions
    • 2023
    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
  • Social Media
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
  • Advertising
  • Local Jobs
  • Puzzles & Games
  • Circulation Request

The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

       

Click to join our weekly e-newsletter

  • Home
  • News
    • Land O’ Lakes
    • Lutz
    • Wesley Chapel/New Tampa
    • Zephyrhills/East Pasco
    • Business Digest
    • Senior Parks
    • Nature Notes
    • Featured Stories
    • Photos of the Week
    • Reasons To Smile
  • Sports
    • Land O’ Lakes
    • Lutz
    • Wesley Chapel/New Tampa
    • Zephyrhills and East Pasco
    • Check This Out
  • Education
  • Pets/Wildlife
  • Health
    • Health Events
    • Health News
  • What’s Happening
  • Sponsored Content
    • Closer Look
  • Homes
  • Obits
  • Public Notices
    • Browse Notices
    • Place Notices

Lutz Learning Center prepares to educate future generations

January 18, 2011 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By B.C. Manion

It all began three decades ago, with a vacant lot and a perceived need.
Elaine Peverell, founder of Lutz Learning Center at 621 Sunset Lane, didn’t believe the public school system was equipped to give her daughter, Kimberly, the kind of learning environment she needed.

Elaine Peverell (left) and Kimberly Wilson stand in front of an addition being built at Lutz Learning Center.

So, Peverell created an early education center — which includes a preschool and pre-kindergarten — to provide the kind of atmosphere where her daughter and other children could thrive.
Peverell’s daughter, who is now Kimberly Wilson, grew up to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Both women now oversee the learning center’s programs.
They decided to expand the center’s program last year to include an elementary program, geared for accelerated learning.
They were determined to ensure that Emberly, who is Kimberly’s daughter, would be nurtured and challenged through elementary school.
The center’s philosophy is that students who are challenged appropriately tend to perform very well, both academically and socially.
A 2,600-square-foot addition is now under construction to house the elementary program, which Peverell envisions will offer instruction for children in kindergarten through eighth grade.
If there is enough demand, she expects the school will outgrow its current location at some point. But she’s not pushing to create a mega-school.
“I don’t want to be a huge school,” Peverell said. “I want to be small enough that we don’t lose sight of that individual child and I want to be sure that we allow each child to reach that maximum potential.”
Peverell and Wilson both believe that a love of learning must be encouraged and developed very early in life.
“Pre-school is such an underestimated development stage,” Peverell said.
Unlike some schools, at Lutz Learning Center a child’s age doesn’t determine whether he or she is ready for kindergarten, or when they are allowed to advance to materials taught at higher grade levels.
“We place children developmentally,” Peverell said.
Private schools can also operate with less bureaucracy than public schools face, Peverell said.
For instance, if the school wants to take a field trip to show children what they are learning about, it’s simple. “All we have to do is get on the bus and go,” Peverell said.
Hands-on experiences are crucial to helping children understand what they’re learning, she said.
“To me, children learn by doing.”
Challenging children appropriately is also essential, she said.
Both Peverell and Wilson said children who are pushed academically in an accelerated learning environment become enthused about learning and don’t suffer the boredom that some children experience because the material is too easy.
Many children struggle in public schools because their needs are not being met, Peverell said.
The focus must be treating children as individuals and tailoring their education to help them reach their potential, she added.
“Can you change a child’s IQ? I absolutely believe that you can,” Peverell said.
Children who are ready to move ahead should not be held back because of their age, or merely because their peers are not keeping up, she said.
“No child left behind leaves behind the gifted child,” Peverell said.
It’s also important to realize that a child can be gifted in some subjects and less talented in others. The curriculum for that child should take those differences into account.
Learning isn’t always easy, but Peverell loves watching that ah-ha moment, when a child who has been struggling with a concept finally understands.
“There’s nothing more thrilling to me than to see a child ‘get it’,” she said.
“Children need to have a love for learning,” Peverell said. “You have to develop that in them.”
When that happens, Peverell and Wilson said, it stays with them for life.

Want to know more about Lutz Learning Center?
Come to the center’s Anniversary Hoedown
Where: Nye Park
When: 12:30 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 23
Who: Families, alumni and anyone who wants to learn more about the school.
Barbecue will be available.
For more information about the event or about the school, call (813) 949-3484 or go to the center’s website at www.lutzlearning.com

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Reddit
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Search

Sponsored Content

WAVE Wellness Center — Tampa Bay’s Most Advanced Upper Cervical Spinal Care

September 5, 2023 By Mary Rathman

Tampa Bay welcomes WAVE Wellness Center, a state-of-the-art spinal care clinic founded by Dr. Ryan LaChance. WAVE … [Read More...] about WAVE Wellness Center — Tampa Bay’s Most Advanced Upper Cervical Spinal Care

Only a Few Homes Remain — It’s Your Final Chance to Build Your Home in Del Webb Bexley

August 29, 2023 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Time is running out on your chance to live at Del Webb Bexley. We’ve built the ideal active adult community to suit your … [Read More...] about Only a Few Homes Remain — It’s Your Final Chance to Build Your Home in Del Webb Bexley

More Posts from this Category

What’s Happening

09/29/2023 – Teacup Fairy Garden

The Zephyrhills Public Library, 5347 Eighth St., will host a thrifty craft project for adults on Sept. 29 at 9:30 a.m. Participants can make a teacup fairy garden. Registration is required. Call 813-780-0064 for more information. … [Read More...] about 09/29/2023 – Teacup Fairy Garden

09/29/2023 – Worship Concert

The Cathedral of Worship and Praise Center will present “The Wonder of Worship Concert” on Sept. 29 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center, 8550 Hunters Village Road. Admission is free. For information, call 813-943-9773, or visit TheCathedralOfWP.com. … [Read More...] about 09/29/2023 – Worship Concert

09/30/2023 – Great Discoveries

The Starkey Ranch Theatre Library Cultural Center, 12118 Lake Blanche Drive in Odessa, will host Charles Zidar, executive director of MAPS, for a lunch adventure, on Sept. 30 at noon. Participants can hear a talk on ancient Greek and Roman cultures, while museum artifacts are brought to your table as you eat. There will be a second session on Oct. 7 at noon to discuss ancient Mayan culture. Tickets are $28 plus taxes and fees, which includes lunch and the presentation. Tickets can be purchased at bit.ly/45yx47C. … [Read More...] about 09/30/2023 – Great Discoveries

10/03/2023 – Drawing Workshop

The Starkey Ranch Theatre Library Cultural Center, 12118 Lake Blanche Drive in Odessa, will host a Drawing Workshop: Exquisite Corpse, on Oct. 3 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., as part of its Museum + Art Series. Participants can learn about the exquisite corpse drawing method and create a drawing inspired by surrealist artists. Registration is required; call 727-815-7126. To learn more, visit MOMA.org/collection/terms/exquisite-corpse. … [Read More...] about 10/03/2023 – Drawing Workshop

10/03/2023 – Halloween Games/Crafts

The Land O’ Lakes Library, 2818 Collier Parkway, will host Teen Halloween Games and Crafts on Oct. 3 at 6:30 p.m., for ages 13 to 17. Supplies will be provided. For information, call 813-929-1214. … [Read More...] about 10/03/2023 – Halloween Games/Crafts

10/03/2023 – Library Book Sale

The Friends of the Land O’ Lakes Library, 2818 Collier Parkway, will host a porch book sale on Oct. 3 from 10 a.m. to noon, featuring all genres of books including novels, nonfiction, biographies, sewing, cooking, self-help, and more. The porch sale takes place every Tuesday. Call 813-929-1214 for information. … [Read More...] about 10/03/2023 – Library Book Sale

More of What's Happening

Archives

 

 

Where to pick up The Laker and Lutz News

Copyright © 2023 Community News Publications Inc.

   
%d bloggers like this: