(Courtesy of Mary McCoy)
Saint Leo inauguration
Saint Leo University will celebrate the inauguration of its 10th president, Dr. Jeffrey Senese. The ceremony will be on Oct. 11 at 2 p.m. at the university’s Marion Bowman Activities at 33701 State Road 52 in St. Leo.
Prior to becoming president at Saint Leo University, Senese became the university’s first provost in 2018. He came to Saint Leo after serving as provost at Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
For event information, contact Mary McCoy at (352) 588-7118 or at .
Free math hotline
Hillsborough County Public Schools offers a free math homework hotline, available on select Thursdays, for math help on any topic.
Certified math teachers will be available from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., Oct. 10, Oct. 17, Nov. 7, Nov. 14, Nov. 21 and Dec. 5.
There also is a ‘live’ show on Spectrum Chanel 635 and Frontier Channel 32, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., or live stream at MHH.mysdhc.org, and students can win prizes and/or answer the challenge question.
For information, contact Maggie Mixon at (813) 272-4927 or .
Options Night
Lutz Prep Charter and Learning Gate Community School will host a High School Options Night for seventh- and eighth-grade students Oct. 17 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., at Lutz Prep, 17951 U.S. 41 in Lutz.
Parents and students can learn how to make an informed high school decision regarding private, charter, traditional, magnet and IB schools.
For information, email Brian Bethune at .
Teacher fellowship
The American Geographical Society (AGS) has named Anne Cullison, of Sunlake High School, a 2019 AGS Geography Teacher Fellow.
The AGS Fellow program is a year-long professional development opportunity that enables geography teachers to incorporate open source mapping into classrooms, and provides supplementary resources and materials to the selected teachers.
Cullison was one of 50 teachers selected from across the United States to participate in the initiative.
Loan forgiveness
The federal government may forgive all or part of teachers’ and nurses’ federal student loans, if certain requirements are met.
The forgiveness options, according to the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA), include:
- Teacher loan forgiveness. To qualify, you must teach at least five full years in a low-income school in an eligible district. Depending on the field, teachers may have up to $17,500 in student loans forgiven. For details, visit Ed.gov.
- Nursing loan forgiveness. You must be at least a registered nurse and agree to work full-time for at least two years in a critical shortage facility. If the agreement is fulfilled, 60 percent of the loan balance will be forgiven. Another 25 percent will be forgiven if work is done for a third year. Nurses teaching at an accredited school of nursing also may qualify. For details, visit BHW.hrsa.gov.
The Internal Revenue Service does count the amount forgiven as income.
To learn more about KHEAA, a public, nonprofit agency that provides free information about financial aid and financial literacy, visit KHEAA.com.
Invention winners
Two students from Tampa were honored for their innovations at the Florida Invention Convention.
Makana Salim-Uesi, a seventh-grader at Williams Middle Magnet School, took first place for her invention, “RCV H20,” a model of a labor-saving device that can transport and filter water at the same time.
Salim-Uesi’s invention can be useful to people in rural areas and developing countries where access to clean water is extremely limited.
Shreya Mathur, a 12th-grader at Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate High School, took third place for her invention, “Stress Master,” which enables the user to access any part of their body with a hand-held massager by a 360-degree pivot unit.
Mathur also won the Bailee’s Choice Award.
For information on the convention, visit InventFlorida.org.
