Scholarship winners
The Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative (WREC) announced its 2020 scholarship winners.
Recipients in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area are:
- Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School: Kayla David and Brandon Glenn
• Cypress Creek High School: Alexis Aponte, Aliyah Clarke, Julianna Greenberg, Jocelyn Hammett, Noel Martinez-Pla and Rebecca Radcliff - Land O’ Lakes High School: Natalie Mosko, Rachel Pinsky, Arelis Rodriguez Martinez and Loretta Thompson
- Pasco High School: Marycarmen Adruskiewicz, Susan Hammond and Abigail Miramon
- Sunlake High School: Jack Walker
- Wesley Chapel High School: Jayla Alfaro, Madilyn Corgin, Shayla Hobot, Seth Laney, Taylor McKinney, Gigi Palmer, Joanne Trangluu and Ashlyn Walters
- Wiregrass Ranch High School: Jarvis He, Crighton Methe, Antonio Perez, Kanishkh Ramesh, Emilie Ramos, Alysia Sanchez and Mackenzie Sholl
- Zephyrhills High School: Luis Montez
Human services webinar
Saint Leo University’s Undergraduate Human Services Program will present a panel discussion on Aug. 20 at 6 p.m., through Zoom.
Human services professionals conduct interviews, identify problems and set goals, as well as provide referrals to individuals in need of service.
The webinar, entitled “Human Services in Action,” will be a live, interactive session featuring four Saint Leo alumni who earned their Bachelor of Arts degrees in human services, and are now working in entry-level and administration positions at a nonprofit agency, for a local government, and at an organization that serves veterans, seniors, families and youths.
Information will include strategies that help the transition from being a student to working as a knowledgeable professional in the human services/social services field.
There also will be a Q&A session at the end of the discussion.
The event is free.
For information on how to join, email Dr. Amina Abdullah-Winstead at .
Creating more space for students
Students and staff at Wendell Krinn Technical High School added additional space on campus to help with social distancing, by assembling picnic tables.
The goal was to set up three outdoor classrooms and more outdoor seating for the cafeteria.
“Having additional classroom space outdoors will make it a lot easier to create social distance, and that will create a healthier environment for everyone,” said Principal Christopher Dunning, in a school news release.
The staff and students got a helping hand from Sleep in Heavenly Peace, an organization of volunteers that builds and donates bunk beds for families in need.
The tables were made of pressure-treated wood and built from scratch.
Host an exchange student
ASSE International Student Exchange Programs (ASSE) is looking for local families to host boys and girls ages 15 to 18, arriving soon, to attend community high schools, according to an ASSE news release.
Students from all over the world have been selected to participate based on their strong academics and citizenship; all they need now are host families.
Students are equipped with pocket money for personal expenses, along with accident and illness insurance. Host families can choose their students from a wide variety of backgrounds, countries and personal interests.
Participants can share our country, its own family, and culture, with an exchange student. During this temporary period of social distancing, there is a need to look forward to and celebrate opportunities to show hospitality and care toward others.
ASSE’s top concern is the health of the host families, host communities and exchange students. Even as the U.S. and many other countries continue to live under temporary travel restrictions, ASSE is reassuring participants that the students will not travel unless it is considered safe to do so by the U.S. and foreign agencies entrusted with public health and safety.
To become a host family, or to find out how to become involved with ASSE in your own community, call (850) 866-6508 or the ASSE Southern Regional Office at (800) 473-0696, or visit Host.ASSE.com, to begin an application.
‘Adopt’ a classroom or student
Pepin Academies Foundation has launched its inaugural “Adopt-a-Classroom” and “Adopt-a-Student” campaigns to help equip teachers and students with needed school supplies for the 2020-2021 school year.
Individuals and businesses can participate by sponsoring or “adopting” a classroom or student. There also is an option to donate to a specific Pepin Academies campus.
The classroom funds will provide teachers with academic enrichment materials, as identified by the teachers for individual classroom needs.
The student funds will provide students with a backpack filled with school supplies that will be delivered directly to their school for pickup.
Donations to either campaign can be made securely online through the Pepin Academies Foundation website, or through the Pepin Academies Foundation’s Amazon wish list.
Pepin Academies are public, tuition-free charter schools in Tampa, Riverview and New Port Richey that serve students with learning disabilities in grades three to 12.
Shoe & Sock Drive underway
The fifth annual Two Good Soles Shoe and Sock Drive is underway, as the Pasco County government and constitutional offices work together to collect footwear for kids in Pasco County schools, through Oct. 26.
Donations can be dropped off to the collection boxes at Pasco County Government locations, and the Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller, Property Appraiser and Tax Collector offices countywide.
Last year’s record-setting drive resulted in 3,057 pairs of shoes and 13,285 pairs of socks.
Items collected will be donated to Pasco County Schools at the end of October, directly benefiting local students.
For information, visit PascoCountyFl.net/civicalerts.
