Teacher of the Year
Seven Springs Middle School’s foreign language teacher Yan Li Gazda was named Pasco County Schools 2021 Teacher of the Year.
Yan Li Gazda, who goes by Mr. Li, is a Chinese immigrant who has been teaching for six years, all in Pasco County Schools.
During the surprise visit, which included Superintendent Kurt Browning, school board members Colleen Beaudoin and Megan Harding, and Education Foundation Director Stacey Capogrosso, Mr. Li commented on how he believes the honor is shared with all the other amazing teachers in Pasco County, and expressed gratitude at all the opportunities he has had in his adopted country.
“So many teachers do so many great things in their own classrooms,” Mr. Li said, in a news release.
New chaplain
Saint Leo University has announced that Rev. Randall Meissen recently joined the school as university chaplain to lead the University Ministry team.
“As the university chaplain, I’m very conscious of serving two segments of the university,” Meissen said in a news release.
“One side is the important duty that is ministerial sacramental life, and supporting the spiritual needs of our vibrant community. The other is the openness and receptivity to the whole university. I am not here only to say Mass and hear Confession. I’m also here to support the broader university – a pluralist, multi-faith community,” he said.
Meissen is a member of the religious order, the Legion of Christ, and was ordained as a priest in 2014.
Prior to coming to Saint Leo, Meissen served as sacramental associate at Our Savior Parish and the University of Southern California (USC) Caruso Catholic Center in Los Angeles, California.
He also is a doctoral candidate in the history department at USC.
Meissen earned his Bachelor of Arts in biology and classics in 2003 from Rice University in Houston, Texas. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 2008 and in theology in 2014 from the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome, Italy.
In 2012, Meissen earned a master’s degree in Latin from the University of Florida and in 2016 a Master of Arts in history from USC.
In-person courses
Pasco-Hernando State College, in accordance with CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines, will offer a select number of courses for in-person learning in the spring.
Each class will allow up to 12 students in the classroom, with social distancing applied to each space.
Remote learning and hybrid courses still will be available as the school continues to add more in-person courses in the coming months, with safety at the core of the plan.
A full list of in-person courses can be found at PHSC.edu/in-person.
The college’s re-entry plan can be viewed at tinyurl.com/ybj5cuym.
Fee adjustments meeting
Pasco-Hernando State College’s District Board of Trustees (DBOT) will meet to consider adjusted course-related fees at its Jan. 19 board meeting, at 6 p.m., at the North Campus in Brooksville.
If the meeting goes virtual, details will be available on the school’s website at PHSC.edu.
Fee adjustment proposals are reviewed and approved for DBOT consideration by PHSC’s Council of Academic Affairs, a committee that includes representation by administrators, deans, academic department chairs, program directors, faculty and staff.
Many fee adjustments relate to vendor increases for workforce courses, laboratories, and program testing.
For details regarding proposed fees adjustments, justification for the fees, and fee implementation details, visit Policies.phsc.edu/policies-and-procedures/public-disclosure.
