The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Kevin Weiss

Pasco students share their special talents

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The ovations and cheers seemed endless.

The smiles, too.

Special needs students from four Pasco County schools shared their unique skills on Oct. 20 before more than 100 parents, peers, school faculty and community members.

The ninth annual Showcase for Exceptional Talent was in the auditorium at the Center for the Arts at Wesley Chapel.

Zephyrhills High’s Ryan Womack performed an impressive cover of ‘It’s Not Unusual’ by legendary Welsh singer Tom Jones. He was one of 25 acts during the 90-minute show. (Kevin Weiss)

The event allows all of the special needs students to come together as a community to show off their talents. It encompasses students with developmental and intellectual disabilities, including autism, Asperger’s syndrome, Down syndrome and so on.

From dancing and singing/duets, to lip-syncing and comedy skits, there wasn’t a dull moment.

This year’s hour-and-a-half show featured 25 routines from dozens of exceptional student education (ESE) students.

And, each exhibited skills with aplomb, unafraid of the main stage, bright lights or the large audience, that watched intently.

Clearly it was the students’ day to shine.

Performers hailed from Wesley Chapel, Ridgewood and Zephyrhills high schools, as well as Weightman Middle School. A large-scale digital backdrop recognized each act and the performers involved.

Wesley Chapel High’s Anthony Minnick and Ashley Mendez served as masters of ceremony during the talent showcase. They kept the show moving along with dialogue and introductions.

Wesley Chapel’s David Dixon started the show on a patriotic note, with his rendition of the National Anthem.

Ridgewood High’s Becky Bordeaux worked the crowd with her comedy, drawing hearty rounds of guffaws with every joke.

Weightman’s Mauricio Diaz and Noah Brooks kept younger members of the audience engaged, hip-hop dancing to “Bank Account” by rapper 21 Savage.

Zephyrhills High’s Ryan Womack, meanwhile, had older show-goers singing in unison with a stirring cover of “It’s Not Unusual” by legendary Welsh singer Tom Jones.

During brief breaks in action, Wesley Chapel High’s Anthony Minnick and Ashley Mendez served as masters of ceremony. They kept the show moving along with dialogue and introductions.

A grand finale was newly introduced this year. All ESE students were invited on stage to celebrate with a reprise song of Michael Jackson’s “Bad.”

The event ended about as well as it started.

It even elicited “tears of joy” from parent Dale Kimball, who also attended last year’s show.

Kimball’s 15-year son, Paul, has autism.

Paul was part of a Wesley Chapel High group ensemble that performed “Heigh Ho” from Snow White. He played the part of “Prince Charming,” while his teacher, Penny Ward, played the Evil Queen.

It created quite the paradox, Kimball said, as Ward “is so kind and wonderful.”

At the end of the showcase, all performers were invited on the stage to celebrate with a reprise song of Michael Jackson’s ‘Bad.’

The Wesley Chapel parent pointed out the annual showcase is the closest to a stage most ESE students will ever get.

He also mentioned the staff at the schools are very encouraging to get even reluctant students to participate in the annual showcase.

“These kids never will be on a field, ever. These kids will never be on a stage, ever, except for something like this. You see the joy (of the kids),” Kimball said.

“We’re so blessed to have this program,” he added.

Bridget White, an ESE teacher at Wesley Chapel High, coordinated this year’s showcase.

She concurred with Kimball’s assessment the event provides an important and worthwhile experience for special needs students countywide.

“They don’t always have the same opportunities to shine, and this is geared to them. They often are going to their siblings’ events, so this gets to be just for them,” White said.

In preparation for the showcase, participating students were offered two days of on-stage rehearsals, along with a few classroom rehearsals.

Beforehand, ESE teachers disitrictwide spread the word about the upcoming show with students and their families.

“Oftentimes, they have talents that we may not know about, that are (seen) at home,” White said.

Published October 25, 2017

New Zephyrhills police chief has a familiar face

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Derek Brewer’s official promotion to Zephyrhills Police Chief was just weeks ago — yet he’s no stranger to the uniform, or to the community he’s tasked to serve.

The 45-year-old Brewer was appointed the city’s permanent, full-time police chief on Sept. 25. He was sworn-in two weeks later, on Oct. 9.

Brewer, however, already had months of familiarity with the position.

He served as interim chief since June, filling in the post formerly held by Police Chief David Shears, who retired after 25 years with the agency.

Derek Brewer was sworn in as Zephyrhills Police Chief on Oct. 9. He replaces David Shears, who had been chief since 2008. (File)

Brewer is a 15-year veteran of the Zephyrhills Police Department, who gradually worked up the ranks from patrol officer, to field training officer and lieutenant, to captain.

The test-run as chief proved valuable for Brewer.

“I think it definitely helped,” Brewer said, in a recent interview with The Laker/Lutz News. “I got a chance to see things there from a little different perspective, but at the same time, I’m very familiar with the agency, and the city and the community. My role may have changed a little bit, but everything was still very familiar.”

Brewer was born in Massachusetts and raised in Merrimack, New Hampshire.

After high school, he moved to Florida, searching for a better job market while escaping from blistering cold northern winters.

After a decade of “working odd jobs” in the Sunshine State, the then 29-year-old Brewer opted to become a law enforcement officer, at the encouragement of others.

After police academy training, he joined the Zephyrhills Police Department in 2002.

Being a police chief was not in his original plans.

“It’s not something I ever truly imagined I would be in, but being here for the agency I started with, there’s just an extreme amount of pride,” Brewer said.

He is the 10th police chief in Zephyrhills history.

Within the role, he’s responsible for 32 officers (33 when fully staffed) and an annual budget that exceeds $4 million.

He said the biggest adjustment so far has been overseeing additional personnel — from the entire police force, to its civilian employees in administration.

It means managing “a lot of different personalities” and handling “a lot of different problems.”

Brewer added: “Even though I had some experience in the administrative side when I was a lieutenant, it’s different when you have all of them together working at the same time.”

Challenges aside, Brewer still follows advice often bestowed upon him by Shears.

And, there has been plenty of that, through the years.

When Brewer was a patrolman, Shears was his sergeant. When he was a sergeant, Shears was his captain. And, when Brewer became a lieutenant and captain, Shears, of course, was his chief.

“I really did have an opportunity to learn a lot from him, particularly in police work,” Brewer said. “But, the one thing he always said that really always stuck with me was: ‘You do the right thing, and no matter how hard it is, you’ll always be OK.’ I still follow that today, and I truly do believe that.”

Since joining the department, Brewer earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Hillsborough Community College, attended the senior leadership-training program at the Southern Police Institute in Louisville, Kentucky, and also attended the Florida Police Chiefs executive leadership training in 2014.
He graduated this July from the Command Officer Management Program at Saint Leo University, and is scheduled to receive his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Saint Leo University this December.

In the meantime, Brewer has received numerous honors during his extensive law enforcement career, including:

  • Pasco County Crisis Intervention Team Officer of the Year (2010)
  • William B. Eiland Officer of the Year Award (2012)
  • Tampa Police Department Appreciation Award (2013)
  • City of Zephyrhills Employee of the Year Award (2015)

Besides regular police duties, Brewer has been a member of several committees and organizations that include the Transportation Exception Plan Committee; Pasco-Hernando State College Technical Advisory Committee; Pasco County Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Task Force; Zephyrhills Code Enforcement Task Force; Zephyrhills Police Department Homeless Initiative; Zephyrhills Site Plan Review Committee; Florida Police Chiefs Association; and, Noon Rotary Club of Zephyrhills.

His appointment to chief was recommended to the Zephyrhills City Council by city manager Steve Spina, who was part of a six-person interview committee.

Of the six applicants interviewed for police chief, Spina told the council Brewer was “without a doubt” the top candidate.

The council later approved Brewer’s hiring in a 4-1 vote, with Councilman Ken Burgess dissenting.

At the Sept. 25 meeting, numerous speakers offered support for Brewer’s appointment, including police officers and members of the community.

They praised his leadership and management style, his work ethic, his compassion and humility, and his ability to handle high-risk situations, such as Hurricane Irma.

One of those speakers was Amy Chappell, vice president and residential loan officer at CenterState Bank.

She characterized Brewer this way: “You have an individual that cares, and that’s something you won’t find really on the resume.”

Published October 25, 2017

DuJuan Harris patiently awaits next NFL shot

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Once or twice a week, a veteran NFL running back can be found training at Wesley Chapel District Park, readying for another shot to play on Sundays.

“I’ll get that call soon. I know how the game goes,” he says.

Indeed, Brooksville native DuJuan Harris knows pro football all too well.

Since 2011, the 29-year-old has bounced around to eight NFL franchises across both coasts, in various capacities.

Since 2011, the 29-year-old Brooksville native has bounced around to eight NFL franchises across both coasts, in various capacities. That included a stint with the Green Bay Packers, from 2012 to 2015. (Courtesy of NFL.com)

It has included multiple stints with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2011, 2017), and stops with the Pittsburgh Steelers (2012), Green Bay Packers (2012 to 2014), Minnesota Vikings (2015), Seattle Seahawks (2015), Baltimore Ravens (2015) and San Francisco 49ers (2015 to 2016).

He’s spent just weeks with some teams, and months with others. He’s been on practice squads and active rosters. He’s even been a starter multiple times.

For Harris, it’s all been a “blessing.”

“I’ve bounced around to a lot of different places, but I got to meet a lot of great guys. I played side by side with some future Hall of Famers and some Hall of Famers now, so it’s been amazing. It’s been tough, but I wouldn’t try to change it for anything; every team has been fun.”

More recently, Harris spent preseason and training camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars, until he was released in September.

It’s not the first time he’s been cut, and it surely won’t be the last — should another NFL opportunity arise.

“Every year you’ve got to prove yourself, so it’s a grind,” Harris says. “It’s a different kind of life, definitely. It’s been a struggle throughout my career…”

The average NFL career is 3.3 years, according to the NFL Players Association.

It’s undoubtedly shorter for undrafted free agents, like Harris.

“You can make the same mistake as a first-round guy, and (coaches) are going to pat him on the back and say, ‘Oh, it’s OK.’ You make that same mistake (as an undrafted player), you’re going to be gone,” Harris explains.

The circumstances entering the league don’t matter anymore to Harris.

Instead, he bides his time, relishing the chance to prove himself once again as a veteran player.

“It’s something that I hold my head up for when I go to new teams,” he says. “I don’t get nervous about anything. I feel like you see someone new come in that door, you’re going to have to worry. That’s how it is in the NFL. That’s what I tell some younger guys, ‘Don’t get down when you get released.’”

Whatever the reason, Harris consistently has been overlooked as a football player.

Despite starring at Central High School in Brooksville — where he recorded 3,000 career rushing yards and 45 touchdowns, and holds a Hernando County record for the most yards in a single game with 363 yards and five touchdowns — Harris only had offers from Troy (Alabama) University and Florida A&M University.

And, after a prolific four-year college career at Troy — nearly 3,200 scrimmage yards and 32 touchdowns — Harris didn’t receive an invite to the NFL combine.

Perhaps it’s his stature. He stands at just 5-foot-7.

It’s certainly not his athleticism or aggressive running style.

At 206 pounds, the chiseled Harris recorded the highest vertical leap (41.5 inches) and fastest 40-yard dash time (4.37 seconds) on his college team.

But, an eye-opening pro day workout wasn’t enough to have Harris’ name among the 254 chosen during the 2011 NFL Draft, either.

“I didn’t mind even not getting my name called on draft day,” Harris says. “I really just wanted to hear my name called for my family. Just for them to hear it and for them to cheer about something. Other than that, my mindset is, ‘I’m going to play football anyway. I’m going to be in the NFL, I’m going to get my respect one way or another, if I’m going to get picked or not.’”

He’s done that year in, year out.

In 38 career NFL games, Harris has tallied 590 rushing yards, 244 receiving yards and three touchdowns. In regular season action, he’s proven to be a productive back, averaging a career 4.1 yards per carry, and a reliable pass-catcher, with 21 receptions.

Harris, meanwhile, is confident he can still make plays, at 29 years old — aging by NFL standards.

“There’s older guys that can still do it, and I feel like if they can, then I can, too. It’s doable,” he says.

His newfound athletic trainer, Bebe Roberts, also shares the sentiment.

“He’s amazingly fast, but I didn’t know he was that fast,” Roberts says of observing Harris in a recent workout.

Roberts is a former Wesley Chapel High School track star. He’s worked out other NFL hopefuls through his athletic training company, Fast Sprint Quick Performance LLC.

His relationship with Harris dates back to high school, when they went head-to-head in local track meets — where Roberts beat the NFL player in the 100-meter dash. “He brings that up all the time,” Roberts jokes.

Roberts’ job is to maintain the NFL veteran’s speed and flexibility, through hip stabilizers and other routine running back drills.

“He’s a running back, so we don’t want him to get tight, especially in the offseason,” Roberts explains. “I did a lot of research on him, so I could help make him a better athlete.”

Those personalized workouts are critical to Harris, who’s fighting to stay in the sport that skews young.

“Every year since my rookie year, it’s been the same thing. Just pretty much trying to work on everything. In this league, you learn something every year—and people get better every year,” he says.

“You just got to stay prepared. You could have a skill set that’s pretty good, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to work for you all the time. You’ve got to keep working at it.”

Harris has temporarily settled in Wesley Chapel with his family, while he awaits his next football opportunity.

With ample downtime, he’s been assisting in his wife’s custom wig business, DarVida by Keysha.

“She makes the wigs, and I take care of everything else; we make a good team,” says Harris, noting he developed the professional website.

Interestingly, it’s not the first non-NFL job he’s had.

Harris garnered national headlines in the 2012 season, when he went from working at a Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge dealership in Jacksonville to the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad, eventually working his way onto the active roster as a starter.

That year, Harris took the sales job to supplement his income, as he awaited his next NFL roster spot.

Harris recalls the unique circumstance:

“I’m not a big spender, but during the offseason there’s only so far that your money can stretch. I didn’t have enough to get me through an offseason and some of the season, so I had to get up and work. I couldn’t just sit around and wait for something to happen.
“The process of getting a job was new for me. I never had to go in for an interview, dress nice and everything else. It all was new to me. I was only there for a week —didn’t sell a car, but came close on a couple.

“It was fun, and I was thankful for them giving me the opportunity. I was doing workouts in between, got a call from Green Bay, and they asked me if I wanted to fly out the next day.”

Now Harris hopes for a similar call, from any of the 32 NFL franchises — or even the Canadian Football League.

It may come sooner than later, as injuries mount and wide-eyed rookies make mistakes.

“In this game, if a young guy’s not doing too well, they’re going to go to a vet, no matter what. I’ll get my name called soon,” he said.

Additional Q-and-A with veteran NFL running back DuJuan Harris

On having his No. 20 jersey retired at Central High School’s Sept. 29 Homecoming game:
“It didn’t hit me until I got on the field. I was thinking, like, ‘Wow, nobody in this school is ever going to wear my number again.’ It kind of just hit me. My wife was trying to ask me, ‘Did it really set in yet?’ She saw, once I kind of got some tears in my eyes.”

On the challenge of bouncing from various NFL franchises, with a family at home:
“That’s when it got hard. When I was by myself it was simple. …Just bouncing around from place to place, sometimes I’ve got to leave my wife, and for her to take care of things on her own—I hate having to do that. When you get to a new city and she has to go, now she’s in a new place by herself. So, that’s another thing that I’ve got to try to worry about on top of all the new (stuff) I’ve got to get ready for. So, it’s difficult, but it is what it is. We’d rather go through all of it now.”

On the feeling of getting released:
“You might feel like you’re an outcast when you leave ‘here’ and get released ‘here,’ and you might feel a little embarrassed, and you want to be in your shell. But, when you get a call from another team and go there, there’s guys in that locker room that are going to worry because, ‘Hey, they just brought in a new running back, who’s going to go?’ And in this league, it’s a numbers game. You just can’t really think about all the negativity in the league because there’s a lot. There’s nothing you can do about it.”

On what he misses most about the NFL:
“Just pretty much being in that (locker) room. Just that atmosphere itself, it’s amazing, and it’s something that a lot of people wish they could be apart of. If I get another opportunity to prolong my career, it would be a blessing…”

On the difficulty of learning an NFL playbook, especially in a short period of time:
“It’s definitely not like the video games. You’ve got to learn a new language pretty much. It’s a little difficult. One word might mean something for one team and it means something else for another. And then the routes, they call the routes a little differently. But, it’s a copycat league. Everything you pretty much learn from other teams, you end up running that same play. …I go to one team, and I just try to learn the basics and then go from there. You’ve just got to put in the time. There’s a lot more to it than people think.”

Published October 25, 2017

Area offers & commitments

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Sunlake High’s Maria Melendez plans to play collegiate softball at Ave Maria University. (Courtesy of Sunlake High)

Mariah Melendez, a senior pitcher/utility player at Sunlake High School, has verbally committed to play softball at Ave Maria University, an NAIA program in Ave Maria. Melendez has proven to be one of the county’s top two-way players the last three seasons. In 358 career innings, Melendez has racked up 35 wins, to go along with a 2.91 ERA, 193 strikeouts and 42 complete games. At the plate, Melendez has a career .407 batting average, tallying 108 hits, 51 RBIs and 75 runs. Also a threat on the base paths, Melendez has 32 career steals.

Ashley Sieper, an Odessa resident who attends Tampa Catholic, has verbally committed to play basketball at Boston University, an NCAA Division I program in Boston, Massachusetts. The 6-foot-2 power forward averaged 8.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game for the Crusaders last season, which reached the Class 5A regional finals. ESPN.com ranks Sieper as a three-star recruit and the nation’s 42nd best post prospect for the 2018 recruiting class.

Darin Green Jr., a 6-foot-4 junior shooting guard at Wharton High School, has picked up a basketball scholarship from Rider (New Jersey) University, marking his second Division I offer in as many weeks. Green Jr., who helped guide Wharton High to a 20-6 mark and Class 8A regional quarterfinal last season, recently earned an offer from Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers.
The Saint Leo University women’s basketball team has picked up a verbal commitment from Tampa Catholic guard Lenise Santiago. The 5-foot-8 junior averaged 8.1 points, 1.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1. steals per game last season.

Former Wiregrass Ranch defensive back Shamaur McDowell, now a senior at IMG Academy in Bradenton, has decommitted from the University of Minnesota. The 5-foot-11, 184-pound McDowell, who originally committed to Minnesota on June 11, recently made the announcement on Twitter. McDowell, a three-star prospect ranked among the nation’s top 150 cornerbacks for the 2018 class, has offers from North Carolina State, Washington State, Central Florida, South Florida, Purdue and Iowa State universities, among others, according to 247sports.com.

Pasco County champs

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(Courtesy of Meg Merritt)

For the second straight year, the Wiregrass Ranch High girls golf team won the Pasco County Girls’ High School Golf Conference tournament. Buoyed by freshman Norah Caitlin, who shot a 69 to earn individual medalist honors, the Bulls edged 12 other Pasco schools at the Oct. 9 tournament at The Groves Golf and Country Club in Land O’ Lakes. From left: Tyler Finn, assistant coach, and Zoe Wood, Mya Simard, Norah Catlin, Morgan, Sustachek, Laryn Finn, Karlie Finn and Jeremy Calzone, head coach.

Triple-Impact Competitor finalists named

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Wharton High’s Raweerat Khunduang is one of 25 finalists for the Triple Impact Competitor Scholarship through the Positive Coaching Alliance-Tampa Bay.
(Courtesy of Positive Coaching Alliance-Tampa Bay)

Six senior athletes from schools in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area were recently named finalists for the Triple Impact Competitor Scholarship through the Positive Coaching Alliance-Tampa Bay:

  • Raweerat Khunduang, Wharton High School
  • Emily Leonard, Wiregrass Ranch High School
  • Alexander Lopez, Steinbrenner High School
  • Karissa Olsen, Wesley Chapel High School
  • Andrea Wallace, Sunlake High School
  • Chandler Carr (formerly of Lutz), Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate High School

The Triple Impact Competitor Scholarship seeks to salute student-athletes who have “demonstrated a commitment to improving themselves, their teammates, and their sport as a whole,” according to a release.

Applicants had to submit essays and receive at least three recommendations from coaches, teachers or administrators.

A total of 25 Tampa Bay-area student-athletes from the high school class of 2018 were finalists for the Triple-Impact Competitor, which is presented by Sagicor Life Insurance Company.

Each of the finalists will next be interviewed by members of a selection committee, Scholarship winners will be named at a Tampa Bay Rays game in the 2018 season.

Helping Puerto Rico, one click at a time

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As the island of Puerto Rico tries to pick up the pieces after the devastating landfall of Hurricane Maria, a group of students at Sunlake High School offered their help in the recovery efforts — via classroom computers nearly 1,200 miles away.

Sunlake High School geography teacher Anne Cullison introduced her classes to a collaborative project called The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team. (Courtesy of Sunlake High School)

On Oct. 2 and Oct. 3, students in teacher Anne Cullison’s Advanced Placement (AP) Geography class participated in a collaborative project called The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, a nonprofit that does emergency mapping in the wake of disasters.

Cullison’s two classes, comprised of mostly freshman, mapped areas affected in Puerto Rico using what’s called OpenStreetMap, a web project that uses open-source geospatial data, and satellite imagery to create better, digitally available maps of the area.

Over the course of two days, Cullison’s students mapped and validated everything from buildings and streets, to homes and parking garages.

The exercise, also performed by numerous volunteers worldwide, serves a critical resource when relief organizations, such as the American Red Cross and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), are responding to disasters — by providing more details on the island’s roads and buildings, in part to give them information about who needs help and how to get there.

Cullison explained relief organizations working in Puerto Rico struggle to help those trapped in rural areas in the interior of the island, due to little data on roadways and buildings. Small towns may also not be labeled on maps, so in some cases, aid workers may not even know which towns exist.

But, with up-to-date maps, “the Red Cross…can go in and start actually checking destroyed things and go, ‘OK, well that was a building,’” Cullison said.

“It could also give them data about areas that may be without power or what kind of infrastructure needs to be rebuilt,” she said.

Hurricane Maria unleashes her fury

Puerto Rico was hit by Hurricane Maria, a Category 5 Hurricane, on Sept. 20. More than 1,500 roads and bridges were damaged after the hurricane. Rebuilding them could cost more than $240 million, transportation officials estimate. Forty-five deaths have been reported in Puerto Rico alone, as of Oct. 10. (Courtesy of U.S. Department of Defense)

Hurricane Maria, a Category 5 Hurricane, hit Puerto Rico on Sept. 20 after barreling into Dominica.

Regarded as the worst natural disaster on record in Dominica, Hurricane Maria also caused catastrophic damage and a major humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico.

More than 1,500 roads and bridges were damaged after the hurricane, and rebuilding them could cost more than $240 million, transportation officials estimate. There also have been 45 known deaths in Puerto Rico alone, as of Oct. 10.

The Humanitarian OpenStreet Map Team seeks to help emergency responders help people affected in disaster zones.

The group was initially organized after the Haiti earthquake in 2010. At the time, the maps available of the country were on paper, and mostly outdated.

A loose network of volunteers started using OpenStreetMap, to create better, digitally available maps of the area.

Since then, emergency disaster mappers have worked to coordinate their responses to provide more directed, higher quality maps — to give disaster response workers better information.

Cullison explained OpenStreetMaps differs from Google Maps, as Google Maps is proprietary software that doesn’t allow third parties to label buildings and residential areas and so on.

“If you pull up a Google Map of Puerto Rico, it’s going to look essentially like (OpenStreetMaps), but there’s nothing you do with it,” Cullison said.

OpenStreetMaps, however, can provide relief organizations data about the types of infrastructure that needs to be rebuilt in a certain area by detailing, “exactly what was there” prior to a natural disaster.

As an example closer to home, Cullison pointed out Google Maps has labeled streets and large buildings, like Sunlake High School, but not her own residential neighborhood.

“None of the homes around here are mapped…so we would have some of the exact same problems,” the high school teacher said.

Geography teacher brings her lessons to life
Cullison herself learned about humanitarian mapping last spring, when she participated in the American Geological Society teacher fellowship program. She was one of 50 teachers selected for the program, which was held at Columbia University in New York City.

Besides Sunlake, volunteers from other universities — including Boston University, Trinity College, Miami (Ohio) University, the University of Miami, Rutgers (New Jersey) University and University of Nebraska Omaha — held simultaneous “mapathons” for Puerto Rico on their own campuses.

Meanwhile, other worldwide emergency mapping projects also are being done for Mexico, following a trio of September earthquakes, and for Bangladesh, after experiencing devastating flooding during monsoon season.

Madeline Murch, a freshman Advanced Placement geography student, marks buildings on OpenStreetMap, to gives relief organizations in Puerto Rico information about who needs help and how to get there. (Kevin Weiss)

Many of Cullison’s students, including freshman AP student Madeline Murch, found the two-day humanitarian activity worthwhile.

“It’s really nice knowing that you can help other people, just from sitting in your class and doing work at a computer, but knowing that it’s still helping others. I feel like it’s time well spent,” Murch said.

Diego Montoya, another freshman AP student, agreed that it’s great to be able to help others.

He also noted: “This class just kind of opened my eyes a bit to what’s actually going on in the world, rather than what’s going on just like in technology.”

The way Cullison sees it, the exercise has both philanthropic and educational benefits.

“This is kind of getting them some hands-on use in terms of GIS software and the layers,” she said. “We were already a little bit behind because of our own hurricane in losing (school) days, but I decided this was worth it so I pushed our schedule a little bit farther to get them into this, for them to see what we can actually do with geography.”

Throughout the year, Cullison plans to introduce her classes to other geographic-related software techniques, like Esri, an international supplier of geographic information system (GIS) software.

“It’s different than a regular geography course. It’s not just about, ‘Here’s a map and let’s talk about the culture in one place.’” said Cullison, who’s taught geography and social studies for 13 years.

Instead, students in her AP class learn about global development, migration, culture and religion, resource disparity, political geography and urban development, among other topics.

“We have the interplay between the human aspect and the physical aspects and where they come together,” Cullison explained.

“Kids come out more understanding, more caring, because they understand a little bit more about the world. They really start to understand the plight of some of the other people around the world, instead of having the veil of a fairly privileged upbringing.”

Published Oct. 18, 2017

Tennis center secures management

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Plans to serve up more tennis opportunities for Zephryhills residents — while also creating a regional asset — have moved yet another step forward.

The Zephyrhills City Council on Oct. 9 unanimously approved a 20-year contract with Tennis P.R.O. Florida, LLC, to operate and mange the proposed Zephyrhills Tennis Center.

Tennis P.R.O. is owned by Pascal Collard, shown here. Collard was the director of tennis at Saddlebrook Tennis Academy in Wesley Chapel from 2003 to 2006. He most recently served as the tennis director at The Merion Cricket Club, a private club in Haverford, Pennsylvania. (Kevin Weiss)

Tennis P.R.O. is owned by Pascal Collard, who was the director of tennis at Saddlebrook Tennis Academy in Wesley Chapel from 2003 to 2006.

Most recently, he was tennis director at The Merion Cricket Club, a private club in Haverford, Pennsylvania.

Under the agreement, Tennis P.R.O. will be responsible for day-to-day operations of the facility, which will include providing lessons and running concessions. The firm also will handle memberships and fundraising.

Moreover, Collard’s company will pay $300,000 upfront for capital improvements to the facility — covered court, hitting walls, indoor and outdoor playground and so on.

The agreement also calls for the proposed facility to be open at least 80 hours per week, as weather permits.

“I’m very excited about starting as soon as possible,” Collard told council members.

“I’m already working on the marketing, trying to find out what can we do to make it a big success. We want the community to be involved. We’re also going to have a foundation, where we’re going to try to do a lot of outreach programs,” he said.

Council members unanimously agreed in May to enter negotiations with Tennis P.R.O. LLC, to operate and manage the proposed tennis facility. The firm was selected over Management Partners and Net Results.

The planned $2.19 million complex will include eight clay and two hard surface courts, two sheltered courts, two mini-courts and several pickleball courts, built to U.S Tennis Association (USTA) professional standards.

It also will feature a pro shop, a multifunctional community room, and two office spaces. A second floor, if added, will include an observation deck overlooking the courts with concessions and a lounge for players.

This rendering of the Zephyrhills Tennis Center shows 10 courts (eight clay, two hard surface), two sheltered courts, two mini-courts and several pickleball courts, built to U.S Tennis Association (USTA) professional standards.
The tennis center is also expected to feature a pro shop, a community room, and two office spaces. The project could break ground as soon as March.
(File)

The complex will be located on 4.7 acres of donated land at The District at Abbott’s Square, a new real estate development situated north of Dean Dairy Road and west of Simons Road.

Officials say the project could break ground as soon as March, with construction estimated at 12 to 16 months.

Once complete, it will be renamed Sarah Vande Berg Memorial Tennis Center, after the former Zephyrhills High School district champion who became a scholarship player on the University of South Carolina Upstate women’s tennis team. Vande Berg, the daughter of the Zephyrhills planning director Todd Vande Berg, died in an automobile accident at the age of 21 in October 2015.

City Manager Steve Spina said the city will receive no revenues in the first three years of the complex opening, to help Tennis P.R.O. recoup its upfront costs. For the remainder of the agreement, however, the firm will pay rent to the city based on a percentage of its profits.

Spina said the public-private partnership resembles the one Zephyrhills has with the East Pasco Family YMCA, in which the city owns the building property, but outsources programming and facility management.

Meanwhile, recreation impact fees from The District at Abbott’s Square and other developments will be used to finance most of the facility’s construction costs, city officials say. The city also is looking into additional funding from USTA grants, Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program (FRDAP) grants, Penny for Pasco, and partnerships with Pasco County Parks and Recreation, and Pasco County Tourism.

Memberships, or hourly court rental fees, will be required to access the tennis facility, though Zephyrhills residents will see a price break compared to non-residents.

And, while those figures haven’t yet been configured, they are expected to mirror other clay-court tennis centers in nearby communities.

The eight-court Cindy Hummel Tennis Center, in Auburndale, has yearly memberships ranging from $75 to $171, for unlimited court access. Elsewhere, the 10-court Plant City Tennis Center offers individual annual passes for $350, and family annual passes for $700. Hourly court fees range from $1 to $7 at both facilities.

“If you go to Plant City, if you go Auburndale, if you go to Tampa — to have clay courts you have to have fees,” Spina said.

Aside from serving east Pasco residents, officials believe the new tennis complex could become a draw for college and USTA-sanctioned events.

“We think this is more than a local tennis club; we think it will be a regional asset,” Spina told the council.

“This is a feather in our cap,” said Alan Knight, council president.

“I’m excited about it,” said Lance Smith, council vice president. “I think it’s going to bring some people in here, and we don’t really have any idea how big this is going to be. …I think it’s going to be a great success. I’m looking forward to seeing it come along.”

Published Oct. 18, 2017

Prep football mid-season review

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With the midway point of the 2017 prep football season recently passing by, here’s a look at some noteworthy teams and players in The Laker/Lutz News coverage.

Best team: Zephyrhills High Bulldogs (6-1 overall, 5-0 district)

The Zephyrhills Bulldogs have been dominant under second-year head coach Nick Carroll. (File)

Aside from an early season hiccup to Wiregrass Ranch (31-to-29 loss), the Bulldogs have planted themselves as one of the top — and most electrifying— teams in the Tampa Bay area, under second-year head coach Nick Carroll. Look no further than its balanced, yet potent offense, which is averaging 49 points and nearly 400 total yards per game.

And, Zephyrhills now stands alone at the top of District 8-5A after securing a 38-35 win over River Ridge on Oct. 13 — ending the Knights’ 23-game district win steak that spanned back to 2013.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs’ toughest remaining game is an Oct. 20 road matchup against Wesley Chapel (6-2 overall), which has won two straight games since the departure of its top player, senior cornerback Isaiah Bolden. (Bolden was dismissed from the team on Oct. 4 due to undisclosed reasons).

Should Zephyrhills win two more contests this season, it will mark the fourth consecutive year the program has won eight games.

Consideration for best team also given to: Gaither Cowboys, Wesley Chapel High Wildcats, Wiregrass Ranch Bulls, Zephyrhills Christian Warriors

 

Biggest surprise: Gaither High Cowboys (5-2 overall, 4-1 district)

The Gaither High Cowboys are looking for their first winning season since 2014. (Courtesy of Gaither High football)

The Cowboys have utilized an explosive running game (280 rushing yards per game, 7.7 yards per carry) and suffocating defense (13 points per game allowed) to become one of the toughest teams to face in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area. Quite a feat, considering the Cowboys entered the season with just five seniors for first-year head coach Kirk Karsen.

Expectations this season were relatively tame, moreover, following the graduations of two Division I talents — linebackers Decalon Brooks and Estefano Feliciano — and top offensive playmaker in TJ Williams. Standout quarterback Gavin Denboer’s offseason transfer to Alonso High School didn’t help the team’s preseason outlook, either.

Though several of Gaither’s wins have come against struggling teams, the Cowboys quieted doubters after a convincing 23-13 win over Wiregrass Ranch on Oct. 6. In that game, the Cowboys rushed for a combined 259 yards, while garnering four sacks and forcing three turnovers.

With three regular season games remaining, the Cowboys look to secure its first winning season since 2014.

Consideration for biggest surprise also given to: Pasco High Pirates

 

Biggest slide: Sunlake High Seahawks (3-4 overall, 2-1 district)
While Sunlake was expected to be in rebuilding mode this season, it’s still startling to see a losing

Sunlake running back Bryant Beacham has been a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season for the Seawhawks. (File)

record attached to the historically dominant program, under longtime head coach Bill Browning.

The Seahawks have had to mold a new quarterback and several starters, both on defense and at multiple skill positions.

A brutal regular season schedule hasn’t offered many favors, either.

Sunlake’s first three contests were against Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills and Wiregrass Ranch high schools — who have a combined 18-4 overall record.

And, it doesn’t get any easier, with road dates remaining against Mitchell High (7-0 overall) and River Ridge High(4-3 overall).

The Seahawks, meanwhile, will need to win two of its last three games to prevent suffering its first losing season since 2009. From 2010 to 2016, the Seahawks went a combined 60-16.

Disappointing season aside, Seahwawks fans have been able to witness one of the county’s top offensive playmakers, in running back Bryant Beacham. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior is averaging over 100 yards per game to go along with nine rushing touchdowns. He’s also on pace to become the program’s first single-season 1,000-yard rusher since 2014, when then-senior Nathan Johnson tallied 1,088 yards.

 

Five who’ve shined:

  • Charles Harrison III, senior quarterback, Zephyrhills High Bulldogs
    The three-year starter is arguably the county’s top signal-caller, tossing 21 touchdowns with just five interceptions, to go with a 62 percent completion rate.
  • Jordan Miner, senior cornerback/wide receiver, Wiregrass Ranch High Bulls
    The Penn State signee and four-star prospect has lived up to the hype as a jack-of-all-trades, making key contributions on offense (424 yards), defense (25 tackles, two interceptions, seven passes defensed) and special teams (125 return yards).
  • Austen Wittish, senior linebacker, Wesley Chapel High Wildcats
    The 6-foot, 195-pound inside linebacker ranks among the state’s top tacklers (104 total tackles), to go along with five sacks.
  • Darrion Robinson, sophomore wide receiver, Pasco High Pirates
    The young 5-foot-11 wideout has quickly developed into one of the county’s most productive receivers, tallying 17 receptions for 412 yards and eight touchdowns.
  • Jeromy Reid, junior running back, Gaither High Cowboys
    The 5-foot-11, 190-pound tailback is having a breakout campaign, pacing all of District 8-7A with 863 rushing yards (123 yards per game, 9.5 yards per carry) and six touchdowns.Team records:
    The Laker/Lutz News coverage area includes the following schools from Hillsborough and Pasco counties:

    Hillsborough:
    Carrollwood Day School Patriots (Class 2A-Region 3): (2-3 overall, 1-1 district)

    Freedom High School Patriots (Class 7A-Region 8): (2-5 overall, 1-3 district)

    Gaither High School Cowboys (Class 7A-Region 8): (5-2 overall, 4-1 district)

    Steinbrenner High School Warriors (Class 8A-Region 6): (2-5 overall, 1-3 district)

    Wharton High School Wildcats (Class 7A-Region 8): (2-5 overall, 1-3 district)

    Pasco:
    Academy at the Lakes Wildcats (8-man-Florida Christian Region 2): (5-1 overall, 5-0 district)

    Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School Hurricanes (Independent-Sunshine State Athletic Conference (SSAC): (3-4 overall, 2-2 district)

    Cypress Creek Middle High School Coyotes (Class 4A-Region 3): (1-6 overall, 0-0 district)

    Land O’ Lakes High School Gators (Class 6A-Region 6): (2-4 overall, 0-2 district)

    Pasco High School Pirates (Class 6A-Region 6): (4-4 overall, 0-2 district)

    Sunlake High School Seahawks (Class 6A-Region 6): (3-4 overall, 2-1 district)

    Wesley Chapel High School Wildcats (Class 5A-Region 8): (6-2 overall, 4-1 district)

    Wiregrass Ranch High School Bulls (Class 7A-Region 8): (6-1 overall, 3-1 district)

    Zephyrhills High School Bulldogs (Class 5A-Region 8): (6-1 overall, 5-0 district)

    Zephyrhills Christian Academy Warriors (Class 2A-Region 2): (6-1-1 overall, 0-1 district)

–Stats compiled from Maxpreps.com—

Published Oct. 18, 2017

Area commitments & offers

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  • Ashley Smith, a senior utility player/pitcher at Land O’ Lakes High School, has committed to play softball at St. Petersburg College, a Division I junior college program. Smith was one of the Gators’ top hitters last season, leading the team in home runs (four), doubles (seven), triples (five) and RBIs (30), to go along with a .390 batting average. As a pitcher, Smith won four games, posting a 4.67 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 18 innings.
  • Foday Kamara, a Pasco-Hernando State College basketball alum, has transferred to McDaniel College, an NCAA Division III program in Westminster, Maryland. Kamara, a 6-foot-1 guard, last played for PHSC in the 2015-2016 season, where he averaged 3.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Prior to attending PHSC, Kamara played high school basketball at Sandy Spring Friends School in Washington, D.C., where he was a four-year varsity starter and three-time Second Team All-Conference selection.
  • Donovan Jennings, a senior offensive tackle at Gaither High School, has picked up a scholarship offer from Liberty University, an NCAA Division I FBS (Football Subdivision) program in Lynchburg, Virginia. It marks the 13th Division I offer for the 6-foot-5, 310-pound Jennings, who’s regarded as one of Tampa Bay’s top offensive line prospects. Schools who’ve offered include, Marshall, Old Dominion, Central Florida, South Florida, Toledo and Virginia universities, among others. Multiple recruiting outlets pin Jennings as a three-star recruit, with 247Sports ranking him the nation’s top 150 offensive line recruits for the 2018 class.
  • Darin Green Jr., a 6-foot-4 junior shooting guard at Wharton High School, has picked up a basketball scholarship from Florida Gulf Coast University, an NCAA Division I program in Fort Myers. Green Jr., who also holds an offer California State University-Fullerton, helped guide Wharton High to a 20-6 mark and Class 8A regional quarterfinal last season.