Mary Rathman

Shopping to provide for others
Three VPK classes of Primrose School at Collier Parkway took field trips to Publix to buy food items for other kids in need. Each class of 15 to 21 students took turns, using $100 and a shopping list. A sign was added to their carts that said, ‘We worked for weeks doing chores for change so we could go shopping for Pasco Kids First.’ The total donation from the school’s Caring and Giving Food Drive was more than $500 in food items.

Paint workshop benefit
Two Sisters DIY, 2020 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Suite 4, in Lutz, will host an Open Paint walk-in sign-painting workshop March 23 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., to benefit the Rushe Middle School Theatre Department program.

There will be projects available for all ages.

There also will be a raffle during the event.

Register online at TwoSistersDIY.com, or call (813) 586-3521.

Free prom dresses
Belle of the Ball will once again offer free prom dresses and accessories March 23, April 6 and April 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., to in-need high school girls. The ‘boutique’ shop is at 1210 Holt Ave., in Clearwater.

Dresses will be available for prom, homecoming and military balls. No referral letter is necessary and no appointment is needed.

A $1 to $5 donation will be accepted, but is not required.

For information, visit BelleOfTheBallProject.com, or visit Tampa Bay Area Belle of the Ball on Facebook.

Bingo fundraiser
Maniscalco Elementary School, 939 Debuel Road in Lutz, will host a family bingo night March 29 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., in the cafeteria.

Bingo cards will be $1 each, with package deals available.

There also will be food, drinks and raffle tickets for purchase.

All proceeds will benefit the Maniscalco PTSA.

For information, call (813) 949-0337.

Rotary scholarship
The Rotary Club of Trinity is accepting applications for the organization’s 2019 Al Arzu Scholarship.

Applicants must be a high school senior, and reside in and attend school in Pasco County to be eligible to apply.

Applications must be postmarked by April 15.

For information, or for a scholarship application, email Candace Glewen at .

Fire Rescue program
Pasco County Fire Rescue has partnered with Pasco County Schools to offer pathway education to students interested in entering the fire service.

For information and how to enroll a student, visit tinyurl.com/yxmb9lc6.

Essay scholarship
The Republican Party of Pasco will accept scholarship applications until April 15 from graduating seniors from any Pasco County high school.

To be eligible, applicants must be a registered Republican; have a cumulative 3.0 GPA and be a graduate of a Pasco County high school; complete a 650-word minimum essay on the topic of “What is the importance of conservative values for young people in today’s world?”; and must attend an accredited community college/university or accredited vocational school in Florida.

Applicants can receive extra points for club and school activities, volunteer hours and campaign participation.

The application is available online at PascoGOP.org, or at the high school career counselor’s office.

Email applications and essays to , or mail to RPOP, 12043 Cobblestone Drive, Hudson, FL 34667, Attn: Sandy Graves, scholarship chair.

Scholarships will be awarded in May.

Longleaf earns arts designation
Longleaf Elementary School has earned the Arts Achieve! School designation from the Florida Alliance for Arts Education, after winning the Florida Arts Model School distinction in all three scoring categories.

The school has been a Florida Arts Model School for music and visual arts since 2016, and this year added theater to its recognition.

Longleaf received 230 out of 235 total possible points in music; 219 out of 235 in theater; and, 203 out of 235 in visual arts.

Points are earned based on video of performances, lesson plans, teaching video, school culture, and other criteria.

A school administrator and representatives from each content area will accept the award at the 2019 FAAE Summit in Ft. Lauderdale, in June.

Community outreach
Chasco Elementary School in Port Richey attended a Community Outreach event based on the Trauma-Informed Care tenets and what has been learned by the Chasco staff members.

There are five primary principles for trauma-informed care.

• Safety: Includes creating spaces where people feel culturally, emotionally and physically safe, as well as an awareness of an individual’s discomfort or unease.
• Transparency and Trustworthiness
• Choice
• Collaboration and Mutuality
• Empowerment

Students rotated between activities that included mindfulness to stress-reducing strategies, yoga, and physical engagement.

Both students and parents also learned about prevention and coping strategies.

Supervisor of Elections scholarship
The Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections Scholarship Student Eligibility is now underway.

Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley will review all applications received and select one finalist to be sent to the FSASE Scholarship Committee, along with a written opinion of the applicant. Letters of recommendation must accompany the application.

The committee will select three winners ($1,200 each) from the finalists submitted from all  county supervisors.

The deadline to apply is March 29 and applications should be mailed to the Honorable Brian E. Corley, Supervisor of Elections, Pasco County, 14236 Sixth St., Suite 200, P.O. Box 300, Dade City, FL  33526-0300.

For complete details and information, visit PascoVotes.com.

Aiming to protect animal species
Pine View Elementary School is the first International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program Candidate School in the district. A focus of the Primary Years Program (PYP) is to empower and encourage students to take action with their learning.

Fourth-graders Ella Allen and Aubrie Badalament did just that.

The class was learning how the human experience is dependent on relationships within the environment. The fourth-graders started to wonder about the relationship between the students at school and the school environment. They noticed that Pine View had a lot of gopher tortoise burrows. One, in particular, was right by the recess field, where students travel and often leave lunchboxes.

The girls researched gopher tortoises to find out about their habitat. They shared with the class how these tortoises are extremely important as a keystone species because it digs burrows that shelter at least 360 other animal species.

The girls were encouraged to think of what they could do with this new information, and designed a sign that they wanted to hang near the burrow to educate the other students.

After presenting their idea to Pine View Principal Kathryn Moore, Ella and Aubrie asked if the school would be able to provide funding to have the signs produced. The proposal was approved and  three signs were made for the burrows around campus.

The fourth-graders take pride in having educated the students of Pine View, and having helped more than 360 species of animals stay protected.

Friendship Ball
Dr. John Long Middle School Best Buddies Chapter took part in its third annual Best Buddies Friendship Ball on Feb. 24 at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Tampa Airport – Westshore.

The event celebrated one-to-one friendships between students who have intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), and typical students.

Twenty-three typical students accompanied seven IDD students.

For more information, visit BestBuddies.org.

Life Station Campaign
During the month of March, Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco’s “Stop the Bleed – Life Station Campaign” will be the featured charity at the Pasco County Tax Collector’s Offices.

The campaign is an effort to install Life Stations in every school, providing needed lifesaving materials in the event of school-related violence.

For information on “Stop the Bleed,” visit PascoSheriffCharities.org.

For information on how to donate, visit PascoTaxes.com.

Strength Team appearance
The Strength Team will be at Zephyrhills Christian Academy, 34927 Eiland Blvd., March 15 to March 17 at 7 p.m., each day, in the gym.

The team assembles former professional athletes to combing amazing demonstrations of strength and motivational speaking.

Admission is free.

For information, call (813) 782-7115.

Local student achievements
The following area students were named to the Dean’s List at their respective schools:

• Madalyn Alston, of Dade City, Anderson University, South Carolina
• Gerry Chambers-Skinner, of Lutz, Springfield College, Massachusetts
• Natalie Dambrosio, of Lutz, Tallahassee Community College
• Emily M. Gerber, of Odessa, St. Lawrence University, Canton, New York
• Samuel Goetz, of Odessa, Tallahassee Community College
• Kenneth Leikam, of Odessa, Tallahassee Community College
• Em Ovalle, of Lutz, Centre College, Danville, Kentucky
• Amber Pedregal, of Lutz, Tallahassee Community College
• Vinayak Ruia, of Lutz, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
• Jack Schluchter, of Odessa, Tallahassee Community College
• Christopher Smart, of Odessa, Tallahassee Community College
• Zane Thomas Tarrance, of Odessa, Newberry College, South Carolina

These students were recognized on the President’s List at Tallahassee Community College:

• Cristina Filippone, of Odessa
• Zafer Jesri, of Lutz
• Rachael Martin, of Odessa
• Kevin Nguyen, of Lutz

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi initiated Paige Napolitano, of Odessa. Napolitano is working toward a degree in exercise science at Nova Southeastern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.