The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Mary Rathman

A big catch

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K.P. Sheka took this photo in his backyard in Estancia, in Wesley Chapel. It seems the gator caught quite a mouthful for lunch.

Follow Locke on Instagram

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Locke is a 1 ½-year-old sable German shepherd. He loves playing fetch, hanging out in his pool, eating ice and cuddling with his stuffed tiger. You can follow him on Instagram @locke_the_gsd. Locke lives in Lutz with his proud mom, Brittany Castellano, and dad, Jack Dighera.

 

Taking care of the young

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Lonna Vizzari watched for over an hour as this daddy bluebird fed its baby. This year, Vizzari has seen four nestlings in the birdhouse.

Health News 12/05/2018

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Marcis Brevard Wynn
(Courtesy of Pasco Kids First)

New executive director
Pasco Kids First welcomed Marcia Brevard Wynn, Ph.D., as its new executive director.

Wynn brings more than seven years of nonprofit experience to the organization in a position that will include leadership roles as both executive director and housing director.

She also has served several years in the areas of development, grant writing and fundraising.

Wynn earned a Bachelor of Arts in public affairs and a master’s degree in human behavior and conflict management, both from Columbia College in Columbia, South Carolina.

She also has a doctorate in human services from Capella University.

Pasco Kids First is a private, nonprofit organization committed to advocating for the best interests of children with assessment, therapy and prevention services through their work as a fully accredited Children’s Advocacy Center.

Medication disposal
X-Tra Discount Drugs, 6953 Gall Blvd., in Zephyrhills, has partnered with Sharps Compliance Inc., to combat the epidemic of prescription drug abuse by providing safe disposal of opioid painkillers and other unused medications.

A MedSafe drug collection and disposal receptacle is now located inside X-Tra Discount Drugs for the safe and anonymous disposal of unused or expired medications and controlled substances.

The receptacle is securely installed and can only be accessed and emptied by two pharmacy employees as required by Drug Enforcement Administration guidelines.

MedSafe receptacles are located in retail pharmacies, long-term care facilities, hospitals and clinics with onsite pharmacies, law enforcement, government agencies and narcotic treatment facilities.

Grant awarded to ‘get moving’
More than 700 adults in the University Area neighborhood will benefit from a $48,000 grant awarded to University Area Community Development Corporation’s “Get Moving!” program by the Simply Healthcare Foundation.

Get Moving! is a wellness program that focuses on various aspects of an individual’s health: physical, emotional, mental, nutritional and/or spiritual.

The funds will be used to expand programming into Harvest Hope Park, a 7-acre resident-friendly development in the heart of the University Area Community that encourages family play, healthy eating, environmental sustainability, education and community interaction.

The park is owned by University Area CDC and, once complete, will include a community garden, teaching kitchen, multipurpose sports field, playground, outdoor fitness stations, walking trails and a tilapia fish pond.

Chalk Talk 12/05/2018

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Elissa Gomez and Rabbi Yochanan Salazar (Courtesy of Hillel Academy)

Academy creates new Torah
The Murray and Sarah Fisch family have donated a new Torah to Hillel Academy, in memory of Murray’s father, Jerry Fisch. An ark also is being built in his honor.

Writing a Torah is the 613th Mitzvah (commandment), making this gesture even more significant.

“Jewish values are very important to our family. Being given the opportunity to contribute to creating a Torah for Hillel Academy is the true embodiment of L’dor Vador (Generation to Generation). This will be shared with future generations as a testament to our Jewish values and beliefs,” said Sara Fisch, in a release.

A sofer (scribe) will visit the school in January and in March to enable students, families and community members to help write the Torah to fulfill this commandment, by dedicating parts of the Torah and/or the ark.

Musical & art show
Centennial Elementary School, 38501 Centennial Road in Dade City, will present a Holiday Musical & Art Show, “A Very Merry Grinchmas,” on Dec. 6 at 6:30 p.m.

The event will include a fourth and fifth grade musical, featuring the chorus and first-graders.

For information, call (352) 524-5000.

Students of the Month
The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce recognized students from across the community as November Students of the Month.

Each individual was honored for exemplary effort, achievement and contribution to their school, family and community.

The students receiving recognition were: Kamryn Morfey, The Academy of Spectrum Diversity; Dylan Powers, The Broach School; Ricardo Morales, Chester Taylor Elementary School; Griffin Blair, East Pasco Adventist Academy; Skylar Goeb, Heritage Academy; Trinity Williams, Raymond B. Stewart Middle School; Pushti Patel, West Zephyrhills Elementary School; Makayla Suarez, Woodland Elementary School; Anna Cahill, Woodland Elementary School; Nayairis Rivera, Zephyrhills Christian Academy; Bryce Sanders, Zephyrhills High School; and Taija McCullough, Zephyrhills High School.

Flu shots for students
Pasco County Schools will again partner with Healthy Schools LLC and the Florida Department of Health in Pasco to administer no-cost flu shots to students.

The clinics will take place starting on Dec. 12.

In order for a student to receive a flu vaccine shot during their scheduled clinic day, a parent/guardian must register online.

This is a voluntary service, so if the parent does not want a child to receive the flu shot, they should not register or complete a consent form, or they can check the ‘No’ box at the top of the form given at each school.

To view the 2018 flu shot schedule and to register a student, go to Pasco.k12.fl.us/ssps/health.

Board members announced
Steve Knobl, executive director of the Early Learning Coalition of Pasco and Hernando Counties, has announced that Gov. Rick Scott has appointed Jacob Horner to the Coalition’s Board of Directors.

Horner, of Odessa, is the senior manager of Government Affairs with WellCare Health Plans.

He has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Florida State University.

Horner fills a vacant seat on the Coalition’s board and was appointed for a term that began on Nov. 16 and runs through April 30.

The District School Board of Pasco County also has sworn in three members.

Cynthia Armstrong and Allen Altman are returning members, and Megan Harding is the newest member of the board, filling the vacant seat of Steve Luikart (retiring).

As part of the reorganization, Allison Crumbley was elected chair and Colleen Beaudoin was elected vice chair.

Students should learn about credit scores

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Your credit score is a three-digit number that has a long-lasting effect on your buying power.

When you apply for credit, your score will be checked. Employers and landlords also can do a credit check. The higher your credit score, the better the chances are that you will be approved.

It’s important to know your three-digit credit score when applying for credit and loans. (Courtesy of CardGuru)

Students should become familiar with their credit scores, which can determine whether you get a loan and what your interest rates will be.

There are several scoring methods, but the most widely accepted one comes from FICO. Scores can range from 300 to 850.

These calculations make up a FICO score:

Thirty-five percent is based on your payment history. Pay your loans and credit card bills on time. Early payments will result in a higher number than on-time payments, which, in turn, will have a higher score than late payments.

Thirty percent is based on outstanding debt. Outstanding debt is how much you owe on car loans, mortgages, credit cards, etc. The number of credit cards you have and if those cards are near the maximum borrowing limit will hurt your score.

Fifteen percent is based on the length of time you have had credit. The longer you have been borrowing money (using credit) and paying it back in a timely manner, the better your score will be.

Ten percent is based on new credit. If you have opened several new accounts, that will have a negative on your score. Also, the more inquiries on your credit report in a year, the lower your score will tend to be.

Ten percent is based on the types of credit you currently have. Refrain from going overboard on a bunch of new loan and credit cards in a short period of time, which makes it look like you are desperate for credit. But, it is a good idea to have a credit mix, such as revolving debt and installment loans.

A credit score is derived from a credit report, which is made up of your identification information, such as current and previous addresses; and your history of dealing with credit, such as payments on student loans and credit cards.

It’s important to make sure the information on your credit report is accurate, and it is up to the individual to have any errors fixed.

Get free access to a credit score/report from Experian, Equifax, TransUnion or CreditKarma, once every 12 months, from AnnualCreditReport.com.

Published November 28, 2018

Cuddle buddies

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Bailey (a dapple) and Mater (the red one) love each other so much they do not like to be separated for long periods of time. Fourteen-year-old Bailey loves to play with tennis balls, and 6-year-old Mater is never seen without a stuffed ‘baby,’ the bigger the better. Both enjoy burrowing in piles of blankets, barking at squirrels and falling leaves, and being cuddled. Baily and Mater live with Nicole and Kyle Musselman, of Lutz.

Be careful where you step

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Sharon Thompson, of Wesley Chapel, found this pigmy rattlesnake outside her front door. Pigmy rattlesnakes spend most of their time well-hidden among leaf litter and can be very hard to spot. From such hiding places, they ambush a variety of prey, including lizards, frogs, small mammals, and insects, as well as centipedes. These snakes are most often encountered crossing roads on summer evenings.

Chalk Talk 11/28/2018

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(Courtesy of Andrew Bridges/Saint Leo University)

Teacher of the Year visits Saint Leo
Joy Prescott, the 2019 Florida Teacher of the Year (center), recently spoke to the education Honor Society student members at Saint Leo University. Prescott, a fourth-grade teacher at a public charter school on the Brighton Seminole Indian Reservation in Glades County, was inducted into the university chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, the international honor society in education, along with those attending the event.

Hillel Academy collects for hurricane victims
Hillel Academy staff, students and families collected school supplies for students attending Panama City’s Holy Nativity Episcopal School, which was devastated due to the impact of Hurricane Michael.

Among items collected are basic supplies, such as pencils, glue, highlighters and crayons; spiral notebooks; composition books; index cards and all kinds of paper; and art supplies and books for grades three to eight.

More unusual items included science, earth and space materials for middle school; individual white boards for students; bulletin boards, picnic tables; benches; projectors; shade tents; folding tables and chairs; and, carpet squares for students for sitting.

Hillel will send the supplies to Holy Nativity by the end of November.

Each month, Hillel Academy collects goods for a different charity or group in need as part of its Tzedakah (Charity) Project and Kindness of Culture philosophy.

Curriculum Night
Quail Hollow Elementary, 7050 Quail Hollow Blvd., in Wesley Chapel, will host a Curriculum Night on Nov. 29 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Parents can learn about the content that is being taught to students, through curriculum presentations from the teachers.

For information, call (813) 794-1100.

Ribbon cutting
Wendell Krinn Technical High School, 7650 Orchid Lake Road in New Port Richey, will host a ribbon cutting Dec. 4 at 11:30 a.m., in the media center.

A light lunch will be provided, after a brief ceremony.

For information, call (727) 774-3900.

Musical & art show
Centennial Elementary School, 38501 Centennial Road in Dade City, will present a Holiday Musical & Art Show, “A Very Merry Grinchmas,” on Dec. 6 at 6:30 p.m.

The event will include a fourth and fifth grade musical, featuring the chorus and first-graders.

For information, call (352) 524-5000.

Donate an instrument
Pop music icon Barry Manilow will bring his Manilow Music Project to the Marcia P. Hoffman School of the Arts at Ruth Eckerd Hall by donating a Yamaha piano to launch a local music instrument drive.

Anyone who donates a new or gently used musical instrument will receive two complimentary tickets, valid for preselected seat locations on a first-come, first-served basis, for Manilow’s “A Very Barry Christmas” at Amalie Arena on Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m.

The designated instrument drop is at the Amalie Arena Ticket Office during regular business hours.

Collected instruments will be distributed to local students and schools in need through the outreach efforts of the Hoffman School of the Arts.

The Manilow Music Project has conducted music instrument drives all over the country to assist local schools with their music programs.

For information regarding the project, visit ManilowMusicProject.org.

Scholarships for struggling readers
The state of Florida, in 2018, established Reading Scholarships Accounts to provide support for public school students in third grade to fifth grade who struggle with reading.

Students who received a Florida State Assessment score of Level 1 in English Language Arts automatically qualify for the scholarship.

The state program provides families with access to education savings accounts, worth $500, to pay for tuition and fees associated with part-time tutoring in reading, during the summer and after-school programs designed to improve reading and literacy skills through instructional materials and curriculum aligned to grade-level literacy standards.

Scholarships are limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

For information, visit StepUpForStudents.org.

Students receive AP diplomas, certificates
Pasco County Schools has announced that 20 students have earned the Advanced Placement (AP) Capstone Diploma, and 10 students have earned the AP Seminar and Research Certificate during the 2017-2018 school year.

AP Capstone is a diploma program from the College Board based on two yearlong AP courses: AP Seminar and AP Research. Both courses prepare students for college and career success through the development of critical thinking, academic research, collaboration, presentation, and time management skills.

To receive the diploma, students must earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar, AP Research, and on four additional AP exams.

To receive the certificate, scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research must be achieved.

Pasco County Schools offers AP Capstone at Sunlake, Wesley Chapel, J.W. Mitchell and River Ridge high schools.