Mary Rathman

Saint Leo gives back in a big way
Students, faculty, staff and community organizations and businesses collected bottle caps for Caps of Love, a Florida-based nonprofit organization that recycles plastic tops. The proceeds from recycling the plastic are used to purchase new and refurbished wheelchairs for children with mobility disabilities. Saint Leo collected 12,000 pounds of plastic caps – enough to fill 21 pallets. The school hosted a celebration and send-off for the Caps of Love project featuring food, music and giveaways.

Nominate a teacher
U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) is accepting nominations for his annual Teacher of the Year awards to honor outstanding educators in Florida’s 12th District.

Teachers and educators from all schools and all grades are eligible.

Nominations should be emailed to , and include the name, school and contact information of the nominee.

The deadline for nominations is April 21.

There will be an awards ceremony in May.

Common Ground club
Ridgewood High School’s Common Ground club will host an Autism Awareness Walk April 29 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the school, at 7650 Orchid Lake Road in New Port Richey.

Club students meet every Wednesday to build bonds through conversation, games and other activities, and food.

Peer students from the general education curricula participate in community-based instruction, where they model good behavior and teach ESE students social and financial skills.

Students, including those from the Ridgewood Interact Club, will participate in the walk. There will be activities, disc jockeys and a snow cone truck.

The entry fee is $10.

To learn more, call Patty Hanley at (727) 774-3953.

Astronaut speaks to middle-schoolers
Pasco Middle School students participated in a Skype presentation and discussion with retired astronaut Don Thomas on April 7.

Thomas completed four space flights on the Columbia and Discovery space shuttles. His last assignment was at the International Space Station program overseeing NASA experiments.

He retired in 2007.

As part of the students’ Space Exploration unit, Thomas gave a PowerPoint presentation on living, working and conducting science experiments in space. A question-and-answer session followed the program.

The power of diversity
Lacoochee Elementary School students and staff, and the community, hosted a Unity in Diversity Day on April 8, a multicultural event to celebrate diversity in the community.

The school invited families and community partners to share elements of their culture and ethnicity through stories, food, dance, arts and more.

Students against tobacco
Gulf Middle School Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) club members and school staff took part in the Coastal Cleanup April 15 at Green Key Beach, Robert K. Reese Memorial Park in New Port Richey.

The event raises awareness for the environment and teaches students the value of taking care of both the local and collective environment.

Students properly disposed of litter and other debris throughout the park, making it a safer, cleaner place for visitors and natural inhabitants.

‘Top Dogs’ recognized
The Pilot Club of Zephyrhills hosted a Hungry Howie’s lunch for its Top Dog winners from Stewart Middle School. The club started the program more than 30 years ago to honor students for academics and leadership in the school.

The third quarter Top Dogs who received a certificate and gold dog tag were: Ireland Sinclair, Joshua Pellegrino, Gabriel Glazebrook, Anna Rood, Caitlyn Regan, Jane Gillrie, Jessica Womack, Trent Peters and Angelique Braxton.

Pasta dinner fundraiser
The third annual pasta dinner fundraiser for the Sean Bartell Memorial Foundation will be April 29 from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Trinity Church of Wesley Chapel, 33425 State Road 54.

There will be a special ceremony and announcement at 5 p.m.

The dinner will be prepared and donated by Carl and Jessica Myers, of Little Italy’s Family Restaurant and Catering.

The Magic of Scott Barhold will provide entertainment. Local vendors will be on site.

The cost is $10. Kids ages 4 and younger are free.

To-go boxes will be available.

To purchase tickets, contact Paul Bartell or Jamie Bartell via IM on Facebook, or email .

Free summer VPK program
Primrose School at Collier Parkway, 23021 Weeks Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes, will offer a Summer VPK (voluntary pre-kindergarten) program for eligible families and their children.

The free program is for children who have not yet used their VPK voucher, and turned 4-years-old before September 2016.

Classes begin on June 6 and run through Aug. 3.

VPK hours will be from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with lunch/rest time from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

For information about the school and enrollment, contact Angella Hart, school director, at (813) 242-7800.

Saint Leo ranks fifth for military spouses
Saint Leo University has earned the 2017 Military Spouse Friendly School designation by Victory Media, publisher of G.I. Jobs, Military Spouse, Vetrepreneur and STEM Jobs resources.

The school ranked fifth in the nation among private institutions with 10,000 students or more.

The latest Military Friendly® Schools survey included questions that not only evaluated whether a school’s admissions, retention, career counseling and mentoring programs are better for veterans, but also whether they address concerns of military spouses and families.

Colleges earning the Military Spouse Friendly School® designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from Victory Media’s proprietary survey.

Saint Leo University is featured along with the entire list of 2017 Military Spouse Friendly Schools® in the April issue of Military Spouse Magazine and on MilitaryFriendly.com.

Marchman Technical ranked second in state
BestColleges.com has ranked Marchman Technical College second on the list of Best Community Colleges in Florida for 2017.

The ranking demonstrates to the more than 100,000 weekly visitors to BestColleges.com that this program provides a quality education that students can afford in their home state.

For information about Marchman, visit MTEC.pasco.k12.fl.us.

 

Citizens of the Month
The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce announced its March Citizens of the Month. Students recognized were: Trevor Hampton, Academy at the Farm; Brody Smith, East Pasco Adventist Academy; Vanessa Bock, Saint Anthony Catholic School; Magnolia Tharney, Centennial Elementary; Miranda Quistian, Lacoochee Elementary; Jaysenia Cartina Wright, Pasco Elementary; Yulieth Hernandez Ramirez, Rodney B. Cox Elementary; Jack Deakins-Topp, San Antonio Elementary; Madison Poe, Centennial Middle; Ashutosh Paudel, Pasco Middle; and, Bria Roberts, Pasco High.

New boys’ club forms
Hudson Elementary School hosted a Quest Celebration March 29 to recognize the formation of Quest Boys, a club for young gentlemen that focuses on core character values.

Mentors have tied these values to specific texts for select fifth-grade scholars.

For information, call Dawn Scilex at (727) 774-4001.

Chamber scholarships
The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce is offering $5,000 in scholarships to Zephyrhills High School seniors.

Applications can be submitted at the chamber office, at 38550 Fifth Ave., or by email to .

In addition to general scholarships, the Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ & Blues Festival has made it possible for the chamber to offer additional specific scholarships for culinary arts, performing arts and a “Turnaround Scholarship” for a student who may not have the cumulative grades, but has turned his or her scholastic performance around.

For information, call the chamber at (813) 782-1913.

Rotary Club scholarships
Rotary Club of Trinity is accepting applications for the organization’s 2017 Al Arzu Scholarship.

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

Applications must be postmarked by April 14.

For information, or to get a copy of the application, email Candace Glewen at .

Golf scramble fundraiser
Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club will host the inaugural Project Patriotism Golf Scramble, to benefit the Zephyrhills High JROTC, April 22 at 8 a.m.

The event kicks off with a presentation of the nation’s colors by members of the ZHS JROTC at 7:40 a.m., followed by 18 holes of team scramble golf.

After golf, lunch will be served, winners announced and prizes awarded.

There also will be on-course contests, a raffle and a silent auction.

For information, contact Jen Wedge at (813) 323-8034 or .

Congressional art competition
U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, FL-12, is accepting entries for the 2017 Congressional Art Competition, an annual event for artistically gifted local high school students.

The overall winner from Florida’s 12th Congressional District will have his or her art displayed in the U.S. Capitol for a year. The winner also will receive complimentary roundtrip airfare for two to Washington D.C., to attend an awards ceremony with winners from around the country.

Students must submit entries to their school’s art teacher for consideration. The deadline for art teacher nominations is April 28.

Each teacher can enter up to four student pieces in the competition to be judged by a panel of local art experts. The panel will then choose the overall winner.

For information and details, visit House.gov and click on the Student Artist Program link.

Pasta dinner fundraiser
The third annual pasta dinner fundraiser for the Sean Bartell Memorial Foundation will be April 29 from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Trinity Church of Wesley Chapel, 33425 State Road 54.

There will be a special ceremony and announcement at 5 p.m.

The dinner will be prepared and donated by Carl and Jessica Myers, of Little Italy’s Family Restaurant and Catering.

The Magic of Scott Barhold will provide entertainment. Local vendors will be on site.

The cost is $10. Kids ages 4 and younger are free.

To-go boxes will be available.

To purchase tickets, contact Paul Bartell or Jamie Bartell via IM on Facebook, or email .

USF student wins composer competition
The Florida Orchestra chose undergrad Francesco Sclafani as the winner of its USF Student Compose Competition for his work “Deconstruction of Anger.”

The orchestra will premiere the piece, alongside works by Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, on the final concerts of the Masterworks series at three major halls in Tampa Bay in May.

This is the first time The Florida Orchestra and the USF School of Music Composition Department have collaborated at this level.

Sclafani is pursuing a Bachelor of Music in composition at the USF Tampa campus under Assistant Professor of Composition Baljinder Sekhon and Associate Professor of Composition Paul Reller.

Future engineers
First-graders Lia Bensimon and Karissa Basham of Hillel Academy take part in a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) challenge by trying to construct the tallest cup structure in a limited amount of time.

 

 

 

 

 

John Long Middle carnival
The 10th annual John Long Middle School Round-up Carnival will be April 7 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at the school, at 2025 Mansfield Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.

Proceeds from the carnival will benefit the children at John Long and to build a community in the public school sector.

There will be a dunk tank, a mechanical bull, a cliff hanger, a wrecking ball, a joust, a rock wall, a quad jump, a bungee run, live disc jockey and entertainment, food, drinks, a live and silent auction, prizes and giveaways, and free parking.

For information, call Denise Nicholas at (813) 205-1436.

After-School Conference
The sixth annual After-School Conference, “Soaring to New Heights,” will take place April 8 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at River Ridge High School, 11646 Town Center Road in New Port Richey.

The keynote speaker will be Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Rob “Waldo” Waldman.

Waldman will teach professional leaders how to build trusting, revenue-producing relationships with employees, partners and customers.

Participants also will join an array of after-school providers during a full day of comprehensive professional development opportunities, food and door prizes.

Tickets to the event include breakfast and lunch.

To purchase tickets, visit conta.cc/2mhDQth.

For information about the event, call Dorcia Bartenope at (813) 794-2215.

Brooke Gonzalez fund established
Pasco-Hernando State College Foundation has established the Brooke Gonzalez Softball Fund, in memory of the former student-athlete, with an initial donation from her family.

Last year, Gonzalez was killed while returning to her apartment after jogging.

Gonzalez was an honors student and vital to the PHSC softball team’s success, hitting .415 as the team qualified for the 2016 Regional Tournament.

The Brooke Gonzalez Softball Fund will provide resources to support the women’s softball program at PHSC.

Contributions to the fund may be made through the PHSC Foundation office at PHSC.edu/foundation.

For information about the softball program, visit PHSC.edu/athletes.

Rotary Club accepting scholarship applications
Rotary Club of Trinity is accepting applications for the organization’s 2017 Al Arzu Scholarship.

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

Applications must be postmarked by April 14.

For information, or to get a copy of the application, email Candace Glewen at .

Pasta dinner fundraiser
The third annual pasta dinner fundraiser for the Sean Bartell Memorial Foundation will be April 29 from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Trinity Church of Wesley Chapel, 33425 State Road 54.

There will be a special ceremony and announcement at 5 p.m.

The dinner will be prepared and donated by Carl and Jessica Myers, of Little Italy’s Family Restaurant and Catering.

The Magic of Scott Barhold will provide entertainment. Local vendors will be on site.

The cost is $10. Kids ages 4 and younger are free.

To-go boxes will be available.

To purchase tickets, contact Paul Bartell or Jamie Bartell via IM on Facebook, or email .

Columbiettes’ scholarship
The Columbiettes 8104, of Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in Land O’ Lakes, is sponsoring a scholarship for one or more selected OLOR women who are college bound in the fall of 2017.

The application deadline is May 1.

For information, and where to get an application, call Jo Tambone at (813) 235-3448.

Free summer VPK program
Primrose School at Collier Parkway, 23021 Weeks Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes, will offer a Summer VPK (voluntary pre-kindergarten) program for eligible families and their children.

The free program is for children who have not yet used their VPK voucher, and turned 4-years-old before September 2016.

Classes begin on June 6 and run through Aug. 3.

VPK hours will be from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with lunch/rest time from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

For information about the school and enrollment, contact Angella Hart, school director, at (813) 242-7800.

Chamber honors 10 student citizens
The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce recognized 10 Zephyrhills students as March Citizens of the Month. Students were chosen for exemplary effort, achievement and contribution to their school, family and community. From left: Gabrielle Flinn, Hope Ranch Learning Academy; Alex Hoffman, Heritage Academy; Melonie Monson, executive director, chamber; Kameron Paige, The Broach School; Carolyn Sentelik, president, chamber board of directors; Ariana Cotto, Woodland Elementary School; Jovonne Guzman, Raymond B. Stewart Middle; Johnathan Alford, Zephyrhills High; Alejandra Padilla, Chester W. Taylor Elementary; Lucas Burnham, East Pasco Adventist Academy; Roxxy Geisenheimer, chamber marketing and events coordinator; Benjamin Will, West Zephyrhills Elementary; Katy Boyd, chamber ambassador chairperson; and, Nicholas Rivera, Zephyrhills Christian Academy.

Primrose Spring Fling
Primrose School of Carrollwood, 1770 W. Bearss Ave., in Tampa, will host a Spring Fling April 1 from 10 a.m. to noon., to benefit the local Children’s Home Network and the Primrose Children’s Foundation.

For information, email .

Marian Gala auditions
Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church is hosting open auditions April 1 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., for all middle school and high school performers, for its Marian Gala.

Auditions will take place at the church, 2348 Collier Parkway, in Rosary Hall, Room 4 and Room 8, near the Welcome Center.

Those interested must be available for rehearsals on May 11 at 6 p.m., and be available for the Marian Gala May 12 from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The church is looking for those who dance/perform, play instruments, act/perform a scene, and sing/vocal perform.

Auditions can be a prepared solo, duo or group performance.

For information, call (813) 949-7331, email , or visit LadyRosary.org/gala.

Art walk reception
Pasco County Schools student-artists, teachers and administration, the Pasco County Clerk and Comptroller’s Office, Florida West Coast Credit Union, and local leaders and stakeholders will host an All American Youth Art Walk Reception April 5 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., at the Robert D. Sumner Judicial Center, 38053 Live Oak Ave., in Dade City.

The event will celebrate the talents of the Pasco County Schools student-artists in kindergarten through 12th grade.

There will be entertainment by music students, free cake and free punch.

For information, contact Laurie Ansorge at (727) 847-8199 or .

Campus open houses
Pasco-Hernando State College will host open houses for 2017 and 2018 high school graduates who are undecided about college plans, and any students seeking higher education opportunities.

• April 5 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at East Campus in Dade City, 36727 Blanton Road
• April 6 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., at Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, 2727 Mansfield Blvd, in Wesley Chapel

For information, visit PHSC.edu/openhouse.

Entrepreneurs competition
Pasco County Schools students from the business and entrepreneurship program will have a chance to pitch a business idea for a chance to be Pasco County’s Future Entrepreneur.

Students conceived an idea for a new business or social venture, tested the idea by talking with potential customers and gathered evidence to validate the viability of their business or social impact model.

All participating students learned to creatively develop ideas.

Students will pitch their idea by submitting a written concept and presenting to a panel of judges.

One student from each of the participating high schools will be selected to participate in the finals, where students will present in a traditional slideshow format to a live audience and judges panel.
The schedule of local student pitches is as follows:

• April 6 from 7:30 a.m. to 8:25 a.m., at Zephyrhills High School
• April 7 from 11:15 a.m. to 12:05 p.m., at Sunlake High
• April 10 from 9:25 a.m. to 10:15 a.m., at Pasco High
• April 25 at 6 p.m., at Land O’ Lakes High

For information, call the Office for Career and Technical Education at (813) 794-2211.

More than $2,200 raised for disabilities services
Pasco-Hernando State College’s Office of Disabilities Services raised more than $2,200 at its third annual Run, Walk, Roll 5K at Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch in Wesley Chapel.

To date, the event has raised $4,200 to benefit the PHSC Access to Success scholarship, which helps absorb the cost of psychological evaluations for PHSC students who may have undiagnosed learning difficulties.

The 5K exceeded last year’s number of participants with approximately 111 runners, walkers and “rollers,” students and supporters who participated in the 5K in wheelchairs.

For information about PHSC’s Office of Disabilities Services, call (727) 816-3240, or visit PHSC.edu.

Science Café
Saint Leo University’s annual Science Café will take place March 28 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., on the second floor of Lewis Hall, 33701 State Road 52 in St. Leo. This year’s theme is cephalopods, such as the octopus.

The event is for all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Admission is free.

For information, or to register, contact Audrey Shor at (352) 588-8425 or .

Students perform acts of kindness
Gulf High School students and staff hosted a Random Acts of Kindness Day March 16, in support of “The Eli Effect.”

The Eli Effect was started by Jon and Shannon Ackerman to celebrate the life of their second-born child, Eli. The Ackermans have one child, Callie, but lost Eli and a third-born child, Joey, shortly after their births. Eli’s first birthday would have been March 16, 2017.

Students created and distributed promotional materials throughout the school, and demonstrated acts of kindness on the school news YouTube channel.

Students also painted inspirational messages on small rocks, displayed near neighboring elementary schools.

Christian school info meeting
Tampa Christian Community School, at First United Methodist Church of Lutz, 960 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road, will host an informational meeting March 23 at 9:15 a.m.

This hybrid school model combines private school (Tuesday, Thursday and Friday) and homeschool (Monday and Wednesday) for prekindergarten four-year-olds through 12th grade.

For information, visit TampaCCS.org, or call (813) 949-2144.

Free prom dresses
The Belle of the Ball Project will provide dresses and accessories to in-need high school girls March 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at its boutique, 1210 Holt Ave., in Clearwater.

Other upcoming dates are April 8, April 22 and May 6.

No appointments are needed. A $1 to $5 donation is requested, but not required.

For information, visit BelleOfTheBallProject.com.

Art of Recycling winners
The Pasco County Art of Recycling contest required students to start recycling trash into artwork at the beginning of the semester, raising awareness of the arts and encouraging the practice of recycling.

The winners received prize money and certificates during ceremonies at their schools in February.

This year’s Art of Recycling winners were:

• Kylie Rice, Ridgewood High School, first place
• Julianna Wilkinson, Gulf High, second place
• Sydney Bennett, Bishop McLaughlin, third place
• Taylor Moore, Pasco High, Commissioner’s Award
• Kaylin Murphy, Mitchell High, Covanta’s Choice
• Breanna Gates, Ridgewood High, Best Artistic Expression
• Jessica Skrelunas, Anclote High, Best Use of Printed Material
• Nainshari Ortiz, Anclote High, Most Innovative and People’s Choice
• Katie Shelley, Sunlake High, AOR Committee Award
• Brinkley Simpson, Sunlake High, Best Use of Aluminum
• Eleni Athanasoulis, Genesis Prep, Best Use of Materials
• Sarah Oliva, Pasco High, Best Use of Plastic
• Darian Proper, Anclote High, Pasco Arts Council Merit
• Madison Kaylor, Pasco High, Best Environmental Concept

The winning pieces will be on display at the Pasco County District School Board through March 31.

 Middle school essay contest
Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano’s office is accepting entries to Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Paula O’ Neil’s Constitutional Officers Essay Contest. The contest runs through March 31.

Middle school students in Pasco County, grades six to eight, in public/charter, private, non-public and home-schools can participate.

In 500 words or less, students must answer the question: “How do you, as a middle school student, benefit from taxes your family, friends and neighbors pay?”

Each entry must include the student’s name, school, grade and contact information.

Entries will be judged by a panel of directors from the tax collector’s office, and will be reviewed on how well the student communicates a response to the question, as well as overall essay structure, appearance and readability.

Students in public/charter schools should submit essays to the school’s principal, who will forward the essay to the tax collector’s office.

Students in private, nonpublic or home-schools should send essays to Greg Giordano, assistant tax collector, Pasco County Tax Collector’s Office, 8731 Citizens Drive, Room 120, New Port Richey, FL 34654, or by email to .

The deadline is 5 p.m., March 31.

The winning entry will be notified by telephone by April 17.

For information, call Greg Giordano at (727) 847-8179.

Students make academic team
Pasco-Hernando State College students were nominated to the 2017 Phi Theta Kappa All-Florida Academic Team.

The students, Diane Castro Jaramillo of the Spring Hill Campus and Kellie Gordie of the West Campus in New Port Richey, were selected based on outstanding academic achievement, leadership and community service.

Jaramillo and Gordie have the opportunity to attend an awards ceremony in Tallahassee April 7.

For information about the academic team, visit FloridaCollegeSystem.com/all-florida.

Hillel Academy
Hillel Academy, 2020 W. Fletcher Ave., in Tampa, offers an education with Jewish values, with classes of 10 to 15 students, and is enrolling for the 2017-2018 school year.

Every student has a MacBook in fourth to eighth grade, a Maker Lab, hydroponic farm and more, which culminates in an eighth grade trip to Israel.

For information, call Gordon Rode at (813) 963-2242.