Airplane touches down at Zephyrhills High
For the past three years, Pasco County Schools has partnered with Hillsborough and Pinellas school districts as part of the Tampa Bay Regional Aeronautics Academy program. The program has been funded through a legislative appropriation.
Zephyrhills High School, one of the Pasco aeronautics sites, provides aviation maintenance coursework for academy students.
On Jan. 13, a team of aircraft mechanics, transportation specialists and a safety observer traveled to Treasure Coast International Airport to disassemble a Rockwell Aero Commander 100 airplane. On Jan. 17, the plane arrived at Zephyrhills High School for Aviation Maintenance Science program students to use for hands-on maintenance training.
For information, call Brian Sawyer at (813) 794-2372.
Aeronautics academy debuts van
The Tampa Bay Regional Aeronautics Academy debuted its UAV van and the Tampa Bay Regional Aeronautics Academy at Sunlake High School to the Pasco County Legislative Delegation on Jan. 18, prior to the delegation’s annual public meeting.
The new, mobile UAV command/control operation center van will be used to further the learning experience of students utilizing unmanned systems.
The vehicle has multiple flight stations with large screen monitors, an interactive smart board, a fully self-contained generator system, network access and live-stream capabilities.
Delegation members also toured the academy to hear staff and student perspectives, and experience the technology that powers the innovative program.
For information, call Terry Aunchman at (813) 794-2204.
Gaither band fundraiser
The Tampa Bay Chocolate Festival II will be on Jan. 28 from noon to 5 p.m., at Gaither High School, 16200 N. Dale Mabry Highway in Northdale, to raise money to send the band students to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City, in April.
Admission is free. Parking is $5.
For vendor information, email . For general information, call (813) 562-9599.
Catholic Schools’ Week
St. Anthony Catholic School, in San Antonio, will celebrate Catholic Schools Week with a number of events.
- Jan. 30: “We Celebrate Vocations,” with an 8:15 a.m. assembly, prayer service and proclamation. Students should wear Respect Life T-shirts.
- Jan. 31: “We Celebrate Our Students,” with a game day and no homework night. Students can donate a can of soup to St. Vincent De Paul Society for Super Bowl Tuesday.
- Feb. 1: “We Celebrate Our Teachers and Staff,” a jeans day for teachers and staff; and, a Buddy Day at 2:15 p.m., when older students read to younger ones and make a spiritual bouquet presentation to parishes.
- Feb. 2: “We Celebrate Our Volunteers,” with morning coffee for parent volunteers, and an open house from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., for prospective families. Students also will create Valentine’s Day cards for nursing home residents.
- Feb. 3: “We Celebrate Our Families,” at a 10 a.m. grandparents’ mass and honor roll assembly, plus a family picnic in the park. There also will be early dismissal at 12:15 p.m.
- Feb. 5 and Feb. 6: “We Celebrate Our Parishes,” at weekend masses. Students should wear school uniforms to Mass, and two student ambassadors will thank priests and parishioners with spiritual bouquets.
For more information, call the school at (352) 588-3041.
Conversational Spanish
Conversational Spanish classes will be offered on Wednesdays, from 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., at Lake Bernadette in Zephyrhills, from Feb. 1 to March 8. The cost is $10 per lesson.
There is a $60 fee per student that includes class materials. There will be an optional field trip on March 9 to a local restaurant.
Learn to exchange brief greetings, communicate with home or yard helpers, and order at restaurants.
Participants also will learn basic knowledge of Cuban and Mexican foods, and learn more than 200 common words.
For information, call (813) 703-5684, or email .
The World of a Teen
Steinbrenner High School, 5575 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road in Lutz, will again host “The World of a Teen” program on Feb. 7 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., in the school auditorium.
A panel will discuss the challenges facing today’s teens, including drugs, alcohol, stress, social media, relationships, college and more.
Participants can email questions in advance to .
For information, call (813) 792-5131.
Seeking scholarship applications
Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture & the Arts is now accepting applications for the 2017 Charlie Hounchell Art Stars Scholarship Program, open to high school juniors and seniors in Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
The program provides financial support to Tampa Bay students to help them pursue higher education in the arts.
Each year, TBBCA awards $15,000 to six Tampa Bay area students based on merit and artistic ability, in the fields of instrumental music, vocal music, theater, dance, visual arts and literary arts. The scholarship can be used for tuition at the college, university or professional arts training program of the student’s choice.
Applications can be downloaded at TBBCA.org/programs-events/art-stars-scholarships. For an email copy of application, contact Susana Weymouth at .
There is no fee to apply.
The deadline for the completed application packet is Feb. 20. Winners will be announced in April.
Marchman offers ASE testing
Marchman Technical College, 7825 Campus Drive in New Port Richey, will now offer ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) certification testing, available for automotive service technology, automotive collision and repair students; and, automotive professionals in Pasco, Hillsborough, Citrus and Pinellas counties.
Prior to scheduling an exam at Marchman’s assessment center, candidates must create a MyASE account at ASE.com. After registering and paying for exams, the exam can be scheduled at www.FKMTC.edu. A state-issued ID and an ASE eligibility ID must be presented on the day of the exam.
The current registration window ends on Feb. 24.
For information, contact Michael Andujar at (727) 774-1861 or .