Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Kyle LoJacono

 

When Jason Stokes became Gaither’s football coach in January, one of the things he wanted to instill was a since of pride in the community.

The Cowboys took a step toward bettering their community by volunteering at Metropolitan Ministries’ Kitchen, Warehouse, & Outreach Center in Hillsborough County on Saturday, Aug. 6.

“It’s something I really believe in,” Stokes said. “I’ve had my teams do it since back when I was at Bloomingdale. We didn’t do Metropolitan Ministries, but other charities like it. It helps give the team a sense of what is really important.”

Stokes coached at Bloomingdale in 2008 and Middleton the last two years before coming to Gaither. He sees it as an opportunity to teach his players while they make a difference.

“It’s important to realize how blessed you really are,” Stokes said. “You see a lot of people with a lot of dignity who fell on hard times. It teaches the kids to appreciate everything they have. I tell the kids you should always do nice things like this because everything comes full circle. It’s a good habit to have. These kids will be fathers some day and I want them to have their kids give back in the future too.”

Members of both the Cowboys varsity and junior varsity squads, as well as coaches took time out of their weekend to help out.

“It was nice to get out there and give back,” said senior defensive back Tyler McCollum. “Coach Stokes is always talking about accountability and doing the right things and this is just another way we can show we are doing the right things. Everyone really liked getting a chance to give back and know they are making a difference.”

McCollum said it was the first time the team has done a project like this during his time on the squad. He added the players didn’t mind putting in the time on a hot summer weekend.

“It made all of us feel good,” McCollum said. “It was hot and sure there were other things we could have been doing on a Saturday, but we know how much it means to the people we helped. That’s a really cool thing.”

The Cowboys did whatever the workers at Metropolitan Ministries needed for the day.

“We had a large group, so they separated us to help with a few different projects,” Stokes said. “We had some working in the outreach center, some in the food bank, some working in the thrift store and some in the warehouse and stuffing back to school backpacks.”

Stokes said the team will continue to donate time at various charities throughout the year.

“I told the kids they should expect to get out there are least three or four times each year, so we will be back,” Stokes said. “The people at Metropolitan Ministries told me they were very excited to have so many young men come out and help. They said we were one of the best groups to come out and help them. That really made me proud.”

Stokes also encouraged others to give back.

“We were out there all day and hardly made a dent in everything they have to do,” Stokes said. “They can use all the help they can get.”

Gaither will play its kickoff classic football game at home against Sickles on Friday, Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. The Cowboys will host Alonso on Friday, Sept. 2 at 7:30 p.m. for their regular season opener.

By B.C. Manion

When Mary Kanter began her career at Carrollwood Day School, the school was a very different place.

“We were in a storefront on Gunn Highway. I think it was just 3- and 4-year-olds. We used to take them out to parade in the parking lot,” said Kanter, beginning her 28th year at the school.

Now, Kanter is the head of school and CDS serves children from age 2 through 12th grade, with students coming from numerous communities including Lutz, Odessa, Carrollwood, Westchase, Wesley Chapel, Land O’ Lakes and New Tampa.

All together, the school’s enrollment tops 800, with about 130 staff members.

The school now has an Early Childhood Campus for 2 year olds through kindergarten at 12606 Casey Road and a campus for first through 12th graders at 1515 W. Bearss Ave.

A portion of a major construction project underway at the Bearss campus has been completed in time for some high school students to move into the renovated spaces.

Some highlights of the renovation project include spacious classrooms with new furnishings, lots of natural lighting and wide hallways.

The main building on campus has been expanded from 32,000 to 45,000 square feet.

When the renovation is completed that building will house middle school students on the second floor and high school students on the first floor.

Slated to open in October, the building also will have a new 800-seat, state-of-the art performance art theater, Kanter said.

The construction project has created art, dance, music, scenery and dressing rooms on the first floor, Kanter said. Upstairs, there are classrooms for English and foreign languages.

The new elementary school building is expected to be completed around November.

When that happens, elementary school students who are currently housed in the main building will move to their new quarters.

Then, those classrooms will be renovated for the remaining high school students who will move out of the modular buildings into the main building. Those high schoolers are expected to move into their renovated classrooms around January.

The new 35,000-square-foot elementary school will have classrooms in groups of four, with a space in the middle designed to accommodate collaboration, Kanter said.

Eventually, CDS also plans to have a separate building for its middle school, but that’s down the road.

Kanter said the current projects make it possible for the school to continue to grow.

“We’ll be able to take more students in the high school,” said Kanter. Eventually the high school would like to have about 400 students, at 100 per grade level. That would double the current enrollment.

Carrollwood Day School has been recognized nationally for its academic excellence and its quest to educate the whole child. It was the sixth school in the United States to be authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organization to offer the Primary Years Programme for students through grade five, the IB Middle Years Programme, implemented in grades six through 10 and the IB Diploma Programme for students in grades 11 and 12.

For more information, see www.carrollwooddayschool.org.

A Wesley Chapel man has earned international acclaim for his movie reviews

By B.C. Manion

 

Jay Forry lost his eyesight when he was 28 due to complications of juvenile diabetes, but that didn’t stop him from becoming a movie critic.

Indeed, the loss of his vision may have led him down that path.

After he became blind he began attending Pasco-Hernando Community College, where someone asked him to write for the newspaper.

He decided to do movie reviews.

It was somewhat as a lark, but the reviews were popular and now, at 52, Forry’s views on movies are heard on radio stations all over the country and even on a syndicated show in the United Kingdom.

Most recently, the Wesley Chapel man appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Forry said the invitation to appear on Kimmel’s show stemmed partially from exposure he received by doing a featurette called “Using your Hearing.”

In that short film, Forry describes how he uses the sound effects in a movie — a crackling fire place, waves crashing into a ship, the sound of wind wailing in the background — to help establish what’s happening in the story.

On his appearance with Kimmel, the movie critic’s self-deprecating humor was obvious.

During the interview, Forry was telling the talk show host about his least favorite movie, which he noted, Kimmel probably had not seen.

Without missing a beat, Kimmel quipped: “Neither did you!”

The comment cracked up both men and elicited uproarious laughter from the crowd.

Forry said he enjoys all sorts of movies, with suspense thrillers perhaps being the films he enjoys the most.

His most favorite movie in recent years was “The Sixth Sense,” he said.

“I’m a little jealous, the little boy in the movie has six senses. I only have four,” he said, laughing.

His least favorite? “Battlefield Earth,” starring John Travolta. Of the hundreds of films he’s reviewed, he believes it is the only movie he has ever rated an F.

The movie was based on a book by L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology.

“That movie was so bad, I always say, if I could have found the door from the theater I would’ve left,” Forry said.

Even though he can’t see the characters, he has developed favorite movie stars. When it comes to actors, Tom Hanks tops his list; among actresses, it’s Julia Roberts.

Forry estimates he reviews about 150 movies a year, typically going to one or two a week and then catching up on the all of the nominated films he hasn’t seen at the end of the year. He is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association and votes on the association’s Critics’ Choice Awards.

When Forry began his movie column for PHCC’s newspaper, he didn’t know where it would lead.

After completing his degree at the University of South Florida, he was featured in a number of newspaper articles, he said. Next, he was invited to write movie reviews for The Laker, then was asked to appear with a local movie critic and radio personality on a television segment about the Oscars.

One radio interview led to 50 and propelled his critic’s career.

In addition to doing movie reviews, Forry also does speaking engagements, talking about his diabetes and the life he leads.

He’s paid for some of his gigs and does the rest pro bono.

Despite his well-developed sense of humor, Forry is serious about his reviews.

“Before I go into a movie, I always make sure I do research on it, so I know the setting. I know the time period, everything like that,” said Forry, who uses a talking computer to do his research.

“I don’t want to go into a movie blind,” he said.

He attends screenings with a friend or his wife, who will sit next to him and describe action scenes, sight gags or other visuals. He attends screenings at various theaters, but considers Cobb Theatres Grove 16 & CineBistro in Wesley Chapel, to be his home theater.

The film critic does not think his inability to see hinders his ability to judge the quality of movies.

“It’s not about the 3-D or the computer graphics,” Forry said. “It’s about the plot, the story line. That’s what the movie is about – and I can hear that.

“When I listen to a movie, I can tell what’s going on. A great story – that’s what makes the movie,” Forry said. Outstanding music and sound effects help, too.

He points to “The King’s Speech,” as an example of an excellent film.

It has a “good story line. Good plot. That’s what makes a good movie. That’s what the award winners are.”

Some movies, obviously, are harder for him to rate than others because of their visual effects.

Ultimately, however, the quality of a movie rests on its story, Forry said.

For instance, “Avatar” is noted for its amazing special effects, but the story line was not as compelling, he said.

This year, he’s enjoyed most of the super hero movies, especially “Captain America: The First Avenger” and “X-Men First Class,” which both received an A.

He was less impressed with “The Green Hornet,” which he gave a B.

He also enjoyed “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” which he rewarded an A. “I was pleasantly surprised,” he said.

In the end, he likes his movies to be balanced – with some action, drama, comedy and suspense.

“People talking for two hours is not interesting,” he said.
And, of course, everyone will always have his or her personal preferences, Forry said.

“The Black Swan” — was it a good film? Yes.

“Was it very well-made? Yes.

“Here’s the thing, I’m still a guy,” Forry said. “It was more or less a chick flick.”

 

//Forry’s funny ratings

Jay Forry enjoys a good laugh and has developed a rating system that shows off his good humor. He ranks movies A through F:

A: So good, blind people like it

B: I’m glad I could hear it

C: I had one eye open

D: I’m glad I couldn’t see it

F: Blindness was a blessing

 

To read Forry’s reviews go http://www.blindsidereviews.com/

By Kyle LoJacono

 

Valerie Baker has been competing with Hillsborough County’s Paralympic Sport Tampa Bay program since 2004, but she has never performed the way she did at this year’s National Junior Disability Championships.

The New Tampa resident and Wharton High graduate won 11 gold medals at nationals, held last month at Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan. Baker has competed at the event six times, but said this was her best performance by far.

“I thought I would do well, but I wasn’t expecting 11,” said Baker. “I was thinking I could win some and do well in some of the events, but not that many. It just kind of happened, and it’s an awesome feeling.”

Baker competes in the S5 division, which separates participants by their level of handicap. The higher the number, the more impaired an athlete is.

Baker, 19, won seven medals in swimming, three in track and another in table tennis. She set new national records for her division in the shot put, discus toss and club throw.

“I’m just in the moment before an event,” Baker said. “I just let everything that’s going to happen happen because that’s all you can do. You practice all the time, and you just hope it’s enough to win.”

Baker said she swims four to five hours a week and practices another two hours in the field events.

Andy Chasanoff, sports coordinator for Paralympic Sport Tampa Bay, was happy to see all of Baker’s hard work pay off.

“She did a tremendous job,” Chasanoff said. “I see all the work she puts in to get better and it was really special to see her do what she did.

“She’s very consistent,” Chasanoff continued. “She works hard in everything she does. No matter what the outcome is, she’s always positive.”

Baker first learned of the program from her massage therapist.

“They thought it would help me with movement, but they also knew it could be something I would be good at,” Baker said. “I started off with swimming and coach Chasanoff got me into field events and table tennis. It would let me have more to do and make more friends. I love competing so much, so it was perfect.”

Baker has a muscle deformation that causes problems with her joints. She uses a wheelchair to stabilize herself while doing field events, but can walk on her own.

“Competing has made me stronger and I can do a whole lot more than I could before I started sports,” Baker said. “I can walk farther distances and I can push myself more.”

Baker will attend Florida Gulf Coast University this fall. She is undecided on her major, but thinks it might be psychology with a minor in music.

“I was in my high school marching band,” Baker said. “I started playing in 2003, and I love it. I’m a percussionist.”

Paralympic Sport Tampa Bay, which was formed nine years ago and is part of the Hillsborough parks department, brought home 40 gold, 20 silver and six bronze medals while setting 10 national records at nationals. The organization was awarded first place in the medium team division, for squads with five to eight members.

“We had five athletes and it was a tremendous event,” Chasanoff said. “For some it was the first time they’ve spent any time away from home competing. I think the team itself was like family. They all cheered for each other and were real happy with each other’s success.”

Baker encourages others to learn more about Paralympic Sport Tampa Bay.

“It’s a great organization and I encourage all physically disabled teens and kids to take part in it,” Baker said. “You should come out and see what it’s all about because it really is amazing.”

For more information on Paralympic Sport Tampa Bay, call (813) 744-5307.

 

Valerie Baker’s gold medals performances

50-meter freestyle, 2:01.19

100-meter freestyle, 4:09.49

200-meter freestyle, 8:01.16

50-meter backstroke, 2:04

100-meter backstroke, 4:13:65

50-meter breaststroke, 2:01.81

100-meter breaststroke, 4:13.65

Shot put, 1.73 meters*

Discus toss, 3.58 meters*

Club throw, 7.95 meters*

Table tennis, division champ

*National records

 

Widening on pace for early December finish 

By Kyle LoJacono

 

The most expensive road project in Pasco County history is just more than three months away from completion.

Pasco Chief Project Manager Robert Shepherd said the $105.2 million job to widen SR 54 in Wesley Chapel will be finished before Christmas.

“Everything is going well,” Shepherd said. “We’re approximately four months ahead of schedule.”

The project, which started last March, is making the highway six lanes from I-75 to Curley Road, a stretch of about 3.5 miles.

James Widman, Pasco chief engineer, said the reason for the early opening lies with the construction company, Pepper Contracting Services.

“Their people are really moving and have been from the start,” Widman said. “They’ve had everyone working at what I would call top speed since the beginning, and it has shown in the pace of construction.”

Shepherd said all the major hurdles, including moving utilities, are finished. He said the only obstacle that could slow things down would be an unusually wet end of the year.

“The only concern would be the weather during the next three months, but we are in good shape to handle the normal amount of rain that would be expected,” Shepherd said.

Shepherd also said all major traffic pattern shifts have already happened, so drivers will likely not see any big surprises while driving through the construction zone until the job is done.

“We will have three more traffic shifts, but the same amount of lanes will remain open during the remainder of the project,” Shepherd said. “No big surprises left. At least, we hope there won’t be any.”

Only $28 million of the project is for the construction, about 27 percent of the total cost. The majority of the money, $74.2 million, went to right-of-way land purchase, with another $3 million for planning and design.

Widman said the cost of right-of-way was so expensive because of the large number of businesses that had to be bought out in order to complete the job. He said there were about eight businesses that had to be completely removed, with most moving elsewhere within the county.

Pasco Commissioner Pat Mulieri said the county has established a new ordinance to make sure such hefty price tags for road widenings do not become a habit.

“We’ve learned from that and now we have a row-acquisition policy, so development has to be far enough away from roads for future widening,” Mulieri said.

Mulieri added she has been a big proponent of such road widenings and other infrastructure improvements during her 17 years on the county commission.

“It’s one of the best things we can do to bring more jobs to our county,” Mulieri said. “We need to have ways to move people and products.

“It is already bringing more jobs to the area,” Mulieri continued. “T. Rowe Price is bringing 1,600 jobs to the area and they told me it was because of the building of needed roads like (SR) 54.”

 

By B.C. Manion

As Saint Leo University students head to classes this week for the beginning of a new school year, the new building housing the Donald R. Tapia School of Business is the big news on campus.

The $12 million building, which exceeds 48,000 square feet, is the first new classroom building on the Saint Leo campus in decades.

It is designed to take full advantage of technological tools available to enhance teaching and learning, while at the same time it seeks to create an atmosphere that fosters collaboration among faculty and students.

University officials are jazzed.

“The opportunities really are limitless,” said Michael Nastanski, dean of the Donald R. Tapia School of Business. The dean said he tells faculty members that the university’s potential accomplishments “are only limited by our imagination and our willingness to commit to the outcome.”

On a basic level, the new structure provides space needed to accommodate burgeoning growth. It also brings everyone in the business school under the same roof.

The natural outcome of bringing students and faculty into the same building is the opportunity for more interactions. Taking that notion one step farther, the building has gathering spaces and breakout rooms designed to spur collaboration among students and between students and their teachers.

The idea is to encourage students to work in teams, chat about ideas that came up during class and confer with faculty members.

“The faculty are going to be much more closely intertwined with the students,” predicted Lynn Wilson, a professor of management, human resources and international business at the university.

He offers this example: The students are “in one of the breakout rooms working on a case and the instructor is (in an office) 40 feet away, 50 feet away, or maybe at worse – one floor up or down.”

Stepping down the hallway or riding an elevator up or down a floor is a whole lot easier than running across campus to talk to a professor who is three buildings away — especially when it’s raining, Wilson said.

“For the campus students, it’s going to create such an excitement,” said Phil Hatlem, an instructor in sport business. “Whether they’re business students or not, there’s a buzz on campus already.”

In addition to its spacious and attractive quarters, the new building has another big advantage: It is outfitted with cutting-edge technology.

The idea is to prepare students to be competitive in a global market place, Nastanski said.

“The 18-, 19- and 20-year-old coming in here is tech-savvy and totally connected to the Web. Now, we’re going to leverage that technology — what they’re comfortable with — to stimulate learning in the classroom. That is the ultimate goal,” Nastanski said.

The university also has been working with faculty members to help them take full advantage of the technology, said Claudia Ruiz, assistant director of instructional technology.

Some classrooms are equipped with four interactive screens, while others have two.

The interactive screens allow faculty members to involve students in various activities at the same time. For instance, some students can be reading a CNN report, while a small group is doing an exercise it will share with the class. At the same time, others can be putting together a spreadsheet or working on a particular formula.

Instead of standing behind a podium, the professor can move about the room, stopping to ask questions, field queries and provide direction.

“It’s about collaboration, interaction, engagement and active learning. That’s what we’re aiming for,” Ruiz said.

The teachers will be able to use different modes of instructional delivery and students will be able to engage in different learning styles.

The technology also will allow distance learners to see what’s happening on all of the interactive screens in the classroom and to hear what the professor is saying, Ruiz said. And, students at the Saint Leo campus will be able to listen to lectures offered by experts in different locales.

The changes in technology will give faculty members more tools, but the university recognizes that faculty members will need some time and professional training to make full use of the tools.

To that end, a team of professors will be helping their colleagues to see how the technology can be harnessed for their day-to-day work.

“We know that the unknown sometimes is threatening,” Ruiz said, but those concerns may be lessened when peers are learning from each other.

Students will be using tools of technology that are commonly used in workplaces, Ruiz said. The technical skills they develop should give them an edge over other job candidates when they graduate, she said.

The new facility also has enabled the university to add a computer science program, Nastanski said. Students will learn how to write software, debug systems and to prevent cyber crimes, among other things.

University officials also consider the new building a draw for leaders in business, industry and economic development.

The building can accommodate receptions, board meetings and conferences.

The university isn’t wasting any time reaching out to business leaders.

“The first day here, we had 12 presidents and vice presidents from major corporations in here talking to us about how to take what we’ve built and help industry,” Nastanski said.

By B.C. Manion

Cynthia Floyd’s dream of opening a bookshop began when she was quite young.

Her love of reading began even earlier.

“When I was a kid, I read everything,” she said.

At one point, her school librarian at Carrollwood Elementary told Floyd that she’d read every biography in the school’s collection.

Over the years, Floyd’s reading tastes have changed. Now, she’d rather read fiction than biographies.

But her love for the written word has continued, unabated.

She reads for pleasure. She reads to learn. She reads to enlarge her world.

“I cannot do or visit or experience all of the things in life, personally, but reading takes me there,” said Floyd, owner of Book Swap of New Tampa, an independently owned used bookstore at the southeast corner of SR 56 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

Floyd, who also owns Book Swap of Carrollwood, said opening a second shop has been risky, especially in these tough economic times.

She is confident, though, that her New Tampa/Wesley Chapel store will attract enough business to keep it going.

She acknowledged that business is not where it needs to be yet.

Still, she believes that she has picked an excellent spot for her shop.

It’s just like deciding where to buy a house, she said: location, location, location.

The shop is at a highly traveled intersection and the store is directly across the street from the Barnes & Noble at The Shops at Wiregrass, which Floyd thinks will work in her favor.

The area’s potential is excellent, too, she said.

The Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard is slated to open next fall and Pasco-Hernando Community College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch is set to begin classes in 2014.

So far, the bookstore is attracting traffic and getting good reviews from patrons, she said.

“The bookstore has been really well received by customers. People tell me that they’re thrilled we’re here. I hope that translates into dollars,” she said.

But the recession has been a challenge, Floyd said.

Despite the challenges, she prefers to take the long view.

“I think it just comes to a point, where we all just have to be patient and look for a better future,” said Floyd, who used to be a government employee before becoming a bookseller.

About seven years ago, Floyd gave herself a $2,000 allowance and a year to research what it would take for her to open a bookstore.

“I went to bookseller conferences, I went to bookseller school. I did a lot of Internet research,” she said.

And, after all that, she decided to take the plunge – buying the Book Swap of Carrollwood.

Since then, of course, much has changed in the book world. For one thing, eBooks have become all the rage.

eBooks are available through Floyd’s website, but she believes there’s still a strong market for people who prefer hard copies.

Her store sells new and used books and can order anything for a customer if it is still in print. Unlike most shops, readers can bring in used books and trade them in for credits toward the purchase of other books.

“We give you store credit. We don’t pay cash for books. The store credit can be used for anything in the store, but you do pay a percentage,” Floyd said.

The store gives a 25 percent credit up to a maximum of $2 for paperbacks; up to $4 for hard covers; and up to $5 for audio books.

But it doesn’t accept every book that people bring into the shop, Floyd said. It grants store credits for books based on the condition, author and title. In essence, the store buys books that it thinks it can sell.

The store credits can be used to purchase anything in the store, but there’s a limit to how much can be used on each purchase. Those buying a used book can pay up to 50 percent of the price with a store credit; when buying something new, they can use pay up to 30 percent with a store credit.

If you purchase a book from the store and bring it back in good condition, after reading it, the store guarantees it will buy it back, Floyd said.

 

Book Swap

New Tampa, 1946 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., (813) 929-7490

Carrollwood, 13144 N. Dale Mabry Highway, (813) 963-6979

www.bookswapfl.com