Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Zack Peterson

Don Vanderlaan was just 16 when he walked his way into a recruiting office. A few minutes later, he walked out, turned the corner and forged the necessary paperwork needed to be sworn in to the U.S. Navy. Within 30 minutes, Vanderlaan had volunteered his services to the United States during World War II.

“The hardest part was telling my parents,” he chuckled.

Now 84, Vanderlaan’s services for his country are being honored. Along with 24 other men, Vanderlaan recently visited Washington, D.C. to visit war memorials, all courtesy of the Honor Flight West Central Florida program.

The cost? Free.

Honor Flight started in 2005 as a national program determined to provide “honor flights” for American veterans. These veterans were given the opportunity to visit war memorials in Washington D.C. in a single day.

In 2010, the Honor Flight West Central Florida was established as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization created to provide local veterans this reflective privilege.

“We’re losing a thousand World War II veterans every day,” Vanderlaan said. “They’re trying to take everyone they can.”

The inaugural flight left Tampa International Airport at roughly 6 in the morning, with all 25 veterans aboard accompanied by their “guardians” and medical staff.

To accommodate for any critical health conditions, the Honor Flight program assigns a guardian to each veteran, a caretaker for the day, as well as a wheelchair to any veteran who requires its use. Those volunteer caretakers pay their own way, about $400 each.

After a full day in Washington, D.C. touring the war memorials, veterans are greeted back in Tampa by a parade of people welcoming them back home. Waving American flags greeted their eyes, grateful cheers rang in their ears and passionate handshakes gripped every veteran returning home from the memorable journey.

“I don’t think there was one veteran who had a dry eye,” Vanderlaan said of the special welcoming.

Before any veteran and guardian could participate in the honor flight program, they had to first fill out an application that included questions pertaining to the veterans’ branch of service, their present address and any medications that they may take.

It was about a year and a half ago that Vanderlaan filled out his application; he almost dismissed the idea when he never heard back from the organization.

But when he finally got word from the organization, Vanderlaan knew this was a program he wanted to bring light to.

“There are so many people who don’t know this exists,” Vanderlaan said. “It’s very well organized, and it’s a very emotional trip too.

“There are so many veterans in this area that should know and experience it. It’s too well kept of a secret.”

Vanderlaan first spread the news to American Legion Post 26, located in Plant City. As the Sergeant-at-Arms of the organization, Vanderlaan encouraged Post 26 to donate to the project and spread the word.

Although the Honor Flight West Central Florida program receives most of its significant donations from Southwest Airlines and Bright House Networks, the contributions American Legion Post 26 put forth were enough to send two other supporters — Pat Vanderlaan, Don’s wife; and friend Charlotte Crumb.

Pat Vanderlaan and Crumb applied to be guardians for the program at the same time Don did. However, they weren’t processed in time to be a part of the inaugural flight.

Instead, they were invited to take part in another flight, one that carried 71 veterans, almost three times the number of the first flight.

“It was incredibly organized,” Crumb said. “They helped with food, with drinks, with anything really.”

Vanderlaan and Crumb found volunteering to be a “very rewarding” experience. Crumb partnered with Leonard Greenwood, a veteran from Frostproof, while Vanderlaan assumed responsibility for Louis Masi of St. Petersburg.

“We didn’t actually meet our veterans till the morning of,” Vanderlaan said.

But after a day of patriotic sentiments and emotional memories, special friendships were formed that would last a lifetime.

There are an estimated 32,000 veterans residing in the Honor Flight West Central Florida coverage area that the organization wishes to include in this memorable experience.

To honor each veteran in the manner they deserve, Honor Flight hopes to take up as many veterans as they can.

For more information about Honor Flight West Central Florida, call (727) 498-6079 or visit their website, www.honorflightwcf.org.

By Zack Peterson

Wayne Taylor always thought having two daughters would mean raising them as cheerleaders.

“You would think we’d have gone that route, but I guess we kind of went the other way,” he chuckled.

Far from cheerleading, Elizabeth Guidry and Jessica Guidry, Taylor’s two daughters, take a nontraditional stance towards sports and participate in Tae-Kwon Do, jiu jitsu, judo and other forms of mixed martial arts (MMA).

 

Elizabeth stars in MMA

Elizabeth, the elder of the two sisters, has been active in MMA. To excel in MMA she has also studied jiu jitsu, Tae-Kwon Do and Sambo.

“A lot of the people I tell get shocked,” Elizabeth said.

Elizabeth has grown accustomed to the reactions she receives from her fellow Freedom High students.

“They’re like ‘oh my god, you do MMA?’ A lot of them don’t know what MMA is and I have to explain it and then they get shocked. But they think it’s pretty cool afterwards.”

For Elizabeth, it all started four years ago.

“I wanted to join a sport,” Elizabeth explained. “But it was hard to do with the military.”

In the past, Elizabeth had tried volleyball, and even baseball when she was younger, but the appeal never clicked.

Coupled with the constant moving as a “military family,” Elizabeth decided to take up MMA because it “could really build confidence.”

Now, it’s become a way of life.

“At first it was just me wanting to get my confidence up; wanting to feel good. And now, I’ve gotten really passionate about it,” Elizabeth said. “I really like doing it.”

To stay in peak condition, Elizabeth dedicates herself to the practice of MMA through consistent training with the T-N-T Academy of Quality Mixed Martial Arts in Riverview.

Elizabeth usually works out there on Monday and Wednesday, but every day, she works out from home.

“We run, we do weights from the back room, we’ve got all sorts of different stuff,” Elizabeth said.

Typically, workouts last 1.5-2 hours, and then, Elizabeth tends to schoolwork.

As a rising junior, Elizabeth has learned to balance schoolwork with the long hours of training needed for MMA during the past two years of high school.

“It’s not that bad as long as I’m aware of both of them,” Elizabeth said. “Whenever I get home, I get the homework done, get whatever chores I have to get done and I’m good. I do my workouts and I make sure everything is done before I go to bed.”

And for Elizabeth, MMA has given back just as much she’s put in.

By going to the same club, and working together to improve each other’s skills, Elizabeth has noticed a stronger bond with her sister, Jessica.

“We’re constantly grappling, she teaches me throws, we go around smacking each other on the head; it’s fun, we’re constantly goofing off and making jokes. We know the same people at the place we work out at,” Elizabeth said. “It has made a better bond between us.”

In the future, Elizabeth plans to continue practicing MMA throughout college, and may even remain at her club.

“Right now, I want to go to USF; it’s my No.1 spot,” Elizabeth said.

On top of that, with the degree from USF, Elizabeth hopes to one day become an underwater archeologist.

But for now, Elizabeth hopes to show others how martial arts have made a positive impact on her life.

“I want to make sure I’m the best I can be,” Elizabeth said. “I want to make myself proud, my coaches proud, and my family proud.”

 

Jessica new to judo

Jessica Guidry, the younger of the two sisters, practices the art of judo.

“The easiest way to explain it is that it’s like wrestling, but with different uniforms,” Jessica said.

Unlike her older sister Elizabeth, Jessica hasn’t been involved in the art of mixed martial arts as long.

Originally, she danced.

Her first introduction to martial arts was through capoeira, a Brazilian form of martial arts that “hides fighting within dancing.”

“You hardly hit each other and it’s a very gentle thing,” Jessica explained. “I was too aggressive for it so I moved to judo.”

Similar to her sister, Jessica never cared for the idea of group sports.

As a rising sophomore at Freedom High, none of the sports offered there captivated her interest.

“I never really liked any of the sports, cause if you join a baseball team or things like that, everyone is best friends and we’re a military family, so if I got into a group like that, it would be hard to switch from school to school.”

For a year now, Jessica has been training for judo at the same club as her sister, T-N-T Academy of Quality Mixed Martial Arts.

“I think it takes up a lot of time,” Jessica said. “On days I’m not at judo, I workout at least an hour.”

For Jessica, the intense three-a-week practices are critical to how she performs in tournaments.

“It takes a lot of dedication because you have to keep up your physical strength, you have to practice all your moves, and you have to practice speaking commands in Japanese,” Jessica said. “But it’s worth it when you win.”

Jessica experienced success at Junior Judo National Championships in Ohio earlier this month when she won for her age group and weight class, the 14-15 year old division in the 52-kilogram section.

“I’m predicting that if I keep up with going to international tournaments and I can start traveling out of countries for tournaments, then I can hopefully get on the USA team.”

Presently, Jessica is learning how to balance both judo and schoolwork. Being an honors student, Jessica is academically busy, and as a persistent judo trainer, dedicated to the hard work that’s required.

“It’s hard with the time management because sometimes I get home around 10 or so and it’s hard to get my homework done,” Jessica said.

For Jessica, every day is a detailed day built upon a rigid schedule.

After getting home from school at 4, Jessica prepares for judo by eating dinner and working on homework. At 5, she and her sister leave for judo, get home late and fall asleep.

“It’s been a challenge, but I’ve found a way,” Jessica said.

Although none of the sports at Freedom have ever clicked for her, Jessica said she could switch to wrestling.

“Wrestling is an easy transition for people who do judo,” Jessica said.

However, she has found journalism to be a good fit.

Jessica explained that she was accepted at the end of this year and will begin working for Freedom’s newspaper in the fall.

Even though Jessica has “no idea” what the future holds in store, she does know that whatever it holds, judo will be involved.

“I want to do it for a long time because it’s really caught my attention. I don’t click with a lot of people so I don’t think I miss out. If anything, I’m avoiding a lot of bad things,” Jessica said. “Plus, fighting is you; you get to use your strength. It’s not swinging something around or throwing something. It’s not as controlled.”

Editor’s Note: Our summer intern, Zack Peterson of Lutz, spent the last week of June working as a camp counselor at Muscular Dystrophy Association summer camp. His camper, Justin Scull, was from Zephyrhills.

By Zack Peterson

It’s a good day when you can walk on your own two feet, when you can get up on your own in the morning, walk to the mirror and ready yourself for the day’s upcoming events in the glass reflection.

For you and I, that’s a good day.

But for a child with Muscular Dystrophy, a good day is anything but. A good day is not falling down in school; a good day is brushing your teeth on your own; a good day is not feeling the effects of a degenerative neuromuscular disease tear at your bones.

A good day is just making it through the day. Twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, children with Muscular Dystrophy everywhere must learn to cope with the burdens of life, instead of living it. Many don’t have the luxury to walk, take care of themselves, even operate in everyday situations that you or I might find commonplace.

Most of us don’t even know. We have no idea how lucky we are to have two functioning legs. We have no idea that children with Muscular Dystrophy are diagnosed every day in our own communities.

What we also don’t know is how we’re helping them every day.

I had no idea how much support existed for this disease until three years ago, when my track coach introduced me to a program known as MDA summer camp.

Since 1955, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) has helped bring joy to the lives of children with MD for a week during the summertime by providing them with an unforgettable camp     experience.

MDA supports more than 80 camps nationwide and helps countless children build experiences that will last a lifetime.

My journey with MDA summer camp started those three years ago at the Rotary’s Camp Florida in Brandon, a haven for campers from around the area that’s offered its facilities for the past 12 years. There, I met some of the most courageous kids anyone could have the opportunity to meet.

They’re just like you and I — normal people looking for what inspires them most in the world. As it turns out, they’re a gem of inspiration for everyone who attends MDA camp, whether they’re a counselor or a camper.

MDA summer camp puts you in a unique one-on-one position as the counselor of a child with MD; essentially, you’re their caretaker for a week.

For some children who still have the ability to walk, this means watching over them; for others who have limited mobility or need wheelchairs to move around, this means helping them take care of basic bodily needs, like showering or using the bathroom. It gives counselors the opportunity to bond with his/her camper when you lift them into bed or ensure that their teeth are clean; it also gives campers the ability to trust in the world again. For those five days at summer camp, they are released from whatever hardships they struggle with on a daily basis at home.

I wasn’t sure what to expect that first year. I naively thought to myself, “How much activity can we do with children who have mobile difficulty?”

After five days of swimming, archery, pine wood derby, fishing and even swinging, I was ready to be proven wrong. These kids could do anything.

Each year I come back to MDA camp, I have an even better experience than the last.

This year, my camper happened to be from Zephyrhills. His name is Justin Scull, a 13-year-old boy diagnosed with Becker MD; he’s also the 13-year-old boy with the biggest heart I’ve ever seen.

My very first encounter with Justin was heart-wrenching almost. He was lifting his younger brother and sister up and down, laughing and smiling, bringing light and happiness to all around.

He did all this in spite of the fact that he suffers from a very serious disease that slowly wastes away at his muscles every day; in spite of the fact that one day, he could be sitting in a wheelchair at the age of 30 watching young children play freely the way he once did.

MDA camp just passed this summer, squeezing itself into the final week of June and the first day of July; and I can easily say Justin and I experienced one of the greatest weeks either one of us could possibly hope to have this summer.

Whether it was swinging together right after dinner ended or paddle-boating on the camp’s lake, Justin and I each learned a little something from each other.

We taught each other how to enjoy the little things.

It’s easy to speak about things you know nothing of, particularly when you’re just an observant bystander, but when your heart’s there — when you learn to really love what you have from these kids — it’s not just easy, it’s genuine.

My only hope is that everyone can cherish the love “Jerry’s Kids” instill the way I have. And I can only hope that you won’t just wait for it to come looking for you; I hope that you’ll reach out a hand to those in need, to those who live right in your community, to those who want love, care and compassion just like you.

 

Muscular Dystrophy Association

(727) 577-1700

www.mdausa.org

By B.C. Manion

When it comes to civic involvement, there’s a new group that hopes to make a difference in Lutz and Pasco County.

The GFWC Lutz-Pasco Junior Woman’s Club plans to be a bridge between the young girls who are involved in the juniorette clubs, such as the Little Women of Lutz, and the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club, which consists mostly of retirees.

The target market for the junior woman’s club is for women who are out of high school, but are not yet retired, said Angelina Carter, the club’s founding president.

“That’s a huge gap, from high school to retirement,” said Carter, noting the junior woman’s club began meeting in January and has 15 members so far.

The club is staging its first fundraising event, a Christmas in July Vendor Fair, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 30 at Atonement Lutheran Church, 29617 SR 54 in Wesley Chapel.

The fair will have about 25 vendors, who will offer handmade crafts, earth-friendly products, food and other items.

The junior woman’s club also will be having a holiday cookie bake sale, in keeping with the “Christmas in July” theme, Carter said.

There is no admission charge for the event, but those attending are encouraged to bring a canned food item to help stock “Helping Hands Food Pantry,” which is housed at the church, Carter said.

Beyond conducting this fundraising event, the club also is actively recruiting new members, Carter said.

The club is open to more than just residents of Lutz, drawing from north Hillsborough and central/east Pasco. Meetings are at 6:30 p.m. every fourth Thursday of the month, with meetings alternating between Atonement Lutheran Church and Horizon Bay Assisted Living Facility, 414 Chapman Road E. in Lutz.

About 90 percent of the club’s activities are at night and the other 10 percent are on weekends to accommodate the working schedules of members, Carter said.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the group can email gfwclutzpascojwc@gmail or call Carter at (813) 210-1588.

 

WHAT’S IN A NAME

By Kyle LoJacono

This week will look into how LeHeup Hill, McLeod, Meridian Avenue, Prospect and Saint Leo got their names.

(1) LEHEUP HILL is named after William A. LeHeup Sr., who was born in Kingston, Ontario. He came to Florida from Wisconsin in 1911 and moved to east Pasco County with his eight children.

The hill with his name is located between Zephyrhills and Dade City, just east of Fort King Road and Lake Pasadena. It was on that very hill where, in 1909, Howard Jeffries signed the     contract to buy 35,000 acres of land from James Lee Greer. That land today is Zephyrhills.

LeHeup’s son William A. “Bill” LeHeup lived in the area until he died on April 13, 2003 at age 98.

(2) MCLEOD is the original name for Trilby, which is located north of Dade City. The area was first settled in 1879 by William McLeod and his sons Daniel, Eligah, William Jr. and Freeman. The last name was adopted as the town’s name, but was changed to Macon and eventually Trilby.

(3) MERIDIAN AVENUE is the name for SR 52 through downtown Dade City. It was named by the surveyor, whose name is lost to time, who platted the streets of the city. The surveyor picked the name of his hometown — Meridian, Miss. — for the title.

(4) PROSPECT is the area around Prospect Road in Dade City just east of Saint Leo. It got its name from Prospect Branch Arbor Church, where many sects of Christians came together to worship. The original church was located next to a large spring that has since dried up.

(5) SAINT LEO the town is located between San Antonio and Dade City on SR 52. Saint Leo College, now university, and Abbey are within the town’s borders and are named for three Leos.

The first Leo is Pope Saint Leo I the Great. He was the pope who fended off Attila the Hun from the gates of Rome in 452. Secondly, the reigning pontiff at the time the college opened was Pope Leo XIII. Lastly Leo Haid, who accepted responsibility for the Florida mission in 1889 from Saint Vincent Archabbey. Haid (1849-1924) made the decision to found the college and bargained with Judge Edmund Dunne for the 36 acres on which it was built.

Haid got a charter for the college from the state, oversaw its construction and served as its first president from 1890-94.

For additional information on these areas and how they got their names, visit www.fivay.org.

*The Laker and the Lutz News series on how historic places were named will continue throughout the summer. Information is provided by interviews with Pasco County historian Jeff Miller of Fivay.org and the West Pasco Historical Society. See how Ten Cent Road, Tommytown, Trilcoochee, Trilby and Wesley Chapel got their names next week.

 

Next stop: New York

By B.C. Manion

Nick Bowers is trying to solve the biggest mystery of his life.

The 31-year-old Wesley Chapel man wants to find his birth parents.

Bowers knows he was born at Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital on Oct. 11, 1979, in Plattsburgh, N.Y.

He also has a description of what his parents looked like, when he was born. His mom was kind of short with light-colored hair and his dad was short and stocky, with dark hair, he said.

At least that is how they were described to his adoptive parents, Mike and Grace Bowers, who lived in Plattsburgh during Nick’s early years, but later moved to Florida.

Bowers has not been able to find out the identities of his parents.

“New York is a sealed state. I’ve already applied for non-identifying information. Nothing has come back,” he said.

To help move his search along, Bowers and his wife, Sidney, are traveling to Plattsburgh this summer. They’ll be there a few days around the time when the Plattsburgh High Class of 1981 will celebrate its 30^th reunion.

By Bowers’ calculations, it’s quite possible that his parents were members of that class.

The paramedic/firefighter for Pasco County Fire Rescue wants to be in the area before, during and after the reunion – to see if anyone can help him find his parents.

He doesn’t plan to crash the reunion.

“I want to have some tact. I’m not going to barge in. I’m not going to hinder anyone’s time who is there to see old friends and family,” Bowers said. “We have to step lightly.”

He does plan to share his story with the local newspaper, in hopes one or both of his parents, or someone who knows them, will reach out to him.

He’s even thinking about printing up some business cards that ask anyone who can help him find his biological mom and dad to get in touch with him.

Being there in person may help to drum up leads, or even better, may bring his search to a successful conclusion, he said.

Bowers said he began looking for his birth parents after he turned 18.

His adoptive parents have been supportive all along. “They’re like, ‘Whatever we can do to help, let us know.’ ”

In fact, his adoptive dad provided the first clues into the possible identity of his biological mom, Bowers said.

While his parents were going through the adoption process, Bowers said his dad happened to see the name Mary on a record, with the last name blackened out. He also saw an address — 13 Elizabeth St.

That is a valid address, but so far Bowers’ sleuthing has come up empty. He interviewed people who live in the neighborhood.

He has looked through Plattsburg High yearbooks from 1978-81, searching for any girl named Mary. He and his wife have done Internet searches to try to track down these women, but the ones they’ve found were not the right one.

Bowers said he has never viewed his adoption as a negative thing.

His parents told him when he was quite young.

“From the minute that I could comprehend it was like, ‘Oh, you’re my special little adopted boy,’ ” Bowers said.

He realizes that he might never find his biological parents, or, even if he does, they may be unwilling to establish any kind of connection.

“I’m fully prepared, if either they don’t want to meet me or they’re dead,” said Bowers, who deals with death in his line of work.

He’s hoping, however, that a personal visit will help.

He’s not concerned about why they gave him up for adoption, and he is grateful for the life he has had. Still, he would like to connect with the people who brought him into this world to get a better understanding of his genetic background, if nothing else.

“I would love to meet them. I’d like to see who I look like.”

If they’d like a deeper connection, he’s open to that, too.

“I’m such a family person, I would love to have them in my life,” Bowers said.

“It’s an interesting, intriguing story – and a question that I’d really like to have answered,” Bowers said.

By Kyle LoJacono

When Paul Kavanagh gets a glass of water, makes coffee or brushes his teeth he understands better than anyone how much effort goes into making it as easy as turning a faucet.

Kavanagh is one of the 184,000 northwest Hillsborough County residents who expect to have fresh, clean and reliable water every time they want it. Kavanagh is the plant manager for the Lake Park Water Plant on Dale Mabry, which delivers an average of eight million gallons of H₂O every day.

Kavanagh and his staff work around the clock so water service is always flowing, and have been recognized the last two years with a pair of the industry’s top state honors.

The plant was given the Most Outstanding Water Plant award in its class from the Florida Section of the American Water Works Association’s annual competition in 2010. The facility made it two in a row when it brought home the title recognizing its innovations and improvements in April.

“I got the call telling us we’d won,” said Talbert Anckle, plant supervisor. “I first thought, no way. It wasn’t what I was thinking was going to come out of the phone.”

Kavanagh was, and wasn’t, surprised with the second honor.

“To get two in a row is pretty rare because it’s statewide,” Kavanagh said. “There is a panel of five from the industry who vote on it. … We didn’t expect it to happen again, but we know we’re doing the right things. To be recognized like this, I was elated.”

Kavanagh said the first award was given based on several categories from the overall operations. For example, the plant had no system violations or chemical spills all year.

The plant employees also took initiative to enhance several of its elements, which led to the second honor.

“We added additional ammonia storage, which saves us money because we don’t have to split up shipments with other plants,” Kavanagh said. “We’re also giving additional training to our workers.”

Another upgrade was improving the plant’s aesthetics.

“The guys used their own money and they donated things they had to make the grounds look better,” Kavanagh said. “We recycle whatever we can — our cans and bottles — and use that money too. We understand the county would like to help us with those things, but there isn’t the money for it.

“For us it’s about pride in our plant and we all buy into it,” Kavanagh continued. “For example, Kevin (Kraujalis) was just hosing down part of the grounds. He didn’t have to, but he saw some dirt and he wanted to. This whole team does whatever needs to be done. That’s one of the reasons we won again. They liked our initiative.”

Kavanagh said they are constantly looking for ways to improve, but added they are basically working with the latest equipment.

Most of the daily operations involve treating the water. The facility uses a chlorine-based cleaning method. Ammonia is added to keep the water clean longer in the storage tanks while also binding up and removing all residual chlorine.

“There is some research that suggests just using free chlorine may increase cancer risk,” Kavanagh said. “The ammonia removes any chance of that happening. It’s a safety factor.”

The plant can store enough diesel fuel to operate for three weeks if it were to lose power from TECO during a hurricane or other disaster. Kavanagh said in 2004, the year the state suffered from multiple storms, the facility had to use its own fuel to keep water flowing for several days.

“If TECO comes back online, we have the materials here to manufacture the chlorine and other chemicals to supply water for a long time while everything is cleaned up,” Kavanagh said. “Part of the reason we won these awards was for our hurricane action plan. Everything is fully supplied when we know a storm is coming so people can return to some form of normal life.”

The Lake Park plant first opened in 1982 and was renovated in 2001. It can withstand up to a Category 4 hurricane. Ten workers maintain the facility, while many people on the street ensure the pipes and other infrastructure get the water to the communities.

The facility supplies water to people in Odessa/Keystone along Gunn Highway, north into Lutz along Dale Mabry and as far south as Carrollwood.

The plant can supply as much as 42 million gallons of water a day. It can also store 10 million gallons total in its two tanks.

The plant gets its water from local wells and from Tampa Bay Water, the regional supplier for Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. The water is tested at least every four hours, 24 hours a day. That includes all holidays.

“We have electronic devices that monitor things and let us know if they detect anything odd,” said Kevin Kraujalis, senior plant operator. “If that happens we go out and immediately test the water ourselves to see what needs correcting, so sometimes we test more than every four hours.”

For more information on the plant, visit www.hillsboroughcounty.org.

By B.C. Manion

As Beth Brown steps into her new role as executive director for secondary schools in Pasco County Schools, she’s confident that she is leaving John Long Middle in good hands.

When Brown was named the Pasco school district’s top administrator earlier this year, she was quick to share the credit for her success with her administrative team and with teachers who helped create a culture of teamwork and success at the middle school.

“In any school, there is so much to be done, administrators can’t do it all,” Brown said, during a recent interview, as she packed up her boxes at the Wesley Chapel middle school she opened in 2006.

“So, you identify your superstar teachers — teachers that are aspiring leaders — and then you get them leading work groups and committees. That’s what this school has done so well. There is so much talent here,” Brown said.

The educator said she felt it was a good time to pursue a district post.

“This school has such a strong foundation that I feel comfortable leaving. I feel comfortable passing this amazing project, this amazing school off to a very competent principal.’’

John Long Middle’s new principal is Christine Wolff, former principal of Chasco Middle.

As Brown she assumes her new role at the district’s administrative headquarters, she expects to use the same approach that she used at John Long Middle, with a different set of people.

“Here, it was me working with my team leaders and my teachers: ‘What do we want to accomplish?’ And then, collaboratively, ‘How do we make that happen?’ ”

The process went something like this: “How do we identify our challenges? Identify our area of need, and then seek out the human resources and the resources to make it happen.

“I don’t see my structure changing or my leadership style changing at all, it’s just moving to a different level.”

Brown said she has already worked with many of the district’s principals and administrators and realizes that they can help the district tackle the challenges of increasing expectations and diminishing resources.

“Principals know their schools the best,” Brown said.

Principals know the most significant challenges their school faces and its greatest strengths. They know where their school needs help and support.

The district can help principals tackle tough issues and school administrators can help each other, Brown said.

“There’s so much talent in all of the schools. Different admin teams solve problems differently. If you put them all in a room, they’re going to come up with a solution to their problem.”

Brown joined the school district in 1991, working first as a social studies teacher at Thomas E. Weightman Middle in Wesley Chapel. She was promoted to assistant principal at Wesley Chapel High in 1999, then moved two years later to an assistant principal’s post at Weightman Middle. In 2003, she became principal at Bayonet Point Middle, where she remained until she opened John Long Middle in 2006.

“I know middle schools very well,” Brown said. “It’s been a few years since I’ve been in a high school setting, so I’ll be jumping back into high schools, learning as much as I can, as fast as possible.”

She anticipates plenty of challenges.

“The nature of secondary education, I think, is changing,” Brown said. The passage of state Senate Bill 736, the Student Success Act, will likely guide district efforts for many years to come, she said.

Among the bill’s provisions is a requirement for a new way to evaluate teachers and school administrators.

“It’s a huge departure from what we’ve done in the past,” Brown said.

That law requires at least half of an educator’s evaluation and 40 percent of a school administrator’s evaluation to be based on student learning gains.

The district will be providing training to help its principals comply to the new requirements, Brown said.

Brown said she is excited about moving into district leadership at a pivotal time for education.

“We’re really on the brink of a huge shift. It would be a good time for anyone to come into district leadership because I believe we are changing direction.”

 

By Joe Humphrey

A volunteer who attracts multiple planes to the Zephyrhills airport each year wants to bring a World War II aircraft to the city permanently.

John Bolender, organizer of the annual Bivouac and Barracks event and a volunteer at the Zephyrhills Airport Restored Barracks Museum, received city permission on Monday, July 11 to display a C-47 at the south entrance of the airport.

“It’s my plane,” Bolender said. “I’m giving it to the city.”

Bolender received the plane from a military group and has it stored at a friend’s place in Florala, Ala. He plans to raise the necessary money, $6,000, to relocate the plane from Alabama. Another $3,000-$4,000 would go toward renovation of the craft.

The city would only need to provide liability coverage for volunteers who work on the plane.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower called the C-47 “one of the most vital pieces of military equipment used in winning the war,” according to Boeing. The Skytrain, as it was known, had multiple functions beginning in World War II. According to Boeing, the plane could

–     Carry up to 6,000 pounds of cargo

–     Transport a fully assembled jeep or 37mm cannon

–     Transport up to 28 soldiers in full combat gear

–     Hold 14 stretchers and three nurses as a medical airlift plane

Bolender said the plane would anchor the museum and also provide more visibility for the airport.

“A lot of people don’t know we have an airport,” he said.

The event he organizes each year brings several vintage aircraft to Zephyrhills, but this would make one a permanent fixture. The display would be static, meaning visitors would not go inside the plane. Still, it would be an upgrade to the museum.

“It will be an anchor for our museum,” he said. “It will also be an asset to the entrance to the airport.”

In sharing his plan around town and at the Zephyhrhills Historical Association, Bolender has already met one person who worked on the planes in the service and another who jumped out of them. Bringing the plane to town strikes Mayor Cliff McDuffie as a good idea, “as long as we can get volunteers to renovate it.”

The model took its first flight in December 1941 — just two weeks after Pearl

Harbor. It has a 95-foot wingspan and measures about 64 feet long. It’s cruising speed, according to Boeing: 160 miles an hour.

To volunteer or for more information, contact Bolender at (813) 788-5969.

EPA gives county grant to clean busy roadways

By Kyle LoJacono

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently gave Pasco $1 million to clean up land contaminated with motor oil, gasoline and other chemicals along some of the most used county roads.

Pasco was awarded the grant, the first of its kind in its 124-year history, and property owners along US 41 in Land O’ Lakes and US 301 in Zephyrhills, Dade City and Lacoochee can apply to have their land renewed. It requires no matching money from the county.

“The program to award the grant was very competitive,” said Philip Vorsatz, the EPA’s coordinator for Florida and seven other southern states. “Less than one in five counties that applied were approved.”

Vorsatz said the areas contaminated with the various chemicals are known as brownfields. The federal government is spending $76 million this year to redevelop brownfields in 40 states and on three American Indian tribes’ land.

One of the largest brownfields in the county is the site of the Dade City Business Center, which for years was a citrus and orange juice processing plant, according to Pasco senior planner for economic development and redevelopment Melanie Kendrick. The former operation contaminated the land with biodiesel. Another is the old Cummer Cypress sawmill site in Lacoochee.

Another major contributor to the brownfields is the large number of underground storage tanks in Pasco. The county listed in its application for the grant information from the state Department of Environmental Protection showing it has 2,143 within its boundaries, of which 546 are leaking.

“Often it’s things you might not even think of that play a big part in contaminating the ground,” Kendrick said. “Even dental X-rays back in the day.”

Pasco has 53 cattle dipping vats, which hold chemicals used to protect livestock from ticks and other parasites, leaking into the ground. Other major contributors to the brownfields are scrap metal salvage yards, dry cleaners, vehicle and boat repair shops and old railroad ties, which give off arsenic.

Half of the money will go to cleaning petroleum sites, with the other half focusing on hazardous waste.

The county is forming a committee of various stakeholders to develop a plan that reviews Pasco’s history. It will also interview residents who have lived in the county for many years to track down potential waste sites. The second phase will sample soil and water to find where to focus the cleanup.

One of the benefits of the program is if enough landowners participate, the county may receive additional federal money, as well as tax breaks and redevelopment grants to large landholders, in the future.

Kendrick said, “It’s a touchy subject,” for owners to submit their land for the cleanups.

“No one wants people to think of their land as dirty,” Kendrick said. “However, it can help attract more investment in the county overall, which helps everyone.

“There are companies that develop only on former brownfields,” Kendrick continued. “For example, a successful brownfield site is the Ikea furniture store in Ybor City.”

That Ybor location was the home of a canning company from 1936 to 1981.

County Commissioner Pat Mulieri said the board predicts this grant will continue to turn Pasco from a bedroom community into one with a large number of high-paying jobs.

“This brownfields program will help us rebuild rundown areas all over Pasco,” Mulieri said. “It will help everyone from US 19 in west Pasco to US 301 in east Pasco and everyone in between. It’s a win-win opportunity because we cleanup and bring in jobs at the same time.”

The people along US 301 in northern Pasco could especially benefit from the program, as the area has seen economic hardships since the sawmill closed in 1959 and the citrus facility ceased operating. The location has seen stagnate growth in part because of the contaminated land, according to Kendrick.

For more information on the program, visit portal.pascocountyfl.net.