Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Kyle LoJacono

Like many people new to an area, Carol Novak spent months looking for the right church for her family, but faith was not the only reason her quest was difficult.

Novak’s son Jonathan has severe cerebral palsy and needs a power wheelchair to get around. She wanted to find a church that would accept Jonathan and her search brought her to Van Dyke United Methodist Church in Lutz.
“When we came the first time his wheelchair didn’t throw them,” Novak said. “They welcomed him like any other new member.”
The Novaks have been members of the church for eight years, but the last three have offered even more for Jonathan. That was when Janet Atkinson started the adaptive basketball program, which is each Sunday from 2-4 p.m. at the church’s community center gym, 17030 Lakeshore Road off Van Dyke Road.
“My son (Taylor) wanted something like this and our church is so good with people with special needs,” Atkinson said. “What is really good about the basketball program is it isn’t just for young kids. We have people in their 30s right now playing.”
Novak said that was one of the hardest things for Jonathan, who does not communicate easily, was finding activities after he graduated from high school. Jonathan is currently 34 years old and goes to the league almost every week.
“I live in Clearwater now, but we make the drive to pick up Jonathan each week and take him to the church and basketball,” Novak said. “It takes about an hour, but it’s worth it.”
Jonathan lives in northern Hillsborough County with an aide who helps him get around.
Atkinson said there are anywhere from 15-30 athletes who come to the league each Sunday, which is free to participate in. The players are of various levels of special needs and come from across Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties.

“It is only for fun, but you will see some of the kids get competitive,” Atkinson said. “As a mom, I see it as what I would pay big bucks for and that is physical therapy and social therapy. It’s also a good time for the parents that stick around for support with each other too.”
Eric Fleat is the program’s coach and gets a thrill out of seeing the athletes play each week.
“You should see those kids’ faces when they are out there,” Fleat said. “They’re just like any other kid having a great time.”
Fleat’s wife Shannon helps with the program and also brings crafts for the kids to work on when they are not in the game.

The program is part of the church’s special needs ministry.

“Matthew Hartsfield is the pastor for (the) church and has supported me for 16 years through all things special needs and whatever he can do to support the community,” Atkinson said. “The church is so supportive to those with special needs, so if I need crafts or snacks or whatever I need, they will supply it.”

Novak said Jonathan has been helped greatly by the ministry.
“He has been a greeter for the last few years and it helps him be more social even though he doesn’t communicate very well,” Novak said. “It isn’t strange to anyone that he is greeting them because the church is so welcoming to people with special needs.”
People do not need to be members of the church to participate in the league. Anyone interested in playing can show up any Sunday or can call Atkinson at (813) 240-5218.

By B.C. Manion

It all began three decades ago, with a vacant lot and a perceived need.
Elaine Peverell, founder of Lutz Learning Center at 621 Sunset Lane, didn’t believe the public school system was equipped to give her daughter, Kimberly, the kind of learning environment she needed.

So, Peverell created an early education center — which includes a preschool and pre-kindergarten — to provide the kind of atmosphere where her daughter and other children could thrive.
Peverell’s daughter, who is now Kimberly Wilson, grew up to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Both women now oversee the learning center’s programs.
They decided to expand the center’s program last year to include an elementary program, geared for accelerated learning.
They were determined to ensure that Emberly, who is Kimberly’s daughter, would be nurtured and challenged through elementary school.
The center’s philosophy is that students who are challenged appropriately tend to perform very well, both academically and socially.
A 2,600-square-foot addition is now under construction to house the elementary program, which Peverell envisions will offer instruction for children in kindergarten through eighth grade.
If there is enough demand, she expects the school will outgrow its current location at some point. But she’s not pushing to create a mega-school.
“I don’t want to be a huge school,” Peverell said. “I want to be small enough that we don’t lose sight of that individual child and I want to be sure that we allow each child to reach that maximum potential.”
Peverell and Wilson both believe that a love of learning must be encouraged and developed very early in life.
“Pre-school is such an underestimated development stage,” Peverell said.
Unlike some schools, at Lutz Learning Center a child’s age doesn’t determine whether he or she is ready for kindergarten, or when they are allowed to advance to materials taught at higher grade levels.
“We place children developmentally,” Peverell said.
Private schools can also operate with less bureaucracy than public schools face, Peverell said.
For instance, if the school wants to take a field trip to show children what they are learning about, it’s simple. “All we have to do is get on the bus and go,” Peverell said.
Hands-on experiences are crucial to helping children understand what they’re learning, she said.
“To me, children learn by doing.”
Challenging children appropriately is also essential, she said.
Both Peverell and Wilson said children who are pushed academically in an accelerated learning environment become enthused about learning and don’t suffer the boredom that some children experience because the material is too easy.
Many children struggle in public schools because their needs are not being met, Peverell said.
The focus must be treating children as individuals and tailoring their education to help them reach their potential, she added.
“Can you change a child’s IQ? I absolutely believe that you can,” Peverell said.
Children who are ready to move ahead should not be held back because of their age, or merely because their peers are not keeping up, she said.
“No child left behind leaves behind the gifted child,” Peverell said.
It’s also important to realize that a child can be gifted in some subjects and less talented in others. The curriculum for that child should take those differences into account.
Learning isn’t always easy, but Peverell loves watching that ah-ha moment, when a child who has been struggling with a concept finally understands.
“There’s nothing more thrilling to me than to see a child ‘get it’,” she said.
“Children need to have a love for learning,” Peverell said. “You have to develop that in them.”
When that happens, Peverell and Wilson said, it stays with them for life.

Want to know more about Lutz Learning Center?
Come to the center’s Anniversary Hoedown
Where: Nye Park
When: 12:30 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 23
Who: Families, alumni and anyone who wants to learn more about the school.
Barbecue will be available.
For more information about the event or about the school, call (813) 949-3484 or go to the center’s website at www.lutzlearning.com

Last stretch of I-275 to get six lanes

By Kyle LoJacono

Commuting between Pasco and Hillsborough counties will get a little easier by the fall of 2012.
That is when the 5.7 miles of I-275 between Bearss Avenue to I-75 will grow from four to six lanes. Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Public Information Officer John McShaffrey said the project is needed to help with traffic flow of 52,000 vehicles that move through the area daily.
“The interstate is being widened according to the master plan for the interstate system in the Tampa Bay area, which calls for at least three lanes in each direction to reduce congestion and improve safety,” McShaffrey said. “Finishing this section will complete I-275 widening north of downtown and will also work in conjunction with the coming widening of I-75.”
I-275 was widened to six lanes in the south from around Busch Boulevard to Bearss in 2003. Once finished, the interstate will be at least six lanes all the way into Pinellas County.
There will be periodic lane closures, but all starting no earlier than 9:30 p.m. and ending by 6:30 a.m. The project is federally funded and comes at a $20.5 million price tag. It is being completed by Prince Contracting, which will also be adding devices to help monitor traffic flow including five cameras and 20 vehicle detectors.
“These are tools to help the traffic managers determine the amount and speed of traffic, identify problems such as accidents, breakdowns, items in the roadway, and react accordingly,” McShaffrey said. “For example, if they notice a slowdown in speeds, they can look on the cameras and spot the trouble. If there is a motorist need for assistance, police, fire and/or wreckers may be dispatched to assist and get traffic moving back to speed as quickly as possible.”
There will also be an electric sign to let drivers know what is happening on the road ahead, allowing motorists to make decisions about their travel route.
Just north of the widening project is the job to expand and resurface I-75 just north of the split with I-275 and improve the interchange at SR 56.
The work is taking I-75 to six lanes on the northbound side from I-275 interchange and exit ramp at SR 56 while resurfacing existing road on the stretch of 2.3 miles.
Additionally, a new exit ramp to SR 56 from I-275 is being built. This will eliminate drivers having to shift across several lanes of traffic after the interstates come together heading north.
The $29.9 million FDOT project began in the fall of 2009 and is being built by SEMA Construction. The job is scheduled to be finished in the summer of 2012, but McShaffrey said the job is well ahead of that pace
“It is likely this project will finish around eight months ahead of schedule,” McShaffrey said.
The I-275 work is not affected by a recent hold placed on contracts throughout the state by new Gov. Rick Scott, McShaffrey said.
Both the above jobs are preparing I-75 for a future widening from SR 56 to SR 54 to six lanes. That project is not yet funded, but FDOT spokeswoman Kris Carson said it will happen.
Another FDOT job is building new rest areas on I-75 between SR 56 and SR 54 in Wesley Chapel at mile marker 278. It is being done by Cone and Graham at a cost of $25.1 million.
The two existing stops on the east and west side of the interstate were torn down and are currently being rebuilt. The job began last July and is slightly ahead of schedule of being finished next spring.
The rest areas should reopen to the public by late 2011 (or) early 2012,” McShaffrey said.
The new stops — designed to last for at least 30 years — will include additional truck parking and more space for restrooms. McShaffrey said the department regrets having to close the stops, but says it will be better for people using the interstate once done.
For more information on these or other FDOT project, visit www.dot.state.fl.us.

By B.C. Manion

When 13-year-old Gabrielle Giguere headed out to Los Angeles a few weeks ago, she didn’t know exactly what to expect.
She was attending a convention for aspiring performers and her goal was to do a good enough job to get at least a few callbacks.

She had no idea she would do so well that she would win second runner-up in an international singing competition — and would get callbacks from 19 agents.
Now, the Rushe Middle School eighth-grader hopes some of the connections she made at the convention will her land professional gigs — and who knows where that could lead, she and her mom, Sara Giguere, said during a recent interview.
The Land O’ Lakes teenager is not exactly a stranger to singing.
After all, she had her first solo in second grade at Lake Myrtle Elementary School.
She has gone on to expand her repertoire to include acting, dancing and some modeling, and has appeared in some productions at the Wesley Chapter Center for the Arts.
Most recently, she’s been honing her skills at The Actors Studio in Tampa, under the direction of David Martin. She’s also taking private guitar lessons and is learning to write songs.
She was at The Actors Studio when she was selected to attend iPOP in Los Angeles. The acronym stands for International Presentation of Performers. The convention for aspiring actors, singers, models and dancers that draws participants from around the globe is held twice a year in Los Angeles and in Las Vegas.
It’s a place where aspiring performers vie for the attention of industry professionals, hoping the networking they do there will lead to some gigs.
Gabrielle auditioned for acting, which involved performing a scene, a television commercial and a monologue.
She also competed in the iPOP, a singing competition.
She won second runner-up in that contest, which drew an international field of about 400 singers.
Gabrielle said she couldn’t believe “there were so, so, many singers.”
She was thrilled to even make it to the top 20, let alone to bring home a hefty trophy, which is in the shape of a microphone.
Her mom said they didn’t have a clue if she had made it after the initial round.
Gabrielle’s dad, John, who is a personal trainer, went out for a workout and on the way back, he checked the results screen and brought back the happy news.
It was a pretty big deal, her mom said, because Gabrielle was competing in an international field of about 400 singers, between the ages of 5 and 25.
To compete, singers prepare two songs of contrasting styles. They get to choose one of the songs and iPOP chooses the other.
The convention for models, singers, actors and dancers is open only to participating schools. It has a reputation for showcasing aspiring performers who are considered to have what it takes to become a success, according to iPOP’s website.
Gabrielle chose to sing “The Way I Am,” by Ingrid Michaelson.
“It really showcases my voice,” she said matter-of-factly, without a scintilla of boasting.
The 5-foot-4 girl said the convention was a bit of an eye-opener for her.
When she and her parents arrived, she said, “it kind of seemed like (the television series) “Toddlers & Tiaras.”
“Girls were standing in 10-inch heels,” added her mom, referring to some of the models.
Gabrielle said she always has two goals when she sings: To connect with the song and to connect with the audience.
“I really, really love to sing,” Gabrielle said, noting some of her favorite singers include Celine Dion, Charice and JoJo.
“I also love to act,” she said, citing Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Aniston as two of her favorite actors.
She hopes she’ll be able to find a way to pursue both acting and singing.
She’s encouraged by the convention.
“The agents decide who they want to call back and who they want to see again.”
She got 19 callbacks.
“We were there six hours. We got through 16,” Gabrielle’s mom, Sara, said.
It was exciting, but it wasn’t always glamorous, the mother and daughter agreed.
“We were starving. We were thirsty. Our backs hurt,” Sara added.
So now that she’s got the agents’ attention, what’s next?
It’s too soon to say, both Gabrielle and Sara said.
“You’ve got to take it day by day,” Sara said.

By B.C.Manion

They gather on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at the Lutz Senior Center with a well-worn deck of cards and plenty of banter.
It’s a small but lively group.

Rose Dyll, 75, has been sitting in on Double-Deck Pinochle games for the better part of a decade.
“It is fun. We are friendly. We don’t play for money,” the Carrollwood woman said with a laugh.
“We play for ego,” dead-panned Elton Shahin, an 84-year-old player from Lutz.
“It stimulates your brain. It’s so good for you,” agreed Paul Ganci, also an 84-year-old from Lutz, who clearly enjoys a deft play.
“It keeps your mind sharp. You really have to pay attention. You’ve got to listen to the bids,” added Ganci, who began playing pinochle at 18 and has been part of the club for three years.
On a recent Thursday, just three members turned out — so they had to play three-handed Double-Deck Pinochle.
“Three-handed is very messy,” Ganci said.
It’s not exactly Dyll’s favorite way to play either. She hates holding so many cards in her hands.
They only play the three-handed game when not enough players turn out.
That happens more often than it used to.
“When I first started here, sometimes we’d get about 12 people,” Dyll said. But the turnout declined as members died or moved.
The club would love to rebuild the group. It’s entertaining and doesn’t cost a thing, they said.
“If you haven’t played pinochle in awhile, it’s no problem,” Ganci said. “It’s like riding a bicycle. We’ll get you back into it.”
However, you do need some experience to join the group because they are sticklers for the rules.
“We play hard pinochle,” Dyll said.
And, just because they’re friendly doesn’t mean they’re not competitive.
Dyll, in particular, enjoys trash-talking.
During one hand, she eyed Ganci’s cards, which were spread on the table and declared:  “He’s got crap. He’s got a lot of losers.”
“He’s in trouble,” Shahin agreed.
Somehow, though, Ganci pulled the hand off.
“I got it,” he said, beaming. “A good pinochle player counts trump.”
In another hand, when Ganci made a clever play, Dyll declared: “Ooh, sneaky, you.”
“Sneaky me,” Ganci said, clearly pleased.
When Dyll has good cards, they literally fly out of her hands as she snatches cards off the table and tosses another one in, in a split-second move showing confidence and command.
On one occasion, she catches Ganci off guard:  “Oh, that was a surprise,” he said.
These players know the glory of victory and agony of defeat.
Once Ganci forgot one of the cardinal rules of the game and suffered a demoralizing defeat.
“We thought it was funny,” Dyll said.
“It was devastating,” Ganci said.
In another hand, Dyll and Ganci got into a bidding war — both desperately wanting a pile of cards they thought would give them a most excellent hand.
Dyll won the bid.
She was jubilant.
Ganci, deflated.
She beamed as she spread her cards proving that she got what she wanted.
Ganci slumped his shoulders and let out a heavy sigh.
But the table turned later on, when Ganci got a hand that he simply couldn’t believe.
“You never get dealt this. I can’t believe this,” he exclaimed, sounding like a child who had won first prize at the fair.
A little bit later, another player joined the game.
When 71-yer-old Robert Potts of Land O’ Lakes showed up, they were able to switch from the three-handed game to two teams, with partners.
It didn’t take them long to shift gears and begin attacking each other.
“Eliminate the enemy,” Shahin declared, again revealing his wry sense of humor.
Time passes quickly. The players shuffle, deal and play out their hands.
They are clearly enjoying the game and each other.
“We have such a great time,” Potts said.
No matter the outcome, it seems that they do.

Players wanted
If you play pinochle and have some free time, you are welcome to join the Double-Deck Pinochle Club at Lutz Senior Center, 112 First Ave., N.W. in Lutz.
The games are 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays.