The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Fifth-grader helps shape stories for her generation

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Her work gives writers insight into the 10-year-old mind

By B.C. Manion

She’s only 10 years old, but Savannah Smith has already completed her first consulting gig and hopes it will lead to others.

Savannah Smith can picture herself as a future writer. For now, however, she’s willing to critique manuscripts aimed at a young audience. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

The fifth-grader, who divides her time between Wesley Chapel and Bradenton, is represented by a boutique agency called TruVision Entertainment based in Toluca Lake, Calif.

Her first assignment, which she actually finished when she was 9, involved reading a manuscript of nearly 300 pages and offering her observations.

The arrangement included a confidentiality clause regarding Savannah’s compensation, but regardless of the pay, the girl said she was thrilled to get paid to read and offer her observations.

“I love to read,” said Savannah, who attends Bashaw Elementary in Bradenton.

The book — “The Heart Air Balloons and the City of Points’’ — was written by David Larson, who currently is working on a new pilot for the Disney XD channel. The book is a fantasy in the same vein as the Harry Potter books.

“It was very interesting. I absolutely loved it,” Savannah said.

Even though it was a pleasure, it also was a time-consuming chore.

“It was a very long book. It was like two Harry Potter books put together,” she said.

To make the task more manageable, she divided the book into 50-page increments.

She made notes on the manuscript as she went along.

She circled words she didn’t understand. She noted when sequences of the story seemed out of sync. She pointed out dialogue that didn’t ring true to her.

“It took a little longer than it probably would now,” the 10-year-old said. “I’ve improved on my reading,” she explained.

Besides his current project, Larson has worked on film projects such as “G” and “American History X” and television programs including “Ruby and the Rockits” and “Just Shoot Me.” Larson made numerous revisions based on Savannah’s comments, according to Jordan Roberts of TruVision Entertainment.

“He took her input very seriously and made huge changes based on her notes,” Roberts said in a news release.

Savannah said she loves reading because it takes her on fun and interesting adventures.

“I like how it paints a picture in my mind and how I can really imagine things,” said Savannah, who particularly enjoys mysteries and adventure stories. At the moment, her favorite books are Nancy Drew mysteries.

She also enjoys writing and can see herself becoming a writer one day.

For now, she just keeps a journal, which chronicles family vacations and other activities.

On some pages, she simply draws arrows.

Those parts of the journal, she said, are private.

Brutal winter elsewhere spurs interest in local industrial park

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By B.C. Manion

The harsh winter weather that has wreaked havoc in other parts of the country may offer a glimmer of opportunity for an industrial office park in Central Pasco County.

An exterior view of two buildings with space available at COMPARK 75, an industrial park in Central Pasco County.

COMPARK 75 recently has received feelers from out-of-state companies, said Heidi Tuttle-Beisner of Commercial Asset Partners, an agent for the property.

“We’ve got so much interest now,” Tuttle-Beisner said. “They prefer to be in a climate that’s less volatile.”

There are four companies from out of state and two local companies that are looking to locate at COMPARK at 4446 Pet Lane in Lutz. The industrial park is owned by HR Pasco, whose owner is Larry Morgan.

While the 165-acre industrial park has a Lutz mailing address, it sits off CR 54, about midway between the interchanges of SR 54 and SR 56 with I-75.

It is about 12 miles east of the Suncoast Parkway.

The northern boundary of the industrial park straddles the Tampa North Aero Park airport and it’s easy to see traffic streaming by on I-75.

Tuttle-Beisner won’t name the companies considering a move to the industrial park, but she did say the local companies are interested in leasing space in existing buildings and the out-of-state companies are interested in buying land and constructing their own buildings.

The 165-acre industrial park receives water, sewer, police and fire services from Pasco County. Its electric services are provided by the Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative and its telephone and Internet services are provided by Verizon.

Besides its enviable location, the industrial park has other strengths, Tuttle-Beisner said. “It’s a very attractive industrial park,” she said, mentioning that it 105 acres of permanent conservation space. It also has restrictive covenants that provide strict architectural controls.

The industrial park is zoned light industrial and has office, warehouse and manufacturing sites available. The available sites are 12.5 acres, 10 acres and 6 acres, she said. There’s also 29,700 square feet of space available for lease in one building and 31,500 square feet available in another. One of the buildings is dock high and the other is ground level, she said.

At the dock-high building, the floor is raised so trucks can pull up to a loading dock to load and unload. At the ground-level building, the garage door is at ground level. Tenants in that building tend to be service-oriented companies that require office space but don’t need to move a lot of goods in and out, Beisner-Tuttle said.

The proximity of the Tampa North Aero Park also is a plus because some companies that have planes like the notion of having a private airport next door, Beisner-Tuttle said.

Despite a recent prediction by Florida economist Chris Jones that Pasco would be slow to rebound from the recession, Tuttle-Beisner is optimistic about Wesley Chapel’s prospects.

She said it’s hard to predict how fast the recovery will be in different parts of Pasco County.

“Pasco County is so diverse,” she said. “Over on US 19 is entirely different than it is here,” she said.

COMPARK 75 is in an excellent location for an industrial park, she said.

“The next industrial park is in Hillsborough County (to the south). You don’t really get anything else until you get to SR 52 (to the north),” she said.

She also thinks that Pasco County’s aggressive incentives to attract jobs and Gov. Rick Scott’s obvious pro-business attitude will help to lure new companies and jobs to both the county and state.

Wesley Chapel Chamber seeks two new leaders

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By B.C. Manion

The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce is seeking a director of operations and a director of sales and marketing.

The chamber decided to seek two staff members instead of replacing David West, its former executive director who stepped down from the post recently to launch a new church.

Laura Miller, president of the chamber, said the organization wants to be able to have someone who is able to work in the field, while someone else is able to handle duties that must be done in the office.

West said the chamber’s move makes sense.

“I think it’s a smart thing,” West said. “They should do that. The administrative job is a full-time job in a fast-growing chamber like that.”

The chamber is seeking a director of operations who has proven leadership and management skills, according to a chamber news release. The successful candidate will possess strong fiscal, budget and interpersonal skills, and will be able to multi-task.

The chamber would prefer someone who has experience in working with a chamber or other nonprofit organization. Experience with event planning, a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent experience/education and the ability to use QuickBooks also are important.

The salary for the job will be in the mid-$30,000 range and will include bonus incentives, health insurance allowance and mileage allowance.

The director of sales and marketing requires an individual with strong sales and marketing skills as well as excellent communications and time management skills.

The position also requires someone who is highly self-motivated and creative.

The compensation for this position includes draw/commission, bonus incentives and a mileage allowance.

Resumes for these positions can be e-mailed to or can be mailed to the Greater Wesley Chamber of Commerce, Interview Committee, 29142 Chapel Park Drive, Wesley Chapel, 33543.

Go for the whole-wheat pancakes at First Watch

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By Samantha Taylor

One of the things I love about writing these articles is I get to think of new ways of showing you that you can eat healthy and enjoy it too. If you are able to have a little fun while implementing your healthy eating plan, you’ll find it easier to stick with it, instead of being strict all the time.

My most recent visit was to First Watch on Bruce B. Downs, just south of SR 56. I went in there for a veg’d out omelet, but I was surprised to find out that they had whole-wheat pancakes, so I went for that instead.

The omelet is loaded with vegetables and you can order egg whites or egg substitute with no cholesterol although it does come with cheese in it. You can tell them to skip the cheese if you want to be totally health-conscious or let loose a little and ask them to use just a small amount of cheese.

It comes with a side of breakfast potatoes, which probably are too high in calories to combine with the eggs, so just ask for the English muffin with a little jelly. If you manage to eat only half of the omelet and the muffin, you’re doing a great job.

So anyway, for this visit, I got their whole-wheat pancakes at First Watch. All their pancakes are whole wheat, isn’t that great? Be sure you ask them beforehand to leave off the butter, since it comes with a large pat of butter on top.

You can spruce it up a bit by adding blueberries or a small serving of chocolate chips and whipped cream. Those really do not add that many calories and honestly, you may not even finish the whole thing just as what happened to me.

The whole-wheat pancake is a good go-between white flour and a true whole grain pancake because there is an obvious difference in texture and density between whole-wheat flour and whole grain flour.  They also offer sugar-free syrup to go with your pancakes, so you can have a little more liberty in adding some sweetness to your meal.

They have a wide array of breakfast items and for lunch, they have sandwiches, soups and salads. They have a healthier side portion on their breakfast menu, so it’s easier for you to go for the healthier options.

I was really impressed with the additional care they put into handling food allergies. If you tell your server the foods you are allergic to, they will make sure to tell you which foods do not have that allergen. For a large corporate chain restaurant that very unique service, along with the atmosphere, gives the place a family owned business feel.

Warriors claim first state championship in school history

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By Zack Peterson

Laker/Lutz News Correspondent

In only their second season, the Steinbrenner girls soccer team toppled the defending state champions to earn the school’s first state title. The Warriors defeated Merritt Island 2-1 Saturday, Feb. 12 to claim the Class 4A crown.

Marissa Marries’ header gave the Warriors the opening tally in the state final.

“It’s the last game, we had to give everything” said Marissa Marries, a senior who scored the game’s first goal. “It’s just nuts; it’s nuts that we won.”

After a momentous season, the Warriors (21-2-2) worked their way through regionals, and with a 1-0 victory against Naples Barron Collier, advanced into the state final four.

Driven with the goal at the beginning of the year to compete at the state level, the Warriors played “without pressure” as coach Teresa Patterson put it. With this philosophy in mind, the Warriors went on to defeat Harmony with an early goal, solid defense and ultimately, a 1-0 victory in the state semis Feb. 10 at the University of Tampa.

Then, matched against Merritt Island, the Warriors took the lead with another opening goal by Marries’ header in the 16th minute.

“I’m proud of the fact that we came out strong,” Patterson said. “We made a commitment to have strong energy for every game.”

But as the game ensued, the Warriors struggled to hold off the Mustangs fast-paced offense. With 13

Senior Lauren Laughlin assisted on the winning goal for Steinbrenner in the state championship game.

seconds remaining in the first half, Merritt Island’s Kirstie Schults cut across the field and scored on Steinbrenner goalkeeper Stephanie Hirsch to level the score.

Still, Patterson did not panic.

“I don’t get worried,” Patterson explained. “I know that sounds cliché, but as long as they do the small things they’re OK. I’ve seen in every situation, and they’ve always found a way to win.”

In the second half, the Mustangs continued to push, forcing the Warriors defense to pull together and counter the attacks with every ounce of strength they had.

As the situation heightened, the Warriors knew it was time to act.

“We knew if they scored it was over,” said Lauren Laughlin, a senior known for her defense and her exciting front-flip throw-ins. “We had to score a goal.”

However, neither the Mustangs nor the Warriors scored another goal, and the Warriors stood strong on defense, limiting the Mustangs to only five shots on goal.

At the end of regulation, the score stood frozen at 1-1, forcing overtime.

After running out with a new fire, the Warriors worked their way down field, and pushed their way to two corner kicks. Then with less than three minutes remaining in the first overtime, Laughlin perfected her front-flip throw-in, connecting with senior Carly Keene’s head for the winning goal.

“I was just trying to find Carly’s head,” Laughlin said. “I was so excited; we usually don’t score on my throws.”

The victory electrified Steinbrenner’s program, giving the Lutz school some hardware for the trophy case.

“This was destiny,” Patterson said. “They came out with fire and they made it happen. I’m honored to be part of this program with students so committed and faculty so supportive.”

For the three seniors on the team, the experience was magical.

“It feels amazing. It’s unexplainable,” Keene said. “It was everything we wanted and we achieved it. I can’t even put words to it.”

As Hirsch puts it, “It’s great to have our seniors go out scoring our best two goals of the season. We did what we’ve done all year, We held them in and packed them in tight. During that second half we had to stay positive, but it was a team effort, and I’m happy to have such great teammates.”

Steinbrenner girls soccer championship season in review

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By Kyle LoJacono

Cici Gonzalez joins 30/30 club

Steinbrenner junior Cici Gonzalez is a member of a very exclusive club. She is the only Hillsborough County girls soccer player with at least 30 goals and 30 assists this season.

Gonzalez put up a team-high 33 goals and 34 assists this year, but the numbers mean little to the team captain.

“I’m just trying to get our team to win,” Gonzalez said. “I could care less if I have the most goals in the country. I just want us to win, so if someone else has the ability to score, I give it to them, and if I have it, I shoot. It’s just instinct honestly. In my head it just happens and when it works out, I love it.”

Steinbrenner has only been open for two years, but every time Gonzalez scores or passes she breaks her own program record for goals and assists, which sit at 62 and 59 respectively.

“Of course it feels great to score, but if we’re getting it in the back of the net I could care less who does it,” Gonzalez said. “It’s a team effort and it’s always been that way.”

Hirsch’s life between the pipes

Being a goalkeeper is one of the more stressful positions on a soccer team because any one mistake can lead to the game-losing tally.

Steinbrenner’s starting keeper Stephanie Hirsch handled that pressure, allowing only five goals in more than 1,000 minutes. Hirsch said being technically sound in net is important, but her role does not end there.

“I also need to make sure my defense is doing exactly what they need to,” Hirsch said. “I’m so confident in my forwards, but when it comes down to me and it’s my ball, I live for that. When it’s me making the save, that’s what I love.”

Warriors coach Teresa Patterson said her team was fortunate to have two quality goalkeepers.

“Courtney Keene is also great,” Patterson said. “She got sick at the start of the season and Stephanie came in and played just as well.”

Patterson, a Largo High graduate, was a goalkeeper.

“She knows exactly what she’s talking about so I just listen to everything she says,” Hirsch said.

New kids on the block

In 2009, Steinbrenner won a district championship and the first regional tournament game in school history.

That was the first year for the Lutz school. In the second season the Warriors brought home a state championship with some help from new players working with the established squad.

Danielle Eule, Miranda Gonzalez, Megan Haraschak and Lindsay Steffes are freshman and goalkeeper Stephanie Hirsch, a sophomore, transferred in from Alonso High. Eule, Gonzalez and Hirsch all started in the state finals win.

“I knew if I wanted to be a starter I needed to work very hard,” Eule said. “When I learned I was good enough to start on a team as good as this, it gave me confidence.”

Eule had 11 goals and 12 assists this season. Gonzalez added two scores and four assists and Haraschak notched two tallies. Hirsch became the starting goalkeeper near the start of the season. She allowed only five goals in more than 1,000 minutes and made 65 saves.

Next year those freshmen will be seasoned veterans, but with the addition of state titles on their resumes.

“I can’t even wrap my mind around the fact that we’ve won the first state championship for Steinbrenner,” Hirsch said.

Coaching a pack of Warriors

Coaches of new programs usually are resigned to the fact that their team will take a few years to become competitive, but Steinbrenner High coach Teresa Patterson had other plans.

She started the program when the school opened in 2009. Less than two years later her Warriors are the reigning state champions.

“I knew they were coming from good club teams,” Patterson said. “I knew the talent-level was very high. I thought if I could manage them and get them to gel, set a culture of success and get them to pay attention to detail, we would be able to win a state title.

“That really was our goal to win within the first two years,” Patterson continued. “It has to be your goal and we have such a talented group of student-athletes.”

Patterson graduated from Largo High and played at Mercer University. She was an assistant on the first team at the University for Alabama at Birmingham and was the first girls soccer coach at Marshall University. She then moved to the high school level, leading the Gaither High program in 2008 before coming over to Steinbrenner.

“It’s been my profession to be a coach after college,” Patterson said. “I like the fact that I can help student-athletes meet and exceed their goals and to collectively work together to accomplish such things.

“I just feel that on the athletic side I can do that over the course of their academic career, where as a teacher you get the opportunity to do it for a semester or a year,” Patterson continued. “It makes it incredibly rewarding to see the personal growth and the collective growth of a group.”

Injury and title to fuel Opila

One week before the Steinbrenner girls soccer team started practice, Marley Opila’s season ended.

The sophomore turned sharply with the ball, felt a sharp pain and a pop in her left knee and fell to the ground. Opila tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). She was one of the top offensive players for the Warriors last season, scoring 16 goals and recorded 17 assists.

She was one of three Warriors who suffered torn ACLs this season, including junior Lexy Bubley and freshman Rebecca Tabor. The three formed a kind of club to support each other.

“We all do everything together,” Opila said. “We all talk to each other about what we’re going through. We help each other out.”

Opila said the physical training has been hard, but the mental side of dealing with the injury has been worse.

“Thinking why did it happen and how do I make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Opila said.

Patterson said Bubley has been a big reason for the program’s success. She added that Tabor is a talented young player who should add a lot to the team in the coming years.

“I’m very excited about our prospects moving forward,” Patterson said. “We get Marley Opila back from a knee injury. She’s a great central player who will fill in for Marissa Maries (a senior).We’ll get Lexy Bubley and Rebecca Tabor, plus we have a good group of freshman coming in. I think we can be competitive again.”

Opila is hoping for just that because while she has a state championship, she is hoping to be on the field next year when the final whistle blows.

“It gives me so much drive to help get them back and feel like a state champion,” Opila said. “I want to actually help the team win the title. I’ve been trying to learn as much as I can for next season. I’m learning from everyone else to help the team get better and win another state championship next year.”

-All stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches.

Sunlake upsets Pasco in regional semifinals

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Seahawks come up just short of the final four

By Kyle LoJacono

Pasco High is an established boys soccer power in Pasco County, but upstart Sunlake High marched into Dade City and upset the Pirates 2-1 in the Class 4A regional semifinals Feb. 8.

Pasco (21-3) was coming off a game where they shutout high-scoring Land O’ Lakes High, but could not hold down the Seahawks (20-9-1).

“It’s our biggest win in our school’s history in soccer and now we’re in the final eight,” said Sunlake coach Sam Koleduk. “So, it is very exciting for our team. And, coming and beating a team that’s just beat Land O’ Lakes now is extremely exciting.”

In the fourth minute, Colin Armstrong headed in a pass from sophomore Conner Gilboy past Pirates sophomore goalkeeper Angel Garcia.

Pasco answered in the 36th minute when senior Jose Flores set up sophomore Carlos Riojas for a one-time shot past Sunlake senior goalkeeper David Danahy.

The Seahawks took the lead for good when senior Jordan Landry scored his 51st goal of the season and the 117th of his high school career. The winning tally came off a free kick by junior Calvin Restrepo in the 53rd minute.

“They definitely caught us asleep on the second goal, that was a sure thing,” said Pasco coach Barry Grayling. “The first goal, we just weren’t marking up. We paid the price.”

Sunlake then moved into a defensive alignment to preserve the one-goal lead. Koleduk said he was nervous that the Pirates would be able to breakthrough, but they could not get past the Seahawks defense.

Sunlake then played at Celebration High in the regional finals, but the Seahawks came up one game shy of the final four losing 1-0 in penalty kicks. Sunlake was the only remaining Pasco County school in the boys soccer postseason.

The final was scoreless through regulation and the two overtimes. It went to penalty kicks, where Celebration ended up on top 4-3 to win 1-0. Ryan Norberg, Gilboy and Landry converted their kicks, but it was not enough for Sunlake.

Sunlake was playing in the program’s first ever regional tournament after finishing as the district runner-up to Land O’ Lakes. The squad also won 20 games for the first time in its four-year history.

-Staff Writer Tammy Sue Struble contributed to this story. All stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches.

Land O’ Lakes downs Mitchell by 37

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Shanel Sweet had 15 points in the Gators regional quarterfinals win. She is seen with first-year coach Laurie Fitzpatrick.

By Kyle LoJacono

After winning their last two games by a combined 11 points, the Land O’ Lakes High girls basketball team defeated Mitchell High 54-17 Feb. 10 in the Class 4A regional quarterfinals.

The 37-point victory illustrates how far the Gators (23-2) have come from the team that went 4-12 last year.

Since then, Laurie Fitzpatrick became the coach, and starters Shanel Sweet and Simone Brown transferred in from Gaither and Wesley Chapel high schools respectively. The squad won a district championship the week before and then regional quarterfinals at home.

“It’s overwhelming,” Sweet said. “I’ve never gotten this far, so to get this far with this team in my first year being here, it’s overwhelming. I can’t be any prouder of my team.”

Land O’ Lakes had to adjust to each other and work through several injuries to starters to begin the season.

“It was hard at first to build chemistry, but once we got going we came together as one and now we play so well with each other,” said Nicole Woodard, who has been on the Gators squad for four years.

In the quarterfinals, the Gators held the Mustangs (15-13) to just five first-half points and forced a running clock in the fourth after gaining a 35-point margin.

“I didn’t expect that,” Fitzpatrick said of having a running clock in the fourth. “I thought it would be a lot closer.”

Fitzpatrick said her team was not pushed much during the regular season, winning by an average of 22.8 points per contest.

“It’s taken us up to now just to be conditioned because we haven’t played a lot of really good teams until districts,” Fitzpatrick said. “We were a little shocked at districts and we tend to play to the other team’s ability, so tonight I told them to come out and play hard.”

On offense, the Gators had three score in double digits, including Sweet’s team-high 15. Brown put up 14 and senior Julia Della Penna added 10.

“From the start of the game we knew we had to come out fighting hard,” said Sweet, a point guard. “We did. We clicked as a team. Our offense was on point tonight.”

The Gators defense forced 30 turnovers and allowed Mitchell to score on only 13 percent of its possessions. Woodard pulled down a team-high 13 rebounds while adding seven steals and six blocks.

“I was so nervous before this game and I’m going to be so nervous next week,” Woodard said. “I want to go as far as I can my senior year and go out on top.”

It was not all smiles in the game for Land O’ Lakes. Sweet re-injured a sprained thumb shooting just after the start of the second quarter. She went to the locker room to get it taped, but came back to score 10 of her 15 points after the injury.

The Gators will now host Gulf High at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 15. The two teams did not play this season, but Fitzpatrick said she knew they would have to go through the Buccaneers at some point.

“We’ve been waiting to play Gulf,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’m looking forward to Gulf because I want to beat them so bad.”

Wildcats advance to semis

The Academy at the Lakes girls basketball team’s remarkable turnaround season continues after the squad defeated Sarasota Christian 40-34 in the 1A regional quarterfinals Feb. 10.

The Wildcats (15-4) went 0-15 last year, but Karim Nohra was hired as their coach, and his press defense has them two games from the state tournament. Andrea Mauger had a team-high 15 points, while eighth-grader Marjorie Rivera added eight.

The academy will next at Naples First Baptist Academy at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 15.

Bulls bring home first district title

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By Kyle LoJacono

Last year, the Wiregrass Ranch boys basketball team suffered a season ending loss 57-52 to Nature Coach in the district semifinals.

Michael Chase

The Bulls (21-7) avenged that disappointment in the Class 4A-District 8 finals Feb. 12 by defeating the Sharks 59-52 to win the first district crown in program history.

“It’s really a great feeling to be able to come back and beat them my senior year,” said Wiregrass Ranch guard James Tringali. “We started out four years ago with only a couple wins and have gotten better each year.”

Four years ago the Bulls went 7-19, followed by a 9-17 campaign in the 2008-09 season and a 21-6 record last year.

The Bulls had to fight back from a 26-21 halftime deficit to claim the district crown. Nature Coast was leading 52-51 in the last two minutes when Wiregrass Ranch went on an 8-0 run to end the game. It is the first time the Bulls have defeated Nature Coast in program history.

Senior Michael Chase led the way for Wiregrass Ranch, pouring in 20 points, while pulling down a team-high nine rebounds and adding two blocks.

Senior Antwan Prince put up 17 points in the finals. Tringali had a team leading six assists while also posting 12 points, seven rebounds and three steals.

The Bulls will play in the first regional tournament game in program history on Thursday, Feb. 17 against Wesley Chapel High, which finished as the runner-up in the 4A-7 district tournament.

“That will be a fun game,” Tringali said. “They’re in another district, but they’re the closest school to us. We played them earlier this year and it’s always intense. It’ll be like a battle for Wesley Chapel.”

-All stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches.

World leaders could learn a thing or two from this cultural exchange

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By B.C. Manion

The children in Danielle Bockus’ second-grade class at Double Branch Elementary arrived at school 45 minutes early one recent day to accommodate a live video chat with a classroom they’ve befriended in England.

The children in Jacqui Johnson’s class at Eureka Primary during the live video chat.

By coming in before the opening bell, the Wesley Chapel kids could link up electronically with the children in teacher Jacqui Johnson’s class at Eureka Primary in Derbyshire before those youngsters had to go home at the end of the school day.

Finding out about the five-hour time difference between the two schools is just one example of what the youngsters are learning as they connect in a program that uses technology to give a new twist to cultural exchanges.

In previous generations, when kids were learning about their counterparts in different parts of the world they would send bulky envelopes stuffed with letters, photographs and news articles.

In this program, the children from both schools are learning about each other through blogs, digital photos, videos and live chats.

They each will be working on videos that highlight a day in the life at their schools. They’re also using Google Earth to get to know a bit about each other’s geography.

Each of the children also will help to write an adventure story about this shared high-tech connection.

The kids already have written blog posts to compare their school lunches, chat about their school days and recount what they like about their schools.

In one blog post, Abbie L. Batchelor, at the Eureka Primary writes “at the start of the day (9 a.m.) we come to school and we have our register whilst we are writing some lovely letters.

“After that we like to perform our learning (I like art the best).

After their luscious lunch, she continues, “We play on our wicked playground” before finishing the day with 2 ¼ hours of learning.

Madison MacDiarmid, at Double Branch, notes in her blog post that the school has a big and a little playground.

“I love doing the monkey bars,” she writes. Her favorite part of the playground is where her friends can

Danielle Bockus’ second-grade class at Double Branch Elementary in Wesley Chapel.

spin her.

“Oh! I forgot something, I love playing in the spider web. You can climb in it.

“This is the best school,” the second-grader concludes.

During the live chat, both groups of children were shown on a white screen at the front of Bockus’ classroom.

Her students were wearing clothes in all sorts of styles. The English youngsters were all wearing red sweaters.

The kids were curious about each other.

“Are hot dogs a popular food?” asked Double Branch second-grader Scott Atkins.

“Yes!” the English class shouted in response.

How do you stay active? a student at Eureka asked.

The kids in Bockus’ class said they play baseball, softball, soccer and football, or to ride on a skateboard.

Johnson said her class wanted to know if any children in Bockus’ class had visited the Harry Potter attraction at the Universal Orlando resort, and she noted: “We’re very jealous.”

“The Harry Potter Village looks just like the movies,” Bockus said.

There were some technical glitches during the chat. The sound wasn’t loud enough sometimes and it cut out entirely at others. The images were often blurry, too.

But none of that seemed to matter to the kids or their teachers.

A number of guests dropped by Johnson’s class to check out the chat. “The whole school is so excited,” the teacher said.

At one point, they talked about their schools.

A Eureka Primary student told the kids at Double Branch about Eureka’s Golden Assembly that happens every Friday. One golden child is chosen from each classroom for achieving an accomplishment. That child gets to wear a special red cap.

Eureka Primary also has a vegetable garden and some badgers, Johnson reported.

Bockus shared some news about her school’s campus: “About once a year, we’ll get our alligator that will come and try to take a nap on our lawn. We have lots of snakes.”

The project seeks to help youngsters develop a global awareness and to gain a deeper appreciation for cultural differences, Bockus said.

It also is helping her students become better writers and communicators, Bockus said.

Another bonus: they’re improving their typing and computer skills, she said.

The collaboration is being achieved through Epals.com.

Bockus registered with the website in August, seeking a partner classroom for a project called “The Way We Are.”

Bockus said she learned about the electronic learning platform from Scott Atkins, assistant principal at Double Branch, who suggested she give it a try.

He’s pleased that she did.

Getting acquainted with other cultures is key, said Atkins, whose son is in Bockus’ class.

“These kids are going to be competing globally,” he said.