Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Sarah Whitman

A Lutz home is about to be famous.
Ralph and Peggy Watts 4,000 square foot home at 1308 Anglers Lane was selected to appear on Sell This House, A&E’s home makeover show with a twist. The show’s hosts, Tanya Memme and Roger Hazard, visit homes throughout the country and do makeovers designed to help the homes sell.

The Lutz home, a four bedroom three bath on 1.3 acres behind the Publix at Dale Mabry and Lutz Lake Fern, will appear on a June 26 episode. The asking price is $499, 500.
The Watts can’t wait for the show to air.
“It’s a dream come true,” Peggy Watts said. “They had great ideas and made big changes. We’d watched the show before and it’s exciting to be on it.”
The Sell This House crew came to Lutz in mid-May and spent two days working their magic. The Watts are both art teachers, so the home was a creative hodge-podge with different wallpaper at every turn, mismatched antiques and even a Vegas-style slot machine. The couple gave the show free reign to make changes.
Led by Hazard, the designers stripped wallpaper, repainted, redecorated and even created a home theater. They emphasized the homes spacious rooms and hardwood floors, getting rid of unnecessary furniture and other items like faux flower arrangements. They went for a clean and modern look.
Thousands of people submit their homes to appear on Sell This House. To qualify, a home must currently be on the market and the owners must be living in the home with furnishings. Applicants send in photos with a story about the house.
Keller Williams realtor Elizabeth Flach said producers selected the Lutz home based on its potential. She said the house’s best qualities were hidden and the show’s designers knew how to make those features pop.

“They removed the clutter from the house,” Flach said. “They put chair railing and added other new accessories.”
The Watts purchased the home, which was built in 1982, 12 years ago. They remodeled the inside and built a life there, spending many weekends relaxing on the lake. They put the house up for sale because they plan to retire from teaching soon. Their one daughter is grown and living on her own now. So, they are looking for a smaller place in the Tampa Bay area to spend their golden years.
“We just don’t need this much space anymore,” Peggy said.
Watts didn’t mind a television crew invading her home, especially since they brought along professional decorators. She was excited to see the finished product. She said the change that surprised her most was the home theater.
“I am used to white ceilings and they painted the ceiling dark,” she said. “It is different but I like it.”
Watts hopes the show prompts interest from homebuyers looking for a place to stay for many years to come.
“The house would be great for a family,” she said. There is a lot of room. There is space to entertain and have family gatherings. It is warm and inviting. It’s been a great home.”
Tune in to A&E for the show June 26 or stop by the house in person June 12 for an open house.

By Suzanne Schmidt

When the Wiregrass Ranch High School Odyssey of the Mind team learned they had placed fourth in the world, they didn’t believe it.
Team members junior Anthony Jason (A. J.) Nardi, 17, sophomore Nathan Teindall, 16, sophomore Lindsey Cucore, 15, junior Joshua Harding, 17, sophomore Jesse Hu, 16, sophomore Lauren Brown, 16 and junior Rachel Jarding, 17 all said they were shocked to learn they placed fourth out of 46 teams in their division.

The team solved the column structure problem in division III where they had to design a structure made up of columns to support weight. They earned points based on the amount of weight their structure held, a skit they had to perform and a spontaneous problem.
Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students kindergarten through college. Students compete on teams where they apply their skills and creativity to solve problems from building mechanical devices to putting on plays. The Wiregrass team had to compete at the regional level then the state level to get in the world competition at Michigan State University.
“We used electromagnetic clamps to hold the structure,” Nardi said. “We had to build five individual columns and we had to build a device that would put the columns on the board without using our hands.”
The team’s eight-minute skit revolved around a parody of fairy tale characters and their issues.
“The skit had to include a lot of elements like we had to use recyclable materials and we were graded on the artistic value of our sign,” Brown said. “We did a parody of fairy tale characters for our skit. I was the Narcoleptic Beauty and Lindsey was the Girl Who Cried Time.”
Hu added that the skit was all about the fairy tale characters solving their own problems.
“They were having a group therapy session with Humpty Dumpty where they were trying to solve their problems,” Hu said. “At the end there was a huge plot twist where Humpty Dumpty is evil and they decided to solve their own problems.”
The team also earned points for their work solving a spontaneous problem. They said according to their point totals, the spontaneous problem is what helped them place fourth because the column they designed did not hold as much weight as some of the other teams did. They placed ninth based just on how much weight their structure held and they placed third based on just the spontaneous problem.
Harding said his favorite part about the competition was meeting people.

“It was nice to meet other teams from different parts of the world,” Harding said. “Competing was exhilarating. You are so nervous because you don’t know what is going to happen. Anything could go wrong. It was the most surprising thing ever. I didn’t think we even placed in the top six.”
Hu said meeting all the different people from different cultures taught him something. Teams come from as far as Singapore, Poland and South Korea and from all over the United States like California and New York.
“It was cool meeting the people,” Hu said. “We are all from different places but we are all the same kind of people.”
The team was the most important part of the experience for Brown.
“This was my first year going to world with this team,” Brown said. “It was an experience I will never forget. It is fun because you have to solve problems on the spot.”
One of the biggest things about going to the competition for Nardi is the pin trading.
“Every state makes their own set of pins,” Nardi said. “The Florida pins were about theme parks and surfers this year. You get your pins and you can walk around and talk to people and trade pins with them. I have pins that I will remember forever how I got them.”
Cucore said she would not want to do Odyssey of the Mind if she was not with her current teammates.
“I liked how much our team has come together,” Cucore said. “Most of us on the team have been doing this together for years.”
Teindall said he learned a valuable lesson.
“I learned that teamwork is important,” Teindall said. “I hope I can apply this to other areas of my life. It was a good experience.”
The team was able to raise a portion of the money with fundraisers like Beef ‘O’ Brady’s nights, and a Sam’s Club cookout as well selling candy. The rest of the money the teens had to raise themselves from their parents.
Jardine said she always has fun at the competitions.
“I think everyone should try it at least once,” Jardine said. “It is a great experience and there is nothing else like it. It is a great way to express your talents. It teaches a lot of life skills and you are surrounded by a lot of great people. I have been doing it since the fifth-grade because I love it.”
For more information, visit www.odysseyofthemind.com.

Pasco County’s Odyssey teams at World:
–Wesley Chapel Elementary School ranked 13 in Food Court Division I
–Double Branch Elementary School ranked 27 in Column Structure Division I
–Weightman Middle School ranked 10 in Food Courte Division II
–Mittye P. Locke Elementary School ranked 14 in Discovered Treasures Division I
–J. W. Mitchell High School ranked 16 in Return to the Gift of Flight Division III

By Sarah Whitman

Two Land O’ Lakes moms are helping their daughters’ beauty pageant dreams come true by offering people in the community a unique opportunity. Suzanne Douglas and Jennifer Fitzsimmons are hosting a Glamour Girls photo shoot June 13 to help raise funds for their daughters, Aubrey Teston and Katie Fitzsimmons, to compete in Miss Florida USA and the National American Miss pageant this summer.

Professional photographer Ragan Jenkins is offering her services for a $25 sitting fee that includes hair and make-up stylists. Participants can take home a photo CD for just $30 more, which is a major steal compared to the hundreds of dollars that can be spent on quality photos.
“My typical rate is $100 an hour with a 2 hour minimum for the shoot, so this is quite a bit less,” Jenkins said.
All proceeds will go directly to the pageant hopefuls for expenses including competition fees, travel and costumes.
“With the economy the way it is, pageant participants are not able to get financial support from large companies like they used to,” Jennifer Fitzsimmons said. “Those corporate sponsorships just aren’t available. So, we have to think of new and creative ways to get support.”
Jennifer’s daughter, Katie, is a sophomore at Land O’ Lakes High School. She began competing in National American Miss three years ago. She previously took third place and hopes to take the title this July in Orlando, leading the way to her dreams of one day competing in the Miss America pageant.
“It is such a fun experience and I always meet a lot of great people,” Katie said. “Pageants have bad stereotypes associated with them but you can learn so much from them. The more I’m involved with pageants the better I get at speaking in front of people. Pageants have taught me confidence and life skills.”
Katie is in the drama club at school and dreams of one day becoming a professional actress. Her mom supports all her dreams but was nervous about her entering the pageant world.
“I was skeptical but National American Miss is really a good program,” Jennifer Fitzsimmons said. “The program teaches the girls poise and how to conduct themselves. They don’t even allow make-up for girls under 14. They are more focused on scholastics and community involvement.”

Suzanne Douglas said pageants transformed her daughter Aubrey from a shy teen to an outgoing young lady. Aubrey, 22, is the current Miss Charlotte County Florida, which is why she is able to compete in Miss Florida USA in July. Though she is from Land O’ Lakes, the pageant system does not require you to be from the county where you receive your title.
Douglas said she thinks her daughter has a good chance at the Miss Florida USA title.
“Aubrey was the quiet one,” Douglas said. “She came to us and said she wanted to try pageants. The difference in Aubrey then and now is amazing. She gained so much confidence and I am so proud of her. She is amazing.”
Aubrey is a technician in the O.R. at Tampa General Hospital. She is a graduate of Concorde Career Institute and a Land O’ Lakes high alum. She credits much of her success to pageants and can’t wait to compete for Miss Florida USA July 9 and 10 in Davie, Florida.
Aubrey, Katie and their moms hope the Glamour Girl shoot will get more girls interested in the good things pageants have to offer.
“It should be a lot of fun and something different for girls to do,” Katie said.
Appointments are still available with Jenkins.
“It’s fun and it’s a great experience for young ladies interested in modeling or pageants who haven’t had a professional photo shoot,” Douglas said. “We hope people come out and support our girls.”
The photo shoot is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 13 at 4111 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. For information, call (813) 205-8213. To view Ragan Jenkins portfolio, visit www.raganjpix.com.

By Suzanne Schmidt

With summer here, Oakstead Elementary School is helping to teach their kids how to stay safe from the damaging rays.
Over the next year, a team made up of the school’s physical education coaches, a guidance counselor, the school nurse and assistant principal Megan Hermansen will work together to incorporate more sun safety education into the curriculum.
At the end of the 2010-11 school year, Hermansen said she will be applying for the 2010 American Academy of Dermatology Shade Structure Program. She said there are a few things she needs to do over the next year to apply for the program like getting a dermatologist to sponsor the school.

“We have to get all these things in place for a year before we can apply for the grant,” Hermansen said. “Our goal is for our kids to understand and have the knowledge of what could happen to their skin. We are teaching them to wear sunscreen, stay properly hydrated and to wear a hat. Not just a baseball cap either, a floppy hat that keeps them well covered.”

Currently the school does have a permanent structure over their P.E. court, but the school needs more covered space to accommodate its more than 1,000 students.
“The way the (grant) program works, is for the structure to benefit all the kids,” Hermansen said. “Our covered court can’t fit everyone. We know it will be expensive, but right now we are still in the planning stages and don’t know how much it will end up costing.”
The curriculum will teach students about sunspots, sun damage and cancer but in a not-so-scary way.
“The curriculum will be focused on health and wellness,” Hermansen said. “Depending on their developmental level, we will teach them about what happens to their skin as they go out into the sun. We need to let them know because now is the time.”
Lois Rendina is the supervisor and coordinator for the Melanoma and Cutaneous Oncology division at the H. Lee Moffit Cancer Center in Tampa. As part of the new curriculum, Rendina visited with the students at the school and taught them about sun safety.
“It is important to teach them about sun safety because the most damage is done when they are children,” Rendina said. “Every time a child gets a bad sunburn, it is a risk factor. Just tanning the skin is damaging it. A lot of the damage that causes skin cancer later in life happens when we are children. ”
Rendina said she thinks it is important to teach children proper sun safety especially now due to the new legislation that requires children to be outside playing for 150 minutes a week while in school.
“It is something I think we do need because there is a childhood obesity problem,” Rendina said. “Now that they are out marching around in the sun for 30 minutes a day, they need to be taught how to protect themselves.”
Rendina said there are a few things people of any age can do to protect their skin like to remember to slip, slop, slap and slide. Slip on a shirt, slop on some sunscreen, slap on a hat and slide on some sunglasses. She said sun damage can happen at any age so everyone should protect his or her skin.
“It is highly important to put sunscreen on at least 30 minutes before going out in the sun and to put it on dry skin,” Rendina said. “The most important thing to remember is to get sun block that is 30 SPF (Sun Protection Factor) or higher and that it is a broad spectrum meaning it blocks UVA and UVB rays.”
Some other tips Rendina suggests are to avoid the sun completely if you can between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the sun is the strongest. Even if it is cloudy, 75 percent of UV rays still come through the clouds.
Sunglasses are also important because they help to prevent ocular melanoma and glaucoma. She said the state of Florida has the second highest rates of melanoma in the country.
Rendina manages the mole patrol for Moffitt. She and her team will go out into the community to places like the beach or a Rays game and check people’s moles for skin cancer and melanoma.
“Skin cancer is highly curable if it is caught early so that is why it is highly important to examine yourself,” Rendina said. “It is important to keep watching your moles. I check to make sure that the mole is symmetrical, the edges are smooth and if it is all one color. If it is larger than an eraser on a pencil or if there are any changes, that means it is time to see a dermatologist.”
For more information about Moffitt, visit www.moffitt.org.
For more information or to help Oakstead find a dermatologist, call the school at (813) 346-1500 or visit otters.pasco.k12.fl.us/oes_web/Home.html.

Sun safety tips:
–Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat and slide on sunglasses
–Sunscreen needs to protect against UVA and UVB rays
–Sunscreen needs to be 30 SPF or higher
–Avoid sun completely if possible from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
–Even if it is cloudy, 75 percent of UV rays come through

By Suzanne Schmidt

Ever since she was a little girl, Kristin Stillwell knew what she wanted to do with her life.
At first it was a weather girl, then a few years later an astronaut. Then she decided she would rather be on the ground giving support to the astronauts as an astrophysicist.

“When I was younger I used to watch the weather with my mom and I would pretend to be a weather person,” Stillwell said. “Once I got into the higher level classes I learned I like space. I decided I wanted to be an astronaut but then I decided it was too dangerous. Once I took physics, I found that I loved it and it came naturally to me. I found an actual degree where I can combine my love of physics with my love of space.”
The Land O’ Lakes resident, who graduated recently from Sunlake cum laude, will be going to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the fall. She plans to major in astrophysics and minor in astronomy and math. She said she plans to continue in college until she has a Ph. D. in astrophysics and astronomy.
“On Christmas eve I opened my acceptance letter,” Stillwell said. “My mom kept it from me until then. It was propped up under the tree. I open it and I started crying. That was the school I wanted to go to. It is the school of my dreams.”
She hopes to one day further advance the space program by being a researcher for NASA. She said she loves space and she can remember the first things she learned about space when she was in the sixth-grade.
“There is so much we don’t know about it,” Stillwell said. “I remember the first thing I learned about space was the phases of the moon and the solar and lunar eclipses. I couldn’t wait to learn about the inner planets. I remember being really excited about learning about Mars.”
Through her years at Sunlake High School, Stillwell has been preparing for her future by taking honors and advanced placement classes. During her junior and senior year she has been in dual enrollment with Pasco-Hernando Community College. She will be starting her freshman year with 18 college credits already finished.
“I have known I wanted to do this since I was a little girl,” Stillwell said. “I knew that I couldn’t be that person if I didn’t work hard.”
Cathy Stillwell said her daughter has always stayed focused on her goals.
“I am very excited about the road ahead of her,” Cathy Stillwell said. “We didn’t push her. She has always been driven, ever since she was a kid.”
The tuition at Embry-Riddle is $40,000 a year. She has earned scholarships, but she still needs $15,000 for her first year.
“We are open for any help we can get,” Cathy Stillwell said. “We are still working on trying to get more money but whatever we don’t come up with she will have to get student loans to cover.”
For more information, e-mail Cathy Stillwell at .