Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Mike Mira devoted to Zephyrhills community

By Kyle LoJacono

Staff Writer

There does not seem to be enough time for Mike Mira to manage his restaurant, Maine-ly New England, while organizing all the charitable projects he takes on.

The 43-year-old Mira works six to seven days a week managing his restaurant, located at 5039 First Street, while at the same time serving as the president of the Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce and The Rotary Club of Zephyrhills and as a board member for Meals on Wheels East Pasco.

“Mike is a wonderful person,” said Dennis Moses, Rotary vice president and Mira’s friend for five years. “He goes the extra mile to help whoever needs it like with our Haiti relief project. He spearheaded that effort and organized a boot drive that ended up raising more than $7,000 in a couple days. He puts a lot of energy into giving back.”

Even those who have not known Mira for long have seen his desire to help the less fortunate.

“I knew he was the president of the chamber, but within the first week I found that isn’t even half of what he does away from his restaurant,” said Vonnie Mikkelsen, chamber executive director since last December. “I don’t know how he has the time or the energy to do half the work he does while still having such a great restaurant. It’s always packed with people because the food is great at prices you can’t beat.”

One of Mira’s recent acts of kindness came last Thanksgiving. He learned of a Zephyrhills High student who was in tough financial shape. To help make the holiday, Mira bought the family a complete Thanksgiving dinner.

“I think being successful in life isn’t about how much money you make,” Mira said. “It’s about giving back to the community. If you have the financial means to give back that is important too, but everyone should get out and give back with their time.”

He not only takes nearly every opportunity to give back, but also tries to teach others the importance of community service. Mira has been the Zephyrhills High girls soccer coach for two years and stresses to the players how vital community service is.

The team adopted three needy families last December, providing food, presents, clothes and other supplies.

“It’s probably the best thing we’ve done as a team,” said Zephyrhills High senior midfielder and forward Chelsea Smith. “It’s definitely the best thing I’ve done all year. It’s better than winning any game. Even beating Pasco (High) wasn’t as special as helping those families have a Christmas.”

Mira also donates to the American Cancer Society, the Samaritan’s Project and Zephyrhills High.

“The world would be a better place with more people like coach Mira,” said Zephyrhills High principal Steven Van Gorden. “He is constantly giving and trying to improve the community of Zephyrhills. As principal I am very confident in both his coaching ability and the character he demonstrates with the students.”

Mira, who has lived in Zephyrhills for 24 years, bought Maine-ly New England 11 years ago. He previously owned a Spanish and Cuban restaurant called Café Madrid in the city.

“I’m the fourth generation of my family born in Florida,” Mira said. “My great-grandmother (Matilda Mira) was born here in 1882. Her parents came from Spain and I grew up around Spanish food…I think Café Madrid was just before its time, so I bought Maine-ly New England and it’s one of best decisions I’ve made after asking my wife to marry me and moving to Zephyrhills.”

Mira has been married to Jackie for nearly 25 years. The couple has two children, Christopher, 24, and Brandi, 19. The family moved to Zephyrhills because Jackie’s mother, Judy Clowers, lives in the city.

Mira’s desire to give back to the community comes from his childhood.

“My parents divorced when I was 3 and I watched my mother struggle at many jobs to feed and raise me and my brother and sister,” Mira said. “I had to struggle once I started working, but once I started to make a little money I knew I had to give back as much as I could. People helped us survive growing up so I want to do the same thing.”

Now through his restaurant and the support of the Zephyrhills community the once needy child makes a difference as an adult.

“The key to our success has been understanding our clientele,” Mira said. “We’ve kept our prices down as much as possible so people can go out to eat here many times a week. We aren’t trying to get rich on each dinner we sell. We just make sure it’s quality food at a fair price. Other restaurants might be more expensive, but that doesn’t mean the food is better.”

He may have been born in Tampa, but Zephyrhills is now Mira’s home.

“I wouldn’t live anywhere else now,” Mira said. “This is my hometown. The community is the best around.”

By Suzanne Schmidt

Staff Writer

From modest beginnings as a part-time cashier 16 years ago, Dawne Carn has become a district manager for Publix.

She spent the last three years as the store manager of Publix at 2121 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes. The store is one of the company’s busier stores. Carn, of Hudson, is now the district manager for 11 stores in Pinellas and Pasco. The closest store she oversees is the Publix at 18901 SR 54 in Lutz at The Shoppes at Sunlake Centre.

“I didn’t start off with Publix thinking I would stay,” Carn said. “Then I saw the company and the people who work for Publix are absolutely phenomenal. I love to be an advocate for Publix.”

Carn said she is thrilled about her new promotion.

“The smile has not left my face,” Carn said. “It is a great feeling to know I have the ability to impact so many people.”

Even though Carn is happy with her new position, she said she misses her old store.

“I will miss the community and how it helped me to grow,” Carn said. “I enjoyed meeting the people there in the community. I will not be working too far from the store, so I plan to come and visit.”

Doing things for the community was an important part of the job to Carn. She said she will use her experiences with the Land O’ Lakes community in her new position.

“We worked with the chamber and we tried to stay involved with the community,” Carn said. “It is important to Publix as well as the people who work for Publix. Keeping the connection with the community alive is essential. I have seen a lot of unique ways to do it. I am going to do the best job possible and take good care of my customers and associates.”

Addison Avila is the new store manager at Publix on Collier Parkway. He was the store manager of the Temple Terrace store for nine years. Before that he was a store manager of a Publix on Bayshore Blvd. in Tampa.

“I like being here in Land O’ Lakes because it is a really warm community,” Avila said. “I enjoy that it is very family oriented.”

Avila was interested in the job at Land O’ Lakes from the moment he heard about it.

“I am familiar with Land O’ Lakes and I have frequented this store,” the New Tampa resident said. “I love the atmosphere and the facility. I am very impressed with the employees here.”

Since Carn did such a phenomenal job, Avila said he is not making any big changes.

By Suzanne Schmidt

Staff Writer

Students at Sunlake High School were able to speak with author Patrick Carman last week without him leaving his office in Washington.

Students who read his book, “Skeleton Creek,” had the chance to ask what inspires him, why he wrote the book and what his favorite colors are. They used Skype, a program that allows people to communicate through the computer using video and audio. Students could see the author in his office and he was able to look at them in the classroom.

Carman’s books “Skeleton Creek” and “Ghost in the Machine” are different than the usual because of his use of technology.

Melodie Oleson, media specialist at the school, said she likes how the author combines reading with technology in his story line.

“The author taps into today’s reader,” Oleson said. “He has books that are not simply plain text. As you read the text, you have to go to his Web site. One of the main characters is a videographer who keeps a video journal. So when it gets to that point in the book, the kids can go to the Web site and see the video and it carries the story forward.”

Jackie Johnson, reading teacher at the high school, said she set up the Skype interview because she wanted the students to meet an author.

“I wanted them to get to see inside his head and see how he thinks,” Johnson said. “They also wanted to know more personal things about him. They wanted to make a connection with a real live author.”

The class recently finished “Skeleton Creek” and will soon be reading its sequel “Ghost in the Machine.”

“His approach to writing is innovative,” Johnson said. “I have reluctant readers and they just can’t get enough of his book. They want to keep reading to get to the next video message.”

Students learned why Carman writes books in the first place.

“When I was a kid, I didn’t like to read,” Carman said. “I loved comic books, movies and TV. I was a pretty distracted kid and I didn’t even have all the stuff kids have now.”

Carman decided to use technology throughout his books and cliffhangers at the end to keep kids interested.

By Suzanne Schmidt

Staff Writer

In most schools, if a teacher sees a student using a cell phone, it is taken away.

At Wiregrass Ranch High School, students are using their iPhones and iPod touches in class to take notes, complete classroom assignments and teachers are using them as well.

Samuel Parisi is the instructional technology specialist at Wiregrass. Since the beginning of the school year, he has been working on this program. It is his job to coordinate technology into the curriculum at the school.

“We have always been a tech-savvy school,” Parisi said. “It is our focus to use technology to enhance our students’ achievements. When you look at college campuses, some still use notebooks but many use laptops. I was wondering why there is such a difference between high school and college. It is just logical to use the hand-held devices because many of the kids have them already.”

The school was already registering students’ laptops and letting them in class, so the next logical step was the iPhones and iPods. More than 38 percent of the students in the school own an iPhone or iPod and many others own some form of smart phone.

“There are so many educational applications out there for it,” Parisi said. “They have them for everything like math, science, English and history. We want this to be valid for teachers as well as the students.”

Almost 100 teachers are blogging and putting information for their classes on the school’s Web site.

“Students can go to the blogs to listen to the lectures from class, download worksheets and find out what happened in class,” Parisi said. “The blogs have been around since the school opened. It made it easy for us to turn around and use the hand-held devices. We are taking a lot of stuff that was already in place and trying to put it down into the palm of your hand.”

The school is also using the hand-held devices for keeping track of locker assignments, walk-through’s and tardy records.

“The great thing about mobile technology is you are able to have information on anything and anyplace anywhere,” Parisi said. “I can do an observation on a teacher’s class and just input all the information into the device.”

Sophomore Angelica Mendoza, 16, said she likes that she can use her iPhone in class.

“I like to use it take notes,” Mendoza said. “I can type much faster than I can write.  I think it is cool because now I don’t have to worry about my teacher seeing it and taking it away.”

The teachers’ blogs are also helping Mendoza to be a better student.

By Suzanne Schmidt

Staff Writer

For the next couple months, visitors to Knowledge Points at 2201 Collier Parkway might see a familiar face.

Richard Wendlek, founder of Academy at the Lakes, will be the interim director at the tutoring center until he leaves in June to be the head of an independent school north of Atlanta, Georgia.

“When Rocky was launching Knowledge Points, he and I got to know each other,” Wendlek said. “When I found out his director left, I came in to see if I could help. I am just here on an interim part-time basis while he is searching for a permanent director.”

One of the reasons Wendlek came to Knowledge Points is because he likes the way the tutoring center does things.

“It is wonderful to see when the light bulb goes on and they understand something,” Wendlek said. “It helps them to feel good about themselves. The materials here and tutors are top quality. They are accomplishing great results. I would say about 95 percent of students realize their goals.”

Rocky Contreras, president of Knowledge Points, said he was sure Wendlek was the best person for the job.

“He is the most credentialed, experienced and beloved person in education in Pasco,” Contreras said. “This is very short term but it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. He is one of the few people who could step in and fill in wherever it is needed. I didn’t want the quality to drop because we were short staffed and I also wanted to get his input on how we could further improve.”

Contreras said he hopes to learn from Wendlek’s experience.

“When you look at the size of the organization he built, there is so much he learned there,” Contreras said. “He is such a valuable resource. I plan to use his expertise during the hiring process for a new director.”

Knowledge Points provides individualized tutoring.

“We use a diagnostic approach,” Contreras said. “Before the students even spend one hour with a tutor, we do an in-depth assessment of their strength and weaknesses. We learn where their learning gaps might be and build on what we know. The issue might have less to do with what they don’t understand today and more to do with something they missed in the past.”

Through the tests, tutors learn what the students need to succeed.

“Hear the bells ringing
They’re singing that you can be born again
Hear the bells ringing
They’re singing Christ is risen from the dead”

Easter Song By Keith Green

“Throughout the Gospels Jesus makes strong claims about us all as children of God with access to God the Father. The key thing about Easter is when Jesus died on the cross and rose again He fulfilled all the prophecies of the Messiah. He was who He said He was and that meant His claims about us became true. His promises were made true.”

Lyle Wells, senior pastor Keystone Community Church, 21010 SR 54 in Lutz

Easter services 7, 9 and 10:30 a.m.

“Easter is the day when we as believers can know, ‘This is the day my savior rose from the dead.’ My family and I begin the day at sunrise services. Then we have breakfast with our church family. We spend the day together remembering what Christ has done for us.”

Elbert Nasworthy, pastor Myrtle Lake Baptist 2017 Reigler Road in Land O’ Lakes

Easter services 8 and 9 a.m.

“After Lent through Easter we celebrate the day our Lord rose from the dead. To me, Easter means there is hope for us. Because Jesus rose from the dead we have the opportunity to share eternal life with him. Our life doesn’t end with our death.”

Dennis Snyder, Deacon Our Lady of the Rosary 2348 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes

Easter Mass at 6, 7:45 and 9:30 a.m.

“I believe totally that our life and our access to heaven exists because Jesus lived a perfect life, died for our sins and rose again. Easter is an opportunity to recognize what Jesus did for us.”

Joshua Wesley, music pastor Victorious Life Church 6224 Old Pasco Road

Easter services at 9 and 10:40 a.m.

“Easter is about the healing power of the cross. Just one look at the cross and you see how love works. We celebrate the gift of eternal life only because of Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross.”

Rick Cabot, First United Methodist Church of Lutz, 960 Lutz Lake Fern Road

Easter services 8, 9:45 and 11:30 a.m.

“Easter is the foundation of my salvation. It means a great deal. It represents what Christ did for us so that we could stand holy and loved in front of God. Because of Jesus we don’t have to worry about the past or whether we are good enough. God proved that we are.”

Jacob Hill, music pastor New Walk Church, 37301 Chapel Hill Loop in Zephyrhills

Easter services at 7:30. 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.

By Sarah Whitman

Senior Staff Writer

It’s that time of year again, when stuffed bunny rabbits line the shelves at major stores and children cheerfully ask their parents, “Can I have a real bunny for Easter this year?”

“For Easter there’s always an unbelievable increase in rabbit sales,” said Mike Levy, manager of Pet City in Land O’ Lakes. “People need to know bunnies aren’t a seasonal gift to get and then ignore in a week. A bunny is a living animal that needs to be taken care of for the rest of its life.”

Levy said there are many factors to consider before purchasing a pet rabbit. Rabbits may be smaller than most cats and dogs, but they still require care and exercise. They like to run, hop and play. They require a medium to large-size living area, food, bedding, treats and most importantly love.

“Rabbits shouldn’t be kept in a cage all day,” Levy said. “They need to be taken out periodically. If you are gone all day or travel a lot, a rabbit isn’t the right pet for you.”

Meagan Rathman of Land O’ Lakes has a one-year-old male bunny named Indiana.

“A rabbit is a long-term commitment,” she said. “Getting one requires thought and preparation. You shouldn’t just jump into it.”

Pet City sells rabbits of all kinds, Netherland dwarfs, lion heads, mini lops, mini rex’s and full lops. Dwarfs and lion heads usually weigh about 4 pounds, and mini rex’s about 5. Full lops can grow to be 17 to 20 pounds.

It is important they be fed well to ensure proper growth. Levy said rabbits like carrots but carrots alone are not a sufficient diet.

“Too much carrots or lettuce isn’t good for them,” he said. “It’s important that they eat their pellet food. Too much of one vegetable can make them sick. It’s better to give carrots as a treat.”

Rabbits also require a flavored wood chew.

“Rabbit teeth grow constantly and if they don’t have something to chew on, they can overgrow,” Levy said. “If left unfixed they can grow into the roof of their mouth.”

Levy said healthy rabbits can live 20 years.

They are generally peaceful and loving. Most get along well with other animals. Still, not all animals get along well with rabbits.

“It depends on your pet,” Levy said. “I use to have a bull mastiff that would play nicely with my rabbits but some dogs still have the desire to hunt. A rabbit shouldn’t be left alone with another animal.”

Levy said bunnies are good starter pets. He recommends them to families with children of all ages.

“I have children and they’ve always had rabbits,” Levy said. “Rabbits love to sit on your lap. They are loving pets.”

Anthony Robinson of Wesley Chapel owns and breeds rabbits.

“I think rabbits make great pets because they are very docile animals and it’s amazing how much personality each one has,” Robinson said. “I have rabbits that come up and nudge your leg for petting. I have rabbits that will roll a ball back to you. They are a whole lot smarter than people give them credit for.”

Robinson is leery of the how many rabbits are purchased during Easter.

“Parents have to realize when they get a rabbit for their child, it is the parent that is ultimately responsible for its care,” he said. “Many rabbits end up in shelters because people don’t want to take care of them. Rabbits need loving homes.”

Rathman said her rabbit Indiana loves to cuddle.

“He’s very low key and enjoys just hanging around,” she said. “Kids love to play with him and pet him. He likes everybody.”
Levy said the most important thing to remember when purchasing a rabbit for Easter is that an Easter bunny needs love and care all year long. They are not toys that can be thrown away.

“If people are willing to take care of a rabbit and make it a member of the household, they really are great pets,” Levy said.

For information on purchasing a rabbit, call Pet City at (813) 242-7600 or contact Robinson’s Wabbits at .