Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Suzanne Schmidt

Staff Writer

LAND O’ LAKES— A new principal is learning the ropes at Sanders Memorial Elementary School just in time before the school transfers to Connerton Elementary.

Anna Falcone said she is happy to be the principal of her own school.

“It is exciting to be principal,” Falcone said. “I get to lead the teachers and the staff so the children can be the best they can be. I know my impact will be felt with the teachers and ultimately the children.”

Falcone started her career in Pasco as an intermediate teacher at San Antonio Elementary from 1998 to 2003. She then moved to Pine View Elementary School where she was assistant principal for five and a half years until last week, when she became principal of Sanders.

She said she is not the type of principal that just sits at her desk; instead she likes to work hands-on with the students.

“Curriculum and instruction is my passion,” Falcone said. “I am always in the classrooms and I love to be connected to the children. I think all children can learn and all children learn differently. If we have the best interest of the students in mind then everything else falls into place.”

Over the summer, Sanders will be closed and all the students, faculty and staff will be moved to the new Connerton Elementary School, 9300 Flourish Road in Land O’ Lakes, for the next school year. Instead of thinking too much about the new school, Falcone said for now she is just trying to get to know everyone at the school.

“My first goal is to get to know the students, faculty and the community,” Falcone said. “I want to know everything that is going on and get to know the people and how they work. I think it will help us to have a smooth transition to the new school.”

Even though the entire school, including the teachers and students, will be transferring to a new building, they will not be taking the old name and mascot with them.

“We will probably have a student vote in order to come up with a mascot,” Falcone said.

John Petrashek, director of construction service and code compliance for the District School Board of Pasco County, said the new school will be completed by the middle of summer.

“The school will be open August 2010,” Petrashek said. “That will allow time for the principal to move in so she can be ready to welcome back the staff during teacher week.”

Petrashek said all of Sanders is going to be torn down except for four buildings. Those buildings are a part of the design for the new building. Even though there is a design almost complete, there is no plan yet in place to rebuild.

“We will have to look at the growth projections for future years,” Petrashek said. “We do not want to operate two schools with full staff if they are only full to half capacity with students.”

With Sanders now in its 64^th year there is a lot of history.  To bid the school good bye, Falcone said in April she is planning on having an Open House for the community.

“We are planning a farewell to Sanders,” Falcone said. “We will have the school open to where people can stop by. There is a lot of history here and a lot of people who taught here or were on the administration here or went to school here can come in and say goodbye.”

Barbara Stark, secretary at the school, said she is excited to have a new principal and soon a new school.

“The staff at Sanders is happy to have a new principal,” Stark said. “We are looking forward to working for her and we are excited about the new school. The kids are all looking forward to it, too.”

In the future, the site where Connerton Elementary is being built will also have a middle school, a major regional Pasco community park as well as an adjoining South West Florida Water Management District preserve.

For information, visit pasco.k12.fl.us or call Sanders at (813) 794-1500.

Christian music producer seeks local talent

By Sarah Whitman

Senior Staff Writer

LUTZ — Tucked away in The Sanctuary community off Livingston Avenue is the home of Christian music producer Nick Coetzee. Open the front door, walk inside and there, just passed the kitchen, is a production and recording studio where artists from all over the world come to make their music dreams a reality.

Locally, however, Coetzee’s business is virtually unknown.

“I don’t think people in the area even know we’re here,” Coetzee said. “I want local songwriters and musicians to know I’d love to help them.”

Coetzee, a native South African, began making music as a student in the late 1980s. He studied jazz piano, production and arranging. After opening his heart to Christianity, he decided to merge his love for music with his love for God.

“I wanted to do more than just make music for a living,” he said. “I wanted to make music with a positive message.”

Coetzee worked as a worship director for churches overseas until coming to the United States in 1995. Then, in addition to overseeing music at churches, he began working as an independent producer. His label and production company Rain Music has since produced more than 60 CDS. He co-produced the first recording of “Shout to the Lor,” a hit made popular by Hillsong. Other artists on his client list include Alisha Merritt, David Baroni and rock artist Skyline Circle.

Mark Robins, a worship leader from the United Kingdom, came to record with Rain Music Feb. 2. He came with songs already written, hoping to learn from the best.

“I was working with Roy Fields and he suggested Nick to me,” Robins said. “He is a genius.”

After arriving in Florida on a rainy day, Robins immediately knew the trip was worth it.

“I can record a song at home but I can only take the music so far,” Robins said. “When I got here this morning and we starting working, the first song we did, Nick was able to make it fresh and change up the song structure. The song vastly improved.”

Coetzee said he could do the same for local artists. He can offer advice, provide a recording space, produce and potentially sign the artist to distribute music on the Rain Music label. Coetzee uses state of the art equipment, and provides clients with the use of instruments such as keyboard and guitar.

He said not all artists have to be Christian or Gospel, but he will not produce music he opposes lyrically.

“I know there’s got to be a lot of great talent right here,” he said. “I can take their music to a higher level. They don’t have to have a band. Sometimes there are songwriters who need help finding musicians. I can help them with that.”

Artists that record with Rain Music are promoted heavily online.

“In the music world, the business side is no longer about getting albums in stores and touring,” Coetzee said. “It’s about Internet downloads. It’s a whole new era.”

In addition to his work with Rain, Coetzee is currently the music director and a music teacher at The River of Tampa Bay Church, an evangelical Christian church in Tampa.

“His music brings excitement to the church,” said pastoral intern Josh Kight. “It is encouraging and uplifting.”

Inspiring young people is important to Coetzee.

“Young people need music with a positive Christian message,” he said. “They need to know its important not only to lead a good life but to lead a life with Christ. Contemporary Christian music is a way of sharing the Gospel outside of church.”

Some of Coetzee’s personal contemporary Christian favorites are Jesus Culture, Kurt Franklyn and Hillsong. He works with clients to turn them into similar professionals.

“It’s great recording with Nick because he’s willing to take the time to make the music great,” Robins said. “If we have to work into the night, he’s willing to do that.”
Coetzee welcomes any songwriters, singers or musicians to contact Rain Music and learn what it takes to turn ideas into albums. The cost to record varies depending on the project.

For information, visit www.rainmusic.org or call (813) 949-8780.

By Suzanne Schmidt

Staff Writer

LAND O’ LAKES—Through the ABC program, students in Land O’ Lakes High School get the help they need whether it is for school supplies or funds to buy food.

Donations of money and supplies come to the school through people and businesses like Publix. The donations have been great. The only problem was the closet storing the supplies was unorganized until recently, when the owners of Office Assistance Plus and The Organizing Queen came together to donate their time to fix the problem.

Jann McHollan, coordinator and counselor for the performance-based diploma program at the school, works to coordinate the ABC (Assist, Believe, Care) program. Students receiving help from the ABC program have to fill out an application to qualify. Typically the students are receiving a free or reduced lunch or are otherwise in need.

“We had a store room filled with donations from the faculty, staff, people from the community and Publix,” McHollan said. “The storage closet is full of supplies like notebooks, folders, pens, pencils, binders and back packs. The supplies were separated but not organized. When a kid would present himself and tell us they need supplies, we would have to hunt down what they needed.”

Lisa Assetta, owner of Office Assistance Plus, and Betty Arnold, owner of The Organizing Queen, often work together on organization projects. They were both looking for a non-profit organization to help since it was Get Organized month in January, according to the National Association of Professional Organizers or NAPO.

“We set out to find a community organization that couldn’t afford the help but needed it,” Assetta said. “We wanted to donate our time and expertise to help make a positive impact.”

At first, Assetta thought it was a good idea just because it was a school but then she found out what the program was doing.

“I didn’t realize there were students in school that were classified as homeless,” Assetta said. “I like the program because it is helping families who can’t afford to get supplies for their children. Just being able to give back to the community is the best part about this.”

First McHollan had to clean out the storage closet of all the supplies and then she set up some shelving. The organizing team were able to re-use bins and shelving so there was no cost to complete the project.

“It is wonderful,” McHollan said. “Instead of sifting through everything and trying to find what we need, now we can go right to it. We can also see when we need more supplies. It will help out next year when we are getting supplies because we will be able to pick up what we are running low on.”

Assetta and Arnold organized the contents of the closet into bins and put everything away in the closet all in one day. Assetta then decided to take it a step further and create spreadsheets to keep track of all the supplies.

“The system will help out during peak times like back to school,” Assetta said. “This way they can make sure they have ample supplies. It was great to be in a school and get to help out the students. We were able to make a good impact because now they will have a good functioning room for years to come.”

For information about Office Assistance Plus, visit OfficeAssistancePlus.com or call (813) 760-6198 and for information about The Organizing Queen, visit OrgQueen.com or call (813) 961-4755.

For more information on the ABC program or to donate, contact Anita Snider at (813) 794-9400.

By Kyle LoJacono

Staff Writer

Boy Scouts of America celebrated its 100th anniversary Feb. 8. The century-old youth organization has seen many changes over the last ten decades, including adding a causal look to their uniform collection.

The “class A” is the formal uniform of Boy Scouts of America, which includes a collared, short-sleeved shirt tucked into either shorts or pants with the scout belt and green socks.

Class B refers to the more causal dress scouts wear when they are not at formal events. The attire includes a T-shirt, Boy Scout shorts or pants and a scout belt.

What many don’t know is that Class B is a clothing company out of Zephyrhills.

“My mother started the company from our house and (she) is still the owner,” said Gregg Hilferding, vice president of Class B. “It started as a hat and shirt company, but we focus on T-shirts now.

“My mom thought there would be a demand for comfortable shirts for youth groups,” he continued. “She knew that a lot of youth groups have expensive uniforms, so she started the company to give the kids an alternative that could get dirty or torn while outside without it mattering too much, because the shirts aren’t expensive.”

The Class B shirts also help keep scouts cooler in the summer.

“I’ve lived in Zephyrhills since I was less than 1-year-old, so I know how the summers can get here,” Hilferding said. “Scouts usually wear a T-shirt under their uniform anyway, so it’s just a good idea to have shirts with the troop number on them. The scouts are going to take off their uniform tops anyway when they go outside.”

Hilferding, who is an Eagle Scout, is also the Scout Master for BSA Troop 72 in Zephyrhills. His father and brother, Robert and Eric, also are Eagle Scouts and his mother, Perry, was his troop’s Scout Master while growing up.

His sister, Carin, was not involved in Boys Scouts, but was a member of the West Wind Neighborhood Girl Scout Troop.

Hilferding said he and Eric, who is the company’s president, do the day-to-day work for Class B, which offers customizable shirt options in a variety of colors.

“In the past, we have ordered shirts for hikes on the Appalachian Trail, for adventure trips and other things we’ve done,” said Robert Jackson, former Assistant Scout Master of Troop 12 in Lutz. “We also just have ones for regular meetings.”

Jackson earned his Eagle Scout award in 1962 with Troop 12.  His two sons, Ryan and Reid Jackson, are also Eagle Scouts with the troop.

Class B ships to BSA organizations across the country and to U.S. military bases overseas.

“We’ve shipped to Okinawa, Japan and Germany,” Hilferding said. “We ship anywhere with BSA groups. The first time we got an order from Germany was amazing because it told me we were really on the map.”

Hilferding said the focus of the business was to serve local businesses, schools and youth groups for about the first 15 years. Then the company branched out to regional and national sales after launching its Web site, www.classb.com, in 1996.

“We are the largest officially licensed BSA T-shirt company and have earned the quality award for licensees in 2007 and 2008,” Hilferding said. “Those are the first two years of the award and we will know if we won for 2009 sometime in March.”

Class B has been helping scouts be more comfortable for the last 27 years, but BSA is nearly four times as old.

The organization was first founded by William Boyce Feb. 8, 1910 when BSA was officially incorporated.

“It’s very symbolic, especially for my old troop,” said Steven Kubasek, Allohak District executive, on BSA’s birthday. “My troop is also 100-years-old this year, so I’ve been anticipating this for 10 to 15 years.”

The Allohak District covers all BSA organizations in Pasco east of the Suncoast Parkway. Kubasek’s troop was Troop 4 in Yonkers, N.Y., where he earned his Eagle Scout award.

“Scouting has been around so long because of the timelessness of the program,” Kubasek continued. “The main goals are the same as they were 100 years ago.”

Hilferding agrees with Kubasek on the meaning of the anniversary.

“My brother, father, mother, and my time in Boy Scouts added together is almost 100 total years of scouting,” Hilferding said. “This is the only time Boy Scouts we will turn 100 and we are all incredibly proud to be a part of it both as scouts and with our business.”

For more information on Class B, call (800) 851-4020.

By Kyle LoJacono

Staff Writer

Most programs that help children, such as Toys for Tots and the Make a Wish Foundation, are well known, but just as supportive is Florida’s Guardian ad Litem Program.

“Being a volunteer with Guardian ad Litem is what I’m most proud of,” said Vonnie Mikkelsen, Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce executive director. “I’ve volunteered with Pasco (County) Animal Services and with other programs, but Guardian ad Litem is what is the most rewarding and probably most important because it helps helpless kids.”

Mikkelsen has volunteered with the program for nearly three years and currently lives in Land O’ Lakes.

GAL is a statewide program where volunteers collaborate with program staff and attorneys to represent the best interests of abused or neglected children. The volunteer checks on them at least once a month and is present at court hearings and other meetings regarding the child’s case. Guardians interview the people closest to the children and make recommendations to the court from what they find.

“A guardian works with a professional staff and an attorney to ensure that a child has a safe, caring and stable environment,” said Marco Sandusky, GAL area coordinator for Pasco and Pinellas counties. “The court system decides if a volunteer should be appointed for each case of a neglected or abused child.”

Pasco and Pinellas counties are part of the Sixth Judicial Circuit, which has 150 volunteers helping nearly 3,000 children. Sandusky said about 600 of those kids are from Pasco.

“The Sixth Circuit is one of the largest in the state and Pasco has many children in need of a guardian,” Sandusky said. “There are two dependency judges for Pasco. Lynn Tebber is in Dade City and William Webb in New Port Richey. Either of them can recommend that a guardian be appointed in a case.”

Sandusky said more than half the children in abuse cases in Pasco receive a GAL volunteer.

Volunteers are allowed to work with either one family at a time, or take on as many as they feel they can handle. It is against GAL policy to discuss any single situation in specifics, but volunteers can speak of their experiences.

“I’ve worked with as many as five families at once, but that was after being in the program for a couple years,” said Vince Rieger, GAL volunteer in Dade City. “The reason I do it is because I have very strong feelings about protecting kids. There’s no way I’d stop being a guardian.”

Rieger has been a volunteer for nearly four years. He got into the program soon after he retired as an electrical technician.

“There are two hard things about the program though,” he continued. “The first is when the court closes the case, we aren’t supposed to have any contact with the children because they need to move on with their lives. That’s hard after working with a child for a year or more. The other is you can’t bring your ideas of what a normal family should be because you have to deal with many difficult situations.”

Rieger is not just an average guardian. He is also the 2009 GAL volunteer of the year.

“That was huge and very humbling because there are a lot of dedicated volunteers,” Rieger said. “It was incredible to stand with all the volunteers chosen to represent their circuit.”

Mikkelsen also received an award for her work with GAL. She was the Pasco County GAL volunteer of the month in August 2008.

Volunteer qualifications are not overly strict.

“If you are 19 years of age or older, have common sense, good judgment and a heart with the room to help one of these children, you could become a guardian,” said Yvonne Marrone, volunteer recruiter and community outreach coordinator for GAL in Hillsborough County. “This volunteer work is vitally important to creating a successful future for the child helped.”

Hillsborough is the 13th Judicial Circuit. Sandusky said the program’s standards are the same across the state, and guardians average volunteering six to 10 hours a month.

To be a volunteer, people must attend a five-week, 30-hour training course, which gives background in child welfare and working with families. There are three training seasons each year in Pasco, one of which is going on now in Land O’ Lakes that will end Feb. 13. People cannot join a class while it is in progress.

“The program always needs volunteers, and it can be daunting at first,” Mikkelsen said. “It is normal to doubt yourself. I know I did, but guardians are usually the one stable thing in these kids’ lives.”

For more information on becoming a volunteer in Pasco, call (352) 521-5178 or (727) 834-3493 or visit www.guardianadlitem6.org. For Hillsborough, call (813) 272-5110, e-mail or visit www.vfcgal.org.

Upcoming training in Pasco County

Monday and Wednesday evenings May 10 to June 6 at Marchman Technical Education Center, 7825 Campus Drive in New Port Richey

By Suzanne Schmidt

Staff Writer

LAND O’ LAKES—An old favorite in Temple Terrace recently opened its doors here in Land O’ Lakes.

New Tung Tung 2 opened a few weeks ago in the Wilderness Lakes Commons in Land O’ Lakes. The restaurant serves up Cantonese style Chinese food to go and in the future may add delivery.

Cheree Zhang, manager, said the Chinese restaurant has a long history in the area. About 30 years ago, Tung Tung opened on Busch Boulevard, only to close a few years later and then reopen in Temple Terrace at 10829 N. 56^th Street. That restaurant was sold to Tony Jiang about six years ago.

“The reason we opened a restaurant here is because a lot of our customers used to live in Temple Terrace,” Jiang said. “People kept asking us to open a restaurant here and we found this brand new space available so we did it.”

Even though the ownership has changed, the recipes are still the same from the original restaurant location on Busch.

“Business is getting better and better,” Zhang said. “We are getting a lot of repeat customers because a lot of people love our food. We have a lot of people who used to live in Temple Terrace that are really excited we are here.”

Zhang said Tung Tung strives to be different from other Chinese restaurants.

“We offer healthier choices like we have brown rice or you can make a meal all white chicken,” Zhang said. “We also use a computer for all of our orders so we make sure everything is correct.”

Taylor McAdams of Land O’ Lakes said she loves to eat at the restaurant three to four times a week because of all the healthy options they offer.
“I like that they can do all white meat for the meals and I also like the combination dinners,” McAdams said. “I also like that they are convenient and the food is really fresh.”

Karl Huber works in Land O’ Lakes as a freelance contractor. He said he stops in for food two to three times a week because it is different than any other Chinese restaurant.

“I like the food and the service is good,” Huber said. “I like their General Tso’s chicken because they blend in vegetables with the breaded chicken and that is something you don’t normally see. I also like to get the brown rice instead of the white rice because it is healthier.”

Zhang said she and her boss believe so strongly in the food that they offer a guarantee.

“We offer the guarantee because we are confident in our food,” Zhang said. “We want our customers to be happy. We tell them they can bring the food back and we will remake it, give them something else or give them a refund. So far no one has come back though.”

In addition to serving up their Cantonese style Chinese food, Zhang said they also take requests from the community.

“We have a Chef’s Special everyday that we always switch up,” Zhang said. “We take our customers suggestions very seriously. We will even make dishes that are not traditionally Chinese like our satay chicken.”

For information, call (813) 996-9888.

IF YOU GO

• New Tung Tung 2, 7040 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Suite 105
• Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday
• For more information, call (813) 996-9888.

By Suzanne Schmidt

Staff Writer

WESLEY CHAPEL—Fitness is key to the future at Wesley Chapel Elementary School.

The school recently opened its Wildcat Student and Staff Wellness Center, a physical fitness gym packed with exercise equipment. Coach Chris Gorman said he wants to make sure students grow up to live a healthy lifestyle.

“This is important because the obesity rate is so high,” Gorman said. “Obesity is on the way to surpass smoking as the leading cause of preventable death.”

The new Wildcat wellness center has stations for teacher-led physical education and is open for teachers to use during lunch, and before and after school. The facility is part of a pilot program through the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a program that works to reduce the nationwide prevalence of childhood obesity. The American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation joined forces in May 2005 to form the Alliance.

“As a part of the program, we sent out a survey to our students and staff,” Gorman said. “The staff requested a facility to use at the school. The students selected exercises they wanted to do like strength and flexibility exercises.”

There are 27 different stations for various workouts using exercise balls, resistance bands and even a punching ball.

“The stations have dots with diagrams that tell what exercise to do and which muscle they are working,” Gorman said. “We try to create a fun place to work out. If we keep it fun, then the students will keep being excited about it.”

The facility cost a total of $1,350 for equipment, which included a treadmill, elliptical, stepper, stationary bike, three cable machines, two free weight machines and a dumbbell set for the teachers to use.

Christina Twardosz, assistant principal, said many teachers have been using the facility.

“We have found that the team camaraderie has gone up because the teachers are working out together,” Twardosz said. “This helps our teachers too because it relieves the financial burden of joining a gym.”

The Bridgewater Home Owners Association donated $1,000 to the new wellness center. The school’s parent teacher association and the school donated the rest.

Sabrina Schmitt, 11, likes the center. She said she is inspired now to continue to work out for the rest of her life.

“I like that I get to exercise during school,” Schmitt said. “It helps me both physically and mentally. I want to continue to work out because it is good for my body and it keeps me healthy.”

Gorman said exercise helps students inside the classroom, because they are more alert and pay better attention in class.

Elexis Twardosz, 11, said working out helps her do better in school.

“I think it is really good to work out,” Twardosz said. “It is a good way to get out of class and work on my muscles. It helps me to focus better.”

Principal John Abernathy said he is happy to have the facility available for his staff and his students.

“It is a great thing for the kids to recognize the importance of being physically fit,” Abernathy said. “This will set them up for years down the road to have good habits. It is important for them to have a healthy lifestyle.”

The fitness center is currently located in a portable on the school’s campus, which is something Abernathy is hoping to change in the future.

“We would like to have it in a permanent building one day,” Abernathy said. “Since it takes money that is not in our operational budget, we are hoping a business will sponsor a building. It is a great investment because from generation to generation the students and teachers will be able to use it.”

For more information, visit wces.pasco.k12.fl.us or contact Abernathy at (813) 794-0100.

By Suzanne Schmidt

Staff Writer

WESLEY CHAPEL—A local teacher chose a life of working hard to make a difference in the world rather than going the corporate route. Sean Gaudet’s work ethic paid off when he was voted Teacher of the Year at Wesley Chapel High School earlier this school year and now Teacher of the Year for all of Pasco County.

“I worked for Whole Foods for nine years,” Gaudet said. “I was working there part-time while I was going to college for education. I was on track to be a store manager where I would have been making a lot of money. It sounds so cliché but I started to think about what I wanted to do with my life. I decided I wanted to make the world a better place.”

Gaudet applied to Wesley Chapel High School as an English teacher in 1999, because that was what his degree and certification was in. Then, when the school year started and there was no drama teacher, he decided to give teaching performing arts a try.

“I didn’t know anything about drama but I thought why not,” Gaudet said. “I wanted to put on a musical because you know how hard that could be. It was not my finest work. I was working hard but I was not getting good results so I just kept telling myself next year will be better.”

After an emotional first year, Gaudet learned a lot about how to improve.

To date, his goal is to keep getting better. He expects the same from his students.

“The students I love to work with are the ones who work hard and are always trying to get better,” Gaudet said. “My job is to become obsolete by the time they graduate. As long as they just work hard, that is all I want.”

The most important lessons Gaudet wants his students to learn are accountability and responsibility, which is why he likes to assign group and partner activities. In his classes, his students create short films. The students are responsible for creating their own storyline, scripts, costumes, shooting the scenes, editing, adding a soundtrack, lighting and acting.

“In the work world, you can’t say you are going to do something and not do it,” Gaudet said. “If you do, you could get fired. These students are going to be adults in a few years and these are traits I want them to have.”

One of the things that Gaudet said helps his ability to get along with his students is his respect for them.

“I find something to like in every student,” Gaudet said. “I honestly and truly respect them. They may have a priority that I don’t like, like they might decide their friend is more important than my classroom.  I respect that decision but there are still consequences and usually the next time they make the good choice.”

Lindsay Hail, senior, said she thinks Gaudet is a great teacher. She is the president of the Thespian club at the school.

“He is really supportive and not just as far as drama goes but also outside of school,” Hail said. “He really deserves to win Teacher of the Year because of all the hard work he does.”

Tori Musco, senior, said she has learned a lot from Gaudet. She thinks his lessons will stick with her for the rest of her life.

“I have learned leadership skills, team work and confidence,” Musco said.

For more information visit www.gaudetwc.com.