The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Education

Area events honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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The legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lives on each year as communities nationwide celebrate the birth of the civil rights leader with parades, community service days and reflections on his message of non-violence.

The official holiday honoring King will be Jan. 18.

In Pasco County, celebrations will be take place throughout the week, including a first-time parade in Lacoochee on the official holiday.

The parade came at the suggestion of the young people in the Boys & Girls Club of Lacoochee, said Lorenzo Coffie, who is helping organize the parade and a scholarship breakfast for the MLK Program Committee.

“We thought it was an exciting idea,” Coffie said.

Area colleges and civic groups also are planning events.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his stirring ‘I Have a Dream’ speech during the 1963 March on Washington. (FIle Photo)
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his stirring ‘I Have a Dream’ speech during the 1963 March on Washington.
(FIle Photo)

Pasco-Hernando State College will host the 31st Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture Series on Jan. 20 and Jan. 21, on its various campuses around the county.

The guest speaker will be Mark Anthony Neal, a professor of black popular culture in African-American Studies at Duke University in North Carolina and director of the Institute of Critical US Studies.

The theme of Neal’s lectures will be “Hip Hop, Civil Rights and Social Media.”

King’s legacy is in civil rights, but also social justice, and this year’s theme focuses on the synergy between the two, said Imani Asukile, director of Global & Multicultural Awareness at PHSC.

Neal also brings expertise in social media and its cultural influences. His articles have been published in the Washington Post, Emerge Magazine and The Chicago Sun-Times.

He is author of four books, including his most recent, “New Black Man: Rethinking Black Masculinity.”
Neal has described himself as a black feminist male.

At Saint Leo University, there will be a Spring Community Service Day on Jan. 18.

Florida Supreme Court Justice Peggy Quince will be the guest speaker at noon in the Student Community Center boardroom, discussing King’s efforts to end childhood poverty.

Quince became the first African-American woman appointed to a state appeals court when she was selected to serve on the Second Court of Appeal in 1993. She was elected to the position three years later.

Gov. Lawton Chiles and Gov.-elect Jeb Bush appointed her to the Florida Supreme Court in 1998. She served as chief justice from 2008 to 2010, making her the second African-American and third woman to hold the position.

Following her talk, a free children’s fair will be on campus. There will be face painting, sand art and several inflatables. Faculty, students and student clubs will host the activities.

In Lacoochee, the Boys & Girls Club of Lacoochee, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, local churches, schools, area businesses and the MLK Program Committee plan two days of activities.

On Jan. 16, a Scholarship Breakfast program will take place at the Boys & Girls Club of Lacoochee. Donations of $10 for adults and $5 for students are requested. The funds will provide scholarships to area high school students.

On Jan. 18, a parade will be held, followed by a program at the Boys & Girls Club of Lacoochee, with the Rev. Deundrick Reed as keynote speaker.

The MLK Program Committee enlists different hosts each year for festivities. Coffie said the committee members appreciate the enthusiasm of the youth at the Boys & Girls Club who wanted to stage a parade.

Pasco County Sheriff’s Cpl. Jessica Hammond, known as Officer Friendly, also encouraged the parade, he said.

The theme is “The Dream: One Nation Under God.”

“(Dr.) King was a reverend. That was his forte,” said Coffie. “His ministry was based on nonviolence and equality for all.”

Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations:

Activities at Pasco-Hernando State College
Who: Guest lecturer Mark Anthony Neal, professor of black popular culture in African-American Studies at Duke University
What: Lecture on  “Hip Hop, Civil Rights and Social Media”
When: Jan. 20 at 10 a.m., in Room B-303, Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, 2727 Mansfield Road, Wesley Chapel and at 6 p.m. in Room A-240, East Campus, 36727 Blanton Road, Dade City.
Neal also will speak on Jan. 21 at 9:45 a.m., via web telecast in B-104/105, North Campus, 11415 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Brooksville; at 9:45 a.m., in Performing Arts Center, West Campus, 10230 Ridge Road, New Port Richey, and at 7 p.m., in Room B-105, Spring Hill Campus, 450 Beverly Court, Spring Hill

Activities at Saint Leo University
What: Speech by Florida Supreme Court Justice Peggy Quince
Where: Student Community Center boardroom
When: Jan. 18 at noon

What: Children’s fair
When: Jan. 18, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., on the green between the Student Activities Building and Kirk Hall.
Saint Leo University is at 33701 State Road 52, four miles east of Interstate 75.

MLK Program Committee Activities

What: Scholarship Breakfast Program
When: Jan. 16, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., at the Boys & Girls Club of Lacoochee, 38724 Mudcat Grant Blvd., in Lacoochee.
How much: Tickets are $10 for adults, and $5 for students

MLK parade
When: Jan. 18 at 9 a.m.
Where: Starting in Lacoochee at Cummer Road and U.S. 301, ending at Boys & Girls Club of Lacoochee. After the parade, there will be a MLK Commemorative Program at 11 a.m., at the boys and girls club, where the Rev. Deundrick Reed will be the keynote speaker. There will be refreshments at Stanley Park after the program.

Published January 13, 2016

New charter school to open in Lutz

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If all goes smoothly, Sunlake Academy of Math and Science will open for the 2016-2017 school year.

The eight-acre site for the school is on North Dale Mabry Highway, about a half-mile north of Exciting Idlewild Boulevard.

Construction for the 40,000-square-foot, two-story charter will break ground sometime within the next month, and is expected to be completed over the summer.

The charter, which will be tax-funded and tuition-free, is expected to pull students from within a 5-mile radius of the school’s location.

Sunlake Academy will look similar to Valrico Lake Advantage Academy. (Courtesy of Charter School Properties)
Sunlake Academy will look similar to Valrico Lake Advantage Academy.
(Courtesy of Charter School Properties)

Developed by Charter School Properties (CSP), Sunlake Academy will be large enough to eventually accommodate up to 1,150 students, from kindergarten through eighth grade. It will have a focus on STEM curriculum, which stands for science, technology, engineering and math. It also will offer an interdisciplinary approach to learning, in which lessons will emphasize the interrelationships between various subjects.

The school’s features will include a library and media center, science laboratories, computer labs, art rooms and an area for outdoor activities.

In creating the school, Charter School Properties, which also developed Valrico Lake Advantage Academy, is working closely with Charter School Associates, the school’s Education Management Organization.

“We’re pleased to be bringing the local community new educational opportunities with this state-of-the-art building and a proven, high-tech STEM curriculum,” Joseph Rauenhorst, president of Charter School Properties, said in a release. “Partnering with Charter School Associates and other leading charter school operators, we focus on creating stimulating, nurturing environments that maximize each child’s achievement and develop the skills needed to succeed today.”

The company and its site engineer, Chris McNeal, are currently working through the site permitting process with several Hillsborough County agencies and the Florida Department of Transportation.

“We hope to have it wrapped up soon to start with building,” said McNeal, founder of McNeal Engineering, Inc. “Since it’s properly zoned already for the use, there’s no public hearings or anything like that. It’s straight to construction.”

According to Cindy Hughes, Charter School Properties’ director of operations, the local school district approved the charter in November. Since then, getting the charter up and running has been an ongoing process.

“There’s two moving parts,” Hughes said. There’s the construction of the building by the developer who also has to get all approvals running, then the school is required to get all their FEA (Florida Education Association) things handled, hire teachers and do their end of it. Then it all comes together.”

Sunlake Academy was originally proposed to be located on an 8.4-acre piece of land at the southwest corner of Lutz Lake Fern Road and Sunlake Boulevard. However, the piece of property has not yet been sold to the developer.

Hughes said the property is “still an option” for building a charter school in the future.

“We’re still in negotiations, so nothing’s for sure yet,” Hughes said.

Hughes added that if a charter were built there, it would most likely have a different managing operator than CSA, which will run Sunlake Academy.

Last year, several Lutz residents voiced their concerns about building a school at the Sunlake and Lutz Lake Fern Road location. They cited traffic congestion, interference of wetlands and natural habitats, and possible flooding as potential issues that could arise if a school was established there.

“It’s an inappropriate project in scope and size for that proposed location,” said Mike White, founder and president of the Lutz Citizens Coalition.  “That’s the type of thing that brings local neighborhoods to their knees. The new location is off of Dale Mabry Highway, so it’s not as impactful to the local area as it would have been.”

White said the citizen’s group is closely monitoring the project at North Dale Mabry Highway, but currently has “no issue” with it and has not been asked to intervene by members of the Lutz community.

“The main thing that we’re looking at right now is access to that project,” White said. “Right now, it’s designed for Dale Mabry primarily, and that’s fine. That’s really what Dale Mabry was built to do. However, if they change it to where they’re coming out on Van Dyke Road or rural two-lane roads, which would dramatically impact our local neighborhood, then we would step in and get involved.

“It’s a large school, but if they were to keep access limited to Dale Mabry, then you know, Dale Mabry can handle it.”

Published January 13, 2016

School renovations under way

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Saint Anthony Catholic School, in San Antonio, celebrated a milestone in its history last February, when it dedicated a new classroom building.

Now, it’s in the midst of a $1.7 million renovation of the three-story brick building that formerly housed the school.

The current project, which began in June, involves a complete overhaul.

The top floor will be a cafeteria and a recreation space, said Sister Alice Ottapurackal, the school’s principal.

The second floor has a media room, a computer lab, an art room and a Spanish classroom.

The ground floor has a music room, two extra classrooms and storage space.

Work is under way on a $1.7 million renovation project at Saint Anthony Catholic School in San Antonio. The project follows the construction of a new three-story classroom building that was completed last year. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Work is under way on a $1.7 million renovation project at Saint Anthony Catholic School in San Antonio. The project follows the construction of a new three-story classroom building that was completed last year.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

Children will be able to have recess and physical education inside, on the top floor, when it is too cold or rainy to go outdoors, Ottapurackal said.

“They are excited about that, and me, too. They need that time to relax and get that physical activity,” she said.

The new construction completed last year has allowed the school to enhance its programs and this renovation will, too, Ottapurackal said.

The school uses technology in each classroom.

The computer lab is intended to allow an entire class to work on projects at the same time, and also will give children an opportunity to bolster their computer skills, Ottapurackal said.

While appreciating the value of technology, the principal said the school focuses on giving students good foundational skills in reading, writing, spelling and mathematics.

The principal believes that children can quickly learn how to use computers. She wants to be sure that the school’s students know how to read, write and communicate and are able to tell if the information they find on the Internet is credible.

The classroom building completed last year allowed the school to enhance its science program, Ottapurackal said.

The renovation under way will provide more space for the music and art programs, she said. Instructional minutes for those programs won’t be increased, but the teacher will have more time to teach because the larger spaces reduce the need for taking out and storing materials before and after each class.

Like many schools, Saint Anthony Catholic School is placing an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics. The principal said it also adds another area of emphasis: religion.

The school has 217 students, in kindergarten through eighth grade.

Ottapurackal hopes it will have between 230 and 235 students next year. It has the capacity to serve 270 students.

While the Diocese of St. Petersburg supported the construction of the new classroom building, the renovation project is being paid for by community donations.

So far, $1.4 million has been raised for the project.

“We wanted to give everyone an opportunity to participate in this project. So, we had fundraising from $50 to $500,000.”

“The community here — people are so generous. It’s their school. It’s been here since 1884,” she said.

Anyone who would like more information about the school, or who would like to help in the fundraising campaign, can email .

Published January 13, 2016 

Pasco school growth expected to continue

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Pasco County is expected to add a total of 1,673 students in public and charter schools next year, based on projections compiled by Pasco County Schools.

That’s an increase over last year’s growth, which was 1,517, and brings the figure to nearly 3,200 in two years.

The bulk of the growth is coming in the State Road 54/State Road 56 corridor, said Chris Williams, director of planning for Pasco County Schools.

The growth is coming, he said, from “all those new developments springing up along the 54 corridor — Wiregrass. Bexley Ranch. Starkey Ranch.”

“Everything between Trinity and Wesley Chapel, along the 54 corridor,” Williams said.

There’s development in the Sunlake area, and Connerton is building again, too, Williams said.

The school district planner broke down the enrollment growth by grade levels.

“This year, we grew by a little bit under 500 elementary kids. Next year, we’re projecting 555 in the elementary, which is about 73 percent of an elementary school,” Williams said.

“We’re projecting 346 (additional students) for middle, and 709 (more) for high school,” he said.

The district picks up a sizable number of private school and charter school kids at the high school level, Williams noted.

“We have to be cognizant of that when we’re doing our projections. We can’t just take our eighth-grade population and assume that’s what our ninth-grade population is going to be,” he said. The district has to add to that.

This will be the third year in a row that the district has experienced enrollment growth, Williams said.

Growth projected for next year is substantially less than in 2004-2005, when enrollment grew by almost 3,200, he said

But, the expected growth is significantly more than in 2008-2009, when enrollment grew by 280; 2009-2010, when it grew by 327; 2010-2011, when it declined by 252 and, 2011-2012, when it dropped by130.

The district’s projection for this year was for 69,475, but it expects to come in higher — at 69,633, Williams said.

Its projection for next year is 71,306.

The district tries to be cautious in its projections, Williams said.

“We don’t want to overbuild,” he said. On the other hand, “We also don’t want to fall way behind, either.

“We’re trying to be smart about where we’re putting schools,” he said.

“We built W because it was centrally located and allowed us to relieve Double Branch, Seven Oaks, that area,” he said.

With all of the construction activity, there’s no doubt additional schools will be needed, Williams said. The question is how many?

“Everybody is restarting, and they’re all going at once. The question is how sustainable is that? Are they competing for the same customers, or is there enough demand to buy all that they’re going to build? And, I don’t know the answer to that,” Williams said.

Published January 13, 2016 

 

Chalk Talk 01/13/2016

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Saint Leo Community Service Day
Saint Leo University’s “Spring Community Service Day” will be Jan. 18, in conjunction with the campus’ celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The university will host a guest speaker and a community children’s fair as part of the festivities.

The guest speaker will be Peggy A. Quince, justice of the Supreme Court of Florida, on the topic of the importance of Dr. King’s message of working to combat poverty among American youth. The noon presentation will be in the Student Community Center boardrooms.

Following Justice Quince’s presentation, there will be a children’s fair on campus from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., with face painting, sand art and several inflatables.

Admission is free, and the presentation is open to the public.

The campus is at 33701 State Road 52 in St. Leo.

STEM magnet school info meetings
Centennial Middle STEM Magnet School, scheduled to open in August, will host parent information sessions at 6 p.m., as follows:

  • Jan. 19 at Dr. John Long Middle School, 2025 Mansfield Blvd., Wesley Chapel
  • Jan. 20 at Centennial Middle School, 38505 Centennial Road in Dade City
  • Jan. 21 at Chester W. Taylor Elementary School, 3638 Morris Bridge Road in Zephyrhills

Parents of sixth- and seventh-graders at the host schools, as well as those of current fifth-graders in the elementary schools that feed into them, are encouraged to attend.

The superintendent, the magnet school principal, and district staff will discuss the STEM magnet theme and programs that will be offered at the school. Parents also will hear about magnet school application timelines and options for transportation.

Martin Luther King Jr. lecture
Pasco-Hernando State College’s 31st annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture Series will host guest speaker Mark Anthony Neal on the topic of “Hip Hop, Civil Rights and Social Media.”

There will be five presentations over a two-day period.

  • Jan. 20 at 10 a.m., Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, 2727 Mansfield Blvd., Room B-303, in Wesley Chapel
  • Jan. 20 at 6 p.m., East Campus, 36727 Blanton Road, Room A-240, in Dade City
  • Jan. 21 at 9:45 a.m., via web telecast, North Campus, 11415 Ponce de Leon Blvd., B-104/105, in Brooksville
  • Jan. 21 at 9:45 a.m., West Campus, 10230 Ridge Road, Performing Arts Center, in New Port Richey
  • Jan. 21 at 7 p.m., Spring Hill Campus, 450 Beverly Court, Room B-105

Admission is free. For information, call (855) 669-7472.

Thursday Musicale offers scholarships
The Thursday Musicale, a women’s choral group formed to promote music in Pasco and Hernando counties, offers scholarships to graduating high school seniors in Pasco and Hernando counties who plan to study music in college and make it a career.

The deadline to apply for a scholarship is Jan. 22. Auditions will be Feb. 2 and Feb. 9 at Trinity Presbyterian Church of Seven Springs in New Port Richey.

For applications, contact your high school career counselor and/or music director.

For information, email .

Take Stock in Children applications
Take Stock in Children scholarship applications are now being accepted online through Jan. 24 for Pasco County Schools’ students on free/reduced lunch in grades eight to 10.

The organization, a program with the Pasco Education Foundation and partnered with Pasco County Schools, has provided scholarships, mentors and hope since 1995.

For information and an application, visit PascoEducationFoundation.org.

School photographer celebrates with fundraiser
Paul Gigante, a professional school photographer since 1991 in Tampa Bay, has seen the need to help less fortunate homeless high school seniors, as they transition after graduation to start college careers. His goal is to raise $50,000 at a benefit to help as many students from the Class of 2016 in Pasco and Hillsborough counties as possible.

Gigante will host a “H4 Benefit” (Helping Our Homeless High Schoolers Achieve Higher Education) at Skipper’s Smokehouse, 910 Skipper Road in Tampa, on Jan. 24 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Entertainment will include the USF “HOT” Pep Band, The Butch Ryan Band, local disc jockeys, and others.

There also will be silent auctions, sports memorabilia, gift baskets, a 50/50 raffle, corn hole tournament, photo booth and more.

The cover charge is a birthday card for Paul with a donation payable to “H4 Benefit.”

Corporate/local business partnerships/personal and family sponsorships are available.

For information, contact Paul Gigante at (813) 340-4080.

Saint Leo welcomes new partners
Saint Leo University now has professional working agreements with four new community partners in Florida.

The new organizations include Bay Area Youth Services Inc., The Gracepoint Foundation, Miami-Dade County, and Oglethorpe Inc.

BAYS is a nonprofit with the objective of improving the quality of life and increasing the potential of Florida’s youth.

Gracepoint is a nonprofit with a mission to educate, advocate for, and give hope to all people touched by behavioral health and developmental challenges.

Miami-Dade County government provides major metropolitan services countywide and city-type services for residents of unincorporated areas. It also provides employee discount services to all employees.

Oglethorpe’s mission is to breathe new life into failed or failing psychiatric health centers and to restore their place in their communities.

Rasmussen launches accelerated entrance options
Rasmussen College has launched two accelerated entrance options for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at its Land O’ Lakes/East Pasco campus.

The college’s BSN degree program is available with the new, accelerated pre-licensure entrance options designed for students committed to the nursing profession and eager to launch their careers as quickly as possible. The options also help fill a significant need for registered nurses with bachelor’s degrees in the Tampa Bay area.

To learn more about the accelerated entrance options, visit Rasmussen.edu/degrees/nursing.

Pasco-Hernando State College issues first four-year degree

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For one former football star, the opportunity to witness palm trees and visit family was simply too great to pass up.

Jamal Roberts recently became the first student to graduate from Pasco-Hernando State College with a bachelor of applied science in supervision and management, taking advantage of one of PHSC’s two four-year programs.

Jamal Roberts converses with other Pasco-Hernando State College graduates after the college’s winter commencement. (Photos courtesy of Jamal Roberts)
Jamal Roberts converses with other Pasco-Hernando State College graduates after the college’s winter commencement.
(Photos courtesy of Jamal Roberts)

“It was an accomplishment,” said Roberts, 21, who graduated in December. “It was a milestone for me, and it was a milestone for the college as well. It’s wonderful.”

While primarily a two-year college, PHSC began offering four-year programs in 2014, starting with the supervision and management program, as well as offering a bachelor of science in nursing. Formerly known as Pasco-Hernando Community College, the institution changed its name to reflect its broader program offerings.

Wasting no time after graduation, the Dade City native has already lined up a job as an administrative assistant at Irvin & Petty, a St. Petersburg-based law firm that primarily focuses on personal injury cases.

“I just want to be able to get dressed up nice for work every day,” Roberts quipped.

While still unsure what career path he wants to follow for the next 30-plus years, Roberts hopes to work for a company that features a positive work environment where fellow co-workers get along.

Former Zephyrhills’ football star Jamal Roberts in action at a Kent State football practice.
Former Zephyrhills’ football star Jamal Roberts in action at a Kent State football practice.

“I can have the best (job) or the easiest job duties, but if I’m in a terrible place, then I’m not going to like that job,” he elaborated. “But, if I have hard duties and everyone around me is friendly, and we’re all working together, then that’s going to be somewhere where I can stay.”

Prior to graduating from PHSC, Roberts was a standout athlete at Zephyrhills High School, where he shined as a dual-threat quarterback on the football team, was an All-Conference sprinter on the track team and also lettered in baseball.

Showcasing extraordinary athleticism, Division I football scholarships rolled in from several out-of-state programs, including Ball State, University of Massachusetts and Eastern Michigan. However, Roberts opted to attend Kent State in Ohio in 2012, where he suited up to play defensive back.

“Honestly, it was probably the best time of my life,” said Roberts, who spent three years on the Kent State Golden Flashes football team. “I had so much fun. I met a whole a bunch of people that I can call real friends.”

His most memorable experience at Kent State occurred in 2012, when he was redshirting as a freshman, the Golden Flashes finished 11-3 and earned a berth to the GoDaddy.com Bowl game.

“It was just unbelievable,” Roberts reminisced. “Just the way everybody played together, it was crazy.”

Jamal Roberts (right) is presented with his diploma from Pasco-Hernando State College from Dr. Timothy Beard, the college’s president.
Jamal Roberts (right) is presented with his diploma from Pasco-Hernando State College from Dr. Timothy Beard, the college’s president.

While Roberts enjoyed his college experience, the bone-chilling Midwest winters in northeast Ohio started to become unbearable. “It was terrible,” he stated.

The opportunity to move back to the Sunshine State arose when his mother, Pamela, who works at PHSC as a student development assistant, told him the college offered four-year programs.

It became a seamless transition for Roberts, where most of his college credits at Kent State transferred and applied to the new bachelor’s degree program.

“Honestly, I did miss my family,” he said about moving back to Florida. “So, after some thinking and some consideration, and given the opportunity, I thought it’d be best if I was back at home and I finished up (at PHSC).”

While his football-playing career is over, Roberts hasn’t forgotten about the lessons he learned from the sport, which he uses in his everyday life.

“One of the first things I learned about football in high school, one of my coaches said, ‘you wake up and you get better, or you wake up and you get worse,’ and that’s what I stick by with absolutely everything,” he explained. “If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse and there’s no in between.

“That’s my mentality going towards things in life.”

With the burden of attending classes and studying on the weekends no longer tying up his time, Roberts plans to stay involved with the game he loves by getting into coaching youth football.

“I definitely see coaching as an opportunity for me to get out and teach young kids the game,” he said.

Published January 6, 2016

Chalk Talk 01/06/2016

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Student musicians raise money for Joshua House
Crossing the Tangent, a band that just started up this past October, rented the clubhouse at Seven Oaks for a fundraiser for Joshua House on Dec. 20. The youth band put on two shows, charged a $5 entry fee, and played a variety of songs, including holiday music. The $543 raised was given directly to Joshua House, a safe haven for children in need.

Members of the band are Cody Somoano, Alyssa Somoano, Alexa Jewel and Genesis Castro-Garcia, Wiregrass Ranch High School; Ben Sajen, Freedom High; Josh Brett, Land O’ Lakes High; Kelly Mason, Benito Middle School; Arianna Toro, Steinbrenner High; and Sage Pope, New Port Richey Montessori.

Magnet school offers tour
Sanders Memorial Elementary STEAM Magnet School, 5126 School Road in Land O’ Lakes, will offer a school tour on Jan. 8, to show parents and prospective students the programs and facilities.

Principal Jason Petry and staff will lead parents through each grade level area, the collaboration center, outdoor classroom areas, boardwalk, and athletic facilities. Sanders is Pasco County’s first magnet school and was designed to focus on science, technology, engineering, arts and math.

For information, call Kristie Newsome at (813) 794-1500.

STEM magnet school info meetings
Centennial Middle STEM Magnet School, scheduled to open in August, will host parent information sessions at 6 p.m., as follows:

  • Jan. 11 at Raymond B. Stewart Middle School, 38505 10th Ave., Zephyrhills
  • Jan. 12 at Pasco Middle School, 13925 14th St., Dade City
  • Jan. 13 at Thomas E. Weightman Middle School, 30649 Wells Road in Wesley Chapel
  • Jan. 19 at Dr. John Long Middle School, 2025 Mansfield Blvd., Wesley Chapel
  • Jan. 20 at Centennial Middle School, 38505 Centennial Road in Dade City
  • Jan. 21 at Chester W. Taylor Elementary School, 3638 Morris Bridge Road in Zephyrhills

Parents of sixth- and seventh-graders at the host schools, as well as those of current fifth-graders in the elementary schools that feed into them, are encouraged to attend.

The superintendent, the magnet school principal, and district staff will discuss the STEM magnet theme and programs that will be offered at the school. Parents also will hear about magnet school application timelines and options for transportation.

Thursday Musicale offers scholarships
The Thursday Musicale, a women’s choral group formed to promote music in Pasco and Hernando counties, offers scholarships to graduating high school seniors in Pasco and Hernando counties who plan to study music in college and make it a career.

The deadline to apply for a scholarship is Jan. 22. Auditions will be Feb. 2 and Feb. 9 at Trinity Presbyterian Church of Seven Springs in New Port Richey.

For applications, contact your high school career counselor and/or music director.

For information, email .

Take Stock in Children applications
Take Stock in Children scholarship applications are now being accepted online through Jan. 24 for Pasco County Schools’ students on free/reduced lunch in grades eight to 10.

The organization, a program with the Pasco Education Foundation and partnered with Pasco County Schools, has provided scholarships, mentors and hope since 1995.

For information and an application, visit PascoEducationFoundation.org.

School photographer celebrates with fundraiser
Paul Gigante, a professional school photographer since 1991 in Tampa Bay, has seen the need to help less fortunate homeless high school seniors, as they transition after graduation to start college careers. His goal is to raise $50,000 at a benefit to help as many students from the Class of 2016 in Pasco and Hillsborough counties as possible.

Gigante will host a “H4 Benefit” (Helping Our Homeless High Schoolers Achieve Higher Education) at Skipper’s Smokehouse, 910 Skipper Road in Tampa, on Jan. 24 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Entertainment will include the USF “HOT” Pep Band, The Butch Ryan Band, local disc jockeys, and others.

There also will be silent auctions, sports memorabilia, gift baskets, a 50/50 raffle, corn hole tournament, photo booth and more.

The cover charge is a birthday card for Paul with a donation payable to “H4 Benefit.”

Corporate/local business partnerships/personal and family sponsorships are available.

For information, contact Paul Gigante at (813) 340-4080.

Virtual tours available for Saint Leo
The Office of Admissions at Saint Leo University has begun using the latest trend in social media to reach prospective students from around the world. Student tour guides conduct a live video tour of university campus every Wednesday afternoon.

The office uses the Periscope program, which allows for real-time video sharing with student followers. It is interactive, as participants may submit questions, and the video hosts or tour guides can respond immediately. The tour’s content can be customized based on the users’ interaction and requests. The video tours are available for replay for 24 hours following the live broadcast.

To date, more than 1,000 prospective students have participated in the live Periscope broadcasts.

Viewers must follow Saint Leo’s Twitter account to access the video tour, and will receive additional enrollment messages after the tour has concluded for as long as they continue to follow the feed.

The live video tours are marketed to prospective students through email invitation, a Facebook campaign, Twitter advertising, and a website presence.

Potential future uses will include live interviews with faculty, live visits to classrooms, and other on-campus events.

Superintendent calls social media appeals ‘problematic’

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Concerns raised about a Go Fund Me site during a recent Pasco County School Board meeting prompted Superintendent Kurt Browning to voice concerns over how appeals for help are posted by teachers on social media sites.

The issue came up when Amy Bracewell, a parent who lives in Northwood, told school board members that a posting on a Go Fund Me site was seeking funds to purchase materials for students at Denham Oaks Elementary.

Superintendent Kurt Browning said social media appeals can create a false impression about district’s efforts.
Superintendent Kurt Browning said social media appeals can create a false impression about district’s efforts.

The posting said that 42 percent of the students in the school’s first-grade have reading deficiencies and need additional materials.

Bracewell lives in Northwood, a community in Wesley Chapel, which has been reassigned to attend Denham Oaks Elementary, in Lutz, next school year.

She and other parents objected to their children being moved from their Wesley Chapel community to attend a school in Lutz, with a lower academic rating.

“Considering that I have a kindergartner starting in the fall, I find it extremely disturbing to find a Go Fund Me page set up for the first-graders of Denham Oaks Elementary School,” she told board members.

Browning said he became aware of the Go Fund Me site the evening before the Dec. 15 school board meeting.

The superintendent said the post “was somewhat troubling to me, because it made it sound that we, as a district, were not providing the level of materials to those schools. That is just not the case.

“We provide the materials at every one of our schools that support our students in learning to read and learning to read on grade level,” Browning said.

“They wanted additional materials and were asking for contributions to pay for those additional materials,” he said.

He also asked teachers and other staff members to be careful when they are making social media appeals to be sure they accurately convey the nature of the request.

“The whole Go Fund Me pages and the Donor Choose pages, in my opinion, are incredibly problematic for this district,” he said. “They’re problematic as a whole.”

Sometimes requests are made for materials that are not compatible with district needs, he said. For instance, “iPad minis will not support many of the things that we do in classrooms,” he said.

Browning also noted, it’s impossible for the district to monitor all of the requests that are posted on social media.

With 87 schools in the district, he said, “We just don’t have the resources to do that.”

So, he urged caution in the postings, noting the message they send doesn’t just affect one school, but reflects on the entire district.

Published December 30, 2015

Pasco expands magnet options

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Pasco County Schools is expanding its magnet school options beginning next school year, and is holding a series of community meetings to explain the additional options.

Sanders Memorial Elementary School is Pasco County’s first magnet school. It offers a curriculum that focuses on science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics. The district is converting Centennial Middle School in Dade City into a science, technology, engineering and mathematics magnet school. (File Photo)
Sanders Memorial Elementary School is Pasco County’s first magnet school. It offers a curriculum that focuses on science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics.
The district is converting Centennial Middle School in Dade City into a science, technology, engineering and mathematics magnet school.
(File Photo)

The district is converting Centennial Middle School, in Dade City, into a STEM Magnet School. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

A series of community meetings, with each beginning at 6 p.m., will give parents a chance to learn more about the new middle school magnet program.

  • Jan. 11 in the cafeteria at Raymond B. Stewart Middle School, 38505 10th Ave., in Zephyrhills
  • Jan. 12 in the auditorium at Pasco Middle School at 13925 14th St., in Dade City
  • Jan. 13 in the cafeteria at Thomas E. Weightman Middle School, at 30649 Wells Road in Wesley Chapel
  • Jan. 19 in the cafeteria at Dr. John Long Middle School cafeteria, 2025 Mansfield Blvd., Wesley Chapel
  • Jan. 20 in the cafeteria at Centennial Middle School, at 38505 Centennial Road in Dade City
  • Jan. 21 in the cafeteria at Chester W. Taylor Elementary School, at 3638 Morris Bridge Road in Zephyrhills

Parents of sixth- and seventh-graders at the host schools, as well as parents of current fifth-graders that feed into those schools, are encouraged to attend.

Elementary schools feeding into Centennial Middle School are Centennial, Cox, Double Branch, Lacoochee, New River, Pasco, Quail Hollow, San Antonio, Seven Oaks, Veterans, Watergrass, Wesley Chapel, West Zephyrhills and Woodland.

At each meeting, Superintendent Kurt Browning, the magnet school principal and district staff will discuss the STEM magnet theme and programs that will be offered.

Parents also will hear about magnet school application timelines and options for transportation.

Fifth- through seventh-grade students may apply for acceptance to the magnet school during the magnet school application period, Jan. 18 through Jan. 31, 2016. Students and parents not listed are welcome to attend the meetings, but will need to apply for acceptance through the regular school choice period, which begins Feb. 1.

In addition to the new middle school magnet, the district also has an elementary STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics) program at Sanders Memorial Elementary in Land O’ Lakes.

Parents of prospective students to Sanders are invited to tour the school, at 5126 School Road in Land O’ Lakes, on Jan. 8 at 10 a.m., and 1:30 p.m.

Parents will have a chance to learn more about the school’s programs, facilities and unique features.

Sanders has unmanned aerial systems, solar panels, and other high tech devices, as well as computers and iPads for each student.

Published December 30, 2015

Chalk Talk 12/30/2105

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Pasco School Board elects chairwoman
The District School Board of Pasco County elected Joanne Hurley (District 2) board chairwoman and Allen Altman (District 1) board vice chairman at its annual reorganization.

Hurley will serve a one-year term as chairwoman before her retirement from the school board next November. She was first elected in 2008, and was re-elected in 2012. Hurley served as chairwoman of the board once, and vice chairwoman twice.

Altman will serve a one-year term as vice chairman. He was elected to the school board in 2006, and was re-elected without opposition in 2010 and 2014. Altman has served as vice chairman and chairman of the board.

Bright Ideas contest
Belle of the Ball Project is supporting Bright House Networks’ program, “Bright Ideas STEM from Today’s Youth,” to help youth develop into innovative entrepreneurs. In the program, students are encouraged to submit a new idea, powered by STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) that can help make the world a better place.

By entering, high school students will vie for the opportunity to compete head-to-head on TV, in front of a studio audience in Orlando. The winner will have the chance to work with a leading innovation firm.

The program is currently open and available for students ages 14 to 19. The deadline to enter is Jan. 4.

To enter, visit BrightIdeas.BrightHouse.com/.

School board meeting cancelled
The District School Board of Pasco County has cancelled the regularly scheduled Jan. 5 board meeting due to winter break.

The district is closed from Dec. 21 through Jan.4.

Magnet school offers tour
Sanders Memorial Elementary STEAM Magnet School, 5126 School Road in Land O’ Lakes, will offer a school tour on Jan. 8, to show parents and prospective students the programs and facilities.

Principal Jason Petry and staff will lead parents through each grade level area, the collaboration center, outdoor classroom areas, boardwalk, and athletic facilities. Sanders is Pasco County’s first magnet school and was designed to focus on science, technology, engineering, arts and math.

For information, call Kristie Newsome at (813) 794-1500.

STEM magnet school info meetings
Centennial Middle STEM Magnet School, scheduled to open in August, will host parent information sessions at 6 p.m., as follows:

  • Jan. 11 at Raymond B. Stewart Middle School, 38505 10th Ave., Zephyrhills
  • Jan. 12 at Pasco Middle School, 13925 14th St., Dade City
  • Jan. 13 at Thomas E. Weightman Middle School, 30649 Wells Road in Wesley Chapel
  • Jan. 19 at Dr. John Long Middle School, 2025 Mansfield Blvd., Wesley Chapel
  • Jan. 20 at Centennial Middle School, 38505 Centennial Road in Dade City
  • Jan. 21 at Chester W. Taylor Elementary School, 3638 Morris Bridge Road in Zephyrhills

Parents of sixth- and seventh-graders at the host schools, as well as those of current fifth-graders in the elementary schools that feed into them, are encouraged to attend.

The superintendent, the magnet school principal, and district staff will discuss the STEM magnet theme and programs that will be offered at the school. Parents also will hear about magnet school application timelines and options for transportation.

Still time to enroll for spring classes at PHSC

Currently enrolled and returning Pasco-Hernando State College students are encouraged to register for spring classes as soon as possible. Spring classes begin on Jan. 11.

New students interested in taking classes this spring should visit PHSC.edu/wise, for admissions information. The application fee is $25, with an additional $20 assessed during the late registration period, which is Jan. 11 through Jan. 15.

For more information, visit PHSC.edu, or contact the Student Development Office at a nearby PHSC location.

Lutz native performs at Belmont concert
Sarah Fechtel, a native of Lutz and commercial music major at Belmont University, performed in the “Christmas at Belmont” concert at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center. The concert was taped live and aired nationally on PBS this holiday season.

More than 700 student musicians joined the Belmont School of Music faculty and the Nashville Children’s Choir for the concert. This year’s edition featured the University Symphony Orchestra, Belmont Strings, University Singers, Belmont Chorale, Percussion Ensemble, Musical theatre, Jazz Band, Jazzmin, Southbound and Company, and mass choirs.

Thursday Musicale offers scholarships
The Thursday Musicale, a women’s choral group formed to promote music in Pasco and Hernando counties, offers scholarships to graduating high school seniors in Pasco and Hernando counties who plan to study music in college and make it a career.

The deadline to apply for a scholarship is Jan. 22. Auditions will be Feb. 2 and Feb. 9 at Trinity Presbyterian Church of Seven Springs in New Port Richey.

For applications, contact your high school career counselor and/or music director.

For information, email .

Take Stock in Children applications
Take Stock in Children scholarship applications are now being accepted online through Jan. 24 for Pasco County Schools’ students on free/reduced lunch in grades eight to 10.

The organization, a program with the Pasco Education Foundation and partnered with Pasco County Schools, has provided scholarships, mentors and hope since 1995.

For information and an application, visit PascoEducationFoundation.org.