The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Education

Legislature votes to grant in-state tuition for undocumented students

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Legislation adopted by the Florida Legislature — and signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott on June 9  — will make college more affordable for undocumented workers.

The governor’s signature signals the end of an 11-year effort to allow undocumented workers who have completed at least three years in a Florida high school the opportunity to attend Florida state colleges at the in-state tuition rate.

The students, however, must enroll in the postsecondary school within 24 months of graduation.

Margarita Romo, executive director of Farmworkers Self-Help Inc., is pleased that the state legislature has passed a bill that will allow undocumented students to qualify for in-state tuition at Florida colleges. (File Photo)
Margarita Romo, executive director of Farmworkers Self-Help Inc., is pleased that the state legislature has passed a bill that will allow undocumented students to qualify for in-state tuition at Florida colleges.
(File Photo)

Margarita Romo, executive director of Farmworkers Self-Help Inc., in Dade City, played a major role in advocating for the change, and is pleased by the Legislature’s action.

“We’re very happy that we got what we got. It’s been a long time coming,” Romo said.

For years, she’s been taking undocumented students to Tallahassee to meet with lawmakers to explain why it is so important to allow them to attend Florida colleges without paying out-of-state tuition. Throughout that effort, Romo has repeated this refrain: “You can pick enough oranges to pay in-state tuition, but you cannot pick enough oranges to pay out-of-state tuition.”

With the adoption of this legislation, Florida will become the 20th state to offer some sort of in-state tuition to students brought to the United States illegally, according to The New York Times. Romo credited state House Speaker Will Weatherford’s support for playing a key role in gaining the legislation’s passage.

“The speaker of the house really knocked himself out,” said Romo, who was inducted last year into the Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame for her work in advocating for the needs of migrant farmworkers and immigrants.

Romo took three young men in to meet the Wesley Chapel Republican to discuss the issue, and Weatherford told her that made an impression.

“I was actually in the hospital when the speaker of the house called me,” she said. “Of course, I didn’t answer the phone because I was in the hospital. I just had my fourth heart attack. He called and left a message saying he had a surprise.

“He said, ‘I just want you to know that I am really going to support in-state tuition.’ That certainly gave my heart a lift. And, he kept his word.”

When the legislation passed, Weatherford issued a statement that said lawmakers were making history.

“For many years, children who are here through no fault of their own have waited for the opportunity to fully realizing their dreams,” Weatherford said in the statement. “Today, the Florida Legislature put those dreams into reach.”

While pleased with the legislation, Romo would like to see an amendment in the future that would remove the provision that limits the in-state tuition to those who have graduated from a Florida high school within the past two years. The battle to make this change began more than a decade ago and the two-year limit leaves out too many people who simply will never be able to attend college, without the lower rate, Romo said.

Published June 11, 2014

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Liberty eighth-grader earns ‘primer lugar’ at Spanish spelling bee

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An eighth-grader at Liberty Middle School tied for first place in a recent spelling bee. To get there, however, she had to spell words like “piel” — that’s “skin” in Spanish.

From left are students Jack Richardson, Tania Sexauer and Catherine Weng, with their teacher Katie Smith. The students vied with competitors from 16 schools at the May 15 Spanish spelling bee. Weng won in the Spanish I category for non-native speakers. (Courtesy of Liberty Middle School)
From left are students Jack Richardson, Tania Sexauer and Catherine Weng, with their teacher Katie Smith. The students vied with competitors from 16 schools at the May 15 Spanish spelling bee. Weng won in the Spanish I category for non-native speakers.
(Courtesy of Liberty Middle School)

Catherine Weng shared top honors at the Spanish spelling bee held May 15 at the Roland Park magnet school. Roland Park was one of 16 Hillsborough County schools that participated in the event, which featured categories for beginners and second-tier Spanish speakers in both native and non-native divisions.

But this isn’t the first time Weng has found success in the spelling bee. She won first place last year while taking introductory Spanish classes.

Weng competed in the Spanish I category for non-native speakers this year, and earned the tie when she and another student exhausted all the words prepared for the bee.

“It’s really great getting to go back to school and say, ‘Hey guys, I won first!’” Weng said.

Weng’s first language is English, but she also speaks a little Mandarin at home. Being familiar with another language helps her acclimate to learning a new one, she said. And because Spanish words often are spelled the way they sound, Weng found success easier in the Spanish spelling bee.

But that doesn’t mean it’s a matter of just sounding out words and collecting a trophy. To spell Spanish words in the competition correctly, Weng also had to mention a letter’s accent mark by declaring “con acento” — or “with accent” — after that particular letter. Failing to designate the proper accents meant the spelling would be considered incorrect.

And, like all languages, some words don’t follow the expected protocol. For a non-native speaker, the challenge is knowing the foreign words well enough to recognize when to go with how the word sounds, and when the spelling is somewhat different.

According to Katie Smith, one of the Spanish teachers at Liberty Middle School, the Spanish spelling bee benefits students who are trying to grasp Spanish for the first time.

“The spelling bee itself helps the kids really recognize some of the nuances of the language,” she said.

By understanding where the words have accents, for example, they can improve their pronunciation and speak the language properly.

But it also helps those students who are native speakers, Smith said. Many children who come from Spanish-speaking households don’t necessarily get to write it. They grow up learning both Spanish words and English spelling rules, which can be confusing. The competition allows them to recognize the spelling protocol for Spanish, and helps keep the rules for both languages separate.

Weng joined fellow schoolmates Tania Sexauer and Jack Richardson, who competed in the beginning Spanish category. And while they didn’t finish as high as Weng, Smith said they should be very proud to have advanced through Liberty’s difficult internal competition to compete at the final event.

“That’s the thing I kept stressing to them,” she said. “Even though you may not have made it to the top five (in the spelling bee at Roland Park), it’s really OK, because the fact that you were able to go and represent the school is a big accomplishment in and of itself.”

The beginning Spanish classes are particularly large, with Weng, who has only been learning Spanish for a couple of years, plans to continue studying the language when she enters high school. But for now she’s excited that her studying paid off with another first-place finish, and the Spanish spelling bee has helped her learn a new language.

“I had done it last year so I knew it was coming up again this year, so I really made sure I knew how to spell the words correctly when we were learning them,” Weng said. “I think it’s a great experience. I think it really helps me focus on Spanish.”

Published June 4, 2014

School sends eighth-graders out to discover the world

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A dozen eighth-graders at Countryside Montessori Charter School have experienced something few, if any, of their peers have in the Land O’ Lakes area.

The soon-to-be-graduates were among the first to take on the task of interning at local businesses throughout the week of May 19. They spent several hours of their day at a variety of businesses in the local area, from schools to pet day care centers.

Ashley Schrader, an eighth-grader at Countryside Montessori Charter School in Land O’ Lakes, chats with The Laker/Lutz News senior account manager Terri Williamson, during her recent internship at the paper. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Ashley Schrader, an eighth-grader at Countryside Montessori Charter School in Land O’ Lakes, chats with The Laker/Lutz News senior account manager Terri Williamson, during her recent internship at the paper.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

The students developed their own internship preparation while their teacher, Bobbianne Grant, implemented the idea of gaining real-world experience in a range of professional settings.

This particular program was the first time the school has allowed students to participate in internships with a goal of achieving a better feel for their future professions.

Based on its success this year, Countryside plans to continue the internship program next year for seventh and eighth graders.

“The internships give the eighth-grade students the opportunity to experience the work force before going into high school,” said Grant, the Countryside teacher leading the project.

Grant gave these students, including this writer, the ability to successfully experience different work atmospheres and assist in each company’s needs.

Many students said they had a positive experience and learned a great deal of work skills. Their feedback has given the school valuable input to help its students in future internship programs in high school and college.

The students who participated in the program said they appreciated the opportunity that was given to them, and hope they will be able to engage in a similar task in their futures.

“Internships are like an opportunity for us to see the real world,” said Devyn Dacus, 13, one of a dozen students that participated in the internships. “Since we are not yet adults, internships are one of the few chances we have to see the work force.”

Dacus interned at Countryside Montessori Academy, one of two preschool and kindergarten divisions related to the Montessori program. It’s located on Carson Drive, a few miles from the main charter school campus at Ehren Cutoff.

“At the preschool I was interning at, I had a great experience,” Dacus added. “It made me realize how tedious it actually is to care for toddlers.”

Her classmate, Abby Kuskin, did her internship at Grace Family Church in Lutz and Black Saddle Stables in Odessa and Land O’ Lakes. She said the experiences were cool and interesting, and it could help her achieve a dream of owning her own nonprofit children’s ministry home.

The school’s seventh graders also were allowed to participate in internships by shadowing the elementary school teachers at Countryside and experiencing a school day from the teacher’s point of view.

“The shadowing was a great experience,” said Julia Leck, one of the participating seventh graders in the project.

The program — led by Grant and her colleagues at Countryside — allowed the interns to gain experiences and memories they can apply to their own future careers.

Ashley Schrader spent a week as an intern at The Laker/Lutz News as part of Countryside Montessori Charter School’s careers project.

The businesses that participated in the Countryside Montessori Charter School internship program, and the students who interned, included:

• A Perfect Smile, Natalia Estrada
• Victory Lane Motorcars, Dinah Miranda
• Central Bark Doggie Day Care, Jayden Trenchik and Katie Champion
• Countryside Montessori Academy, Devyn Dacus
• On Your Toes, Brianna Lusk
• MediTech Medical Center, Sam Talero
• Grace Family Church and Black Saddle Stables, Abby Kuskin
• Quality Pet, Owen Robison
• The Laker/Lutz News, Ashley Schrader

By Ashley Schrader

Published June 4, 2014

Pasco County Schools expands summer programs

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Pasco County Schools’ $1.3 million summer school program this year will serve 6,580 students. That’s an increase of 1,820 over last summer’s rolls, according to district officials.

This year’s programs also will reach younger children, and will give older students more time to work on recovering course credits.

School board member Steve Luikart applauded the expanded program.

“The need is there,” Luikart said. “We’re doing everything we can to help more kids.”

The district is piloting new programs for kindergarteners and first graders focusing on literacy, and for second graders emphasizing mathematics.

The literacy pilot will serve about 390 students, and the mathematics pilot will serve about 400 children. The students will come from Title 1 schools, which are schools that qualify for federal funding because they have a large percentage of children from poor families.

Another pilot will focus on science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics, otherwise known as STEM. It will serve approximately 45 third- and fourth-grade students from Fox Hollow, Schrader, and Gulf Highlands elementary schools, and will be held at Gulf Highlands.

The district’s summer reading camp will continue to target third graders. About 700 children are expected to receive the additional help. The media centers at each of the summer camp locations will be open to all students on those days.

The district also will be using migrant camps for kindergarten through 12th-graders at eight east Pasco schools, to help close the achievement gap.

The program will serve about 45 students, an increase of 15 from last year.

A program aimed at giving children a chance to learn through a variety of environmental experiences also is being offered to students from Title 1 schools. About 600 students from Title 1 schools will visit Safety Town, Energy Marine Center, Starkey Ranch, caves, and The Florida Aquarium through the Pasco Environmental Adventure Camp Experience.

The district also is providing additional help to middle school students who have not met the requirements to be promoted to the next grade. The district’s course recovery programs have been extended from half-days to full-days to give students more time to master essential content.

The district is providing this opportunity for students to get back on track to up to 100 students per Title 1 school, and up to 50 students at other schools.

Courses also will be available for high school students needing to recover credits, with seniors being given the highest priority for those opportunities.

The district also will offer summer school for exceptional student education programs for students who have individual education plans that call for summer instruction.

The district will serve summer meals at locations where more than 50 percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals during the regular school year. District staff members will serve breakfast, lunch and a snack to children through age 18.

Transportation also will be provided to summer programs for students who meet the district’s requirements.

Teachers can upgrade their skills in the district’s Secondary Literacy Symposium for sixth- through 12th-grade teachers. Teachers will work in collaborative groups to deepen their learning related to the English Language Arts instructional shifts of the newly adopted Florida Standards.

Other teachers also will have a chance to strengthen their content knowledge of the standards at the 2014 K-8 Mathematics Institute and at the High School Mathematics Institute.

Published June 4, 2014

High school graduations evoke feelings of accomplishment

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It’s that time of year again, when young men and women dress in caps and gowns and march into their futures.

In many ways, it’s a rite of passage that doesn’t change much from year to year.

There’ll be music, speeches, and of course, the reading of the graduates’ names.

Hundreds of diplomas will be conferred at some ceremonies, while others will have fewer than 10. The events will be held in places as varied as W.F. Edwards Stadium to the First Baptist Church sanctuary, and from the Florida State Fairgrounds to the University of South Florida Sun Dome.

Whether it’s Freedom, Steinbrenner, Land O’ Lakes, Sunlake, Pasco, Zephyrhills, Wesley Chapel or Wiregrass Ranch high schools, or Academy at the Lakes, Bishop McLaughlin, Land O’ Lakes Christian or Zephyrhills Christian Academy — these ceremonies have special meaning to the graduates, their families and friends, and their teachers and administrators.

Commencement exercises tend to have a familiar feel, but each class is unique.

The Class of 2014 is filled with members of a generation when Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest and Obamacare became household words.

They carry smartphones, which they use to text — not talk — to their friends and to snap selfies in every conceivable place.

This is a crop of students who have repeatedly been forced to prove what they know on standardized tests.

They’ve been witnesses to history: The beginning of a new millennium, the election of the nation’s first African-American president, the legalization of same-sex marriages in some places, and the legal sale of marijuana in others.

They’ve seen increasing conflicts abroad, rising concerns about cybersecurity and the effects that the recession has had on their family’s personal wealth.

But none of this is likely to be on their minds, as they march to the sounds of “Pomp and Circumstance.”

Many graduates have gone far beyond the call of duty, demonstrating their commitment to learning by achieving GPAs well beyond the 4.0 that comes from getting straight As in traditional courses. Those students tackled a more rigorous curriculum, including Advanced Placement and dual enrollment courses that can earn them college credit during high school.

Marc Berson, for instance, from Freedom High, is graduating with an 8.12 GPA.

As they wrap up their high school academic career, some are planning careers in medicine, finance, pharmacy or aerospace engineering. Others aren’t sure of what path they’ll pursue, and some will wind up in careers that have not even yet been invented.

Some plan to attend exclusive colleges in faraway places, while others will attend classes closer to home at the University of South Florida, Pasco-Hernando State College, Hillsborough Community College, Saint Leo University, Rasmussen College and other local institutions.

For students living in Wesley Chapel, this will be the first graduating class to have the option of remaining in their community to attend college classes. Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, a satellite of PHSC, opened in January.

For now, though, it’s time to savor the moment, for graduates to pose for photographs with friends and families, and to enjoy celebrations, before finding a path to call their own.

Published May 28, 2014

If you want to share the graduation section with family and friends through the Internet, we put together a handy guide that will take you directly to the e-edition related to your graduate. Just click which school you’re looking for below, and we’ll get you where you need to go.
Academy at the Lakes
Bishop McLaughlin High School
Freedom High School
Land O’ Lakes Christian School
Land O’ Lakes High School
Pasco High School
Steinbrenner High School
Sunlake High School
Wesley Chapel High School
Wiregrass Ranch High School
Zephyrhills Christian Academy
Zephyrhills High School

Chalk Talk 05-28-14

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(Courtesy of Long Middle School)
(Courtesy of Long Middle School)

Round Up provides school break
Long Middle School students and faculty, along with family members and friends, took part in the school’s PTSA’s Round Up Carnival April 25. The event included mechanical bull rides, bungee jumping, hamster ball, laser tag, jousting, dancing, performances, dunk tank, games with prizes, and food.

 

 

 

(Courtesy of Mary Hanchar)
(Courtesy of Mary Hanchar)

Bergstrand receives women’s club merit award
Lexington Oaks Women’s Club president Susan Bergstrand, left, recently awarded Alexis Daubney, a Lexington Oaks resident and Land O’ Lakes High School student, a merit award of $500 for college. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Students ‘Go for the Gold’ at WCES
Wesley Chapel Elementary School recently rewarded students for meeting their “Go for the Gold” challenge with an i-Ready celebration May 16.

i-Ready is an online instructional program that delivers lessons at each student’s learning level. The eight-week challenge was for students to dedicate time to completing lessons at their i-Ready level.

The entire third grade won overall with a total of 1,510 reading lessons completed in eight weeks.

Christian homeschool education
Classical Conversations will host a parent practicum for those considering homeschooling and classical Christian education.

The three-day practicum is May 28-30 at Idlewild Church of Odessa, 1234 Gunn Highway.

Sessions run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Guests should bring a picnic lunch.

For information, email .

Teacher appreciation
The Tampa Museum of Art hosted an appreciation event for teachers of at-risk students May 7 during National Teacher Appreciation Week.

More than 65 teachers and support staff with Project PROMISE — Programs Offering Mentoring, Intervention Services, and Educational support — were recognized.

The program supports approximately 1,800 neglected, delinquent or at-risk youth, as well as students with at-risk characteristics enrolled in traditional and alternative schools.

Shrewsbury chosen for education summit
Christopher Shrewsbury, a sophomore at Sunlake High School, has been selected to participate in the National Rifle Association’s annual National Youth Education Summit in Washington, D.C., for outstanding high school sophomores and juniors.

Shrewsbury is a member of the National Honor Society, the incoming treasurer of the Sunlake High School Key Club, and the captain of the varsity cross-country team.

He is an active member of the NRA, the National Sporting Clays Association, and has qualified as an expert rifleman on the U.S. Army Marksmanship rifle course.

The youth summit was launched in 1996 as an effort to encourage young people to become active and knowledgeable at both national and local levels.

CPA students sought for scholarship
The Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation is looking for minority accounting students across the state to apply for the Clay Ford scholarship.

It is awarded each year to minority students looking to become certified public accountants. The program has awarded more than $1 million since it was first implemented in 1999.

A $10 portion from each individual and firm license fee funds the scholarship. Applicants may be eligible for scholarships ranging from $3,000 to $6,000 per semester, awarded for a maximum of two semesters.

Applications must be postmarked by June 1.

For information, visit MyFloridaLicense.com/CPAScholarship.

Kindergarten camp
Double Branch Elementary School, 31500 Chancey Road in Wesley Chapel, will host a kindergarten camp July 29-31 from 9 a.m. to noon.

Incoming kindergarteners will have an opportunity to meet teachers and become familiar with the school.

Cost is $40.

For information, call (813) 346-0402.

Tampa Catholic reunion
The Tampa Catholic High School Class of 1974 will celebrate its 40th reunion Aug. 22-24 at Tradewinds Island Resort in St. Pete Beach.

For information, call Robin Rogers Nasco at (813) 390-0257, or email .

 

Private schools nurture a love of reading in children

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Karen Green began her private school five years ago with two children — her daughter, Addison, and another little girl.

She knew leaving the security of her job with Hillsborough County School District to launch her own preschool was a leap of faith. But she felt compelled to do it.

Karen Green, left and Jackie Petersen are co-owners of The Reading Corner and TRC Academy, both in Lutz. Both schools emphasize nurturing a love of reading among children. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Karen Green, left and Jackie Petersen are co-owners of The Reading Corner and TRC Academy, both in Lutz. Both schools emphasize nurturing a love of reading among children.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

“I had to put my children in daycare,” Green said. “They weren’t getting early literacy lessons. I wanted a place where the love of reading and learning to read meet.”

She wasn’t interested in using a boxed reading program, or being limited to materials approved by a large school district. Her goal isn’t to merely teach children how to read, but help them develop a love for it.

So, Green decided to take the plunge and launch her own school.

“The Reading Corner really started on my couch with a computer,” said Green, a former reading coach and first-grade public school teacher.

It was slow going at first. But as word spread, Green found out that she wasn’t the only one who wanted early literacy opportunities for her children.

By April 2010, she had 40 children coming to her in some capacity, and she leased out a 1,500-square-foot space in Seven Oaks. But The Reading Corner quickly outgrew that space, too.

Last year, Green and co-owner Jackie Petersen decided to take another giant leap of faith and added an academy for kindergarten through fifth-grade. They call that school TRC Academy.

The Reading Corner is at 1800 Collier Parkway. TRC Academy and The Reading Corner is at 19215 Livingston Ave.  The total enrollment for both schools is 289, which includes 64 kindergarten through fifth-graders in TRC Academy.

“We have a lot of teachers that have been teachers before that maybe stayed home once they had babies,” Green said. “They stayed home for a couple of years and maybe didn’t want to go back to the grind of full-time.”

The school offers flexible schedules for its staff, which has resulted in many part-time teachers.

“We are all moms first,” Green said.

There’s also an effort to keep tuition affordable, she added.

“Parents know that we could easily increase tuition, but we don’t,” Green said. “We don’t have teachers that leave and we have very few families leave, so we create that culture of consistency.

“We are small and we are going to remain small. We want to ensure that we know our kids personally,” she added.

Along those lines, the teacher-student ratio is low, with a ratio 2-to-20 for kindergarten through third grade, and a ratio of 1-to-15 for grades three through five. In voluntary pre-kindergarten, the ratio is 2-to-16 at the Collier Parkway campus, and 1-to-11 at the Livingston campus.

Programs for younger children have ratios ranging from 1-to-8 to 1-to-6, depending on the age.

Delivering personalized instruction is a critical part of Green and Petersen’s philosophy. Each child, teacher and classroom is unique, Green explained.

“For our reading … we do individual reading conferences for all of the kids,” she said.

The teacher gives them a book, and from there try to figure out their area of weakness.

“We focus on what that child needs helps in, and then we do individual reading conferences twice a week,” Green said.

And it’s made a difference.

“We have found that that program has completely changed the way these kids are reading,” Green said. “They’re having more conversations about the books they’re reading. They’re understanding them better. Their fluency is better.”

In essence, they get help exactly when and where they need it.

“We’re very big into active literacy, which means you’re communicating, you’re talking, you’re thinking about what you’re reading,” Green added.

A walk through the campus on Livingston reveals welcoming teachers and young children who are engaged in lessons or activities.

Petersen, who was a teacher at Carrollwood Day School before she joined the staff, said she, too took a leap of faith when she left her previous job.

“Something was just drawing me,” Petersen said.

She began as a teacher, and has gone on to become a co-owner. Petersen has a degree in finance, so she focuses on financial issues, while Green focuses on academics.

Besides offering classes during the academic year, there are summer programs and afternoon programs, too. Someday, the school may extend into higher grades, but for now it is focusing on ensuring excellence in the existing preschool and academy, Green said.

Both schools also will remain rooted in the mission of nurturing a joy of reading in children.

“I love seeing kids getting immersed in reading,” Green said.

Published May 21, 2014

 

Chalk Talk 05-14-14

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(Courtesy of Hazel Robles)
(Courtesy of Hazel Robles)

Special delivery for special needs studentsGFWC Lutz- Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club member Hazel Robles hand-delivered Easter baskets to the autism class at Pizzo Elementary School in Tampa, and spent the day visiting with and reading to the children. The baskets were filled with items such as plastic eggs, bunnies, coloring books, markers, bubbles and art supplies provided by the woman’s club.

Home-schooler helps ‘make change’
Maximus Karafilis, 9, from Land O’ Lakes, participated in his first fundraiser May 3 at the Children’s Gala at the Museum of Science & Industry, raising $248.11.

Children were given piggy banks to “collect change to make a change,” raising money to send 400 children to MOSI’s summer camps.

Karafilis takes home-school classes at MOSI, and also attends a science class and a math club there.

WRHS PTSA meets
The Wiregrass Ranch High School PTSA will meet May 22 at 5:15 p.m., in the cafeteria, 2909 Mansfield Blvd., Wesley Chapel.

Senior night awards will follow the meeting in the gym at 6 p.m.

Honor Day for African-American students
Citizens Concerned for Students will recognize public middle and high school African-American students that have earned the honor roll at least once during the current school year at an honor day ceremony May 24 at 5 p.m. It will take place at the Pasco Schools Center for the Arts at Wesley Chapel, 30651 Wells Road.

There also will be a college and career fair at 3:30 p.m., in the adjacent Wesley Chapel High School gym.

Both the awards ceremony and the fair are open to the public.

For information, visit HonorDayPasco.org.

Corbett Prep open house
Corbett Preparatory School of IDS, 12015 Orange Grove Drive in Tampa, will host an early admissions open house May 28 at 8:30 a.m.

Prospective parents can learn about the early primary program, including goals, academics, special traditions, and daily routines.

For information and to RSVP, call (813) 961-3087.

(Courtesy of Saint Leo University)
(Courtesy of Saint Leo University)

Cadets commissioned at Saint Leo
Seven graduating students from Saint Leo University’s ROTC program at University Campus were recently commissioned as second lieutenants into the U.S. Army. The new Army officers are, from left, 2nd Lt. Travis Bush, 2nd Lt. Gabriel Keown Jr., 2nd Lt. Christopher Gonzalez, 2nd Lt. Christopher Swonger, 2nd Lt. John Crawford, 2nd Lt. Matthew Weidner and 2nd Lt. Anthony Trick.

Former Laker editor nets teaching award
Joe Humphrey, a 10-year teacher who advises Hillsborough High School’s yearbook, newspaper, broadcast and online news programs, was named Morty Schaap Teacher of the Year at the Florida Scholastic Press Association’s 2014 state convention in Orlando.

Humphrey completed two terms as president of FSPA last year, and currently serves as its evaluations/critique services coordinator.

Before becoming a high school teacher and adjunct professor at the University of Tampa, Humphrey was a reporter for the Florida Times-Union and The Tampa Tribune. He also was editor of Community News Publications, which included The Laker and Lutz News.

‘Bee Bully-Free’ in Zephyrhills
Zephyrhills area schools are encouraging students, teachers and staff to wear black and yellow on the last Friday of each month as part of the “Bee Bully-Free” Initiative. The initiative provides stickers and coloring book pages for schools that request them, participates in the Great American Teach-in, and provides certificates and awards for students who transform from bullies into kinder versions of themselves.

The last “Bee Bully-Free” day is May 30.

For information, visit Facebook.com/beebullyfree.

Kindergarten camp
Double Branch Elementary, 31500 Chancey Road in Wesley Chapel, will host a kindergarten camp July 29-31 from 9 a.m. to noon.

Incoming kindergarteners can meet teachers and become familiar with the school.

Cost is $40.

For information, call (813) 346-0402.

Tampa Catholic reunion
The Tampa Catholic High School Class of 1974 will celebrate its 40th reunion Aug. 22-24 at Tradewinds Island Resort in St. Pete Beach.

For information, call Robin Rogers Nasco at (813) 390-0257, or email .

CPA students sought for scholarship
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation is looking for minority accounting students across the state to apply for the Clay Ford scholarship.

It is awarded each year to minority students looking to become certified public accountants. The program has awarded more than $1 million since it was first implemented in 1999.

A $10 portion from each individual and firm license fee funds the scholarship. Applicants may be eligible for scholarships ranging from $3,000 to $6,000 per semester, awarded for a maximum of two semesters.

Applications must be postmarked by June 1.

For information, visit MyFloridaLicense.com/CPAScholarship.

 

Area Odyssey of the Mind teams qualify for world competition

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An Odyssey of the Mind team from Pine View Middle School will head to the OM World competition in Ames, Iowa, at the end of May.

This Odyssey of the Mind team from Land O’ Lakes High placed second at a state competition to qualify for the World OM competition, but they won’t be attending because of scheduling conflicts. Shown here, from left to right are Blake Lash, Raelynn Lewis, Jenny Huynh, Taylore Presta, Victoria Arriaga, and Rachel Granruth. Dalton Sihite is kneeling on the ground in front of the group. (Courtesy of Jenny Huynh)
This Odyssey of the Mind team from Land O’ Lakes High placed second at a state competition to qualify for the World OM competition, but they won’t be attending because of scheduling conflicts. Shown here, from left to right are Blake Lash, Raelynn Lewis, Jenny Huynh, Taylore Presta, Victoria Arriaga, and Rachel Granruth. Dalton Sihite is kneeling on the ground in front of the group.
(Courtesy of Jenny Huynh)

Another OM team from Land O’ Lakes High School also qualified for the international competition, but is not going because of the competition’s timing. All of the members on that team are graduating seniors and are busy with senior year activities.

A total of six of the 57 Pasco County teams that competed at the state level qualified for the international contest. The other qualifying teams are Mitchell and Gulf high schools, Deer Park Elementary and Seven Springs Middle schools.

Odyssey of the Mind is an international program that encourages youths to work together as teams to use their creative and analytical skills to solve problems.

The Pine View team, which placed second in its division, tackled a problem called “Not So Haunted House.”

The Pine View team — made up of Cameron Mitchell, Zachery Dahm, Tristan Wiles, Cody Schwartz, Caleb Leeb and Timmy Heuser — is psyched about competing at worlds. They’ll battle 67 teams from such places as Switzerland, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mexico, India, Russia and Great Britain.

Some team members think they have a pretty good shot for a good showing at worlds. Others aren’t so sure. “It’s not necessarily about if we’re in the top or in the bottom. We made it to worlds. That says something,” said Tristan Wiles, whose mother, Stacy Wiles, coaches the team.

Schwartz is looking forward to the experience, no matter how the team does.

“I get to meet people from around the world,” he said.

When it came to solving the problem at state, the team had no trouble figuring out their theme, Heuser said. But agreeing to the approach to use was more challenging.

“Everybody wanted to do their own thing, and then nobody understood what the other person was saying,” Heuser said.

Leeb agreed, joking: “Success is 1 percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration and 100 percent bickering.”

But they worked through it, Stacy Wiles noted.

“It was not an easy process and that’s what makes it so cool,” the coach said.

It’s a balancing act, Tristan Wiles said.

“We all have to come together to create a solution,” Tristan Wiles said. “We all have to be one team, in order to solve the problem. That’s the whole point of this. You need to learn how to work well with each other. You need to learn to listen to each other.”

The coach has confidence in them because they are funny, creative, resourceful and kind, Stacy Wiles said.

Each team member brings different strengths. Mitchell and Dahm are good at tackling logistics and engineering. Tristan Wiles is artistic. Schwartz places a key role in writing the script. Heuser helps keep things rolling and does considerable backstage work.

The team must cover its own expenses for the trip, but Pine View’s PTSA and Pasco County Schools both contributed $1,000 each to help cover the costs, the coach said.

Although the Land O’ Lakes team isn’t traveling to worlds, team members — Rachel Granruth, Victoria Arriaga, Dalton Sihite, Blake Lash, Raelynn Lewis, Taylore Presta, and Jenny Huynh — are delighted that they qualified.

They used an out-of-this-world approach to tackling their challenge, which was called “Driver’s Test.” The vehicle they made traveled through space, in their imaginary world.

Their skit included alien beings that worshipped Beyoncé and channeled Justin Bieber. They adapted songs from stage musicals such as “The Book of Mormon” and “Hairspray,” and they incorporated solar flares and shooting stars in their story line.

In short, they had a blast coming up with ideas and executing them.

They also spent a lot of time working together to prepare for the state competition.

“You learn some practical skills. I know how to sew now,” Sihite said.

“I know how to use power tools,” Huynh said.

“Everyone is good at something,” Arriaga said. “You build on each other’s ideas.”

Lewis thinks more students should get involved in OM.

“It’s a really interesting mix of sciences and arts,” she said.

Many members of the team have been doing OM for years, Lash said. He was even coached by Stacy Wiles when he attended Pine View.

Lash has been involved, he said, because it’s fun. Other teammates agreed.

Andrew Southwick, the OM sponsor for the Land O’ Lakes team, is a former OM competitor. He was impressed by the team’s performance.

“Their personalities are a little bit intense,” Southwick said, but they worked well together. “It’s good to see that creativity isn’t dead.”

Published May 14, 2014

Land O’ Lakes art student wins a trip to Washington

By

There’s a lot more to the portrait of Kris Keppel than meets the eye.

No doubt the pencil drawing is an excellent likeness of the Land O’ Lakes coach, who has led the high school’s track and cross-country teams for more than two decades.

Trevor Nichols won Best of Show in Gus Bilirakis’ Congressional Art Competition for this pencil drawing of Land O’ Lakes High School coach Kris Keppel. (Courtesy of U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis)
Trevor Nichols won Best of Show in Gus Bilirakis’ Congressional Art Competition for this pencil drawing of Land O’ Lakes High School coach Kris Keppel.
(Courtesy of U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis)

The quality of the work is so good that a professional artist judging U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis’ Congressional Art Competition deemed it best of show.

By winning the competition, Nichols will get to travel to Washington, D.C., with one of his parents. They’ll get a tour of the White House and Capitol building, and will get to have lunch in the Congressional dining room. His art will be in the Capitol building for the next year.

Nichols, who is a senior at Land O’ Lakes High, is pleased by the recognition, and excited about getting to see Washington. When he began drawing the portrait, however, he had another goal in mind.

“I really wanted to give my coach something as a gift, something he could have to remind him of me,” said Nichols, who, along with his twin brother Travis, has been on Keppel’s track team for four years and his cross-country team almost as long.

The coach also is a neighbor of the Nichols, and a family friend.

The gesture is particularly poignant because Keppel has been battling pancreatic cancer, a fact that has inspired athletes and friends to rally behind him.

“After everything he’s been going through with the cancer, I thought it was something I should do,” said Nichols, who based his portrait on a photograph that his mom took at the state track meet in Tallahassee.

Trevor-coach keppel image

Nichols credits his art teacher, Cynthia Smith, for helping him develop his ideas and pushing him to keep him on track.

Keppel was flattered by the portrait and impressed by the amount of detail. He said it’s not the first time that Nichols has used his artistic talents on behalf of others, noting the youth has designed two T-shirts used by the team.

Keppel is recovering from a surgery known as the Whipple procedure, which involved cutting into his stomach, taking out his gallbladder, and removing about one-third of his pancreas.

He knows the survival statistics are grim for patients with pancreatic cancer, but he’s keeping an optimistic attitude.

“Remaining positive is the most important thing,” Keppel said.

Nichols is the son of Lynn and Penny Nichols. He plans to attend the University of South Florida and pursue a degree in architecture.

Published May 14, 2014