The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Education

Land O’ Lakes High to get more parking spaces

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Land O’ Lakes High School is undergoing a massive renovation project that is essentially giving the high school a new look and expanding its capacity by more than 400 students.

The Pasco County School Board voted last week to approve $1.2 million in changes to the project.

Providing 60 additional parking spaces was among a list of items that Betsy Kuhn, assistant superintendent for support services, presented to the board for approval.

“Parking has become a serious issue at Land O’ Lakes High School,” Kuhn said, and more parking will be needed as the school expands.

Pasco County School Board member Colleen Beaudoin said the additional parking is needed.

“I get lots of calls about parking at Land O’ Lakes High School,” Beaudoin said.

Other items included in the change order are:

  • Remove and replace existing flammable storage building and resurface an adjacent roadway to improve access for emergency vehicles
  • Update interior finishes such as paint, flooring, lighting, wall base and acoustical panels in the Music and Exceptional Student Education Rooms, to bring those areas in line with the balance of the remodel
  • Remove and replace two air handling units and heaters for the gymnasium, including modification of electrical, as required, and provide new controls connected with the central control system
  • Provide new metal exterior doors, frames and hardware for the gym.

Even though these items were not part of the original scope of the project, they can be completed within the project’s original construction budget, Kuhn said.

Published August 1, 2018

Work to get started on makeover of Zephyrhills High School

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A major overhaul is planned at Zephyrhills High School, and the Pasco County School Board approved a contract last week to get started on the project.

The board approved a contract not-to-exceed $396,846 with Creative Contractors to complete the early site package for the project.

“We will be bringing a full presentation in the fall on the entire project,” said Betsy Kuhn, assistant superintendent for support services. “This is just what gets us started.”

The construction phase will be split into two contracts: One for the renovation work and one for the addition.

The first phase will involve building a new classroom building, Mike Gude, director of construction services and code compliance, told the The Laker/Lutz News in a previous interview.

When the new building is completed, students can be shifted into that building and another phase of the project can begin, Gude said.

When the project is finished, the high school’s capacity is expected to increase by about 500 students.

Published August 1, 2018

Chalk Talk 08/01/2018

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(Courtesy of Benjamin Watters, Saint Leo University)

Girls Can! offers hands-on learning
For the fourth year, Saint Leo University hosted the Girls Can! Robotics Camp, aimed at increasing the number of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, in the hopes of opening young girls’ eyes to the opportunities in the STEM fields. The campers learned to build Lego Mindstorm robots and spent time learning programming. Destiny Sommer and Lydia Nystrom, students at Saint Anthony Catholic School in San Antonio, work on programming their robot to move.

Share-A-Haircut
Hair Cuttery will support underprivileged children with its Back-to-School Share-A-Haircut program.

For every children’s haircut (up to age 18) purchased between Aug. 1 and Aug. 15, a haircut certificate will be donated to a child in need.

For locations, visit HairCuttery.com.

Sales Tax Holiday
The annual Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday will run from Aug. 3 to Aug. 5.

Items exempt from sales tax include most school supplies that cost $15 or less, and clothing, footwear and accessories that cost $60 or less.

For more information, visit FloridaRevenue.com/backtoschool.

Back-to-school haircuts
My Salon Suite of New Tampa, 20707 Center Oak Drive, will provide free haircuts, in exchange for school supplies, Aug. 5 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

For every $5 to $10 of donated school supplies, a child will receive a free haircut. The donated supplies will be given to Quail Hollow Elementary and Metropolitan Ministries.

There also will be free food, face painting and more.

For information, call (813) 501-0600.

Life after high school
The Hope Ranch Learning Academy will offer “Finding Your Future: A Game Plan for Life After High School” Aug. 6 to Aug. 11, at First Assembly of God, 36322 State Road 54 in Zephyrhills.

This is a summer camp for students with IEPs or 504 plans, and includes classroom modules and community experiences on topics such as confidence building, communication, decision making, goal setting and problem solving.

For information and to register, visit HopeServicesOnline.com.

Eighth annual Stuff the Bus for Teachers
United Way of Pasco County is conducting its eighth annual Stuff the Bus for Teachers. The campaign is set for Aug. 3, Aug. 4 and Aug. 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Supplies that are collected will be distributed by Pasco County Schools.

A school bus will be stationed at Walmart shopping centers to collect donations at the following locations:

  • Walmart-Port Richey, 8701 U.S. 19
  • Walmart-New Port Richey, 8745 State Road 54
  • Walmart-Lutz 1575 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.
  • Walmart-Wesley Chapel 28500 State Road 54

Volunteers at all locations will hand out shopping lists and collect the donations.

On Aug. 6, volunteers will gather at the The Mike Fasano Hurricane Shelter, 11611 Denton Ave., in Hudson, to sort and pack the supplies.

Volunteers are needed at the donation sites and at the packing sites.

For information, contact Melinda Velez at or (727) 835-2028.

Students demonstrate skill sets
Career and technical students in Florida won one of the nation’s highest awards at the annual SkillsUSA Championships in June. The event is for students in middle school, high school or college/postsecondary programs.

More than 6,300 students competed at the national showcase, demonstrating their technical skills, workplace skills and personal skills in 102 hands-on occupational and leadership competitions. Areas of competition included robotics, automotive technology, drafting, criminal justice, aviation maintenance, public speaking and more.

Industry leaders from 600 businesses, corporations, trade associations and unions planned and evaluated the contestants against their standards for entry-level workers.

Skill Point Certificates were awarded in 72 occupational and leadership areas to students who met a predetermined threshold score in their competition, as defined by industry.

The certificate is a component of SkillsUSA’s assessment program for career and technical education.

William Isham, of New Port Richey and a student at Marchman Technical College, was awarded a Skill Point Certificate in electrical construction wiring.

Riley Klingensmith, of Hudson and a student at Marchman Technical College, received a Skill Point Certificate in cosmetology.

Help us share your ‘First Day of School’ photos
We know that you take them, so why don’t you share them?

“First Day of School” photos are an annual tradition for many families, and we’d love to share your priceless moments with our readers.

Liam Perkins celebrates his first day of fifth grade last year at New River Elementary in Wesley Chapel. (File)

So, whether your school is big or small, and whether your child’s in kindergarten, college or home-schooled, please send us your photos.

The number we will be able to publish depends how many we receive, the quality of the photos and whether we have enough information.

If you would like your submission to be considered, please email us a digital copy. Include the name or names of the student, the grade of the student or students, and the name of the school. If there is more than one student, please identify them from left to right.

Also, please include your contact information, in case we need to get back to you for additional details.

Finally, feel free to send us your photos whether you took them at home before leaving for school, or whether you took them at the school itself.

Please submit the photos by Aug. 17 by emailing them to .

 

Wilton Simpson reflects on Parkland in Dade City visit

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More than five months removed from being one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history, the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland is still a considerable talking point for legislators statewide.

At least that — and the state’s ensuing school safety actions — was at the forefront of discussion in State Sen. Wilton Simpson’s recent stop in Dade City.

Speaking before a standing-room-only crowd at The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce July monthly breakfast meeting, the Florida Senate majority leader talked extensively about the Valentine’s Day shooting, where a lone gunman killed 17 students and staff members, and injured 17 others.

State Sen. Wilton Simpson was the featured guest speaker at a Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce July 17 breakfast meeting at Florida Hospital Dade City. (Courtesy of Richard K. Riley)

In response to multiple questions from the audience, the state senator outlined several “failures” that may have prompted the school shooting — which have been reviewed and investigated through the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission.

Simpson blasted the Broward County school district’s diversion program called PROMISE, which offers alternatives to arrests for some misdemeanors.

That initiative, he said, “did not use law enforcement appropriately to deal with children with bad behavior and bad activities.”

As an example, Simpson noted the accused gunman and former student, Nikolas Cruz, was visited by police “around 30 to 40 times” over the course of several years prior to the Feb. 14 Parkland shooting massacre.

“You had a child who was clearly mentally deranged in a school system that was causing major problems — they didn’t trust him to bring a backpack to that school — and we allowed him, as a society, to stay in that school. We allowed that. We put everybody at risk because of this one person’s rights to be in that school. We gotta rethink that, probably,” said Simpson, who represents Hernando and Citrus counties, and parts of Pasco County.

Simpson bluntly called out Broward school leaders and local law enforcement for not appropriately vetting all tips related to the alleged gunman’s continually disturbing behavior.

“The sheriff should’ve been fired, the superintendent of schools should be fired, (and) those school board members probably will be replaced in this election,” Simpson said.

He added: “When you look at our responsibility as adults in society, we failed, on so many levels, the Parkland kids.”

Simpson also set the blame on a lack of parental responsibility in the case, and other similar instances that have occurred nationwide: “(Many) parents don’t do anything anymore, don’t raise their kids. Kids get home, they get on a video game; they’re on a video game all day — and that’s what’s raising our kids,” he said.

Simpson also discussed the state’s response efforts in the aftermath of the Parkland shooting.

He, along with incoming Senate President Bill Galvano, visited the Parkland school the day after the massacre.

Simpson told the audience: “We saw the destruction — a very tragic incident. We had to work through that issue and make sure that doesn’t happen again, right?”

Out of it came the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, which enacts several measures, including requiring all Florida school districts to provide one or more safe-school officers at each school facility beginning in the 2018-2019 school year.

In addition to permitting a school guardian program, the $400 million spending package allocates nearly $100 million apiece for mental health assistance, and improving and hardening the physical security of school buildings.

The legislation also tightened gun laws.

The new minimum age to purchase a firearm is 21, up from 18, with a few exceptions. A three-day waiting period is now required for most gun purchases. And, it’s now illegal to sell or possess “bump stocks,” which allow semiautomatic rifles to fire faster.

Simpson defended the legislation on the whole: “I think what we did was come out with something that I think will be long-lasting. Not perfect, but substantially good public policy to protect our kids and our school system, so we’re very proud of that.

“We were really working 20 hours a day on this stuff. We had folks coming from all over the state — families of the victims, sheriffs all over the state, counselors from all over the state. We were working day and night, putting those together and vetting those things.”

Also in response to the Parkland school massacre, Simpson noted the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) has added a group of staffers whose sole job is to take and investigate complaints about possible suspicious or troubling behavior in schools, via a mobile app unit.

“A student now can go right into the system at FDLE and say, ‘This kid has got serious problems and is threatening gun violence or something in our schools,’” Simpson said.

The state lawmaker also touched on Florida’s economy during his speaking engagement.

He mentioned a handful of funding projects the Florida Legislature has tackled the last several years related to improving public education and transportation infrastructure, and also deepwater seaports and waterways — all of which he believes puts the state in an enviable position, long-term.

“Florida’s trajectory is much better than, I believe, the rest of the country, because of that economic investment that we’re making in our future,” he said.

Simpson also highlighted the state’s AAA bond rating, pointing out the state has paid off about $7 billion in debt over the last six years, while also cutting nearly that same figure in taxes during that period.

Published July 25, 2018

Chalk Talk 07/25/2018

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(Courtesy of Jo-Ann Johnston)

Learning new skills to help students
Twenty teachers from Pasco County attended the fifth Teacher Technology Summit Institute at Saint Leo University in June. The event helps teachers gain new skills in working with classroom technology to improve students’ learning. This year, educational tools were added to expose  young students to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects. From left: Jessica Heck, Chester Taylor Elementary School, Zephyrhills; Pamela Peters and Carla Torres, Pine View Middle, Land O’ Lakes, look at a small robot called ‘Dash’ that children can learn to program.

Hearing screenings
The Sertoma Speech and Hearing Foundation of Florida screened more than 17,000 students at more than 60 schools last year and is looking for volunteers to do the same this year when school begins in August.

No previous training is required. The screening process is simple and a brief demonstration is provided. The average screening time is two hours to three hours.

Volunteers are free to choose which schools they would prefer.

All volunteers must pass a background check.

Prospective volunteers can fill in an application at Pasco.k12.fl.us, and click on the Volunteer Application at the bottom of the page. Under ‘Preferences,’ choose Sertoma Speech & Hearing.

Hopefest
The Freedom Center will present Hopefest on July 27 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Wesley Chapel Elementary School, 30243 Wells Road.

There will be free backpacks, school supplies, music, food, carnival games and more.

In order to receive a free backpack, each child must present a ticket.

To register, visit FreedomIsHere.org.

For information, call (813) 414-1664.

Back to School Bash
The Sertoma Speech and Hearing Foundation will host a Back to School Bash, presented by the Standing Strong Outreach Ministry, on July 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Centro De La Restaurancion, 6541 Orchid Lake Road in New Port Richey.

There will be music, face painting, bounce houses, school supplies raffles and more.

For information, call (727) 505-0108.

School supply drive
Gulfside Hospice Thrift Shoppes and the Kiwanis Club of Greater West Pasco are partnering for a Back to School Supply Drive through July 31.

Items needed include backpacks, colored pencils, crayons, erasers, folders, glue sticks, markers, notebooks, paper, pencil cases, pens, scissors and yellow pencils.

Donations will be distributed to students in need in Pasco County elementary schools at the start of the school year.

Shoppers who donate new school supplies will receive a voucher for 25 percent off a single item in the store.

For shop locations, visit GHPPC.org. For information about the drive, call Kirsty Churchill at (727) 845-5707.

Hillel offers preschool
Hillel Academy, Tampa’s accredited Jewish day school, and the Tampa JCCs and Federation, have announced that Tampa JCC Preschool will be offered at Hillel, beginning in the fall, for children ages 3 and 4.

Hillel’s location in Carrollwood will be the third for Tampa JCC Preschool.

The preschool will follow the same curriculum and philosophical approach as the other locations in Citrus Park and South Tampa, but it will mirror the Hillel Academy schedule, August through May, from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., weekdays.

For information, contact Jen Goldberg, executive director for education at the Tampa JCCs and Federation, at or (813) 769-4738.

For information about Hillel Academy’s offerings, financial aid and touring schedule, call (813) 963-2242, or email .

Stamps scholar
The 13th class of Stamps Scholars includes 230 top students from across the country attending 30 partner universities. Selected from almost 300,000 applications, the scholars have diverse academic interests such as medicine, education, engineering, history, public policy, and visual and performing arts.

Stutee Acharya, of Land O’ Lakes, was awarded a Stamps Scholarship and will attend the Georgia Institute of Technology in the fall. She plans to study neuroscience.

Stamps Scholars are chosen for academic excellence, leadership experience and exceptional character.

At many partner universities, the scholarship covers the total estimated cost of attendance for four years of undergraduate study, and also includes an enrichment fund that scholars can use for academic and professional development, ranging from study abroad to internships to independent research.

Stamps Scholars are known for their significant contributions to their local campuses and communities around the world and, for many, the scholarship allows them to study at the top colleges for their career path.

To meet the other scholars, visit StampsFoundation.org/yearbook.

Student achievements

  • Alexia Faith Acebo, of Lutz, received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alabama.
  • Rachel Carlson, of Lutz, was named to the spring Dean’s List at the University of Maine.
  • Lyra Joy Francisca Escobar, of Lutz, graduated from The College of St. Scholastica, in Minnesota, with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy.
  • Paige Manjrawala, of Lutz, received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Administration-Management from Berkeley College, New Jersey.
  • Clare O’ Keefe, of Lutz, was named to the spring Dean’s List at Endicott College in Massachusetts, where she is majoring in sports management.
  • Russell Ludwig Perciavalle Jr., of Lutz, a graduate of Washington and Lee University in Virginia earned a place on the Presidents List.
  • Summer Solovitch, of Dade City, was named a 2018 Presidential Scholar at Missouri Valley College for the fall and spring semesters.

Back to school haircuts
My Salon Suite of New Tampa, 20707 Center Oak Drive, will provide free haircuts, in exchange for school supplies, Aug. 5 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

For every $5 to $10 of donated school supplies, a child will receive a free haircut. The donated supplies will be given to Quail Hollow Elementary and Metropolitan Ministries.

There also will be free food, face painting and more.

For information, call (813) 501-0600.

Donate new supplies
David Weekley Homes will host its fourth School Supplies Drive through Aug. 6.

Donations can be dropped off at the Design Center, 9006 Brittany Way in Tampa, or at any David Weekley model home in the Tampa area.

For a complete list of supplies needed, visit tinyurl.com/y7bhpk3w.

Eighth annual Stuff the Bus for Teachers
United Way of Pasco County is conducting its eighth annual Stuff the Bus for Teachers. The campaign is set for Aug. 3, Aug. 4 and Aug. 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Supplies that are collected will be distributed by Pasco County Schools.

A school bus will be stationed at Walmart shopping centers to collect donations at the following locations:

  • Walmart-Port Richey, 8701 U.S. 19
  • Walmart-New Port Richey, 8745 State Road 54
  • Walmart-Lutz 1575 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.
  • Walmart-Wesley Chapel 28500 State Road 54

Volunteers at all locations will hand out shopping lists and collect the donations.

On Aug. 6, volunteers will gather at the The Mike Fasano Hurricane Shelter, 11611 Denton Ave., in Hudson, to sort and pack the supplies.

Volunteers are needed at the donation sites and at the packing sites.

For information, contact Melinda Velez at or (727) 835-2028.

This summer camp offers insights into solving crimes

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As many high school teenagers spend their summer break relaxing and having fun, a small group of students used their free time another way — dusting fingerprints, analyzing blood spatter patterns and studying forensic clues.

These campers were learning how to solve crimes as part of Saint Leo University’s inaugural Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Summer Camp.

Saint Leo criminal justice instructor Dr. Bobby Sullivan, far left, lectures campers on various fingerprinting techniques at the university’s Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Summer Camp. Sullivan has more than three decades of policing experience, including as a detective sergeant and commander of the narcotics, intelligence, street gang, and counter-terrorism units. (Courtesy of Saint Leo University)

The camp gave high school juniors and seniors a hands-on and behind-the-scenes look at evidence collection, documentation and preservation of evidence through a variety of mock crime scenes.

About a dozen rising high school juniors and seniors from Texas, Pennsylvania and Georgia, as well as Florida, took part in the weeklong camp at the university’s main campus on State Road 52 in St. Leo.

The camp was led by Saint Leo faculty members with extensive experience in the criminal justice system, as well as a host of experts in criminology. The camp offered a realistic glimpse at the hard work and critical thinking needed to locate, preserve and analyze evidence.

Activities included casting foot and tire impressions, and learning about the use of insects in crime scene decomposition.

Campers also learned how to locate and dig up human remains. And, they learned how to conduct interviews and interrogations, and to present their findings.

Saint Leo CSI campers practice documenting a crime scene outdoors, as Saint Leo assistant professor of criminal justice Joseph Cillo looks on.

The camp also included a field trip to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office Forensics Services Section to learn about latent prints and blood spatter, tour an evidence locker, and view a vehicle being processed for evidence by forensic experts.

The camp culminated in three mock crime scenes, where students had to apply the knowledge they had learned throughout the week. The exercise included collecting and documenting evidence, and then presenting it to a mock grand jury. One such scenario required students to process a car used in a simulated kidnapping and homicide.

Many campers hope to someday work in a crime lab or law enforcement.

Alona Beadles, a rising high school senior from Atlanta, wants to be an FBI agent.

Leesburg’s Amanda Phillips, too, dreams of working for the agency.

Others, including Bradenton’s Vincent Gulbrandsen, want to become a forensic or behavioral analyst.

Here, camper Amanda Philips, of Leesburg, is in the process of casting a footprint. Phillips, a rising high school junior, wants to have a career in the FBI someday.

“I have always wanted to do something with solving crimes in some way,” said Gulbrandsen, who’ll be a senior at Lakewood Ranch High School.

Learning body decomposition and blood spatter patterns fascinated him most, along with the various techniques used in documenting a crime scene.

Said Gulbrandsen, “I really enjoyed learning about blood splatter…and how you can track which way the killer went with a weapon, or, you can track where the murder takes place, depending on the direction of the spatter.”

Charlotte Braziel, a Saint Leo criminal justice instructor and retired Tampa FBI agent, is the brainchild behind the CSI camp.

At the FBI, Braziel was senior team leader for the Tampa Evidence Response Team and a certified instructor of crime scene management, case management, presentation skills and defensive tactics.

As Braziel taught students crime scene techniques, she often referenced her past experience in the field, such as working high-profile cases on John Gotti Jr., and the Gambino organized crime family.

To drive home a point in other discussions, Braziel would mention other widely known cases, such as the O.J. Simpson murder case.

“They like the fingerprints. They like the blood spatter. They like the stuff that’s on TV,” Braziel said of the experience of teaching the campers.

In one midweek lesson, Braziel stressed the importance of crime scene photography, and how investigators and detectives need to take at least four basic photos — long-range, medium, close-up and close-up with scale.

Two other key takeaways from the photography lesson — you can never take too many photos; and, never, ever delete a photo. “Every time you go somewhere, you take a photograph,” she noted.

Real-life investigations not much like TV
In an adjacent classroom, Dr. Bobby Sullivan, another Saint Leo criminal justice instructor with more than three decades of policing experience with the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, pointed out the nuances of rigor mortis and lividity, and how forensic entomologists use maggots from a dead body to establish when a person died, and whether or not a body was moved.

Learning fingerprinting techniques was one of high school campers’ favorite exercises at the inaugural Saint Leo CSI Summer Camp.

Sullivan would certainly know, with his lengthy background as a former detective sergeant and commander of the narcotics, intelligence, street gang, and counter-terrorism units.

“Establishing the time of death is huge in an investigation, because now we know approximately when this person died…and we can figure out what (our suspect) was doing at 2 o’clock yesterday afternoon,” Sullivan told the campers.

Saint Leo assistant professor Joseph Cillo, meanwhile, gave students a different perspective into the criminal justice system.

Cillo, a former Los Angeles defense attorney and an expert on serial killers and mass murderers, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court, detailed the importance of forensic evidence collection in building an airtight criminal case.

In one demonstration, Cillo scattered handfuls of Milk Duds on a classroom floor — telling students to imagine each as a piece of evidence and a piece to a puzzle in crime solving. “You have to put them together to make a clearer picture,” Cillo said, “and you have to do it sufficiently so that defense attorneys can’t tear your evidence up.”

Retired Tampa FBI agent Charlotte Braziel, right, shows camper Samantha Stephenson, of Palatka, how to describe and document items at a crime scene, as part of Saint Leo University’s inaugural Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Summer Camp, which ran from June 24 to June 29. The camp offered a realistic glimpse at the hard work and critical thinking needed to locate, preserve and analyze evidence.

Students discovered pretty quickly that what’s shown on TV dramas, like Criminal Minds, NCIS and CSI are, for the most part, embellished and sensationalized.

They also come to find out associated jobs within forensics oftentimes include long hours and tedious work, not to mention they’ll be placed in the center of unsavory crime scenes.

Sullivan explained what forensics work is really like can be a slap in the face to a lot of kids: “They’re watching CSI, and they’re seeing women running around in miniskirts and high heels, carrying guns and interviewing bad guys, and locking up the bad guys. They’re not seeing that you never see a bad guy, you never see a suspect — you are so focused on the crime scene and the evidence that the only time you may see a suspect is at trial when you’re testifying. You never talk to him, you don’t interview him, you don’t get in shootouts with bad guys; most forensics people don’t even carry guns, so, that’s kind of the wake-up call,” he said.

Though the assortment of TV crime dramas millions watch aren’t quite the real thing, campers did observe some likenesses, such as the fingerprinting technology used to nab suspects.

“It’s not like TV, but occasionally you’ll see something similar, but it’s not the same,” Philips said.

But, that realization didn’t deter some campers, including Gulbrandsen, who still want to work in criminology.

After the camp, the high-schooler is even more sure it’s the route he wants to take: “I’m very interested in going into the forensics field,” Gulbrandsen said.

Published July 18, 2018

Rosebud Continuum approved as a private school

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Field trips to Rosebud Continuum are a regular, bi-weekly event for students at Academy at the Lakes during the school year.

Students learn about gardening and sustainable practices for an environmentally friendly world.

Now, Rosebud’s staff members are preparing for a future that will expand its outreach to more schools.

The 14-acre Rosebud Continuum features a Florida Native Plant Trail, with a wildflower meadow. (File)

The Pasco County Planning Commission on July 11 approved a special exception permit that will allow Rosebud to operate as a private school.

The expectation is for more students from area schools to come for tours and hands-on-learning. Rosebud also plans to apply to Pasco County Schools for inclusion on a list of approved student support programs and resources.

Rosebud will not be a day school, but instead will be a go-to location for other schools interested in environmental programs, said Jerry Comelias, the site and educational director for the Rosebud Continuum, at 22843 Hale Road in Land O’ Lakes.

Teachers also could attend workshops to learn about Rosebud and sustainability, with a goal of being their students’ tour guides.

“We want to train the trainers,” said Comelias. “We want to make the world a better place.”

In addition to Academy at the Lakes, Blake High School students, from Hillsborough County, were among those making trips to Rosebud in recent months.

Students aren’t the only groups that tour Rosebud.

Visitors from Haiti came earlier this year to learn natural growing practices that they can use at home.

Comelias is a graduate of the Patel College of Global Sustainability at the University of South Florida.

Rosebud Continuum is a partnership between the Patel College, and Sonny and Maryann Bishop, who own the 14-acre site.

Sonny Bishop is a former National Football League player, and a Lakota Sioux.

Rosebud reflects the Bishop family’s philosophy of preserving and advocating for ancient traditions of sustainability, once commonly used in Florida.

The site features a sustainability farm, a wildflower meadow, goats, aquaponics, hydroponics, Florida native plants, beekeeping, and biodigesters that convert food waste into fuel and fertilizer.

The site also has a two-story brick home, a brick garage, a basketball and volleyball court, a hoop-house and a shed.

The metal shed will be designated as a classroom, and the hoop-house will be a greenhouse classroom.

No new structures are planned.

Summer months are mostly about maintenance and cleaning up, and getting geared up for the coming school year, Comelias said.

Tours through the Florida Native Plant Trail, with the wildflower meadow, though, are available on request, he said.

For information, call Comelias at (813) 331-7170, or email .

Published July 18, 2018

Pine View achieves IB designation

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Pine View Middle School has become the first public school in Pasco County to be authorized as an IB Middle Years Programme World School.

Principal Jennifer Warren and members of the school’s staff recently attended the Pasco County School Board’s meeting, where they were congratulated for their accomplishment.

The school received a letter dated May 30 from Siva Kumari, director general of International Baccalaureate, informing them that the school had met the requirements to receive the authorization.

“As an IB World School offering the Middle Years Programme, you are part of a global community of schools committed to developing knowledgeable, caring, young people who will be ready to negotiate their futures successfully, and make contributions resulting in a more harmonious and peaceful world,” Kumari wrote.

“We commend your school’s educators, administrators, students and families for their active roles in choosing to offer the Middle Years Programme,” he added.

An International Baccalaureate team visited Pine View Middle in the spring to determine whether the school should receive the distinction.

The team spent two days at the school, interviewing staff, students and parents, and observing classrooms to ensure that the IB framework has been embedded in Pine View’s learning environment, Warren said, in an interview following the visit.

Becoming an IB Middle Years Programme World School is a lengthy process.

Pine View, at 5334 Parkway Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes, became a candidate school in May of 2015, and began implementing the program at the start of the 2015-2016 school year.

Pine View Middle also has been designated as a magnet school, which means that students who live outside of the school’s attendance zone can apply to attend the school.

Those living within its boundaries have first choice, and then remaining slots are opened up to those living outside the boundaries.

Pine View’s mission is “to provide a rigorous, world-class education, which inspires students to become active, compassionate and collaborative lifelong learners who understand and respect other people and their differences,” according to the school’s website.

The International Baccalaureate “aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

“To this end, the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.

“These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right,” according to IB’s mission statement, which is posted on Pine View’s website.

Published July 18, 2018

School district acquires new school site in Northwood

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Taylor Morrison of Florida Inc., has conveyed a site for a future elementary school in the Northwood residential development.

Northwood is a master-planned community in southern Pasco County, on the north side of County Line Road, east of Interstate 75 and west of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

The community is nearing build-out.

Taylor Morrison agreed to provide approximately 15 acres, more or less, of usable uplands for the school site, in exchange for impact fee credits estimated at a value of $450,000.

In addition, Taylor Morrison dedicated easements for an already-constructed stormwater pond and access from road from County Line Road.

The school site has already been filled and graded.

For the access road to be built in the proper alignment with the road to the south of County Line Road, a small triangle of property must be acquired from a third party, according to a school district document. District staff has negotiated that purchase and a future board item will be brought to the school board for its approval.

The Pasco County School Board approved the transaction, without discussion, as part of its consent agenda at its July 3 meeting.

Published July 18, 2018

Prepare your kindergartener for success

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Kindergarten is supposed to be fun and educational, and allow children an opportunity to blossom. It is usually the first time the tykes are away from their parents for a significant amount of time.

While most kindergartens don’t exactly have GPA requirements, for a child to succeed there are a few milestones that should be reached before they toddle through the door, according to Alise McGregor, founder of Little Newtons, an early education center in Minnesota and Illinois.

(MetroCreative)

“New parents especially can have a hard time understanding that there are actually things their child should know prior to kindergarten,” McGregor said, in a news release.

Children should know some basics to make kindergarten a better experience, she said.

McGregor recommends these typical things a child should know before entering kindergarten:

  • Basic shapes. The child should have learned basic shapes like the square, circle, rectangle and triangle in preschool. If not, parents should teach them. In kindergarten, they will likely be introduced to the hexagon, star, heart and octagon.
  • The letters of the child’s name. They should at least be able to recognize the letters of their name. In kindergarten, they will learn uppercase letters and begin lowercase letters. They also will begin to learn how to write freehand without tracing.
  • Numbers 1 to 10. Some children will be able to count to 100 by the time they reach kindergarten, but all should at least be able to count to 10. Numbers will be used starting the first day of school.
  • Social skills. The child should be able to follow directions, to be able to be separated from the caregiver, and be able to use a restroom independently. Children who scream and cry when separated disrupt the rest of the class. Teachers simply do not have time to supervise individual students who cannot independently use a restroom.

Getting your child off on the right foot early is important, McGregor says.

By teaching basic skills prior to attending kindergarten, success will come easier.

Published July 18, 2018