Education

Chalk Talk 03/22/2017

March 22, 2017 By Mary Rathman

Science Café
Saint Leo University’s annual Science Café will take place March 28 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., on the second floor of Lewis Hall, 33701 State Road 52 in St. Leo. This year’s theme is cephalopods, such as the octopus.

The event is for all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Admission is free.

For information, or to register, contact Audrey Shor at (352) 588-8425 or .

Students perform acts of kindness
Gulf High School students and staff hosted a Random Acts of Kindness Day March 16, in support of “The Eli Effect.”

The Eli Effect was started by Jon and Shannon Ackerman to celebrate the life of their second-born child, Eli. The Ackermans have one child, Callie, but lost Eli and a third-born child, Joey, shortly after their births. Eli’s first birthday would have been March 16, 2017.

Students created and distributed promotional materials throughout the school, and demonstrated acts of kindness on the school news YouTube channel.

Students also painted inspirational messages on small rocks, displayed near neighboring elementary schools.

Christian school info meeting
Tampa Christian Community School, at First United Methodist Church of Lutz, 960 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road, will host an informational meeting March 23 at 9:15 a.m.

This hybrid school model combines private school (Tuesday, Thursday and Friday) and homeschool (Monday and Wednesday) for prekindergarten four-year-olds through 12th grade.

For information, visit TampaCCS.org, or call (813) 949-2144.

Free prom dresses
The Belle of the Ball Project will provide dresses and accessories to in-need high school girls March 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at its boutique, 1210 Holt Ave., in Clearwater.

Other upcoming dates are April 8, April 22 and May 6.

No appointments are needed. A $1 to $5 donation is requested, but not required.

For information, visit BelleOfTheBallProject.com.

Art of Recycling winners
The Pasco County Art of Recycling contest required students to start recycling trash into artwork at the beginning of the semester, raising awareness of the arts and encouraging the practice of recycling.

The winners received prize money and certificates during ceremonies at their schools in February.

This year’s Art of Recycling winners were:

Kylie Rice, Ridgewood High School, first place
Julianna Wilkinson, Gulf High, second place
Sydney Bennett, Bishop McLaughlin, third place
Taylor Moore, Pasco High, Commissioner’s Award
Kaylin Murphy, Mitchell High, Covanta’s Choice
Breanna Gates, Ridgewood High, Best Artistic Expression
Jessica Skrelunas, Anclote High, Best Use of Printed Material
Nainshari Ortiz, Anclote High, Most Innovative and People’s Choice
Katie Shelley, Sunlake High, AOR Committee Award
Brinkley Simpson, Sunlake High, Best Use of Aluminum
Eleni Athanasoulis, Genesis Prep, Best Use of Materials
Sarah Oliva, Pasco High, Best Use of Plastic
Darian Proper, Anclote High, Pasco Arts Council Merit
Madison Kaylor, Pasco High, Best Environmental Concept

The winning pieces will be on display at the Pasco County District School Board through March 31.

Middle school essay contest
Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano’s office is accepting entries to Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Paula O’ Neil’s Constitutional Officers Essay Contest. The contest runs through March 31.

Middle school students in Pasco County, grades six to eight, in public/charter, private, non-public and home-schools can participate.

In 500 words or less, students must answer the question: “How do you, as a middle school student, benefit from taxes your family, friends and neighbors pay?”

Each entry must include the student’s name, school, grade and contact information.

Entries will be judged by a panel of directors from the tax collector’s office, and will be reviewed on how well the student communicates a response to the question, as well as overall essay structure, appearance and readability.

Students in public/charter schools should submit essays to the school’s principal, who will forward the essay to the tax collector’s office.

Students in private, nonpublic or home-schools should send essays to Greg Giordano, assistant tax collector, Pasco County Tax Collector’s Office, 8731 Citizens Drive, Room 120, New Port Richey, FL 34654, or by email to .

The deadline is 5 p.m., March 31.

The winning entry will be notified by telephone by April 17.

For information, call Greg Giordano at (727) 847-8179.

Students make academic team
Pasco-Hernando State College students were nominated to the 2017 Phi Theta Kappa All-Florida Academic Team.

The students, Diane Castro Jaramillo of the Spring Hill Campus and Kellie Gordie of the West Campus in New Port Richey, were selected based on outstanding academic achievement, leadership and community service.

Jaramillo and Gordie have the opportunity to attend an awards ceremony in Tallahassee April 7.

For information about the academic team, visit FloridaCollegeSystem.com/all-florida.

Hillel Academy
Hillel Academy, 2020 W. Fletcher Ave., in Tampa, offers an education with Jewish values, with classes of 10 to 15 students, and is enrolling for the 2017-2018 school year.

Every student has a MacBook in fourth to eighth grade, a Maker Lab, hydroponic farm and more, which culminates in an eighth grade trip to Israel.

For information, call Gordon Rode at (813) 963-2242.

Local science club reaches state finals

March 15, 2017 By Kevin Weiss

The Land O’ Lakes High School Science Olympiad Club has reached the state finals for the third year in a row.

Moreover, it’s the first year that two of the club’s teams — consisting of 15 students each — have advanced to the Florida Science Olympiad State Tournament.

This year the event is set for March 25, at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

The club’s achievements are notable, particularly considering that it is just four years old.

Team Exdee and Team Natural Selection, made up primarily of International Baccalaureate (IB) students, will compete against 40 teams from across Florida.

The Land O’ Lakes High School Science Olympiad Club has advanced to the Florida Science Olympiad State Tournament, on March 25 at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. The club is sending two teams (of 15 students each) to the competition. During Science Olympiad, the teams will engage in hands-on, interactive, inquiry-based activities that are lab-based, research-based, or pre-built. There are 23 different events, with subjects ranging from physics, chemistry, earth space science, biology and engineering.
(Courtesy of Amanda Faint)

Both Land O’ Lakes squads qualified after finishing in the top six in a field of 47 regional teams at the Western Regional Science Olympiad, held Feb. 4 at Hillsborough Community College-Brandon.

A third team — Andromeda — finished 11th at the regional event.

Land O’ Lakes High School is the only public high school in Pasco County to reach the state competition this year.

Now, with multiple teams in the fold, the club is eyeing the possibility of a better showing than its 11th place finish last year.

“I think it’s about improvement,” said Amanda Faint, the club’s sponsor, who teaches chemistry at Land O’ Lakes High.

“We know how we did at regionals. We know states is tougher, so if we can…stick at the same general numerical place (during regionals), that’s still an improvement,” Fain said.

Club president Albert Xing, a senior, hopes his fellow teammates are more comfortable this time around.

“I think we’re…just trying to get a grasp of states,” Xing said. “We’re probably going to try to get more (medal) placings. Historically, we’ve gotten about two, three medals at states per year, and they’re usually third place or second place.”

The club also has a more ambitious challenge on its mind: unseat Boca Raton Community High School — the winner of the state tournament every year since 2011.

“Our goal is to knock them down,” Faint said.

“They’re like a powerhouse,” Xing added.

During Science Olympiad, students engage in hands-on, interactive, inquiry-based activities that are lab-based, research-based, or pre-built.
There are 23 different events, with subjects ranging from physics, chemistry, earth space science, biology and engineering. Various events are rotated out and substituted every few years.

The activities are all team-based, and at least two students work together on each event.

Throughout the competition, students are required to complete a designated activity within a 50-minute window.

Teams are then evaluated by judges, who determine how well students complete the task based on the rules described for each event.

“It’s kind of like golf, where the lower score is better,” Xing explained.

Typically, any particular student will compete in three to four events during the day.

Xing, for example, will mainly focus on the Wind Power, Ecology and Dynamic Planet categories.

Unlike other science competitions, Science Olympiad requires students to go beyond reporting about a science project, they must actually apply science.

Xing said the competition calls for applying the knowledge that students gain in the classroom.

“We may cover things like kinematics and trajectory, but realistically we never do anything like that inside of school,” Xing explained. “And then, doing these build events, we are basically applying what we learned at school to something that we can compete with.”

For others, like sophomore Armen Brotgandel, Science Olympiads provides an opportunity to learn about additional disciplines, such as astronomy.

“I think it’s just wanting to be able to do subjects that are usually not taught in school,” Brotgandel said. “There aren’t really any courses here on astronomy, but we get to go and study it with friends, and then you get to test your knowledge.”

Science Olympiad was created in 1983 by Dr. Gerard J. Putz and Jack Cairn, as an alternative to traditional science fairs and single-discipline tournaments.

After successful trial Science Olympiads in Michigan and Delaware, the competition began to grow.

Now, Science Olympiad has members in all 50 states, totaling more than 12,000 actively participating schools, with participants ranging from seniors to kindergarten students.

Besides testing science knowledge, the competition also provides an outlet for students to connect, outside of the classroom.

“Between events, we’ll have fun,” Brotgandel said. “We’ll play some sports, and just get to be with a bunch of friends.”

Land O’ Lakes High School Science Olympiad Club
Team Exdee
Albert Xing
Alyssa Nguyen
Hang Nguyen
Sidhvi Nekkanti
Navya Jampani
Kenta Xu
Rohil Tuli
Josie Hidalgo
Shania Tjhiang
Brianna Vo
Trip Gray
Cindy Long
Josiah Pineda
Sena Eskalen

Team Natural Selection
Adelin Pop
Akshaya Venkata
Alexander Lilov
Armen Brotgandel
Ashley Rocks
Edward Brotgandel
Ethan Teo
Felix Sanjay
Funda Eskalen
Joseph Pineda
Joshua Brett
Lisa Johnson
Nathan Brett
Tony El‐Rady
Tzuriel Garcia

Published March 15, 2017

Chalk Talk 03/15/17

March 15, 2017 By Mary Rathman

Partnership supplies fresh food for communities
Hillel Academy of Tampa has partnered with Tampa Urban Benefit Farms, a local nonprofit organization that delivers fresh produce to communities that lack affordable, nutritious food, to supply food pantries with fruits and vegetables grown hydroponically. Hillel’s hydroponic garden is capable of growing almost 400 plants at a time, and represents an addition to the container gardening program that has been part of the middle school science program for years.

School breakfast week
Various schools took part in the School Breakfast Challenge March 6 through March 10, to promote starting the day with a healthy breakfast.

Students took part in activities such as photo booths, chorus performances, giveaways, raffles, coloring sheets and bingo.

Area schools that participated were Connerton Elementary School, Rushe Middle, Pine View Middle and Sunlake High in Land O’ Lakes; Denham Oaks Elementary in Lutz; Watergrass Elementary, Double Branch Elementary and Wiregrass Elementary in Wesley Chapel; Woodland Elementary in Zephyrhills; and, Pasco High School in Dade City.

All the schools also had a kiwi fruit taste test during the week.

Students help pet hospital
Students at Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School wanted to do something useful with the school’s new 3-D printers, so they approached a pet hospital and asked how to help.

After weeks of planning and design, the students visited BluePearl Veterinary Partners in Tampa with models and other devices fabricated on the printers for possible use in the hospital.

Some of the devices the students made included:

plastic models of cat and dog skulls, which can be helpful as visual aids so veterinarians can explain medical procedures to pet owners
a small container that can be attached to an anesthesia machine as a handy way to hold items that will be needed during procedures
small plastic wedges, which can help make sure dogs or cats are in the correct position when undergoing X-rays.

Students who collaborated on the project are members of Bishop McLaughlin’s STREAM Club, which stands for science, technology, religion, art and mathematics.

The students raised money to buy the school’s 3-D printers and then looked for projects to build and benefit the community.

Another area the students are working on is printing prosthetic hands for children in need.

Christian school info meeting
Tampa Christian Community School, at First United Methodist Church of Lutz, 960 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road, will host an informational meeting March 23 at 9:15 a.m.

This hybrid school model combines private school (Tuesday, Thursday and Friday) and homeschool (Monday and Wednesday) for prekindergarten four-year-olds through 12th grade.

For information, visit TampaCCS.org, or call (813) 949-2144.

Citizens of the Month
The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce has recognized its February Citizens of the Month.
The local students who were honored included: Shalyn Carter, Academy at the Farm; Adam Rosales, East Pasco Adventist Academy; Madeline Beard, Saint Anthony Catholic School; Khamani Stafford, Centennial Elementary; Keishun Earl, Lacoochee Elementary; Brisa Procopio, Pasco Elementary; Kevin Hernandez, Rodney B. Cox Elementary; Gabbriella Tull, San Antonio Elementary; Brooke Thomas, Centennial Middle; Sarah Thayer, Pasco Middle; Abdul Kareem Assadi, James Irvin Education Center; and, Sydney Kaylor, Pasco High.

Bus drivers needed
Pasco County Schools is looking for experienced bus drivers or anyone interested in becoming a bus driver.

There will be an information meeting March 15 from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., at Marchman Technical College, 7825 Campus Drive, Building 1, Room 01-036, in New Port Richey.

Guests should bring a driver’s license, social security card or permanent resident card. Those who have worked in a CDL-required (commercial driver’s license) position in the last two years should provide employer’s name, address and fax number.

Prospective drivers must attend an information meeting before being approved for a certification class.

For information, call Pasco County Schools’ Transportation Department at (813) 794-1862.

Scholarship applications
Hillsborough County Social Services and the Community Action Board offer scholarships up to $5,000 to eligible students who want to continue education at an institution of higher learning.

Scholarship applications for the 2017-2018 school year will be accepted through March 31.

Recipients will be notified in writing prior to the the start of the fall semester.

Applications can be downloaded at tinyurl.com/zxvwatv.

Students may submit completed applications online, via email, or hand deliver to any County Community Resource Center.

Home-schooling ministry
Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, 2348 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes, offers a Home-schooling Ministry, with weekly co-op at the church, social events and more.

For information, email Linda Holt at .

Middle school essay contest
Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano’s office is accepting entries to Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Paula O’ Neill’s Constitutional Officers Essay Contest. The contest runs through March 31.

Middle school students in Pasco County, grades six to eight, in public/charter, private, non-public and home-schools can participate.

In 500 words or less, students must answer the question: “How do you, as a middle school student, benefit from taxes your family, friends and neighbors pay?”

Each entry must include the student’s name, school, grade and contact information.

Students in public/charter schools should submit essays to the school’s principal, who will forward the essay to the tax collector’s office.

The deadline is 5 p.m., March 31.

The winning entry will be notified by telephone by April 17.

For information, call Greg Giordano at (727) 847-8179.

New elementary option offers rigor

March 8, 2017 By B.C. Manion

Pasco County Schools has expanded its list of educational choices for elementary school children living east of U.S. 41 by adding the Cambridge Programme at San Antonio Elementary School.

The program is an advanced academics program, which means it has a more rigorous curriculum and is taught at a faster pace.

This brochure, available from Pasco County Schools, offers an overview of the Cambridge Programme, a new option at San Antonio Elementary School.
(B.C. Manion)

The district is adding this program, which will help prepare students who are entering the Cambridge Secondary 1 Programme, already offered at Pasco Middle School, and the Cambridge Secondary 2 and Cambridge Advanced programs, already offered at Pasco High School.

The University of Cambridge began the Cambridge Programme more than 150 years ago, with 370 candidates in seven English cities.

Since then, the program has expanded to include more than 8 million candidates in 160 countries.

The program seeks to develop learners who are reflective, confident, engaged, responsible and innovative, according to a PowerPoint presentation shown to interested parents at a meeting on Feb. 23 at Wesley Chapel Elementary School.

Applications for the programs at Pasco Middle and Pasco High are already closed for this year, but the elementary program is accepting applications, said Kimberly Anderson, principal of San Antonio Elementary School.

Anyone interested must complete the application by March 16. A timed writing test will be given at the elementary school on March 17. The times for the test will vary, based on the student’s age.

The program has made provisions to ensure that academically gifted students will work with academically gifted teachers. Gifted certified teachers will work with Cambridge teachers, and gifted teachers will meet monthly with students to monitor their progress toward their goals.

Pasco County Schools will provide transportation to children who will be transferring to San Antonio Elementary, through the use of satellite bus stops. Stop locations haven’t been determined yet.

Cambridge’s mission statement, in part, reads: “We prepare students for life, helping them develop an informed curiosity and a lasting passion for learning. Our programs and qualifications set the global standard for international education.”

A brochure distributed by Pasco County Schools says the Cambridge approach supports schools to develop learners who are:

Confident in working with information and ideas – their own and others
Responsible for themselves, responsible to and respectful of others
Innovative and equipped for new and future challenges
Engaged intellectually and socially, ready to make a difference

By adding the program at San Antonio Elementary, students on the east side of U.S. 41 will now have an opportunity to pursue the Cambridge Programme at elementary, middle and high school levels.

Cambridge advanced level courses are considered to be equivalent to the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate program classes, and Cambridge students can earn up to 45 hours of college credits.

Students receiving an AICE diploma through Cambridge and completing 100 hours of community service qualify for the maximum Florida Academic Scholar tuition scholarship.

Students who do not attend a Pasco County public school or charter school are asked to have the main office at their school send a grade history (transcript) and standardized assessment score history to:

Ms. Kimberly Anderson, principal of San Antonio Elementary School, 32416 Darby Road Dade City, Florida 33525.

The school will send out acceptance notifications in April.

If there are too many qualified candidates, a lottery system will be used.

Deadline for applying is March 16. Applications are available on San Antonio Elementary School’s website, SAES.pasco.k12.fl.us.
Applicants also must complete a timed writing sample on March 17 in the media center at San Antonio Elementary, 32416 Darby Road in Dade City.
The timed writing samples will be done for incoming first-graders at 9:30 a.m., and incoming second- through fifth-graders at 12:30 p.m. The writing sample is not something that requires study or preparation by students.
Extenuating circumstances will be taken into consideration, and alternate writing dates are available by contacting Principal Kimberly Anderson at (352) 524-5300.
While students are completing their writing sample, parents are invited to enjoy complimentary refreshments in the school’s cafeteria.

Published March 8, 2017

Chalk Talk 03/08/2017

March 8, 2017 By Mary Rathman

Local student recognitions
These area students were recognized by their respective schools for the fall semester:

Alexia Faith Acebo, Lutz, Dean’s List at University of Alabama
Calee Ash, Lutz, Dean’s List at Harding University in Arkansas
Cami Ash, Lutz, Dean’s List at Harding University
Courtney F. Bobo, Lutz, Dean’s List at Samford University in Alabama
Alexis Burnette, Wesley Chapel, Dean’s List at Furman University in South Carolina
Rachel Carlson, Lutz, Dean’s List at University of Maine
Mackenzie Morgan Cuffe, Odessa, President’s List at Clemson University in South Carolina
Samantha Nicole Cuffe, Odessa, Dean’s List at Clemson University
Stephanie Leeanne Erickson, Odessa, President’s List at Clemson University
Dominique Eule, Lutz, Dean’s Honor Roll at Southwestern College in Kansas
Brycie Gauthier, Lutz, Dean’s Honor Roll at Oklahoma City University
Jessica Howell, Lutz, Dean’s List at Furman University
Grace Korta, Lutz, Dean’s List at Mercer University Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics
Ashley Kubel, Odessa, Dean’s List at Georgia Southern University
Garren Lewis, Lutz, Dean’s List at Seton Hall University in New Jersey
Ayson Grace Logrono, Land O’ Lakes, Dean’s List at the College of William & Mary in Virginia
Nathan Mansour, Odessa, Dean’s List at University of Dayton in Ohio
Gabriel Montenegro Slowing, Lutz, President’s List at University of Southern Mississippi
Ebonee A. Nicholes, Lutz, Dean’s List at University of Alabama
Tyler W. Scarboro, Lutz, Dean’s List at Samford University
Andrew Jacob Schwitzgebel, Lutz, Dean’s List at University of Alabama
Taylor Avery Trumbetti, Lutz, Dean’s List at University of Alabama

Bishop McLaughlin open house
Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School, 13651 Hays Road in Spring Hill, will host an admissions open house March 9 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

For information or to RSVP, call (727) 857-2600, ext. 244.

Scholarship fundraiser
The Medical Center of Trinity volunteers will host a jewelry sale fundraiser March 9 from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and March 10 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the hospital’s lobby at 9330 State Road 54. The Masquerade Jewelry and Fashions sale will include jewelry, watches, scarves, rings, umbrellas and more.

The scholarships will benefit local students studying in any area of the medical field.

Music fest needs helpers
The Land O’ Lakes Music Festival is looking for volunteers, for a variety of jobs, to help with its second annual event, scheduled for March 11.

Students can help the community and earn some community service hours at the same time.

For information, call Linda Christle, volunteer coordinator, at (727) 809-3938, or email her at .

Bus drivers needed
Pasco County Schools is looking for experienced bus drivers or anyone interested in becoming a bus driver.

There will be an information meeting March 15 from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., at Marchman Technical College, 7825 Campus Drive, Building 1, Room 01-036, in New Port Richey.

Prospective drivers must attend an information meeting before being approved for a certification class.

For information, call Pasco County Schools’ Transporation Department at (813) 794-1862.

Lunch & learn, job fair
Pasco-Hernando State College will host a Lunch and Learn March 16 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at its West Campus, 10230 Ridge Road in New Port Richey.

Employers can participate in a panel discussion and learn the benefits of hiring an individual with a disability.

Following the lunch, there will be an “open to all” job fair from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Those attending can meet with representatives from for profit, government and nonprofit organizations. Participants should dress professionally and bring plenty of resumes.

To register for lunch and learn, visit InclusionWorksLunchAndLearn.eventbrite.com, or call Jackie Eden at (727) 816-3334.

For information about the job fair, email Jackie Eden at or Ana Segovia at .

Scholarship applications for the 2017-2018 school year will be accepted through March 31.

Recipients will be notified in writing prior to the the start of the fall semester.

Applications can be downloaded at tinyurl.com/zxvwatv.

Students may submit completed applications online, via email, or hand deliver to any County Community Resource Center.

Pasco child care provider recognized
Kids ‘R’ Kids of Wesley Chapel owner, Bimal Bhojani, was named first runner-up for WEDU’s “Be More Positive” Award, for his donation to the Early Learning Coalition of Pasco and Hernando’s waitlist for subsidized child care.

Last spring, 10 children from Pasco County were given an early learning opportunity — a year of free services from Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academy of Wesley Chapel. Bhojani’s donation came at a time when the Early Learning Coalition of Pasco and Hernando Counties Inc.’s waitlist had more than 1,200 children.

Every year, ABC Action News and WEDU receive dozens of nominations from community members who have encountered everyday heroes throughout the year.

Bhojani joined numerous nonprofit organizations and individuals at the 2017 awards luncheon at the Glazer Family Jewish Community Center in Tampa.

Pepin Academies Pasco wins Samsung contest
Pepin Academies Pasco was named a state winner in the “2017 Samsung Solve for Tomorrow” contest, and will represent Florida in the national competition.

Pepin Academies is a kindergarten through 12th-grade school for boys and girls with learning capabilities.

The school’s STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) teacher, Carrie Donahue, submitted the entry that was “chosen for its innovative approach to advancing interest in STEAM among its students, as well as making an impact in the local community,” according to Samsung Electronics America officials in a statement.

Pepin Academies Pasco is the only school in Florida, and just one of 50 schools in the United States, to win the state prize.

The school will receive $25,000 in technology, including a video kit for students to create videos to showcase their project development.

Pasco will now go on to Samsung’s national competition with a short video that brings its STEAM “Activity Plan” to life.

Home-schooling ministry
Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, 2348 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes, offers a Home-schooling Ministry, with weekly co-op at the church, social events and more.

For information, email Linda Holt at .

Middle school students in Pasco County, grades six to eight, in public/charter, private, non-public and home-schools can participate.

In 500 words or less, students must answer the question: “How do you, as a middle school student, benefit from taxes your family, friends and neighbors pay?”

Each entry must include the student’s name, school, grade and contact information.

Students in public/charter schools should submit essays to the school’s principal, who will forward the essay to the tax collector’s office.

The deadline is 5 p.m., March 31.

The winning entry will be notified by telephone by April 17.

For information, call Greg Giordano at (727) 847-8179.

R.B. Cox Elementary celebrates 90 years

March 1, 2017 By B.C. Manion

A lot of notable things happened during 1926.

Queen Elizabeth was born. A.A. Milne published Winnie-the-Pooh, and Tampa Theatre opened Tampa’s first air-conditioned building, in downtown Tampa.

Calvin Coolidge was in the White House at the time, and people could buy a dozen of eggs for 56 cents, a dozen oranges for 34 cents, or a porterhouse steak for 29 cents a pound.

It’s also the year that Dade City Grammar School opened.

The structure, built in the Collegiate Gothic style of architecture, was later renamed to honor Superintendent R.B. Cox, a former principal, who lost his battle with cancer in 1973.

With its Collegiate Gothic architectural style, R.B. Cox Elementary has offered a dignified presence in Dade City for nine decades.
(B.C. Manion)

The school, at 37615 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., in Dade City, is hosting a 90th birthday celebration on March 5.

The event features a dinner of baked ziti, salad and dessert, with tickets selling for $7 each.

Besides the meal, there will be music by the Pasco County High School jazz band, and a video of interviews of students and teachers, with connections to the elementary school, said Principal Claudia Steinacker.

Visitors also will be able to walk down memory lane, perusing historic photographs and reading “Did you know?” factoids, gathered from people associated with the school through the years.

The event will serve as a fundraiser to help pay for some projects at the school, which serves 465 children from Early Head Start through fifth grade.

For instance, the school would like to makeover a space between the main building and the media center — converting it into a courtyard where students and families can gather, Steinacker said. Other ideas include purchasing picnic tables, to give visiting parents a place to eat lunch, and buddy benches out near the playground.

The school also would like to turn a space near the primary classrooms into a play area for the children.

“We’ll prioritize what we want to start with, based upon the funds, and then we’ll just continue moving forward as we try to raise those funds,” the principal said.

Besides the dinner, the school will be raising money through a baked goods auction, and it has sold vendor spaces to vendors who will be selling items at the event.

“We chose to do it on a Sunday, so we could make it a little bit special,” Steinacker said, noting she didn’t want people to feel rushed.

The idea is to give people a chance to gather, to reminisce and to recognize the school’s special role in the community — where it has been the focus of education for generations of children, she said.

“Even if they don’t want to come necessarily to eat, even if they just want to come to be able to walk, and see and visit — we just really want everyone to have the opportunity to see our amazing school and learn about the history that this school has,” Steinacker said.

“It’s a great opportunity to say, ‘Come celebrate.’

“If you have time and you want to support us, you want to volunteer, the door is open. We need that.”

“This is a special place. We want people to be able to celebrate what a special place it is,” Steinacker said.

Dade City’s motto is “Proud Heritage, Promising Future,” the principal said. “We definitely are striving to give our kids that promising future,” she added.

This will be the school’s second celebration to mark its ninth decade of operation. It had a celebration in the beginning of the school year, and it plans to have another one at the end of the school year, when it plans to bury a time capsule.

R.B. Cox Elementary 90th birthday party
Where: 37615 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Dade City
When: March 5, 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Cost: $7 per plate for lunch of baked ziti, salad and dessert (To-go containers will be available)
Details: R.B. Cox Elementary is hosting a party to celebrate the school’s rich heritage in Dade City. The event includes a luncheon, music, a baked goods auction and a chance to see historic photographs,
More information: Call (352) 524-5100, or visit the school’s website, RBCES.Pasco.k12.Fl.us.

Published March 1, 2017

Principal provides an overview for high school students, parents

March 1, 2017 By B.C. Manion

As future high school parents and students arrived at the Center for the Arts at Wesley Chapel, they were greeted by upbeat music and a slideshow featuring progress made so far on Cypress Creek Middle High School.

Parents and students had plenty of questions, and Principal Carin Hetzler-Nettles, who hosted the evening session on Feb. 15, was ready.

Before fielding the questions, though, Hetzler-Nettles took the audience on a pre-recorded virtual tour of the school, now under construction off Old Pasco Road.

Wearing a white construction hat, Nettles stepped through the school, offering details about the physical plant and future plans.

After the tour, she provided additional information through a power-point presentation, covering everything from what time school is expected to start, to what types of academic and athletic programs will be offered.

During the upcoming school year, there will be students in grades six through 11 on campus.

Projections show an estimated 840 middle school students in the coming school year, and 650 high school students, the principal said.

There are two large two-story classroom buildings on the campus, and an administration building with classroom space on the second floor, Hetzler-Nettles said.

The current plan is to house the middle schoolers in one of the large classroom buildings, with the overflow being on the second floor of the administration building, Hetzler-Nettles said.

The high school students will be housed in the other large, two-story classroom building, which is closer to the student parking lot.

A full array of academic and elective courses will be offered to high school students, and there will be three high school academy programs: Business Management, Criminal Justice, and Engineering and Robotics. Students in the academies will have the opportunity to earn certifications, too, the principal noted.

Courses offered will be dictated by student demand. If a course isn’t listed on a course card, students should write it in, the principal advised. If there’s enough demand, it will be added.

The high school athletics program will include the slate of sports available at other district high schools.

And, according to an update on the school’s website, it also will be offering lacrosse — for high school girls and boys. It will be a pay-for-play program, Nettles said.

The school will have four separate locker rooms. There will be one for high school girls and one for middle school girls. There will be one for high school boys and one for middle school boys.

The locker rooms will be separated by a coach’s office, the principal said.

The gym also will have a screen that can be pulled down to divide it so that high school and middle school physical education programs and practices can be held separately, she said.

The school also plans to have separate band programs for the high school and the middle school.

And, it plans to have a competitive marching band — an issue of apparent concern to some parents. They urged Hetzler-Nettles to hire a teacher who will not be afraid to seek out difficult competitions merely because the school will be in its first year of operation.

The principal said she got their message, loud and clear.

High school and middle school students will ride the bus together — something that already occurs at a number of district schools, the principal said. Middle school students will ride in the first 10 rows of the bus and high schoolers will ride in the back.

The school day will start and end at the same time for both middle and high school students, she said. Right now, it’s looking like school will start at 7:25 a.m. or 7:30 a.m., and will end at 1:50 p.m. or 1:55 p.m., but that is subject to change.

That concerns some parents who anticipate a traffic nightmare, as so many people arrive and depart from the campus at the same time.

The road has been widened near the school entrance, but Hetzler-Nettles said she’s not aware of any plan to widen Old Pasco Road beyond that point.

The principal also told the crowd that high school and middle school students also will eat in the same cafeteria and will use the same media center, but at different times, the principal said.

The principal has advertised half of the positions she expects to be able to fill, but can’t advertise the rest until she has firmer numbers — which likely won’t happen until at least sometime in April, she said.

While acknowledging that making the transition to high school can be difficult and that it can be tough to adjust to a new high school, too, Hetzler-Nettles told the audience that she’s excited about the new possibilities that Cypress Creek Middle High will offer. She also invited parents and students to get involved to help make the school all that it can be.

“Parents if you’re interested in volunteering, we’re going to need a lot of help. I would love it if you would reach out to me.

“Just let me know what you’re interested in helping with, or if you have no idea what you’re willing to help with, you’re just willing to help. I’m going create a list, I’m going to keep all that information, and then we’re going to be calling you up when we need help.”

She urged students to share their ideas with her.

She wants the school to be a place they enjoy and where they can thrive.

Students will help determine the school’s traditions, she said.

“The most important thing at a school is the student voice. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. School is what you make it, just as life is what you make it. I want to hear your thoughts and your opinions. You can tell me the things you want to see at your school and the things you’d really like to have,” the principal said.

Cypress Creek Middle High School
Mascot: The Coyotes
School colors: Green and yellow
For information: Visit CCMHS.pascok12.fl.us
If you have questions, suggestions or want to volunteer, call Principal Carin Hetzler-Nettles at (813) 346-4401 or email her at .

Published March 1, 2017

Chalk Talk 03/01/2017

March 1, 2017 By Mary Rathman

Woodland remodeling discussion
Woodland Elementary School, 38203 Henry Drive in Zephyrhills, hosted a remodeling project discussion for parents Feb. 28.

The school plans to increase its student capacity from 652 students to 900 students and upgrade its facilities.

There will be an additional building on campus, a conversion of the old cafeteria into classrooms and a STEM lab, a remodel of the restrooms to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, a remodel of the administration office, installation of new school entrance signage, and a redesign of the parking lot and bus loop.

The project will be completed in two phases, which will run from this summer to August, 2018.

For information, call (813) 794-6400.

Middle school students in Pasco County, grades six to eight, in public/charter, private, non-public and home-schools can participate.

In 500 words or less, students must answer the question: “How do you, as a middle school student, benefit from taxes your family, friends and neighbors pay?”

Each entry must include the student’s name, school, grade and contact information.

Students in public/charter schools should submit essays to the school’s principal, who will forward the essay to the tax collector’s office.

The deadline is 5 p.m., March 31.

The winning entry will be notified by telephone by April 17.

For information, call Greg Giordano at (727) 847-8179.

Cox Elementary’s 90th
Rodney B. Cox Elementary, 37615 Martin Luther King Blvd., Dade City, will host a 90th anniversary celebration fundraiser, March 5 from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

There will be live entertainment, a memory walk, a silent auction, and vendors.

Tickets are $7 and include lunch, beverage and dessert, and can be purchased in advance or at the door.

For information, call (352) 524-5100.

Bishop McLaughlin open house
Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School, 13651 Hays Road in Spring Hill, will host an admissions open house March 9 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

For information or to RSVP, call (727) 857-2600, ext. 244.

The scholarships will benefit local students studying in any area of the medical field.

Scholarship applications for the 2017-2018 school year will be accepted through March 31.

Recipients will be notified in writing prior to the the start of the fall semester.

Applications can be downloaded at tinyurl.com/zxvwatv.

Students may submit completed applications online, via email, or hand deliver to any County Community Resource Center.

Knights of Columbus donations
Knights of Columbus Council 8104 of Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, in Land O’ Lakes, has donated to a number of area schools through the support of the church’s parishioners.

The Council has donated $5,000 to Bishop McLaughlin High School’s Scholarship Fund.

It also has donated a total of $7,000, through a Tootsie Roll Drive, to be used for disabled students at Denham Oaks Elementary School, Land O’ Lakes High School, Connerton Elementary School and Pine View Middle School.

Principal offers overview for middle school parents, students

February 22, 2017 By B.C. Manion

The vibe was upbeat as music played and a slideshow offered images of Cypress Creek Middle High, a new school under construction off Old Pasco Road.

This aerial shows the progress being made on construction of Cypress Creek Middle High, which is scheduled to open this fall for students in grades six through 11. A senior class will be added the second year of operation.
(Courtesy of Carin Hetzler-Nettles)

Parents and students filed into the Center for the Arts at Wesley Chapel High School, filling much of the auditorium.

They were there to find out what to expect for middle schoolers at the new school, and Principal Carin Hetzler-Nettles was ready.

The principal held back-to-back information sessions on the evening of Feb. 15. One was tailored to middle school students and their parents; the other, for high school students and their parents.

Both sessions were well-attended.

Some of the information was the same for both, but some was tailored to the specific age group.

In both presentations, members of the audience were taken on a pre-recorded virtual tour of the new school, with Nettles leading the way.

Wearing a white construction hat during the video, Nettles stepped through the school, offering details about the physical plant and future plans.

During the virtual tour and in her live presentation, Hetzler-Nettles provided a detailed account of how many students are expected, where they will be housed, and what types of academic and athletic programs will be offered.

During the upcoming school year, there will be students in grades six through 11 on campus.

Projections show an estimated 840 middle school students in the coming school year, and 650 high school students, she said.

There are two large two-story classroom buildings on the campus, and an administration building with classroom space on the second floor, Hetzler-Nettles said.

The current plan is to house the middle schoolers in one of the large classroom buildings, with the overflow being on the second floor of the administration building, Hetzler-Nettles said.

The high school students are expected to be housed in the other large, two-story classroom building, which is closer to the student parking lot, she said.

On the academic side for middle schoolers, there will be a full array of academic and elective courses. There also will three Middle School Academy Programs: Business Management, Criminal Justice, and Engineering and Robotics.

Courses offered will be dictated by student demand, she said. So, if a course isn’t listed on a course card, students should write it in.

Students entering the new Cypress Creek Middle High School, being built off Old Pasco Road, have chosen The Coyotes, as their mascot.
(Courtesy of Carin Hetzler-Nettles)

If there’s enough demand, it will be added, she said.

Regarding athletics, the middle school will offer the same athletics as offered by other middle schools, she said.

The school will have four separate locker rooms. There will be one for high school girls and one for middle school girls. There will be one for high school boys and one for middle school boys.

The locker rooms will be separated by a coach’s office, she said.

The gym also will have a screen that can be pulled down to divide it so that high school and middle school physical education programs, and practices, can be held separately, she said.

The school also plans to have separate band programs for the high school and the middle school.

From a logistics point of view, the high school and middle school students will ride the bus together, which is something that already occurs at a number of district schools, the principal said. Middle school students will ride in the first 10 rows of the bus and high schoolers will ride in the back, she said.

High school and middle school students also will eat in the same cafeteria and use the same media center, but at different times, the principal said.

The principal said she’s not sure how many positions she will be able to fill because she won’t have that information until around April. For now, she has advertised half of the position she expects to be able to fill.

The principal also fielded numerous questions from the audience, ranging from why the school will not offer self-contained gifted classes, to whether there will be uniforms, to whether the school will have agri-science classes.

The school will not have self-contained classes for gifted students, but instead will have an inclusion model, Hetzler-Nettles said.

As a high school principal, she said she’s seen students in self-contained gifted classes have trouble making the transition to high school, where there are no self-contained gifted classes.

As far as requiring uniforms for students, Nettles had this answer: “No way!” — prompting laughter from the audience.

The answer to the agri-science question was less clear. The school doesn’t plan to start out with it, but if enough students want it, it could add it, the principal said.

The principal also emphasized that although middle school and high school students will share the same campus, they will be in separate buildings and will be using common facilities at different times.

Hetzler-Nettles also assured the crowd that she understands that making the transition from elementary to middle school, and from middle school to high school, is challenging.

Fifth-graders who are anxious about coming to middle school don’t need to worry, she said.

“We’re going to help you out. It’s going to be fine. You’re going to love it,” she said.

She also noted that making the transition to a new school can be difficult, too, and she and her staff are committed to making it a positive transition for students and their parents.

She told the audience that she’s excited about the new possibilities that Cypress Creek Middle High will offer, and she encouraged parents and students to get involved to help make the school all that it can be.

“Parents, if you’re interested in volunteering, we’re going to need a lot of help. I would love it if you would reach out to me. I’m it, right now.

She also urged students to share their ideas with her.

She wants the school to be a place they enjoy and where they can thrive.

Cypress Creek Middle High School

Mascot: The Coyotes

School colors: Green and yellow

For information: Visit CCMHS.pasco.k12.fl.us

If you have questions, suggestions, or want to volunteer, call Principal Carin Hetzler-Nettles at (813) 346-4401, or email her at .

Next week, we’ll present the principal’s session for high school parents and students.

Published February 22, 2017

Remembering the legacy of Odell Mickens

February 22, 2017 By Kathy Steele

Odell Kingston Mickens’ legacy as a Dade City educator and civil rights activist endures more than three decades after his death in 1980.

When racism and Jim Crow laws denied blacks access to public education during the 1930s, Mickens expanded the outreach of education to black students in Pasco County.

When white school boards eventually included black schools into a separate, but underfunded system, Mickens continued to expand opportunities for black students, including the right in 1940 to receive high school diplomas.

Mickens championed the economic and civil rights of the black community until he died in 1980.

He was the first black elected to public office in Pasco County, winning two terms on the City Commission of Dade City.

“I find Odell Mickens to be just a giant,” said Imani Asukile, director of global and multicultural awareness, and special assistant to the president of Pasco-Hernando State College.

Asukile was guest speaker on Feb. 16 at the Pioneer Florida Museum and Village in Dade City.

The museum is sponsoring a series of lectures in conjunction with its Smithsonian exhibit, “The Way We Worked.”

Asukile also is author of “Black Americans of Hernando County, Florida.”

Asukile said he is not formally trained as a historian, but has a deep interest in history.

“Somewhere I just caught the bug,” he said. “One of my goals is to unearth stories about local African-Americans.”

Mickens is a particular favorite.

In his research, Asukile learned that Mickens was mentored by Mary McLeod Bethune, founder of the Bethune-Cookman University.

Bethune was internationally recognized as an educator, human rights activist and advisor to several United States presidents.

“She found him to be an outstanding student,” Asukile said.

Mickens was the descendent of Colbert and Nancy Mickens, former slaves from South Carolina.

Mickens’ paternal grandparents were later sold and sent to Marion County, where they raised seven children in the small hamlet of Flemington that Asukile described as “way back in the woods.”

Odell Mickens was born in 1904, the only child of Isaac Mickens and his wife, Anna. At a time when there were no public schools for blacks, they sent him to privately operated black academies.

“His parents invested in him to get an education,” Asukile said.

In 1933, at age 29, as a graduate of then Bethune-Cookman Junior College, Mickens became principal of Moore Academy, the first permanent school open to blacks in Pasco County. It was named for the Rev. Junias D. Moore, who served as its first principal.

Mickens’ wife, Christine, taught at Moore Academy and also coached the Panthers’ basketball team.

“This really turned out to be a wonderful and beautiful partnership,” said Asukile of the Mickens’ marriage.

Mickens oversaw the expansion of Moore Academy. Over the years the campus, in various locations, became Moore Elementary School and Mickens High School.

In 1940, Lillian Arnold, Mozell Thompson and Lila Thompson became the first blacks in Pasco to graduate and receive diplomas.

The school became Moore-Mickens Middle School in the early 1980s, and was later repurposed as an education center in 1987.

The Pasco County School Board closed the education center in 2015. A group of community activists are seeking to reopen the center, but have yet to finalize a plan with the school district.

But, Mickens’ contributions to the county extended beyond education.

He served on the building committee for the Dade City Civic Center which opened in 1963.

He also was a founder of the Negro Civic Association.

Association members lobbied city officials to open up land formerly used as a prisoner-of-war camp in World War II. The city platted the land and, over time, black residents bought lots and built homes in the Moore-Harper subdivision.

Mickens served on the board of the Pasco County Housing Authority; as assistant trustee for the Bethune-Cookman University; and, as president of the Bethune-Cookman National Alumni Association.

In 1980, he was named Citizen of the Year by the Dade City Chamber of Commerce.

Published February 22, 2017