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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

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Pine View Middle School continues journey toward IB designation

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An International Baccalaureate team recently visited Pine View Middle School, to determine if the Land O’ Lakes school has met the requirements to become an authorized IB Middle Years Programme World School.

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, according to Jennifer Warren, the school’s principal.

Elsie Morales and her peers are learning how to properly care for cattle during the Livestock Production and Care Unit at Pine View Middle School. (Courtesy of Pine View Middle School)

The team’s report will be forwarded to IB officials for their review, she said, noting she expects to receive an answer on the school’s authorization within 60 days to 90 days.

Pine View, at 5334 Parkway Blvd., has been a IB Middle Years Candidate School since May of 2015 and has been implementing the program since the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year.

As it awaits word on its designation, Pine View also is preparing for next school year, when it will join the list of magnet schools in the Pasco County school district, Warren said.

And, it will be shifting to a seven-period school day to better accommodate its curriculum, according to Becky Cardinale, the middle years programme coordinator.

The seventh period allows students greater opportunity to explore courses, Cardinale said.

“A seven-period day allows for more teacher planning time and for more professional development time,” Warren said. “A lot of planning work is required of teachers.”

Students at Pine View have four traditional core classes: Individuals and societies (social studies), science, math, and language and literature. They also have an arts class, language acquisition (which is foreign language), and a combination physical education and design.

As the school converts to a magnet school beginning next school year, it will be accepting students from throughout the district.

It received 89 applications for its inaugural magnet year, with applications coming from charter school students, out-of-county students and 15 of the district’s middle schools. Ultimately, 49 of those students chose to attend Pine View.

“Those living within Pine View’s attendance boundary, have first choice,” Warren said. Then, slots are opened up to students from outside of the school’s boundaries.

Although the school’s curriculum meets the Florida standards, the delivery of instruction is different.

For instance, “one of the standards with the middle years programme is that students have both a visual and a performing art component, sometime in their time at Pine View,” Cardinale said.

“For incoming students, we’re going to be combining students who are interested in band or chorus as a performing art, we’re going to be combining a visual art in with that class.

“So, they’re going to be learning about visual art through the lens of a performing art,” she said.

The school also has a new barn, and students associated with the agricultural program have garnered numerous awards, Warren said.

Overall, parents have been responding positively to the school’s IB curriculum, both the principal and Cardinale said.

“We’re preparing kids for jobs that don’t necessarily even exist yet,” Cardinale said.

“You can tell a parent: Your child is learning skills they can apply in whatever job they choose…

“We want our students to be collaborators. We want them to love learning. We want them to be problem-solvers.

“Show me a career that doesn’t require students to do all of those things,” Cardinale added.

At the middle school level, the program is for every student, Warren said.

“You hear IB, and it has a very elite connotation to it, that it’s only certain students, of a certain caliber,” she said. “Well, really every student, no matter what their IQ is, can be an acquirer, or a thinker, or a problem-solver, or caring.

“I think it is just teaching them all of the things that make for a well-rounded adult,” she said.

Students attending Pine View, “have the broadest liberal arts opportunity of any (public middle school) student in the county,” Warren said.

Published April 11, 2018

Local educator named a PBS ‘Digital Innovator All-Star’

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It’s no secret that educator Bobbi Starling knows her way around technology.

When she was a classroom teacher at Woodland Elementary School in Zephyrhills and at Centennial Middle School in Dade City, she was constantly introducing students to technical tools which could enhance their education and broaden their view of the world.

Bobbi Starling has recently been selected to the PBS Digital Innovator All-Star Program. It’s a new program, and only 30 educators nationwide were selected, including just Starling from Florida. (B.C. Manion)

Now, as the magnet schools program coordinator for the Pasco County school district, she has the potential to have a positive impact on a greater number of students — albeit indirectly, she said.

Starling’s classroom teaching work was recognized by PBS in 2015, when she was selected as one of 100 educators across the nation to be named a PBS Digital Innovator. She went on to become one of 30 nationwide to be named a lead Digital Innovator.

More recently, Starling was chosen to take part in a new program called the PBS Digital Innovator All-Star Program.

Thirty educators across the country were chosen for the program, including just Starling from Florida.

Gail Taylor, director of educational services for WEDU, nominated the Pasco County educator.

“She’s just perfect for this award. She’s just so innovative,” said Taylor, noting she wasn’t surprised Starling was selected.

“We thought she was a shoo-in. She’s amazing,” Taylor added.

“We’ve done a lot of work with her over the past few years.

“We did a great STEM fair when she was teaching at a middle school, before she became the magnet school coordinator.

“The kids were actually programming their own iPads to make robotic balls move around a paint tray, and they painted coasters and T-shirts, using those little robotic balls.

“They were playing games, using Gummy Worms as conductors and game pieces,” Taylor said.

As part of the All-Star program, Starling will have access to virtual and in-person events, including the PBS Digital Innovator All-Star Summit, and the International Society for Technology and Education Conference in Chicago, Illinois, in June.

She can’t wait.

This bus has been converted into a Mobile Aviation Lab, to provide more students a chance to get exposure to aviation and aeronautics lessons. (Courtesy of Bobbi Starling)

“At that summit, we’re going to be put on teams with people from other states, and we’re going to be developing some new curriculum — a three-part virtual learning series.

“There will be different focus areas for STEAM, social studies, language arts, digital arts, all sorts of different things. We’ll be developing some new content that will be offered.

“It will be housed on the PBS Learning Media.org website and that’s free for everybody in the state of Florida, including the premium resources,” Starling said.

The educator believes that technology is the great equalizer, when it comes to learning opportunities.

Technology helps children who come from impoverished families to have the same kind of experiences as those who come from affluent households, Starling said, noting that virtual reality and other technological tools can level the playing field.

Starling said she was delighted when she learned of her nomination, and “ecstatic and thrilled” when she found out she’d been selected.

“Reading the biographies of my peers that were also nominated, I was actually blown away by the people that are there,” Starling said. “I cannot wait to make some neat connections and share some interesting ideas, and I’m sure that I will be learning a lot, hearing a lot, and hopefully, I’ll be able to contribute, too.”

In her current district position, she works will all of Pasco schools, but more heavily with the Sanders Memorial Elementary STEAM Magnet School in Land O’ Lakes; the Centennial Middle School STEM Magnet School in Dade City; and, the Bayonet Point Middle STEM Magnet School in New Port Richey.

This student is getting a virtual reality experience on a school bus that the Pasco County school district has converted into a mobile aviation lab. (Courtesy of Bobbi Starling)

Starling also noted that the district has nine elementary schools that have aviation equipment. They are the elementary schools in the feeder patterns for Zephyrhills, Sunlake and Hudson high schools, which each have aviation and aeronautics academies.

But Terry Anchman, the director of career and technical education, came up with the idea of converting a school bus into a mobile Aviation STEM Lab, Starling said.

That way, fifth-graders from other district schools can get their hands on equipment such as flight simulators, 3D printing, virtual reality and drones, the educator said.

“I developed a curriculum for that. So, all of those students get a little bit of a taste for aviation and aeronautics,” Starling said.

She hopes that exposure will spark an interest in students, who can then consider attending one of the district’s magnet middle schools, which offers the curriculum.

She also hopes that parents will become more aware of the district’s educational options.

Taylor, herself a former classroom teacher, is confident that Starling will make a difference in the PBS program, just as she has as a classroom teacher.

“She’s just one of the best teachers I’ve ever been associated with,” Taylor said.

“She’s just what education ought to be,” Taylor added. “If all of our teachers could be Bobbi Starling, it would be a whole new world.”

Published April 11, 2018

Charlie the Dog helps children read at local library

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While many dogs know how to fetch and roll, Charlie has an unusual talent: He can encourage children to read.

Using the illustrations, 22-month-old Harper Ruff, of New Tampa, interprets the Louise Yates book ‘Dog Loves Drawing’ to Victoria Hanley, left, Charlie, the toddler’s mother Peiying Ruff, center, and her father Michael Ruff during her reading session at the Land O’ Lakes library. (Christine Holtzman)

Charlie is a therapy dog and is part of the R.E.A.D. team, along with library assistant Victoria Hanley, of Lutz.

The pair are involved in a new program at the Land O’ Lakes Branch Library, 2818 Collier Parkway, called “Read with Charlie the Dog.”

R.E.A.D. is an international program that seeks to improve the literacy skills of children through the assistance of registered therapy teams as literacy mentors.

Dogs like Charlie must complete a rigorous training period followed by passing a series of tests to qualify as a “Reading Education Assistance Dog.”

Hanley and Charlie each completed their training with Courteous Canine Inc., in Lutz, in December of 2017, to become an official R.E.A.D. team.

Victoria Hanley lets Charlie help pick out a book to add to his personal collection affectionately called ‘Charlie’s Favorites.’

Hanley said she was inspired to become a R.E.A.D. volunteer many years ago when she first encountered the program in Lee County.

At the time, both her young daughters were diagnosed with dyslexia, and she found that just being in the presence of a therapy dog had strong physiological effects, a calming influence that helped her children gain the confidence to read aloud.

Hanley also noted that reading to a dog helps on all fronts because a dog is nonjudgmental and helps children relax. The experience often helps to increase a child’s desire to develop his or her own reading skills.

The program is being offered for children at the Land O’ Lakes Branch Library on Tuesdays, with four sessions available per afternoon.

Children taking part get 15 minutes of one-on-one time with Charlie and can bring their own book or choose one from Charlie’s personal collection affectionately known as “Charlie’s Favorites.”

A signed waiver is required.

To schedule an appointment with the R.E.A.D. team, call the library at (813) 929-1214.

By Christine Holtzman

Published April 11, 2018

Six-year-old Emma Jane DeKort, left, reads the Dr. Seuss book ‘King Looie Katz’ from her iPad to Charlie and his handler Victoria Hanley. Emma Jane chose this book because she thought Charlie would enjoy hearing about the King’s tail, since Charlie has a tail, too.
Three-year-old Travis West, left, pets Charlie, while his 5-year-old brother, Jordan, reads with Charlie’s handler Victoria Hanley.

Services offer a way to remember those no longer with us

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People who work or volunteer for Gulfside Hospice & Pasco Palliative Care are familiar with the sense of loss and sadness that survivors often face when a loved one passes on.

To help people who are struggling, Gulfside offers bereavement support groups.

And, it also organizes community memorial services that are open to anyone who has lost a loved one during the past year, as a way to honor the lives of those who have passed away.

This year, two community memorial services are planned, according Charlie Lowry, bereavement manager at Gulfside.

The first service is scheduled for April 24 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Trinity Church of Wesley Chapel, at 33425 State Road 54.

The second service will be May 2 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church at 8320 Old County Road 54 in New Port Richey.

“We invite people from the community to come and be a part of that service of remembering,” Lowry said.

The idea is to “make sure that everyone knows that those who have passed on have not been forgotten,” he said. “We try to give some significance to their lives, and to the survivors, as well.”

The service will feature various readings, will have music and will have time for reflection, he said.

There will be a time during the service, when people who have lost a loved one will be asked to stand to silently honor them.

After the service, there will be refreshments, and people will be able to mingle, Lowry said. Some may choose to bring photographs of loved one, to show to others, or may want to share a story or two, he said.

The idea is to remind people that there are others who are experiencing a similar loss, he said.

“A lot of times people feel alone, left alone,” Lowry said.

The communal service, he said, “kind of helps us come to grips with it.”

The services are open to anyone who would like to attend.

Refreshments will be served and seating is limited, so RSVPs are requested by April 20.

To RSVP, contact Jan Double at (727) 845-5707 or .

To learn more about Gulfside Hospice, call (800) 561-4883, or visit GHPPC.org.

Services of Remembrance
These two services are open to all, to give people who have lost a loved one during the past year a place where they can honor the memory of that loved one.

First service
Where: Trinity Church of Wesley Chapel, at 33425 State Road 54
When: April 24, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Cost: Free

Second service
Where: St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church at 8320 Old County Road 54 in New Port Richey
When: May 2, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Details: Each service will have music, readings and a time for reflection. Refreshments will be served afterwards.
Please RSVP by April 20 by calling Jan Double at (727) 845-5707 or by emailing .

Published April 11, 2018

Sports tourism expert praises Pasco’s offerings

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As Pasco County stocks up on sports and recreation facilities, one local sports tourism expert envisions the growing area as a regional asset and an enticement for attracting more big-ticket sporting events to Tampa Bay.

Jason Aughey, senior director at the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, was the featured guest speaker on March 22 at an economic development briefing hosted by the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce at Hunter’s Green Golf & Country Club.

Tampa Bay Sports Commission senior director Jason Aughey was the featured guest speaker at a March 22 economic development briefing hosted by the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce. He discussed sports tourism as it related to the Tampa Bay region, including Pasco County. (Courtesy of North Tampa Chamber of Commerce)

While much of the talk focused on the Tampa Bay region as a whole, Aughey touched on Pasco County’s current impact and potential as a sports destination.

“The future is extremely bright,” said Aughey, who is bullish on the county’s renewed focus on sports tourism.

He specifically mentioned the “world-class” Florida Hospital Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, which opened in early 2017 as the largest hockey complex in the southeastern United States.

“People come here and see that — they’re blown away,” Aughey said.

He said another feather in the county’s cap is the construction of a $44 million, 98,000-square-foot, multi-use indoor sports complex being built in the Wiregrass area.

The Wiregrass sports complex — set to open by spring 2019— could be used as an ancillary site for large indoor volleyball tournaments, such as the Gasparilla Volleyball Kickoff Classic, which are currently hosted at the Tampa Convention Center.

The Wiregrass facility, developed by RAAD Sports LLC, also can host basketball, soccer, lacrosse and cheerleading events, among others.

The speaker lauded existing centers, including Saddlebrook Resort — which hosted the Fed Cup Tennis Semifinals last April. And, he noted the Wesley Chapel District Park and the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, which provide ball fields for youth and amateur sports.

Having those places to play at is the first step in in driving a thriving sports tourism market, Aughey said.

The community’s location is another advantage because of the relative ease of navigating from Central Pasco and East Pasco, to downtown Tampa and Tampa International Airport.

Aughey observed: “While there’s that line that truly does delineate Hillsborough and Pasco County, we see it as nonexistent. When we’re dealing with event organizers and say, ‘Hey, our airport is less than 30 minutes from Wesley Chapel or Land O’ Lakes,’ it’s an attention-getter.”

The Tampa Bay Sports Commission (TBSC) is a private, nonprofit, 501c3, charitable corporation that serves the entire Tampa Bay area as the lead organization for bidding on and hosting premier sports, and entertainment events. It is one of 27 sports commissions in Florida. There are more than 600 throughout the United States. (Courtesy of Tampa Bay Sports Commission)

The Tampa Bay Sports Commission (TBSC) is a private, nonprofit, 501c3, charitable corporation that serves the entire Tampa Bay area as the lead organization for bidding on and hosting premier sports, and entertainment events.

Aughey said the organization’s partnership with Pasco has evolved significantly during the past decade and has to grow with the county’s new tourism director, Adam Thomas, a former professional baseball player who’s expressed a heavier interest in drawing more sporting events.

Aughey stressed the big business of sports in his presentation, noting the Tampa Convention & Visitors Bureau estimates over a third of the region’s visitor nights are sports-related.

It not only extends to Super Bowls and national championships, but the youth and amateur realm, too.

Aughey explained: “If you think about it, sports really is recession-proof. People aren’t going to cut their child’s opportunity to participate, or potentially with their future if they’re eligible for a scholarship. And, discretionary income, in terms of people going to different sporting events, it’s not going to disappear.”

Big-ticket regional events yield significant economic impact by generating thousands of hotel room nights in a short period, he added.

For instance, the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship at Raymond James Stadium yielded more than 60,000 hotel visitor nights.

Pasco recorded its highest-ever daily hotel room revenue on game night, the second Monday in January, Aughey noted. And, on the three days leading up to the game, the county’s average daily hotel rate increased 25 percent, 60 percent and 57 percent, and the average revenue per available hotel room increased 54 percent, 136 percent and 118 percent compared to same days in previous years.

The national championship game fostered a sense of pride with the Tampa Bay community, and its success helped Tampa secure its fifth Super Bowl bid, for February 2021, he said.

Tampa Bay regional sporting events on tap through 2022:

  • 2018 NCAA Division II Women’s Lacrosse Championship
  • 2018 NCAA Division I Track & Field
  • 2019 NCAA Women’s Final Four
  • 2020 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball First and Second Rounds
  • 2021 NFL Super Bowl LV
  • 2021 NCAA Division II Men’s & Women’s Cross Country Championships
  • 2021 NCAA Division II Men’s & Women’s Soccer Championships
  • 2021 NCAA Division II Women’s Volleyball Championships
  • 2022 Southeastern Conference Basketball Tournament

Published April 4, 2018

Commissioners side with developer in road dispute

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The Pasco County Commission has sided with Wiregrass Ranch developers in a dispute with Pasco County Schools over covering the cost for a future road connection to Chancey Road.

Commissioners heard an appeal filed by the school district regarding a decision by the county’s Development Review Committee.

The committee had approved a new master road plan for Wiregrass that shifts Chancey Road to the south, and away from the anticipated access onto a proposed school site that is at least five years away from construction.

Scott Sheridan

The site isn’t within the borders of Wiregrass, but school district officials say construction costs would increase by $1 million, if the school board has to pay to build a road to link to Chancey Road.

The plan that was approved by the development review committee includes a compromise that would mean either the school district or developers would pay for the road work — depending on what comes first, the school or the Wiregrass development.

School officials said they had counted on the Chancey Road extension, within the original master road plan.

“Everybody liked it. It was a great plan,” said Ray Gadd, Pasco’s deputy school superintendent. “Now, we’re down to two access points, which I don’t think the commission will like. I don’t think the neighborhoods will like them.”

In the future, the school district will need the County Commission to approve a school site plan, including its entrances and exits for school buses, and other traffic.

Gadd said there are concerns the county might not approve access off Meadow Pointe Boulevard.

He also noted that English Turn Way, which is internal to Country Walk subdivision, will not appeal to homeowners.

The new school is expected to focus on mathematics and science, with appeal to students living in Wiregrass and other places, Gadd said.

The deputy superintendent also offered an unexpected compromise — which had not previously been considered.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey

If Wiregrass would grant the school system exclusive easement for the road segment linking to Chancey Road, the school district would build and pay for the road, Gadd said. But, when developers start building in the area, they would need to negotiate with the school district to buy the road.

“We’ll turn this beautiful road over to you, but if it costs us $500,000, we want $500,000,” Gadd said.

Scott Sheridan, representing Wiregrass Ranch owners, didn’t go for it.

“I’m not going to respond at the podium for some new proposal that popped up,” Sheridan told commissioners. “I think it’s inappropriate.”

Sheridan also pointed out that Wiregrass had met its obligations to the school district with plans for five schools within the Wiregrass Ranch community.

Three already are open, including an elementary, middle and high school. In the future, two elementary schools also could be built at Wiregrass, Sheridan said.

Sheridan agreed that the county’s compromise on who pays for the road wasn’t that appealing. But, he said, “We can figure it out and live with it. We have plenty of time to figure it out.”

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, who has served on the school board, was conflicted. But, she eventually sided with Wiregrass.

“I do hope you (schools) don’t have to build the road. I do hope development comes in first and builds the road,” she said. “But, I think Wiregrass has met their school requirements.”

Gadd conceded that the county might eventually approve a site plan with access off Meadow Pointe and English Turn Way.

“We feel this is a fait accompli,” he said, of the county commissioners’ vote. “Its’ a done deal, but it’s a matter of the record now.”

Published April 4, 2018

Sinkhole to get turnarounds and a fence

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Pasco County has selected the solution it plans to pursue regarding the sinkhole that opened last year in Lake Padgett Estates in Land O’ Lakes.

The county plans to build two “hammerhead” turnarounds on each side of the sinkhole.

A six-foot decorative fence and an access gate also will be installed around the sinkhole on Ocean Pines Drive.

Kevin Guthrie, Pasco County’s assistant county administrator for public safety, has played a key role in addressing the sinkhole problem in Lake Padgett Estates in Land O’ Lakes. (File)

The estimated cost for the work is $242,000.

Construction is expected to begin within six months to eight months, following design work and purchase of right of way.

“We’ll move as quickly as possible,” said Margaret Smith, the county’s engineering services director.

The Pasco County Commission approved the turnarounds at its March 27 meeting in New Port Richey. Commissioners also agreed to get more information on the feasibility of linking the sinkhole to Lake Saxon, as a future project.

A geological survey deemed that connection to be risky, but Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore said the option needs more study.

“That’s our premier lakefront community in this area,” he said. “We want to make sure property values stay up.”

The turnarounds are considered an immediate safety solution for a roadway that was severed when a sinkhole opened up on July 14, 2017.

The depression swallowed two houses, a motorcycle and a boat. Seven houses in the area also have been condemned.

Currently, garbage trucks and emergency vehicles that drive down either end of Ocean Pines must back up to exit or back into private driveways to turn around.

“I saw a truck that had to be towed out because it was stuck in a ditch trying to go around another vehicle,” Moore said.

County officials held workshops with residents in recent months before they reached a decision.

Initially, five options were presented. However, the geological survey recommended against the Lake Saxon connection, and rebuilding Ocean Pines with supportive piles driven underground.

The lake connection would cost an estimated $2.5 million. Rebuilding Ocean Pines would be about $750,000.

Both were considered to have a risk of causing additional ground disturbances in the area of the sinkhole.

An option to only install fencing and a gate would cost about $65,000.

Commissioners decided unanimously to build the turnarounds now, but also agreed to discuss the lake connection with the Southwest Florida Water Management District. That’s the state agency that would issue a permit for the work.

Plans are to file a pre-application with the state agency, relying on data collected from the geological survey.

Pasco County attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder voiced concerns that even if a permit were approved, there could still be risks to the neighborhood.

Moore said, “Let’s at least have more in-depth conversations with Swiftmud, and have them give a report.”

Published April 4, 2018

Land O’ Lakes band trip to states a long time coming

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It’s been over a decade since the Land O’ Lakes High School band performed at states.

That wait is over.

The school’s symphonic band will join more than 40 other Florida high schools on April 23 at the State North High School Concert Band Music Performance Assessment (MPA) at Flagler Palm Coast High School, in Palm Coast.

Mitchell High School is the only other public school in Pasco County performing at the meet.

The Land O’ Lakes High School band will perform at the state meet for the first time since 1994. The school’s symphonic band will join more than 40 other Florida high schools on April 23 at the State North High School Concert Band Music Performance Assessment (MPA) at Flagler Palm Coast High School, in Palm Coast. (Courtesy of Johnathon Mulder)

Land O’ Lakes qualified for the state competition after earning straight superior ratings—the highest mark possible — at a district MPA meet in early March at Hernando High School.

The program has met state performance requirements for the meet in previous years, but hasn’t made the trip in 14 years, for a variety of reasons.

First-year Land O’ Lakes band director Johnathon Mulder said one of his main objectives heading into the school year was to take the band to states, if the ensemble qualified.

“This is a big deal to the program because they haven’t gone to the tournament in a really long time,” said Mulder, who previously served as a band teacher for six years at Lakeland’s Kathleen Middle School.

The Land O’ Lakes band consists of more than 70 students, including 19 seniors.

With such a large group, the school district’s fine arts program coordinator, Tom Viking recently helped offset the cost for a second school bus so each student could make the three-hour trip to Palm Coast.

But, the band director also wants to provide meals for each student for the daylong affair. He has set a fundraising goal of $1,100 by April 13.

Band students also have been given sponsorship sheets to raise money.

“We’re just looking for the community to kind of rally behind us and support us, and help those families that can’t fully afford meals,” Mulder said.

At the state competition, Land O’ Lakes will play three prepared pieces before a panel of judges made up of college professors and retired music directors.

With it being the band’s first trip to state since 2004, Mulder has set reasonable expectations, hoping students relish the experience and just try their best.

“While it would be wonderful to go and get straight superiors again at the state level, this is a new experience for all of us,” Mulder said. “For us, what’s going to be successful is going there, preparing the best we can, and putting on the best performance possible. If that results in straight superiors, awesome. And, if it doesn’t, then you know what…I just hope we walk off the stage happy with what we did.”

Besides reaching states, the band performed well throughout the year at events like Lion’s Pride Festival at King High School and Festival of Winds at the University of South Florida, Mulder said.

Individual students were named to all-state and all-county teams, too.

Mulder credited the students’ hard work and dedication, and faith in him as a bandleader, as some reasons for success.

“They blow my mind a lot,” the teacher said. “Since Day One, I’ve kind of had it in my head that this is one of those bands in Pasco County that should be phenomenal.”

Senior band captain Jacob Barber is excited for the group to be making its first trip to states.

“As seniors, the fact we get to go to state MPA is a pretty big deal; it feels pretty good,” said Barber, who has had three different band directors in four years.

“I feel like there’s been a lot more growth this year than there has been in previous years… so I think we’re headed in the right direction.”

Junior saxophone leader Josh Mellin said, “It’s humbling because we haven’t been to a prestigious thing like this in a while.

“Mr. Mulder this year has introduced a lot of new opportunities to us to take as musicians,” added Mellin, whose father is Ric Mellin, principal at Land O’ Lakes High.

“The experience for this year has been unlike my freshman or sophomore year. I’ve had a lot more fun. I’ve seen a lot of people grow, and I hope that (Mulder) stays here for a long time,” he added.

For questions and to donate to the band trip, email .

Anonymous donations also can be mailed to the school, at 20325 Gator Lane in Land O’ Lakes, Florida, 34638.

Published April 5, 2018

Pasco cuts ribbon on kitchen to feed seniors

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Nutritious meals that are served to Pasco County seniors will now be made locally.

The meals previously were prepared in St. Petersburg and then trucked over to Pasco County.

Now, the food preparation will be done in a new commercial kitchen at the Land O’ Lakes Senior Center.

Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Wells Jr., center, holding scissors, helped cut the ribbon on the new commercial kitchen at the Land O’ Lakes Senior Center. (Courtesy of Pasco County)

Pasco County officials cut the ribbon on the new kitchen, at 6801 Wisteria Loop in Land O’ Lakes, on March 26.

About 1,000 meals a day will be produced on-site from the refurbished kitchen.

Some seniors will eat at that center, and some will be served at the other senior centers in Pasco. But, the majority of the meals will be delivered to homebound seniors.

A contract with St. Petersburg-based GA Foods calls for up to 1,600 meals a day to be prepared at the senior center’s kitchen. Pasco County commissioners approved the contract in September 2017.

State funds of about $250,000 paid for the project.

The upgrade in meal preparation and delivery is a public-private partnership with GA Foods, Pasco County’s Elderly Nutrition Division, Pasco County Schools, and area businesses.

The state-of-the-art commercial equipment is from in-kind donations from the school district, and businesses, including Welbilt.

“It’s a great collaborative effort,” said Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Wells Jr. “The goal is that no senior has to wait for service. That’s the goal for me.”

Wells cut the ribbon along with other county and school officials, and county commissioners.

With meals prepared locally, Pasco anticipates an annual cost savings of more than $120,000, and a decrease in the home-delivered waiting list.

Data has shown that one in six seniors in Pasco are food-insecure.

“The Land O’ Lakes kitchen project is an initiative that we’ve strived for several years to realize,” Gabriel Papadopoulos, Pasco’s community services director, said in a news release on the event.

Feeding Pasco’s Elderly is a nonprofit organization that supports funding to Pasco County’s Senior Services Division. The agency helped secure the state funds for the grant.

Gov. Rick Scott previously vetoed the funds in 2015, but the renewed request made it into the fiscal year 2017 state budget.

Published April 4, 2018

Smithsonian’s sports exhibit stops at local museum

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Jim “Mudcat” Grant is a Lacoochee native son who blazed a trail as the first African-American to pitch a 20-game winning season in the American League.

His 1965 win/loss record for the Minnesota Twins was 21-7.

Grant, now age 82, lives in California.

He won two World Series games, also in 1965, pitching for the Twins against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Stephanie Black, executive director of Pioneer Florida Museum, shows off the Smithsonian traveling exhibit, ‘Hometown Teams: How Sports Shaped America.’ (Kathy Steele)

During one of those wins, he powered a three-run homer over the fence. He was named The Sporting News American League Pitcher of the Year.

Grant’s career began in 1958 with the Cleveland Indians, about a decade after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in major league baseball. He pitched his last game in 1971, pitching for the Oakland Athletics and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Mudcat is a name given to Grant by another ballplayer who reportedly thought he was from Mississippi, and Mudcat fit.

Grant’s star quality as an athlete is now on view at the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village, in Dade City.

His career is part of the Smithsonian Museum’s traveling exhibit, “Hometown Teams: How Sports Shaped America,” which runs through April 28.

Baseball, and Grant’s achievements, are just one of the highlights of the exhibit, which covers every sport imaginable.

There are interactive videos and trivia on baseball, football, bowling, soccer, cheerleading, roller blading, basketball, surfing and much more.

“There are all different sports,” said Stephanie Black, the museum’s executive director. “Everybody can come in here and see something different.”

The interactive nature of the exhibit is meant to get conversations going about the impact of sports in American culture.

Items on display include a Wheaties box with soccer star Brandi Chastain; videos with marching bands and mascots; a mock-up of bleachers with seat cushions that reveal answers to baseball trivia; photographs; trophies; sports magazines; and, audio of athletes and fans talking about their favorite memories.

A lecture series is planned, too
On April 14 at 2 p.m., University of Florida history professor Steve Noll will be the featured speaker. Anyone wearing a sports team’s jersey or T-shirt will get a 25 percent discount on the museum’s fee.

Other lectures are tentative, but information can be found at PioneerFloridaMuseum.org.

It’s a true traveling exhibit.

The Smithsonian traveling exhibit, ‘Hometown Teams: How Sports Shaped America,’ is the second Smithsonian exhibit to visit the Pioneer Florida Museum.

Once “Hometown Teams” leaves Dade City, it heads to the Dunedin Historic Museum, among other stops in Florida.

This is only the second Smithsonian exhibit for the Florida Pioneer Museum. The first was last year when the museum featured “The Way We Worked,” a look at the working life of Americans from the mid-19th century to the late 20th century.

The exhibits are part of the Museum on Main Street series, sponsored by the Smithsonian in partnership with state and local organizations.

The Florida Humanities Council selected the Pioneer museum to host Hometown Teams, and awarded a $5,000 grant. A portion of the grant will help sponsor a Dade City Little League team.

Host sites are encouraged to reach out locally for athletes who can be featured in the exhibit.

It was special to see Mudcat play
Most of the memorabilia from Grant’s career came from family members who still live in the area.

“We were fortunate that they were able to be so involved,” Black said.

A few items also are from the collection of artifacts on loan to the museum from alumni of Moore Academy, and the later schools bearing the names of Moore-Mickens.

“We’ve had a tremendous response from the community,” Black said. “Everybody is so excited about this.”

A life-size cutout of Jim ‘Mudcat’ Grant is featured in a display highlighting Grant’s career in major league baseball. Grant grew up in Lacoochee.

Grant’s twin sister, Johnnie Mae Lopey, remembers her first time watching her brother pitch professionally in Cleveland. She went there with their mother, Viola Grant.

A scoreboard announcement splashed her name onto the screen as Grant’s twin sister.

“That was special to see him play,” she recalled.

Through the years, Grant has left memorabilia with her, including a life-size cutout, which is part of the exhibit.

His nephew, Jamie Lopey, described Grant as a “family guy” who always encourages youth to play sports, especially baseball.

Grant is co-author of “The Black Aces,” a book that chronicles 15 black pitchers who had 20-game winning seasons in the majors. He also includes some who played in the Negro League.

Johnnie Mae Lopey said her brother had challenges even a decade after Robinson began playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

On one trip through Georgia, team members stopped for lunch, and Grant was told to go to the back door.

“His teammates said if he has to go to the back door, we’ll all go to the back door,” she said.

Grant has been back to Lacoochee on several occasions. Mudcat Grant Boulevard, near the entrance to Stanley Park, is named for him.

Local businessman Jesse Stanley, for whom the park is named, was an early booster of Grant when he played baseball at mini-camps, and was signed by the Cleveland Indians.

Johnnie Mae Lopey said her brother never let being from a small town hold him back. And, she said, that’s his message to youngsters still.

“Keep on practicing and try to be somebody,” she said.

What: Smithsonian Exhibit, “Hometown Teams: How Sports Shaped America”
Where: Pioneer Florida Museum, 15622 Pioneer Museum Road, Dade City
When: Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Exhibit ends April 28.
Cost: $10, adults; $8, seniors; $5, students including college students with valid school identification. No charge for children under age 5, and for active duty military with identification (with immediate family).
Info: (352) 567-0262 or PioneerFloridaMuseum.org

Published April 4, 2018