The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

New schools, new programs on tap for 2014-15 school year

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The days of relatively easy rush-hour commutes are approaching an end as students, teachers and other employees gear up for a new school year.

Students in Pasco County Schools begin the 2014-15 school year on Aug. 18, and Hillsborough County public schools begin classes a day later.

These children arrive at school at Quail Hollow Elementary School on the last day the school had classes before closing down for renovation. Quail Hollow is slated to open in the 2015-16 school year. (File Photo)
These children arrive at school at Quail Hollow Elementary School on the last day the school had classes before closing down for renovation. Quail Hollow is slated to open in the 2015-16 school year.
(File Photo)

Wiregrass Ranch High School already is urging students and parents to give themselves ample time to arrive.

“Traffic in the morning is always busy,” Robyn White, the school’s principal, noted on the Wiregrass Ranch website. “With 40 buses arriving, 500 student drivers, 200 employees and hundreds of parents driving to school, you must arrive early to prevent being late to school.”

If that’s the scene at just one school, imagine how it will play out across two massive school districts.

In addition to traffic generated by Hillsborough and Pasco public schools, there also are thousands of students in both counties attending private schools and charter schools, including Academy at the Lakes, Land O’ Lakes Christian School, Countryside Montessori, The Reading Corner, Learning Gate Community School, Imagine School and Academy at the Farm, just to name a few.

The traffic jams will begin in earnest when students return to classes, but the volume will pick up a bit earlier as teachers and other school employees begin reporting back to work to get ready for another year.

Many parents are already hitting the malls, discount stores and local shops to buy their kids new school clothes and supplies for the coming year. Parents who want to be in the know should check their school’s website to make sure they are getting the supplies that their kids will need. Most websites offer a list of supplies that differentiates between grade levels.

Parents also can benefit from attending “meet the teacher” day at elementary schools and orientation sessions for older students to get a better feel for their child’s campus and the school’s rules. Again, all that information is available on schools’ websites.

The coming school year is ushering in new educational options for students in both school districts. Pepin Academies has a new public charter school in New Port Richey that will serve students with special learning needs throughout Pasco County.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the county, Darby Christian Academy in Dade City will offer a community school model, based on a biblical worldview. That school, a ministry of Darby Community Church at 14745 Bellamy Brothers Road, offers instruction for kindergarten through 10th-graders.

Stewart Middle School and Zephyrhills High School are adding The Infinity Academy, a program that blends online instruction with classroom learning to give students the chance to quickly move through material they master, but spend more time on lessons that cause them to struggle.

Both schools also are offering a program called AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. At Zephyrhills High, AVID will be available for 60 incoming ninth-graders who will take it as an elective. The class will focus on organizational skills, text coding, reading and writing coaching, and math and science tutorials.

At Stewart, the AVID elective will be offered for students in grades six through eight.

In Hillsborough County, the public charter Lutz Preparatory School has added a middle school. This year, the school will serve sixth- and seventh-graders. Next year, it intends to add eighth grade.

Three elementary schools in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area have new principals.

Claudia Steinacker will lead Cox Elementary School, and Christina Twardosz is at the helm of Centennial Elementary School, both in Dade City. Gretchen Rudolph-Fladd is the new principal at Veterans Elementary School in Wesley Chapel.

This school year also signals the first full year of operation for Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, a new satellite of Pasco-Hernando State College.

The college campus is next door to Wiregrass Ranch High and not far from Wesley Chapel High School, which is expected to lead to enhanced educational opportunities for the high school students and to give the college a chance to recruit more future students.

Pasco County Schools Calendar 2014-15
Aug. 18 — Students’ first day
Sep. 1 — Labor Day
Oct. 20 — Teacher planning day
Oct. 27— Report card distribution
Nov. 24-28 — Thanksgiving break
Dec. 22-Jan. 2 — Winter break
Jan. 5 — Teacher planning day
Jan. 12 — Report card distribution
Jan. 19 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Feb. 16 — President’s Day
March 16-20 — Spring break
March 23 — Teacher planning day
March 30 — Report card distribution
April 3 — Non-student day
May 20 — Seniors’ last day
May 25 — Memorial Day
June 3 — Students’ last day
June 11 — Final report card distribution

Hillsborough County Schools Calendar 2014-15
Aug. 19 — Students’ first day
Sept. 1 — Labor Day
Oct. 20 — Teacher planning day
Nov. 3 — Elementary report card distribution
Nov. 7 — Secondary report card distribution
Nov. 11 — Veterans Day
Nov. 24-28 — Fall break
Dec. 22-Jan. 2 — Winter break
Jan. 19 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Jan. 20 — Non-student day
Feb. 2 — Elementary report card distribution
Feb. 10 — Secondary report card distribution
March 9–13 — Spring break
March 16 — Student’s return to school
April 3 — Non-student day
April 13 — Elementary report card distribution
April 17 — Secondary report card distribution
May 25 — Memorial Day
June 5 — Elementary report card distribution
June 5 — Last day of school
June 12 — Secondary report card distribution

– Compiled by Ashley Schrader

Published August 6, 2014

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Let them go?

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It pretty much started when John Gallagher was caught in heavy traffic on Interstate 75.

The morning rush is exactly that, the morning rush. But Gallagher, then the Pasco County administrator, realized that these were primarily people who lived in his county, but were heading south to work jobs in Hillsborough and even Pinellas counties.

More than half the residents of Pasco County hop in their cars each morning and drive across the county line for jobs in places such as Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
More than half the residents of Pasco County hop in their cars each morning and drive across the county line for jobs in places such as Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

From that time forward, Pasco County made it a priority to develop policy that not only encouraged people to find homes in the county, but to work here as well. That meant working to attract high-wage jobs to the area with efforts like tax incentives, and removing some of the red tape involved in locating a business in the county.

Ken Littlefield, a former state representative who is running for Pasco County Commission, may bring a completely different perspective to the dais if he’s elected, however.

“A lot of people see 60,000 to 80,000 people leaving Pasco to go to work in Hillsborough or Pinellas counties as a negative. But I’m not sure about that,” Littlefield said. “It’s like they are working in the mine. They are bringing the gold back to Pasco, and they are spending that money here. When that money is spent here, there is economic growth that is taking place.”

Littlefield shared those views during a candidate forum last week at Keystone Community Church in Land O’ Lakes, hosted by the Central Pasco and Trinity-Odessa chambers of commerce. Other candidates seeking the same seat on the commission quickly rebuked his remarks.

“When I think about a premier county, I think about jobs in that county,” said Mike Moore, who is facing Littlefield for the Republican nomination.

Money, he said, doesn’t necessarily come back home. Especially since people spend a lot of time at work, and spending money around their jobs.

“There was a time that I worked outside the area quite often, and I would fill my gas tank on the way home in another county,” Moore said. “I would shop in the afternoon — guess where, in another county. Guess where I ate breakfast? Another county.”

Pasco residents spend an average of 30 minutes on the road commuting to work, compared to 26 minutes for residents living in Hillsborough, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Two decades ago, that commute time was 24 minutes, and despite advancements like the widening of I-75, U.S. 41 and the construction of the Suncoast Parkway, the time it takes to get to work is just going up for Pasco residents.

It’s something county leaders still want to curb, especially since Pasco ranks as one of the worst commute times in the state, spending the equivalent of three full work weeks, and a bit of overtime, behind the wheel each year.

“That’s valuable time, and time is money,” said James Edwards, the transportation manager with Pasco’s Metropolitan Planning Organization.

But it’s not just sales tax the county collects from having more business here, but other ways of producing more money inside the county as well.

“Basically, the big (economic) payoff is at the other end of their trip, which is where they are employed,” Edwards said. “The intent is to build that employment base within your own county, so that you capture the best of all worlds.”

How can the county keep more workers here? Find companies willing to pay higher wages, said another county commission candidate, Bob Robertson. He cited a report from the National Bureau of Labor Statistics that showed the average weekly wage in Pasco was $624, while it was well above $800 in Hillsborough and Pinellas.

“I live in Pasco and work in Pasco,” the Zephyrhills financial analyst said. “When you have a chance to make 30 to 35 percent more, it’s no wonder more people drive south.”

Making it worse, Robertson said, is the fact any educated work force Pasco develops ends up moving away.

“We are hearing about kids who are coming out of school, and they are not going to Hillsborough or Pinellas. They are going to Atlanta, or they are going somewhere else altogether,” he said. “That is not a good thing for Pasco County.”

Sandy Graves, who chairs the government affairs committee at the Central Pasco Chamber, said a lot of what’s needed is patience.

“I am happy that people have jobs and choose to live here in Pasco, because that is the reality of the situation at present,” she said in an email. “There is no doubt that Hillsborough and Pinellas have the commercial economic base that supplies those jobs for many that live here, but our county needs to prepare for the natural growth of businesses that will move northward in the future.”

However, Erika Remsberg — the lone Democrat seeking to replace Pat Mulieri on the county commission — believes there is something the county can do right now: invest in small businesses.

“We should be putting 75 percent of our economic development money into small business,” Remsberg said. “It’s a lot less expensive, and can have more of an impact. Just think, if they all added just one job, we would have 3,000 more jobs in Pasco County.”

Any change to scale back the need to commute will take a while, the MPO’s Edwards said.

“It’s going to take a long time to change it, probably 15 to 20 years to change that dynamic,” Edwards said. “But at the end of the day, it’s really a revenue-based decision, and what’s good for the employment sector is good for the county.”

Published August 6, 2014

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Tilling the soil to share earth’s bounty

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It’s around 8 a.m. on a Saturday, and a volunteer crew is hard at work in a garden at Tims Memorial Presbyterian Church in Lutz.

Renee White is yanking plants out of a raised bed, like a one-woman wrecking crew. Her husband Mike is on the other side of the garden trying to make sure that he’s placing a wood post in the right spot for a new raised bed.

A group of volunteers at Tims Memorial Presbyterian Church has created The Mustard Seed Garden Ministry. The crops they grow help to feed the hungry. The flowers they grow feed the soul. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
A group of volunteers at Tims Memorial Presbyterian Church has created The Mustard Seed Garden Ministry. The crops they grow help to feed the hungry. The flowers they grow feed the soul.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

Eric Kopp is working up a sweat, first sawing wood for the new garden bed, and then fixing a water pipe that’s broken.

Meanwhile, Ann Marks and Princess Layne are tending to other garden chores. Marks is scooping up piles of vegetation that Renee White has cleared out of a bed and carrying it to a compost heap. Layne is stripping okra leaves off a plant to allow sunlight to reach other plants.

The volunteers are part of The Mustard Seed Garden Ministry.

They launched the project last year, first finding an area on the church’s property that would work for a garden, said Renee White, who is a Hillsborough County master gardener.

To plant the garden they needed flat terrain, water and sun. They also needed a spot that wasn’t already being used by another group at the church, she said.

“Of all the places that we surveyed on the 11 acres, this was the one that fit everything,” White said.

The volunteers set about transforming a 65-by-55-foot patch of land into a thriving garden.

The idea for the garden came from members of the mission committee, White said.

“Several of us had the idea,” she said. “We have this property, why don’t we use it to God’s glory by taking care of people who don’t have fresh food.”

At the moment, okra, peppers, cherry tomatoes, basil and flowers are growing in the garden. At other times of the year, they plant different crops.

The plants are grown in raised beds, and the gardeners rotate what they grow to reduce problems with fungus, disease, nematodes and other pests.

They also grow a variety of flowers on the front side of the garden.

“We have our pollinators up front here,” White said.

Besides attracting bees and butterflies, the flowers create a beautiful view for passersby and visitors to the church grounds.

As they harvest the garden, they donate its yield to the First Baptist Church and Grace Family Church in Lutz, which both feed the hungry. They also donate produce to Christian Social Services in Land O’ Lakes, which gives it to people in need.

The Mustard Seed Ministry raises money for garden supplies by going to local produce markets and having their own farmer’s market at the church. Whatever they don’t sell, they donate to Christian Social Services.

“One day, it may be tomatoes and broccoli and cabbage and lettuce. On another day, it may be something else,” White said. That’s in addition to donated crops from their garden.

The ministry also allows people to use 4-by-4-foot plots for a $10 annual donation. Layne is growing okra and flowers in one of those plots.

“I just love gardening, and where I live, I do not have a lot of gardening space,” said Layne, who lives in Willow Bend. “So, this is my garden away from home.”

She enjoys helping in the garden ministry, too.

“I just love being active in my church,” Layne said.

Kopp said this is his first experience in serving on an outreach ministry, and he’s glad he signed on.

“I own a landscaping company, so it’s a pretty natural thing,” Kopp said.

Marks, who lives in Wesley Chapel, said she comes from a long line of gardeners. Unlike them, she said, she’s not a skilled gardener. “Weeding is my specialty,” she said, but she enjoys being involved. “It’s all community. It’s pulling our strengths together to help out people who can’t help themselves.”

Published August 6, 2014

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Saint Leo University hosts free Beginning Teacher Boot Camp

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Beginning educators may feel a bit shell-shocked, as they navigate through their first year of teaching. But a July 25 seminar at Saint Leo University aimed to combat those feelings.

The free half-day session, led by instructor Beverly Ledbetter, was filled with practical advice — in essence, a road map — to help new teachers protect themselves against potential pitfalls as they launch their careers.

Hilary Berbach, left, and Samantha Crumpler are starting their teaching careers in Pasco County this year. They took advantage of the free table of goodies that instructor Beverly Ledbetter brought to use as props in her ‘boot camp’ for beginning teachers. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Hilary Berbach, left, and Samantha Crumpler are starting their teaching careers in Pasco County this year. They took advantage of the free table of goodies that instructor Beverly Ledbetter brought to use as props in her ‘boot camp’ for beginning teachers.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

The boot camp, now in its third year, is a public service offered through Saint Leo’s School of Education and Social Services. The university is at 33701 State Road 52, in East Pasco County.

Teachers at the session came from numerous schools, including Wesley Chapel and Wharton high schools, Rushe Middle and Woodland, Seven Oaks, Pasco, Double Branch, R.B. Cox, San Antonio and Wesley Chapel elementary schools.

Nancy Cerezo, associate professor of education at Saint Leo, offered a bit of advice, too. She urged the teachers to seek assistance if they are encountering difficulties.

“If you don’t ask for help, they don’t know you’re drowning,” she said. “Do not be afraid to seek help from people on your faculty, on your campus. Ask seasoned teachers, ask the principal, ask the librarian — ask someone.”

Ledbetter talked to the teachers about what they should and shouldn’t do on campus. It’s a good idea to circulate with other teachers and school staff, to get to know them and to become known, she said.

“Know people’s names,” she advised. “That helps you.”

It’s especially smart to know the school’s bookkeeper, its guidance staff, custodians, lunchroom workers and union representative, Ledbetter said. All of them can help teachers succeed in different ways.

Teachers also should know they will get a supply budget, she said, so they don’t need to empty their wallets for classroom items. However, they must account for how they spend that money, so they should be sure to keep their receipts.

“Anything you buy for your classroom is tax-deductible,” Ledbetter added.

Another piece of advice is how to interact with students.

“Never put yourself in the position to be alone with a student, because you never know what they are going to say,” she said.

If a teacher wants to help a student after school, that’s fine – just be sure another teacher or other students are present, Ledbetter said.

Play it safe when it comes to school attire, too, Ledbetter said. Female teachers must avoid revealing clothing.

Male teachers must be aware of how they position themselves near students. They should avoid bending over a female student, to avoid accusations of impropriety, she said. Teachers need to read their contracts to make sure they know what is appropriate and inappropriate in the classroom.

Some things are just common sense, Ledbetter said. “If you have any doubts about something, don’t do it.”

Technology can be a useful aid to instruction, but also must be used with care, she said. Check with the school’s media staffer to be sure the material is appropriate for use in the classroom.

Also, avoid talking on your cellphone during class, Ledbetter said.

“Be careful of jokes in the classroom,” she added. “You never know how a student is going to take a joke.”

Another concern is how to deal with money, especially since misappropriating school funds is an infraction that can result in losing retirement benefits, Ledbetter said.

“Before you handle student money, know the procedures at your school,” she said. “If you’re on a field trip and a student asks you to hold their lunch money, think twice.”

Hilary Berbach, who will teach kindergarten at Woodland Elementary School in Zephyrhills, and Samantha Crumpler, who will teach kindergarten at San Antonio Elementary School, were among those attending the seminar. Crumpler said she’d already heard warnings about not being alone with children and being careful with money, but she liked Ledbetter’s advice about getting to know the school’s bookkeeper and saving receipts for school supplies for tax deductions.

Berbach liked Ledbetter’s suggested survival kit for teachers. She said she’d never considered how useful it would be to have safety pins around in case a need arises.

Both teachers are eager for school to start.

“I’m very nervous and very excited,” Berbach said. “I want to get in my classroom and set things up and meet my students. I’m so excited to know who my students are.”

A Beginning Teacher’s Survival Kit
Veteran educator Beverly Ledbetter suggests beginning teachers assemble a supply kit to prepare them for that first day of school.
Her suggested kit is not filled with tradition school supplies, such as markers, scissors, glue and paper. Instead, she recommends:

• Sanitizer wipes
• Facial tissue
• Eyeglass cleaning cloths
• Small set of screwdrivers
• Safety pins
• Sewing kit
• Hand lotion
• Clip of keys
• Umbrella
• Peanut butter crackers
• Cough drops
• Bandages for paper cuts or blisters

Published August 6, 2014

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Soaring above life’s everyday routine

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When people see a colorful hot air balloon gliding across the sky in Land O’ Lakes or Wesley Chapel, or other nearby places — chances are the beauty of the balloon is what captures their attention.

But that’s a mere glimpse into the stories that play out every week in the hot air balloons operated by American Balloons, based in Land O’ Lakes.

Balloon pilot Tom Warren shoots flames into the interior of a balloon, to heat the air in the balloon. The hot air is what gives the balloon its lift. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Balloon pilot Tom Warren shoots flames into the interior of a balloon, to heat the air in the balloon. The hot air is what gives the balloon its lift.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

Just a few weeks ago, a couple got engaged during a flight that Tom Warren piloted out of Zephyrhills. After the groom-to-be popped the question, the balloon operator guided the balloon to a landing in the middle of the fiancée’s family’s property in Dade City where a big group was waiting.

During another recent week, the balloon operator piloted three engagements and a wedding.

American Balloons has flown hospice patients who wanted to fulfill a final wish, and has taken up wounded warriors so they could experience the freedom of flight, said Jessica Warren, the company’s owner.

It has helped people celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and retirements. It has played a role in solemn events, too, as people bid a final farewell to a loved one.

The couple, who have operated the business for 17 years, enjoys sharing the tranquil experience that ballooning offers.

And, they never know whom they’ll be flying next.

Some passengers travel from far away places to catch a ride on the wind, while others come from just around the block. So far, their oldest passenger was 97, while the youngest were infants.

Their balloons, equipped with doors, can accommodate people who use wheelchairs and have other physical limits.

Passengers have different reasons for boarding the balloon. Jessica Warren was sitting in the lobby one morning at the Hampton Inn & Suites Tampa in Wesley Chapel, checking passengers in.

“This guy came downstairs and began asking questions,” she said.

When she explained the flight, the man wanted to join the group. And he could, because there was room — two scheduled passengers had failed to show up.

It turns out the man was from Puerto Rico and was suffering from a brain tumor, the balloon company owner said. He was traveling the world while he could, dipping into as many new experiences as time would permit.

Whether it’s from a sense of adventure, a penchant for romance, or a matter of mere curiosity, the company attracts enough passengers to fly more than 150 flights a year. It would fly more, but many flights are cancelled because of weather conditions.

One recent Thursday morning, a group of seven passengers gathered at the hotel before dawn to check in for their flight. They came from Wesley Chapel, Lutz, Lake Magdalene, Carrollwood and Tampa.

There was an air of anticipation as the group traveled by van to a field in New Tampa, where the flight would depart.

At the field, the Warrens and their three-member crew sprang into action. They quickly unloaded the massive fabric balloon and spread the envelope flat on the ground. They rigged the balloon’s vents and set up giant fans to inflate the balloon.

Finally, they shot propane flames into the interior to heat the air, which is what causes the balloon to rise.

Within minutes, it was time for passengers to board. Some used footholds to climb into a compartment, while others stepped through an open door into the other side of the basket.

As they prepared to launch, Tom Warren — who has flown balloons all over the world — began his commentary.

The 10-passenger balloon, which stands 90 feet tall and 55 feet wide, is fueled by propane, he said. It can heat up to 208 degrees near the top of the balloon, and that heat is what keeps the balloon aloft.

He controls the balloon’s direction by raising and lowering the balloon, to ride the wind, which blows in different directions and at varying speeds, depending on the altitude.

Every flight is unique, the balloon pilot said.

“We’re not going to go very far today,” Tom Warren said. “There’s not a lot of wind. It’s the kind of crapshoot that God gives you every day.”

On this particular day, passengers can see stands of cypress, shimmering ponds and a gorgeous sunrise as they glide above New Tampa.

They can see the downtown Tampa skyline in the distance and can check out The Shops at Wiregrass, Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, and subdivisions nearby.

The balloon pilot has seen some interesting sights through the years. He’s seen boars the size of cows on land within Wiregrass Ranch. He’s seen marijuana being cultivated in a field behind apartments. He’s seen nudists on their back porch in Caliente, a clothing optional community in Land O’ Lakes.

During this particular flight, though, the winds were calm, the wildlife was hiding and the balloon didn’t travel far.

As they disembarked, passengers said they’d had a great time.

“It was so calm. I’m afraid of heights and I wasn’t afraid at all,” said Kathy Rizzo of Wesley Chapel. “It wasn’t at all frightening. It was a very smooth landing.”

“It was quiet and peaceful,” her husband Tom said, noting he especially enjoyed experiencing “the beauty of creation.”

Jimi Gillespie of Carrollwood acknowledged she was bit nervous before the flight.

“I’m a little afraid of heights,” she said, but it turned out that the ride was smooth and not at all intimidating.

Gillespie enjoyed seeing the world from a different perspective.

“It’s a vantage point you don’t typically get, so that was interesting,” she said.

Brian Bernhard of Lake Magdalene has a pilot’s license, so he’s no stranger to flight. But this was his first time up in a balloon.

“I loved it,” Bernhard said.

Jim and Kathy Appleby of Lutz both said they enjoyed the flight. After six cancellations by the balloon company, and three cancellations from themselves, the couple was finally able to go on a ride.

Now, Kathy Appleby said, she can scratch that off her bucket list.

She complimented the balloon pilot and crew.

“We’ve done a lot of this stuff and I thought they were very informative,” she said. “They were very professional.”

The pilot was entertaining too, Tom Rizzo added, noting it’s an outing he’d highly recommend.

American Balloons typically offers more than 150 flights a year, based on weather. The company also handles a wide variety of special events.
For more information or to book a balloon, visit AmericanBalloonRides.com, or call (813) 243-9507.
Flights cost $189 per adult and $125 for children, ages 5 through 15. Discounts are available for groups of six or more.
The company also offers private exclusive flights at $525 per couple. The price includes a hot air balloon ride, a crew to inflate and pack up the balloon, a professional pilot and a traditional champagne toast and breakfast, following the flight.

Published August 6, 2014

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County’s vo-tech program needs some TLC, Luikart says

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After spending decades as a teacher and administrator in Pasco County Schools, Steve Luikart was ready to enjoy retirement. That is, until a letter to the editor in an area newspaper caught the attention of his wife, Nancy, and his life would never be the same.

Steve Luikart feels he’s earned another term on the school board, especially since there’s still much work to do on the district’s vocational technical program. (Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)
Steve Luikart feels he’s earned another term on the school board, especially since there’s still much work to do on the district’s vocational technical program.
(Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)

“The letter writer wanted to know when someone with the background and experience in the school system would run for the school board,” Luikart said. “My wife got me up at 5:30 that morning and made me read it. ‘Do you know what I’m saying?’ she asked me. I said, ‘Yes, I do.’”

Later that week, Luikart was in the supervisor of elections office, filing paperwork to run for school board, a seat he won in 2010 with 45 percent of the vote in a three-person race. Since then, Luikart has called himself a representative of the men and women who work in the school system, providing a voice he says they may not have otherwise.

“I know how the teachers feel, and how the custodians feel, and how the cafeteria and support staff feel,” he said. “I have worked with all those folks for so long, I can bring a different perspective when some of these things come up” on the board.

Luikart championed the opening of health clinics across the county that he said not only helps keep employees healthy, but saves the school district money in medical costs. Luikart also pushed for a program led by England’s University of Cambridge that provides accelerated methods of academic study, as well as an aeronautics program at Sunlake High School.

“One of my main goals, if I’m re-elected, is to look at our vocational technical programs and get more involved,” Luikart said. “I want to find out more what the students and the community need, because we need to be able to train our students who are not going on to college, and who are not getting higher paid jobs coming out of high school.”

The vo-tech programs have been something close to Luikart’s heart in his more than three decades as an educator. He was a second-generation graduate of Gulf High School in New Port Richey, and returned to the high school after college to become an educator.

Luikart’s first job was as a work experience coordinator and he focused on freshmen who were at high risk of eventually dropping out of school. He would work with them to make sure they had the necessary life skills to succeed on their own, including how to fill out job applications and to balance a checkbook.

“The expectation was that just about 8 (percent) to 10 percent would actually stay in school and graduate,” Luikart said. “I didn’t take what I did lightly, and my graduation rate was actually closer to 60 (percent) to 70 percent, and the state came in and adopted my curriculum elsewhere.”

Whenever Luikart travels around the country, he visits various vo-tech programs, looking for ideas. He realized in observing those programs, Pasco’s vocational technical programs are falling short.

“They are nowhere close to the levels they should be at,” he said. “We have to make sure that when these students graduate, they will get two steps in front of the average guy. We need to expand some of the programs that we’re offering.”

Luikart also wants to break out various career academies so that they are more centralized and accessible to students across the country, and not just specifically with a high school, like the culinary academy at Land O’ Lakes High School.

“If I’m at Sunlake, I have to drive over to Land O’ Lakes High School and try to enroll in it,” Luikart said. “If these academies were part of the Marchman Technical Education Center, it would become more economically viable from the district’s standpoint.”

Luikart says he wants his next four years to be like the last four on the board, and that starts with listening to everyone affected by the board’s decisions.

“I don’t rule with a heavy hand,” he said. “I rule with the people.”

STEVE LUIKART
Non-partisan candidate for Pasco County School Board, District 5

OCCUPATION
Retired administrator, Pasco County Schools

ELECTED OFFICE
Pasco County School Board, 2010

FAMILY
Nancy Luikart, wife
Steve Luikart, son
Jamie Golubeff, daughter
Shawna Luikart, daughter

RESIDENCE
New Port Richey, lifelong

FUNDRAISING
through July 25
$9,786

Published August 6, 2014

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Yacht says school district needs protection from itself

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It’s not uncommon to find education leaders with the “doctor” title before their name. But Marc Yacht is not one of those kinds of doctors. He’s actually a medical doctor, the retired director of the Pasco County Health Department.

Health in education is important to Marc Yacht, but so is protecting public education from those who want to privatize all of it. (Courtesy of Marc Yacht)
Health in education is important to Marc Yacht, but so is protecting public education from those who want to privatize all of it.
(Courtesy of Marc Yacht)

And he now wants to lend his medical knowledge and experience to Pasco County Schools as a member of the school board.

“I’m advocating for more nursing services in the schools, since many children now have chronic medical problems that require more attention,” Yacht said. “I also would like to offer my expertise when it comes to health policy issues that come before the school board. That’s a big one for me, and something we haven’t really had since Marge Whaley left a number of years ago.”

However, Yacht is not looking to just address medical needs in the school district. He also wants to rein in what he says is the district’s out-of-control dependence on charter schools and voucher credits, which eats money that could’ve otherwise been spent on improving public schools.

“We are No. 43 nationally when it comes to public schools,” Yacht said. “We are so low on the list for funding, it really concerns me when money is being drained from public schools for charter schools.”

More than 87 percent of voucher credits, he said, are going to religious schools.

“That is a Constitutional issue for me,” Yacht said. “I am a 100 percent advocate for public education, and I feel no Florida tax dollar should go to religious or private schools. Yet, I’m hearing no voices about this. I’m not hearing anything from school boards or superintendents addressing concerns about how significant tax dollars are being drained.”

Teachers also are getting unfairly blamed for a school’s poor performance, Yacht said.

“We do not understand the problem that children have when they are coming into a school,” he said. “Much of it is poverty, and they don’t have the resources others do. And our teachers are being demoralized by all this, plus they haven’t received a raise for five years, so that’s not helping much either.”

One thing that Yacht hopes to share with fellow board members, if elected, is to be more open-minded to the concerns brought to them by the community. Far too often, it seems the board has made up its mind in advance, and what parents and students feel is usually left on the table.

The worst example, he says, was when the school board decided last year to allow a cell tower to be built at Seven Oaks Elementary School in Wesley Chapel.

“Parents came before the school board and really addressed concerns,” Yacht said. “They didn’t just come mad, they came with information. More than 50 of them spoke in front of the school board. But still, in the end, there were four votes for the cell tower, and only one against.”

Yacht isn’t sure a cell tower would actually have long-term health effects on students learning near it, but it just didn’t need to happen.

“There are lots of places to put a cell tower, so why do you need to put it on school grounds?” he said.

The school board also needs to refocus some of its attention on the larger issues affecting the county, Yacht said. Far too often, time is wasted in areas it shouldn’t be.

“The school board deals with a lot of minutiae, like when a teacher needs to get disciplined or a child apologizes for bad behavior,” Yacht said. “They are getting involved, and it’s kind of like Nero fiddling while Rome is burning. They are looking at smaller issues when the house is falling down.”

Yacht’s focus is to protect the very education system he says is being threatened by the push of privatization. And he’s ready to do that from a spot on the school board.

“We have to start looking at the larger issues, because if we don’t, public schools are going to be gone,” Yacht said. “That is the agenda of this (state) government, and we can’t let it happen.”

MARC YACHT
Non-partisan candidate for Pasco County School Board, District 5 

OCCUPATION
Retired director, Pasco County Health Department

FAMILY
Helen Yacht, wife
Philip Yacht, son
Becky Yhap, daughter
Susan Michelle Hinkle, daughter

RESIDENCE
Hudson, since 1987

FUNDRAISING
through Aug. 1
$3,953

Published August 6, 2014

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Wesley Chapel school offers individualized instruction

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A small private school, tucked in an office park off Ancient Oaks Boulevard in Wesley Chapel, offers a style of education tailored to the individual needs of children.

Hailey Ferrara works on a lesson at the white board during last school year at the New LEAPS Academy in Wesley Chapel. It is a school that aims to prepare its students to live independent lives. (Courtesy of New LEAPS Academy)
Hailey Ferrara works on a lesson at the white board during last school year at the New LEAPS Academy in Wesley Chapel. It is a school that aims to prepare its students to live independent lives.
(Courtesy of New LEAPS Academy)

The school, which calls itself New LEAPS Academy, is licensed for kindergarten through 12th grade. But so far, it has students ranging from kindergarten through fifth grade.

The school specializes in serving students with special needs. Its acronym, LEAPS, stands for:

• Listening to needs
• Educating to abilities
• Achieving goals
• Partnering with families
• Succeeding

As the school enters its second year of operation, it has an enrollment of 16 students. The hope is to increase that enrollment to 20 by the time classes begin on Aug. 18, said Deb Natale, the president and co-founder of the school, at 27724 Cashford Circle, Suite 101, in Wesley Chapel.

“There are no other schools that do what we do,” Natale said, noting what makes her school unique is that it serves children with a wide range of disabilities, instead of serving only children with a particular disability such as autism or hearing loss.

Natale said the Wesley Chapel and New Tampa area needs this kind of school. And she knows this firsthand. She and her husband Tony, who is on the school’s board and is chairman of fundraising, have a granddaughter who has special needs.

Each student is evaluated individually to gain an understanding of his or her needs, said Jessie Wamsley, the lead teacher and school manager. Goals are set for each student, and educational plans are revised as a child progresses.

“We fit our curriculum to fit the students’ needs,” Wamsley said, versus trying to use a one-size-fits-all approach. “Our classroom is purposely small, so the kids do get that one-on-one attention.”

Children who attend the school have a variety of challenges, Wamsley said. Some do not speak, for example, and the school uses various strategies to help those children communicate, including using American Sign Language.

Some children have anxiety issues and others have learning disabilities, the women said.

Tuition is $8,700 and the school accepts McKay scholarships, which are available through the state for children with special needs. Special services, such as speech therapy and occupational therapy, also are available from specialists for additional fees.

The school’s aim is to prepare its students to lead independent lives, Natale said. Its goal is to help each child reach his or her potential, Wamsley said.

While the school serves children of diverse needs, it is not equipped to help every child, Wamsley said. Some children have severe medical or behavioral problems that are beyond the reach of the school’s capabilities.

Parents who are interested in learning more about New LEAPS Academy are invited to come in for a visit to see if the school can meet their child’s needs, Natale said.

To arrange a meeting time, call (813) 973-7938.

For more information about the school, visit NewLEAPS.org.

Published August 6, 2014

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Lutz player is simply all soccer, all the time

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Robbie Soronellas is never too far from a soccer ball.

At practice, the 13-year-old is working on drills. In games, he’s the center-midfielder, directing the ball to the teammate with the best chance to advance the attack.

Soronellas’ bedroom is a tribute to his love for soccer, from his bed to his medals to his heroes on the wall. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Soronellas’ bedroom is a tribute to his love for soccer, from his bed to his medals to his heroes on the wall.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

And when he’s at his home in Lutz, he’s usually kicking around a smaller, toy version of a soccer ball.

Soronellas usually earns a lot of praise for his skills. Except when his parents catch him doing it in the house.

“They’ll get mad at me because I might break stuff,” he said.

When it comes to soccer, Soronellas is more likely to break records than home furnishings. He was part of Tampa Bay United’s U-13 team that won the Florida state cup for their age group, and competed in the regional finals in June. The team fell in the regional championship to the Georgia state champion by the score of 2-1.

It wasn’t his first state title — he also won that honor with the Lutz Rangers when he played for the U-11 squad — but Soronellas admits to feeling some pressure in the regional championship.

“I was really nervous going into that game,” he said. “The other team was really big, so I was thinking, ‘Man, it’s going to be really hard to beat them.’”

When it comes to sheer size, big players will always have an advantage over Soronellas. At 5-feet tall and 85 pounds, he won’t tower over any opponents. But he uses his coordination and skills to out-maneuver the other side, and said that smaller players also can pick up extra fouls when players clash.

His team’s success has translated into championships and successful runs in tournaments, but that doesn’t mean a lot of goals to add to his personal statistics. Soronellas didn’t score in the regional tournament or the state cup, and he’s fine with that. As long as the team is doing well and he has space to deliver passes to the team’s scoring threats. It’s more important to put team goals ahead of individual ones.

“My dad always tells me that,” he said.

His father, Frank Soronellas, knows a bit about winning soccer himself. A center-midfielder in his playing days, he helped bring a junior college national championship to Miami-Dade College, and later played for the University of Central Florida.

Soronellas admits his son would have had an edge over him at that same age. He takes pride in watching Robbie play, and notes that it’s his aggressive mindset toward the position that has led to great success.

“He’s a tenacious player,” Frank said of his son. “When he’s on the field he’s not going to let you by.”

That kind of playing style can frustrate opponents, which is exactly what the younger Soronellas wants. Even large, talented players can make mistakes if they’re taken out of the game mentally. It’s part of his team’s strategy, and Soronellas said it becomes obvious when the strategy is working.

“They start yelling at each other and they basically break down,” he said. “Sometimes when you start beating a team really badly, they start getting mad at each other.”

Soronellas tends to stay calm during matches, though he admits to throwing a few tantrums when he was younger (he started playing soccer when he was 4). As he got older, he learned discipline and can now put tough losses in perspective: He’s proud of what Tampa Bay United accomplished in the regional tournament and was excited to see the United States advance to the knockout stages at the World Cup last month.

Perhaps the only time Soronellas gets agitated is when he’s not able to include his favorite game. When there are no matches or practices, he’ll go see his brother Steven play soccer or practice for Steinbrenner High School. Or he’ll do some running at a local community center.

He might even play a soccer video game. And sometimes he’ll grab a smaller ball and do what young athletes have done as long as parents have worried about nice things breaking at home.

“Sometimes around the house I have a mini-soccer ball and I’ll start juggling it,” he said.

Published August 6, 2014

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Zephyrhills coach focused on playoffs, not Pasco

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Three years ago, a late-season loss to Pasco High School derailed the Bulldogs’ chances at the playoffs.

The following year, it happened again: The Pirates won, and Zephyrhills High School stayed home for the postseason.

From left, Tyler Kirby, Ty Tanner, Jalen Pickett and Jackie Tucker will drive the Zephyrhills Bulldogs’ offense in 2014. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
From left, Tyler Kirby, Ty Tanner, Jalen Pickett and Jackie Tucker will drive the Zephyrhills Bulldogs’ offense in 2014.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

Last season the division rivals played again, with both sides needing a victory to make the playoffs. And just like the previous two contests, Pasco came out ahead and Zephyrhills was left out.

The rivalry might have fans circling this year’s matchup on their calendar, but to Zephyrhills head coach Reggie Roberts, it’s still just another game on the schedule.

“It’s not something I sit around and think about,” Roberts said. “Contrary to what people believe, I’m not worried about Pasco. We have a lot of games. If we lose all our games and win the Pasco game, we’re still not in the playoffs.”

Making the playoffs is the next step for the Bulldogs and Roberts, who is now entering his fifth year as the school’s coach. The team has finished with a winning record for three straight years, but has fallen short of the postseason each time in Class 5A-District 6.

To build on their success and make the playoffs, Zephyrhills will need to improve over last year, and Roberts likes what he’s seen so far. The team has been working out hard, getting stronger and faster, and has impressed in seven-on-seven drills.

In particular, Roberts thinks the Bulldogs will be known as a defensive force.

“They swarm to the football,” he said. “They’re very speedy, but these guys are strong, too. They’re very strong guys who will hit you.”

But Roberts expects a more dynamic offense on the field as well. With playmakers at the receiver position like Jackie Tucker and Tyler Kirby, Roberts wants to see the offense stretch the opposing defense and not allow them to focus on the running game.

Zephyrhills also will benefit by having more players focus on just offense or defense instead of having to play both ways, Roberts said. In the past, with perhaps just 26 or 27 players on the team, there simply wasn’t enough talent to let athletes concentrate on one side of the ball. This year the coach wants to suit up 40 players, allowing them to stay fresher during the games and focus on where they can best help the team.

He thinks that change alone will make a difference for the Bulldogs this season.

“That was our problem the last three or four years, ever since I took over this program,” he said. “That always hurts when kids have to go both ways.”

It also hurts when a team loses talented seniors, and Roberts admits the Bulldogs took a hit on the offensive line. They lost four seniors at that position, and other players will need to step up and fill those roles.

Roberts feels optimistic about the team’s ability to take the next step, however, in part because he’s been able to change the attitude in the locker room. With a tenure that’s eclipsed a high school athletic career, all the players on the team know Roberts, his philosophy, and his expectations.

They have years of winning under their belts (Zephyrhills has gone 20-10 in its last three seasons) and Roberts has installed an attitude that winning is not only attainable, it’s expected, when they give their best effort.

“Every year is getting easier, I’ll be honest with you,” he said. “It was a little easier last year. It’s hard to change a locker room and the kids from my first year are gone. Right now these kids have the attitude that we can win every time we get on the football field.”

One goal for the Bulldogs is to get off to a strong start (three of their first four games are at home) so they aren’t scrambling for wins later in the year. If it comes down to beating a rival, the team will give it their all, Roberts said.

But he expects the team’s fortunes to be set before they face Pasco at the end of October in their last district game of the year.

“I have a feeling that the playoffs are going to be set long before that game,” he said.

ZEPHYRHILLS BULLDOGS
LAST YEAR: 7-3
4-3 in district play
Third place in Class 5A-District 6

KEY RETURNING PLAYERS
Ty Tanner, quarterback
Jalen Pickett, running back/wide receiver/safety

PLAYER TO WATCH
Jackie Tucker, wide receiver
“I guarantee you Jackie Tucker is going to be known after this year. He’s a tall kid who’s already gathering a ton of attention.” – Coach Reggie Roberts

2014 Bulldogs Schedule
8/22 – Wesley Chapel
9/5 – Gulf
9/12 – at Mitchell
9/19 – South Sumter
9/26 – at Weeki Wachee
10/10 – Nature Coast Tech
10/16 – Central
10/24 – at Hernando
10/31 – at Pasco
11/7 – at Sunlake

Published August 6, 2014

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