The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Reasons To Smile

A tradition, with some new twists

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Five-year-old Connor Mathes and his 3-year-old brother, Zachary, get ready for the first day of preschool at Xavier Elementary School in Appleton, Wisconsin. (Courtesy of Erin Mathes)

Getting ready for the First Day of School typically means new back-to-school clothes, shoes and a backpack. This year — during the midst of the COVID-19 global pandemic— it means a mask, too. Five-year-old Connor and 3-year-old Zachary Mathes, grandsons of Diane Kortus, publisher of The Laker/Lutz News, were among the millions of children across the country beginning the 2020-2021 school year. The boys attend preschool at Xavier Elementary School, in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Movie-goers share laughter, and a sense of normalcy

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Floodgates Church hosted a drive-in theater night on Aug. 15 at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park. “We wanted to give some love and outreach to our community, and give people who have been cooped up in their homes a chance to get out,” said Pastor Kenton Brake, who leads the Lutz church. Families of all ages came out to watch the film.

Cannan Allen and his sister, Hayley, grab front row seats and settle in to watch the movie, ‘Up.’ (Kelli Carmack)

 

She ushered in a broader selection of healthy food choices

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If you want to know about the legacy of Julie Hedine, the recently retired director of Food and Nutrition for the Pasco County School District, you should rewind to the days when school menus were different.

You should think about the jumbo chocolate chip cookie.

Of course, it was wildly popular with the students.

It was also an extremely profitable item, adding to the program’s financial flexibility. But, Hedine knew better.

“When she told us we should back away from those cookies and focus on healthy items, we all agreed with her,’’ said Rick Kurtz, who hired Hedine in 1995 as the county’s first registered dietician and then selected her as the replacement for program director in 2012.

“She took a lot of heat for that. But, she knew it was best to move away from the jumbo chocolate chip cookies — because that was the best thing for kids. That’s how she always operated,’’ Kurtz said.

Julie Hedine recently retired from the top job in Pasco County Schools’ department of Food and Nutrition Services. (Courtesy of Pasco County School District)

Hedine, who oversaw 750 employees and a $38-million annual budget, was there when the last fryer was removed from Pasco’s school kitchens.

She piqued the interest of vegetarians — and all students, really — by introducing hummus platters. She prided herself on the selection of fresh fruits and vegetables — every day.

She made the dollars stretch and maintained great relationships with vendors, always keeping new food trends in mind. She standardized menus and recipes throughout the county, for a more efficient approach.

When Hedine took over, Pasco had 38 schools/feeding stations. Now there are more than 80.

“We grew significantly and lot of things changed, but we always tried to keep it interesting for the students and follow trends,’’ Hedine said. “We wanted our students to want to eat with us. It doesn’t do any good to put out a meal that kids have no interest in eating, no matter how healthy it is.

“You have to find a happy medium, where you are satisfying nutritional requirements, but also making it enticing for students to participate,” she said.

Hedine, born and raised in Phoenix, was food and nutrition director for the Scottsdale (Arizona) School District before moving to Florida, after her marriage. She spent one year with the Hillsborough County School District before shifting to Pasco’s dietician position.

Kurtz already knew bigger things were ahead.

“She was director material from the day she walked in, so I’m grateful that she stayed with Pasco and didn’t leave for something else,’’ Kurtz said. “I knew we needed a registered dietician. I wanted one slightly moderate, child focused and someone bright. Julie brought all of that, plus she has such a happy personality, a contagious laughter and that was great to have in our office.

“She knew nutrition. She was bright enough to work the numbers and figure out how to do things within the constraints of our program. She was the perfect choice to take over and take the food program to another level, which she certainly did.’’

Hedine will pass the reins to Stephanie Spicknall, her assistant, secure in the knowledge that the Pasco food and nutrition program is on solid ground.

What will Hedine miss?

The people.

“I loved working in the field, as I called it, getting in the kitchen to help and collaborate,’’ Hedine said. “I wasn’t able to do that as much as I would’ve liked. You might need to work on budgets or attend meetings. My favorite part was being there, being involved.

“We had a lot of employees, but it’s amazing how many of them I got to know. And, of course, the students are why you do it. I could’ve gone in a number of different directions with my career, but my passion has been making sure kids are fed a healthy meal. Kids are who kept me in this business all these years,” she said.

But, Hedine also attended to many non-glamorous details, such as the standardization of protocols to ensure food safety.

Kurtz put it this way: “I think flexibility and managing all the little things no one wants to think about really define Julie. Managing waste. Offer versus serve. Making sure kids get what they want and not having them just take things and throw them away.

“All these things are so important to the program, both fiscally and for the overall environment issues,” he said.

After a 25-year career with the Pasco County School District, Hedine had been contemplating retirement. In the spring of 2019, just before the school year concluded, her health cast a deciding vote.

She also had suffered from headaches, but they began coming with more intensity. She felt fatigued and her vision seemed off. She worried when she couldn’t write in a straight line. A doctor diagnosed her with a cancerous brain tumor — Glioblastoma, which also afflicted John McCain and Ted Kennedy — so she underwent surgery.

Her husband, Gary, also was battling cancer. In fact, they underwent radiation treatments together. They both agreed it was time to seize the day.

“As much as I loved my job, it’s time to do other things and spend time with my husband,’’ said Hedine, who will split time between Florida and their place in Cape Cod. “I will still undergo treatment and I’ll be watched closely for the rest of my life.

“I’m very goal-oriented and I didn’t want to leave until some things were accomplished. But, I have to take care of myself. I think COVID-19 may have validated the timing of the decision also. My career was wonderful, but now it’s time for the next chapter. I have nothing but fond memories.’’

By Joey Johnston

Published August 19, 2020

Lutz teen gets heartwarming surprise

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When Abbie Grace Flohr returned to her Lutz neighborhood after a life-saving surgery, she was greeted with a life-affirming welcome home celebration.

Cheryl Flohr stands with her daughter, Abbie Grace, in front of a large group of well-wishers. Abbie Grace, who will be a freshman this fall at Steinbrenner High School, just returned home. The teenager had been hospitalized following a six-hour surgery to remove a blood clot from a vein near her heart. (Courtesy of Carter Gaddis)

The young woman, who will be a freshman at Steinbrenner High this fall, was coming home from the hospital, after a surgery to address a massive blood clot in a vein near her heart, according to her mom, Cheryl Flohr.

The operation took six hours and involved putting in five stents.

This is just the latest medical issue for Abbie Grace, who has been hospitalized more than 120 times, her mom said.

When Julie Dumois-Sands, the social worker at Martinez Middle School heard that Abbie Grace would be returning home, she came up with the idea of greeting the girl with a driveway concert and car parade.

Dumois-Sands turned for help to Karen Bishop, a retired Martinez Middle orchestra teacher.

Bishop texted some of her former students to see if they could help, and she got a huge response.

Some of the volunteer musicians were Bishop’s private students, so they didn’t even know Abbie Grace.

Just the same, they turned out to create a pop-up orchestra with 25 players, including Steven Bossert, orchestra director at Plant High, and musicians from Martinez Middle and Steinbrenner, Gaither, Hillsborough and Blake high schools.

Karen Bishop stands with Abbie Grace Flohr in front of a group of musicians who welcomed the young woman home with a driveway concert and car parade.

They played a 10-minute concert, without the benefit of any practice.

It was: “Show up. Set up. Let’s go,” Bishop said.

Besides being the social worker at Martinez, Dumois-Sands also founded the school’s Circle of Friends, Bishop said. That group aims to prevent bullying and to promote inclusion, and both Bishop and Abbie Grace are among its members.

Abbie Grace and her mom were touched by the outpouring of warmth.

“We live in a place where we truly are a community,” Cheryl Flohr said. “Over 20 kids took time out of their day to do this. Thank you to all of our friends that came by to show your support,” she said.

But, Abbie Grace and her mom weren’t the only ones to take joy from the event, Bishop said.

“It certainly brought sunshine to a lot of people, not only the Flohr family, but to the kids, parents and teachers that just wanted to spread the love —  a much needed thing, especially when the world is a tough place right now, the retired orchestra teacher said.

This kind of love makes the world a “kinder place” and offers hope for the future, she said.

Published July 08, 2020

A sweet send-off for Sunlake band seniors

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Ed DelValle, left, poses with his family: daughter Erika; wife Miriam; and daughter Victoria. They work at Miriam’s Cakes, which donated individual cakes to celebrate seniors from Sunlake High’s band program. (B.C. Manion)

When it became clear that the Sunlake High School music program wouldn’t be able to have its traditional end-of-the-year banquet — Miriam’s Cakes stepped up to do something special for the seniors who would be graduating.

“We’ve been a band family for 10 years. That’s a very special group for us,” said Ed DelValle, who owns the Land O’ Lakes bakery along with his wife, Miriam Ruiz.

“Every year, we have the band banquet, where we recognize the achievements of each band member, with awards,” he said.

Each graduating senior of the Sunlake High band program received a personal cake, courtesy of Miriam’s Cakes in Land O’ Lakes. The family has been a band family for 10 years and wanted to do something for the graduates.

“I know the banquet is the biggest event for the band program every year. All of the kids look forward to it because it’s kind of like a mini-red carpet,” he said.

There’s anticipation, with members wondering, “Who is going to get the highest honor?” he added.

However, he continued, “this year, because of the pandemic, the banquet got canceled. We still wanted to do something special, especially for the seniors who are not coming back next year.”

Miriam and their 21-year-daughter, Victoria, came up with the idea of making an individual cake for each of the graduating seniors.

So, they made 29 individual cakes. Each was decorated with the school’s Seahawk mascot, with textured white frosting, blue piped frosting and sprinkles.

Victoria, and the couple’s other daughter, Erika, both work at the shop.

One of the cakes was for 18-year-old Erika, a member of the band program, and of the Class of 2020.

She was pleased by her family’s gesture.

“I really appreciate it,” she said.

Published June 10, 2020