These students have a passion for service
The National Elementary Honor Society (NEHS) of Woodland Elementary, in Zephyrhills, hosted a dance fundraiser and raised enough money to donate $1,000 to two local charities — The Thomas Promise Foundation and the Helping Hearts Café, according to the Pasco County Schools’ Facebook page. The NEHS provides students in grades four to six a place to develop and apply their passion for service, while obtaining the skills to be confident young leaders for years to come, according to its website. Membership in the NEHS is centered on recognizing students for their accomplishments while challenging and equipping them to develop further as leaders through service to their school and community.
Creative Writing residency
Saint Leo University’s Master of Arts in Creative Writing Program will host a mini-residency in January at the campus, 33701 County Road 52 in St. Leo.
- Jan. 5, 5 p.m.: Craft discussion and reading by faculty member and military veteran Brooke King, followed by dinner with faculty members at 7 p.m.
- Jan. 6, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Craft discussions on writing and publishing, an open mic, and faculty readings
The mini-residency will take place in person and via Zoom. The cost is $25, which can be paid online at SaintLeo.edu/creativewriting. For information or to RSVP, email Anne Barngrover at . Requests for special accommodations can be made by emailing . For information, visit SaintLeo.edu/accommodations.
Storytelling Workshops
The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative will host its annual five-week Storytelling Festival Workshop Series, recommended for students in grades two to seven. Participants can learn to tell a story (combining public speaking, literacy skills and creative theater arts) for an audience and may have a video of their storytelling posted on the library’s YouTube channel.
Workshops at the Lutz Branch Library are scheduled for Tuesdays from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., on Jan. 16, Jan. 23, Jan. 30, Feb. 6 and Feb. 13. Registration is encouraged online at tinyurl.com/yexny9kj and registers a child for the entire series.
Science Festival
The 2024 St. Petersburg Science Festival is scheduled for Feb. 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus, 140 Seventh Ave., S., and Poynter Park, along the waterfront. Families can explore the wonders of hands-on science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM).
The event is held in conjunction with MarineQuest, the open house of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. Guests can walk from one event to the other.
Admission is free to both the festival and MarineQuest.
National Scholars Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is accepting applications for the USDA 1890 National Scholars Program, which aims to encourage students at 1890 land-grant universities to pursue food and agriculture career paths. The deadline to apply is March 1.
Administered through the USDA’s Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement, the scholars program is available to eligible high school seniors entering their freshman year of college, as well as rising college sophomores and juniors.
The program is a partnership between the USDA and the 19 historically Black land-grant universities that were established in the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1890. The USDA partners with these 1890 universities to provide scholarship recipients with full tuition, fees, books, and room and board. Scholarship recipients attend one of the 1890 universities and pursue degrees in agriculture, food, natural resource sciences, or related academic disciplines. The scholarship also includes work experience at the USDA through summer internships.
Scholars accepted into the program are eligible for noncompetitive conversion to a permanent appointment with the USDA upon successful completion of their degree requirements by the end of the agreement period.
The USDA 1890 National Scholars Program awarded 100 scholarships in the 2023 cohort of 1890 Scholars.
Young people can complete and submit their e-applications online at USDA.gov/partnerships/1890NationalScholars.
