Pasco Schools calendar
The remainder of the Pasco County Schools calendar includes these upcoming dates, according to its website.
Early Release Days: Jan. 10 (CANCELLED), Feb. 14, March 13 and April 10.
Holidays: Jan. 15, Martin Luther King Jr. Day; Feb. 19, President’s Day; March 8, Teacher Planning Day; March 25 through March 29, Spring Break; and April 12 (no school).
The last day for students will be May 24.
For additional information, visit Pasco.k12.fl.us/calendar. The website also has a link to printable Student/Teacher School Year Calendar Dates for 2024-2025.
Career exploration
The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative will host “Career Exploration for Middle School Students” on Jan. 17 at 4 p.m., at the Lutz Branch Library, 101 Lutz Lake Fern Road. Participants can explore potential careers and identify career options. To register, visit the calendar feature at HCPLC.org.
Student achievements
These students were recognized to the fall Dean’s List at their respective schools: Lillian Hilt, of Land O’ Lakes, Carson-Newman University, Jefferson City, Tennessee; Drew Pitts, of Lutz, Carson-Newman University; and Kevin Spillane, of Odessa, Berry College, Rome, Georgia.
School Choice ends Jan. 19
The Pasco County Schools School Choice application window opened on Jan. 8 and will close on Jan. 19 at 4:30 p.m. The Pasco Pathways Innovative Programs and School Choice application is available via the myStudent parent portal.
The application window will be for all School Choice options, including STEM and STEAM magnet schools, Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation, Wendell Krinn Technical High School, Angeline Academy of Innovation, Kirkland Ranch K-8, International Baccalaureate (IB), and the Cambridge Programme.
The Notification and Acceptance window will run from March 4 to March 13.
For more information, visit Pasco.k12.fl.us/ed_choice.
Tax Collector Essay Contest
Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano is accepting entries in his 2024 high school essay contest, which runs through Jan. 26 at 5 p.m. The contest is for high school students (grades nine to 12), in public/charter, private, parochial, nonpublic and home-schools.
Students must answer the question, “What is the most important responsibility of the county tax collector and why?” in 500 words or less. Entries will be reviewed and judged on how well the student communicates his/her response to the question, as well as overall essay structure, appearance and readability.
All submissions must include the student’s name, school, grade and contact information.
Students in public/charter schools should submit their essays to their principal, who will forward them to the tax collector’s office.
Private, parochial, nonpublic or home-school students should send their essays to: Jose Rodriguez Sierra, communications specialist, Pasco County Tax Collector’s Office, P.O. Box 276, Dade City, FL 33526.
Entries also may be delivered to the New Port Richey office, 4720 U.S. 19, New Port Richey, FL 34652, c/o Jose Rodriguez Sierra.
Students can send entries via email to , too.
The winner will be notified by telephone no later than Feb. 29.
For information or questions, call 727-847-8165, ext. 3826.
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.
