Land O’ Lakes teen to compete
Miss Land O’ Lakes Teen USA Eliza Smith, a sophomore at Land O’ Lakes High School, will be competing in the 2021 Miss Florida Teen USA pageant July 16 to July 18, in Orlando.
Smith has a GPA of 4.6, with all honors and AP classes. She has been a member of the National Junior Honors Society, and has received a nomination for the Future Leaders of Medicine Award.
Smith aspires to attend Duke University, to major in health sciences with a minor in psychology, with the hope of becoming a physician’s assistant.
Her platform, “Be Bold Be Beautiful Be You,” strives to educate people about the importance of mental illness awareness, reduce the stigma around them, and learn how to better support someone with a mental illness.
Free VPK offered
Pasco County Schools offers free VPK for three hours a day, for the 2021-2022 school year. Children must be 4 years old on or before Sept. 1, to be eligible. For information, contact the Pasco Schools VPK office at 813-794-2672.
Victory High open house
Victory High School will host an open house on April 14 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., in the Calvary Chapel Worship Center, Room 111 and Room 112, 6825 Trouble Creek Road in New Port Richey.
The open house is for new students, ages 14 to 19, seeking recovery from addictions, who are interested in enrolling in the private high school.
For information on the school, visit VictoryHighSchool.net.
Scholarship deadline extended
The deadline to apply for college scholarships of up to $5,000 from Hillsborough County Social Services and the Community Action Board has been extended to April 16.
Application materials can be downloaded on the county’s scholarship application page, at Tinyurl.com/ffzrrth8.
Detailed instructions on how to apply also can be found on the page.
Students may submit completed applications online only. Recipients will be notified in writing prior to the fall semester.
For questions, call Irina White at 813-272-5074.
Award recipients
Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC) has announced the recipients of its annual NISOD Excellence Awards, which recognize men and women each year who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment and contribution to their students and colleagues.
The National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) award recipients are:
- Carolanne Azan, DBA, assistant professor, Bachelor of Applied Science in supervision and management
- Karen Lotz, assistant professor, Bachelor of Nursing
- Jonathan Spiewak, instructor, mathematics
Because the 2020 conference was canceled, PHSC also recognized these honorees:
- Gary Cors, J.D., professor and paralegal program director
- Gloria Pray, assistant professor, economics and director of business programs
- Jeremy Scarbrough, Ph.D., instructor, philosophy
Prepaid scholarships
Hillsborough County Public Schools, in partnership with the Florida Prepaid College Program, is offering two scholarships to students worth a total of $9,000.
Superintendent Addison Davis’ Future of STEM Scholarship is a two-year Florida college plan worth $8,000, and is designed to encourage new teachers in areas with critical shortages. The scholarship will be awarded to a senior student attending Hillsborough County Public Schools who will study to become a teacher in a STEM subject.
Davis’ Preparing Students for Life Scholarship is a Florida 529 Savings Plan worth $1,000. It will be awarded to a parent or guardian who attends a kindergarten registration event or begins the registration process prior to April 30. The eligible student’s name will be drawn at random.
For information about both scholarships, visit bit.ly/HCPSscholarship.
Course fee adjustments
The Pasco-Hernando State College’s Board of Trustees will consider approving proposed adjusted course-related fees at its April 20 board meeting, at 6 p.m., at the West Campus in New Port Richey.
Many fee adjustments relate to vendor increases for workforce courses, laboratories, and program testing. Some fees may be covered by financial aid, scholarships and grants.
All fees charged by vendors are negotiated by the college, with additional fee increases and decreases expected in the coming academic year.
For details regarding proposed fee adjustments, justification for the fees and fee implementation details, visit Policies.phsc.edu, and click on the Policies and Procedures link.
Republican scholarships
The Republican Party of Pasco Scholarship Committee is now accepting applications for Pasco County Schools’ graduating seniors, including pubic, home-schools, charter and private schools.
Graduating seniors from any Pasco County high school are eligible if they meet this criteria:
- Must be a registered or preregistered Republican
- Have a cumulative 3.0 GPA
- Complete a 650-word minimum essay on the topic: “What is the importance of conservative values for young people in today’s world?”
- Extra points will be given for club and social activities, volunteer hours and campaign participation
- Must be planning to attend an accredited community college/university or accredited vocational school in Florida
Applications can be found online at PascoGOP.org, at the individual’s high school career counselor’s office, or at the Pasco Republican Party office in Hudson.
Applications and essays must be emailed to , or to RPOP, 12043 Cobblestone Drive, Hudson, FL 34667, Attention: Sandy Graves, scholarship chair.
For information and questions, call 727-863-5400, or email .
The deadline to apply is 5 p.m., April 30.
Five $1,000 scholarships will be awarded in May.
