Showing up for students
With year-end events canceled due to the pandemic, Wendell Krinn Technical High School hosted a Formal Friday, in which students elected a king and queen, and listened to music during their lunchtime. School Resource Officer (SRO) Cpl. Locascio, of the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, dressed for the formal occasion, in which he took part. SROs with the sheriff’s office do more than just provide a law enforcement presence at schools, as they help students in various ways, each day, and care deeply about the community they serve.
Virtual career fair
Saint Leo University’s Human Services Department will host its annual Virtual Career Fair on April 24 from 9 a.m. to noon. The fair’s theme is “Career Competency and Readiness,” and is free and open to the public.
The hosts for the event will be Dr. Amina Abdullah, chair of human services, and Dr. Michelle Boone-Thornton, associate chair.
In addition to professionals in the human services field, representatives from Saint Leo’s Career Services and the Center for Teaching & Learning Excellence will provide information.
The sessions will focus on:
- Resume preparation: Categories and terms to use on a resume
- Applicant tracking software: Strategies to advance a resume, through computer prompts
- Interview preparation: Questions to ask during the interview
- Interview practice: An opportunity to practice interview skills
- Job search platforms: How to locate positions in human services
There will be open discussion time and an opportunity to ask the panel questions.
To register, visit tinyurl.com/4nkdna66.
For information, contact Dr. Abdullah at 412-229-7431 or , or visit SaintLeo.edu/online-human-services-bachelors.
Executive director named
Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC) has named Lauren Baker Murray as the inaugural executive director for the school’s new Instructional Performing Arts Center. Murray joined PHSC on March 15.
Murray is a Tampa native, and has more than 20 years of administrative and academic experience in higher education and the performing arts.
She most recently served as the music chair at the Patel Conservatory at the Straz Center in Tampa. During her tenure, she doubled the enrollment in music programming, and worked collaboratively with higher education and secondary school leaders to create custom arts programming in the region.
Murray has served as an associate director of the School of Music at the University of Northern Colorado and as the coordinator of artistic programming in the School of Music at the University of South Florida.
She also has served as director of operations and education for the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and is an accomplished oboe instrumentalist.
Murray has a Bachelor of Music Education from Stetson University, a Master of Music from Yale University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of North Texas.
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.
Students attend WrestleMania
AdventHealth, philanthropist Thaddeus Bullard (also known as WWE Superstar Titus O’Neil) and the Bullard Family Foundation joined forces to put smiles on the faces of several Hillsborough County students and teachers, with surprise tickets to WrestleMania 37, according to an AdventHealth news release.
AdventHealth and the Bullard Family Foundation consistently work together to provide services and resources, including free physicals and health screenings, to help underserved and underprivileged communities.
The WWE superstar hosted the two-night event at Raymond James Stadium on April 10 and April 11.
Bullard also recently visited Gulf Middle School in New Port Richey to unveil the school’s new Innovation Lab, which will provide opportunities for students to learn and play in a safe and fun environment during and after school.
Last year, Bullard approached Pasco County Schools with a proposal to partner with the school district to help kids. That partnership has resulted in Innovation Labs at both Gulf Middle and Pasco Middle.
All of the equipment, furniture and electronic devices were donated by Skanska and Microsoft in partnership with the Bullard Family Foundation.
