Saint Leo gives back in a big way
Students, faculty, staff and community organizations and businesses collected bottle caps for Caps of Love, a Florida-based nonprofit organization that recycles plastic tops. The proceeds from recycling the plastic are used to purchase new and refurbished wheelchairs for children with mobility disabilities. Saint Leo collected 12,000 pounds of plastic caps – enough to fill 21 pallets. The school hosted a celebration and send-off for the Caps of Love project featuring food, music and giveaways.
Nominate a teacher
U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) is accepting nominations for his annual Teacher of the Year awards to honor outstanding educators in Florida’s 12th District.
Teachers and educators from all schools and all grades are eligible.
Nominations should be emailed to , and include the name, school and contact information of the nominee.
The deadline for nominations is April 21.
There will be an awards ceremony in May.
Common Ground club
Ridgewood High School’s Common Ground club will host an Autism Awareness Walk April 29 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the school, at 7650 Orchid Lake Road in New Port Richey.
Club students meet every Wednesday to build bonds through conversation, games and other activities, and food.
Peer students from the general education curricula participate in community-based instruction, where they model good behavior and teach ESE students social and financial skills.
Students, including those from the Ridgewood Interact Club, will participate in the walk. There will be activities, disc jockeys and a snow cone truck.
The entry fee is $10.
To learn more, call Patty Hanley at (727) 774-3953.
Astronaut speaks to middle-schoolers
Pasco Middle School students participated in a Skype presentation and discussion with retired astronaut Don Thomas on April 7.
Thomas completed four space flights on the Columbia and Discovery space shuttles. His last assignment was at the International Space Station program overseeing NASA experiments.
He retired in 2007.
As part of the students’ Space Exploration unit, Thomas gave a PowerPoint presentation on living, working and conducting science experiments in space. A question-and-answer session followed the program.
The power of diversity
Lacoochee Elementary School students and staff, and the community, hosted a Unity in Diversity Day on April 8, a multicultural event to celebrate diversity in the community.
The school invited families and community partners to share elements of their culture and ethnicity through stories, food, dance, arts and more.
Students against tobacco
Gulf Middle School Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) club members and school staff took part in the Coastal Cleanup April 15 at Green Key Beach, Robert K. Reese Memorial Park in New Port Richey.
The event raises awareness for the environment and teaches students the value of taking care of both the local and collective environment.
Students properly disposed of litter and other debris throughout the park, making it a safer, cleaner place for visitors and natural inhabitants.
‘Top Dogs’ recognized
The Pilot Club of Zephyrhills hosted a Hungry Howie’s lunch for its Top Dog winners from Stewart Middle School. The club started the program more than 30 years ago to honor students for academics and leadership in the school.
The third quarter Top Dogs who received a certificate and gold dog tag were: Ireland Sinclair, Joshua Pellegrino, Gabriel Glazebrook, Anna Rood, Caitlyn Regan, Jane Gillrie, Jessica Womack, Trent Peters and Angelique Braxton.
Pasta dinner fundraiser
The third annual pasta dinner fundraiser for the Sean Bartell Memorial Foundation will be April 29 from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Trinity Church of Wesley Chapel, 33425 State Road 54.
There will be a special ceremony and announcement at 5 p.m.
The dinner will be prepared and donated by Carl and Jessica Myers, of Little Italy’s Family Restaurant and Catering.
The Magic of Scott Barhold will provide entertainment. Local vendors will be on site.
The cost is $10. Kids ages 4 and younger are free.
To-go boxes will be available.
To purchase tickets, contact Paul Bartell or Jamie Bartell via IM on Facebook, or email .
Free summer VPK program
Primrose School at Collier Parkway, 23021 Weeks Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes, will offer a Summer VPK (voluntary pre-kindergarten) program for eligible families and their children.
The free program is for children who have not yet used their VPK voucher, and turned 4-years-old before September 2016.
Classes begin on June 6 and run through Aug. 3.
VPK hours will be from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with lunch/rest time from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
For information about the school and enrollment, contact Angella Hart, school director, at (813) 242-7800.
Saint Leo ranks fifth for military spouses
Saint Leo University has earned the 2017 Military Spouse Friendly School designation by Victory Media, publisher of G.I. Jobs, Military Spouse, Vetrepreneur and STEM Jobs resources.
The school ranked fifth in the nation among private institutions with 10,000 students or more.
The latest Military Friendly® Schools survey included questions that not only evaluated whether a school’s admissions, retention, career counseling and mentoring programs are better for veterans, but also whether they address concerns of military spouses and families.
Colleges earning the Military Spouse Friendly School® designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from Victory Media’s proprietary survey.
Saint Leo University is featured along with the entire list of 2017 Military Spouse Friendly Schools® in the April issue of Military Spouse Magazine and on MilitaryFriendly.com.
Marchman Technical ranked second in state
BestColleges.com has ranked Marchman Technical College second on the list of Best Community Colleges in Florida for 2017.
The ranking demonstrates to the more than 100,000 weekly visitors to BestColleges.com that this program provides a quality education that students can afford in their home state.
For information about Marchman, visit MTEC.pasco.k12.fl.us.
