New bike safety initiative launched
Pasco County Schools on April 19 at Rushe Middle School in Land O’ Lakes announced the launch of a new biking safety initiative and community partnership designed to enhance the well-being of its young riders. As part of the program, Pasco Schools has collaborated with professionals from Johns Hopkins Hospital to create a comprehensive safety video tailored specifically to students. Additionally, new safety signs will be installed at each school’s bike area to serve as a visual reminder for children to wear helmets while biking.
Citizens Helping Citizens Scholarship available
Citizens Bank and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) announced the establishment of the first-ever Citizens Helping Citizens Scholarship to build accessible pathways, providing opportunities of cultural awareness, understanding, and leadership nationally for high school students who are pursuing postsecondary education, according to a news release.
The program provides $50,000 in need-based scholarships to 10 high school students from underserved and historically underrepresented communities entering a two- or four-year accredited college, university or trade school in fall 2024.
Scholarship application is now open and students are encouraged to apply by midnight Eastern Time on May 13.
To learn more, visit https://tinyurl.com/4jrwvstz.
Local student wins service award
Chase Hartman, a senior at Walter L. Sickles High School, has been chosen from nearly 17,000 applicants to win the $10,625 National Honor Society Service Award.
Hartman is an entrepreneur and civic-minded leader passionate about educational equity and the environment, according to a news release.
He was inspired to serve his community after his chapter of the National Elementary Honor Society ran a book collection drive. The student co-founded an award-winning book distribution project — read.repeat. — when he was 10 years old, the release says.
The project evolved into the nonprofit Eco Brothers.
Hartman has focused on improving literacy rates and has distributed 220,000 books to 64,000 students in Hillsborough County and in all 50 states. He advocates for more diverse and dual-language books in schools and has spoken to the local board of education about the need for these books.
He also has raised $120,000, mobilized hundreds of volunteers and provided 10,000 service hours to teens.
An Eagle Scout and Senior Patrol Leader in Troop 46, Hartman ran Scouting for Food for three years and donated 7,000 food units to a local pantry.
He also designed, planted and maintained a butterfly garden for his elementary school.
Hartman is student body president, swim team captain, a Congressional Award Gold Medal recipient and a four-time gold-level honoree in the President’s Volunteer Service Award.
Students compete in Brain Bowl
Saint Leo University hosted its annual Brain Bowl, sponsored by the College of Arts, Sciences, and Allied Services. The competition pitted area Catholic high schools and one local private school against each other.
Topics ran from the Seven Deadly Sins to Tallest Building Throughout History, and categories from “Don’t Breathe in the Poisonous Gasses” to “No Such Thing as a Free Lunch.”
Team members’ knowledge of languages, the arts, popular culture, physics, math, biology, history and more were tested.
Competing teams were: Santa Fe Catholic High School, Lakeland; Clearwater Central Catholic High; Jesuit High, Tampa; Trinity Catholic High, Ocala; St. Petersburg Catholic High; Bishop McLaughlin High, Shady Hills; Tampa Catholic High; and Academy of the Lakes, Land O’ Lakes.
Jesuit High claimed victory with a score of 315; Academy at the Lakes was runner-up with 210 points.
RAISE tutoring program
Hillsborough County Public Schools’ RAISE High School Tutoring Program is accepting applications for the summer. The goal of the program is to train, equip and support juniors and seniors as they work with kindergarten through third-grade students to support literacy acquisition, according to a news release.
The Summer 2024 tutors will work within the HCPS’ Summer Learning Academy classrooms in June and July.
Students can earn volunteer service hours and a New Worlds Scholar award from the Florida Department of Education (with 75 verified tutoring hours).
Requirements are:
- Completion of 10th grade or higher
- 3.0 district GPA or higher
- Two letters of reference from teachers or school staff
- No history of expulsions or out of school suspensions
- Own transportation to elementary site
