Students of the Month
Five students from Raymond B. Stewart Middle School were honored as The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce Students of the Month.
Students are chosen by the teachers and administration for exemplary effort, achievement and contribution to their individual school, family and community.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, chamber members delivered a certificate and goody bag to each student, in lieu of the ceremony that usually takes place.
The students receiving honors were Logan Forbes, sixth grade; Amara Hays, eighth grade; Nyla Nobles, eighth grade; Karsten Osgood, seventh grade; and Elizabeth Wagoner, eighth grade.
Writers retreat
Saint Leo University will host its eighth Sandhill Writers Retreat, virtually, on May 15 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., via Zoom.
The retreat is for writers of all experience levels, and sessions and workshops will cover a variety of topics, conducted by prominent writers.
Topics will include: Fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, nature writing, writing for veterans, spoken word and performance, publishing, and creating literary community.
The complete program showing all classes, teacher biographies, and digital access to a local bookstore carrying titles from the workshop authors is available at SaintLeo.edu/sandhill-writers-retreat.
Fees are between $25 and $45, with additional charges for optional consultations or master classes.
Those attending the retreat and other members of the public also are invited to register to attend a free reading featuring veteran-author Brian Turner, of Orlando, on May 14 at 7 p.m., also via Zoom.
Fee adjustment review
Pasco-Hernando State College’s District Board of Trustees (DBOT) will meet on May 18 at 6 p.m., at the Spring Hill Campus, to consider the approval of proposed adjusted course-related fees.
Fee adjustment proposals are reviewed and approved for DBOT consideration by PHSC’s Council of Academic Affairs, a committee that includes representation by administrators, deans, academic department chairs, program directors, faculty and staff.
For details regarding the adjustments, justification for the fees and fee implementation details, visit Policies.phsc.edu/policies-and-procedures/public-disclosure.
Many fee adjustments relate to vendor increases for workforce courses, laboratories, and program testing.
Some fees may be covered by financial aid, scholarship and grants.
Questions or concerns about the proposed fees should be directed to the appropriate dean listed on the web page.
Hillel opens preschool
The Forman Early Learning Center, a Hillel-JCC Jewish preschool, will host a grand opening on May 23 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., at Hillel Academy, 2020 W. Fletcher Ave., in Tampa.
The expansion program includes children ages 1 to 4, to serve the growing need of Jewish early childhood education in northeast Tampa.
The new 6,500-square-foot center has 10,000 square feet of playground area, right on the academy’s campus.
The Hillel-JCC program is bilingual — Hebrew and English — and is focused on the growth of each and every child as he or she develops.
Children participate in experiential learning, through a Jewish lens, as they transition to elementary school.
In addition to outside time, the program includes music, art, cooking and physical education classes, and runs Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
During the grand opening, visitors can check out the classrooms, play on the playground, view the toddler teaching kitchen and meet the educators.
All children will receive a special gift, too.
Visit HillelAcademyTampa.com/academics/preschool, for information about the early learning center.
In-person graduations
Pasco County Schools will host in-person graduations in school stadiums, unless otherwise noted.
This year, each graduate will be allowed to have four guests — two guests to accompany the graduate on the field, and two seated in the bleachers.
“We know how important it is to the graduates to walk across the stage and receive their diploma in person. And we know how important it is to have family there to celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime experiences,” said Kurt Browning, Pasco superintendent of schools.
Here is a complete list of graduation dates and times for the schools in The Laker/Lutz news coverage area:
- May 26 at 6 p.m.: Marchman Technical College, at River Ridge High Performing Arts Center
- May 27 at 6 p.m.: Pasco eSchool, Idlewild Baptist Church
- June 1 at 6 p.m.: Wendell Krinn Technical High School, in the school’s gymnasium
- June 2 at 7 p.m.: Cypress Creek High School
- June 3 at 9 a.m.: Zephyrhills High School
- June 3 at 7 p.m.: Wiregrass Ranch High School
- June 4 at 7 p.m.: Land O’ Lakes High School
- June 4 at 7 p.m.: Wesley Chapel High School
- June 4 at 7:30 p.m.: Pasco High School
- June 5 at 9 a.m.: Sunlake High School
For more information, email Stephen Hegarty at ">.
