Students earn merit recognition
Three students from Lexington Oaks were honored by the Lexington Oaks Women’s Club with a merit award and lunch at Glory Days. Each year, the women’s club provides monies to a few resident recipients to offset the cost of their college education. All Lexington Oaks high school seniors and college students can complete an application and submit it to the club’s merit award committee. The 2022 merit applications will be available in the Lexington Oaks Community Center, in October. The 2021 merit award winners are, from left, Jacqueline Maher, Joseph Vreeland and Taryn Clower.
Community service
The Goodwill-Suncoast volunteer program for high school students has pivoted to a virtual format this year.
Students in J.A.G. (Junior Ambassadors of Goodwill) can earn up to 25 hours of community service.
The virtual program allows students to volunteer on their own, at the direction of Goodwill Volunteer Services. Each program activity supports a different aspect of Goodwill’s mission.
To learn more, visit Goodwill-suncoast.org/junior-ambassadors.
Student achievements
- Garrett Evan Ashley, of Lutz, graduated from the University of Mississippi – Oxford with a Bachelor of Arts in Sport and Recreation Administration.
- Jesse Andrew Fox, of Odessa, graduated from the University of Mississippi – Oxford with a Bachelor of Business Administration.
- Ryan Furlong, of Lutz, participated in Virtual Service Week 2021 while pursuing a degree in Business Economics at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York. Themes during Virtual Service Week centered around social justice, health care and mental health, hunger and the homeless, the environment and sustainability, and issues on borders and migration.
- Dinesh Kumar Kannabiran Vasudevan, of Odessa, completed a Master of Science in Project Management at the University of the Cumberlands, Williamsburg, Kentucky.
- Jake Metrosky, of Land O’ Lakes, graduated magna cum laude from Flagler College in St. Augustine
- Kobe Speros, of Land O’ Lakes, graduated from Flagler College in St. Augustine
- Amy Stanton, of Odessa, was inducted into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, and initiated at Georgia College & State University, in Milledgeville, Georgia.
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.
Financial aid tip
The federal government requires many students who submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASA) to verify information reported on the FAFSA, according to the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA). Parents also will have to provide information.
Students requiring verification are chosen by the U.S. Department of Education.
The KHEAA advises students and parents to take the verification process seriously, as any financial aid can be held back until the process is complete. Putting it off can lead to frustration if the process isn’t finished when classes are ready to start.
Colleges may do the verifications on their own or may contract with an agency to handle the process.
The KHEAA is a public, nonprofit agency established to improve student access to college. It provides information about financial aid and financial literacy at no cost to students and parents.
For information, visit KHEAA.com.
