Scholarship winners
For the past 12 years, San Antonio Citizens Federal Credit Union has awarded two of their high school seniors with a $2,500 scholarship. Patty Sarne, executive vice president of SACFCU, presented Megan Partain and Megan Simonelli as this year’s winners at Pasco High School’s award ceremony. Seniors from five different high schools in Pasco County applied for the scholarships.
Outstanding students
The Republican Party of Pasco recognized the recipients of its executive committee’s scholarship program at a barbecue hosted by Congressman Gus Bilirakis. Each student was awarded a $1,000 scholarship at their respective school’s award ceremony. From left: Brendan Jarrell, Genesis Preparatory; Daniel Sterben, Fivay High School; RaeAnna Castler, home-schooled; Congressman Gus Bilirakis; Megan Simonelli, Pasco High; Josie Wedge, Zephyrhills High; and Representative Amber Mariano.
Babysitter camp
Pasco County Schools will offer a summer camp for boys and girls in grades 6 to 12 who want to learn to babysit and have an interest in early childhood education.
The camp will be hosted at Land O’ Lakes High School, 20235 Gator Lane, June 24 to July 5 from 8 a.m. to noon.
Campers can learn how to care for, interact with, and plan activities for toddlers and preschool-age children.
All participants can earn a certification in babysitting, first aid, CPR and AED, and will receive a drawstring backpack full of resources, a pocket first aid kit, flashlight and DVD.
For fee information and to register, call the Office for After School Enrichment Programs at (813) 794-2298.
Stuff the Backpack
The First National Bank of Pasco and the Thomas Promise Foundation have partnered for a “Stuff the Backpack” Drive, through July 26.
Collected items will be distributed to participating Pasco County Schools.
Donations needed include: pencils, pens, scissors, index cards, notebooks, folders, paper, glue sticks, colored pencils, liquid soap, Ziploc bags, crayons, Kleenex, highlighters, erasers, pencil boxes, rulers and hand sanitizers.
Monetary donations will be used to purchase additional school supplies.
Items can be dropped off at any of the four First National Bank of Pasco branches.
Grad writes mathematical formula
A 2015 graduate of the International Baccalaureate program at Land O’ Lakes High School has earned a bachelor’s degree from Saint Leo University with multiple distinctions, and has accepted a position with Amgen Inc., a biotechnology corporation.
Amanda Luce was one of only 22 members of the Class of 2019 at Saint Leo to complete the rigorous Honors Program.
Luce majored in mathematics and was jointly awarded by the Honors Program and the Department of Mathematics and Science a departmental distinction for her work in the math major.
She conducted a numerical analysis of the opioid epidemic for her senior research project. Luce minored in economics.
She also was honored by the College of Arts and Sciences with its annual Excellence in Academic Leadership Award, recognizing her part-time work on campus as a tutor for mathematics classes, her initiative to spend a semester abroad at the National University of Ireland in Galway, and her grades.
Transfer-student scholarships
Saint Leo University is offering a new scholarship to ease the transition for transfer students pursuing a four-year bachelor degree.
The Study Florida Transfer Scholarship, which awards students who have earned an associate degree a 50-percent tuition discount, is available for students transferring to Saint Leo for the fall 2019 semester.
Classes begin Aug. 20.
Transfer students and their families can learn more about the scholarship, complete an on-the-spot transfer credit evaluation, receive instant admission, and register for fall courses.
For information, visit SaintLeo.edu/transfer-students-admissions.
Area schools among the top
Twelve Tampa Bay area schools were ranked among the top 100 public high schools in Florida, according to U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best High Schools rankings.
The highest-ranked area school was Plant High, which finished 36th in the state and 582nd in the nation.
In addition to Plant High, the other Hillsborough County schools in the top 100 were: Steinbrenner (43), Newsome (46), Sickles (53) Brooks Debartolo Collegiate (59), Robinson (68) and Tampa Bay Tech (95).
Pasco County’s Land O’ Lakes High School was ranked 54th.
Four high schools in Pinellas County also made the cut: East Lake (76), St. Petersburg (97), Palm Harbor University High (98) and Osceola Fundamental High (100).
Certification pass rates
Pasco County Schools Professional Development Certification Program teachers had the highest pass rate on teacher certification exams in more program areas than any other Florida school district.
Pasco’s pass rate led the state on the following exams:
- Elementary Ed K-6 Subtest 2: Social Science (100 percent pass rate)
- Elementary Ed K-6 Subtest 3: Science (100 percent pass rate)
- English 6-12 Multiple Choice Section (80 percent pass rate)
- English 6-12 Written Performance Section (90 percent pass rate)
Pasco teachers made the list of Top Performers in a total of seven of 20 reported sections of Florida teacher certification exams.
Pasco ranked third and was one of five districts achieving a 100 percent pass rate on Exceptional Student Education K-12; ranked second on the Elementary Ed K-6 Subtest 1: Language Arts and Reading (80 percent pass rate); and, ranked sixth on Elementary Ed K-6 Subtest 4: Mathematics certification exams (70 percent pass rate).
The Professional Development Certification Programs (PDCP) provide educator training for public school instructional staff who are non-education baccalaureate or higher degree holders.
Those who complete the PDCP program are awarded a Florida Professional Educator Certificate.
