ROTC Cadets take oath
Saint Leo University commissioned four Army ROTC cadets, calling the individuals to take the oath of office, have gold bars pinned to their uniforms by family members, and receive their first salute. The new Army officers are, from left, 2nd Lieutenant Alex Swonger, 2nd Lieutenant Jason Douglass, 2nd Lieutenant William LaPierre, and 2nd Lieutenant Cody Walker. The cadets are standing in front of the ‘For Those Who Serve’ statue at the school. (Courtesy of Renee Gerstein, Saint Leo University)
Students inducted to honor society
These Lutz students have been initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society, at the University of South Florida: Catherine Elko, Mark Giddarie, Maylenid Oyola, Jennifer Ron and Jana Woodall.
Brian Longbottom, of Odessa, was also inducted into Phi Kappa Phi.
Fourth quarter Top Dogs
The Pilot Club of Zephyrhills hosted the Top Dog winners from Stewart Middle School at Hungry Howie’s for lunch.
The club started the program more than 30 years ago to honor students for academics and leadership roles in the school.
The fourth quarter Top Dogs were: Kabre Mathews, Carlos Morales Garcia, Joyla Tenryk, Savannah Baptist, Emily Kirk, Caitlyn Eudy, Madison Aquilera, Rosmy Cruz Luis and Jorden Soule.
Each student received a certificate and a gold dog tag.
Students of the Month
The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce recognized nine Students of the Month, chosen by the teachers and administration of their individual schools for exemplary effort, achievement and contribution to their school, family and community.
The Zephyrhills chamber has recognized students with this program each month of the school year for nearly 20 years.
The students receiving honors for May 2017 were Katie Aspedon, Zephyrhills High School (Aspedon also was a recipient of a The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce Scholarship); Aliza Hernandez, East Pasco Adventist Academy; Jose Polo, Hope Ranch Learning Academy; Joyla Tenryk, Raymond B. Stewart Middle; Kali Deshane, Chester W. Taylor Elementary; Zelia Betz-Merrill, The Broach School; Savanna Best, West Zephyrhills Elementary; Tristan Geist, Heritage Academy; and, Parker Howry, Woodland Elementary.
Students and their families get breakfast, and the students are awarded with gifts and recognitions from businesses who sponsor or support the program.
Saint Leo adds online degrees
Saint Leo University has added two new online, technology-related degree programs that are ready to enroll students for the fall semester.
A new Associate of Arts in cybersecurity can prepare people to pass certain industry certification tests, which will allow them to compete for entry-level jobs. Additionally, associate degree holders can move into the existing Bachelor of Science program in cybersecurity, also online.
At the graduate level, Saint Leo is offering its Master of Business Administration degree with a specialization in data analytics. Students can receive 15 graduate credit hours in courses that can teach them how to approach “Big Data” to extract and evaluate patterns and improve business planning.
For information, visit SaintLeo.edu.
Third-graders improve scores
The percentage of Pasco County Schools third-grade students scoring a 3 or higher on the Florida Standards Assessment in English language arts increased by three percentage points in 2017, improving from 57 percent to 60 percent.
Pasco students also surpassed the state proficiency rate by two percentage points.
Deer Park Elementary School led the schools making significant progress, moving up 24 percentage points, from 56 percent proficient to 80 percent proficient.
Lake Myrtle improved 18 percentage points, from 61 to 79 percent.
Chester Taylor progressed from 52 to 68 percent, up 16 percentage points.
Other schools that improved by 10 percentage points or more include Pasco and Watergrass (up 13 percentage points), Pine View (up 12 percentage points) and Sanders (up 11 percentage points).
Pasco charter school improvement was led by Athenian Academy, which garnered a 25 percent point increase, from 39 to 64 percent proficiency.
Other charters that improved by 10 percentage points or more include Pepin Academies (13 percentage points) and Countryside Montessori (12 percentage points).
Sixty-seven percent of the 50 Pasco County elementary schools with scores, improved the percentage of students scoring a 3 or higher.
Sixty-three percent of Pasco’s charter schools with scores showed improvement in the percentage of students scoring a 3 or higher.
Local preschool gets makeover
Country Village Preschool, 17727 Mentmore Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes recently had a complete renovation to its campus. Main Street, which includes a grocery store and a fire station, is located in the center of the school. It gives students a chance to take part in an interactive classroom with lessons geared toward hands-on learning based on a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) curriculum. For information, call (813) 920-8700.
