Correction:
The District School Board of Pasco County approved the 2017-2018 school calendar. High school graduations will take place May 18 through May 27. Incorrect dates were published in the Aug. 9 edition of The Laker.
Youth art contest
The Medical Center of Trinity announced its sixth annual “Expressions of Thanks” youth art contest, which started Aug. 14.
Students in kindergarten through 12th grade are asked to celebrate the service of all U.S. military veterans, those who currently serve our great nation and their families, by submitting artwork, poetry or an essay, by Sept. 15.
Each participant will receive a recognition certificate.
First-place winners in each grade level will receive a $25 gift card.
The grand-prize winner will have a choice of a bicycle or iPod nano.
Participants and their families can attend a reception Nov. 5 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., when prizes will be awarded and all artwork will be on display.
For complete details and rules, visit MedicalCenterTrinity.com.
For information, call (727) 834-4868.
Free VPK program
Primrose School at Collier Parkway, 23021 Weeks Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes, will offer Fall VPK (voluntary prekindergarten) programs for eligible families and their children.
The program is free for children who have not yet used a VPK voucher and turned 4 or 5 years old before Sept. 1, 2017.
There are three time options available: VPK Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.; VPK Monday through Friday from noon to 3 p.m.; and, VPK (K4) and VPK (K5) Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
For information or to enroll your child, call Angella Hart at (813) 242-7800.
School supply lists online
Parents from local schools can access their school’s supply lists online at TeacherLists.com, and find the exact supply list and click over to pre-filled shopping carts on Target, Walmart, Jet.com or Amazon to purchase their list, and have it shipped right to their home.
Target and Walmart also offer in-store pickup.
More than 50,000 schools now have lists posted on TeacherLists. Lists for more than 1 million classrooms are live on the site, and include required and requested items, as well as specific notes and clarifications from teachers and school staff.
For complete details and all the lists, visit TeacherLists.com/parents.
Local students make Dean’s List
Abigale Pfingsten, of Lutz, was named to the Dean’s List in her freshman year at Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pfingsten carried a full load of seven classes. Emily Schwitzgebel, of Lutz, made the spring Dean’s List at The College of Wooster, in Ohio. Schwitzgebel is a junior music therapy major.
Summer abroad trips
Belmont University, in Nashville, Tennessee, sent its largest group of students across the world for study abroad experiences.
With more than 650 students participating in 34 programs, including “Maymester” trips, students have spent time in Greece, Brazil, England, France, Switzerland and Haiti, among other locations.
Katie Wynn, of Lutz, traveled to Ireland and Northern Ireland, and Kyle McCann, also of Lutz, traveled to Israel.
Studying abroad encourages students to expand worldviews and deepen their understanding of themselves and the world, according to Dr. Thandi Dinani, Belmont’s director of study abroad.
Be a Best Buddies sponsor
Students at Dr. John Long Middle School in Wesley Chapel have been volunteering as part of Best Buddies, a club that provides students with and without disabilities the opportunity to be part of a global volunteer movement, which positively impacts the school and the Wesley Chapel community.
Best Buddies is a nonprofit organization dedicated to create opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
During the 2016-2017 school year, John Long Middle student volunteers and leaders inaugurated the Best Buddies Chapter at the school. The chapter members formed friendships, hosted a Special Olympics Holiday Party, attended the Friendship Ball, attended legislative week to advocate for inclusion, and participated and raised funds for the Friendship Walk.
To support the school’s mission for the 2017-2018 school year, John Long Middle is looking for sponsors for its Best Buddies chapter.
To find out how to make a tax-deductible donation before Sept. 1, call Andi Walker at (813) 346-6200.
Students place at business leaders competition
Students of the Pasco-Hernando State College Phi Beta Lambda business organization competed in the Future Business Leaders of America National Leadership Competition in Anaheim, California. PHSC student John Vann placed third in the Future Business Executive category. Other students included: Leslie Barnwell and Sidney Onstad, fourth place in Hospital Management Team category; Casey Cox, sixth in Organizational Behavior & Leadership; Emily Brocks and Simona Rivero, ninth in Small Business Management Plan Team; and, Michael Bradley II, 10th in Public Speaking. From left: Emily Brock, John Vann, Sidney Onstad, Michael Bradley II, Giselle Perez, Leslie Barnwell, Shannon Phillips, Victor Miller and Casey Cox. Not pictured: Simona Rivero.
