Lunch program changes
Due to changes in the rules governing the federal school lunch program, Pasco County Schools will make it easier for students, and children age 18 and younger, to receive free meals.
As of Sept. 14, students who attend class on campus still will be able to get meals in the school cafeteria, and now those meals will be free.
And, students who attend school remotely also can continue to receive free school meals on a drive-thru basis.
For students learning through mySchool Online or Pasco eSchool:
- Sept. 14 through Sept. 17: Daily drive-thru meal distribution will continue at the designated locations and times listed online at tinyurl.com/yxn8ynzv.
- Sept. 18: The school district will serve a week’s worth of meals (breakfast and lunch) curbside to mySchool Online students, quarantined students, and children in the community age 18 and younger, including Pasco eSchool students. The district will keep the same times already established for curbside feeding. This meal distribution will continue once a week, on Fridays.
Families that want to participate curbside must complete a Meal Reservation Form online at tinyurl.com/y452fbr8.
Parents/guardians no longer have to go to their child’s school; they can pick up meals from the site that is most convenient.
For more information on Pasco’s school meal programs, visit the Food and Nutrition Services at ConnectPlus.pasco.k12.fl.us/do/fns/.
Grant writing webinar
Saint Leo University will host a free webinar entitled “Grants and COVID-19” on Sept. 18 at noon, through Zoom, for professionals working for human and social service agencies/nonprofits.
The guest speaker will be Jenenne Valentino-Bottaro, Ph.D., an instructor at the Saint Leo University Center for Alternative Pathway Programs.
Valentino-Bottaro will share strategies that can help grant seekers navigate the process in the current climate and locate pertinent information available now.
To register and receive a link for the webinar, visit tinyurl.com/y4olsgor.
Scholarship semifinalists
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation has announced the names of approximately 16,000 semifinalists in the 66th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. The named high school seniors now have the opportunity to continue in the competition for about 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million that will be offered in the spring.
National Merit Scholarship winners of 2021 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and ending in July.
These students in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area are semifinalists:
- Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School: Faith Quinn and Grace Quinn
- Freedom High School: Alisha Bhatia and Jack Gardner
- Land O’ Lakes High School: Ziad El-Rady, Jason Jiang, Naomi John, Prayuj Tuli and Shreyas Varude
- Mitchell High School: Tatiana Maher
- Odessa Christian School: Yanni Mazza
- Steinbrenner High School: Robert Cooper, Devin Deluna, Samuel Glickman, Haarika Gurivireddygari, James Harbour, Advika Jayanti, Elizabeth Kennedy and Emily Rogers
- Wesley Chapel High School: Allen Felipe
- Wharton High School: Andrea Molina-Dejesus
- Wiregrass Ranch High School: Timothy Kovacs and Sara Olson
