A budding photographer
Alec Brown, a fourth-grader at Bexley Elementary, took this photo of an alligator in one of the Bexley ponds, in Land O’ Lakes. He submitted the photo for a youth art exhibition, called the ‘Mini Matisse Show,’ at the Carrollwood Cultural Center and won first place.
Kicks for Kids
The GFWC New Tampa Junior Woman’s Club has announced its Kicks for Kids campaign, to collect new children’s shoes and socks (toddler size 10 through adult men/women size 9), to benefit Mort Elementary School.
Teachers report that attendance increases when a child from an at-risk home has new shoes.
Children can focus on the lessons in school instead of focusing on their feet that hurt.
Proper shoes also help increase a child’s activity, which, in turn, helps to decrease childhood obesity and diabetes.
Throughout the month of October, the club will have a drop-off at the New Tampa YMCA, 16221 Compton Drive.
It the drop-off is not a convenient location, email , to set up a meeting place. Monetary donations also will be accepted using PayPal.
TechHire scholarships
CareerSource Tampa Bay and the TechHire program are offering scholarships to students who want to receive entry-level certification for information technology and health care-related fields.
The TechHire scholarships will cover 100% tuition for qualified programs.
The classes are accelerated programs for ages 17 to 29 in the Tampa Bay area, to help students discover and learn technology skills that are in demand by local businesses.
Scholarship coverage includes tuition, lab and certification fees, and amounts range from $100 to more than $3,000, depending on the program and funding availability.
For a list of covered IT and health care training programs, visit tinyurl.com/y2p2vdgf.
Students who qualify will be contacted by a TechHire administrator who will assist in the application process.
Program options
Upcoming dates for events related to Pasco County Schools’ Pasco Pathways/Innovative Programs and School Choice options available for students:
- Nov. 16 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Virtual Pasco Pathways Expo (west side)
- Nov. 19 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Virtual Pasco Pathways Expo (east side)
- Jan. 7 to Jan. 21: Pasco Pathways Application Window
- Feb. 19 to Feb. 28: Secondary Notification and Acceptance Window
- March 12 to March 26: Elementary Notification and Acceptance Window
For more information, visit Pasco.k12.fl.us/ed_choice.
Keeping literacy alive
The Rotary Club of Dade City Sunrise partners with the Pasco Education Foundation to take advantage of a matching grant and provide books to local elementary schools.
Now in its 11th year, Sunrise has been able to provide 1,282 books to date, supporting education and literacy.
The Rotary theme for September was “Basic Education & Literacy,” and during a recent Zoom meeting, books were presented virtually and then delivered in person.
The guest speaker was Kimberly Poe, assistant superintendent for Pasco County Schools, who gave an update on the breakdown of students learning “in person” versus “online,” lunchroom procedures, and the recent parent survey results.
For information on Sunrise’s Rotary meetings, email President Jen Ferguson at .
WREC 2021 scholarships
The Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative (WREC) every year offers scholarships to high school students. The students are selected by local guidance counselors and WREC personnel.
Applications for the 2021-2022 school year will be available after Dec. 1, and must be postmarked no later than March 26, 2021.
To apply, students must:
- be a high school senior and maintain a 2.0 GPA
- be a dependent of a WREC member
- be a bona-fide resident within the service area of WREC for at least one year prior to Dec. 31.
- plan to attend an in-state college, university or technical school full-time (minimum 12 credit hours per semester)
- keep a 2.0 GPA each semester (or higher if mandated by the institution) to maintain eligibility
Applications can be found at any local WREC office, high school guidance office or online at WREC.net.
Successful candidates will receive $1,375 per semester ($11,000 maximum) for undergraduate studies.
