Student added to livestock judging team
Tierani Johnson, of Land O’ Lakes, will serve as a member of the Connors State College Livestock Judging Team in Warner, Oklahoma. Connors State is a two-year agriculture college.
(Courtesy of Connors State College)
Johnson is a sophomore at Connors State and is pursuing an Associate of Science degree in animal science.
Judging team members evaluate both breeding and market animals for beef cattle, sheep, goats, swine and horses, to determine their value relative to current industry trends.
The team travels all over the state of Oklahoma and throughout the Midwest to practice and compete. Members visit ranches, university farms, and regional and national fairs and livestock shows. These visits allow members to meet and work with many elite animal operations and meet some of the top producers in the nation.
Johnson is the daughter of Danielle Lapsley, of Land O’ Lakes.
Mock elections
Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian E. Corley, in conjunction with Pasco County Schools Social Studies Department, will sponsor a districtwide student mock election.
The ballot with both the presidential candidate race and the U.S. Senate race will be available to more than 68,000 students countywide.
Students will cast a ballot using a web-based voting platform known as DoubleClick Democracy, which is supported by KidsVoting USA.
Participating students will receive an “I Voted” sticker, and can view the results on the Supervisor of Elections’ website, PascoVotes.com, after 7 p.m., on Election Day, Nov. 6.
Video contest winners
The IPO Education Foundation has selected its 2018 IPO Video Contest winners.
The contest, in its eighth year, encouraged contestants to visually illustrate how inventors play a critical role in growing the economy, and improving the general well-being of individuals and societies.
One winner in each category received a cash prize or scholarship and a trip to Washington D.C., for IPO’s annual awards dinner.
This year, a new category, Enter for Charity, was added, with the cash prize going to the charity of the winner’s choice.
Catherine Tomasello, of Land O’ Lakes, won a $3,000 cash prize for ages 13 to 15.
A total of more than $20,000 was awarded by the IPO Education Foundation.
Step Up For Students gets $25,000
Liberty National Life Insurance Company, a provider of life and supplemental health insurance, made a $25,000 contribution to Step Up For Students, funding three K-12 scholarships during the 2018-2019 school year.
The scholarships will allow lower-income children the opportunity to attend the school that best meets their learning needs.
For the 2018-2019 school year, Step Up For Students is serving more than 98,500 students throughout Florida with tuition scholarships valued at up to $6,519 per student for kindergarten through fifth grade, $6,815 for sixth through eighth grade, and $7,111 for ninth through 12th grade.
More than 1,750 private schools participate in the scholarship program statewide.
For information, visit StepUpForStudents.org.
Students meet with Rubio staff
Saint Leo University hosted office hours for U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL).
Jonathan Torres, Gulf Coast regional director for Rubio’s office, met with students, faculty, staff and members of the surrounding Pasco County community.
Several of Saint Leo’s social work students met with Torres to discuss issues such as immigration and human trafficking.
Freshman Amanda Baxter, a criminal justice major who is interested in political science, met with Torres to talk about careers in politics and government.
Berkeley Prep open house
Berkeley Preparatory School, an independent Episcopal day school for boys and girls, will host two open houses, at 4811 Kelly Road in Tampa.
- Oct. 28 from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., for grades six to 12. Registration begins at 1:30 p.m., followed by a program at 2 p.m., in the Lykes Center for the Performing Arts.
- Oct. 30 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., for prekindergarten through fifth grade. Registrations begins at 8:30 a.m., followed by a program at 9 a.m., in the Seivold Center for Early Childhood Education, Casper Family Piazza.
For information, visit BerkeleyPrep.org/openhouse.
Poster and poem contest
Paralyzed Veterans of America has launched its 15th annual Veterans Day National Poster and Poem Contest, to showcase the artistic talents and patriotic pride of young students for disabled veterans in their communities.
The theme for this year’s contest is “Help Our Veterans Be UnstoppABLE in Your Community.”
Participants are asked to draw a poster or write a poem showing or telling how they can help make their community more accessible for veterans who use wheelchairs.
The poster contest is open to students in first grade to fourth grade. The poem contest is open to students in grades five to eight.
Entries must be received by 5 p.m., on Oct. 29.
For information, including guidelines and how to enter, visit PVA.org/posterpoem.
