‘It takes a village’
Wiregrass Elementary School in Wesley Chapel was presented with a free 4K Ultra HD 50-inch television as part of a raffle through The Kiwanis Club of Greater Wesley Chapel. The partnership is part of a collaborative effort to work toward a better education and a better community, with a shared common goal to provide the best academic environment for scholars to succeed. From left: Wiregrass Elementary School Principal Steve Williams, Kiwanis Club representative Martha Vaguener, school social worker Damaris Diaz and Wiregrass Elementary School Assistant Principal Erin Ipock.
Student achievements
• Kennedy Deluca, of Odessa, has been awarded the Georgia Power Foundation Student Recruitment and Retention Fund Scholarship for the 2020-2021 academic year by Valdosta State University in Georgia.
• Emily M. Gerber, of Odessa, graduated from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, with a bachelor degree. Gerber majored in conservation biology.
Think Big Tech Fest
Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC) will host a Think Big Tech Festival on Oct. 23 at 6 p.m., to aid job growth/training for faculty, staff, students and community members.
The college is partnering with Innovation Collective, an education and human capital company, for the festival.
A team from Innovation Collective will visit PHSC’s North Campus in room B-104 for the hybrid event. Participants can sign up and attend in person, or via Zoom. A group of 40 people will be hosted by PHSC at the North Campus.
Featured speakers include Arabian Prince, NWA founder and entrepreneur; Giselle Mota, principal, Future of Work, ADP; Josh Childress, former NBA standout and founder, Landspire Group; Katerina Axelsson, founder and CEO, Tastry; Dr. Michael Hayduck, deputy director, Information Directorate, U.S. Air Force; and others.
Admission to the virtual event is free, and in-person tickets are $14.95 each.
To register for the virtual, streaming event, visit tinyurl.com/y5so38co.
For the in-person event, visit tinyurl.com/y677dmpo.
Free cleaning services for Pepin
Bio-Safe Surfaces and partner Pro Clean USA are providing free deep-cleaning and sanitization services for all three Pepin Academies’ campuses for the entire 2020-2021 school year.
Approximately 100 classrooms and common areas across Hillsborough and Pasco Counties’ campuses will be treated with BioShield, a nanotechnology treatment designed to protect against COVID-19 and other viruses.
The in-kind services provided by Bio-Safe and Pro Clean are in response to Pepin’s call for donations, as part of its inaugural Adopt-a-Classroom and Adopt-a-Student campaigns.
This added layer of defense against COVID-19 will work in tandem with the school’s existing daily sanitation partner, Gator Cleaning Solutions, whose team not only works to keep the campus safe, but also participates in Pepin Academies Transition Program job site.
The Transition Program combines vocationally based training with life and job readiness courses, and is designed for young adults ages 18 to 22 who have an identified learning or learning-related disability.
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.
State college gets grant
Pasco-Hernando State College has been awarded a $449,311 grant through the CARES Act Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Rapid Credentialing Program.
The joint venture with the Florida Department of Education as a new workforce education initiative is to raise awareness of short-term career and technical education programs.
The rapid-credentialing programs will provide Floridians the opportunity to complete curriculum in 18 weeks or less, aiding in accelerated recovery for residents and the economy.
The college will use the grant to launch training in the areas of manufacturing, welding, health, informational technology/cybersecurity/ unmanned vehicles/drones, real estate, and more.
The school also will award scholarship opportunities to cover tuition and materials for qualified applicants.
For information on PHSC’s rapid credentialing grant, programs or courses, email Marcia Austin at .
