Essay contest winners
Lake Myrtle Elementary School’s Taylor Schamaun’s essay emerged as the winner of the Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller’s sixth annual Constitution Essay Contest.
Students were required to respond to the prompt, “Why is the Constitution Important?”
Schamaun took first place with her point-by-point argument for the excellence of our founding document.
In second place, Oakstead Elementary’s Nathan Grob touted the Constitution for its guarantees of free speech and universal suffrage.
And, Alex Coloyan of Longleaf Elementary snagged third place for his essay praising the Constitution’s contribution as an effective and stable form of government.
Honorable mentions were given to: Abbey Tesh, Hannah Whelan, Eric Bazaria (Wesley Chapel Elementary); Alexandria Csuhai, Nicholas Campbell, Olivia Grob, Elias Watson, Taelor Stevens (Oakstead Elementary); Cali Lopez (Lake Myrtle); Evan Davis, Isabella (Longleaf Elementary); Jamie Kessler, Madison Smith (Cotee River Elementary); and Vanessa Bandini (Calusa Elementary.
A record number 113 Pasco County fifth-graders entered this year’s contest.
School Choice is open
Pasco County Schools’ choice application window for middle and high school students opened Dec. 3, and will close Dec. 13 at 4:30 p.m.
The application is available via the myStudent parent portal.
Parents who do not already have an account, can establish a myStudent account online at the district website, PascoSchools.org (click on the myStudent link in the circle below the large photo).
This will be the only application window for secondary schools, and it will be for all school choice options, including STEM and STEAM magnet schools, International Baccalaureate (IB), Cambridge, and Wendell Krinn Technical High School.
Early release day
Pasco County Schools has implemented a monthly, two-hour-early release time to allow for staff to engage in professional development aligned with student needs, and district and school priorities.
Early release days will take place on the second Wednesday of each month, with the exception of January and May.
The next early release day is Dec. 11.
Citizens of the Month
The Dade City Chamber of Commerce has recognized the following students as Citizens of the Month.
September: Mason Pippin, Academy at the Farm; Aysia Sobers, East Pasco Adventist Academy; Wyatt Lowman, Saint Anthony Catholic School; Adalee Krause, Centennial Elementary; Jacob Maeker, Lacoochee Elementary; Mariana Chavez, Pasco Elementary; Luis Perez, Rodney B. Cox Elementary; Alaina Wheatley, San Antonio Elementary; Christopher Lewellen, Centennial STEM Magnet Middle; Taijabi Tekleberhan, Pasco Middle; Treasure Diaz-Cherry, James Irvin Education Center; and Yessenia Solis, Pasco High.
October: Canaan Pippin, Academy at the Farm; Rosalia Ippolito, Saint Anthony Catholic School; Antonio Chavez; Centennial Elementary; Jamie Angel, Lacoochee Elementary; Carmen Denton, Pasco Elementary; Jaime Contreras, Rodney B. Cox Elementary; Adam “Jimmy” Gragg, San Antonio Elementary; Mason Denmark, Centennial STEM Magnet Middle; Jezzabell Duffey, Pasco Middle; Charles Gumulinski, James Irvin Education Center; and Lilli Pollard, Pasco High.
Healthy schools
The 2019 Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America ranked Pasco County Schools 42nd on the list, up from 71st place in 2018.
The award culminates a year-long wellness awards program that Healthiest Employers hosts across the United States.
Award applicants are evaluated across six categories: culture and leadership commitment; foundational components; strategic planning; marketing and communications; programming and interventions; and, reporting and analytics.
The district’s health plan budget was increasing at a rate of 9% to 12% annually. Since the implementation of the Pasco Go Healthy program, the district has avoided more than $117 million in medical and pharmacy expenditures.
The data shows that more members are choosing to manage their care at the five on-site health and wellness centers.
Only one other Florida school district ranked among the top 100.
Pre-kindergarten screenings
Pasco County FDLRS Child Find offers developmental information and free screenings in coordination with the Past County Pre-K Assessment Team.
The screenings are for children not yet enrolled in kindergarten who may be having difficulties with speech, language, hearing, vision, concepts or motor skills.
Primary emphasis is on children ages 3 to 5.
For information, call Child Find specialist Caitlin Ryan or Colleen Costa at (813) 794-2630, (727) 774-2630 or (352) 524-2630.
Feeding Pasco food drive
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office’s annual Feeding Pasco Kids food drive is in full swing.
The proceeds from the drive will go directly to local organizations whose mission is to provide support for homeless children and students.
This year, the recipients include the Pasco Schools system and Metropolitan Ministries.
Donation boxes are placed in the lobbies of the Pasco Sheriff’s office buildings throughout the county.
Several area churches also agreed to have boxes in their buildings to assist with the food collection.
Monetary donations can be made by check or money order to Pasco Sheriff’s Charities, with “Food Drive” in the ‘for’ line, and mailed to Food Drive Donations, Pasco Sheriff’s Charities, 8700 Citizen Drive, New Port Richey, FL 34654.
The deadline to donate is Dec. 13.
For information, call (727) 844-7759.
