The Ronald McDonald House Charities’ recipients of the Pasco Education Foundation’s Take Stock in Children program were recognized during a luncheon Nov. 28. Three Pasco County 11th-grade students were honored for their academic achievements, along with their strong involvement in community service. Standing, from left: Kayla Conologue, program coordinator; recipients Alexus Kennedy, Pasco High School; Ashleigh Jackson, Pasco High; and Sydney Kirby, Gulf High; and, Rosanne Heyser, Pasco executive director.
Take Stock in Children
Take Stock in Children, a need-based scholarship program with the Pasco Education Foundation, announced its application period is now open to students currently in eighth grade attending Pasco County schools.
An additional opportunity also is open for those with a severe disability or chronic illness for those in eighth to 10th grade.
Eligibility requirements and online applications are posted on TakeStockInPasco.org or PascoEducationFoundation.org.
Applications must be submitted no later than Jan. 17.
Discovery Point collects for Toys for Tots
Discovery Point, 5203 Lutz Lake Fern Road in Lutz, will collect toys, for children age 8 and older, during December for the Toys for Tots program.
Discovery Point Child Development Centers have partnered with the Toys for Tots Foundation for this holiday season.
For information, email Kae Holloway at .
Superheroes and science
The National Science Foundation and the National Nanotechnology Initiative are gearing up for this year’s Generation Nano: Superheroes Inspired by Science challenge.
Sixth-grade through 12th-grade students can compete for scholarship money and a trip to Washington D.C., to attend the 2018 USA Science and Engineering Festival.
There will be an honorarium for teachers involved with the winning teams.
Students may compete as individuals or as members of a two-person to three-person team, to create a superhero using science, or tell their story in a short comic or video.
The contest ends Jan. 8 at 11:59 p.m.
To learn more, visit NSF.gov and search “Gen Nano.”
Pasco School Board elects new chairs
The District School Board of Pasco County elected Cynthia Armstrong board chairman and Alison Crumbley board vice chairman.
Armstrong represents District 3 on the board. She was first elected in 2010, and was re-elected without opposition in 2014. Armstrong has served as vice chairman and chairman of the board. She is a former science teacher and adjunct professor, and currently works in real estate.
Armstrong earned her Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Wake Forest University and her Master’s Degree in Education from the University of South Florida.
Crumbley represents District 4 on the board. She was elected in 2010 to fulfill the remaining two years of an unfulfilled term, and was re-elected without opposition in 2012 and 2016.
This is her second stint as vice chairman; she served as chairman in 2014.
Crumbley is a public relations/marketing director for a commercial real estate firm. She has previous experience managing an international advertising agency office and as an advertising account executive.
Crumbley graduated from Gulf High School and has a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the University of Florida.
Phillips family donates $1 million for scholarships
Ted and Avis Phillips, founders of Phillips and Jordan headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, and owners of 4G Ranch in Pasco County, donated $1 million to Lincoln Memorial University to create an endowment fund for nursing scholarships.
The Ted and Avis Phillips Endowed Nursing Scholarship Fund will provide academic scholarships to assist nursing students at the LMU-Tampa Extending Learning Site.
Recipients of the scholarships will be deemed “Phillips Scholars,” with first priority given to students from Pasco County.
Secondary priority will be given to qualified students from Pinellas, Hillsborough, Polk, Sumter or Hernando counties.
Scholarships will be awarded for both part-time and full-time students on an annual basis.
For information about the undergraduate and graduate programs available at LMU, email .
‘Angels’ deliver homemade gifts to students
Two Heritage Pines retirement community groups, Angels in the Pines, made hats, scarves and wooden toys for underprivileged students at Hudson Elementary School, whose families may not be able to afford such things. The retirees also deliver gifts to other schools in the Hudson and Shady Hills areas.
Every class at Hudson Elementary visited the media center Dec. 8 to choose a toy and scarf/hat, and then the class sat together to open the gifts at the same time.
More than 83 percent of the students at Hudson Elementary are considered low income.
