Civil Air Patrol activated at Sunlake
Following two postponements due to Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole, Sunlake High School is officially home to Florida’s high school-based squadron of Civil Air Patrol cadets. The unit was activated during a formal ceremony on Dec. 6.
The Civil Air Patrol first-time in-residence course is part of the aerospace program. Sunlake is now the Pasco School District’s Magnet Aviation Academy, which allows students to become pilots before graduating high school.
Students from 23 area high schools can attend the academy, and are dual-enrolled in Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, earning college credit while in the Aerospace Magnet Academy at Sunlake.
“We are extremely proud we are now able to celebrate this historic moment and the work that so many at Sunlake and within the Florida Wing have done to make this happen,” said Capt. Mark Aragon, Sunlake squadron unit commander, in a news release.
“With this activation, the cadets will learn aerospace, emergency services, military training and character development while working toward an aviation career,” said Aragon.
U.S. Air Force and other military personnel attended the unit activation ceremony.
Awards of excellence
Pasco County Schools has been honored with two prestigious awards for dedication to academic excellence and continuous improvement.
The first award designates Pasco County Schools as a System of Distinction, making Pasco County Schools one of 38 systems globally to receive this designation from Cognia, the accrediting organization recognized around the world for its high standards and rigorous accreditation process, according to a news release.
“Each of these systems demonstrated evidence of growth in learning, a healthy culture for learning, engaging and high-quality instructional environments, and effective leadership for learning,” said Dr. Mark Elgart, Cognia CEO, in the release.
The second award is the Values-Driven Award of Excellence. This is a state-level award presented in each state to one education organization that systematically models Cognia’s values through its day-to-day efforts to improve student achievement.
The Cognia values include: Dream Big; Stand for the Learner; Be Bold and Daring; Drive Potential; Be Tenacious; and Build Connections.
“This is extremely gratifying to receive this recognition on the state level and on the international level,” said Pasco Superintendent of Schools Kurt Browning, in the release. “It supports our efforts to provide a world class education to all our students.”
Superintendent Browning was recognized during the annual Cognia Impact Conference Excellence in Education Award Ceremony on Dec. 6.
Unification garners school recognitions
Starkey Ranch K-8 and Cypress Creek High School both received national banner recognition as a Special Olympics Unified Champion School for demonstrating commitment to inclusion through meeting 10 standards of excellence. Starkey and Cypress Creek are two out of only 13 Florida schools to receive the honor.
School choice opening soon
The Pasco County Schools school choice application window will open on Jan. 9 at 8 a.m., and close on Jan. 20 at 4:30 p.m.
At that time, the Pasco Pathways Innovative Programs and School Choice application will be available for parents via the myStudent parent portal.
The application window will be for all school choice options, including STEM and STEAM magnet schools, Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation, Wendell Krinn Technical High School, Angeline Academy of Innovation, International Baccalaureate (IB), and the Cambridge Programme.
Mark your calendar with these important dates:
Pasco Pathways Application Window – Jan. 9 to Jan. 20
Notification and Acceptance Window – Feb. 27 to March 8
To see more about Pasco Pathways and school choice, visit PascoSchools.org/schoolchoice.
