Student Citizens named for December
The East Pasco Chamber Foundation in partnership with The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce recognized nine students as Student Citizens for the month of December. Students are chosen by the teachers and administration of their individual schools for exemplary effort, achievement and contribution to their school, family and community. These students received the honor: Landon Bevell, Academy of Spectrum Diversity; Megan Kelley, The Broach School; Emily Ortiz, Chester W. Taylor Elementary School; Tristan Geist, East Pasco Adventist Academy; Aaron McClamma, Heritage Academy; Paola Linares, Raymond B. Stewart Middle School; Taylor Mertz, West Zephyrhills Elementary; Mo-Nayia Carter, Woodland Elementary; and Destini Harden, Zephyrhills High.
Student achievements
- Isabel Ellison, of Odessa, was initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society, at Florida Gulf Coast University.
- Lindsay Ugast, of Wesley Chapel, received a Master of Business Administration from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas.
- Kevin Spillane, of Odessa, was named to the fall Dean’s List at Berry College in Rome, Georgia.
Brightening up the holidays
Alexis and Alyssa Mitchell of the GFWC Little Women of Lutz, along with Linda Mitchell and Pam Blumenthal, advisors to the Little Women club, delivered their annual Christmas dinner bags filled with treats and the necessities for a holiday meal, to Kim Torres of Lutz K-8. In addition, the club selected the requested gifts to put under the tree of its Christmas Angel recipient family (a single mom with four children). The Little Women are young ladies, ages 12 to 18, who work community service projects in order to meet requirements for school service hours. For information, call Linda Mitchell at 813-389-2910.
Telemedicine launched
Pasco County Schools is partnering with Premier Community HealthCare to launch “The Hub,” so Premier can provide health services via telemedicine, according to a news release.
The first launch was on Dec. 14 at Gulfside Elementary, with a traditional ribbon-cutting, as well as a tour and a hands-on demonstration of the telemedicine equipment.
The initiative is an innovative and proactive approach to school-based health services that makes health care convenient, accessible and affordable, the release said.
The program was established at Gulfside with plans to expand to several other Pasco County schools.
Parents can make appointments for their student to visit virtually with a health professional while at school. A school nurse will assist in the process.
“This initiative is cutting edge and convenient and will provide tremendous benefit to our students and families,” said Superintendent of Schools Kurt Browning, in the release.
“We all know that children learn better when they are healthy, and Premier Community HealthCare is going to help us keep our students healthy without even having to leave campus,” Browning said.
Free STEM boot camp
Saint Leo University, 33701 State Road 52 in St. Leo, will host a free STEM Boot Camp for Young Women workshop on Jan. 6 and Jan. 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., for graduating high school students.
The camp will introduce the participants to science, technology, engineering, math, data analysis, potential careers, and the university.
The special guest at the workshop will be Russell Goodman, sports analytics expert and a professor of mathematics at Central College in Pella, Iowa.
Participants in the boot camp also will explore the university’s anatomage table, cybersecurity lab, and robotics lab, among other activities.
For more information or to RSVP, email Dr. Jacci White at .
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 learn more about Pasco Pathways and school choice, visit PascoSchools.org/schoolchoice.
Scholarship applications
There are more than 100 scholarships available for university, college and trade school programs, through the Pasco Education Foundation.
The application window is now open for 2023 high school seniors and will close on Jan. 31.
Interested students should apply at PascoEducationFoundation.org.
