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The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

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Henry Drive

Community gets a look at Woodland Elementary renovations

October 10, 2018 By Kevin Weiss

A special rededication and ribbon-cutting ceremony offered the Zephyrhills community an up-close and in-depth look at the newly renovated Woodland Elementary School.

More than 100 guests attended an event that showcased the school’s $12 million makeover, at 38203 Henry Drive in Zephyrhills.

Following introductions and a brief presentation, attendees were able to tour the campus, which was complete in time for the start of the 2018-2019 school year in August.

Pasco County School District Officials mark the rededication of Woodland Elementary School in Zephyrhills. The school was built in 1976. (Kevin Weiss)

Renovations included the addition of more than 100 paved parking spaces, a new and expanded administration suite, 12 additional classrooms, a new art room, two new music rooms, an expanded student drop-off loop for parents, and a renovated kitchen and cafeteria, with a multipurpose room and stage.

Funding for the improvements came through Penny for Pasco.

The enlarged cafeteria allows the school to cater to twice as many students at one time, which helps the school trim the time needed to serve lunch.

Before the renovations, lunch would begin as early as 10:15 a.m., to serve all students.

Woodland principal Shauntte Butcher said the new cafeteria also “provides for a perfect venue for community outreach and parent involvement.”

She noted the cafeteria has already hosted a standing-room-only open house, and accommodated hundreds for parent and grandparent breakfasts, PTA meetings and so on.

It also doubles as an auditorium space to host concerts, plays, talent shows and more.

“We have the opportunities to do things like never before,” Butcher said. “The possibilities and opportunities are endless.”

Meantime, Woodland’s old cafeteria has been repurposed into four classrooms, and the old kitchen is now a lab for science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or what is being called a STEM-nasium.

The $12 million renovation of Woodland Elementary School included the addition of more than 100 paved parking spaces, a new and expanded administration suite, 12 additional classrooms, a new art room, two new music rooms, an expanded student drop-off loop for parents, and a renovated kitchen and cafeteria, with a multipurpose room and stage. Funding for the improvements came through Penny for Pasco.

The STEM-nasium will be equipped with a 3D printer, thanks to a $2,000 donation from the Pasco Education Foundation — presented during the rededication ceremony.

Butcher said Woodland students “are genuinely excited to use the technology featured in the STEM-nasium,” adding it also provides “creative, innovative learning stations for group collaboration.”

Other improvements include new furniture for the school’s existing classrooms, media center and teacher workroom. Restrooms were updated, too.

When the school was built in 1976, it was designed for 652 students.

As enrollment grew, more and more portable classrooms were moved onto campus to accommodate students.

The school’s new capacity is 900.

Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning said the renovations were long overdue to the decades-old campus.

“It’s beautiful,” Browning said of the new-look school. “We are super excited about it, and we’re super excited about the teachers that teach here and the administration that leads this school, and, I’m excited about the future of the kids at this school.”

Said Butcher, who’s been at the school as principal since 2016: “To think about where the school has come from 40 years ago, to where it is now, is truly amazing. Never in my wildest dreams did I think, when I began my first principalship here, that I would be leading the renovation of a school.”

Published October 10, 2018

Filed Under: Education, Local News, Zephyrhills/East Pasco News Tagged With: Henry Drive, Kurt Browning, Penny for Pasco, Shauntte Butcher, Woodland Elementary School, Zephyrhills

Woodland Elementary School gets new look

August 15, 2018 By B.C. Manion

Students and staff arriving this week at Woodland Elementary School for a new academic year found a campus that has undergone a substantial renovation.

The $12 million project included $9 million in construction costs and $3 million for other expenses, including furniture, architectural fees, materials testing, telecommunications, district staff and other costs, according to Mike Gude, director of construction services and code compliance for Pasco County Schools.

An exterior view of a new building at Woodland Elementary School in Zephyrhills.
(Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)

The renovation of the school at 38203 Henry Drive included the addition of more than 100 paved parking spaces, a new and expanded administration suite, 12 additional classrooms, a new art room, two new music rooms, an expanded student drop-off loop for parents, and a renovated kitchen and cafeteria, with a multipurpose room and stage, according to a school district news release.

Woodland Principal Shauntte Butcher recently gave a look at the upgraded facility to school district officials, including School Board member Allan Altman and schools Superintendent Kurt Browning. That tour was recorded on a video that’s available on YouTube.

During that video, Altman recalled visiting Woodland in 2007 to meet with the former principal Kim Poe, who showed him the school’s need for renovations.

Funding for the improvements came through the passage of the Penny for Pasco, which voters extended in 2012.

Cafeteria workers have a renovated kitchen at Woodland Elementary School.

“Today is just so exciting,” Altman said on the video, referring to the project’s completion.

He noted he was pleased “to see a beautiful school that’s going to serve the students and the families of the Zephyrhills area for years and years to come.”

As Butcher made her way around campus, she said the new cafeteria can serve twice as many students at once, allowing the school to trim down time needed to serve lunch each day.

The old cafeteria is now four classrooms, and the old kitchen is now a lab for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Other improvements include new furniture for the school’s existing classrooms, media center and teacher workroom, Butcher said.

Restrooms were updated, too.

When the school was built in 1976, it was designed for 652 students. As enrollment grew, more and more portable classrooms were moved onto campus to accommodate students.

The school’s new capacity is 900.

Published August 15, 2018

Filed Under: Education, Local News, Zephyrhills/East Pasco News Tagged With: Allan Altman, Henry Drive, Kim Poe, Kurt Browning, Mike Gude, Pasco County Schools, Penny for Pasco, Shauntte Butcher, Woodland Elementary School

Woodland Elementary gets $12 million makeover

November 1, 2017 By B.C. Manion

The signs of construction are everywhere at Woodland Elementary School, at 38203 Henry Drive in Zephyrhills.

The beeping sounds of equipment backing up fill the air, as crews from Wharton-Smith Inc. Construction Group move about, working on a new building that’s going up on campus.

Andrew Simpson is the project coordinator for Pasco County Schools, overseeing the $12 million makeover project at Woodland Elementary School. (B.C. Manion)

The 25,274-square-foot building includes eight classrooms, a music room, an art room, a stage, a cafeteria and a kitchen, said Andrew Simpson, project coordinator for Pasco County Schools.

Architectural plans by Furr & Wegman indicate a cafeteria designed for about 376, which will be used for school lunches, and will have a stage for school performances.

The $12 million project also includes remodeling work.

The old cafeteria and kitchen will be converted into four new classrooms and a science, technology, engineering and mathematics lab, Simpson said.

“It already has the plumbing. It already has the drains. It already has the electrical capacity,” he added, during a recent walk-through at the construction site.

Beyond the new building, other differences that parents, students and staff may immediately notice are the new entrance that the school will have when it opens for the fall 2018-19 school year, as well as new signs, a longer car rider loop and a larger administrative suite.

Restrooms are being updated, too.

Work on the new building will be completed by July, Simpson said.

The remodeling work will be done before classes begin in the fall of 2018, he added.

A worker digs in a hole behind the new classroom building being added at Woodland Elementary School.

A quick look around the current campus reveals scores of portable classrooms — a sure sign that Woodland’s enrollment exceeds its capacity.

Built in 1976, the school was designed for 652 students. Its enrollment now stands at around 950 students, but it has exceeded 1,000 in recent years.

“This school is severely over capacity,” Simpson said. “That was a lot of the reason that the school board decided that we needed to try to add capacity.”

With the additions, the school’s new permanent capacity will be 900 students.

The new building will add 176 student stations and the renovation will yield 72 more, according to Furr & Wegman’s plans.

The project also calls for enlarging the administrative area, while shrinking the space devoted to the school’s media center.

With the advent of digital technology that can be used in classrooms, the media center is not being used the same way it used to be, Simpson said. So, a portion of the media center will be converted into space for the new administration suite.

Work has been proceeding well, without any major surprises, Simpson said.

Hurricane Irma slowed down the project, but that time has been made up, he added.

“The labor is our biggest challenge. There’s so much going on,” he said, noting a billion-dollar renovation project at Tampa International Airport “is eating up labor.”

Published November 1, 2017

Filed Under: Education, Local News, Zephyrhills/East Pasco News Tagged With: Andrew Simpson, Furr & Wegman, Henry Drive, Pasco County Schools, Tampa International Airport, Wharton-Smith Inc Construction Group, Woodland Elementary School, Zephyrhills

Super snacks coming to select Pasco schools

September 12, 2014 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Pasco County is getting the chance to test a new after-school meals pilot program with the new offering of a “super snack” at select schools in the district.

A component of the Child Care Food program, it’s designed to provide nutritious snacks and meals to children in after-school programs. It’s funded through the U.S. Department of Health — unlike the school meal program, which is done with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

While the new “super snack” program is primarily same as the existing snack program, the select schools will now be able to offer five components for a snack, instead of two, according to a release. That’s because schools and the district’s food and nutrition department felt that the smaller snack was not enough for many of the kids at schools where more than half the students already receive free or reduced lunches.

Those who can participate in the snack program must be enrolled in an approved after-school or extended-day program. Snacks are available at no separate charge to children at the following sites:

• Anclote High School, 1540 Sweetbriar Drive, Holiday
• Cox Elementary School, 37615 Martin Luther King Blvd., Dade City
• Crews Lake Middle School, 15144 Shady Hills Road, Spring Hill
• Gulf Middle School, 6419 Louisiana Ave., New Port Richey
• Gulfside Elementary School, 2329 Anclote Blvd., Holiday
• Hudson Middle School, 14540 Cobra Way, Hudson
• Lacoochee Elementary School, 38815 Cummer Road, Dade City
• Pasco High School, 36850 State Road 52, Dade City
• Smith Middle School, 1410 Sweetbriar Drive, Holiday
• Stewart Middle School, 38505 10th Ave., Zephyrhills
• Taylor Elementary School, 3638 Morris Bridge Road, Zephyrhills
• Woodland Elementary School, 38203 Henry Drive, Zephyrhills

Filed Under: Updates Tagged With: 10th Avenue, Anclote Boulevard, Anclote High School, Child Care Food, Cobra Way, Cox Elementary School, Crews Lake Middle School, Cummer Road, Dade City, Gulf Middle School, Gulfside Elementary School, Henry Drive, Holiday, Hudson, Hudson Middle School, Lacoochee Elementary School, Louisiana Avenue, Martin Luther King Boulevard, Morris Bridge Road, New Port Richey, Pasco County, Pasco High School, Shady Hills Road, Smith Middle School, Spring Hill, State Road 52, Stewart Middle School, Sweetbriar Drive, Taylor Elementary School, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Health, Woodland Elementary School, Zephyrhills

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01/18/2021 – Garden club

The Dade City Garden Club will host a virtual general membership meeting on Jan. 18 at 9:30 a.m., via Zoom. The program will feature a presentation by Madonna Wise, author of “A Haunted History of Pasco County.” Wise’s husband, Ernest, also will present a short demonstration on pressing flowers. Non-members can attend. Registration is through email at by Jan. 17. For information, visit DadeCityGardenClub.com. … [Read More...] about 01/18/2021 – Garden club

01/19/2021 – Best of crafts

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will present a “Best of Craft Tuesdays: Playlist” on Jan. 19 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Check out a video at Facebook.com/hughembrylibrary or Facebook.com/newriverlibrary to learn about some of the craft programs that are worth revisiting from the past year. For information, call 352-567-3576, or email Danielle Lee at . … [Read More...] about 01/19/2021 – Best of crafts

01/19/2021 – Virtual gardening

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will present “Virtual Backyard Gardening with Jo Ann” on Jan. 19 at 2 p.m., via Zoom. Registration is required to receive an email on how to join the meeting. For information, email . … [Read More...] about 01/19/2021 – Virtual gardening

01/20/2021 – Library story times

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will offer these upcoming story times: Jan. 20, for birth to age 5: Participants can tune in anytime between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m., at Facebook.com/hughembrylibrary or Facebook.com/newriverlibrary, to hear “Private I. Guana.” For information, call 352-567-3576, or email Danielle Lee at . Jan. 21 at 10 a.m.: “Virtual Baby Time with Miss Cindy.” Visit Facebook.com/cplib. Jan. 21 at 10 a.m., for ages 2 to 5: “Virtual Story Time with Miss Jenn.” For information, call Amaris Papadopoulos at 727-861-3020. … [Read More...] about 01/20/2021 – Library story times

01/20/2021 – LOL Book Club

The LOL Book Club from the Land O’ Lakes Library will meet on Jan. 20 at 2:30 p.m., to discuss “Beartown” by Fredrik Backman. Register online for a Zoom link, which will be sent out via email a day ahead of the discussion. For information, call 813-929-1214. … [Read More...] about 01/20/2021 – LOL Book Club

01/20/2021 – Mouse bookmark

Learn to make a folded paper mouse bookmark on Jan. 20. Participants will use the art of origami to make the bookmark. Watch the instructional slide show, all day, on the South Holiday Library Facebook page. … [Read More...] about 01/20/2021 – Mouse bookmark

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