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Trekking to Iowa to compete at World Finals

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After competing together for years, a local Odyssey of the Mind team has finally accomplished its goal of qualifying to compete at the World Finals in Ames, Iowa.

Now, the team is busy raising the $5,000 they need need to make the trip.

They’re doing car washes, a garage sale and restaurant fundraisers, and are hoping for the community’s support to help make their dream come true.

The four-member team is made up of students attending three different high schools.

Two of them — Kaden Robinson and Donovan Snider — attend Wesley Chapel High School. Another — Kayla Gutierrez — attends Wiregrass Ranch High School. And, Alec Guillen attends Eastlake High School.

The coaches for the team are Kayla’s mom, Tammy and Kaden’s brother, Devin.

Coach Tammy Guitierrez, left, will be accompanying a local Odyssey of the Mind team who is making the trek to the World Finals in Ames, Iowa, at the end of May. From left are three members of the team, Kayla Guitierrez, Kaden Robinson and Donovan Snider. Alec Guillen, the other member of the team and Devin Robinson, the other coach, are not pictured. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Coach Tammy Guitierrez, left, will be accompanying a local Odyssey of the Mind team who is making the trek to the World Finals in Ames, Iowa, at the end of May. From left are three members of the team, Kayla Guitierrez, Kaden Robinson and Donovan Snider. Alec Guillen, the other member of the team and Devin Robinson, the other coach, are not pictured.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

The students from Wiregrass Ranch and Wesley Chapel have been competing together since they have been in middle school.

Other team members have come and gone, even as late as this year.

Odyssey of the Mind is an international program that encourages youths to work together as teams to use their creative and analytical skills to solve problems.

Last year, the team was on the brink of qualifying for the World Finals. They placed third at state, but only the top two teams advance to the world stage.

The year before, they came in fifth.

The core group has been together for five years, and that’s an advantage, Gutierrez said.

“We’re able to get working faster because you know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. You know who works well with what and who doesn’t, so you’re really able to divide and conquer the workload and get things done quickly,” she said.

Robinson noted another benefit: “It’s much easier to motivate each other, as well. Being together for so long, you tend to form a bond, like family.”

It’s a bond that extends beyond Odyssey, Robinson said. “We’re there in support for each other, whenever we’re going through anything in life.”

Snider agreed: “We’re a family first and a team second.”

The team has done most of the preparation it needs to do before making the 20-hour trip to Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, for the competition that will be held May 25 through May 28.

Now, they’re focusing mostly on fundraising and have a number of events planned in coming weeks.

At the world competition, they’ll be testing their skills against teams who are converging on Iowa from all over the globe. About 800 teams are expected to compete and countries that will be represented there include Russia, China, India, Poland, Japan and Morocco, to name just a few.

During one part of the competition, they’ll be presenting a play. The theme of their presentation will be “Saying Goodbye to Odyssey,” which draws on their years of competing in the competition, and which draws on their creativity and problem-solving.

“We have 8 minutes for set up and performance,” Gutierrez said. “We’re bringing past Odyssey into the present so we can move through to the future because we’re all moving on,” she said.

The entire team plans to shift into judging OM after this year because Robinson is graduating and will no longer be able to compete with them.

Snider said he’s grateful the team has held together for this long and is happy to be going out on a high note by competing at the international level.

“We’ve been trying for five years,” Snider said.

For more information about the team or the competition, or to help the team, contact Tammy Gutierrez at

Fundraisers for Odyssey of the Mind Team

Carwash: 5811 Ehren Cutoff, Land O Lakes, May 14 and May 21, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Moe’s fundraiser: 28211 Paseo Drive Suite 100, Wesley Chapel. May 7 and May 14, 3 p.m. to closing

Texas Roadhouse fundraiser: 26409 Silver Maple Parkway, Wesley Chapel, May 16, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Buffalo Wild Wings fundraiser: 26725 State Road 56, Wesley Chapel, May 9 and May 18, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Garage Sale: 30546 Eastcourt Drive, Wesley Chapel, May 7 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Published May 4, 2016

Local Pearl Harbor documentary to air Dec. 7

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It’s a day that will live in infamy, and one Pasco County Television will remember with a locally produced documentary on Japan’s surprise attack of Pearl Harbor.

“In Their War: America at War” will air on the government cable channel Dec. 7 beginning at 12:30 p.m. It features two Pasco residents — Werner Klemm of Port Richey and George Kass of New Port Richey. Klemm served on the USS Dobbin, while Kass was on the USS San Francisco.

The Dobbin was spared major damage, despite displaying admiral flags, and was not able to intervene in the attack from its moored location near Ford Island. The San Francisco was at Pearl Harbor for much-needed repair work, and was not even in combat condition. It also was spared major damage in the attack.

The documentary is produced by Spring Hill resident Matt Wilcox, currently a senior at the University of South Florida.

“The show focuses on the strategic history of the war, as well as the personal experiences of so many who lived during that time,” Wilcox said, in a release.

Pearl Harbor was attached at 7:48 a.m. local time on Dec. 7, 1941, and the documentary is set to air cad close to the anniversary of the attack as possible — converted to the Eastern time zone.

“I’m always looking for locally produced videos and documentaries featuring Pasco County,” said Doug Tobin, the county’s spokesman and the manager of Pasco County Television. “When (a) Spring Hill producer told me he had produced a documentary featuring Pasco County residents, I had to make time to air the show.”

The documentary is 22 minutes long, and covers the United States’ entry into World War II. It will air several more times on Dec. 9 (8 p.m.), Dec. 10 (6:30 p.m.), Dec. 14 (7:30 p.m.), Dec. 18 (1:30 p.m.), Dec. 20 (9:30 a.m.), Dec. 23 (10 a.m.), and Dec. 27 (noon).

A trailer for the documentary can be found at InTheirWar.org.

Pasco County Television can be found on Bright House channel 622 or Verizon FiOS channel 42.

Military museum remembers Pearl Harbor Dec. 7

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History is filled with dates schoolteachers want their students to remember. But there is one that no one can forget — Dec. 7, 1941.

That’s when Japanese forces conducted a surprise air raid on American military installations at Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor. At the time, President Franklin D. Roosevelt said the date would live in infamy, and 73 years later, it’s still being remembered, including Dec. 7 at the Zephyrhills Museum of Military History.

Part of an annual event at the museum, 39444 South Ave., a few of the remaining Pearl Harbor survivors make the trek to share their stories, and give visitors a chance to directly touch history.

“It gets harder and harder for them to get going in the morning, so we keep pushing back the time,” said Ted Johnson, a volunteer and vice president of the board that runs the military museum. “But that doesn’t stop them. They look forward to this every year, and are right here, even though they are pushing their 90s.”

This year’s event will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and is free to the public, although donations also will be accepted. It will make it a full weekend for the museum, which normally is open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Age is now taking a lot of the veterans from that great war, yet interest remains strong in the world’s battle against Nazism and fascism. A good portion of the military museum — itself in barracks that were used by U.S. Army pilots during World War II — is dedicated to that.

Yet, it’s tough to beat talking to actual eyewitnesses of a major historical event like Pearl Harbor.

“These guys love to tell their stories about what happened that day,” Johnson said. “It never gets old to them, and it never gets old to me to see it.”

This is one of a series of events the military museum has throughout the year, including special observances of D-Day and other historical milestones. It not only brings people together with history, but also introduces others to the museum that has been at the barracks for more than a decade.

“People still come up to us and tell us they didn’t even know the museum was here,” Johnson said. “That surprises me, but I’m glad that we’re finding ways to let everyone know what we stand for.”

The museum is free to the public on Saturdays, and will open for special visits from schools and other groups during the week, and keep expanded hours during Lakeland’s Sun n’ Fun weekends in April.

So much has happened since that day where the United States was drawn into a world war — the assassination of John F. Kennedy and 9/11 just to name a couple — yet, Johnson said the Pearl Harbor attack is something that must be remembered.

“History does have a way of repeating itself, and it happens regardless of whether we learn the lessons before or not,” Johnson said. “It’s kind of scary to say that, but unfortunately, it’s going to happen again. But if you don’t remember the story, you’re most certainly doomed to repeat it again.”

If you go
WHAT: Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
WHEN: Dec. 7 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
WHERE: Zephyrhills Museum of Military History, 39444 South Ave., Zephyrhills
COST: Free
INFO: Call Cliff Moffett, (352) 206-1819

See this story in print: Click Here

First retailer announced for potential outlet mall in Wesley Chapel

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Plans are apparently moving forward on an outlet mall development in Wesley Chapel, according to a recent announcement posted on Simon Property Group Inc.’s website.

Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th plans to open a new location at Tampa Premium Outlets in Wesley Chapel, in 2014, according to the posting.

The announcement signals the first retailer to announce plans to locate at the potential upscale outlet center on a portion of the Cypress Creek Town Center site near Interstate 75.

Representatives from Simon would not provide additional information.

News of the potential outlet surfaced in February, after Pasco County administrator John Gallagher met with representatives from Simon and from the Cypress Creek Town Center.

Plans for Cypress Creek Town Center were announced years ago and the mall received a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers in 2007, but then the project became mired in legal battles and the economy tanked.

A federal court ruling on Nov. 17 affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded a previous district ruling in a case involving the Sierra Club and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the permit for the mall.

However, an issue that remains unresolved involves the eastern indigo snake.

Simon’s recent announcement appears to signal progress toward development of an outlet mall, and that prospect already has received a warm reception from major players in Wesley Chapel. Representatives from the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce, The Shops at Wiregrass and the Porter family, who are major landholders, all have said an upscale outlet mall would enhance the area’s offerings.

Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th leverages Saks Fifth Avenue’s knowledge of fashion in the marketplace to create exclusive brands, providing customers with accessible luxuries, trend-right values and stylish exclusives, according to Simon’s announcement.

It features a luxury-in-a-loft design which can showcase an emerging trend one day and a great deal the next, the website says.

There are 34 Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th locations within the Simon portfolio both in its Premium Outlets and The Mills divisions.

Simon’s Premium Outlets portfolio features 70 Premium Outlet Centers including 57 in the United States, one in Puerto Rico, eight in Japan, two in Korea, one in Malaysia and one in Mexico.

Simon Property Group currently owns or has an interest in 337 retail real estate properties in North America and Asia comprising 244 million square feet. It is headquartered in Indianapolis and employs approximately 5,500 people in the U.S. For more information, visit the Simon Property Group website at www.simon.com.