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Land O' Lakes Christian School

At just 11, he’s already found his voice

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Marcus Mitchell isn’t even a teenager yet, but he already knows how he wants to spend his life.

He wants to make music, and to perform it for others.

He’s already writing songs, and in November, the Land O’ Lakes Christian School student will be taking the stage with the Florida Orchestra to perform a solo part.

He will be singing the solo in Movement 2 of Chichester Psalms under choral composer/conductor Eric Whitacre.

Eleven-year-old Marcus Mitchell has been selected to perform a solo part with the Florida Orchestra. He will be performing the part in Hebrew. He also enjoys writing songs, singing songs and playing his ukulele. (B.C. Manion)

Chichester Psalms, a composition by Leonard Bernstein, must be sung in Hebrew.

Marcus sings with Lumina Youth Choirs, based at St. Andrew Episcopal Church, in downtown Tampa. The audition-based organization attracts singers from across Tampa Bay.

Marcus’ parents, Chad and Nereida, are delighted by their son’s selection to perform with the orchestra.

“When I first found out that he had the opportunity to be with Florida Orchestra, I was at a loss for words, but so excited at the same time,” Chad said.

“We thank God for the talent and the passion that he (Marcus) has.

“He’s so passionate. He loves, loves, loves to sing,” he added. “I knew this would be a great opportunity for him. I want his talent to be heard and seen,” Chad said.

Nereida added: “It’s just an honor. I’m thankful that he has this opportunity so young, at 11 years old.”

Marcus lives with his parents, and his brother, 9-year-old brother, Lucas, in Wesley Chapel.

The Land O’ Lakes Christian School sixth-grader said he has loved music for as long as he can remember.

When he was just a little boy, he went to a Justin Bieber concert with his mom. Bieber’s performance left an impression.

“I remember how he commanded the stage,” Marcus said. He said that’s what he wants to do.

While some young musicians need to be encouraged to practice, Marcus’ parents said they have the opposite problem: They have to urge him to stop to make time for other things.

Besides singing in the choir, he plays piano and ukulele and composes his own songs.

One day, not too long ago, Marcus was practicing part of a piece and his voice was somewhat hoarse.

He told his dad: “I just hope I’ll be ready for November.”

His dad told him: “You are going to be absolutely ready.”

Marcus is slated to sing with the Florida Orchestra in November, one performance each at the Straz Center in downtown Tampa, Mahaffey Theater in downtown St. Petersburg and Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater.

Published October 09, 2019

Little authors are celebrated in a big way

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It’s not every day that someone becomes a published writer — and that’s especially true of second-graders.

So, staff members at Land O’ Lakes Christian School weren’t about to let the moment pass by without a good bit of fanfare.

These second-graders in Christy Hoynoski’s class wrote a book called ‘If I Were An Animal.’ The children are, (front row, from left): Savannah Wrenn, Laurelai Marano, Kylie Matkin, Sarina King, Kinsley Wooles and Esteban Lowe. The others (back row, left to right) are Hadasa Smith, Keenan Morais-Silva, Maya Vidal, ErikSebastien Capellupo, Isabelle Loscalzo, Colin VanderVere and their teacher, Christy Hoynoski. (Courtesy of Land O’ Lakes Christian School)

The children in Christy Hoynoski’s class were celebrated in a big way at a party in the school’s lunchroom on the day their book, “If I Were An Animal,” arrived at the school at 5105 School Road in Land O’ Lakes.

There were balloons and a red carpet that was bedazzled by stars — each bearing the name of a child author.

Each of the 7- and 8-year-olds stood at a podium, reading their stories and showing off their illustrations.

Parents and grandparents came to the school to honor the children’s accomplishment, and the party featured a book-shaped cake and snacks with literary themes.

It was a big day for the second-graders, and the glow was still showing weeks later, when they talked about the stories they wrote, with a visiting reporter.

Mrs. Hoynoski, as the children call her, came up with the idea of creating the book after hearing about a free publishing kit offered by Studentreasures Publishing.

This is the cover of the book written by students in Christy Hoynoski’s second grade class at Land O’ Lakes Christian School.

The idea was to make writing more fun, the teacher said.

The children considered a variety of possible books they could do, such as “Second Grade Inventions,” “If I were a President” and “When I Grow Up.”

In the end, they voted to create a book about animals.

Besides allowing the second-graders to practice their handwriting skills and showcase their artistic abilities, the project also gave them a chance to exercise their lively imaginations, too.

For instance, in this book, there’s a zebra with rainbow-colored stripes and a white bunny with black polka dots.

The animals have interesting diets, too. There’s a pig that eats candy, a whale that eats broccoli, a horse that eats grapes and an owl that eats ice cream.

Second-graders make their way into the school lunchroom at Land O’ Lakes Christian School to celebrate the publication of their book, ‘If I Were An Animal.’

The kids also thought outside of the box when naming their animals. There’s a wolf named Snowflake, a bird named Jewel, a bobcat named Rosie and a cobra named Cutey.

The students said they enjoyed writing their stories and drawing their pictures, and, of course, they were pleased to see their work in print.

It’s a project the second-grade teacher said she’d recommend to other teachers.

“It really got them excited about writing,” she said.

Writing is an important skill, the teacher added, because it’s a skill her students will need throughout their lives.

Published May 23, 2018

ErikSebastien Capellupo shows off his illustration of a story he wrote about a cheetah, named Lightning, that can run 1 million mph.
Hadasa Smith shows off one of the stories she wrote and illustrations she did for ‘If I Were An Animal.’ She wrote about a zebra with rainbow-colored stripes and a bobcat named Rosie.
Savannah Wrenn reads one of the stories she wrote for a book created by Christy Hoynoski’s second grade class at Land O’ Lakes Christian School.

 

Local students shine at nationals

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Five students from Land O’ Lakes Christian School claimed national awards at the 39th annual American Association of Christian Schools National Competition held at Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina.

The contest, held from April 12 to April 14, drew approximately 1,800 competitors from 29 states. Participants earned the right to compete by capturing the top awards in their state contests.

The students represented nearly 200 Christian high schools. They competed in 76 categories in the areas of Bible, music, speech, art and academics.

Three students from Land O’ Lakes Christian School won first place awards in the competition and two others finished among the top five.

These five students from Land O’ Lakes Christian School were among the top five finishers at the 39th annual American Association of Christian Schools National Competition. In descending order, they are: Tommy Campbell, Logan Juday, Paul Wei, Ruth Zhang and Emily Mengel. Campbell, Zhang and Mengel all brought home first place honors. (Courtesy of Land O' Lakes Christian School)
These five students from Land O’ Lakes Christian School were among the top five finishers at the 39th annual American Association of Christian Schools National Competition. In descending order, they are: Tommy Campbell, Logan Juday, Paul Wei, Ruth Zhang and Emily Mengel.
Campbell, Zhang and Mengel all brought home first place honors.
(Courtesy of Land O’ Lakes Christian School)

Tommy Campbell took first place in Topical Preaching and first place in Original Persuasive Oratory.

Ruth Zhang took first place in Calligraphy, third place in Algebra/Geometry and third place in Advanced Math.

Emily Mengel took first place in Printmaking.

Paul Wei took second place in Extemporaneous Speaking and Logan Juday took third place in Accounting.

The Bible competition included Bible quiz teams, preaching and teaching. The academic competition included academic testing and a science fair. The music students challenged each other in solo and group competitions, in both vocal and instrumental music.

Speech contestants competed in such categories as debate, dramatic interpretation, original oratory, acting and other categories.

Art students displayed their works for judging.

The Land O’ Lakes Christian School students were thrilled and surprised by their impressive showing.

“I was not expecting to win. The other people were extremely good. I thought I would be blessed just to place. Even at state I wasn’t expecting to win,” said Campbell, a senior.

In the Topical Preaching category, he preached about faith, with his remarks aimed at encouraging people to “have faith and trust God” in their decision-making.

Ruth Zhang demonstrated her considerable calligraphy and artistic skills in the 39th annual American Association of Christian Schools National Competition, and she brought home a first place award to Land O’ Lakes Christian School. (B.C. Manion/Staff photos)
Ruth Zhang demonstrated her considerable calligraphy and artistic skills in the 39th annual American Association of Christian Schools National Competition, and she brought home a first place award to Land O’ Lakes Christian School.
(B.C. Manion/Staff photos)

For Original Persuasive Oratory, he focused on generational values.

“It was about how the generation that our grandparents grew up (in), during their time, they were taught to have manners and people didn’t put so much value on material possessions and people valued the family unit, things like that — and how our generation lacks a lot of that today,” he said.

Campbell plans to attend Pensacola Christian College and to major in Bible Pastoral Ministries. He said he’ll go wherever God leads him, but he hopes that will be to be a pastor of a church.

Even though he claimed the top prize for in the preaching category, Campbell said he discovered something surprising.

“I’ve been working really hard at this for a few years now and I always thought that the ultimate joy and happiness would come from when I finally won. But now that I’ve actually won best in the nation … I realized that I’ve had the same happiness all along and that actually came from just being able to be used of God. I already had the ultimate happiness,” Campbell said.

Zhang, a junior, did an elaborate work to win the top prize in Calligraphy.

She’s interested in pursuing a degree in architecture and has identified Cornell University as her ideal school. A native of China, she has been living in the United States for two years.

She also placed in the top five in two mathematics categories. She noted that the mathematics exams at the national level were more difficult than those at the state competition.

Emily Mengel impressed the judges with her printmaking skills, capturing top honors at the 39th annual American Association of Christian Schools National Competition.
Emily Mengel impressed the judges with her printmaking skills, capturing top honors at the 39th annual American Association of Christian Schools National Competition.

Mengel depicted a skyline in her Printmaking entry. “I love being up high because you see everything,” she said, explaining her fascination for skylines.

Like her school mates, the sophomore was delighted by her first-place finish.  “I didn’t think I was even going to place, so it was a big shock,” she said.

Juday, a senior, said he previously competed in photography but decided to give accounting a try this year, after being encouraged by a teacher.

“I didn’t know I placed first until I got to the state competition and they called my name. I had no idea,” said Juday, who took third at nationals.

Paul Wei, a junior, won second in Extemporaneous Speaking. “I was very excited,” Wei said. It was his first competition and he plans to compete again, he said.

It was a great bonding experience for students, Wei said.

Published May 4, 2016

New schools, new programs on tap for 2014-15 school year

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The days of relatively easy rush-hour commutes are approaching an end as students, teachers and other employees gear up for a new school year.

Students in Pasco County Schools begin the 2014-15 school year on Aug. 18, and Hillsborough County public schools begin classes a day later.

These children arrive at school at Quail Hollow Elementary School on the last day the school had classes before closing down for renovation. Quail Hollow is slated to open in the 2015-16 school year. (File Photo)
These children arrive at school at Quail Hollow Elementary School on the last day the school had classes before closing down for renovation. Quail Hollow is slated to open in the 2015-16 school year.
(File Photo)

Wiregrass Ranch High School already is urging students and parents to give themselves ample time to arrive.

“Traffic in the morning is always busy,” Robyn White, the school’s principal, noted on the Wiregrass Ranch website. “With 40 buses arriving, 500 student drivers, 200 employees and hundreds of parents driving to school, you must arrive early to prevent being late to school.”

If that’s the scene at just one school, imagine how it will play out across two massive school districts.

In addition to traffic generated by Hillsborough and Pasco public schools, there also are thousands of students in both counties attending private schools and charter schools, including Academy at the Lakes, Land O’ Lakes Christian School, Countryside Montessori, The Reading Corner, Learning Gate Community School, Imagine School and Academy at the Farm, just to name a few.

The traffic jams will begin in earnest when students return to classes, but the volume will pick up a bit earlier as teachers and other school employees begin reporting back to work to get ready for another year.

Many parents are already hitting the malls, discount stores and local shops to buy their kids new school clothes and supplies for the coming year. Parents who want to be in the know should check their school’s website to make sure they are getting the supplies that their kids will need. Most websites offer a list of supplies that differentiates between grade levels.

Parents also can benefit from attending “meet the teacher” day at elementary schools and orientation sessions for older students to get a better feel for their child’s campus and the school’s rules. Again, all that information is available on schools’ websites.

The coming school year is ushering in new educational options for students in both school districts. Pepin Academies has a new public charter school in New Port Richey that will serve students with special learning needs throughout Pasco County.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the county, Darby Christian Academy in Dade City will offer a community school model, based on a biblical worldview. That school, a ministry of Darby Community Church at 14745 Bellamy Brothers Road, offers instruction for kindergarten through 10th-graders.

Stewart Middle School and Zephyrhills High School are adding The Infinity Academy, a program that blends online instruction with classroom learning to give students the chance to quickly move through material they master, but spend more time on lessons that cause them to struggle.

Both schools also are offering a program called AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. At Zephyrhills High, AVID will be available for 60 incoming ninth-graders who will take it as an elective. The class will focus on organizational skills, text coding, reading and writing coaching, and math and science tutorials.

At Stewart, the AVID elective will be offered for students in grades six through eight.

In Hillsborough County, the public charter Lutz Preparatory School has added a middle school. This year, the school will serve sixth- and seventh-graders. Next year, it intends to add eighth grade.

Three elementary schools in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area have new principals.

Claudia Steinacker will lead Cox Elementary School, and Christina Twardosz is at the helm of Centennial Elementary School, both in Dade City. Gretchen Rudolph-Fladd is the new principal at Veterans Elementary School in Wesley Chapel.

This school year also signals the first full year of operation for Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, a new satellite of Pasco-Hernando State College.

The college campus is next door to Wiregrass Ranch High and not far from Wesley Chapel High School, which is expected to lead to enhanced educational opportunities for the high school students and to give the college a chance to recruit more future students.

Pasco County Schools Calendar 2014-15
Aug. 18 — Students’ first day
Sep. 1 — Labor Day
Oct. 20 — Teacher planning day
Oct. 27— Report card distribution
Nov. 24-28 — Thanksgiving break
Dec. 22-Jan. 2 — Winter break
Jan. 5 — Teacher planning day
Jan. 12 — Report card distribution
Jan. 19 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Feb. 16 — President’s Day
March 16-20 — Spring break
March 23 — Teacher planning day
March 30 — Report card distribution
April 3 — Non-student day
May 20 — Seniors’ last day
May 25 — Memorial Day
June 3 — Students’ last day
June 11 — Final report card distribution

Hillsborough County Schools Calendar 2014-15
Aug. 19 — Students’ first day
Sept. 1 — Labor Day
Oct. 20 — Teacher planning day
Nov. 3 — Elementary report card distribution
Nov. 7 — Secondary report card distribution
Nov. 11 — Veterans Day
Nov. 24-28 — Fall break
Dec. 22-Jan. 2 — Winter break
Jan. 19 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Jan. 20 — Non-student day
Feb. 2 — Elementary report card distribution
Feb. 10 — Secondary report card distribution
March 9–13 — Spring break
March 16 — Student’s return to school
April 3 — Non-student day
April 13 — Elementary report card distribution
April 17 — Secondary report card distribution
May 25 — Memorial Day
June 5 — Elementary report card distribution
June 5 — Last day of school
June 12 — Secondary report card distribution

– Compiled by Ashley Schrader

Published August 6, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

In Print: Graduation is here for Class of 2014

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When you pick up your issue of The Laker or Lutz News this week, you’re going to find something we look forward to sharing with you each and every year.

GraduateMomHugHC1405_X_300_C_YOur graduation section honors the thousands of seniors who will walk across the stage and accept their diploma, all as part of the Class of 2014. And we don’t leave any school out in putting together our special pull-out section which we hope you will keep and enjoy for many years to come.

If you want to share the graduation section with family and friends through the Internet, we put together a handy guide that will take you directly to the e-edition related to your graduate. Just click which school you’re looking for below, and we’ll get you where you need to go.

The list for Land O’ Lakes High School is the correct list for the Class of 2014. The list appearing in our May 28 print edition was incorrect. We have updated our e-edition to the proper group of students, after an inadvertent error by the high school when submitting its graduation list.

The Laker will republish the list in its June 4 edition, but will also print a special four-page graduation section that will be available to graduates and their families at the May 30 commencement.

Academy at the Lakes
Bishop McLaughlin High School
Freedom High School
Land O’ Lakes Christian School
Land O’ Lakes High School
Pasco High School
Steinbrenner High School
Sunlake High School
Wesley Chapel High School
Wiregrass Ranch High School
Zephyrhills Christian Academy
Zephyrhills High School

Graduation isn’t the only thing we’re talking about this week. Get all the rest of the news for your community right here online. You can find the Wesley Chapel/New Tampa edition of the paper by clicking here. For Land O’ Lakes and Pasco Lutz, click here. For Hillsborough Lutz and Odessa, click here. And for our East Pasco edition, which includes Zephyrhills and Dade City, click here.

All of these stories and more can be found in this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, available in newsstands throughout east and central Pasco County as well as northern Hillsborough County. Find out what has your community talking this week by getting your local news straight from the only source you need.

If The Laker/Lutz News is not coming to your door, call us to see where you can get your copy at (813) 909-2800, or read our free e-edition by clicking here.