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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Sanders Memorial Elementary STEAM Magnet School

Swamp Fest enjoys nice weather, good crowds

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It wasn’t just fun and games at the 11th annual Swamp Fest in Land O’ Lakes.

There was music, food, rides and entertainment, too.

Jamie Farrell, of Port Richey, drove over to Land O’ Lakes to attend Swamp Fest and enjoy the festivities. Here, Jamie’s 2-year-old son, Mason, surfs down the slide atop of his dad, as his sister, Sarah Shipman, 12, follows close behind on the burlap mat. Mom, Christina Shipman, waited at the finish line. (Fred Bellet)

“It was incredible weather. We had good crowds,” said Doug Hutchinson, festival coordinator.

“Friday night and Saturday night were incredibly busy, and Sunday was very busy,” he said.

The crowds were so large, the main parking area was filled at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park, and overflow used the parking at Sanders Memorial Elementary STEAM Magnet School.

At times, people who wanted to park had to wait for others to leave the festival, Hutchinson said.

“That’s a great problem to have,” he added.

The event raises money for area schools, nonprofits and community organizations, and is hosted by the Land O’ Lakes High School Booster Club.

On the morning of Nov. 2, before Swamp Fest festivities began, there was a special event to honor Vietnam Veterans.

Sandy Graves organized the event, which Hutchinson said, was “incredibly well-attended.”

Land O’ Lakes High School senior and Art Club member, Heather Li, 17, painted her own face before painting the faces of children at the Swamp Fest.

After it was over, he said Graves told him: “You know what, we’ve got to do this again next year.”

“I said, ‘I’m all for it. It went great.’”

The booster club’s proceeds go for such things as new weights in the weight room, a new sign for the high school off U.S. 41 and other items that are not part of the regular school budget, Hutchinson said.

“The coaches always fill our ears with what we could spend it on, as you can imagine.”

Hutchinson was thrilled with the outcome for this year’s event.

“It wound up being one of the best Swamp Fests that we’ve had, so we’re pretty excited about it,” he said.

Published November 13, 2019

Three-year-old Willow Roundtree giggles as Land O’ Lakes High School Art Club member Cade DeMoree’s brush causes a tickle when she began painting the little girl’s face. Willow’s mom, Julianna Roundtree, steadies Willow’s head. Mom and daughter are visiting grandma, Natalie Gomillion, of Land O’ Lakes.
Seven-year-old Midori Galven, of Land O’ Lakes, tries hooking a fish as a blue water fountain stirs up the water. Midori hooked a shark and won a prize, as her grandfather, Jerry Gordie of Land O’ Lakes, looked on.
There were plenty of choices for food at this year’s Swamp Fest.

Local educator named a PBS ‘Digital Innovator All-Star’

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It’s no secret that educator Bobbi Starling knows her way around technology.

When she was a classroom teacher at Woodland Elementary School in Zephyrhills and at Centennial Middle School in Dade City, she was constantly introducing students to technical tools which could enhance their education and broaden their view of the world.

Bobbi Starling has recently been selected to the PBS Digital Innovator All-Star Program. It’s a new program, and only 30 educators nationwide were selected, including just Starling from Florida. (B.C. Manion)

Now, as the magnet schools program coordinator for the Pasco County school district, she has the potential to have a positive impact on a greater number of students — albeit indirectly, she said.

Starling’s classroom teaching work was recognized by PBS in 2015, when she was selected as one of 100 educators across the nation to be named a PBS Digital Innovator. She went on to become one of 30 nationwide to be named a lead Digital Innovator.

More recently, Starling was chosen to take part in a new program called the PBS Digital Innovator All-Star Program.

Thirty educators across the country were chosen for the program, including just Starling from Florida.

Gail Taylor, director of educational services for WEDU, nominated the Pasco County educator.

“She’s just perfect for this award. She’s just so innovative,” said Taylor, noting she wasn’t surprised Starling was selected.

“We thought she was a shoo-in. She’s amazing,” Taylor added.

“We’ve done a lot of work with her over the past few years.

“We did a great STEM fair when she was teaching at a middle school, before she became the magnet school coordinator.

“The kids were actually programming their own iPads to make robotic balls move around a paint tray, and they painted coasters and T-shirts, using those little robotic balls.

“They were playing games, using Gummy Worms as conductors and game pieces,” Taylor said.

As part of the All-Star program, Starling will have access to virtual and in-person events, including the PBS Digital Innovator All-Star Summit, and the International Society for Technology and Education Conference in Chicago, Illinois, in June.

She can’t wait.

This bus has been converted into a Mobile Aviation Lab, to provide more students a chance to get exposure to aviation and aeronautics lessons. (Courtesy of Bobbi Starling)

“At that summit, we’re going to be put on teams with people from other states, and we’re going to be developing some new curriculum — a three-part virtual learning series.

“There will be different focus areas for STEAM, social studies, language arts, digital arts, all sorts of different things. We’ll be developing some new content that will be offered.

“It will be housed on the PBS Learning Media.org website and that’s free for everybody in the state of Florida, including the premium resources,” Starling said.

The educator believes that technology is the great equalizer, when it comes to learning opportunities.

Technology helps children who come from impoverished families to have the same kind of experiences as those who come from affluent households, Starling said, noting that virtual reality and other technological tools can level the playing field.

Starling said she was delighted when she learned of her nomination, and “ecstatic and thrilled” when she found out she’d been selected.

“Reading the biographies of my peers that were also nominated, I was actually blown away by the people that are there,” Starling said. “I cannot wait to make some neat connections and share some interesting ideas, and I’m sure that I will be learning a lot, hearing a lot, and hopefully, I’ll be able to contribute, too.”

In her current district position, she works will all of Pasco schools, but more heavily with the Sanders Memorial Elementary STEAM Magnet School in Land O’ Lakes; the Centennial Middle School STEM Magnet School in Dade City; and, the Bayonet Point Middle STEM Magnet School in New Port Richey.

This student is getting a virtual reality experience on a school bus that the Pasco County school district has converted into a mobile aviation lab. (Courtesy of Bobbi Starling)

Starling also noted that the district has nine elementary schools that have aviation equipment. They are the elementary schools in the feeder patterns for Zephyrhills, Sunlake and Hudson high schools, which each have aviation and aeronautics academies.

But Terry Anchman, the director of career and technical education, came up with the idea of converting a school bus into a mobile Aviation STEM Lab, Starling said.

That way, fifth-graders from other district schools can get their hands on equipment such as flight simulators, 3D printing, virtual reality and drones, the educator said.

“I developed a curriculum for that. So, all of those students get a little bit of a taste for aviation and aeronautics,” Starling said.

She hopes that exposure will spark an interest in students, who can then consider attending one of the district’s magnet middle schools, which offers the curriculum.

She also hopes that parents will become more aware of the district’s educational options.

Taylor, herself a former classroom teacher, is confident that Starling will make a difference in the PBS program, just as she has as a classroom teacher.

“She’s just one of the best teachers I’ve ever been associated with,” Taylor said.

“She’s just what education ought to be,” Taylor added. “If all of our teachers could be Bobbi Starling, it would be a whole new world.”

Published April 11, 2018

Tampa Bay Lightning launches regional partnership

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A $6 million initiative to expand the game of hockey regionally in Tampa Bay is beginning to play out in local schools.

The Tampa Bay Lightning, the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players’ Association are collaborating on a five-year program that aims to develop hockey players and provide life skills lessons to area youth.

As part of that initiative, schools throughout the region are beginning to have street hockey clinics to teach children about the game.

Chester Taylor Elementary students learn about the game of hockey during a recent street hockey clinic led by personnel from Tampa Bay Lightning. (Photos courtesy of Pasco County Schools)
Chester Taylor Elementary students learn about the game of hockey during a recent street hockey clinic led by personnel from Tampa Bay Lightning.
(Photos courtesy of Pasco County Schools)

Pasco County plans to offer the program to all of the district’s fourth- and fifth-graders, said Amy Lipovetsky, program coordinator for kindergarten through 12th grade physical education.

The school district was approached by Tampa Bay Lightning and was glad to participate, she said.

“It fits nicely with our standards in the physical education program,” Lipovetsky said.

There is a standard that calls for being able to strike with an implement, which you can do with a hockey stick.

“I know the teachers are excited, and the kids like something different,” said Lipovetsky, who also oversees Pasco’s athletic programs.

The Lightning plans to provide the street hockey clinics at 500 schools throughout the region.

“This semester they had openings for maybe 10 of our schools. And, we’re going to open up next semester for any remaining spots that they have,” Lipovetsky said.

Additional schools will participate as openings become available, she said.

Makenna Rice, of Chester Taylor Elementary School, focuses as she handles her hockey stick during a street hockey clinic at her school. The Tampa Bay Lightning is trying to increase awareness about the game of hockey through a partnership with Tampa Bay area schools.
Makenna Rice, of Chester Taylor Elementary School, focuses as she handles her hockey stick during a street hockey clinic at her school. The Tampa Bay Lightning is trying to increase awareness about the game of hockey through a partnership with Tampa Bay area schools.

When the clinics are held at a school, the Lightning sends in about five staff members to teach the game to the school’s fourth- and fifth-graders.

They come in for a day, and they work with all of our fourth- and fifth-graders. Generally, that takes five to six sessions.

“We want it to be effective. We don’t want any more than 60 kids out at one time, so that they can get the most out of the event,” Lipovetsky said.

Some former Lightning players are involved, and the school district’s physical education teachers are involved, too, she said.

“The cool thing is that each of these kids gets to walk away with a hockey stick and a voucher (for a game).”

The program is going an additional step at Sanders Memorial Elementary STEAM Magnet School, the district’s only magnet school.

Sanders students will learn about the concepts of geometric constructions, energy and force — through a computer game on the sport of hockey.

Schools that have participated in the street hockey clinics so far include Chester Taylor and San Antonio elementary schools.

Besides Sanders, other area Pasco schools scheduled to have clinics this semester are Seven Oaks Elementary in Wesley Chapel and Denham Oaks in Lutz.

The street hockey clinics also take place in other Tampa Bay area schools, including schools in Hillsborough County.

Published November 18, 2015

 

Big changes in store for Pasco schools

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A lot of change is in store for Pasco County Schools during the 2015-2016 school year.

Students arriving at Sanders Memorial Elementary STEAM Magnet School will find not only a new campus, but a new way of learning, too.

Wiregrass Ranch High School is expecting nearly 2,500 students this year. To reduce crowding, the school will operate on a 10-period day, with some students arriving earlier and leaving earlier, and others arriving later and leaving later. All of the student body will be on campus during three periods a day. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Wiregrass Ranch High School is expecting nearly 2,500 students this year. To reduce crowding, the school will operate on a 10-period day, with some students arriving earlier and leaving earlier, and others arriving later and leaving later. All of the student body will be on campus during three periods a day.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

They’ll be attending classes in the Pasco school district’s first magnet school program, with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics.

Students arriving at Quail Hollow Elementary School, will find a school that’s undergone a massive makeover — replacing the formerly “open” space with traditional classrooms, with doors and windows.

The school’s makeover isn’t entirely complete, but district officials don’t expect the work that’s yet to be done to disrupt the opening of school.

At Pine View Middle, students and staff will be embarking on a quest to become the first school in the district to be designated as a Middle Years Programme by the International Baccalaureate Organization.

It typically takes a candidate school about three years to meet the requirements to receive the designation.

Across the United States, there are 45 private and 538 public MYP programmes, including 65 in Florida and four in the Tampa area, including Carrollwood Day School and Corbett Preparatory School of IDS.

Pasco County Schools are set to begin classes on Aug. 24. (File Photo)
Pasco County Schools are set to begin classes on Aug. 24. (File Photo)

At Wiregrass Ranch High School, the school district is using a 10-period day to cope with soaring enrollment.

The school was built for 1,675 students, and its projected enrollment in 2015-2016 is 2,438.

To alleviate crowding, the district is having students arrive and depart from campus in two shifts.

Sophomores through seniors will begin and end the school day at the same time they do now, 7:25 a.m. and 1:56 p.m., respectively. Freshmen will begin at 10:25 a.m., and end at 4:50 p.m.

All of the school’s students will be on campus for three periods each day, but that is manageable because roughly 500 kids are at lunch at any given time, according to Robyn White, the school’s principal.

Wiregrass Ranch has had four lunch periods each day, but is adding a fifth one because of the anticipated enrollment increase.

Besides changes in facilities and programming at some schools, students also will be greeting new administrators at several Pasco schools.

Jason Petry is leading Sanders Elementary in Land O’ Lakes, and Kara Smucker is the principal at Quail Hollow in Wesley Chapel.

Angie Stone, the new leader at Zephyrhills High, is returning to the place where she began her career in Pasco County Schools.

Students attending Pasco Middle School in Dade City will be greeted by Principal Jeff Wolff, and those arriving at San Antonio Elementary School will be welcomed by Principal Kim Anderson.

In another big change, district employees will be heading into a new school year with a settled contract.

The contract, which has not yet been ratified, calls for an average 3 percent raise for district employees.

While details are still being finalized, the district’s plan is for district employees to receive their raise in their paychecks beginning Sept. 4, which is the first pay date for teachers.

The contract also calls for no increases in the employee contribution in the single employee health plan. The district is one of the few districts in Florida that offers a fully paid single employee health option.

A new benefit in this year’s contract is a Voluntary Sick Leave Donation program, set to begin in October. This program allows district employees to donate their sick leave to other district employees who are experiencing a documented major medical emergency, illness, accident or injury (or whose spouse, minor child, or dependent child under legal guardianship has a document major medical emergency, illness, accident or injury).

Helpful info
Transportation issues?
Pasco County Schools has set up a special Transportation Call Center during the first week of school.

If you have a problem, call the numbers listed below, on Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

(813) 794-2500; (727) 774-2500; or (352) 524-2500

Want to buy breakfast or lunch?
The current meal prices are:

Reduced price breakfast: 30 cents

Reduced price lunch: 40 cents

Full price breakfast: $1.35 (elementary) and $1.50 (secondary)

Full price lunch: $2.25 (elementary) and $2.60 (secondary)

Want to register?
Students entering a Florida public school for the first time need:

  • Current immunization records
  • Proof of a physical examination, dated and signed by a licensed health professional within the last 12 months
  • Evidence of age, such as a birth certificate
  • Social Security Number, if available
  • Proof of Florida residency, such as a water bill, electric bill, gas bill, or an executed lease agreement
  • A copy of the student’s last report card, if applicable
  • Legal guardianship records, if applicable

Note: Students entering kindergarten for the first time must be 5 years old on or before Sept. 1 to attend kindergarten. Pre-Kindergarten and Head Start/Early Start programs are available to students who will not make the deadline.

Published August 19, 2015

Sanders Memorial Elementary: Past and Future

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Notifications went out last week to parents of students who have been accepted for the inaugural year of Sanders Memorial Elementary STEAM Magnet School.

Sanders’ roots in Land O’ Lakes date back to 1948.

Gertrude Godwin was known for being a strict disciplinarian, who was devoted to teaching. She’s shown here with her second-grade class at Sanders Memorial Elementary School in Land O’ Lakes. (Courtesy of Andrea Frank)
Gertrude Godwin was known for being a strict disciplinarian, who was devoted to teaching. She’s shown here with her second-grade class at Sanders Memorial Elementary School in Land O’ Lakes.
(Courtesy of Andrea Frank)

The school was closed for a few years, pending reconstruction, but the crash of the housing market stalled that redevelopment.

In August, the school now made up of a combination of new structures and redeveloped buildings will open as Pasco County’s first magnet program.

It will focus on science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics.

Sanders received 1,690 applications from across Pasco County. The school will serve kindergarten through fifth grade and can accommodate 762 students.

While students streaming into the school this fall will be greeted by the latest in technology and new approaches to learning, the school’s history also will be honored through a special display.

Some people don’t need a special display to remind them how the school used to be.

Andrea Macomber Frank is one of five grandchildren of Gertrude Godwin, who taught at Sanders for about five decades.

“Of course, her children, our mother, aunt and uncle went there also,” said Frank, who now lives in Daytona Beach.

Long-time residents of Land O’ Lakes likely recall her grandmother, who was known as a strict disciplinarian, said Frank, who was in the area during the holidays with her brothers, Bruce and Mike Macomber.

“She used to thump people,” Bruce Macomber said.

“She could pinch you,” Mike Macomber added.

Her approach to discipline wouldn’t fit in today, they said, but her devotion to teaching would.

Because she was their grandmother, they had the benefit of learning from her at home and at school.

“She taught me to read when I was 3 years old,” Bruce Macomber said.

Their grandmother had high expectations, especially of them, they said.

“You were always expected to be a little better than everybody else because if you weren’t, the principal didn’t come to you, they went to your grandmother.

“In the ninth-grade, we all went on strike one day because we wanted to have a school dance and they wouldn’t let us have a school dance. So we all sat out by this huge pine tree. There were only about 20-some kids in our class.

“And, all of a sudden I hear yelling out the window: ‘Bruce Macomber, you and those kids get up right now and get back in your class,’ ” he said.

She commanded respect.

“The kids would listen to her,” he said.

She taught generations of families, and when she died, the church was packed with people who came to pay their respects, they said.

They don’t know what she would make of the new approaches that will be used at Sanders when it opens, but they know she would support efforts to provide a quality education for children.

During a news conference, announcing that applications were being accepted for Sanders, Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning said that the district’s first magnet school makes it clear that the district recognizes the need to offer more educational choices.

“As a district, we know we need to compete for the students we serve,” Browning said, at the time.

Published February 11, 2015

Pasco’s first magnet school now accepting applications

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Applications are being accepted now through Jan. 15 for Sanders Memorial Elementary STEAM Magnet School.

At a news conference this morning, Pasco County Schools officials announced the kickoff of the application period for the district’s first magnet school, which will specialize in science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Sanders, located in Land O’ Lakes, is slated to open next August for the 2015-16 school year.

The magnet school represents an ongoing desire by the school district to expand educational options for its students, school superintendent Kurt Browning said.

Families throughout the county are welcome to apply to Sanders which, unlike traditional schools, has no geographic boundaries for its students. It’s being built on the grounds of the original Sanders school, and is expected to accommodate 762 students from kindergarten through fifth grade.

Because nearby Connerton and Oakstead elementary schools are overcrowded, the school district will give a higher priority to applicants currently attending those schools. Officials also will give a higher priority to children living within a mile of Sanders, and to siblings of children who have been accepted to Sanders, if space is available.

Those wishing to learn about Sanders, or who want to take a virtual tour, can visit PascoSchools.org, and click on the Sanders banner at the top of the screen.

Read more about Sanders Memorial Elementary STEAM Magnet School in the Dec. 10 print edition of The Laker/Lutz News.