Carrollwood Day School

Carrollwood Day School soon to get home field advantage

January 13, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

A $1 million matching gift donation program has paved the way for the construction of a new athletic complex at Carrollwood Day School.

Located near the west entrance of the school’s Bearss Avenue campus, the new athletic complex will be a well-lit, multi-use space for the private school’s football, baseball and soccer teams.

This $2 million multipurpose sports complex at Carrollwood Day School will also include a baseball facility. After this season, the baseball program will no longer have to travel to Citrus Park to play their home games. (Photos courtesy of Carrollwood Day School) — This $2 million multipurpose sports complex at Carrollwood Day School will also include a baseball facility. After this season, the baseball program will no longer have to travel to Citrus Park to play their home games.
(Photos courtesy of Carrollwood Day School)

Billionaire entrepreneur Todd Wagner, and his wife, Keri Wagner, made the donation program possible by agreeing to put forward a $1 million pledge in August, contingent on the school also raising $1 million.

The school reached the $1 million mark by mid-December, through contributions from numerous other families with ties to the school.

“It kept coming in bunches,” said Head of School Ryan Kelly. “We had a number of families step forward from smaller amounts to larger amounts, from three figures to six figures.

“It just was a community effort, and I’m just thrilled that families stepped up and supported it.”

The multi-use athletic complex is expected to be completed in time for the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year, just in time for the high school football season. And, instead of playing on a grass surface, home football games will be played on turf.

Carrollwood’s soccer program has played their home games on a leased parcel of land. Next year, their games will be played in the new sports complex.

“There aren’t that many (turf fields) around here, so I think from that standpoint, we’ll be one of the few independent schools that have a turf field,” said Kelly, who has been at the school for eight years and has been head of school for three years.

The school’s athletic director, Baker Mabry, also is enthused about the turf field, which he referred to as the “shiny piece” of the new complex.

“We really pushed hard for turf,” said Mabry, who’s in his ninth year as the school’s athletic director. “Anybody that has to manage a field that has natural grass knows the headaches with that. I think everybody is pretty excited about the turf.”

Being able to have stadium lights at the complex is another feature that stands out for Mabry, who noted other private schools like Tampa Catholic have “had to wait years” before getting approval for lights.

“To be able to host night games, you know everybody loves the ‘Friday Night Lights’ with football, but just for athletics across the board…I think it’s really going to be a neat thing for our school,” Mabry added.

The complex, which will also include a press box and enough bleacher seating for 500-plus people, should make Mabry’s job easier, as he won’t have to worry about leasing off-site fields for the various athletic programs’ practices and home games.

Carrollwood Day School’s new athletic complex will feature a football field with a turf surface. Previously, the football program played their home games at Skyway Park.

“It should streamline everything,” he said. “Having everything on campus, for me personally, will really help streamline that process, but I also think it’s going to raise expectations for our program, which is a great thing also. It keeps our coaches motivated. It keeps our athletes motivated. Hopefully, we’ll just continue to build.”

Mabry believes the new complex will increase athletic participation and has other benefits, too.

“I think it increases school spirit, and I think it’s going to increase participation across the board with our sports,” he explained. “We’re also hoping it increases enrollment, as people see our facilities and people see that we are a school on the move, and a school that’s growing. It entices more families to attend CDS (Carrollwood Day School).”

Mabry said there’s been an added emphasis over the past years to get the school’s athletic facilities up to par with its highly regarded academic facilities.

“The No. 1 thing that we hear is the academic facilities are fantastic,” he said. “But people would ask, ‘When are the athletic facilities coming in line?’”

The athletic complex is the second phase of the school’s capital campaign program, known as Patriot Pride. The first phase of the program, a 25,000-square-foot gymnasium, is currently under construction. Once completed, it will house three volleyball courts, two full-size basketball courts and a weight room.

The facilities are a step forward for the school, Kelly said.

“For our campus, I think it’s going to be a huge enhancement for our athletics and also our PE (Physical Education) program. We’ll be able to match what we do on our athletic side with what we do on our academic side,” he said.

Carrollwood’s athletic director concurs with that assessment.

“I think it’s just one of the final pieces that makes Carrollwood Day School one of the top schools in the area,” Mabry said.

Published January 13, 2016

Fresh start for softball at Carrollwood Day School

December 30, 2015 By Michael Murillo

Frank Arcuri has nearly three decades of experience coaching softball. He was an assistant coach for Eckerd College last year, and spent many years in travel ball, where he won multiple championships. His daughters even played Division I college softball.

So what brings him to Carrollwood Day School, 1515 W. Bearss Ave., to head their softball program?

It’s the timing. Not for the coach; for the players.

“I feel like my niche is the 14-, 15-, 16-year-old athlete,” Arcuri explained. They’re right where you want them in the development stage, and it’s a real joy to take them to the next level of playing.”

Softball coach Frank Arcuri is the new head softball coach for the Carrollwood Day School Patriots. He is shown here wearing the shirt of his former team. (Courtesy of Frank Arcuri) — Softball coach Frank Arcuri is the new head softball coach for the Carrollwood Day School Patriots. He is shown here wearing the shirt of his former team.
(Courtesy of Frank Arcuri)

At the college level, coaches are doing more fine-tuning and strategizing with players, he said. But when they’re a few years younger, they can still learn new things to improve their game significantly, yet they’ve already established that they have the talent to compete.

Carrollwood Day School’s softball team has already demonstrated its abilities.

The Patriots have reached the regionals in state playoff competition in each of the past three seasons, including a trip to the state semifinals a couple of seasons ago.

Arcuri wants to build on that success, but there’s a lot of time between now and the start of the season. That’s why he wanted the team to participate in a Hillsborough County fall league, to give the players time to gain extra experience and additional time playing together.

It also enables Arcuri to have a chance to evaluate his team before the season starts, he said. By identifying its areas of strength, and what needs the most work, he can prepare efficiently, and get the most out of his team.

Arcuri believes he can get more out of the team by having the athletes play on other teams. He doesn’t want them to adopt a “softball all year” attitude, which is becoming more prominent in athletics today. Instead, he wants them to focus on school and encourages them to play other sports that might even help them with improved footwork when they return to the softball field.

“Track and basketball are very good. So is soccer,” Arcuri said.

That footwork will be important, because he wants speed to be a character trait of his team. He’s considering bringing a special trainer out to teach them different techniques, and to allow players to use their speed to cause problems for opposing defenses.

Arcuri also will focus on selling the program to the team and building trust, since he views himself as a players’ coach.

With so much experience teaching and coaching at different age levels, he has a good feel for how to handle athletes at different stages of development. And for female athletes in high school, the best method is to instruct without being too critical, he said. It’s better to use positive language to put them at ease, but keep them in a learning mindset.

“It’s pretty good, but let me show you where it might be even better to help you out,” Arcuri suggests as a method of teaching an athlete a new technique. “You have to keep a positive spin on everything.”

As he settles into his new job, Arcuri is already feeling positive about the talent he’s inheriting, the school’s commitment to a successful program, and the opportunity to teach young players and make a good athlete even better.

“There are some good players over there. I was impressed with the talent level at such a small school,” Arcuri said. “I can’t wait to get started.”

Published December 30, 2015

Carrollwood Day School speaker supports cancer research

November 18, 2015 By Michael Murillo

More than two decades ago, Charlotte Embody watched a televised speech by a basketball coach, who had been diagnosed with cancer and was accepting an award.

The March 3, 1993 speech was uplifting, but Embody didn’t expect it to have a personal impact on her family.

“Of course, it was emotional, but it didn’t become a big thing in my life,” Embody said.

Over time, that would change.

The coach making the speech was Jim Valvano, former head coach of North Carolina State and an analyst for ESPN.

George Bodenheimer, longtime president of ESPN and now its executive chairman, will speak and sign books on Nov. 18 at Carrollwood Day School. He donates all author royalties to the V Foundation. (Image Courtesy of V Foundation for Cancer Research) — George Bodenheimer, longtime president of ESPN and now its executive chairman, will speak and sign books on Nov. 18 at Carrollwood Day School. He donates all author royalties to the V Foundation.
(Image Courtesy of V Foundation for Cancer Research)

He was accepting the first Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award at the inaugural ESPY Awards, ESPN’s awards show.

And, the speech would become an iconic 10 minutes of inspirational television.

Valvano succumbed to cancer the following month, but his legacy continued far beyond his coaching accolades or the frequent replays of his famous speech.

Valvano founded the V Foundation for Cancer Research, which has donated more than $150 million in research grants over the years.

Now, Embody has organized a speaking and book-signing event on Nov. 18 at 7 p.m., at Carrollwood Day School, 1515 W. Bearss Ave. in Tampa. The public is welcome to attend, and there is no admission charge.

The school and the V Foundation will host former ESPN President George Bodenheimer, who will be talking about his book, “Every Town is a Sports Town: Business Leadership at ESPN, from the Mailroom to the Boardroom.”

Bodenheimer donates all of the royalties from his book to the cancer foundation.

Embody and her husband, Derek, also have donated to the V Foundation over the years, but the famous speech became a part of her family’s activities as well. Her sons attended Carrollwood Day School, and her oldest son, Billy, was given the speech to read in fifth grade.

“He performed it for competitions at the bay area Forensics League,” Embody explained. Eventually, he won first place with the speech, and his younger brother, Andy, took it on and performed it as well.

The entire family all knew the speech by that point, and after the boys lost a friend to cancer, it took on even more meaning.

Now, helping the foundation is a special cause for the Embodys. When the V Foundation let her know that Bodenheimer would be in town on that date, Embody wanted to set something up at the school her children once attended.

“We’ve known who he is for years, and I’ve just been in awe of everything he’s done,” Embody said, referring to Bodenheimer.

They met at a gala event last year, and Embody found him to be both inspiring and down-to-earth.

As president of ESPN for more than a dozen years, Bodenheimer led the company through a period of expansion, including launching high definition, Spanish language and college sports networks to grow the brand.

Often cited in most-influential lists of sports executives, he got his start as a mailroom clerk at the network, and left the position of president in 2012 to become the network’s executive chairman.

Embody is glad to have someone of his caliber speaking to the community, especially local children. Sometimes they need positive messages from someone other than their parents, she said. And finding the right person to deliver a thought-provoking message isn’t easy.

“In this day and age, it’s really hard to find someone with good character and ethics and integrity that you want your kids to look up to,” she said.

Bodenheimer is that good-character influence for both children and adults, Embody said. Her children are in their 20s, but the speech from Valvano and the V Foundation still resonates with her family.

She hopes for a good turnout for Bodenheimer at the Carrollwood Day School Theatre, and is glad to have him speak at the school her children attended, and where they were first given that inspirational speech to recite.

“It’s sort of where our story really took root with the V Foundation,” Embody said.

Copies of Bodenheimer’s book will be available for purchase at the event.

For more information, call the school at (813) 920-2288, or visit CarrollwoodDaySchool.org.

Published November 18, 2015

Carrollwood Day School may soon have home-field advantage

September 23, 2015 By Michael Murillo

Phase II of Carrollwood Day School’s Patriot Pride campaign includes a multipurpose sports complex on the private school’s campus at 1515 W. Bearss Ave., in Tampa.

It includes space for football, baseball and soccer games, and will allow the school’s athletic teams to finally play home games at home.

It will also cost a couple million dollars.

The school has raised about 25 percent of that cost.

And while $500,000 is a significant number, it still leaves a lot of ground to cover.

This rendering depicts a view of the proposed $2 million multipurpose sports complex at Carrollwood Day School. It will include space for football, baseball and soccer. (Image courtesy of Carrollwood Day School) — This rendering depicts a view of the proposed $2 million multipurpose sports complex at Carrollwood Day School. It will include space for football, baseball and soccer.
(Image courtesy of Carrollwood Day School)

Thanks to a $1 million matching pledge by Todd and Kari Wagner — who have children attending the school — the home fields are very close to becoming a reality.

“It’s a game-changer for Carrollwood Day School,” said Head of School Ryan Kelly. “It’s the largest donation that we have ever received. And it just is going to allow us to do something that I’ve dreamt of doing, and that is having our own sports complex.”

Kelly made the announcement about the donation at the football team’s home game on Aug. 28 against Admiral Farragut.

Like other sports at Carrollwood Day School, the home football games aren’t actually played at home. They play football at Skyway in Tampa, baseball at Citrus Park and soccer on a leased parcel of land.

That’s all going to change by next season, according to Kelly. That $500,000 now puts Carrollwood Day School halfway to accessing the $1 million match and funding the complex.

When it’s finished, the complex will include turf fields that will be used for outdoor sports, dugouts and batting cages for baseball, a press box, bleachers that will seat 600 to 1,000 fans and a concession area.

High school football, baseball and soccer are the primary beneficiaries, but the complex also will be used by the middle-schoolers, physical education activities and possibly lacrosse, at some point.

That accessibility will be a dramatic change from what the school deals with today, and Kelly is well aware of the challenges and hard work that goes into making it work.

“The athletic director, Baker Mabry, does an outstanding job. But it is a nightmare,” Kelly said, describing the scheduling and logistics of constantly going off-site for games and practices.

“We cannot wait until we don’t have to do that any longer,” Kelly added.

Head of School Ryan Kelly announced the $1 million matching donation at halftime of the school's Aug. 28 football game. (Courtesy of Carrollwood Day School) — Head of School Ryan Kelly announced the $1 million matching donation at halftime of the school’s Aug. 28 football game.
(Courtesy of Carrollwood Day School)

They won’t have to wait long. With current cash on hand and the pledge secured, Kelly expects to see the project started in December and to be completed as early as late spring of 2016.

If that timetable holds, next year’s home games will be at the new complex.

Todd Wagner, along with fellow entrepreneur Mark Cuban, founded Broadcast.com, a pioneer Internet radio company that was purchased by Yahoo! in 1999. He and Cuban also co-own the media group 2929 Entertainment.

Kelly said he laid out his vision for the school to the Wagners, and being down-to-earth people, they were receptive and eager to help. For him, the hard part was making the public announcement once the deal was done.

“To be honest, I was probably more nervous about that than meeting with the Wagners,” Kelly explained. “Just because I knew it was such a big announcement for the school, and I really wanted to make sure people were excited.”

When he took the field at halftime with a row of cheerleaders behind him, his words were met with plenty of excitement and loud applause from fans. And, in perhaps another good sign, Kelly’s Patriots won the game, 22-18. They’re currently 3-0 on the season.

The Phase II field project will get underway while Phase I is still under construction. The first project, a $3.5 gymnasium and facility, is currently on schedule and should be completed by early March of next year. It will include space for the athletic director, a weight room, three volleyball courts, two basketball courts and seating for 500 fans.

There’s also the business of raising the final $500,000 for Phase II, and Kelly is very confident about the school’s prospects in that area.

Kelly said the Wagners’ gift will encourage other families to be involved, and he expects to see increased interest in others being part of the project.

For now, entering his eighth year at Carrollwood Day School and third in the role of head of school, Kelly can finally look forward to a true home-field advantage for his teams next year.

“It’s outstanding. It’s even hard to put into words how exciting it is,” he said.

Published September 23, 2015

Big changes in store for Pasco schools

August 19, 2015 By B.C. Manion

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)

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