The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Pasco Middle School

McGough, other local athletes get NFL shots

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The 2018 NFL Draft has come and gone, and one athlete from The Laker/Lutz News Coverage area had the privilege of hearing his name called during the three-day event from April 26 to April 28 — Gaither High School product Alex McGough.

McGough was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round (220th overall) as a quarterback out of Florida International University.

Florida International University/Gaither High quarterback Alex McGough was selected in the seventh round (220th overall) by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2018 NFL Draft. (File)

A four-year starter, the 6-foot-3, 214-pound McGough cemented his legacy as FIU’s most decorated passer, completing 807-1335 passes (60.4 percent completion rate) for 9,091 yards, 65 touchdowns and 37 interceptions. He also rushed for 535 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Last season, he guided FIU to an 8-5 record — the program’s third-ever winning season and first since 2011 — a mark achieved in Butch Davis’ first season as FIU head coach.

“I couldn’t be happier for Alex,” Davis said, in a released statement on McGough’s draft selection. “His passion, leadership and performance last year was incredible. He played a huge role in our team’s success, and he has absolutely earned this opportunity to play in the NFL.”

In a post-draft media conference call, McGough said he’s “beyond grateful” to get chosen by the Seahawks, adding he’s “ready to get to work.”

Said McGough, “I wanted to come into the draft just kind of open-minded, and obviously, whatever happened, happened…The only thing I could control was the work I put in. I’m very happy with what I put in, and Seattle saw that and they took me.”

Though he didn’t earn an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine in March, many NFL draft analysts viewed McGough as a late-round sleeper, spotlighting his physical tools, poise, and red zone accuracy, while also spotlighting his limitations.

An ESPN.com draft analysis characterized McGough as “a good athlete with a good frame, though his hands (9 1/8 inches) are on the smaller side. His 30:19 touchdown-to-interception ratio over the past two seasons isn’t ideal.”

Seattle brought McGough in for a private workout a few weeks prior to last month’s draft. During his visit McGough said he developed a connection with quarterbacks’ coach Dave Canales and came away overall impressed with the organization.

“It’s an organization full of great people, and they want to win bad,” McGough said.

McGough was one of 13 quarterback prospects taken in this year’s draft and the

first by the Seahawks since Russell Wilson was selected in the third round of the 2012 draft.

Besides Wilson, Seattle’s starting quarterback and a four-time Pro Bowler, the roster includes two other quarterbacks — seven-year veteran Austin Davis and second-year player Stephen Morris.

McGough likely will have to beat out one of those backups in training camp and preseason to solidity a roster spot.

“I’m a competitor that wants to win and I’ll do everything to win,” McGough said. “I just want to play football and succeed.”

Though he’s facing a relative uphill battle, McGough is no stranger to perseverance, nor proving doubters wrong.

He most recently underwent a full recovery from a broken left collarbone he suffered in the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl in December.

And, despite a noteworthy high school career — amassing more than 5,100 career passing yards and 52 touchdown passes in four varsity seasons — McGough was rather under-looked. He earned just two football scholarship offers (FIU and Colgate University, in upstate New York). He went on to achieve instant success at FIU, setting numerous school passing records and then becoming the program’s eighth player to be drafted in its 14-year football history.

Meanwhile, McGough joins rare company as just the fifth player from a Hillsborough County high school to be drafted as a quarterback in the last 50 years. The others are Robinson’s John Reaves (1972), Leto’s Gary Huff (’73), Chamberlain’s Dean May (’84) and Plant’s Aaron Murray (2014). (McGough transferred from Wesley Chapel High School to Gaither following his freshman year.)

Besides McGough, a handful of other athletes with ties to The Laker/Lutz News coverage area have been given shots with various NFL teams, signing as either priority undrafted free agents or invited tryout players.

Each will have an opportunity to stick with their respective teams at rookie mini-camps, which run from May 11 through May 14.

Here’s a closer look at the others:

Janarion Grant, receiver — Baltimore Ravens (mini-camp tryout invitation)
College: Rutgers University (Piscataway, New Jersey)
High School: Pasco High School; graduated in 2013

(File)

When healthy, the 5-foot-9, 177-pound receiver was one of the most electrifying offensive playmakers in college football, chiefly in the return game. But, Grant struggled to stay on the field of late, playing in a combined 11 games the last two seasons, dealing with an ankle injury and other nagging ailments. Despite limited action in 2016 and 2017, Grant

became Rutgers’ all-time kickoff return-yardage leader (2,857 yards) and tied for the NCAA record for combined kick return touchdowns (eight). That skill on special teams perhaps gives him a leg up on other tryout players the Ravens signed.

Before college, Grant left a lasting legacy at Pasco High School, where he was a four-year starter and still holds the county record for most career touchdowns (77) by a skill player. He was also a two-time All-State selection.

Also notable, Grant is the grandnephew of Lacoochee native Jim “Mudcat” Grant, a 14-year MLB veteran and two-time All-Star, who, in 1965 became the first black pitcher to win 20 games in a season in the American League and the first black pitcher to win a World Series game for the American League.

Trey Johnson, defensive back—Pittsburgh Steelers (priority undrafted free agent)
College: Villanova University (Villanova, Pennsylvania)
High School: Steinbrenner High School; graduated in 2013

(Courtesy of Villanova University Athletics)

A standout defensive back at a small school in the FCS ranks — 45 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, one interception and 13 pass break-ups in 2017 — Johnson further landed on NFL scouts’ radars after showcasing elite athleticism at Villanova’s Pro Day in late March. At the sanctioned workout, the 5-foot-11, 177-pound Johnson touched 36 inches in the vertical jump, reached 10-foot-8 in the broad jump and posted a sizzling 4.37-second 40-yard dash.

Johnson becomes the first Steinbrenner High graduate to sign an NFL contract. There, Johnson earned four varsity letters in football, as well as three in basketball and two in track. He was also inducted into the National Honor Society.

Jacob Pugh, linebacker — Seattle Seahawks (priority undrafted free agent)
College: Florida State University
Schools: Godby High School (Tallahassee); Jefferson County High School (Monticello, Florida); Pasco Middle School (Dade City native)

(Courtesy of Florida State University Athletics)

A decorated high school player and highly-touted blue chip prospect who won state championships at two different north Florida programs, the Dade City native never seemed to fully blossom at Florida State, where he posted a combined 108 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, seven sacks and two interceptions across four seasons.

Solid numbers, sure, but a bit anticlimactic considering Pugh was named an Under Armour High School All-American and widely viewed as one of the nation’s top five linebacker prospects in the 2014 recruiting class.

Blessed with length, agility and athleticism in a sturdy 6-foot-4, 246-pound frame, Pugh has moldable traits to stick on an NFL roster.

Pugh attended Pasco Middle School before his family moved to the Panhandle, where he began, and ended, his prep career.

His ties to east Pasco run deep. His uncles, Darren and Troy Hambrick, led Pasco High to the county’s only state championship (1992) before spending five years each in the NFL. He’s also related to Pasco High alums Janarion Grant (Rutgers) and Josh Johnson, a former NFL who now plays in the Canadian Football League. Pugh is also cousins with fellow Auburn wide receiver Nate Craig-Myers, a Dade City native who attended Tampa Catholic, where he was one of the most prized football recruits to come out of the Tampa Bay area in years.

Shaheed Salmon, linebacker—Tampa Bay Buccaneers (mini-camp tryout invitation)
College: Samford University (Homewood, Alabama)
High School: Land O’ Lakes High School; graduated in 2014

(File)

The 6-foot-2, 232-pound outside linebacker solidified himself as one of the most dominant tacklers in the FCS ranks the last two seasons, racking up a combined 202 tackles, 28.5 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks in 2016 and 2017. Though an undrafted player from a lower-level division of college football, a path to the NFL isn’t out of the question for Salmon, as more than 150 FCS players made NFL active rosters in 2017.

At Land O’ Lakes, Salmon was a four-year starter and an All-State selection as a senior. He also competed in basketball and track.

Published May 9, 2018

Education is key issue at town hall

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Education was a recurring theme during a recent town hall meeting that featured U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, State Rep. Danny Burgess, and State Sens. Wilton Simpson and Tom Lee.

About 100 residents gathered inside the Pasco Middle School Auditorium on Aug. 22 to voice their thoughts and concerns with their local representatives, via a question-and-answer-style town meeting that lasted more than two hours.

The state’s public education system was among the key topics.

U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, a Republican representing Florida’s 12th Congressional district, addresses constituents during an Aug. 22 town hall meeting at the Pasco Middle School Auditorium. Other featured speakers were State Rep. Danny Burgess, R-San Antonio; State Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby; and, State Sen. Tom Lee, R-Thonotosassa. (Kevin Weiss)

One speaker, Lisa Mazza, a third-grade teacher at Wesley Chapel Elementary, expressed concern over the recently passed HB 7069 and its charter-friendly measure that allows charter schools statewide to get a proportionate share of school district construction money, through a local property tax.

The 274-page bill, signed into law last month by Gov. Rick Scott, has been controversial, drawing criticisms from many of Florida’s traditional public school leaders and teachers for its various pro-charter measures.

Besides charter construction funding, another measure in the bill that has been divisive is the “Schools of Hope” program.

“Schools of Hope” sets up new rules and new funding to encourage charter schools to move into areas where the nearest traditional public schools have persistent low ratings.

The bill allows such “schools of hope” to open up either in the attendance zone of, or within 5 miles of, a local traditional public school that has earned either an F or D grade from the state for three straight years.

The “hope” schools would be run by charter school operators, certified by the state as having a record of serving students from low-income families, and raising student performances above the county and state averages.

The bill sets aside $140 million that could be used to support and subsidize “schools of hope.”

Burgess acknowledged he wished there was more time to review the bill, but ultimately expressed his holistic support for charters and school choice, suggesting it’s “in the best interest of all the kids.”

He pointed out Florida has more than 100 failing traditional schools, labeling the issue “a state of emergency.”

“This was our ‘Hail Mary’ to the children,” said Burgess, himself a “proud product” of the public education. “It’s a shame that we had to do something, which is why we put in the ‘schools of hope’ provision.”

Wilton Simpson, who also supported the education bill, celebrated the “hope” schools initiative, as a solution to help kindergarten through 12th grade from low socio-economic backgrounds.

“The only way you’re going to break generational poverty…is through the education system,” Simpson said. “…Clearly, the current system that we have has not, and we’ve had to something that’s a little more aggressive…”

Tom Lee added that expansion of school choice is “a healthy thing” that will inject competition into the public education system.

“I think it’s transformative, not so much for the students that left the (public education) system, but for what it’s done in the system to cause it to react, to compete,” said Lee.

“Parents are taking their kids out because they fear — rightfully or not —that their children are going to underperform and underachieve, and not be prepared for a very competitive world they’re entering into.”

Lee also said initiatives like eliminating burdensome testing and developing gifted programs in elementary schools should be implemented to “reinvigorate” and “recharge” public education.

Said Lee: “While we need to make sure we’re creating opportunities and competition to the system, we’re not abandoning the public education system, because it serves a vital purpose in this country for a vast majority of kids who have no other option.”

Gus Bilirakis, meanwhile, offered less overall support for charter schools, saying they “need to be held accountable” and scrutinized just as much as public schools.

An alternative to charter schools, he said, is creating more fundamental schools. Fundamental schools mirror charter schools in their focus on strict discipline, but are free and operate through the school district.

“I think the fundamental schools are terrific; I think we need to expand the fundamental schools,” Bilirakis said.

Besides the divisive charter school provisions, Burgess made mention to some of the education bill’s more popular provisions, including:

  • Mandatory recess for 20 minutes at most public elementary schools
  • Elimination of the state’s algebra 2 end-of-course standardized exam
  • Expansion of the “Best and Brightest” teacher bonus program from $49 million to $233 million
  • Requirement of college students, starting in the 2018-19 school year, to demonstrate “competency” in civic literacy, either by passing a course in the subject or a test

“There are ways you can look at that bill and say, ‘That makes a lot of sense,’” Burgess said.

Another speaker, Beverly Ledbetter, an instructor at Saint Leo University and longtime public school teacher, expressed concern over teacher shortages afflicting Florida and Pasco County.

She stated the county has over 100 teaching positions currently filled by substitutes, and many educators are frustrated with low salaries, increasing work demands and job insecurity.

Bilirakis said the problem simply comes down to compensation.

“We need to incentivize teachers to go into the field and to go into the Title I schools, financially,” Bilirakis said.

“We need to put teachers on a pedestal. There are some countries, in southern Europe, northern Europe, where teaching is considered the top profession. I think that’s so very important.”

He also suggested encouraging more veterans to become educators.

“Who better to teach our children than the veterans?” Bilirakis said.

Lee, however, said wholly fixing teacher shortage is “a very complicated problem.”

He explained: “We struggle in the legislature to try to figure out how to advance teacher pay in the environment we have to operate in, which is the union construct, where we can’t do performance pay outside the collective bargaining, sometimes. From my perspective, we’ve done too much to inhibit the kind of performance we want from our best teachers, at times.”

Elsewhere, the topic of additional public school funding was raised, with a reference to Hillsborough County Public Schools’ current struggles to repair faulty air conditioning units, district-wide.

Simpson presented one idea: spend less on building schools, and allocate more for capital outlay improvements.

He noted there’s a bill under consideration for next year that would modify or ease some of the strict building requirements, such as State Requirements for Educational Facilities (SREF) that cost school districts “millions upon millions of dollars.”

“Does it really take $25 million to build an elementary school and does it take $75 million to build a high school, or does it take some fraction of that? In the public school education system, we are putting our dollars and priorities in the wrong place,” he said.

Published August 30, 2017

Witches, ruby slippers and lots of heart

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Arts in Motion’s production of “The Wizard of Oz” at Pasco Middle School was all about transformations.

This is a photo of the ‘Ruby’ cast. Two casts performed the play, allowing seven of the actors to have both a major role and a minor part in two performances each.

Dorothy’s perspective on Kansas changed.

The Tin Woodsman got a heart.

The Cowardly Lion, courage.

The Scarecrow, a brain.

And, two wicked witches met their ends.

The characters in the theater troupe changed, too, as there were two major casts, which switched out for performances. Seven of the cast members had a chance to play major roles and minor roles in two performances each, through a bit of creative casting.

“Double-casting allows more kids to have bigger roles,” explained Jill Ricardo, vice president of production for Arts in Motion, via email.

“The Wizard of Oz” production involved 38 actors, ranging in age from 5 to 17, Ricardo said. The performances were given on the evening of May 19, the afternoon and evening of May 20, and the afternoon of May 21.

Most of the actors come from East Pasco, but some come from as far away as Riverview, Ricardo said. The performers began rehearsing in mid-February and held rehearsals for eight hours a week, Ricardo added.

The Wicked Witch of the East’s feet, after Dorothy’s house lands on the witch.

Arts in Motion is a nonprofit community youth theater and arts education organization. It aims to give children in kindergarten through 12th grade a chance to participate in the visual and performing arts, according to the organization’s website.

The goals are to help youths to build confidence, to help them learn how to collaborate and to stimulate their creativity, the website adds.

Since its formation in 1995, Arts in Motion has produced such musicals as “Back to the 80s,” “The Little Mermaid,” “A Christmas Carol,” Seussical the Musical,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Grease” and “The Sound of Music.”

Besides two large-scale productions each year, Arts in Motion also hosts workshops in audition technique, voice, acting, improv and dance, and holds week-long summer camps.

For more information, visit ArtsInMotionPasco.org.

Published May 31, 2017

New elementary option offers rigor

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Pasco County Schools has expanded its list of educational choices for elementary school children living east of U.S. 41 by adding the Cambridge Programme at San Antonio Elementary School.

The program is an advanced academics program, which means it has a more rigorous curriculum and is taught at a faster pace.

This brochure, available from Pasco County Schools, offers an overview of the Cambridge Programme, a new option at San Antonio Elementary School.
(B.C. Manion)

The district is adding this program, which will help prepare students who are entering the Cambridge Secondary 1 Programme, already offered at Pasco Middle School, and the Cambridge Secondary 2 and Cambridge Advanced programs, already offered at Pasco High School.

The University of Cambridge began the Cambridge Programme more than 150 years ago, with 370 candidates in seven English cities.

Since then, the program has expanded to include more than 8 million candidates in 160 countries.

The program seeks to develop learners who are reflective, confident, engaged, responsible and innovative, according to a PowerPoint presentation shown to interested parents at a meeting on Feb. 23 at Wesley Chapel Elementary School.

Applications for the programs at Pasco Middle and Pasco High are already closed for this year, but the elementary program is accepting applications, said Kimberly Anderson, principal of San Antonio Elementary School.

Anyone interested must complete the application by March 16. A timed writing test will be given at the elementary school on March 17. The times for the test will vary, based on the student’s age.

The program has made provisions to ensure that academically gifted students will work with academically gifted teachers. Gifted certified teachers will work with Cambridge teachers, and gifted teachers will meet monthly with students to monitor their progress toward their goals.

Pasco County Schools will provide transportation to children who will be transferring to San Antonio Elementary, through the use of satellite bus stops. Stop locations haven’t been determined yet.

Cambridge’s mission statement, in part, reads: “We prepare students for life, helping them develop an informed curiosity and a lasting passion for learning. Our programs and qualifications set the global standard for international education.”

A brochure distributed by Pasco County Schools says the Cambridge approach supports schools to develop learners who are:

  • Confident in working with information and ideas – their own and others
  • Responsible for themselves, responsible to and respectful of others
  • Innovative and equipped for new and future challenges
  • Engaged intellectually and socially, ready to make a difference

By adding the program at San Antonio Elementary, students on the east side of U.S. 41 will now have an opportunity to pursue the Cambridge Programme at elementary, middle and high school levels.

Cambridge advanced level courses are considered to be equivalent to the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate program classes, and Cambridge students can earn up to 45 hours of college credits.

Students receiving an AICE diploma through Cambridge and completing 100 hours of community service qualify for the maximum Florida Academic Scholar tuition scholarship.

Students who do not attend a Pasco County public school or charter school are asked to have the main office at their school send a grade history (transcript) and standardized assessment score history to:

Ms. Kimberly Anderson, principal of San Antonio Elementary School, 32416 Darby Road Dade City, Florida 33525.

The school will send out acceptance notifications in April.

If there are too many qualified candidates, a lottery system will be used.

Deadline for applying is March 16. Applications are available on San Antonio Elementary School’s website, SAES.pasco.k12.fl.us.
Applicants also must complete a timed writing sample on March 17 in the media center at San Antonio Elementary, 32416 Darby Road in Dade City.
The timed writing samples will be done for incoming first-graders at 9:30 a.m., and incoming second- through fifth-graders at 12:30 p.m. The writing sample is not something that requires study or preparation by students.
Extenuating circumstances will be taken into consideration, and alternate writing dates are available by contacting Principal Kimberly Anderson at (352) 524-5300.
While students are completing their writing sample, parents are invited to enjoy complimentary refreshments in the school’s cafeteria.

Published March 8, 2017

Guiding Pasco County Schools is a big job

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As Kurt Browning begins his second term as superintendent of Pasco County Schools, he knows he’s got his work cut out for him.

He found that out during his first term.

The superintendent of Pasco County Schools poses in the livestock barn at the Pasco County Fair. (Photos courtesy of Pasco County Schools)
The superintendent of Pasco County Schools poses in the livestock barn at the Pasco County Fair.
(Photos courtesy of Pasco County Schools)

“I tell people, I have not worked as hard in my adult life as I have this past four years,” said Browning, who directs the daily operations of Florida’s 11th-largest school district.

The 58-year-old quickly added: “Although I’ve never worked this hard, I’ve probably never done anything as fulfilling.”

Elected without opposition, Browning oversees an organization with 88 schools, 73,340 students and 9,954 employees.

When he came on board, he said he assumed he’d be able to accomplish change faster.

“I’ve always been able to effectuate change pretty quickly,” said Browning, who previously served as Florida’s Secretary of State and Pasco’s Supervisor of Elections.

In Pasco County Schools, though, he found that change has been incremental, rather than sweeping.

He likens it to turning a big ship.

And, he acknowledges, it hasn’t been entirely smooth sailing.

Kurt Browning, superintendent of Pasco County Schools, bends his 6-foot-2 frame to get down to eye level with these children at Fox Hollow Elementary School.
Kurt Browning, superintendent of Pasco County Schools, bends his 6-foot-2 frame to get down to eye level with these children at Fox Hollow Elementary School.

For one thing, Browning said he also had to learn to work alongside the elected Pasco County School Board.

“That was a tough adjustment for me,” Browning said, adding that he hasn’t always been perfect on that score.

“I think there has been a board member or two who has pulled me aside and said, ‘You really need to communicate better. You need to keep us more informed,’” the superintendent said.

It’s a lesson he’s taken to heart: “I still make decisions, but I’ve got to remember that I’ve got a school board out there, and they’ve got a role,” he said.

When issues arise now, Browning aims to keep school board members in the loop.

For instance, the school board met in executive session on Nov. 15, so the staff could brief them on the impasse declared on Nov. 11 by the United School Employees of Pasco.

A learning curve of his own
The superintendent also had to develop a deeper knowledge of education issues.

“The first year and a half, it was a challenge,” Browning said.

Browning takes a Selfie during a graduation ceremony for Fivay High School. He never tires of ceremonies that honor students who have completed the necessary requirements to graduate.
Browning takes a Selfie during a graduation ceremony for Fivay High School. He never tires of ceremonies that honor students who have completed the necessary requirements to graduate.

Now, he can discuss educational issues facing the district and potential impacts on students, but said he’s no expert on education.

So, he said, he surrounds himself with “highly qualified, competent people — passionate people” he can turn to for the information he needs to make decisions.

The district faces big challenges.

“July 8th was not a good day for me. That was the day that the school grades came out. School grades dropped,” Browning said.

The district’s rank also dropped, from 33rd in the state to 39th.

“We’ve got to see some improvement,” Browning said. “We cannot continue to teach kids the same way we did 25 years ago, because it’s just not working.”

At the same time, it’s important to remember that good things are happening around the district, Browning said.

“You can go into kindergarten classrooms and see kids doing things independently that are just mind blowing,” he said.

He’s also impressed by the number of graduates receiving scholarships every year, and the schools the students plan to attend and their planned areas of study.

Browning understands that people judge schools by their school grade, but he said, it doesn’t tell the whole story.

Kurt Browning tours Quail Hollow Elementary, which was converted from an ‘open’ school to one with traditional windows, walls and doors.
Kurt Browning tours Quail Hollow Elementary, which was converted from an ‘open’ school to one with traditional windows, walls and doors.

“It doesn’t show all of the caring teachers, the caring administration. It doesn’t show all of the activities and the support that those folks give to the kids in those schools,” he said.

Still, it’s problematic when the district is drawing new school boundaries, Browning said.

At public meetings on proposed boundaries, it’s common for parent to resist sending their child to a school that has a lower grade.

That issue is likely to surface more often, as the district grapples to accommodate Pasco County’s burgeoning growth.

Work is now underway to recommend school boundaries for Bexley Elementary and Cypress Creek Middle/High School, which are set to open next fall.

As new subdivisions pop up across the landscape, the district will need more schools.

“We can’t build schools fast enough,” Browning said, pointing to the residential growth along the State Road 54 corridor, from Meadow Pointe Boulevard to Little Road.

But, the district doesn’t have the money to build more schools, Browning said.

A potential solution would be to raise school impact fees, which the superintendent favors.

That issue is expected to heat up in the coming year.

The Pasco County Commission sets the fees, which apply to new residential construction.

Social media is double-edged sword
Aside from its facility needs, another challenge facing the district is the pervasive misuse of social media.

Social media can be a great tool for sharing information, but its use can quickly spin out of control, Browning said. “It’s like a fire. You just can’t put it out.”

The consequences for misusing social media can be serious, and parents need to be vigilant about how their kids are using technology, Browning said.

“I have done everything but knocked on the doors of houses and said, ‘Know what your kids are doing.’ The last thing you want to have happen is for your kid to go and post something on Twitter about shooting up a school, blowing up a school.

“It’s going to be on the record for the rest of their life,” Browning said.

In reflecting on his first term, Browning said one area where the district has made considerable progress involves the expansion of educational options.

Four years ago, the district essentially had the International Baccalaureate program at Land O ‘Lakes and Gulf high schools, he said.

Now, it has an elementary magnet school at Sanders Memorial Elementary.

Pine View Middle School is an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme Candidate School.

The district has the Cambridge Program at Pasco Middle School and Pasco High School, and it has converted Centennial Middle and Bayonet Middle to S.T.E.M. magnet schools.

It also has added an Aviation Academy at Sunlake, Hudson and Zephyrhills high schools.

The district also is eyeing the possibility of bringing Cambridge to Paul R. Smith Middle, and Anclote High School and San Antonio Elementary. And, it is considering an IB elementary program at Pine View Elementary.

Browning’s days are busy. At any given time, he may be visiting a district school, discussing a budget priority at a school board meeting, or joining the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office at a news conference. He’s also been known to pose for a photo in the livestock barn at the Pasco County Fair.

Perhaps his favorite thing, though, is sitting on the stage during district high school graduations.

It never gets old, Browning said.

He looks out on the sea of “hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of graduates” and thinks about their accomplishments.

“These are all kids who have met their requirements,” the superintendent said.

“I’m sitting there saying, ‘Wow, really, this is good stuff.’”

Published November 23, 2016

Country Jam benefits fine arts and other programs

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The second annual Dade City (DC) Country Jam promises to be bigger and better than last year’s.

The shindig, set for Oct. 8 from noon to midnight at the Pasco County Fairgrounds, will feature a bevy of musical performances, including the likes of Nashville-based country singer Dawn Beyer; Johnny Shelton, of America’s Got Talent fame; and country-duo Jesse & Noah Bellamy.

In all, there will be 14 bands in a quest aimed to help future musicians.

The Pasco Middle School band, which has about 110 members, needs new and refurbished instruments. (Photos courtesy of Kenny Mathis)
The Pasco Middle School band, which has about 110 members, needs new and refurbished instruments.
(Photos courtesy of Kenny Mathis)

The concert, organized by Pasco Middle School band director Kenny Mathis, seeks to raise funds for the school’s fine arts programs, plus other school organizations in need.

Last year’s musical bash was an instant success. About 1,000 people attended and $14,000 was raised.

“It has really taken off,” said Mathis, who’s been Pasco Middle’s band director since 2007. “We’ve got a great group of musicians coming down that are ready to help my kids.”

The goal for this year, Mathis said, is to raise at least $25,000.

The funds, he said, will go toward purchasing new band instruments and refurbishing older ones for both the middle school and Pasco High School.

“I’ve got instruments from the ‘50s and ‘60s that are still floating around in there,” the band director explained. “I’ve tried to go back and repair a lot of the instruments that needed repair, and I bought new mouthpieces. …We used some of the money last year…to try to get them up to par.”

With about 110 middle school band students, Mathis estimates he loans out upwards of 80 instruments.

Considering a new tuba may cost $5,000, and a new euphonium runs about $3,000, the costs add up rapidly.

Pasco Middle School band teacher Kenny Mathis started the DC Country Jam in 2015 to raise money for the school’s fine arts programs.
Pasco Middle School band teacher Kenny Mathis started the DC Country Jam in 2015 to raise money for the school’s fine arts programs.

“I’ve done many, many fundraisers— cheesecakes, magazines, candy — and you can’t get enough in one chunk in those types of sales to buy what you need,” explained Mathis.

“You can’t make enough from a cheesecake fundraiser to even buy a tuba,” he said.

Mathis noted the school district is sometimes able to provide enough funding for two or three instruments per school year.

But, that isn’t enough.

“If you’re only getting two or three instruments a year, but you’re gaining sometimes 10 to 15 students every year — you’re behind,” Mathis said.

The dearth of instruments, he said, has forced the middle school to share instruments with Pasco High School.

“We are constantly shifting instruments back and forth between the middle school and the high school,” said Mathis. “If (PHS band teacher Steve Herring) needs a tuba or a euphonium, he’ll come borrow from me. And, if I need a saxophone or a clarinet, I’ll borrow from him.”

Mathis said the concert will not only benefit the middle and high school bands, but several other school programs, too.

For instance, various Pasco High sports teams — girls soccer team, girls weightlifting, and Pasco Middle student organizations—FFA (Future Farmers of America), angler club—receive 50 percent of the revenue off every ticket they sell.

“We don’t charge them for booths, and they can sell their items and try to make money for their organizations,” said Mathis. “We didn’t want to feel narrow-minded just raising money for one organization.”

He added: “We have a lot of clubs and organizations that need money.”

Next year, Mathis hopes to turn the concert into a “full-fledged outdoor festival” that draws somewhere between 3,000 to 5,000 attendees.

“This thing’s definitely here to stay,” Mathis said. “Our goal next year is to have one major headliner, and then keep all the bands before it local.”

Tickets are $10. For more information, email Mathis at .

Published September 28, 2016

From ‘Wallflower,’ the perks of repetitive learning

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On the topic of what is suitable reading for students of impressionable ages, the recent action attempted by a handful of parents at Pasco Middle School is instructive mostly because it is terribly familiar.

Every couple of years, it seems, certain grownups will flex their preferences in an attempt to assert preemptory authority over what youngsters are either assigned or even allowed to read.

Tom Jackson rgbIn 2014, it was a John Long Middle School parent who created a stir when John Green’s popular and well-reviewed “Paper Towns” landed on the mandatory summer reading list.

Now, the book in contention is Stephen Chbosky’s 1999 novel, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” which falls into the same genre: a coming-of-age tale. This one is told from the perspective of a bright, sensitive 15-year-old who, despite his willingness to simply observe from the sidelines, is summoned to experience virtually every cynical, malevolent or simply awkward social situation known to modern America.

Somehow, “Wallflower” became assigned reading for Pasco Middle School seventh-graders taking advanced language arts. That’s “somehow,” because the book got into students’ hands almost totally unvetted.

Pasco Middle’s copies came courtesy of a spend-it-or-lose-it philosophy rampant in taxpayer-supported enterprises. The school had dollars lingering in its materials fund at the end of the last fiscal year and, rather than return them to the cash-strapped district, they were hastily spent on the recommendation of an assistant principal and teacher who’d seen the 2012 movie and had read the publisher’s tout sheet, but not the book itself.

With a box of books that benefited from Hollywood branding just lying around, it was inevitable “Wallflower” would become part of somebody’s curriculum, which it did a few weeks ago.

Luckily, the teacher assigning the book is a long-term member of the faculty who has a reputation for thoroughly reviewing materials assigned students. Oh, wait. The complete opposite of that. The deed was perpetrated by a long-term substitute who also had not read “Wallflower.”

I am confident Pasco’s public school staffers are fans of handing out homework. Is it possible they do none of their own? How do you buy for a middle school population, let alone assign to a passel of 13-year-olds, a book no one has read?

No, forget reading. That could devour an entire weekend. How do you buy or assign a book no one has so much as subjected to an internet search? Within an otherwise glowing description, Wikipedia notes “Wallflower” was banned by some school districts. Some? Further investigation reveals “Wallflower” is a perennial target of angry parents and appalled school board members across the nation.

This does not mean the critics of “Wallflower” are correct, necessarily, or even that Chbosky’s work doesn’t have an appropriate age-group audience. Still, when a cursory search triggers caution flags, it’s a sure sign other education professionals should proceed warily.

Alas, wariness did not prevail at Pasco Middle, which had money to burn and at least one class with late-year time to kill. Small wonder parents staggered by the book’s frank descriptions of suicide, masturbation, drug use and homosexuality were not salved by the methods employed by an administration and faculty they want and need to trust.

Listen, it’s easy enough to rebuke red-faced parents and committees that issue tut-tutting opinions over questionable material as collections of rubes and yahoos. Try to make an argument on behalf of pulling books out of the hands of students or off library shelves without conjuring images of ignorant villagers mobbed up with pitchforks and torches, ready to deliver swift and permanent retribution to some poor, misunderstood innocent. It’s almost impossible.

But what I wrote in June 2014, the last time something like this came up, applies now: Generally speaking, banning books is a bad idea. On the other hand, virtually every rule has an exception, and so it is with this.

When it comes to what goes into a youngster’s mind, parents are the ultimate source authority. You might not approve of what mom and dad choose to withhold or endorse, but you know what? Tough.

If parents oppose exposing the teens under their care to the rough-and-tumble of life you know is out there and, in your wisdom, you think those shielded kids are being ill-served, well, good for you. Also, it’s none of your business.

Meanwhile, it’s on each school at every level, from the classroom teacher to the principal to the superintendent, to be mindful about the individual pace of exposure to the world their parents are willing to endure.

Pasco Middle School failed that fundamental assignment at every turn. Its sadder-but-wiser lesson applies across the region.

Tom Jackson, a resident of New Tampa, is interested in your ideas. To reach him, email .

Published June 1, 2016

Eighth-grader receives presidential honor

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An eighth grade student at Torchbearers’ Christian Academy in Dade City has received a presidential honor for her volunteer work at a local hospital.

Fifteen-year-old Savannah Jones was awarded a President’s Volunteer Service Award for 2015 after she spent the summer doing all sorts of tasks at Bayfront Health Dade City.

The President’s Volunteer Service Award recognizes citizens who have achieved the required number of service hours for a particular age group during a year.

Savannah Jones, an eighth-grader at Torchbearers’ Christian Academy in Dade City, received a President’s Volunteer Service Award for her contributions to Bayfront Health Dade City. (Kevin Weiss/Staff Photo)
Savannah Jones, an eighth-grader at Torchbearers’ Christian Academy in Dade City, received a President’s Volunteer Service Award for her contributions to Bayfront Health Dade City.
(Kevin Weiss/Staff Photo)

For youths between the ages of 11 and 15, those volunteering for 100 hours or more reach the “Gold Level” status, and receive presidential recognition, a personalized certificate and a congratulatory letter from the president of the United States.

Jones greatly surpassed the 100-hour qualifying figure by putting in nearly 175 volunteer hours between June 2015 and August 2015.

The middle school student typically volunteered eight hours a day, for three or four days a week, during the summer.

Jones said she was “excited” and “shocked” when she found out she was receiving the prestigious honor.

“I want to be a nurse or doctor when I grow up,” Jones said, so she thought volunteering at Bayfront Health would be a good experience.

According to Amy Fort, volunteer coordinator for Bayfront Health, Jones was willing to help in any area needed throughout the hospital and had a “can-do” attitude.

Jones’ duties included filing for the hospital’s accounting department, replenishing emergency supplies and greeting visitors at the facility’s front desk.

“I was like a floater,” Jones said.

“I really liked volunteering in the ER (Emergency Room), and before a patient comes in, I’d have to clean the beds and clean the rooms, and make sure that it was prepped for them,” she said.

Fort said that Jones “took great pride and initiative with her volunteer duties at the hospital. She was great at communicating and a bright spot in many of our patients’ days.”

Fort also noted that volunteers, such as Jones, serve as the “backbone” for the hospital.

“They are the first people to greet visitors, and they are our cheerleaders in the community,” the volunteer coordinator said. “Volunteers have played a critical role in our hospital for years, compassionately supplementing the services that (the) staff provides to patients, families and guests.”

Jones believes that more youth her age should volunteer in their spare time, especially at local hospitals, pointing out that many people need help.

In addition to her volunteer service, Jones is viewed as a model student by staff at Torchbearers’ Christian Academy, a school that has an enrollment of about 70 students, in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Principal Jan Yarbrough said, “everything stands out about her,” and added that the eighth-grader is “agreeable” and “works hard.”

When Yarbrough heard that Jones spent the summer volunteering at Bayfront Hospital, she said she wasn’t surprised.

Jones, according to the principal, ““seeks to please.”

“She has excelled and moved up tremendously, and is very much in charge of her life,” Yarbrough said.

Carolyn Babbitt, who is one of Jones’ teachers, describes the young woman as someone who is honest and wants to do well.

“Children grade their own work and the teachers re-grade it. She’s been very honest with that. If she’s not sure it’s right, she asks for some interpretation,” Babbitt explained.

Jones began attending the Christian school in 2014, after she and her parents realized that Pasco Middle School wasn’t an ideal fit.

“She has come a long way,” Babbitt said. “She’s gained all kinds of confidence,” she added.

She believes that Jones is thriving in the small-school setting, surrounded by people who accept her.

“It’s really helped her,” Babbitt said.

Jones admits she didn’t really start to enjoy school until she transferred to the academy.

“I started liking school, and I just wanted to come all the time,” she said. “I’m having good grades now, and I think it’s helped me more.”

Jones plans to continue volunteering for the hospital over the summer, and also plans to be a Habitat for Humanity volunteer.

Published March 23, 2016

Rebecca’s at City Market offers new fare

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The phone call came unexpectedly in October.

In passing, Curtis Beebe had told the owners of City Market Bistro that if they ever wanted to sell, he and his wife Rebecca might be interested.

Within days of the call, Rebecca’s at City Market was signed, sealed and delivered.

Rebecca and Curtis Beebe recently opened their third restaurant, and their first in downtown Dade City – Rebecca’s at City Market. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)
Rebecca and Curtis Beebe recently opened their third restaurant, and their first in downtown Dade City – Rebecca’s at City Market.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)

By November, the Beebe’s were off and running with their third restaurant in four years. And, they were betting on a bright future for downtown Dade City, which is experiencing a renaissance of restaurants and shops.

“It’s exciting, and I’m investing in it, obviously,” Curtis Beebe said.

Taking chances is nothing new for this couple.

They opened their first restaurant – The Pearl in the Grove – on rural St. Joe Road in Saint Joseph, amid kumquats, horses, cows and hayfields.

The restaurant recently earned a Golden Spoon from Florida Trend magazine, which praised the originality of its farm-to-table cuisine.

LOCAL Public House and Provisions is a gastro-pub in San Antonio with New Orleans flavored comfort food and craft beers.

Rebecca’s at City Market, at 14148 Eighth St., in Dade City, is starting with the former City Market Bistro’s menu of soups, salads, sandwiches and pizzas, and slowly introducing new dishes.

Each of the couple’s ventures shares the same philosophy. And, as Curtis Beebe put it: “Local is better.”

What goes on the plate comes as much a possible from freshly grown and produced locally, including pasture-fed beef.

Fish is from a local vendor, bread from an Ybor City bakery, and vegetables from local growers.

“It is all custom made,” he said.

If Curtis Beebe stands out as the prime chef in the family-owned restaurants, Rebecca Beebe is just as hands-on behind the scenes.

“Rebecca has the ability to taste food and know exactly what it needs,” her husband said. And, she’s been known to toss out recipes that don’t meet her standards.

The restaurant that bears her name is no different.

She spends her days teaching at Pasco Middle School and her nights overseeing the details of running three restaurants.

That includes menu selections, the menu design, and pitching in to help with food preparations.

In the next semester, she plans to take a sabbatical from teaching to focus more on the newest restaurant acquisition.

Downtown Dade City is an opportunity to broaden the customer base.

Pearl in the Grove is an off-the-beaten path kind of restaurant.

In downtown Dade City, though, “We get way more walk-in traffic. We have the ability to serve a broader range of food. There is something for everyone,” Curtis Beebe said.

The restaurant attracts a family crowd.

“It’s classic and comfortable,” said Rebecca Beebe.

The Beebes both grew up in foodie families.

“My mother cooked everything from scratch,” said Rebecca Beebe. “We both cooked with our mothers.”

And, wherever they lived, the Beebes picked up new flavors and recipes from Tex-Mex to Native American.

Curtis Beebe had a long-time career in the corporate world of information technology, but the economy’s downturn in 2007 left him jobless. And then, set him on a different path.

He began catering dinners, parties and special events, and getting positive feedback on his menus.

Members of the Dade City Woman’s Club were among his first taste testers.

“That’s how we validated all this and thought we could make a living,” he said.

He doesn’t miss his past working life.

“This is much more fulfilling,” he said.

It has been a right-time, right-place experience in eastern Pasco County. New families, including millennials, are moving to the area, he said.

“They are all looking for authentic experiences,” Curtis Beebe said. “You can get it in towns like San Antonio, St. Joe and Dade City. There is a lot of cool stuff happening, which makes more opportunities,” he said.

Could there be a fourth restaurant in their future?

“We’re not looking, but we weren’t looking when we found this (Rebecca’s),” he said.

If there is another restaurant, Rebecca Beebe said, “We’ll have to call it Serendipity.”

Published January 20, 2016

Pasco expands magnet options

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Pasco County Schools is expanding its magnet school options beginning next school year, and is holding a series of community meetings to explain the additional options.

Sanders Memorial Elementary School is Pasco County’s first magnet school. It offers a curriculum that focuses on science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics. The district is converting Centennial Middle School in Dade City into a science, technology, engineering and mathematics magnet school. (File Photo)
Sanders Memorial Elementary School is Pasco County’s first magnet school. It offers a curriculum that focuses on science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics.
The district is converting Centennial Middle School in Dade City into a science, technology, engineering and mathematics magnet school.
(File Photo)

The district is converting Centennial Middle School, in Dade City, into a STEM Magnet School. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

A series of community meetings, with each beginning at 6 p.m., will give parents a chance to learn more about the new middle school magnet program.

  • Jan. 11 in the cafeteria at Raymond B. Stewart Middle School, 38505 10th Ave., in Zephyrhills
  • Jan. 12 in the auditorium at Pasco Middle School at 13925 14th St., in Dade City
  • Jan. 13 in the cafeteria at Thomas E. Weightman Middle School, at 30649 Wells Road in Wesley Chapel
  • Jan. 19 in the cafeteria at Dr. John Long Middle School cafeteria, 2025 Mansfield Blvd., Wesley Chapel
  • Jan. 20 in the cafeteria at Centennial Middle School, at 38505 Centennial Road in Dade City
  • Jan. 21 in the cafeteria at Chester W. Taylor Elementary School, at 3638 Morris Bridge Road in Zephyrhills

Parents of sixth- and seventh-graders at the host schools, as well as parents of current fifth-graders that feed into those schools, are encouraged to attend.

Elementary schools feeding into Centennial Middle School are Centennial, Cox, Double Branch, Lacoochee, New River, Pasco, Quail Hollow, San Antonio, Seven Oaks, Veterans, Watergrass, Wesley Chapel, West Zephyrhills and Woodland.

At each meeting, Superintendent Kurt Browning, the magnet school principal and district staff will discuss the STEM magnet theme and programs that will be offered.

Parents also will hear about magnet school application timelines and options for transportation.

Fifth- through seventh-grade students may apply for acceptance to the magnet school during the magnet school application period, Jan. 18 through Jan. 31, 2016. Students and parents not listed are welcome to attend the meetings, but will need to apply for acceptance through the regular school choice period, which begins Feb. 1.

In addition to the new middle school magnet, the district also has an elementary STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics) program at Sanders Memorial Elementary in Land O’ Lakes.

Parents of prospective students to Sanders are invited to tour the school, at 5126 School Road in Land O’ Lakes, on Jan. 8 at 10 a.m., and 1:30 p.m.

Parents will have a chance to learn more about the school’s programs, facilities and unique features.

Sanders has unmanned aerial systems, solar panels, and other high tech devices, as well as computers and iPads for each student.

Published December 30, 2015