Pasco County To Take Bids To Build Indoor Sports Facility At WC District Park

The new and massive Wiregrass Sports Complex behind Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, which boasts more than 100,000-sq.-ft. of playing area and a new Marriott-branded Residence Inn hotel, has grabbed all the headlines the past few years.

Meanwhile, Pasco County is getting ready to seek bids to build a smaller indoor facility at the Wesley Chapel District Park (WCDP), which is located at 7727 Boyette Rd. near Overpass Rd.

According to Pasco County District 2 commissioner Mike Moore, bids will be sought to design and construct a facility to host indoor basketball and volleyball and other gym events, as well as additional activity rooms for the public to host meetings or even card games and crafts.

The approximately 13,000-sq.-ft. indoor recreation facility will be similar to the Land O’Lakes recreation center on Collier Pkwy., which is built on 79 acres of land and offers not only indoor sports, but outside offerings like tennis, soccer and even swimming.

The county has allocated $2.5-million towards the Wesley Chapel project, although Moore said he is unsure it will even cost that match. The money, he says, comes from developer impact fees, and “will not be a tax burden on everyday citizens.”

The funding was approved in Pasco County’s Fiscal Year 2017-18 budget.

The WCDP is much larger than the Land O’Lakes complex, with 143 acres and several lighted athletic fields for soccer, football and baseball. WCDP also has lacrosse fields, which have hosted the national DICK’s Lacrosse Championships for years, as well as three tennis courts, four basketball courts and grass fields for a variety of sports.

The Wesley Chapel Athletic Association (WCAA) runs leagues for most sports at the WCDP, including basketball, which plays on the outdoor courts.

But, Florida’s funky summer weather can wreak havoc on youth sports schedules.

“Having the ability to play basketball or any sport inside will be a big deal, especially during the summer when it gets so hot,” Comm. Moore says.

An indoor facility will allow the WCAA to add other sports, like volleyball, which is difficult to play outdoors, and other sports that require indoor accommodations, like gymnastics.

Moore also says the indoor facility will give local residents a place to gather, for weekly meetings, exercise classes or even parties. He says he has heard from a number of residents who think there is a need for such a facility.

Moore said there has been talk of a Wesley Chapel recreation center for years, but it “just kind of went away.”

He said he decided to pick it back up because he continues to hear requests for it.

A new Pasco County recreation center at the park may end up being more useful to local sports enthusiasts than the Wiregrass Sports Complex being built by RADD Sports.

The Wiregrass complex is expected to be booked for basketball, volleyball, pickleball and gymnastics tournaments most weekends, although there will be Monday-Thursday access for locals, according to RADD Sports, which is developing that facility.

School Notes: A Homecoming For The New Wesley Chapel High Principal

New Wesley Chapel principal Matt McDermott.

Matt McDermott is the new principal at Wesley Chapel High (WCH), replacing Dee Dee Johnson.

Johnson was selected to take over as principal at Pasco Middle School, where former principal Jeff Wolff was removed in September amid concerns about low teacher morale at the middle school in Dade City.

“I’m super excited,” McDermott says. “I’ve lived in the community since about 2000, and I was briefly an assistant principal there from 2009-2010, before I opened Fivay High (in Hudson).”

Some of the young Wildcats approve.

“The kids who live in my neighborhood have been by to say congratulations and tell me they’re excited to have me as their principal,” McDermott says.

McDermott has worked for Pasco County Schools since 1996 and has been a teacher, coach, athletic director and school administrator. He started as an AP environmental science and biology honors teacher and football and wrestling coach, and became the athletic director at Sunlake High in 2007 before a brief stay as assistant principal at WCH in 2009. He helped open Fivay in 2010, and returned to Zephyrhills as an assistant principal in 2015.

This is McDermott’s first appointment as a principal.

“You always think you’re ready to be a principal,” McDermott says. “I have good mentors and people I can reach out to if I need something. I’ve been in the principal pool for a while and prefer the southeast part of the county because that’s where I live. This is one of my dream jobs and I’m excited to be given the opportunity.”

Judy Choinski is a parent of two students at WCH, and a member of its School Advisory Committee (SAC). She says she’s happy for Johnson, the school’s now-former principal. “It’s a huge compliment to her that she was chosen to bring [Pasco Middle] back up to where it needs to be,” Choinski says. “She’s going to turn that school around.”

Choinski acknowledges that there’s disappointment in losing Johnson, and in having yet another new principal. But, she says there is just as much excitement about McDermott.

“His reputation is really good,” she says. “Some parents and teachers I talked to said they were hoping he would be selected, that he would be the perfect fit for Chapel.”

At our press time, McDermott had been recommended as principal by Pasco School Superintendent Kurt Browning and was expected to be approved by the School Board on October 16, with a start date of October 17.

“It’s a win-win for everybody,” Choinski adds. “Hopefully, everything will stay solid for a while.”

Good As Gold
At a Pasco County School Board meeting on Oct. 2, Browning and members of the Board were presented with the Florida Healthy School District Gold Flag by Florida Action for Healthy Kids.

The county received the Gold Flag “for establishing a culture and climate in which students and staff can reach their personal potential and for continuing to serve as a leader in the state in reducing and eliminating the barriers to learning, resulting in increased academic achievement.”

Pasco County Schools earned the Silver award in 2016, but this year is its first-ever gold. The district will hold the Gold award designation through 2020.

To earn the Gold designation, the district demonstrated high scores in areas like creating a healthy school environment, contributing to employee wellness and excellence in counseling, psychological and social services and health education.

The Florida Partnership for Healthy Schools is a grassroots partnership that advocates for school health issues and recognizes excellence among Florida school districts.

PTAs Honored Nationally
Double Branch Elementary and John Long Middle School have both earned recognition as a National PTA (Parent Teacher Association) “School of Excellence,” with a designation that lasts from 2018-20.
The National PTA School of Excellence recognition program “supports and celebrates partnerships between PTAs and schools to enrich the educational experience and overall well-being for all students,” according to the National PTA website.

Schools apply to be recognized, then complete a series of steps designed to improve relationships between schools and families, which are individual to each school. If they meet their goal, they earn the designation.

In addition, the county-wide Pasco County Council of PTAs (PCCPTA) was recognized for having the highest increase of membership in Florida for the 2017-18 school year. PCCPTA representatives Mahalia Surin, Denise Nicholas and Andria Roscart presented the trophy they received to Pasco School Board chair Cynthia Armstrong and Superintendent of Schools Kurt Browning (photo above).

Teachers Wanted
Want to work as a teacher in Wesley Chapel? Pasco County Schools will host a fall instructional job fair on Wednesday, November 14, 4 p.m.-6 p.m., at Sunlake High in Land O’Lakes.

The district is looking for teachers in math, science, emotional and behavioral disorders/autism spectrum disorders (EBD/ASD), exceptional student education (ESE) and elementary education. They also have openings for guest teachers, behavioral analysts and school nurses.

All education interns, teachers, student services employees, and those who have a Bachelor’s degree and are interested in becoming certified educators are invited to attend. Applicants can meet with administrators and hiring managers for on-the-spot interviews and job offers.

Anyone interested in attending should register at https://pascofalljobfair2018.eventbrite.com, visit http://www.pasco.k12.fl.us/hreq/ or contact work@pasco.k12.fl.us.

Former Wiregrass Ranch Hoopster Stephanie Brower Surprised To Earn U-F Scholarship

Former Wiregrass Ranch High girls basketball standout Stephanie Brower, a 2017 walk-on at the University of Florida, reacts with her teammates to being told by the Gators women’s basketball coach Cam Newbauer that she had earned a scholarship for this season. (Photo: Screengrab, UF video)

Former Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) girls basketball player Stephanie Brower was never one of the most recruited players in Pasco County. But, she was always one of the hardest working and, after one season as a walk-on at the University of Florida, it is probably no surprise that, well, she no longer is a walk-on.

On Oct. 8, Brower received the surprise of a lifetime when, surrounded by her teammates, she was told by Gators head coach Cam Newbauer that she had officially earned a scholarship.

Brower could only cover her mouth in shock as her face slowly turned red with tears. Her teammates mobbed her in celebration.

The Gators team had gathered at the Delta Zeta house, which is Brower’s sorority, under the guise of promoting the team and drumming up attendance by inviting the sorority sisters to come to games this season.

After Newbauer made his pitch to support his team, Brower took the floor to loud cheers. Newbauer then interrupted.

“Come on now, how loud do you cheer for a Delta Zeta?,” he asked a gathering of about 50 sisters, which then erupted into even louder cheering.

After they stopped, Newbauer continued: “How loud would you cheer for a Delta Zeta…that earned a scholarship?”

Brower covered her heart with her hands — “Oh my God, are you serious?” — and then covered her face as her teammates jumped into the celebration.

It was the second time this summer that Newbauer surprised one of the Gators with a scholarship. Brower joined Corey Staples, who was surprised with a scholarship after a carefully orchestrated scavenger hunt.

“It’s been really cool for me to see Steph’s growth and development,” Newbauer says. “When I was coaching at Belmont (University) she actually came out to our elite camp and was really interested, but at the time we didn’t have any scholarships available or room on our roster. Then when I got here to Florida, she reached out about a walk-on opportunity. I was really excited to hear from her because I remembered how hard she played. She will do anything to add value to the team.”

Brower, a 2017 WRH grad, averaged 15.1 points and 10.5 rebounds as a 5-foot-11 guard. She led the Bulls to the school’s first district title in 2016, surpassing the 1,000-point career mark with a 15-point, 16-rebound performance in a 59-47 district championship win over Freedom.

Brower finished her Wiregrass Ranch career with 1,493 points. 1,059 rebounds and 514 assists.
She walked on at Florida on Dec. 12, 2017, appearing in six of 30 games during the 2017-18 season, including four Southeastern Conference games. She played 24 of her 45 minutes against No. 15 Tennessee in February, scoring 2 points with three assists, two rebounds and a steal.

New Tampa Players Fall Production Follows a Road Map to the Soul

The New Tampa Players’ fall production of “Violet” takes a mid-20th Century bus ride through the American southland, stopping at cheap hotels and honky tonks and gaining personal and social awareness along the way.

Based on author Doris Betts’ short story, “The Ugliest Pilgrim,” “Violet” examines themes of religious faith, pursuit of freedom and acceptance of oneself and others for who they are.

Principal performances in NTP’s production of “Violet” include Bri Filippelli in the title role of 26-year old Violet, who is introduced in the play as a teenager, portrayed by Olivia Carr. Violet’s father is portrayed by Matthew Melenas.

The younger Violet suffers a disfiguring facial injury in a wood-chopping accident that sets the play’s narrative in motion and its cast and audience on a trip back to 1964 America — with the music oscillating between blues and bluegrass. G. Frank Meekins is the music director.

Violet starts out from her home in the mountains of North Carolina with Tulsa, OK as her destination, where she’s counting on a renowned TV faith healer (played by Ryan Farnworth) to dissipate the physical scars she’s incurred. On the bus ride she becomes friends with two young soldiers, one black and one white, who provide reasons for the story to delve into the hot topics of that time: civil rights and the Vietnam War. Kyle Billington and Cody Carlson portray the two conscripts, Flick and Monty, respectively.

Community theatres like NTP offer an opportunity to see local productions of award-winning works like “Violet,” which had its 1997 premiere Off-Broadway and won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Best Musical award. A revised, Broadway production received several Tony Awards nominations in 2014, including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Direction of a Musical.

“Violet” is NTP’s Volunteers Choice show for the 2018-19 season. That annual selection is made by the community theatre’s volunteers, who accumulate the number of votes they get to cast by the number of hours spent volunteering for NTP.

This year’s production is co-directed by Frank Stinehour and Nora Paine, who also is NTP’s president. Paine says that there is plenty to consider and enjoy from attending one of the performances.

“It’s a very beautiful show with a very important message,” Paine says. “It addresses many things that a lot of people face personally, in a very creative manner.”

Performances of “Violet” will be performed at the University Area Community Center (14013 N. 22nd St., just south of Bearss Ave.), which is NTP’s home stage, the weekends of Oct. 19-21 and 26-28.

The curtain rises at 8 p.m. for Friday and Saturday evening performances and 2 p.m. for Saturday and Sunday matinees. NOTE: On Saturday, Oct. 20, the matinee of “Violet” will begin at 2:30 p.m.

For more information, call (813) 644-8285 or visit NewTampaPlayers.org, where you also can purchase tickets for $25. There is a $2 discount for students, seniors and military members, and a $5 per ticket discount for groups of 10 or more.