Congratulations To Freedom High’s Class of 2018 Valedictorian & Salutatorian


Catherine Weng says she’s never been interviewed before. She has, however, conducted plenty of interviews, as the editor of Freedom’s school newspaper, Revolution.

That’s far from her only role, however. The Class of 2018 Freedom High valedictorian is the definition of well-rounded.

She loves to dance and has studied at the Jansen Dance Project in Tampa Palms since middle school. She’s president of Freedom’s math honor society, Mu Alpha Theta, and has participated in competitions for that club since she was a freshman. She’s also the president of a club she created at Freedom for students who want to learn American Sign Language. Catherine also says she loves to bake, especially cookies and birthday cakes. Oh, and she has a part-time job as a tutor.

Catherine has finished her high school career with an impressive GPA of 8.9. She boosted her GPA well above a “perfect” 4.0 with a combination of honors, Advanced Placement (AP) and dual enrollment (DE) classes, which varied from computer programming classes to astronomy, to American Sign Language, which she really enjoys and isn’t offered at Freedom.

She says she got her first B this year in AP Spanish, where the challenge of being the only non-native speaker has made it hard to understand the wide variety of accents and vocabulary among those in her class. But, she says she doesn’t regret the hard class, “I really like linguistics,” she says. “I speak English and Chinese at home.”

Catherine is part of a large, blended family, and she says she’s especially close to her older sister Diana, who has earned both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Florida in Gainesville. Diana is still a student at UF, now working toward her Ph.D. in Accounting.

Knowing Catherine’s love of baking, Diana tried to sweeten the deal to get her sister to choose her school.

“She promised me a stand mixer if I came to UF,” Catherine laughs.

Despite exploring options as far away as New York and Seattle, Catherine ultimately decided to join her sister at Florida. She is a Bright Futures scholarship recipient, National Merit Scholarship finalist and a recipient of the Benacquisto Scholarship, which provides incentives for high- achieving students to go to a state university in Florida.

“I have such a good opportunity at UF,” she says. “I’m proud to say I’m a Gator.”

Given Catherine’s love for such a broad range of activities, it shouldn’t be surprising that she hasn’t quite nailed down what she’ll major in at UF. She’ll be in UF’s Honor College, and says she’ll most likely be a business major.

As Catherine leaves high school, she says she will take with her a philosophy to try to absorb the best things from the people around her.

“I’ve made a lot of amazing friends,” she says. “They have different skilIs and virtues and amazing things about them. I don’t know if I just got lucky to be at Freedom or if people are amazing everywhere.”

She’s about to find out about the people in Gainesville, at least.

“I’m happy to go to a ridiculously big school,” she says. “I’ll never run out of people to meet or things to do.”

Salutatorian Alejandro Michel
Freedom’s Salutatorian is Alejandro Michel, who had a GPA of 8.8. Alejandro also is a well-rounded student, who has excelled in both academics and athletics.

On Saturday, May 4, Alejandro graduated from Hillsborough Community College in the morning, after earning enough credits through dual enrollment classes — while a student at Freedom — to receive his Associate of Arts (AA) degree.

After the ceremony, he traveled to Jacksonville for the Florida Class 4A High School Track & Field State Championships, qualifying this year for the first time. He is primarily a cross country runner, but found success running track this spring, as he moved on from excellent finishes at the District and Regional meets to run in the State meet, too.

Before attending Freedom, both Alejandro and Catherine attended Liberty Middle School and before that, both attended Chiles Elementary, also in Tampa Palms, since kindergarten.

They have something else in common, too. As Alejandro heads off to Florida State University in Tallahassee, he is choosing to go to school with his brother, Max, who graduated from Middleton High and HCC this spring, as well.

“We plan to have our own apartment together, close enough to ride a bike to campus,” Alejandro says. “I’ve been riding my bike to school since Chiles and I want to keep doing that.”

Alejandro says he has two main loves — running and math. At FSU, he plans to major in statistics and minor in computer science. He is on an accelerated track so that he will finish both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in just three years.

He says for his junior and senior year, he’s taken three math classes every semester, including AP Statistics, AP Calculus A/B and B/C, Calculus II and III and others. This year, he needed one more class at Freedom to keep his full-time status, so he chose Honors Trigonometry. “The teacher knows the level of math I have and lets me teach the class sometimes,” he says.

Alejandro intends to become an actuary — a mathematician who specializes in risk and probability. “Really, I would have loved to be a math teacher or professor,” he says, “but there’s a work/life balance you can get with being an actuary, working only 40 hours a week.”

He thinks that will leave him with enough time and financial stability to also pursue a career as a professional runner, with the flexibility to continue to train and run.

He says that on his journey so far, he’s learned about pursuing his passion and how that leads to success.

“Do you just want to be successful, or do you really enjoy waking up every day and getting out there and having a runner’s high?,” he asks. “You have to love the process, not just the idea of being successful.”

Sylvan Learning Center Offers Successful Approach

At the Sylvan Learning Center in Wesley Chapel, (l.-r.) assistant director Kristi Chatham, director Lara Riordan, director of education Caitlyn Hussey and owner Dr. Judy Johnson tailor lessons, taught by certified teachers, to each student’s individual academic needs.

Dr. Judy Johnson brought Sylvan Learning to the Tampa Bay area more than three decades ago, when she opened her first Sylvan Learning Center in Carrollwood in 1985.

Her students from 30 years ago now bring their children — or those who brought their kids now bring grandchildren — telling Dr. Johnson they remember how much it helped them, and how much they enjoyed their time at the center.

Over the years, the success of the program has led to expansion locally, and Dr. Johnson opened her fifth Bay-area center this past October. The newest location is here in Wesley Chapel, in the Summergate Professional Center in Seven Oaks, off of S.R. 56, behind Sam’s Club.

Her Bay-area locations, which also include Carrollwood, Westchase, Temple Terrace and Zephyrhills, are among the more than 750 Sylvan Learning Centers worldwide.

Dr. Johnson is a lifelong educator who holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Special Education from the University of South Florida in Tampa, which she received in 1995. Previously, she completed a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Counseling from Ball State University in Muncie, IN, in 1977 and a Master of Education (M.E.) degree in Biology from the University of Arizona in Tucson in 1971.

Since the Wesley Chapel center opened last fall, Kristi Chatham has served as its director. She has been with Sylvan for three years, and previously was at the Zephyrhills location and prior to that, worked as an instructor at a Sylvan Learning Center in Alabama.

“I like it because I know it works,” Kristi says. “I’ve seen it.”

As of May 1, Kristi took a step back to be the assistant director of the center, allowing her to spend more time with her family. Lara Riordan is now the new director. Lara has been the director of the Temple Terrace center since 2005. She started with Sylvan as an instructor in New York in 2000.

A Proven Model

The Sylvan model means students have a maximum ratio of three students to one teacher, so they’re never in large groups where they can be overlooked. Students come to Sylvan to get ahead, for extra practice, for test preparation or whatever they need.

“We’re not tutors fixing one skill for one test,” explains Lara. We are a solution for all (of your child’s) academic needs.”

“We’re not just for remediation,” adds Dr. Johnson, “We work with accelerated kids – kids who want to go to Harvard.”

Sylvan Learning Centers are staffed by certified teachers who receive additional training in the Sylvan program. They then teach students lessons, which vary based on the child and are flexible for each individual student. The Wesley Chapel location currently has about 10 teachers on staff, including the director, assistant director and director of education Caitlyn Hussey.

“I still teach,” Dr. Johnson says. “It’s a good way to see what’s going on and meet with families.”

Sylvan’s program starts with a diagnostic assessment, then the teacher creates a “prescription” for the student, to ensure lessons are properly tailored to each individual’s needs.

“All of us have a knowledge base,” explains Dr. Johnson. “When we go to school, we have to sit through things we already know.” Sylvan is different, she adds. “We find out what a child knows. We figure out where they’re strong and weak.”

Then, she explains the child is taught “on the edges of where they need to be,” so the lesson is neither boring nor too hard.

“The programs are as individualized as they need to be,” explains Caitlin. “My challenge is to ensure that each program is sufficiently challenging to meet each student’s needs.”

As an endorsement of Sylvan Learning Center, Dr. Johnson shares that recently, an investor traveled from China to the U.S. to evaluate all of the different learning center companies, doing an extensive investigation before making his investment in education in China.  The result of his research? “He bought 200 Sylvan Learning Center franchises,” Dr. Johnson says.

Here in Wesley Chapel, Nicole Buzard has been bringing her son, Carter, to Sylvan twice a week for the last couple of months and says, “It’s been all positives so far.”

Carter is a gifted student who is at the top of his class, so Nicole says his teacher recommended advanced skills.

“I tried working with him at home,” she says, “but I didn’t feel structured enough.” She says once Carter mastered one skill, she didn’t immediately know the next skill he should work on.

“I was looking for enrichment and it led me to Sylvan,” says Nicole. “He enjoys the extra math work. He’s excited, and I never have to force it.”

Nicole says her son’s enthusiasm for attending Sylvan is rubbing off on her 10-year-old daughter, Ava, too.

“She’s not one who would want to do extra schoolwork, so I didn’t really explore it as an option for her,” Nicole explains. “But, she has seen how excited my son is, and now she wants to go.”

Nicole says the office staff is easy to work with and flexible to meet her needs and schedule. She says the Wesley Chapel Sylvan Learning Center is a quality program.

“They know what they’re doing and — even with my son already being good at math –— I’ve seen improvements.”

While many people believe these learning center programs are expensive, the Sylvan staff says they are happy to work with families to make it affordable. “We offer different programs at different price points, with budget-friendly programs,” explains Dr. Johnson

“It’s a really good option for an extracurricular activity,” she adds. “Kids enjoy intellectual stimulation and learning things they don’t usually learn in a typical education setting.”

Sylvan Learning Center will offer STEM camps this summer, including robotics, engineering, coding, LEGO, writing, MATH and ACT/SAT prep. Most camps run Monday through Thursday in the morning or afternoon.

The Sylvan Learning Center at Seven Oaks is located at 27724 Cashford Cir., #102. Business hours for the center are Mon.–Thurs., 10 a.m.–6:30 p.m., Fri. by appointment only and Saturday, 9 a.m.–noon. Teaching hours vary based on the day and will be different in the summer. For details, call (800) EDU-CATE, visit Educate.com, or see the ad on page 36.

Better Realty Services For Home Buyers, Sellers, Renters  & Business Owners

(L.-r.) Mike Kane, Kathy Rieger & Monty Bryan have joined forces to open Better Realty Services , located off S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel, to serve all of your real estate & business brokerage needs.

The three co-owners of Better Realty Services say their name says it all: Their real estate firm will help you have a better experience in a wide range of services, whether you want to buy a home, sell a home, rent a home, manage an investment property, sell a business or buy a business.

Although their company is only three years old, Monty Bryan, Mike Kane and Kathy Rieger bring decades of experience to Better Realty Services, located on Cypress Creek Blvd. in Wesley Chapel (off of S.R. 56, just east of I-75). They each have their own specific area of expertise.

Monty has been a Realtor in the Tampa Bay area since 1982. He started his own real estate company in Tampa Palms in 1989, called Florida Properties Tampa, Inc. He sold that business to Coldwell Banker in 1999 and continued to work at the firm. He now handles the real estate sales and purchases for Better Realty Services.

He met Kathy when she purchased her home — with Monty as her agent — in 1999. He says he recruited her to join him at Coldwell Banker, where she specialized in property management. Today, Kathy brings her property management expertise to Better Realty Services, where she manages investment properties on behalf of owners, making the process of finding tenants, collecting rent and maintaining the property much easier.

Monty and Mike first connected while their children were in preschool together, and the kids later played recreational sports on the same team. Mike launched a business in New Tampa 10 years ago called First Choice Business Brokers, helping business owners who wanted to sell or people who wanted to buy a business. Mike’s role at Better Realty Services is to continue to help business owners as they plan an exit strategy from their respective businesses.

Monty, Mike and Kathy teamed up to launch Better Realty Services in 2015 and will celebrate three years in business together in May.

“It’s synergistic,” explains Mike. “There are a lot of people who want to buy an investment property, and then, we offer professional management for that property. Or, we sometimes sell a business to an out-of-state buyer, who then may be looking for a house to move into this area.”

All three are licensed Realtors, and Mike is the Broker for the office. Because of their years of experience and commitment to hard work and the highest ethical standards, they say they can help any customer who may be interested in any of their varied services.

“We’re a boutique company,” explains Kathy. “We customize our service so that it’s personal and works for every client.”

Good Timing For A Move

Monty says that now is the time of year that the residential real estate market is the busiest.

“Most people want to move before the summer, so this is the busy season for both sales and rentals,” he says. “If you have considered putting your home on the market, this is the time of year when there is the most traffic, so my advice is to do it now.” Monty and his team can help you get your home ready to sell and price it correctly.

“If your house is in good shape and priced well,” adds Kathy, “it will sell quickly.”

Monty adds that the local real estate market has been busy for the past two or three years, after several slower years.

“It took from about 2008 to about 2015 for all of the foreclosures to clear out of the market,” he explains. “Now, we’re in a season of steady growth and lower inventory.”

While lower inventory may mean a higher price if you’re ready to sell, the team explains that it’s still a good time to buy, too. Interest rates are low, which is good for buyers, and builders are active again, offering many new home options in the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel real estate markets.

Long-Term Relationships

Pauline Evans is a former New Tampa resident who now lives near the University of South Florida (USF) in a retirement home. She says she has been working with Monty and Kathy for 18 years, since Monty first helped her buy a home in Hunter’s Green in 2000.

Since then, Pauline says that Monty has been her real estate agent for several more transactions, as she purchased two investment homes in Wesley Chapel.

“My husband and I were managing our own properties, and Kathy and Monty were always there as advisers,” Pauline says. “They helped us to be entrepreneurs and manage our own properties.”

Since her husband, who was retired from the U.S. Army, passed away about three years ago, Pauline has turned her rental properties over to Better Realty Services for Kathy to manage. She says she trusts Kathy to manage her properties as well as she and her husband did, when they used to send one of their sons over to mow the lawn or fix small problems at any of their investment homes.

“Everything is in Kathy and Monty’s hands now,” she explains. “Now, they just send me a statement each month.”

Pauline says it’s much easier on her, and that the friendship and advice she has received from Monty and Kathy over the years has led to her trusting them with her investments.

“I am blessed to have these rental properties,” she explains, “which make it possible for me to live in this community, which is more expensive than living in a little house somewhere.”

Monty, Karen and Mike hope to become that trusted source of expertise for anyone in the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel area who is considering buying or selling their home, or an investment property, or even their business.”

Their years of experience have given them a perspective that is somewhat unique. When Monty opened the first real estate office in New Tampa in 1989, the only neighborhoods were Tampa Palms, Hunter’s Green, Pebble Creek and Williamsburg.

“I knew this area was going to grow, because I could see this area of raw land on the map,” says Monty. “But, it’s kept growing and growing, and now moved into Wesley Chapel. That’s a lot of growth in 30 years.”

Monty says with all that he’s seen over the last three decades, he still truly enjoys what he does.

Mike concurs. “I think it says a lot that we’re all still in this business after all this time.”

Better Realty Services is located at 2654 Cypress Ridge Blvd., #103. The office is open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., and evenings and weekends by appointment. To reach Mike, Monty or Kathy, call (813) 793-4380. For more information, visit BetterRealtyServices.com.

Wesley Chapel Woman Gives Birth In Her Car…For The 2nd Time!

(Left to right) Micah, Mason and Maurice welcome baby sister Nylah Grace to the family. Mason and Nylah have something unusual in common — both were born in a car!

Michelle Knox seems to be able to take things in stride.

When she woke up around 6 a.m. on Tuesday, April 17, it was one day before her due date with her fourth child, her first girl.

She was feeling strong contractions that were only three minutes apart, but she didn’t panic.

She just followed the plan.

Nate, her husband, called the kids’ grandparents to take their three boys to school.

As her contractions got stronger, she felt the urge to push. Nate told her to put on pants. In case she needed to deliver her baby in the car, the pants would help catch.

Nate jumped in the front seat, Michelle got in the back. They headed to Florida Hospital Tampa near E. Fletcher Ave. on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd.

Michelle knew from experience that she didn’t want to be in the front seat while she delivered her baby.

That’s where her last child was born.

Yes, you read that correctly. This is Michelle’s second time delivering her own child in a car.

This time, she was in the back seat when her water broke, near their home in Wesley Chapel.

Michelle was still in the back seat when she knew it was time. She told her husband, “Next contraction, I’m pushing.”

Michelle says they were on S.R. 54, near Wal-Mart and the Nissan dealership, in crowded morning traffic, when their baby girl was born.

“I couldn’t catch her,” Michelle says, so she kind of just fell into those useful pants.

“She cried automatically,” says Michelle. “I just wanted to make sure she was okay. As soon as I heard her cry, I was good.”

She pulled a blanket out of the bag she had packed for the hospital and swaddled her baby. “I wanted to feed her,” Michelle says, “but the umbilical cord was too short.”

When they arrived at Florida Hospital Tampa (FHT) — the hospital where her obstetrician has admitting privileges — the staff was ready for them.

“We have an emergency alert called Code Noelle, which not all hospitals have,” explains Richelle Hoenes-Ahearn, FHT’s director of corporate communications. “It means there is an obstetrical emergency and part of the plan for response includes a medical cart that is fully supplied with everything needed to help a mom in labor and deliver a baby. When Michelle’s husband came in and we called a Code Noelle, that cart was brought outside and had everything needed! It allows for complete care wherever the patient is, rather than waiting to bring Mom to a room.”

Michelle says she was grateful there was a team waiting for her outside the hospital. They cut the umbilical cord right there in the car.

“It was a relief knowing all he had to do was get me to the front door,” says Michelle. “They were prepared.”

She was then admitted to the hospital, where the baby weighed in at six pounds, 15 ounces. The baby and her mom were found to be doing just fine.

Maybe the harder task was agreeing on the name for their precious new baby.

Michelle says Nate didn’t like any of the suggestions she offered — he was still pushing for the girl name they agreed on when they first started dating, which was in high school in Fort Walton Beach in the Florida panhandle.

When hospital staff asked the baby’s name, Nate suggested Nylah Grace, and Michelle agreed.

Nylah joins her brothers Maurice, 14, Micah, 11, and Mason, 5.

If you’re worried about the state of the back seat of the family’s car after this experience, don’t be. It just so happens that Nate owns Everyday Car Wash, a mobile auto detailing business.

“He couldn’t focus until the car was clean,” Michelle says. “Now it’s like new. He does a great job.”

Congratulations Go Out To Wharton High’s Top Students Of 2018! 

Wharton High salutatorian Sonile Peck (left) and valedictorian Anthonia Elensi (center, as well as top left on this page), who together founded the school’s Black Student Union earlier this year, with sponsor Rachel Shellman, who also is the school’s media specialist.

Wharton High Class of 2018 valedictorian Anthonia Elensi and salutatorian Sonile Peck have a lot in common.

Both went to Turner Elementary and Bartels Middle School before the schools were combined to become Turner-Bartels K-8 School.

They are both the youngest siblings in families with high achievers who previously graduated from Wharton in the top five percent of their respective classes.

Neither set out to have the highest Grade Point Average (GPA) in their graduating class, but once they realized they were on track, they kept doing what they were doing to stay at the top.

Both are getting ready to attend college and both plan to become doctors.

Anthonia and Sonile are both are widely respected for what may be the jewel in the crown of their high school careers — founding a Black Student Union at Wharton, which has become one of the school’s most popular clubs this year.

“We wanted to create a platform for black students to feel comfortable and have a community to be empowered,” Anthonia says.

They approached school librarian Rachel Shellman last year and asked her to sponsor the club.

Now, Shellman has nothing but praise for the pair. “They are phenomenal,” she says. “They have very strong leadership skills. They are both well spoken and they had a great year.”

She says the pair’s biggest success was planning the school’s first Black History Month celebration. They planned a school-wide event that Shellman says was very well received. “Students and teachers were very complimentary,” Shellman says. “No one knew what to expect for a first-time event, but they got a lot of positive feedback.”

Nearly 90 students joined the club, which Sonile and Anthonia say is a large one for Wharton, especially for one in its first year.

“Both young ladies are tremendous students – obviously, since they are valedictorian and salutatorian,” says principal Brad Woods. “But the way they were able to create the Black Student Union and grow its membership this year is also tremendous.”

Magda Rodriguez, the school’s college career counselor, who has been there since Wharton opened in 1997, says the pair are the first black, female valedictorian and salutatorian at the school.

“I don’t want my skin color to matter…,” begins Sonile. Anthonia finishes her sentence, “But it does matter.”

Last year’s Honor Court, which includes the Top 10 students in the school academically, had no black students. Anthonia and Sonile say the Black Student Union is a platform to help students do what they want to do, both academically and culturally.

As they graduate from Wharton, they are passing the torch to new leadership. Both hope that eventually, the club will include mentorship opportunities for its members. “If you can do something that can empower people of your skin color, you should,” says Anthonia.

In addition to the Black Student Union, both girls participated in clubs such as the National Honor Society and the Science National Honor Society at Wharton.

Sonile also participated in HOSA, the club for students who intend to be future health professionals that was previously called “Health Occupations Students of America.” Through this program, Sonile says she has prepared to take an exam in May to become a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). She says she thinks being a CNA will be a great job for her while she is attending college.

Anthonia and Sonile took a combination of high school classes, advanced placement (AP) classes and dual enrollment classes. Anthonia’s weighted GPA of 7.81 just edged out Sonile’s weighted GPA of 7.77. They both expect to have more than 60 college credit hours when they start their college careers this fall.

As for her Wharton experience, Anthonia says she’ll take with her a lot of memorable lessons, such as perseverance.

“At times where I felt like I was doing a lot both academically and with clubs,” she says, “I learned it’s important to finish what you start – and finish strong.”

Sonile was accepted to prestigious Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, the school of her dreams that she says motivated her to do her best throughout high school.

She is now looking at scholarships, which she says is the “harder part.” She also has been accepted at University of Florida in Gainesville, and will go there if it doesn’t work out for her to go to Johns Hopkins. Sonile hopes to one day be an oncologist.

If she does end up at UF, she’ll be there with Anthonia, who will attend the school to study health sciences, with the goal of becoming a doctor, although she’s not sure what field she wants to go into yet.

Sonile has some advice for younger students.

“Focus on the day to day,” she says. “Senior year is fun and exciting and eventful, but make sure you’re doing what you need to do right now.”

Congratulations to all of our graduating New Tampa high school students, whether at Wharton, Freedom or other public and private high schools. We will feature Freedom High’s Valedictorian Catherine Wang in our May 18 edition of New Tampa Neighborhood News.

2018 Wharton Top 10

1. Anthonia Elensi

2. Sonile Peck

3. Gregory Harvey

4. Stephen Maldonado

5. Yasmine Gillespie

6. Cameron Newborn

7. Alice Cheng

8. Rachel Hineline

9. Ashley Zack

10. Mackenzie Willman