SPOTLIGHT ON…Samantha Taylor Fitness!

Fitness professional Samantha Taylor (photo) offers fitness training and nutritional counseling for women only, helping them to “age backwards,” as Samantha says, at her Wesley Chapel location, across the street from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC) in the Shoppes of Wesley Chapel plaza on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd.

Her Pure Health Personal Training and Fit Body Boot Camp programs start with a completely free, no-obligation consultation called a “Body Transformation Analysis” to determine goals and plan a fitness program.

The most customized, personal and private option available is Pure Health Personal Training. This can be done in one-on-one, semi-private, or in small group sessions. In addition to the personal training, each client also meets with an assigned results coach monthly, to make sure they’re progressing.

Clients who choose Samantha’s Fit Body Boot Camp attend regular or beginner Boot Camp sessions, which vary in cardiovascular intensity levels. Several classes are offered every day, and many women choose three or more times each week to attend.

“We are getting women in amazing shape,” says Samantha. She is a Certified Personal Trainer who began her career 24 years ago and launched her own business 17 years ago. During that time, she estimates that she has trained 5,000 local women. Samantha uses her experience as a personal trainer – seeing what works and what doesn’t with her many clients – and her years of intensely studying the human body to coach women in fitness and healthy eating.

“Most of the people who come to us have done all the diets,” says Samantha. “The shakes, pills, protein diets and calorie deprivation diets. They’re shocked they can eat the way I show them. They love the food and they lose weight.”

She says many of her clients see more than just weight loss – they’re getting healthier as well.

“They are preventing diseases such as heart disease and diabetes,” she says. “Some clients no longer have to take cholesterol or blood pressure medication, and no longer suffer from muscle pains and aches.”

Samantha’s original location also is nearby in Land O’Lakes, off S.R. 54 on Knight Rd., and she has recently opened her third and fourth locations in Carrollwood and Westchase, respectively.

She’ll host another free seminar Saturday, August 26, 12:30 p.m., at her Land O’Lakes location (2206 Knight Rd.) featuring Shannon Barker, the Samantha Taylor Fitness Nutrition Educator, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Food Science & Nutrition. Taylor and Barker will help attendees achieve their fullest potential in health and fitness by learning to tweak their diets and track their calories for maximum results.

Light snacks and gourmet coffee will be  provided at the seminar, which is free for members and guests. Reserve your space at SamanthaTaylorSeminars.com.

For more info, call (813) 377-3739, visit SamanthaTaylorFitness.com.

VIP Pest Control Can Help You With All Of Your Florida Bug Problems

VIP Pest Control owner Vicki Hutto wants her customers to know that they are “Very Important People.”

“We work for you,” Vicki says. That’s why, for example, you’ll always talk with a live person when you call VIP’s office.  “We give our customers personal attention. No two people are alike, and no two houses are alike.”

For the past 11 years (it was established in 2006), VIP Pest Control has served Wesley Chapel and the surrounding areas of Pasco and Hillsborough counties, keeping homes and businesses free from insects — including termites, mosquitoes, ants, roaches, bed bugs and more — with treatments that include both traditional chemical and kid-friendly and pet-friendly organic options. VIP also handles problems with nuisance animals such as rodents and snakes.

Same-day service is often available, especially if you have a serious issue that needs immediate attention. “If you call us in the morning,” says Vicki, “we can usually work you in that day.”

She and her team emphasize the importance of taking care of the families and pets in the homes they treat. They always are aware that pets and kids spend time on the floor, so they use pet-friendly and child-friendly treatments. That’s why VIP technicians offer many organic options, and Vicki says you won’t be charged a premium for using those organic products.

Prior to launching VIP Pest Control, Vicki worked for Orkin and says she was the first female termite inspector in the entire company. She was inducted into the Orkin National President’s Club three years in a row, a prestigious honor given to the top three percent of sales producers nationwide. She also worked at two smaller pest control companies.

Vicki says she’s proud that every review on the company’s Facebook page rates VIP Pest Control as 5 stars. Vicki wants all of her customers to feel like Anisa Jivanjee, who writes, “Just got my house treated by VIP’s Vaughn and Vernon. I am so impressed by their detailed treatment of nook and crannies, attic and perimeter of the house. Plus, I got a very courteous explanation of what they were doing. Can’t talk enough about Lilly, who is always so patient, respectful and thorough whenever I call. I love VIP Pest Control!”

Termite Tips & Treatments

Vicki says the most important thing you should get from reading this article is this: Every homeowner in Florida should get a termite inspection every year. You should have a company that will inspect your home and guarantee they will treat and get rid of any termites that move into your home with a termite bond.

She says the bond is similar to an insurance policy. If it expires and you get termites, you’re no longer covered, so it’s important to renew annually.

While a sure sign of termites is a visible swarm of the bugs, you can have termites even if you don’t see that telltale swarm.

“A common misconception is that when that swarm is gone and you no longer see bugs, you no longer have a problem,” says Vicki. “That’s not true. They’re still there, and you have no idea how fast they can destroy a house. They only swarm once a year, but they eat 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

Vicki explains there are two kinds of termites that typically affect houses in the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel area — drywood and subterranean termites — and VIP Pest Control can treat both. While many companies often treat drywood termites by spot treating (which Vicki says doesn’t work) or tenting (which is expensive, causes an enormous inconvenience and can often cause damage to your home), VIP Pest Control uses a fogging method that treats the entire house and leaves a residual product in the wall to discourage the termites from coming back.

“Tenting a house means you have to move yourself, your kids, your pets, even your plants out of your home for several days, and the tent itself is heavy and can break roof tiles and ruin shrubs and sprinklers,” Vicki says. “Then, your house is filled with an odorless, colorless gas that can kill you, and then they take the tent off and you move right back in.”

She says her system is not going to damage your house, and that she’s been using it for three years, with great results.

VIP Pest Control also offers a preventive treatment in the walls of your home that can keep it from getting termites, and also will act as a fire retardant and protect against mold.

“It costs 10 cents on the dollar to prevent instead of treating (termites),” she says. “It’s affordable and can save you a lot of money and headaches in the long run.”

Rodent Control

“If you see signs of rodents, such as droppings, or hear noises, call us right away,” says Vicki. “Rodents can be dangerous, because they can chew through wires and actually set your whole house on fire.”

She says it’s important to not only eradicate the pests, but also to close the holes that allowed them to come in to your home, so they can’t get back in.

Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are a nuisance and very difficult to eradicate. While bed bugs have a reputation for being transmitted via hotels, Vicki says you should be concerned about them even if you don’t travel.

“Anytime someone’s stuff is touching someone else’s stuff — such as backpacks at school — that’s an opportunity for bed bugs to be transmitted,” explains Vicki.

So, if you see black spots in a bed — a telltale sign of bed bugs — be sure to call an expert. You also can check VIPPestControlLLC.com for a wealth of information. Vicki notes that, while they can be difficult to find and eradicate, the experts at VIP can help you get rid of bed bugs with minimal headaches.

Other Pests

You should also call a pro if you see ants or roaches. “We see it all the time,” she says. “People tell me they get a can and spray the bugs. All that does is cause them to scatter, so that by the time we come out, your problem is three times worse — and in three different places.”

While palmetto bugs are big and ugly, they’re not harmful like German roaches, which carry many diseases. Vicki says that one female German roach will have 50 babies every 28 days, so if you see one roach, that probably means you have 50 more behind your walls.

VIP Pest Control also treats lawns for mosquitoes, and can provide a one-time treatment to keep your yard mosquito-free for an event, such as a wedding or party.

Woman-Owned

Vicki says that being a woman-owned business also sets her apart in the pest control industry and helps her to better relate to many of her customers.

“Most times when we visit a home, it’s the woman who is there to meet with us,” she says.  Vicki says she is always looking to hire female technicians to join her company, too.

VIP Pest Control specializes in working with homeowners associations, townhome and condo associations, too, “because you will get what your neighbor has,” she says.

VIP Pest Control is located at 119 Flagship Dr. in Lutz. It is open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Now through September, get 30-percent off any regularly priced termite treatment. For a free quote, or for more information, visit VIPPestControlLLC.com or call (813) 234-8888.

School’s In: Things To Know

After a somewhat tumultuous spring, with several changes being implemented or announced — including new attendance boundaries for many New Tampa schools, busing and bell schedules — things are seeming to calm down as students and parents adjust to new routines.

Here’s what’s new for the 2017-18 school year in New Tampa, with more changes on the horizon for the following school year, including the rezoning of Clark, Heritage, Hunter’s Green and Pride elementary schools.

New Principals At Two Schools

While their official start dates were late last spring, two principals are looking forward to starting off the school year with new schools in our area.

Cindy Land is the new principal at Turner/Bartels K-8 School.

At Turner/Bartels K-8 School, principal Cindy Land replaced Jonathan Grantham, who left to become a deputy superintendent of schools in Marion County. Land had been principal at Pride Elementary since 2009 and prior to that, worked at Chiles.

“It’s definitely a blessing to be promoted to this position,” says Land, who lives in Live Oak Preserve and whose three sons will all attend Turner/Bartels this school year. “This is the neighborhood school for my children.”

She says that while her new school includes middle school grades six through eight, she sees a lot of similarities between  Turner/Bartels and Pride.

“We have a diverse population,” she says. “Parents are very interested in their children’s education, they participate and volunteer and are supportive. I also see that the community seems to really embrace the school. I’m excited to be here and to bring the school and community together,” she says.

Land’s departure from Pride left a vacancy there that has been filled by Amy Zilbar.

For the last four years, Zilbar was a principal coach for the school district, working with new principals and supporting them and others in leadership development. She says her position at Pride is a homecoming, of sorts.

Amy Zilbar replaces Cindy Land as principal at Pride Elementary.

“Early in my career, I worked at Hunter’s Green teaching first grade and as an administrative resource teacher,” she says. “Back then, the only schools in the area were Hunter’s Green, Clark and Tampa Palms.”

While Zilbar says she loved working as a principal coach, she’s happy to be back at a school site, “to put into practice all the things we have been working on,” she says.

“This school has been absolutely wonderful,” Zilbar adds. “Everyone has been so welcoming, from the teachers, to the PTA, to the community, and especially the students have been amazing.”

She says she looks forward to continuing the level of academic excellence already in place at Pride — a consistently A-rated school by the State Department of Education — and to building even more partnerships and traditions there.

Courtesy Busing Ends For Some

As school is getting under way, more New Tampa students will be walking and biking to area middle and high schools.

Many middle and high school students who have received courtesy busing (a bus to a school that is less than two miles from a student’s home) in the past will no longer have bus transportation provided by the Hillsborough County School District.

The responsibility of transportation is now on the parents, so expect further crowding of the roads, as parents who don’t want their children walking or biking will be driving to and from school, too.

However, for Wharton High students who live across Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. from the school, bus transportation will still be available for this school year.

Jamie Warrington, transportation and safety manager for Hillsborough County Public Schools, says that now that BBD is under construction to go to eight lanes in front of the school, it is considered a hazard for students to cross. Once that construction has been completed, BBD’s eight lanes will still be considered a hazard, so the bus transportation for those students will continue.

At our press time, the affected students had not yet been notified of the change, and the school district’s website has not been updated to reflect it, but Warrington says parents will be notified by email before school starts.

To find out if your child will be provided bus transportation to their school for this school year, visit http://www.sdhc.k12.fl.us/doc/445/transportation/resources/busroutes/.

It also is expected that the School Board will end courtesy busing for elementary school students for the 2018-19 school year.

New Bell Schedule For Turner/Bartels K-8 School

All of the schools in our area will have the same school hours as last year, except for Turner/Bartels K-8, where the school day will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. this school year.

Back in the spring, school officials proposed changing the bell schedules countywide to allow more time for buses to get students to school on time, but were met with such backlash that they put off the change for all schools countywide until next school year, 2018-19.

Through Friday, August 25, the school district is again accepting feedback on adjusting the school schedule ahead of the School Board’s final vote on the matter, which is expected to be held on Tuesday, October 17.

The District is asking parents, students, employees and members of the community to download and use an Excel spreadsheet “simulator” to “try out” different school start and dismissal times (using formulas in the spreadsheet that ensure each scenario meets appropriate number of minutes in the school day, along with not starting too early or late).

Then, people can submit their suggestions for start and end times by emailing their completed spreadsheet back to district staff.

To check out the start time simulator, click the link on the school district’s home page at SDHC.k12.fl.us or go directly to SDHC.k12.fl.us/doc/1985/administration/resources/bellsimulator/.

Hailey’s Voice of Hope Looks To Shine A Light

For Lisa Acierno, coping with the loss of her daughter is still a daily struggle.

“I’m trying every day to get through the day,” she says.

Hailey, who was a 17-year-old student at Wharton High, went missing from her Arbor Greene home on March 28.

A Facebook page was launched, called “Find Hailey Acierno,” and hundreds of people joined. They shared encouragement, ideas and tips. They offered love and support to Hailey’s family in a time of uncertainty.

They also shared information about when searches for Hailey were being organized. Many even showed up to comb Flatwoods Park to look for her.

On April 7, Lisa’s worst fears came true. After those volunteers, law enforcement and other agencies had spent days searching, Hailey’s body was found.

The Facebook group’s name was changed to “In Memory of Hailey Acierno,” and those same members again offered encouragement, support and love.

They also asked, “What can we do?”

The number of people joining the page, reaching out to the family and offering to help continued to grow.

The family of Hailey Acierno has launched a nonprofit foundation, Hailey’s Voice of Hope, online at HaileysVoice.com, where you can support awareness and services for those who struggle with mental health by purchasing items (pictured) or volunteering your time.

In her grief, Lisa began to dream of honoring Hailey by making a difference for those people who struggle with mental illness, as her daughter did.

“Let’s get rid of the stigma,” Lisa says. “During the search for Hailey, we were afraid of people’s opinions if we said what medications she was on, but that’s got to quit. People who are mentally ill didn’t do anything to choose this any more than someone with cancer or diabetes chooses those illnesses. They don’t want it.”

Lisa decided to start a foundation. She, her husband Chris, and adult sons Ryan and Josh make up the foundation’s board. They’ve applied for 501c3 status to be recognized as a registered nonprofit organization.

They reached out to the Facebook group to name the foundation, and they have changed the name once more. It’s now “Hailey’s Voice of Hope.”

Right now, Lisa says she doesn’t know exactly what her foundation intends to accomplish. She knows she wants to do something to act on the hundreds of offers of help that people continue to give her.

Lisa says changes are needed. For example, she says mental health services in our area aren’t available the way they should be.

“A perfect example was two years ago, when Hailey was being discharged from a residential program because insurance said she no longer needed to be there,” Lisa says. “They would pay for a partial outpatient program, but there isn’t one in Hillsborough County. She was basically kicked out of a residential facility and sent to something that didn’t exist.”

Volunteer Meeting Successful

Lisa organized a volunteer meeting, asking the supporters from her Facebook page — and the rest of the community — to show up for a town-hall type gathering on Saturday, August 12, at the Arbor Greene clubhouse off Cross Creek Blvd., giving everyone (even those who aren’t Arbor Greene residents) an opportunity to discuss how to raise money for the foundation, and what people can do to support needed mental health services in our community. 

She’s thinking of starting a letter-writing campaign to the Florida legislature. With 3,500 members on the Facebook page, maybe one of those volunteers could craft a letter. If Lisa posts a request to the Hailey’s Voice of Hope Facebook page, she hopes that maybe 500 or 1,000 people would copy that letter and send it, and get some attention for the cause.

Or, maybe the foundation could organize something she calls “Hailey’s Ride,” to help families get their children to available services, which is sometimes impossible for working parents who would need to take hours off from work to leave, pick up their kids, take them where they need to go, drop them off back at home or school, and go back to work.

Lisa is thinking even bigger, too.

“My ultimate dream is ‘Hailey’s House,’” Lisa says. “Somewhere kids could go after school, not to focus on their problems, but how to help them — maybe through art or music therapy — so they are learning coping skills.”

While she knows it’s a really big goal and that it ultimately might not happen, she’s not afraid to dream it.

“I keep saying that MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) was one started by one mad mother, the Susan G. Komen Foundation was started by one mad sister, and I’m a mad mom right now,” Lisa says. “It’s going to take a village to make this happen. It shouldn’t take something like this to get everyone’s attention. Hailey’s story was front page news because she was missing for so long, but there are so many families who are going through this who don’t get that kind of attention.”

She says that every day she wonders what more she could have done to help her daughter.

“Right now, we have a lot of support and so many people offering to volunteer,” Lisa says. “I just can’t sit back and do nothing.”

For more information about the foundation and its efforts, join the Facebook group, “Hailey’s Voice of Hope” or visit HaileysVoice.com.

School Grades For 2016-17 For Wesley Chapel’s Schools


School grades have been announced for the 2016-17 school year and, of the 12 public schools located in Wesley Chapel, all either maintained their grades from the 2015-16 school year, or went up by at least one letter grade.

Letter grades are assigned by the State of Florida Department of Education (DoE), based on statewide standardized assessments. High schools also have a graduation component, based on how many students graduate in four years. The letter grades then reflect the percentage of points received, of the total number of available points.

The biggest jump in local school grades was at Quail Hollow Elementary (QHE). For the 2016-17 school year, QHE received an “A” from the DoE, a big boost from the C it received last year, in 2015-16.  Prior to that, the school had been closed for two years for remodeling.

But, QHE isn’t the only school that improved. Veterans and Seven Oaks elementaries both improved from B to A, while Watergrass Elementary improved from C to B.

For the other elementary schools, Sand Pine and Wesley Chapel both maintained their A ratings, while Double Branch maintained its B. Wiregrass Elementary received its first-ever grade since it opened last fall, a B.

Wesley Chapel High (WCH) raised its grade back up to a B again after last year’s grade dipped to a C for the first time in the school’s history.

“I was ecstatic,” says Carin Hetzler-Nettles, who was the principal at WCH until she was named principal of the new Cypress Creek Middle High School in January. “It’s fun to see that grade improve, and it’s exciting for the community, staff and kids at the school.”

The other Wesley Chapel high school, Wiregrass Ranch (WRH), maintained the B rating it had last year.

Dr. John Long Middle School maintained its A from the previous year, and Weightman Middle School kept its B.

While the school grading system has many critics, the grades are widely used by parents as a measure of how well their child’s school is performing.

Hetzler-Nettles is among many who say that school grades are just one of many factors to be considered when attempting to measure a school’s performance. This is partly because a different group of students is tested each year.

“In high school, tenth grade is our heavy testing year,” she says. “Next year, we’ll test a completely different group of tenth grade students. There is a human factor.”

And, she says, the specific criteria that make up the school’s grade also are different from year to year.

“There are always things that change,” says Hetzler-Nettles. “The grading changes every year at the state level, and then we tend to see trends. This year, it seems like the schools are on an upswing.”