Infinite Edge Learning Center can boost your test scores

Korosh (left) and Ozra Jabbari invite your children to join the ever-growing roster of students they help do their best in school at the Infinite Edge Learning Center in Tampa Palms.

For college-bound high school students, SAT and ACT scores may mean the difference between attending the college of their dreams and bitter disappointment. At Infinite Edge Learning Center, located in the Tampa Palms Professional Center (off Commerce Park Blvd.), owner Ozra Jabbari and her staff of educators work with New Tampa students to be sure they’re poised to do their best on these important tests.

But, preparing for college entrance exams isn’t the only studying and tutoring happening at Infinite Edge.

“We help students in every class and every subject,” says Ozra. From elementary school to challenging college-level classes, tutors who are professional teachers and even college professors are matched to students who need help catching up or want to push ahead in any and all subjects. “If a student tells me they need help in a subject, I find a qualified teacher to help them.”

Just some of the courses they have helped students with include all levels of mathematics, language development and enrichment, general science, chemistry, reading, foreign languages, and all Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses.

The center also accommodates many different student needs. For example, a summer enrichment program helps students who don’t have time for tutoring during the school year to get ahead for the following school year. Those whose first language is something other than English also can get help with language improvement. Infinite Edge tutors also help students who are serious athletes or musicians who can’t be in school full time. After-school care is even available to some students from Chiles and Tampa Palms elementaries. “When their parents get off work, they’ve had their snack and their homework is done,” Ozra says.

No matter why a student comes to Infinite Edge, Ozra promises that, “Our curriculum is individualized. We don’t have one curriculum for every student or every subject. For each student who comes to us, we design a program for their specific needs. We continually assess each child and help them improve to reach a higher level.”

Ozra and her late husband Sobi opened Infinite Edge Learning Center in 2007. Sobi passed away last fall after a battle with throat cancer, and Ozra is keeping his legacy alive by continuing to provide the superior services that have always been offered at Infinite Edge to the students Sobi cared so much about.

“Sobi touched so many lives,” Ozra says. “His funeral was held on a rainy day last August and there were at least 45 students who attended, from Freedom and King high schools, and former Infinite Edge students from USF, UF, and UCF.”

The family has lived in Tampa Palms for more than 20 years. Their daughter, Farush, is a sophomore at nearby Freedom High. Their son, Korosh, is currently in the USF Honors College combined B.S./M.D. program, where he will earn both a Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Medicine degree in no more than seven years. He also is a full-time tutor at Infinite Edge.

Home Of The Perfect Score!

“Every time we have students take the SAT and ACT, we have at least one perfect score,” says Ozra. “We give students the materials to prepare, and they work hard.”

She says this spring, about 15 Infinite Edge students took the college entrance exams, and “everyone did well.” She says one student had a perfect score on the ACT and several students had SAT scores above 1500.

Beginning last March, the SAT now has a new format. While the old SAT offered a total of 2,400 points (800 each in math, reading and writing), the new SAT is only 1,600 points, still with 800 points available in the math portion but only 800 points available for reading and writing combined.

“The new test is more difficult,” says Korosh. “It relies less on test-taking strategies, such as elimination. Students need to deeply understand concepts from classrooms and how they apply these concepts to real- life situations.”

Students who attend Infinite Edge continue to be well prepared. Ozra says that the biggest problem she sees is that many parents wait too long to think about the SAT or ACT. She says that if students haven’t begun preparing for these tests before their junior year — which is when they need to take the test in order to apply for college — they simply run out of time.

She says a full program with Infinite Edge often takes eight months to a year, and cramming doesn’t get the same results as taking your time and going through the entire program. “We recommend one-on-one, customized test preparation,” says Ozra, “but we also offer group preparation courses.” Group courses have no more than six students (usually fewer) and are a more affordable way to prepare for the tests.

And, not only does Infinite Edge help students get into college with SAT and ACT test prep, they also help students with tests they need to get into post-graduate schools and programs, such as the GRE (Graduate Record Examination)/GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test).

No Contracts/Great Results

One thing that sets Infinite Edge Learning Center apart from its competition is that there are no contracts. “You come as long as you need us,” explains Ozra, “and you always get personal attention.”

Ozra says that her prices are lower than other tutoring centers in the area. “In fact, we haven’t raised our prices at all in more than seven years,” she says.

Tampa Palms resident Viola Wang says she recommends Infinite Edge. “My daughter started going several months ago, and she really enjoys learning there,” Viola says. Her daughter, Megan Zheng, is a junior at King High. “They really accommodate whatever she needs.”

Viola says Megan had taken the PSAT, then started test prep with Infinite Edge to get ready for the SAT this spring. Megan just received her results and, while she doesn’t want to share her score, Viola says Megan was, “happy and surprised she got such a great score.”

Viola says Infinite Edge also helped Megan when she needed some support in math. “She did a little bit of math (tutoring) and was able to stop when she felt like she could handle it herself,” says Viola. “Ozra is so flexible and accommodating. High school juniors have such a tough schedule and Ozra is great about adjusting to her needs.”

The success of youngsters like Megan is always great news to Ozra.

“I’m very proud of my students,” Ozra says. “When it comes to the end of the year and they’re getting good grades and high test scores, it brings me happiness.”

Infinite Edge Learning Center (17419 Bridge Hill Ct.) is open Mon.-Fri., 2 p.m.–8 p.m., and 9 a.m.–5 p.m. on Sat. Weekday morning hours are available by appointment only for students who homeschool or do online courses. For more info, visit InfiniteEdgeLearningCenter.com or call (813) 971-6500.

Wharton Valedictorian Jimmy Cannon Headed To Vanderbilt University

The last time Wharton High senior Jimmy Cannon says he took a non-academic elective at high school, it was orchestra his sophomore year. Since then, instead of taking music, weightlifting or art — like many of his peers — Jimmy has filled his schedule the last two years with electives that push him to reach his highest potential, such as physics and math. He even took college algebra after school two days a week. That, and a bioscience class, were the only classes he took that were not Advanced Placement (AP) during his senior year.

He says he wasn’t aiming for valedictorian — he just wanted to push himself to his own personal best — but that’s where he landed.

“I began the year in second place but thought I would probably fall behind,” Jimmy says. “I was hoping to hang on to second place, but what I really wanted was to be near the top of my class to get into a top-tier school.”

He succeeded at that, too.

Jimmy applied for early decision at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. He was accepted and has been provided with what his mom, Marie Cannon Burnard, calls a “generous” financial aid package that includes a work study program.

Wharton High senior Jimmy Cannon on his first day of school at Hunter’s Green Elementary.

Jimmy says, “We looked at a lot of schools and weighed the pros and cons but Vanderbilt seemed like the best fit overall.” He wants to study neuroscience and eventually go to medical school to become a psychiatrist. “Vanderbilt will be good for the neuroscience major,” he says. “I like the city of Nashville, and the community. It seems like a group of smart kids, but everyone seems friendly and nice.”

Jimmy says Vanderbilt recently hosted a “meet and greet” for students in the Tampa area who will attend this fall. Jimmy met several new friends and decided to be roommates in an on-campus dorm room with another student he met at the event.

While Jimmy worked hard to earn his weighted GPA of 6.93, he also worked hard outside of school, too. He has a job as a busboy at Liang’s Bistro on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and also works for his mom’s tutoring business. He doesn’t like to brag about himself, but his mom says he’s an avid volunteer who also gives of his time every weekend at Florida Hospital Tampa and with the New Tampa Young Life Capernaum program, which is based in Tampa Palms and provides activities for people ages 14-20 with special needs.

Moving out of state will be a big change for a guy who has lived in the same house in Hunter’s Green since he was two years old. “He’s a lifer,” laughs his mom, who used to teach kindergarten at Hunter’s Green Elementary (HGE). Jimmy attended HGE, then Benito Middle School before spending all four high school years at Wharton.

“I’m going to miss my friends I’m leaving behind,” he says, “and a lot of the teachers, especially the teachers who have become like friends.” He means teachers such as Christopher Hart, who Jimmy says makes AP Physics 2 his favorite class. “He’s a funny guy, and I just really enjoy him and his class.”

Marie says Jimmy — and his older sister Regina, too, who is now a junior studying nursing at the University of Tampa — have had great opportunities at their neighborhood schools.

“There are so many really wonderful teachers at Wharton,” she says. “Also, the students have the ability to get these courses. At some private schools, they cap how many AP classes you can take, but the sky is the limit at Wharton, and the guidance department is just fantastic.”

Ultimately, though, it’s something inside Jimmy that has propelled him to take advantage of the opportunities afforded to him.

“It’s an inner drive he has,” Marie says. “He always took the hardest classes he could, rather than playing it safe. Then, he balances all that hard work. Being a teacher, I want to help him, but he’ll go in his room and close the door and study for four hours, then come out when he’s done.”

“It’s been a struggle to juggle all of the APs,” Jimmy admits, “But, I did it.”

Just like his school work, Jimmy wrote his valedictorian speech behind that closed bedroom door. “I recounted my experiences and, moving on from that, I hope to inspire my classmates to understand their purpose and help others find their purpose, as well.”

When Jimmy gets the chance to give that speech in front of his peers and their families at graduation on Monday, May 22, at the Florida State Fairgrounds, his mom might just be the proudest parent in the room.

“Jimmy really overcame a lot,” Marie says. “For many years, I was a single mom and he was the little man of the family. I just thank God he’s a good kid and has a good heart.”

School Board Approves Rezoning Plan: New Tampa Families Brace For Changes

Note: This story has been updated since it was written for the May 19 printed issue of Neighborhood News.

The Hillsborough County School Board met on May 16 and approved a rezoning plan that has had many parents up in arms and many others pleased since it was announced in March.

The plan will shift hundreds of students currently attending Pride, Heritage, Hunter’s Green and Clark elementaries for the school year that begins in August, 2018.

After nearly 20 speakers addressed the Board (14 speakers in favor of rezoning and 4 speakers opposed), the Board discussed the proposal at length before voting 6-1 in favor of the rezoning plan. While acknowledging the inconvenience to some parents and the discomfort of change, the Board ultimately chose to move forward with the plan.

Prior to the vote, school district representatives discussed implementation plans that were released online May 4, allowing many families who don’t want to leave Pride Elementary an option to stay there.

• Students who want to move to their new school early, for the upcoming 2017-18 school year (instead of 2018-19, when the changes are proposed to take effect) will have a special choice application to do so between July 11-20, if capacity is available.

• Students currently in 3rd grade (who will be in 5th grade when the plan is implemented) will be allowed to remain at their current school by completing a special choice application.

• Because capacity is expected to be available at Pride, students currently in grades 1-3 at Pride will be eligible to enter a special lottery to remain at Pride for the 2018-19 school year. The lottery will be conducted based on available capacity (estimated 150 seats) and will likely be held next spring or summer.

• No preference will be available for younger siblings of students who fit the above categories.

• School choice will be closed for all schools involved in this proposal for the first year of implementation, with the exception of the special choice applications listed above and hardship applications, which will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

• Transportation is generally not provided to students who are “grandfathered” into their current school or those who choose to opt in to their new school early.

“At Pride, we know we’ll have some space available for some period of time while K-Bar Ranch is being built out,” says Lorraine Duffy Suarez, Hillsborough County Public Schools general manager for growth management. “As long as we have space to accommodate people, we try to, if it doesn’t have a negative effect somewhere else down the line.”

The update provided on May 4 also outlined a slight revision to the original proposal. Students who live in the Addison Park apartments at the corner of Cross Creek Blvd. and Kinnan St. will be moved from Heritage to Pride, to better balance the enrollments at those two schools.

This is in addition to the previously released changes, which make room for expected growth in K-Bar Ranch over the coming years by shifting students in the following ways:

• More than 550 students who are currently bused to Clark and Hunter’s Green from the area surrounding the University of South Florida move to schools in their neighborhood.

• More than 550 students move from Pride to Hunter’s Green (Arbor Greene and Cory Lake Isles residents)

• Nearly 200 students move from Hunter’s Green to Clark (residents of the Morgan Creek apartments)

• About 200 move from Heritage to Pride (K-Bar Ranch and Addison Park residents; Easton Park residents will stay at Heritage)

More information about the proposal and implementation strategies are on the school district’s website at sdhc.k12.fl.us/doc/251/growth-management/resources/boundary/.

Bell Schedule Changes

At its meeting on April 25, the Hillsborough School Board voted to approve changes to the bell schedule for the 2018-19 school year, giving parents time to adjust to new start and end times for most schools.

School superintendent Jeff Eakins says the changes are necessary to allow time for buses to get kids to school on time. The new schedule will add 15 minutes to the school day at the elementary level, which is expected to be filled with additional time for art, music, and physical education. Middle school students lose 15 minutes and high school students lose 32 minutes. Both middle and high schools will keep their seven-period schedules, but may see the elimination of homeroom, a shorter time for lunch, and class periods may be reduced by a minute or two.

For New Tampa elementary schools — including Chiles, Clark, Heritage, Hunter’s Green, Pride and Tampa Palms — the school day will start at 8:35 a.m. and end at 3:05 p.m. beginning in the fall of 2018. At Benito and Liberty middle schools, the school day will start at 9:15 a.m. and end at 4:15 p.m. At Freedom and Wharton high schools, the day will start at 7:15 a.m. and end at 2:10 p.m. Monday will continue to be an early release day, with students being dismissed one hour early.

For students at Turner/Bartels K-8 school, bell times for the 2018-19 school year are still “to be determined.” The District will survey parents this fall and release information about new bell times during the next school year.

Bilirakis Office In Wesley Chapel Now Open

U.S. Representative Gus Bilirakis (photo) has opened a district office in Wesley Chapel. Bilirakis represents Florida’s 12th Congressional District, which covers northern Pasco and Pinellas counties.

The office is available to serve as a resource for constituents seeking assistance with a federal agency, those who have questions about federal (not State of Florida) legislation, or people who would like to meet with the Congressman and/or a member of his staff. The office is located at 6013 Wesley Grove Blvd., inside the same building that is home to the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC).

Bilirakis’ Wesley Chapel office is open every Wednesday and by appointment the rest of the week. Constituents interested in attending office hours should call ahead to confirm a time at (727) 232-2921.

“I’m proud to announce the opening of my new office space in Wesley Chapel,” Rep. Bilirakis says. “Here, my team and I will be able to better serve the people of central and east Pasco, and make sure we are accessible to all parts of Florida’s 12th District. The Wesley Chapel office is ready to assist you, and I encourage local residents to come by and say hello.”

Intrinsic Wellness Clinic Is More Than Just Chiropractic Care!

Cathy & Dr. Todd Di Leo of the Intrinsic Wellness Clinic in the Windfair Professional Center off BBD Blvd. in Wesley Chapel

Todd Di Leo, D.C. (Doctor of Chiropractic) is the owner of the Intrinsic Wellness Clinic, located in the Windfair Professional Center, across Bruce B. Downs Blvd. from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC). Dr. Di Leo is a chiropractic physician and functional medicine specialist.

“In conventional medicine, you have a symptom, you see the doctor, the doctor tells you what medicine to take to stop the symptom,” he explains. “But, in functional medicine, we address why the body is manifesting this symptom. We ask, ‘What is the cause?’ Then, we address that cause.”

Dr. Di Leo has been in practice for 25 years. He earned his D.C. degree from the National College of Chiropractic in Lombard, IL, in 1992. He also holds two Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees, one in Human Biology, also from the National College of Chiropractic, and one in Human Kinetics & Exercise Physiology, from the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, in 1989.

He opened the Intrinsic Wellness Clinic nearly a year ago, saying that he’s pleased to be working in his own community. Dr. Di Leo and his wife, Cathy, who is the office manager for the practice, have lived in Seven Oaks with their two daughters for 11 years.

“I typically see people who are frustrated with having to take, ‘another pill for another ill,’” he says. “They’re tired of having five minutes with a medical doctor or a nurse practitioner and leaving the office with a new prescription or another increase in dose, which means now they’re dealing with side effects.” For example, “Maybe they’re sleeping nine or 10 hours at night , but they still feel fatigued.”

He says he can help those people who are wondering, “Why am I feeling this way? What is the root cause?”

Dr. Di Leo says, “My tools are different.” He explains his main tool is lifestyle management, which may mean managing a patient’s diet, stress and exercise, and the use of therapeutic foods, natural supplements and herbs to restore normal body function. He says patients are often willing to make changes, but they need to know how. “We can give them a 10-minute exercise — or maybe even a three-minute exercise — to help them relax, but they need to be educated to know that there are tools that are that easy.”

Cancer Support, Too

In addition to functional medicine, Dr. Di Leo also focuses on cancer support.

“We offer a state-of-the-art blood test that we brought to Wesley Chapel,” he says, noting that there are only about 400 practitioners offering this test in the entire U.S., and none in Wesley Chapel or New Tampa. People with a high risk for cancer can request the test, but more often, he sees patients who have recently been diagnosed with cancer.

“The test detects cancer cells circulating in the blood,” explains Dr. Di Leo, adding that it provides information about the number of cancer cells, and also the type of cells. “The lab does sensitivity testing to test the cancer cells against 50 chemotherapy drugs and 47 natural substances. It determines a ‘kill rate’ of how each substance kills the particular cancer cells in a patient’s blood.”

He says this is great information that patients can take back to their oncology team. While some oncologists will hesitate to leverage these results, because best practices in oncology may favor a different protocol, Dr. Di Leo believes that’s temporary.

“There is so much research happening in supplemental and complementary medicine, that I expect it to come to a point where this will be more mainstream,” he says. “For example, there is a ton of research supporting using mushroom extract to fight cancer.”

For people looking for a more natural and alternative approach, Dr. Di Leo explains that primary care also is part of the scope of the practice at Intrinsic Wellness.

He says an initial appointment with him usually takes at least 60 minutes. “We want to get a complete picture of who you are and what your body’s been through.”

Tina Danielson, who lives in Watergrass, is a patient of Dr. Di Leo’s who has benefited from the doctor’s approach.

Danielson explains that she’s taken medicine for hypothyroid — or an underactive thyroid — since high school. Recently, she had new symptoms, including blurred vision and dizziness, “and just a complete lack of energy,” she says. Her regular doctor said her new symptoms weren’t related, so that’s when she found Intrinsic Wellness.

She says Dr. Di Leo first tried things that didn’t work to cure her dizziness, such as chiropractic adjustments and changes to her diet, but then, “Dr. Di Leo continued to delve into it,” she says, and showed her exercises she could do. “The exercises took care of the dizziness within a few days. I don’t need to do them now, but if the dizziness ever starts again, I can just do those exercises again.”

She also says that the draw to Dr. Di Leo was knowing that he’s committed to finding the root cause of her problems.

“I don’t want to take medicine for the rest of my life,” she says. “I’ve already taken it for 20 years. Now, we’re doing bloodwork and working with my diet to find the root cause of this. I want to find what I can do to get better for the long haul, not just for the next month.”

Dr. Di Leo agrees, and he makes himself available to Danielson and all of his patients. “We are high touch and high availability,” he says. “I give my patients my personal cell phone number and exchange text messages with them.”

Dr. Di Leo also is an active athlete who has competed in Ironman triathlons and marathon road races, including his favorites in New York City and Chicago. He also is a certified strength and conditioning coach and USA triathlon coach.

In his practice, he often sees athletes, especially endurance athletes such as long-distance runners and triathletes.

“I always tell newbies that anyone can do it,” he says. “You need proper guidance and proper nutrition, but it’s worth it because you get an amazing sense of accomplishment. It’s a very elite accomplishment, because only a small percentage of the population actually accomplishes this.”

Dr. Di Leo often speaks to different audiences in settings such as “lunch and learns” and says he is available to talk about health and wellness to cancer survivors or other community groups.

The Intrinsic Wellness Clinic is located at 2808 Windguard Cir., Suite 101. It is open by appointment only. To make an appointment for a free 15-minute consultation, call Intrinsic Wellness at (813) 549-3551. For more info, visit IntrinsicWellnessClinic.com.