The chart above shows the letter grades received by all eleven public schools located in New Tampa after both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years.Â
As the 2024-25 School Year gets under way, schools are learning how they fared last year, according to state measurements.
The Florida Department of Education (FDoE) released school grades for the 2023-24 school year on July 24, assigning a “B” grade for Hillsborough County Schools as a whole. Hillsborough has maintained a B rating since 2016.
All of New Tampa’s schools earned either an A, B, or C grade.
While eight of the 11 New Tampa public schools maintained the same grade as last year, Liberty Middle School improved from a B to an A. Two schools dropped a letter grade, with both Heritage and Tampa Palms Elementary (TPE) schools moving from an A to a B.
TPE principal Angela Gluth explained the disappointing letter grade change.
“While we look forward to the results of state testing, we were disappointed to have missed an A grade by 1 percentage point,” she says. “However, the scores that make up the state grade do not fully represent the growth and progress we have seen our students make throughout the course of the school year.”
She explains that TPE actually showed gains in proficiency for math students in grades 3-5 and also in 5th grade science, when compared with the previous school year. She says the school also, “celebrates the growth of student learners in primary grades, which are not reflected in the school grade report.”
Gluth adds, “We are excited to start this new school year and can’t wait to build on the achievements our students have made.”
Five New Tampa schools maintained their A status, including Benito Middle School, Chiles Elementary, Clark Elementary, Hunter’s Green Elementary and Pride Elementary.
Benito’s history of As goes all the way back to 2002.
Principal Brent Williams says it’s definitely a team effort that helps create such consistently excellent performance.
“I’m extremely proud of the kids,” he says, “and we also have an awesome staff here. They work extremely hard and we always try to provide opportunities for kids to think outside the box and make school fun.”
Williams says a new opportunity for student growth this year is that Benito is now a Cambridge Lower Secondary School. This is an affiliation that already had been established at Liberty.
The Cambridge Lower Secondary designation helps prepare students to take Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) courses in high school. Upon completion of an AICE diploma, which is offered at both of New Tampa’s high schools, a student receives a Florida Bright Futures scholarship, which can pay for up to 100% of college tuition.
Williams says the hard work of teachers and students at Benito, and the support of families, is what helps the school continue to grow and improve every year.
Hillsborough County Superintendent of Schools Van Ayres echoes this sentiment in a statement about school grades.
“We couldn’t have done this without the Hillsborough County community,” he says. “We are excited with our momentum and are ready for the new year to start so we can continue our work.”
The friendly, professional staff at Esthetics813-The Spa at Saddlebrook Resort includes (l.-r) Gabi Diaz (guest relations), esthetician & brow artist Lorena Muñoz, esthetician Cassidy Sirmans, spa director & esthetician Kyymara Rosey Scott, esthetician Makya Kendrick & senior spa coordinator Valeria Medina. (Photo by Charmaine George)
There are only a handful of true resort spas in the Tampa Bay area, icons such as Safety Harbor Resort & Spa and Innisbrook. Guests staying at these spas are in for much more than a quick massage or facial at a strip mall. Instead, they experience a true resort where they can relax by the pool, eat lunch on the terrazzo and get away for complete rejuvenation.
Now, Wesley Chapel’s only resort spa is open once again at Saddlebrook Resort, thanks to Kyymara Rosey Scott, owner of Esthetics813.
After the Saddlebrook spa closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it sat motionless for almost four years. That was until September of last year, when Kyymara reopened the 7,000-sq.-ft.. space, now known as Esthetics813-The Spa at Saddlebrook, located at 5700 Saddlebrook Way, a short drive from S.R. 54 near Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. through the Saddlebrook neighborhood.
Local residents and resort guests alike can experience a variety of luxurious spa services, including massages, facials, skin treatments, waxing, microdermabrasion, brow sculpting, spray tans and more in one of the spa’s 14 treatment rooms.
Indulge yourself with a luxurious spa facial!Â
“We’ve been able to make the spa super cozy and intimate,” says Kyymara. “Every person who works here knows the clients come first. We stay on top of our game as far as how we make people feel, helping them improve themselves esthetically, and how they feel inside.”
She says that in addition to spa treatments, she also offers workshops and events to help people truly experience wellness. “It’s not just applying lipstick,” she says. “It’s everything, feeling whole on the inside and the outside.”
Kyymara explains the spa’s slogan, “Look Great Bare-Faced Naked.”
“When you’re not wearing makeup, you don’t have to put up walls and barriers and filters,” she says. “Who you are is enough to make you great.”
Often, she says, guests look in the mirror after a treatment and say, “What did you do? I look so beautiful!”
But Kyymara insists all she does at the spa is reveal someone’s natural beauty. “This is you,” she says. “That glow is your happiness.”
The Move To A New Location
Kyymara opening her original location of Esthetics813 in the Windfair Professional Center in Wesley Chapel in 2013. As her business grew, she needed a larger space and, in 2019, Esthetics813 moved to a storefront on BBD at County Line Rd.
Just a few months later, she had to close the doors and wait out the pandemic.
Although she was able to reopen Esthetics813, Saddlebrook struggled to do the same. Kyymara had had her eye on the resort and knew that if anyone could make the most of the spa’s potential, it was her.
Walking into that long-dormant space was emotional for Kyymara.
Relax with a glass of champagne at the spa’s outdoor area.Â
“It was like going into a museum,” she explained. “Everything was the way it was when they told them to close. There were rooms with bowls set up for facials and manicure materials that had sat there for four years.”
She was thrilled when she was able to come to an agreement with Saddlebrook to reopen Esthetics813 at the resort, which finally happened in September of last year, after months of updating and refreshing the space.
Although Kyymara was originally hoping to keep the location on BBD open, she ended up closing it, acknowledging it was too hard for her personally to run both locations.
She says the Saddlebrook location offers much more for her guests anyway.
“In terms of space and privacy, it’s totally different,” Kyymara says. “We have different types of saunas and a wet room where we can do true body scrubs and wraps. I can give my guests everything they need in terms of wellness — massages, body scrubs, facials and more — whether they come in for an hour or the whole day. It’s so versatile.”
The staff includes senior spa coordinator, Valeria Medina, and spa manager, Arely Rosas, plus four massage therapists, four estheticians — including one who specializes in both makeup and permanent brow makeup, a manicurist and a cosmetologist.
While Kyymara’s husband, Kurt Wickiser, isn’t technically on staff, she says he is hugely supportive of the business, including serving as the de facto maintenance man, fixing anything that breaks or needs attention.Â
Kyymara says that most of her clients from the previous location have moved with her to Saddlebrook. Although it’s a little harder to get to, they love it once they try it.
Among the 14 treatment rooms at Esthetics813-The Spa at Saddlebrook are the infrared sauna (above) and the licensed massage room (Below)
“It’s a gorgeous drive,” she says. “You get through that gate and it’s a beautiful two and a half minutes until you get to the spa and hand over your keys.”
The spa is valet only, with Esthetics813 paying for the valet service with any spa service of one hour or more.
Once you enter the spa, your treatment begins with 30 minutes in the sauna to just relax.
“Slow down, put on a robe, and sink in to the sauna,” she says, “then come in and get your service.”
While this level of luxury may seem out-of-reach for some, clients say the prices are extremely reasonable. Kyymara offers discounts and contests for free services on social media, and also offers a program to give bonuses to guests who refer friends.
Melissa D. is a client who started at Esthetics813 in 2015 and moved with Kyymara twice.
“When I leave, I feel absolutely gorgeous,” Melissa says. “You feel like you’re in the lap of luxury for a reasonable price.”
She says the drive is farther than the previous location, but it’s quicker than you think.
“And then, when you get there, it’s just a beautiful place,” Melissa says. “You’re by the golf course, you can go swimming in the pool, you don’t have to worry about parking. You just go down the steps and it feels like a grand experience.”
She says her facials are always customized just for her, with remarkable results.
“When you feel good,” Melissa says, “it really does affect all of the areas of your life.”
Nathan Erickson got his first facial when a girlfriend gave him a gift certificate as a gift.
“Now I go every month,” he says. “It’s always a great experience. Kyymara is so easy to get along with, and the results are amazing!”
In fact, he says, sometimes he doesn’t even book a specific facial. He comes in and lets Kyymara suggest the best treatment for his skin.
“It was already awesome,” he says, “and the new location is even better.”
Esthetics 813-The Spa at Saddlebrook Resort is open Mon., Wed., Thur. & Fri., 10 a.m. –6 p.m., and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sat. & and Sun. For more information, follow “Esthetics813 – The Spa at Saddlebrook Resort” on Facebook or Instagram, call (813) 474-4486, visit Esthetics813TheSpaAtSaddlebrook.com.Â
The chart above shows all of the letter grades received by all 18 public and charter schools located in Wesley Chapel after both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years.Â
The Florida Department of Education released school grades for the 2023-24 school year on July 24, assigning a B grade for Pasco County Schools. Pasco has maintained a B rating since 2017.
Superintendent Kurt Browning said in a release, “We are incredibly proud of our students, teachers, and staff for their hard work and dedication. These grades show that we are on the right track, and our efforts are paying off.”
All of Wesley Chapel’s schools earned an “A,” “B” or “C” letter grade, along with 85 percent of schools throughout the county.
While the vast majority of Wesley Chapel schools maintained the same grade as last year (14 of the 18 schools stayed the same from 2023), only one improved by a letter grade — Pinecrest Academy K-8 school, which improved to an A from last year’s B, while three dropped a letter grade, with Quail Hollow and Veterans elementary schools moving from a B to a C, and Sand Pine moving from an A to a B.
In a letter to Sand Pine families, principal Angie Shauger explained the disappointing change. “We missed the A grade by just one point, scoring 61 when the cut score for an A was 62,” she wrote. “While this news is disappointing, it is important to recognize the hard work and dedication that our staff and students have shown throughout the year.”
She said she’s “very proud of all the progress we have made and the commitment everyone has shown” and is optimistic that Sand Pine will earn an A again next school year.
Five schools maintained their A status, including Seven Oaks Elementary, Union Park Charter Academy, John Long Middle School, Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation, and Wiregrass Ranch High School. While Kirkland Ranch has earned an A both school years since opening in 2022, Wiregrass Ranch’s history of A ratings goes back to 2018.
Principal Robyn White says it’s a team effort that creates such consistent excellent performance. “The teachers work really hard and the kids are very motivated to do well,” she says. “They take what the teachers are providing them and make use of that.”
She says the grade is maintained by encouraging success across the board, not in just one area, but in English, math, social studies, science and more. One area of measurement is the school’s graduation rate, which was an impressive 97 percent for 2022-23, the year that was evaluated for this year’s school grade.
White says that her goal has always been to get a 100-percent graduation rate. She plans to retire from Wiregrass Ranch at the end of the 2024-25 school year, so she has one last chance to hit that mark.
“We look at each individual student and do what’s best for kids,” she says. “I firmly believe that’s why we’re an A school.”
When you visit The Primary Care of Wesley Chapel, located off Wesley Chapel Blvd. in Lutz, you’ll meet the team of (l.-r.) Alexis, Megan, Scarlette and Maggie. (Photos provided by Primary Care of WC)Â
Scarlette Owens, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, has spent her entire career caring for patients. First, as a nurse in obstetrics and gynecology, then as a nurse practitioner.
With decades of practice in the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel area, the word has gotten out that Scarlette is a knowledgeable, experienced primary care practitioner who listens to her patients and treats them with compassion and care.
When Scarlette found herself at a career crossroads, the timing seemed perfect for her to open a new primary care practice of her own.
So, Scarlette joined fellow nurse practitioner Megan Dudley, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, to open The Primary Care of Wesley Chapel just after Memorial Day weekend of this year. The office is located in the new Cypress Bend Professional Park, off Wesley Chapel Blvd., next to Harley Davidson of Wesley Chapel.
The letters behind their names mean Scarlette and Megan have advanced credentials and participate in ongoing training to treat both female and male patients, ages 18 and up. They have each received a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree, earned credentials as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) and have earned Board certification as family nurse practitioners (FNP-C) by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board.
Both Megan and Scarlette say they were looking for more flexibility in their work/life balance and thought that opening a new practice, with each of them as part owner, would give them that opportunity.
Megan, as the mom of 10-year-old twins, wanted a schedule that would allow her to chauffeur her kids to soccer games and figure skating practice. Scarlette, after 18 years in internal medicine as a partner at a local Florida Medical Clinic office, was looking to slow down with a schedule that allowed her to work just four and a half days each week.
As a member of the clinical faculty at the University of South Florida, in Tampa, Scarlette says she has trained many nurse practitioners.
“I made a big leap to leave all of that behind,” she says, adding that she had signed a contract to work for a company that was putting primary care practices inside of Walgreens pharmacies. At the last minute, that company pulled the plug on the practice and told Scarlette they no longer had a job for her. She attempted to return to primary care, but the right fit wasn’t available, so she started working in urgent care for Florida Medical Clinic.
“I loved the crew there,” Scarlette says. But, she also says that her former patients were tracking her down, asking her where they could see her for primary care again.
“It was very humbling,” Scarlette says. “You’re busy doing your job, so you don’t realize how much your patients appreciate you and want to see you.”
In addition to Scarlette and Megan, The Primary Care of Wesley Chapel has two employees who are both cross-trained as front desk staff and medical assistants, Alexis and Maggie. Scarlette says she expects them to become the leadership team as the practice grows.Â
Megan and Scarlette look forward to being your primary care providers, too.
There also are two other providers in the office. Fellow Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Patricia Moore, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, is a part-time provider who focuses on women’s health. While she’s trained as a primary care provider, Patricia can take the time to have more lengthy conversations surrounding women’s issues and problems, such as hormones, bladder issues and contraceptives.
And, occupational therapist Irfan Choudhry, OT/PTA, is expected to offer occupational therapy services at the practice starting in a couple of months.
Scarlette and Megan say they are both focused on being available, accessible and good listeners, proactive in decision making and taking care of people.
“So many people can’t get in to their primary care provider for six months,” explains Scarlette. Or, she adds, they may have an urgent issue — such as an infection or low blood sugar — and they’re told they can wait three weeks for an appointment or go to the emergency room, because those are the only options.
“They don’t feel cared for,” Scarlette says. “I saw it from the urgent care perspective. All these people were there because they couldn’t get into primary care.”
Telehealth Benefits
So, at The Primary Care of Wesley Chapel, the team has Telehealth appointments available every day. If someone is on vacation and needs antibiotics or has high blood pressure or is having an allergic reaction, they can speak to a health care provider right away.
“We are small, but that’s what makes us special,” says Megan. “We know our patients expect us to have knowledge and experience but we also want to have kindness and personal interactions. I hope people feel listened to, heard and valued. That’s what we’re here to do.”
Megan says she often has patients she recognizes from her kids’ school or activities in the community, since she and her husband have lived in Wesley Chapel for more than 10 years now.
“We live here, we’re raising our kids here, we go to church here and they go to public school here,” Megan says. “We’re entrenched in our community, and I love that I’m home from work in less than 15 minutes.”
Scarlette says it means a lot to her that her patients continue to seek her out.
“As a former OB nurse, I have patients who remember that I was the one who told them they were pregnant, and I’m still seeing them,” she says. “And now, those babies I delivered are all grown up and sometimes I see them, too.”
One of Scarlette’s long-time patients is Donna, who asked that we not use her last name. She says she first met Scarlette nearly 20 years ago.
“She is always so responsive and caring,” says Donna. “When I first became her patient, she spent so much time going through my chart, making sure she was very familiar with everything. She really listens and doesn’t just run in and out of the room.”Â
Donna says she’s already seen Scarlette at The Primary Care of Wesley Chapel for both an in-person well check and sick visits via Telehealth.
“The whole staff is so personable,” Donna says. “They seem so genuine and caring. And the office is beautiful.”
The Primary Care of Wesley Chapel accepts many major health insurance plans, Medicare and some plans from the “Obamacare” marketplace. Patients also can self-pay if they don’t have insurance.
The Primary Care of Wesley Chapel is located at 2935 Pearson James Pl., off Wesley Chapel Blvd. It is open Mon.- Fri., 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. For appointments or more information, call (813) 991-4243 or visit PrimaryCareWesleyChapel.com.Â
(Above, l.-r) Jeffrey Schroeder, Stephen Michelini, Zack Chandler and Mary Wharton Schroeder at the Wharton High graduation, where Zack honored the memory of Mary’s father, Paul R. Wharton, the man for whom the school was named. (All photos provided by Hillsborough County Public Schools)
Wharton High senior Zack Chandler was at a baseball game with his teammates this spring when he noticed that every one of them had the same name on the backs of their jerseys.
In fact, it was on all of the jerseys for all of the sports at his school — and on a lot of other shirts, too. They all said, “Wharton.”
Of course they did, since that’s the name of the school they all were attending.
It hit Zack that although he vaguely recalled that Wharton High was named after someone, he had no idea who that person was or why he was chosen to have a school named after him.
So when Zack, who was the school’s 2023- 24 senior class president, was given the honor of speaking at his graduation ceremony on May 25, he knew what he wanted to do.
Rather than talk about himself, Zack wanted to find out who exactly Paul R. Wharton was, and why Zack’s school was named after him.Â
Photos of Paul Wharton
“I did some research and found out what a cool guy Mr. Wharton was, and how he affected the community,” Zack says. “I wanted to make a metaphor out of it. Don’t take things that you have every day for granted.”
He learned that Wharton retired as the assistant superintendent for Hillsborough County Public Schools, after serving as principal of both Plant and Robinson high schools. He started in the county as an innovator who advocated for vocational and technical schools in the District, and also served as principal of the Brewster Vocational Technical Institute.
Wharton did all of that after starting his career teaching in a one-room school house in Springfield, KY, and then serving in the U.S. Army before moving to Tampa.
Zack found that Wharton had passed away in 2009, but Zack wanted to invite Wharton’s family members to his graduation to hear Wharton honored in front of the student body.
Mary Wharton Shroeder is Paul’s daughter, and she attended the ceremony, along with her husband Stephen Michelini and her son Jeffrey Schroeder. She says this was the first time anyone had approached her about recognizing her dad at the school.Â
Zack Chandler during his graduation speech
Mary and her family were seated in the graduation ceremony’s VIP area and were honored when Zack acknowledged them from the podium. “I was delighted,” she says. “I know what an amazing man Daddy was, and all the things he did for this community. It’s just a wonderful thing.”
She says that if her dad had been able to address those students at Wharton, he might have told them it’s important to choose carefully who they emulate. They should choose their role models wisely, because who they look up to will make a huge difference in who they become.
“It made me so proud of him to receive the recognition that he so deserved,” Mary says. “He never asked for the recognition, but he earned it because he helped to shape our community. He was always a leader and had a great sense of humor.”
It’s been more than 25 years since Wharton High opened on August 21, 1997, so it’s understandable that today’s graduating seniors had never before heard of the man for whom their school was named.
