HGE’s Amanda Palmer Among Final Four For Hillsborough Award

Amanda Palmer

Of the nearly 250 nominations that came in to the Hillsborough Education Foundation for the Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year award, Hunter’s Green Elementary (HGE) teacher Amanda Palmer was named one of just four finalists considered for the award this year.

And, although she didn’t take home the prize on Jan. 21 (at a ceremony held at Blake High School in Tampa with a mostly virtual audience), she says she was thankful just to be considered.

“I feel so honored and grateful,” she says. “First, that the Hunter’s Green staff nominated me, and then to know it went to the District level, it blows my mind.”

Palmer teaches students with varying exceptionalities (VE), working with students in the regular classroom who need additional support because of a diagnosis or disability. The students are part of a regular class, and Palmer comes in to their classrooms to help them be successful in that inclusive classroom environment.

“I’m like their biggest cheerleader,” she says.

Palmer says that she was completely shocked back in December, when Mike McCollum, chief advancement officer with the Hillsborough Education Foundation (HEF), and a parade of administrators and others told her the big news that she had been chosen as a finalist.

“When they came to the school to surprise me, I said, ‘Is this real life?,” Palmer says.

The Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year is one of three awards given out each year by HEF. 

The foundation explains that Ida S. Baker became Cape Coral High’s first principal in 1977 who went to on to become the first African-American to serve as Deputy Superintendent for the Florida Department of Education (DoE). She was known for her efforts to support diverse students and encourage academic success and, after her passing in 1992, the DoE created this statewide award in her honor.

For the award, each school in Hillsborough County may nominate one teacher who “embodies the pioneering spirit of Ida S. Baker by going above and beyond to meet the needs of our diverse student population.”

The other two annual awards given by HEF are Teacher of the Year and Instructional Support Employee of the Year.

All 11 schools in New Tampa submitted a nominee in each category (see next page). This year, Palmer was the only New Tampa nominee to be chosen as a finalist.

When Palmer was a student at the University of South Florida, she interned at HGE as a first grade teacher. She then filled in temporarily as a VE teacher, and says she fell in love.

“I never knew this position existed,” she says. Palmer got certified in order to be the school’s VE teacher, and even went back to USF to earn a Master’s degree in Exceptional Student Education. She has spent her entire teaching career — nine years now — as the VE teacher at HGE.

She says she loves the way her job allows her to work with not just the 22 students currently included in her caseload, but also with the other students in the classrooms she supports.

While Palmer was able to bring a limited number of guests to the awards ceremony with her, all her other supporters, family and friends watched online in a virtual watch party “room” just for her. Each of the other finalists had their own watch party rooms, too.

About the whole experience, Palmer says, “I think it’s pretty amazing. All for just doing something I love.”

Wesley Chapel’s Outstanding Seniors

The Outstanding Senior Award is given to one senior each year in Pasco County on the basis of academic record, service, leadership, citizenship, and evidence of commitment to school and community. The award is selected by a panel of School Board employees and community members. Congratulations to this year’s Wesley Chapel representatives.

MATTHEW RAVENNA, CYPRESS CREEK HIGH
Extracurricular Activities: Varsity Basketball, Student Government Treasurer, National English Honor Society, Creative Photography for Conservatory of the Arts and Painting.

Scholarship: I consider myself scholarly because I have been on the “A” (Principal’s) Honor Roll since I can remember. I have dedicated many hours of studying to prove to my teachers that they are doing a great job. I have always wanted to make sure that each teacher understood that I cared about their class and wanted to excel. I have enjoyed being able to teach my peers if they needed help and conversing with my parents about my accomplishments.

Service: I volunteer for numerous organizations because I believe it is necessary to give back to your community. I genuinely care for those in need. With more than 165 volunteer hours, I have worked many sporting events, delivered beds to ABC families, parked cars for fund raisers, worked basketball camps for fund raisers, helped with Special Olympics, provided photography for football team videos and assisted students with classwork and homework as a Pack Leader for two years.

Citizenship: I strive to be an outstanding citizen by being a positive role model for my peers. In basketball, church, friend gatherings, or school, I present myself in a respectful manner, which many of my coaches and teachers have acknowledged. In fact, if I needed assistance from any of my previous coaches or teachers, they would be there with open arms; as I have done the same through respect, and an open mind—ready to learn.

LYNN ASARE-BEDIAKO, WIREGRASS RANCH HIGH

Extracurricular Activities: Band (percussionist), Orchestra (violinist), Unity Club, National Honor Society and Key Club.

Scholarship: Currently ranked 2nd in my class, I have a weighted GPA of 4.65. I received the AP Scholar with Distinction Award for passing my AP exams with a score of a 4 or higher. 

I will be graduating with my Associate in Arts college degree as a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and an AP Capstone diploma. I also placed 2nd in Engineering at Pasco’s Regional Science Fair for my sound engineering project. 

Service: With 200 volunteer hours, I regularly engage with nonprofit organizations that help serve low-income communities, elderly communities, and raise awareness and profits for our local arts programs. I play violin during the holidays for Metropolitan Ministries, (participate in) gift-wrapping events, and perform at memorials, funerals, festivals and celebrations at my church. I also volunteer at Feeding Tampa Bay and at numerous other events annually through Key Club. 

Citizenship: Through Unity Club, I strive to be respectful to all and help others in need through our anti-bullying and mental health awareness campaigns. Honesty, responsibility, and civility have been instilled in me by my mother and through the pillars of our disciplined band etiquette. 

As a first-generation American, I understand the privileges that come with being a citizen and I always aim to be an active and upstanding one.

SYDNEY BAUER, Wesley Chapel

Extracurricular Activities: National Honor Society, Varsity Girls Soccer Captain, Yearbook Editor-in-Chief, Pack Leader and Positive Coaching Alliance.

Scholarship: Being a good student means completing assigned work on time and being willing to mentor and help my peers. As a pack leader, I tutor underclassmen and provide them with the tools that have helped me get to where I am today. 

Success in the classroom has always been something I have been willing to work hard for. I believe that with hard work, you can do anything you set your mind to.

Service: Service builds character and allows one to be more aware of their surroundings. Service provides opportunities to experience life through another point of view. While providing service, a huge goal of mine is to inspire those I am helping. I dedicate a lot of my time working with younger students by tutoring, motivating, and driving them to greater achievements. Knowledge and success lead directly to growth in and out of the classroom.

Citizenship: Over the last four years of high school, I have been an active journalism member, editor-in-chief, a member of National Honor Society, and an active Positive Coaching Alliance member. Through my participation in all extracurricular activities and philanthropy, I have been able to share my knowledge and experience to those around me. A key factor to my contributions to the community and the classroom starts and ends with providing service to others.

Library Gets $1 Million For Design

A rendering of the new library planned near Seven Oaks Elementary.

The Pasco County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) has okayed $1 million for the design of Wesley Chapel’s second library.

The consent item sailed through with barely a discussion at the BCC meeting on Dec. 8.

The roughly 20,000-sq.-ft. library is expected to be built in front of Seven Oaks Elementary, off of Mystic Oaks Blvd., inside the Seven Oaks community. The land already is owned by Pasco County and was set aside in 2014 as part of the development agreement for the Seven Oaks DRI with the intention that  it would one day house a Pasco County library.

“I think this is a huge deal,” says District 2 County Commissioner Mike Moore, who represents much of Wesley Chapel and is a Seven Oaks resident. “This is the fastest-growing area of Pasco County, and when you have more residents, you have more needs.”

Wesley Chapel’s only existing library — the New River Branch Library on S.R. 54 near Zephyrhills — although it has been closed for the past year while undergoing a major renovation.

Moore said the designer of the new library should be chosen by summer 2021, but the construction bidding process and permitting ensures the library won’t be finished until late 2024, or early 2025.

Moore has said the whole project could cost roughly $10 million.

“This will be a lot more convenient (for many Wesley Chapel residents),” Moore says. “The needs of the community have changed. It’s not just about books. It’s also about the ‘maker spaces,’ meeting rooms and a safe place for kids to congregate, whether they are reading a book or on a computer. This won’t be your old school library.”

Pasco County Libraries has put a lot of effort into reimagining their existing libraries. The New River Branch Library is getting an improved community garden and covered learning space, while others have woodworking and sewing workshops, music studios and even a robotics lab.

“It’s way too early to say what this new one will have,” Moore says. “It might be a new technology that hasn’t even been invented yet. A lot can happen in three years.”

How About Two Libraries For Wesley Chapel?

Wesley Chapel has been without a library for more than a year since the only previous location, the New River Branch Library on S.R. 54, began a major facelift.

That facelift, which will feature areas for teens and children, remodeled bathrooms, new furniture, an improved community garden and covered learning space, should be completed by January, but that hasn’t stopped District 2 Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore from looking ahead to another library for the area.

“I think the time is right,” Moore says, pointing to the massive growth the area has witnessed in recent years, as well as the tens of thousands of homes still planned for the future.

Moore pitched the idea to his fellow county commissioners last week.

As usual, it will all come down to finding the money to build what Moore expects would be roughly a $10-million endeavor.

It may be a few years away, but plans to add a second library in Wesley Chapel are proceeding. The rendering above shows the outdoor lounge.

The land already is owned by Pasco County, Moore says. It is right in front of Seven Oaks Elementary, off of Mystic Oaks Blvd. In 2004, that parcel was set aside as part of the development agreement for the Seven Oaks DRI with the intention that the county would use it for a future library.

In September, Moore was able to secure funding for a concept design for the 20,000-sq.-ft. facility. Renderings of the possible library show plenty of meeting spaces inside and outside, as well as large glass windows that overlook the wetlands that would be behind the library (above).

Now, he is proposing a larger expenditure, probably close to $1-million, to fund the actual design of the library.

After that, “We’ll look at all possible resources to get it built,” Moore says.

Bob Harrison, the Pasco County Libraries marketing and communications program manager, says it could take 3-4 years to bring the project to fruition. He agrees that Wesley Chapel’s rapid growth warrants a second library.

“We definitely look at the growth areas and Wesley Chapel is probably the fastest growing area in Pasco County and has been for some time,” he says. “It definitely could use another library based on its population growth.”

Many of the county’s libraries have been refurbished and received updated maker spaces. For example, the Regency Park Library in New Port Richey has a test kitchen, the Hudson library has a recording studio, and both were decided on by local residents. 

Harrison says the Wesley Chapel community will decide what special features to put in a new library via focus groups and meetings.

“As far as I know, (Moore and his fellow commissioners) are certainly committed to making it happen,” Harrison says. “Of course, funding is always a question, but I know at this point they are moving forward with it.”

Although the New River Library is still closed, it’s still available as an early voting site for this year’s General Election. For info, visit PascoVotes.com.

High School Fall Sports Season To Be ‘Challenging’

At our press time, Freedom High was expected to open its 2020 football season on Sept. 11, hosting its New Tampa neighbor and archrival Wharton High, but the toughest opponent for both teams to combat that night likely wasn’t each other.

It was Covid-19.

And, that doesn’t just go for football. Avoiding the virus is arguably the biggest challenge facing teams across Hillsborough County (and the country), as high school athletes, their coaches and administrators try their best to remain socially distant and safe in what is certain to be the strangest prep sports season ever.

“It’s going to be very…what’s the word I’m looking for? Intensive,” says Wharton athletic director Eddie Henderson “It’s going to be a lot of work.”

The county is following all CDC guidelines for sports and also has issued its own 18-page guide, which covers everything from daily cleaning and sanitizing to quarantining and tracing those who become infected. The rules, which include the difficult-to-enforce ban on handshakes and high fives, seek to prevent a major outbreak of the virus.

Social distancing will be the key to keeping crowds at athletic events from spreading the virus.

One of the rules that will make football feel very different is that the bands and cheerleaders will not be permitted to travel to away games. That means that when the Wharton Social Distancers traveled to take on the Freedom Social Distancers, they had to leave behind some of their loudest and most ardent supporters, not to mention a group that is woven into the very fabric of the Friday night football experience.

The crowds will be smaller. A limited number of fans will be allowed into sporting events like football and volleyball this fall — players (and band members) are allowed to choose only four spectators, but they have to be registered on a list at least a day before each game, so they can be issued electronic tickets. Each player’s foursome will be a “spectator pod” and will be required to sit together.

Fans, who must wear masks in the stands, will find seats clearly marked off in groups of four, socially distant from other pods.

The biggest hurdle, however, will be keeping the athletes healthy. If an athlete tests positive, he/she and anyone in close contact with them will be quarantined for 14 days. That can wipe out any team’s roster in a hurry.

Football will be a huge challenge, due to the unavoidable closer quarters presented by bus transportation and the sheer number of players (often ranging anywhere from 50 to 80 or so) cramming into small locker rooms.

The football teams at Hillsborough and Jefferson high schools have already had infected players and, as a result, may not be able to play the first two weeks of the season.

“I’m holding my breath, and the reason is that, when we’re putting this many people together, you just don’t know,” Henderson says.

While football is the biggest concern, every sport will present its own set of issues. 

For example, cross country will have to stagger its starts to avoid large gatherings of runners from multiple schools. Volleyball players will be expected to avoid the traditional high-five after every point, and swim meets with multiple teams may be hard to find. In fact, Wharton’s usual “home” pool at the New Tampa YMCA is not permitting the Wildcats to host any meets there.

Provided that high school sports can make it all work under such unique and demanding circumstances, middle school sports will not begin until the second quarter, with track starting first on Oct. 12, followed by flag football and volleyball on Oct. 19.

“Everything is so uncertain,” Henderson says. “Are we gonna be able to push through or will there be a setback? I hope we can push through — I want to see the kids play. They have suffered enough the last six months with (the 2019-20 school year) getting cut short, and the makeshift way of doing school. I hope we push through.”