Once again, every school in Wesley Chapel but one received either an A or B grade from the state, including John Long Middle School (an A school for the 13th consecutive year, and Sand Pine Elementary (an A school for the 19th time in 21 years). Also, Wiregrass Elem. earned its first-ever A & the Union Park Academy charter school has received an A after its first full school year.
In Pasco County, learning doesnât stop when the bell rings at the end of the school day. From robotics to clay sculpting, and from Spanish to Zumba, students in several schools will again have access to innovative options after school that are fun and engaging, focused on skills the students want to acquire.
Two such pilot programs are being expanded onto three more Wesley Chapel campuses for the 2019-20 school year. Pasco Countyâs successful âExplorationsâ program for elementary school students will be offered at Seven Oaks Elementary and âBeyond The Bellâ for middle school students will be offered at both John Long and Thomas Weightman middle schools.
For parents of middle school students who previously did not have an on-campus option for care after school, Beyond The Bell brings a program that keeps kids active and engaged after the school bell rings. It was started in two Pasco County middle schools (Rushe and River Ridge) last year, both located outside of Wesley Chapel.
Beyond The Bell is a fee-based program that is available every day from the time school gets out (which may vary) until 6 p.m. âStudents get group tutoring by certified teachers, âtechno time,â where they work on projects or research, plus clubs, socialization and enrichment programs, which change every seven weeks,â says Carlotta Mathis, the Enrichment Specialist in Pasco Countyâs After School Enrichment Programs department. âThat enrichment is everything from hip-hop and jazz dance, to robotics, to life skills.â
She explains that a wide variety of life skills are taught, such as home economics, culinary skills, babysitting and even staying home alone, as well as economics and math, where students are taught basic banking, including how to write a check and balance a checkbook.
Each school will offer both physical activities, such as sports and dance, and life skill enrichments, plus STEAM activities such as robotics. Students will be offered all the different units at some point throughout the school year.
âOur pilot program went well and we had good numbers, (last year)â explains Mathis. âThere were relationships built with school staff and students, engaging activities going on all the time, and we felt like it was time for us to move it to the next level.â
Itâs Elementary, Too
While Beyond The Bell is expanding at the middle school level, Explorations is expanding to a new elementary school.
Explorations is a program that started at Wiregrass Elementary last year, giving students who did not need full-time care after school the opportunity to participate in a weekly enrichment class immediately after school, available four days each week.
Students attend just one or two afternoons per week and learn skills and topics that are asked for by families at the school. In fact, the idea to bring Explorations to Seven Oaks came from a parent.
Seven Oaks principal Shauntte Butcher says parent Senthil Sundaresan requested the program after hearing it was offered at Wiregrass. âHe wanted something really fun, that looks more like a club,â Butcher explains.
As working parents, she says Sundaresan and his wife were looking for more activities to be available on campus for students. Instead of picking children up from school, taking them to some kind of class, sport or enrichment activity, and then picking them up there, the Explorations program allows kids to enjoy a worthwhile activity and parents just one pick-up time and location.
â(Explorations) is a win-win for parents and students,â says Butcher. âItâs something fun after school and another learning activity that helps make children more well-rounded.â
She says students at Seven Oaks will be able to choose from a variety of after-school classes that will include dance, Spanish, cooking, sports, coding/robotics and Zumba. Each class lasts for seven weeks and the classes offered change each quarter.
While these programs are being expanded into three more Wesley Chapel schools, there is still more room for growth. Mathis is willing to expand her officeâs programs to other schools, if the principals want it and if surveys show that parents are interested.
To view all of the available programs and register for those that are currently open, including Explorations at Seven Oaks and Wiregrass elementary schools, plus Beyond The Bell at John Long and Weightman middle schools, visit Pasco County Schoolsâ department of After School Enrichment Programs (ASEP) at myASEP.com.
It started out as a little box, meant to hold 175 books, to be distributed to those who needed them
In just two years, however, it has turned into something so much more.
While initially launched as a relatively simple Girl Scout Silver Award project, incoming Freedom High freshman Elaine Feaster now has distributed more than 7,000 books to four elementary schools in Tampa, the Salvation Army, Metropolitan Ministries and the PCAT (Parents & Children Advance Together) family literacy program.
Her impact led her to be recognized by the Hillsborough County Council Parent Teacher Association/Parent Teacher Student Association (PTA/PTSA) as their âMiddle School Student of the Year.â
And, the awards keep getting bigger.
Just a few weeks before she is to begin high school, Elaine will be honored with a state-wide designation when she receives the Florida PTA Student Advocate Award, which is given to one middle school student in Florida who through his or her creativity, leadership and dedication, has positively affected policy or change in their school or community in a way that aligns with PTAâs mission and goals.
Feaster will receive her award at the Florida PTA Award Celebration Luncheon on Saturday, July 20, in Edinburgh Hall at the Innisbrook Golf and Spa Resort in Tarpon Springs.
âWhen I found out, I was just like, wow,â Elaine said. âI was surprised. But I am honored. It makes me feel good that even though I never thought of getting awards for this â itâs not why I did it â itâs nice to be recognized. No matter how young you are, you can make an impact in your community.â
Elaine just completed eighth grade at Liberty Middle School.
As Liberty PTSA president Shari Burress explains, Elaineâs project was one of the main reasons why she was chosen for the award.
âIt just keeps blossoming and growing, and she just keeps taking it on,â says Burress. âShe doesnât think twice, and she never complains about the work. Sheâs always looking for the next opportunity to help.â
Ellen Lyons, the 2018-19 vice president of council operations for the Hillsborough County Council of PTAs/PTSAs, was responsible for overseeing the awards process.
She says she didnât personally judge the category that Elaine won, but she speaks on behalf of all of the judges who did review the Middle School Student of the Year nominees.
âThere were many outstanding applications,â Ellen says. âIt was an embarrassment of riches to see how many quality students there are doing great things in the schools.â
She says Elaineâs project stood out because of her collection site at the New Tampa Family YMCA, which the judges thought was a smart strategy, and her strategy to get the books into the hands of students who need them the most.
âIt was well executed,â Ellen says.
Elaine, a volleyball player for years at the YMCA, was volunteering as an assistant coach and set up a site for book donations, which she figured she could empty each week when she went there for games.
She was stunned, though, that the large box was overflowing every time she showed up. âI would collect all the books (after each game) and put them in the car, and the next week, thereâd be more books,â Elaine says. âIt was an exciting feeling that the community was helping.â
Elaineâs mom, Jane, says one reason Elaine was so passionate about her project is that she had a lot to overcome to be a successful student.
âIâm very proud of Elaine and all that she has accomplished,â says Jane. âBack in elementary school, she was diagnosed with a reading disability. I was very concerned for her going into middle school being a number and another face in the crowd. I couldnât be any happier with what the school and the administration and teachers and what theyâve done for her. Sheâs a different kid from when she entered to when sheâs leaving. Itâs remarkable.â
Elaine has become well known for her project. In fact, even when the initial project was completed for her Girls Scout silver award (she is in Troop 1247), people kept asking if she was still accepting donations.
âOur garage was filled with books,â says her mother Jane, laughing. âWe still have probably 300 books in there right now.â
No matter who asked, Elaine simply couldnât say no.
âElaine has a really kind heart and is always thinking of others,â Burress says. âSheâs very involved at the school and is one of those kids who other kids look up to, as far as whatâs the right thing to do.â
Liberty principal James Ammirati agrees.
âElaineâs a phenomenal student,â he says. âSheâs respected on campus by her peers and by the faculty and staff. She has a heart for service, and thatâs her passion.â
He also describes Elaine as humble and says she doesnât seek attention for the good things or works she does.
In addition to winning Hillsboroughâs Middle School Student of the Year Award, Elaine was recognized with a âCertificate of Excellenceâ from the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards because her volunteer activities were judged to be among the top 10 percent of all those considered in the State of Florida.
Also, based on the number of volunteer hours she performed, Elaine received the âPresidential Volunteer Service Awardâ and a letter from the White House.
She says sheâs simply trying her best each day to be a good student and a good friend to all those around her.
Elaine isnât done with her book project. She intends to continue in Girl Scout Troop 1247, which meets at St. James United Methodist Church on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in Tampa Palms. As a high school student, she can begin work on her Gold Award.
Her summer project included creating a website â ScoutingForBooks.com â and she now puts a stamp on the inside of each cover that says âRead. Share. Repeat.â with the websiteâs URL.
She wants her project to have a lasting impact, and hopes that those who read the books she has collected will notice the stamp and pass them on to others.
Elaine is happy that her project touched so many lives, but she encourages those around her to realize they donât need a big project to have a positive impact.
âThere are different ways that you can make a difference,â Elaine says. âIt doesnât matter how big or small, as long as you made an impact on one personâs life. For me itâs thousands of books I donated to children, but also the ways Iâve helped people at my school by being a good friend to everyone.â
While the halls at Wharton High are mostly filled with teenagers, thereâs a brightly colored preschool-sized playground adjacent to the front parking lot that may seem a bit out of place on a high school campus.
Itâs actually a symbol of a unique learning opportunity that benefits both high school and preschool students.
A handful of preschoolers arrive on campus four mornings a week for a program called âWee Wildcats,â named after Whartonâs mascot.
The program has been a part of the school for two decades, bringing together high school students who want to learn about early childhood education with preschoolers whose parents appreciate the low cost of the program and the attention their children receive.
âItâs been phenomenal,â says Marissa Harris, whose four-year-old son, Cohen, was in the program last year. This fall, Cohen will return to Wee Wildcats, and heâll be joined by his younger sister, Charleigh, who is three.
Wee Wildcats is offered Tuesday through Friday, from 9:30 a.m.-11:55 a.m., for children who turn three by September 1 of the year they enroll, until they go to kindergarten. Parents pay just $40 per month per child.
Marissa says she was nervous at first to leave Cohen in the care of high school students, but she decided to give it a try because itâs so affordable.
And, she says, Wee Wildcats quickly exceeded her expectations.
âCohen is so comfortable and heâs learned so much,â she says, which is why sheâs opting to bring him back for another year. In addition to his ABCs and 123s, Marissa says Cohen has learned how to spell his name and put letters together to form words in an environment he loves.
The Right Teacher
Wee Wildcats is led by Whartonâs early childhood education teacher, Erin Heilman, who doubles as the preschool director and has credentials to teach students in both age groups. The preschool only accepts 15 students at any one time to meet proper ratios for the one adult in the room â although they are considering hiring a second adult to make room for more students â but several high school students are the ones who actually lead the preschoolers through their day, which closely follows Floridaâs VPK (voluntary pre-kindergarten) curriculum.
Wharton students in the first year of the program, typically freshmen, do bookwork in the classroom during times when there are no preschoolers in attendance. As they progress through their sophomore, junior and senior years, they begin to alternate bookwork with planning lessons and teaching the preschoolers in their care. The students design the lessons for the preschoolers, then lead them throughout the day.
Meanwhile, the bookwork they complete prepares them to earn a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential from the State of Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) once they turn 18. Some students may immediately begin using this license to teach in a preschool. For others, itâs a stepping stone to future goals.
Alexis Fernandez is a senior at Wharton who says she wants to teach elementary school after college. She is entering her fourth year of the Early Childhood Education program at Wharton.
She says her freshman year, before she was allowed to work with the kids, was âamazing,â as she learned how to âdeal with kids.â
âItâs very difficult teaching small kids,â Alexis says. âThey get distracted easily, and get upset a lot, too. I understand that, but without the program, I donât think I could handle it. Really, itâs all about patience and learning how to be strict, but also calm and understanding.â
Alexis says the kids prefer the arts & crafts and hands-on activities. Heilman says she will continue to add science-based activities. For example, the preschoolers observed the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly last spring, and they will plant a garden this fall.
Heilman has been leading the program less than a year. She took it over late last fall, while it was undergoing a transition. She had been hired at Wharton as a technology teacher in the business department, thanks in part to the MBA (Master of Business Administration) degree that she holds from the University of Phoenix, Tampa campus.
She had previously taught middle school history and then third grade at the Turner Bartels K-8 school and was excited to move to Wharton, where her son is a junior.
One day, when a newly-hired teacher didnât show up for work, administrators called on Heilman.
âI didnât even know we had a preschool at Wharton, but I was the only one on campus with an early childhood certification,â Erin explains. âSo, I ran down there and greeted the parents.â
She says several days later, she was offered the position.
Heilman says it feels like her dream job, and brings together many of her skills and passions. She asks rhetorically, âHow lucky am I that I get (to teach) these incredible high schools students, as well as preschool?â
For example, Heilmanâs business background helps her coach high school students who might want to open their own preschool one day. Not only do they need to know how to teach preschool-aged children, Heilman also can help them create a business plan.
Sheâs also elevating the program to be much more selective, where it was previously open to any interested student.
For the 2019-20 school year, only 45 Wharton students were chosen for the program, out of 130 who applied.
âI want only the best of the best working with these preschoolers,â Heilman says. âThey have to be highly qualified with a high GPA, no tardies, no suspensions, and two teacher recommendations. Ultimately, I always think, âWould I, as a parent, leave my child with that student?ââ
For the students who were chosen to be in the program this upcoming year, the answer is a resounding âyes!â
âI think itâs a great program for the community,â Heilman says. âIâm so proud of these high school kids. If I had known about Wee Wildcats when my son was that age, I would have put him in it.â
For more information about the Wee Wildcats preschool program at Wharton High, visit http://wharton.mysdhc.org/Programs/Wee%20Wildcats/ or contact Erin Heilman at Erin.Heilman@sdhc.k12.fl.us.
Getting books into the hands of those who want to read them has gotten a little easier for New Tampa residents, now that a Little Free Library has been installed and opened to the public outside the New Tampa Family YMCA.
Raequel Tomsich, who serves as vice president of communications & public relations for the GFWC (General Federation of Womenâs Clubs) New Tampa Junior Womanâs Club (NTJWC), explains that a Little Free Library is a no-cost book exchange for the community. She says itâs part of a global phenomenon, with more than 80,000 of these community exchanges registered in 91 countries around the world at LittleFreeLibraries.com.
Raequel says she fell in love with the idea of a Little Free Library when she saw one while on vacation in Bryson City, NC, last summer. When she returned home, her New Tampa Juniors club was discussing ways to support a statewide project of the GFWC called Book Heroes that aims to get books into the hands of 10,000 children each year.
The GFWC New Tampa Junior Womanâs Club is a local nonprofit group that is part of an international organization committed to community service. Its members volunteer in the local community, raise money to support the clubâs efforts, and meet monthly to discuss business, complete a hands-on service project, and plan upcoming events.
Club members decided to install a Little Free Library in Tampa Palms to support the statewide reading initiative.
They researched plans and obtained a GFWC Focus on Literacy grant provided by the Procter & Gamble Company to help with expenses.
Little Free Libraries can look very different, but most are some variation of a wooden box. The New Tampa Juniors chose plans that resemble a house shape, with two shelves inside for books. Itâs raised off the ground on a post.
Itâs also a personal project for Raequel, who says her father used to do woodwork and taught her husband, Mike, who has now used those skills to build the library structure. Her kids helped to install it.
âIâm so proud of it,â she says.
Club members collected books for children and adults alike. They were thrilled when the New Tampa Family YMCA, located at 16221 Compton Dr. in Tampa Palms, agreed to allow the Juniors to install the library on its property.
The library works on the honor system and anyone can take a book or leave one.
âItâs our hope that people who borrow books also will contribute,â says Raequel. âIt doesnât matter if the same book makes it back, but itâs just great if you can take one and share one.â
Raequel says response has been great and that books are borrowed several times a day. She is a member of the YMCA and visits frequently and says she can tell the Little Free Library is being used by the number of books that are taken from it each time she visits. She also sees books being added to the library, and hears from the YMCA staff that their members tell them they like and appreciate the library.
âI donât think we could have picked a better location,â says Raequel. âYou donât have to be a member to use it, but the Y has so many members. And now, with summer camps at the Y, more people who didnât know it was there before will see it and start using it.â
The club is committed to ensuring that the library is maintained and restocked as necessary. Raequel says she and other club members add books to the library several times a week.
Because books are borrowed so frequently, they need to be replenished often. Books can be donated by leaving them in the library outside the YMCA. They can also be donated by contacting the club through its Facebook page at Facebook.com/GFWCNewTampaJuniors or find contact information at GFWCNewTampaJuniors.org.
âI love reading and the idea of getting books into the hands of kids,â says Raequel. âEspecially in todayâs world, with everyone usually on their electronics, itâs good to get people reading.â