Tough Choices For Wesley Chapel Parents

School is returning this fall, one way or another, and area parents have some tough choices to make. Those decisions only get harder with each passing day.

On June 18, Pasco County schools announced that parents will have three choices when classes resume in August. The deadline to choose had been July 1, but it was extended to Wednesday, July 8, the day after this issue reached your mailbox. 

The three choices are as follows:

* A return to traditional, brick-and-mortar schooling, with special social distancing and enhanced disinfecting measures implemented, as well as mask requirements.

* Pasco eSchool, a franchise of Florida Virtual School (FLVS), which writes the courses that are taught by Pasco County teachers. Students work on assignments during non-traditional hours, with contact with teachers and classmates during web-based class sessions and other technology.

* A hybrid version of traditional & virtual school, being called “mySchool, for students not yet comfortable returning to campus, but who want to remain connected to their schools. 

Students will attend scheduled classes every day via their computers, with synchronous class meetings. Students will have access to teachers during regular school hours, and attendance is taken daily. 

As parents wrestled with these difficult decisions, the number of Florida’s positive Covid-19 tests skyrocketed, raising new concerns and doubts, resulting in the deadline extension. 

Superintendent of Schools Kurt Browning, who announced the Pasco Schools plan, revealed just a few days later that he had tested positive for Covid-19. And, the coronavirus-related death of a 17-year-old Wesley Chapel High rising junior was being investigated by the Medical Examiner’s Office.

The Neighborhood News spoke with three parents, each of whom made different choices prior to today’s deadline. Each parent we spoke with stressed that they would reassess their choice as the pandemic played out, but they were each ready to move forward with what they felt worked best for their respective families. 

The Willis family (l.-r.: Ethan, Chloe Alicia & Will) chose the “mySchool” hybrid option for their family for the 2020-21 school year. (Photos: Charmaine George)

Alicia Willis – mySchool

Alicia Willis considers herself an optimist when it comes to Covid-19. She’d like to think the virus will die out or become more manageable before schools re-open in August, or that a vaccine will be found.

But until then, she’s not quite ready to send either of her kids, a rising first grader and a rising fifth grader, back to Sand Pine Elementary.

Instead, she chose the mySchool option for her children, which will allow them to attend school remotely and still follow the standard school schedule and bell times.

Alicia also strongly considered Pasco eSchool, where students work on their own schedules with different teachers than they ones they had in traditional school.

“Going back to brick and mortar was eliminated (for us) immediately,” she said. “I do think they did a great job with the choices.”

Unlike Pasco eSchool. Alicia’s kids still will be learning along with their usual classmates and teachers.

“It was important to me that they get to have the teachers they are familiar with,” she said, adding that she thinks mySchool will make the transition back to regular school, should it come in January, much easier.

Alicia says her kids adapted well to online schooling this spring, and she didn’t mind doing the teaching. But, she also says that her kids asked often about their friends and teachers at school. 

Even before the three choices for the fall were put forward by Pasco County Schools, Alicia had decided her kids would be staying home this fall. 

And, she said, the rising number of positive Covid-19 cases in late June, just before the July 8 deadline, made her more confident in her decision.

“I believe it will make some parents think twice and possibly reevaluate their decisions,” Alicia said. “Parents going back to work may not have another choice. I’m blessed to have the choice that I have.”

Kelly McDowell, with daughters Avery (left) and Audrey (right), has chosen the traditional brick-and-mortar school option for the 2020-21 school year.

Kelly McDowell – Traditional School

Kelly McDowell started online learning at her house at 8 a.m. every day. She says her third and fifth graders were expected to be up and ready to work. It took only a few hours each day for them to complete their assignments. Sometimes, they would work a little extra so they could have Friday off. 

An accountant who is happy she is fortunate enough to have a flexible schedule, Kelly enjoyed her extra time with her kids.

But, Kelly said it could never replicate the benefits of a classroom at a brick-and-mortar school. When it came to making her choice, Kelly chose a traditional setting for her children, and plans to send them back to New River Elementary in August.

“I really feel the social aspect, and face-to-face interaction, is really valuable for them,” Kelly said. “They need structure if school is going to be beneficial (for them).”

Kelly says her job is flexible enough that she could continue to work at home. So, she did seriously consider the online options, and while she says that mySchool may not be feasible for her family, Pasco eSchool (see next column) “might still be in the back of my mind,” due to its more structured format.

But, Kelly’s kids like their mom’s choice. It was what they wanted.

“The kids were very, ‘I wanna go back to school,’” Kelly says. “I told them they would have to wear masks, be extra vigilant and worry not about just themselves, but others, too. They were very adamant about going back.”

With the potential for school openings still more than a month away, and Covid-19 unfortunately dominating the recent news headlines in the Sunshine State, Kelly says she reserves the right to change her mind. 

“If Florida becomes the new New York,” she says, “then that decision is going to change.”

When it came to deciding what to do for the 2020-21 school year, Samantha Billington (left, with daughter Alanah and son Travis), chose online options.

Samantha Billington – Pasco eSchool

Samantha Billington didn’t have just one decision to make, she had two.

Her son, 11-year-old Travis, enjoyed his online learning experience last spring when he could no longer attend Union Park Academy.

Her daughter, 15-year-old Alanah, not so much.

As a high schooler at Wesley Chapel High (WCH), Alanah was eager to get back to school to be with her friends. Initially, Samantha thought she would keep Travis home, and let her daughter return to traditional school.

But, the news on Covid-19 just got worse.

“As time went on and we not only had a rise in cases but also a tragic loss of a boy that went to the same school as (Alanah), we decided it was best to postpone the traditional school setting,” Samantha said. “My kids going to school, being in a building with thousands of people five days a week just doesn’t make me feel comfortable.”

That was “heartbreaking” for Alanah, who will do mySchool this fall, with the hopes of returning to the WCH campus in January. But, Travis will do Pasco eSchool, and Samantha said he already has decided he wants to do that for the whole school year.

“We chose FLVS (Florida Virtual School) because we wanted a wider range of options,” Samantha said. “It is all winging it at this point, and we will adjust as needed.”

 Samantha is able to work from home, so it made sense for the kids to learn at home. She is confident her children can still have normal social lives via technology and with friends in the neighborhood. 

“This virus is not going to just disappear,” Samantha said. “It will be around for a long time and until we have trusted environments, like enforced social distancing and regular sanitizing, or a medical solution, then I feel very confident it will remain an issue.”

Lima Brings The ‘World’s Best Cuisine’ To New Tampa!

Even though I lived or worked in New York City — where you can get pretty much any type of food you like at almost any hour of the day or night — for more than a decade, I had never been told that of all the different types of Latin and South American cuisines out there, Peruvian food was among the best in the world — and actually was named #1 by Bloomberg.com in 2017.

It wasn’t until long after I first moved to Florida and met (and had dinner with) people from Peru or tried a Peruvian restaurant that I started to get the message. And, once I did sample the uniquely delicious cuisine of the Land of the Incas at an excellent Peruvian place in the Carrollwood area a few years ago, however, I realized that I had been missing out on something delicious all these years. 

What I didn’t know, however, was that New Tampa would soon have its own Peruvian restaurant — named Lima, for the capital of the seventh most populous metropolitan area in the Americas.

Lima Rotisserie Chicken & Peruvian Cuisine owner Oscar Escudero and his family have brought a truly unique gem to the Publix-anchored New Tampa center plaza on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., in the location previously occupied by El Pescador Mexican Seafood, although they, of course, finally got the place open just a couple of weeks before Covid-19 shut down the local economy in March.

Peruvian rotisserie chicken.

Start With The Chicken?

Even so, Oscar and his family and staff have been able to recently reopen Lima with a loyal following of customers who can’t get enough of Lima’s signature dishes like the Peruvian rotisserie chicken, which can’t be compared with anything you’ll find at Publix or Costco for tenderness, taste or the crispy, amazing skin. Jannah and I had to avoid the skin one time during the pandemic because we were still in the weight-loss phase of our diet — and honestly, we regretted it. It’s a must-try and it definitely is at its crispy,  lip-smacking best when you dine-in.

Speaking of that, the inside of Lima is small, casual and appealing, and there are some other dishes that just can’t be as good for takeout or delivery as they are when you eat at the restaurant.

Conchitas Parmesana, or baked scallops on the half shell.

The one that springs instantly to mind are the uniquely beautiful and savory Conchitas Parmesana, or baked scallops on the half shell. It’s an order of four large sea scallops in butter, lemon juice and a thick topping of parmesan cheese.

I told Oscar that the only thing missing from this dish is a great, crispy bread or toast points because there’s enough cheese and butter left over after eating each scallop to make another whole appetizer.

Ceviche de Pescado

Another dish that traditionally is served as a starter (in Lima’s case, it’s a large, shareable dish) that I already can’t live without is the Ceviche de Pescado, or diced fresh fish of the day ceviche (snapper in the top photo on the next page), which is raw chunks of fish in a traditional marinade of seasoned lime, aji rocoto peppers, julienne red onions and lots of cilantro. It’s served with a side of traditional Incan corn (with those large, thick kernels that soak up the sauce and taste so yummy) and a couple of slices of sweet potatoes. 

The fish ceviche also is available as a trio, with the same amount of marinated fish divided into three smaller portions, each with its own delicious sauce — one with an aji Amarillo (pepper) cream, one with a rocoto cream and one with cilantro cream — all different and each so good in its own way. 

For those of you who don’t share my shellfish allergy, the ceviche also is available “de Mariscos,” or with mixed seafood (fish, shrimp, mussels and calamari).

Another favorite is the Lomo Saltado Lima, which is a hearty dish of beef tenderloin tips wok-sautéed with spices, sliced onions, fresh tomato wedges, cilantro and a touch of soy sauce and vinegar served over a bed of crispy French fries and with a side of white rice.

Peruvian Chinese?

What do the Peruvians know about wok-searing? Apparently, a lot! Peru is as far west as you can go in South America, so according to Oscar, when the country built its railroad to go from the desert coast of Lima on the Pacific Ocean to and through the Andes mountains that divide the north from the south of the country, many Chinese engineers and builders came across the Pacific and settled in Peru. 

They brought wok-fired cooking with them and Lima (the city) became a hotspot for dishes that look and taste a lot like your favorite Chinese lo mein and fried rice

Arroz Chaufa

The lo mein is called Tallarin Saltado de pollo (although you can have it with steak or seafood) and features pulled “a la brasa” (rotisserie) chicken, with sliced onions, tomatoes and cilantro blended with delicious lo mein noodles, soy sauce and vinegar. The Arroz Chaufa (fried rice) has scallions, egg and a distinctively nutty taste and is topped with crispy noodles.

Speaking of side dishes, the black beans and rice, salad and fried yuca all get high marks, especially the unique (there’s that word again) spicing of the black beans. 

And, while the rotisserie chicken (available in 1/4-, 1/2- and whole chicken portions, each with sides) is probably still the biggest draw at Lima, there also are other delicious starters, sandwiches and two kids platters for only $7 each. 

When you dine in, you also owe it to yourself to try the ice cold Cusqueña golden lager beer of Peru and/or the Inca Cola, even though Coca-Cola came in and bought out the original Peruvian company. I also can’t even tell you how good the Alfajores are, but they’re cookie sandwiches topped with chocolate and powdered sugar and filled with dulce de leche creme. Decadent.

Lima (19062 BBD) is offering 15% off any take-out or dine-in order with the coupon on page 35 of our latest New Tampa edition & offers delivery through Grubhub, UberEats & Doordash. For info, call (813) 304-0205.   

Nibbles & Bites: Oronzo and Grain & Berry!

Open To Rave Reviews!

Owner Dan Bavaro of Bavaro’s Pizza & Pastaria in South Tampa, as well as the new Oronzo Honest Italian in New Tampa, which recently opened.

There hadn’t been very many new businesses opening in either of our distribution areas until the last couple of weeks of May, when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gave the OK  for the state to move into Phase 2 of his reopening plan. 

Since then, New Tampa has seen a nice little flurry of activity, with the Taaza Indian Mart, F45 Training at Highwoods Preserve and other finally getting to open their doors.

We also told you about Michi Ramen opening next to F45 in Highwoods last issue, and now, we’re also thrilled to announce that the fast-casual concept known as Oronzo Honest Italian has opened next to Michi Ramen in the former Men’s Wearhouse location facing Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., at 18027 Highwoods Preserve Pkwy.

Oronzo is almost like a Chipotle or poké-bowl-style setup, but instead offers truly delicious, affordable Italian food, including some beautiful Neapolitan-style “piatto” pizzas, piadina bread sandwiches and even a delicious tomato basil soup. But, the thing that has me sold from Day One on Oronzo is the freshly-made pasta, which is served in dishes like the spaghetti with pesto and lots of grilled chicken shown far left. 

Owners Dan Bavaro of Bavaro’s Pizza & Pastaria in South Tampa and his partner Bob Johnston of Front Burner Brands (which owns The Melting Pot) also serve some delicious sausage and meatballs (managing editor John Cotey calls them “Amazeballs”) and a variety of sauces for the fresh pasta, as well as a signature orange juice drink. There’s even gluten-free, zucchini noodle and vegan options.

For more information, call (813) 405-4008 or visit Oronzo.com.

Meanwhile, perhaps the most anticipated variety of new eateries is coming to The Village at Hunter’s Lake plaza anchored by the new Sprouts Farmers Market. 

But, even though Sprouts won’t open until August, Grain & Berry has opened the tenth location of a growing Tampa Bay area-based chain in the same plaza.

If you love açai, spirulina or pitaya bowls served with incredibly fresh fruit and other toppings, Grain & Berry (8638 Hunters Village Dr.) is the place for you. I’ve only had a chance, so far, to sample the “Relax, Eat, Repeat” açai bowl with fresh bananas, strawberries, crunchy organic granola, peanut butter, Nutella, honey and crushed nuts, but it was so delicious and even though a little pricy ($10), it’s big enough for more like four servings.

For more info, call (813) 210-7569 or visit GrainandBerry.com. — GN  

Business Notes: F45, Coding and Taaza Mart!

Matt Joyce (above) has played 12 seasons in the major leagues, signing most recently to play this year for the Miami Marlins, but he knows he can’t play baseball forever.

A big part of his transition into expanding his post-baseball portfolio kicked off June 13, with the Grand Opening of F45 Training off Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in The Walk at Highwoods Preserve, next to some new restaurants (see page 34).

Joyce, an opening day starter in the outfield for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2009 and a Rays All-Star representative in 2011, his wife Brittany and business partner Blair Johnson have bought into the F45 Training franchise, and the New Tampa location is the first of theirs to open. Another location at Sparkman Wharf in downtown Tampa is just beginning construction, and Joyce expects to open another three by the summer of 2021.

Although the New Tampa F45 Fitness has been open since May 23, with attendance limited by Covid-19 restrictions, the Grand Opening capped the first week at full throttle for the fitness center, which stresses Functional 45-minute workouts; hence, F45.

The music was booming, instructions were barked out and dozens of fitness-minded folks went through high intensity workouts throughout the day, as Joyce expressed delight at the turnout.

“Getting it open is really the silver lining in all of this,” said Joyce, who has been a constant presence at the center since Major League Baseball postponed spring training Mar. 12. “It’s been a whirlwind offseason.”

During spring training with the Marlins, Johnson was making sure the build-out at F45 was going smoothly as Joyce handled the administrative duties. But, with no baseball, Joyce became a fixture at the New Tampa location and currently works out alongside members.

Joyce and Johnson met by chance at Armature Works (north of downtown), where they ended up having a discussion about fitness. Johnson asked Joyce if he had ever heard of F45, which piqued his interest. 

After a few workouts at the Land O’Lakes location, the former Ray was hooked. The idea of owning a franchise (or a few) was appealing, and the New Tampa location was an 18-month project.

“I’m wired more for stuff like business, real estate and finance,” Joyce says. “I enjoy that side of things. So, it was a perfect combination.”

Founded in Australia in 2011, F45 is high-intensity, low impact training and, according to its website, is the fastest-growing fitness franchise in the world. The smaller, more specialized instructor-led group workouts are similar to what competitors like Orangetheory and Row House do, but with what Joyce says is a greater variety of exercises, as F45 boasts more than 35 programs consisting of more than 1,300 different exercises.

Joyce says the new location is continuing to grow an already solid membership base, and many of the classes, even the 5 and 6 a.m. classes, have had great turnouts.

“We’ve crushed it,” Joyce says. “We really believe in it, people are enjoying it and we are getting fantastic reviews. I think a lot of people are going to like it.”

Tell Joyce, Johnson and the staff at F45 (18035 Highwoods Preserve Pkwy.) that you read about them in Neighborhood News. For more info, call (813) 560-4047. There also is a separate new F45 Training located at 10701 Cross Creek Blvd. For info, call (813) 522-5332.

CRACKING THE CODE: While Grain & Berry has the distinction of being the first business to open in the new Villages at Hunter’s Lake plaza, TheCoderSchool New Tampa (8632 Hunter’s Village Rd.) wasn’t far behind.

Although TheCoderSchool didn’t begin its summer camps until June 22, the learning center held its sneak preview event on June 13, the same day Grain & Berry opened.

Owned by Mike and Lesly Ramirez Olavarria, TheCoderSchool is a franchise focused on teaching kids to do computer coding year-round. Founded in 2014 with its headquarters in Silicon Valley, CA, the school offers after-school classes and summer camps for those interested in learning computer languages like Scratch, Python and Java.

At the New Tampa location, there are classes for kids ages 7-18, who will learn to code and do things like build apps and present their projects at a Coder Fair.

The teachers are professional coders, professionals who teach coding and computer science students at the University of South Florida, depending upon the level of class in which the student enrolls.

Many of the classes have a 2-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio, to enhance learning.

“We’re both in the IT field,”  says Lesly (far right in photo above), “and coding has helped in our careers. We want to pass that on….it’s another tool for your tool belt.”

While the summer classes are in person, Lesly says the fall classes will depend upon what happens with the Covid-19 situation. The school has been able to hold online coding classes, and may continue to do so if the pandemic causes another disruption during the 2020-21 school year.

That hasn’t stopped people from calling to sign up, however. “The phone has been ringing off the hook since we scheduled the Grand Opening,” Lesly says.

Those who do call can get 25-percent-off their first month of classes, and a discount is available for summer camps as well. Lesly says she understands many have been affected by Covid-19, but she will try to work with anyone who is interested in classes. 

For more info, call TheCoderSchool New Tampa at (813) 422-5566.

TAAZA INDIAN MART OPENS: Taaza Mart is now open in the Market Square at Tampa Palms plaza, occupying the former Staples location.

The first thing you notice when you walk in? It’s spacious, and feels much larger than its 16,500 square feet.

The all-Indian grocery will be a welcome addition for New Tampa’s large Indian population, with its wide selection of fresh produce like Indian eggplant, dosakai, dudhi and others.

It also offers Halal meats and there is an ample supply of various spices, as well as the largest selection of multiple varieties of basmati, sona masoori and ponni rice around.

In the back of the store, a small café serves hot food from a South Indian menu that includes a dozen different types of dosa and an Indo-Chinese menu with various chicken and chili dishes, as well as curry fried rice and curry noodles. There also is a bakery.

Taaza Mart (6260 Commerce Palms Dr.) has been open for just over a month, and is open Mon.-Thur., 11 a.m.-7 p.m., and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Fri.-Sun. For more information, call (813) 564-8100 or visit taazamartfl.com.

What, If Anything, Can We Do About Systemic Racism?

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor talks with members of the community who showed up in the wake of George Floyd’s death to march for peace and racial justice.

I would be lying if I said I understood how people of color in this country feel every day about being black or brown in America.

Gary Nager
Editorial

So while, like most white Americans, I personally don’t care what color the people were who died recently at the hands (and knees) of law enforcement officers were black, brown, green or any color, religion or orientation, I completely understand the outrage being felt again by so many of us who witnessed what amounted to the recent public executions of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks.

As everyone surely knows by now, Floyd — who was killed about four weeks ago by former Minneapolis Police Office Derek Chauvin as three other now-former officers watched — was being arrested (but not resisting arrest) for passing a counterfeit $20 bill at a store.

Three weeks later, Brooks was shot dead by now-former Atlanta Police Officer Garrett Rolfe after trying to run away from being arrested at a Wendy’s. Although Brooks certainly did resist arrest and tried to run away from the scene, the fact he stole the Taser from one of the officers and fired it at them from a distance makes his situation different from Floyd’s, but still begs the same nagging question:

If either of these men were white, would they still be alive today?

Yes, I believe all four cops (the others let him be killed) shown in a video thankfully released the day after Floyd was killed should go to jail for murder. And no, I don’t understand why Floyd was targeted by these cops to receive this particular abuse of their power, especially in light of something that happened to Jannah and me only a year ago.

When we got married in March of 2019, some of our attendees gave us gifts of cash, including a few people who each gave us a $100 bill as a gift. 

However, when we tried to pay a tab at a local bar with one of those $100 bills, we were informed that the bill was counterfeit. But, rather than have us arrested — at least in part because the bar owner knew us from previous visits and said it was obvious we didn’t know the bill was no good — all he did was ask us to use an alternate method of payment. I then took the bill to my bank, which told me that all they could do was take the bill out of circulation, which meant that we lost that $100 gift. Oh well.

One thing neither of us lost, however, was our life. No one handcuffed us or held us down to our pleas of “I can’t breathe.” Today, it’s hard not to imagine that same situation ending with either of us dead after being suffocated for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

Likewise, if a white man in Atlanta perhaps had too much to drink and fell asleep in a fast-food drive-through lane, would the white police officers trying to arrest that white man have used deadly force to stop him? It’s horrifying to me that black, brown, Asian and LGBTQ people are targeted for this type of behavior so often in this country. Something has to change. And yes, I understand why peaceful protests can and should be part of that solution.

Unfortunately, looting and setting fire to stores owned by people who literally had nothing to do with those situations should never be the target of those protests. But, they unfortunately too often are — as seen around the country once again in the aftermath of Floyd’s murder, although, thankfully, most of the protests of Floyd’s death after those first few nights have been peaceful. Considering that the shooting of Brooks took place only a couple of days before this issue went to press and the Wendy’s where he was killed was looted and then burnt to the ground the following night, it remains to be seen if violent protests will continue to be an issue.

I have been encouraged, however, by local elected officials like Tampa Mayor Jane Castor (in blue in photo) and New Tampa’s City Council member Luis Viera who have been getting out in the community with the protesters, trying to make a difference.

Taking Action

Before the Rayshard Brooks situation, I wrote about the aftermath of the Floyd killing in our June 9 Wesley Chapel issue and I was very pleased at three emails/letters I received since then from black readers who appreciated my take on the current situation and offered words of advice and encouragement and something much more valuable to me than just the kind words: Two of the readers even offered to help start and/or get involved with a local grassroots movement that might help stem the tide of systemic racism and build better communication here.  

I therefore am looking for people in New Tampa who also want to help. What can we do? I really don’t know. I just know I want to try. Black, white or otherwise, email me at ads@ntneighborhoodnews.com if you do, too.