Liberty’s Angela Brown Named Top AP In Hillsborough!

Angela Brown is escorted into the Liberty Middle School media center by principal Frank Diaz, where she is surprised by a band and Hillsborough Superintendent of Schools Addison Davis (photo on next page), who announced that she has been named the Hillsborough County Assistant Principal of the Year for 2022-23. (Photos: Hillsborough Schools)

It began as just another ordinary day for Angela Brown.

The Liberty Middle School assistant principal showed up for work in the morning, helped make sure all of the students were off to class and, after that was done, she headed to the testing room to get things ready for her day.

But then, the day took an extraordinary and unexpected turn. She got a call from Liberty principal Frank Diaz asking her to report to the media center with literacy coach Corissa Russell, who was with her.

When they had just about reached the media center, Russell handed Brown off to Diaz, who led her inside. A band started playing.

“The first person I noticed was (Hillsborough County Public Schools Superintendent of Schools) Addison Davis, then I saw my boyfriend (Ben Gainer),” Brown said. “Imagine a person who doesn’t like surprises, and likes being in full control all the time. I turned to Mr. Diaz and asked, “What’s going on here?”

What was going on was this: Davis was there to congratulate Brown for being named Hillsborough’s Assistant Principal of the Year for 2022-23.

“It was definitely a surprise,” she says. “A nice surprise.”

Brown has been at Liberty since the school opened in 2002, and the award is a testament to her skills as assistant principal of curriculum.

The school district’s Assistant Principal of the Year Angela Brown receives a gift basket from Hillsborough’s Superintendent of Schools Addison Davis.

Diaz has only been at Liberty for three months, but it was apparent from his first day that Brown was a gem.

“She’s been a rock here for quite some time,” Diaz says. “Her attention to detail is spectacular. She assures that students are placed in the right classes with the right teachers. She really looks at the students as individuals and on the basis of what they need.”

Brown’s responsibilities include student safety, overseeing the curriculum for the school, student schedules, assessments and testing, to name a few.

“A lot of it is just making sure that instruction is happening and our teachers are equipped with the tools they need to deliver excellent instruction to the students,” Brown says.

And, it often goes beyond that. While being an innovative scheduler, it’s the extra things not in her job description that makes Brown special. That includes sometimes driving kids home, visiting family homes to make that needed connection and mentoring other assistant principals who are just starting out.

“The one thing I pride myself on is building relationships,”  she says. “It’s all about navigating the world of school every day and keeping a smile on my face, because it definitely is hard work. But every day, I find something to laugh and smile about, and I try to instill that to everyone on campus.”

Brown, who recently turned 52, is a graduate of Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD, which she attended on a track scholarship.

She got her Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Education degree, with a concentration in sports administration, but thought she would some day be working for a sports organization.

But, her old principal at East Bay High talked Brown into filling in as a substitute teacher for someone out on maternity leave.

“I was so in love with teaching, from that point on I did everything necessary to be a certified teacher,” Brown said, which included earning her Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale.

Brown started her teaching career at Greco Middle School in 1996, and moved to Liberty in 2002 as a Success Coach, which back then was called Student Intervention Specialist. In 2013, she became an assistant principal.

“I’m so blessed to be able to stay and see all the different families come, all of the siblings of siblings, students who are now parents and have kids at Liberty,” Brown says. “It’s definitely been amazing.”

Diaz says students continuously come back to the school to talk to her.

“She remembers the names of students from 10-12 years ago,” an impressed Diaz says. “That’s nice.”

Brown says it’s all about changing lives and providing direction. She recalls one of her students, back in 2006, having a tough time of it. Brown had to continually suspend him, and told him, “If I have to keep suspending you for you to get it, that’s what I’m going to do.”

He got it. In 2008, that student, Nelson Agholor, was named Hillsborough County’s Turnaround Student of the Year and went on to earn a football scholarship to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles and is currently a wide receiver with the New England Patriots who still visits Liberty and “Auntie Angela” each year.

“It’s very rewarding when you see certain kids (who) always seem to find me or always seem to reach out to me and stop by the school,” Brown says. “One of the good things about being at same school is they always know how to find you 15 years later, just to say thank you and tell you how grateful they are. Honestly, that’s what keeps me going from year to year, knowing that somehow I made a difference with someone.”

Judging by her recent accolades, Brown’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed.

Celebrating The 25th Anniversary Of Paul R. Wharton High School!

Darren Glover made the move in 1997 from Eisenhower Middle School in Gibsonton to a brand new high school opening in New Tampa.

A quarter of a century later, he’s still a Wharton Wildcat and has no plans to ever leave. He was one of more than 200 current and former Wildcats who gathered Nov. 5 in the school’s cafeteria to celebrate the school’s 25th anniversary.

Glover is one of just five teachers at the school that opened the school and has remained there, along with paraprofessional Sherry Hargin, guidance counselor Cindy Rogers and English teacher Merrill Connor.

Others, like current principal Mike Rowan, assistant principal Eddie Henderson and guidance counselor Tommy Tonelli, were at Wharton in 1997, but left for other jobs before coming back to stay at the school.

While Glover may not have expected to spend the next two-plus decades at Wharton, he confesses to having loved every minute of it.

He met his wife Elizabeth, a social studies teacher, at the school (well, technically, at happy hour at Durango Steak House, which is now Hungry Crab Juicy Seafood). They had two sons – Riley, who graduated from Wharton in 2021, and Aubrey, who is currently a senior.

“I built a family here. It has been really great,” says Glover, a driver’s education teacher and athletic department business manager. When the school organized the 25th anniversary gathering, he was eager to reconnect with past Wildcats.

The celebration included the school’s first principal Mitch Muley and assistant principal (AP) Carmen Aguero (top left photo on next page), plus the four other principals who have led the school — George Gaffney, Brad Woods, Scott Fritz and current principal Mike Rowan, who was an original teacher at the school (all of whom are shown on page 1). 

Also on hand were original staffers and athletic coaches Marcie Scholl, David Mitchell (2nd photo from left on next page), Henderson and Tonelli (both in far right pics on next page). The celebration was held prior to Wharton’s football game against Hillsborough High, and many of the dignitaries stuck around for the 27-7 win, as the ‘Cats head into the playoffs. Many of the original staffers were recognized on the field during halftime.

“I was really looking forward to seeing everyone,” Glover said.. “They weren’t coming back for a free hamburger (or, in this case, Mediterranean food from The Little Greek); they were coming back for a reason. — to see their old high school, to be a part of it again. It’s a great thing.”

The original staff at Wharton.

During the pre-game meal, not only did the 200+ people in attendance hear from Muley and Rowan, but current Wharton math teacher Carlos Rosaly read a number of recollections of the early days of the school written by those original staffers:

“From Carmen Aguero,” Rosaly read, “one day there was a huge squirrel that climbed up the building outside the cafeteria and Mitch yelled to Junior (former head custodian Tirso ‘Junior’ Cintron), ‘Get the pressure washer and shoot that thing. So, Junior did exactly that. Meanwhile, the bell rang and out from the cafeteria came 200 children who all of a sudden were getting showered on.” 

Rosaly also read an anecdote from former Wharton AP Pam Peralta, “Some of Pam’s favorite memories are coaching swim team with Marcie Scholl and winning Districts in our first year, and attending sporting events and watching Wharton’s finest cheerleaders at the spring pep rally that first year.”

Rosaly said Aguero also recalled when interviews were being conducted in the trailers on BBD and Muley was upset about something and “started spewing profanities…in front of a visiting parent. Carmen said to the parent about Muley, ‘Man, you never know what you’re getting into with these construction workers.’”   

Starting Out…

In December 1996, Mitchell Muley was named Wharton’s first principal. He had already opened Ben Hill Junior High on Ehrlich Rd. 10 years earlier, and he had a good relationship with long-time Hillsborough County Schools administrator Paul R. Wharton, for whom the school was named. Muley, then 49, was the perfect fit.

Mitch Muley, the school’s first principal.

He worked out of a trailer on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. near where the school was being built. 

Muley spent his first six months ordering equipment, interviewing potential teachers and visiting potential students at junior high/middle schools like Van Buren and Buchanan that weren’t really close (Benito Middle School, which also opened in ‘97, provided a much closer option for New Tampa kids, too), and King, Chamberlain and Hillsborough high schools.

He put together a committee of those students who, in March, picked a school mascot — as the Wildcats beat out the Wolves.

In April, the school’s colors were selected – navy blue and white, with black trim – and the school hired its first head football coach, Dan Acosta.

The first football team had to practice that spring at Greco Middle School on Fowler Ave. They had to practice without equipment.

That was followed by selecting cheerleaders, a band director, a fight song and an alma mater song, as well as more coaches and teachers.

On August 17, 1997, Paul R. Wharton High swung its doors open for the first time. The traffic light on BBD across from the entrance to what is now Live Oak Preserve hadn’t yet been installed. Fences and walkways weren’t quite completed. Some painting still had to be done. The auditorium wouldn’t be ready until Oct. 1.

“We were still trying to get our certificate of occupancy two days before opening,” Muley recalls. “Just trying to get everything ready, to get it open, is what I’ll remember from that first year.”

Wharton is now the neighborhood school, but communities like West Meadows and Cross Creek were fairly new, so many of its original 1,400 students were driven or bused in from previously attended far-away schools like Hillsborough and Chamberlain.

“What I remember was the diversity,” says Kedric Harris, currently an assistant principal at Gaither who attended Wharton that first year. “It was the first time being at a school that had a real world atmosphere. We had no seniors, but it was an interesting mix of white, Black and Hispanic students.”

Harris dove right in. He loved being at a new school. He ran for, and was elected, treasurer of the student government, and played on the basketball team that won 20 games. 

What he remembers most is that while the school’s colors were blue, white and black, the school itself looked lavender and purple when he first arrived. 

Harris was likely the first Wharton student to ever return to the school as a teacher. After graduating from Florida A&M, he became an English teacher at Wharton from 2004-11, and then an administrative resource teacher before moving to Gaither.

Tonelli, who retired as the super-successful boys basketball coach but continues as a guidance counselor at Wharton, says there is always something special about a new school, and you could feel it in 1997.

“It’s the excitement of everything being the first,” Tonelli says. “You are helping to establish the tradition, helping set the pride and create the enthusiasm for the school. That was an exciting time.”

Tough Times, Too…

There were tough times early. More than $19,000 of video equipment (76 VCRs and 14 camcorders) were stolen the weekend before the school opened, and a fight between students the first semester captured a significant amount of media attention.

The fight helped tarnish Wharton’s image, and other similar issues over the years have helped prevent the school from shaking it. 

“Wharton, from the beginning, because of some of the fights, got a bad rap and a bad name,” Tonelli says. “But, a lot of really good things have gone on at Wharton the last 25 years. It has been unbelievable, really — really successful in so many areas. Academically, we’ve had some unbelievable kids that have gone on to do great things. From the school paper, the culinary program, the yearbook, the athletics, we’ve had a lot of really good things happen and a lot of good things continue to happen.”

Glover agrees, which is why it meant a lot for the past students, teachers and administrators to gather to celebrate 25 years of wonderful moments, he says

“I think Wharton bound the (New Tampa) area together,” he says. “We’ve had some bumpy times, but it’s a great school. We have some great families here, and there are some great things always happening. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

How The Millage Referendum Could Help Our Community

Opinion by Jessica Vaughn,
Hillsborough County School Board, District 3

Since being elected to represent District 3 on the Hillsborough School Board in 2020, myself, my fellow School Board members and the superintendent have all worked diligently to overcome the financial challenges that have plagued this District for close to a decade. 

We are proud to state that by the end of this fiscal year, Hillsborough County Public Schools is slated to overcome a $150-million deficit, realizing a more stable financial stature that will translate into a brighter future for our organization and, most importantly, for our students.

As a District, we emerged from this financial shortfall partly by having to make extremely difficult staffing decisions at all levels, which undoubtedly had a negative impact on our students and families. Florida currently is ranked 43rd in per-pupil funding, leaving many school districts like ours without adequate funds to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers as we all contend with rising inflation that is leaving educational systems with severe staffing shortages. Twenty-one other districts in Florida have had to pass a millage referendum in order to properly fund their school districts.  

On August 23, 2022, the Hillsborough County School Board voted to place a millage referendum on the ballot that would provide an estimated $126 million per year over four years to our District if approved by voters. 

If this measure passes, 75% of this money would go toward providing salary increases for teachers and support staff. We realize the crucial role our educators play in the lives of our children and families, and we must continue to examine proactive solutions to illustrate their importance to our community and its collective success.

If approved, the additional funds would also be utilized to expand Art, Music and P.E. for our youngest learners, offering equitable access across all grade bands. These funds also would provide us a unique chance to elevate our Workforce Development Programs to develop a talent pipeline for students in medical, construction and logistics- related fields.

You may be wondering how this would impact you if approved. Using a $300,000 property value as an example, the millage increase would translate to an additional $22.92 per month, or $275 per year for a homeowner.

Hillsborough is the only large school district in the state that has not passed a millage increase. 

While we understand the referendum may be a heavy lift for some families in a time of such uncertainty, it has the potential to make an enormous difference in the lives of our teachers, staff, students and families. If you see the value that strong and thriving public schools bring to our community, I strongly encourage you to vote “yes” for the millage referendum during the Primary Election to be held on Tuesday, August 23. All voters, regardless of party affiliation, can vote for this Millage Referendum. The funding from this referendum increase will allow us to work together to adequately support our schools, teachers and staff while creating a brighter future for our students and our community as a whole.

Education Notebook: Four New Tampa Schools Get New Principals

New Tampa says good-bye to several beloved and long-serving principals at the end of the 2021-22 school year, including Chiles Elementary’s Dr. Teri Evans and Benito Middle School’s John Sanders, who are both retiring, Liberty Middle’s James Amiratti and Maryann Lippek, who is moving from Tampa Palms Elementary (TPE) to Schmidt Elementary in Brandon.

Lippek has been at TPE since the school opened in 2004, and has served as its principal since 2014. She is being replaced by Angela Gluth, an assistant principal from Heritage Elementary.

Frank Diaz is coming over from Webb Middle to replace Amiratti.

At Chiles, Evans will be replaced by Todd Connolly, who is moving from Riverhills Elementary in Temple Terrace.

Evans became a teacher after raising her kids as a stay-at-home mom. First entering the classroom at 40 years old, she then spent her entire 24-year career in New Tampa. She taught at Chiles, Hunter’s Green and Pride elementaries, then returned to Chiles as principal nine years ago.

“I’ll miss the whole Chiles community — the families, the kids, and the teachers,” Evans says. “It’s the best place, my home, and I’ve made lifelong friends (here).”

She looks forward to a change of pace, spending time with her grandkids, reading and traveling.

Evans adds that the school will be getting a new air conditioning system over the summer, so the building will be closed. The office will temporarily move to Tampa Palms, which is where new principal Connolly will work until the new A/C upgrade is complete.

Meanwhile, at Benito, Brent Williams takes over as principal for the retiring Sanders. Williams was most recently principal at Memorial Middle School in Tampa.

Williams has been an educator for 27 years, previously working in Alachua and Miami Dade counties before moving to Hillsborough in 2006. Over the course of his career, he has served as a teacher, peer evaluator, assistant principal and principal.

“I truly appreciate and admire the work that has been done here by Mr. Sanders,” says Williams. “I look forward to working with an exceptional group of faculty and staff members to continue the great tradition of excellence at Benito Middle School.” 

Williams says he comes from a family of educators and that his wife Sonja also is a teacher in Hillsborough County.

He expects to be highly visible to students in the hallways, classrooms, cafeteria, and at the school’s extracurricular activities, and says that his door will be always open to them. 

“I want them to think outside the box and have a voice on what their experience here at Benito will look like,” he says.

Math teacher Daniel Gostkowski says he and many others are excited to welcome their new leader to the school.

 â€œHe seems very genuine,” Gostkowski says of Williams. “He genuinely cares about the kids, the community and the people in the building.”

New Tampa Again Accepts County PTA/PTSA Awards

The Hillsborough County Council of PTAs/PTSAs announced this year’s countywide award winners at a ceremony on May 19. Several New Tampa schools took home trophies for their efforts this year.

Freedom High’s Christina Finn won Volunteer of the Year and assistant principal Jenna Lamour won Administrator of the Year.

The school also took home an award in the Educational Program category, and Freedom also won the high school category for Top Community Partner, which honored Infinite Edge Learning Center (also located in Tampa Palms) for its support of the school.

The Top Community Partner award at the elementary school level went to Hunter’s Green, which nominated the Hunter’s Green Homeowners Association.

Wharton High also took home some honors, as school nurse Angela Strahl won Non-Instructional Person of the Year and Crystal LeFebvre, culture and climate resource teacher, was named Instructional Person of the Year. 

Wharton also won in the Health & Safety category for its comprehensive support of the school’s nurses and clinic throughout the year.

Together At The Top

Alex (left) and Dane Deevers were co-salutatorians for the 2022 Class at Wharton High.

Faced with choosing a last meal, Wharton High graduate Alex Deevers says he would pick gnocchi; his brother Dane says he’s going with mashed potatoes and a steak
or maybe a burger.

For a pump-you-up jam, Dane likes Kid Cudi and Travis Scott; Alex leans more towards Mac Miller and Kendrick Lamar.

And when asked what their favorite sports are, Alex is going swimming, and Dane is running track, although both admit to sharing a special affinity for lacrosse. 

So, as you can see, these identical twins are pretty similar, but not exact replicas of each other.

In the classroom, however, there was little difference between the two.

In fact, the twins pulled off a pretty rare feat in 2022 — finishing with the exact same grade point average of 9.12 and sharing salutatorian honors at Wharton.

Believe it or not, the Deevers Duo didn’t take all the same classes or set out to finish with the exact same GPA. It just kind of happened out of necessity. 

“I think, at one point, we were competing,” Dane says.

However, before either brother could pull ahead in the race to be class valedictorian, they made a tough decision. The twins had so much going on outside the classroom, something had to give. Thoughts of realistically being valedictorian faded with each mile Dane ran in track and cross country, and with each lap Alex swam for the Wharton swimming team he captained and every shot they each took in lacrosse. 

Mix in their social calendar, and there was barely time to sleep. 

“Freshman year was kind of a competitive thing,” Alex says. “If he took more classes, I would take more classes. I didn’t want to be left out. If he did it, I’d do it, and we kept going and going to the point where we got to the point our junior year we might have to take our foot off the gas or we weren’t going to have any free time. We needed to find a balance.”

The Deevers found that balance, putting the scholar into scholar-athlete, while maintaining their busy social lives. And, they were still able to compete in school…well, kind of.

“You didn’t want to be the one that dropped off,” Alex says. “That wouldn’t have felt good.”

“But it probably would have felt great for the one who ended up in front,” jokes Dane.

Although they are twins, the brothers have each carved their own identities.

They are both headed to the University of Florida, where older brother Blake is currently in the dentistry program, and will live in the same dorm — but not as roommates.

Dane, who earned his single engine land private pilot’s license in his spare time — his childhood dream of being a military jet pilot did not die easily — wants to study engineering, while Alex wants to be a doctor.

Both credit their older brother and their mother, Stephanie Deevers, for helping guide them through their younger years, before they grew into the self-sufficient pair they are today.

“I’m really proud of both of them, they are going to do great,” says Stephanie Deevers, their mom. “They didn’t need any help. They did an amazing job.”

But, how did they do it, actually?

By making sacrifices and managing their time.

“It’s all about time efficiency,” Alex says matter-of-factly.

Sometimes, it meant skipping a track meet or a party to study for a big exam (and when you’re taking a heavy load of Advanced Placement and dual enrollment classes, they are all big exams). 

Mostly, it meant fitting in studying when you could, like taking advantage of an extra period at school to get some homework done because you knew when you got home late after lacrosse practice you’d be too tired.

“It could be extremely difficult,” Alex says. “Sometimes, you had to pick between certain assignments, or whether to go to a sporting event or study for an exam. You were forced to choose. You just had to spend a little extra time doing things that maybe you didn’t want to instead of something you wanted to do more.”

The twins agree that having your brother along for the ride definitely made those decisions easier.

“Having someone who is that close to you, who can understand you, is definitely a big help,” Alex says. “As long as you’re together, you don’t feel alone in doing anything. But at the same time, we do butt heads a lot.”

It was putting their heads together, however, that led to the Deevers brothers having etched their names in the annals of Wharton history.