HCSD Launches School Lunch App

By Matt Wiley | September 14

The School Lunch app shows students a picture of what’s for lunch and provides the nutritional info.
The School Lunch app shows students a picture of what’s for lunch and provides the nutritional info.

The days of wondering what the lunch lady will be serving in the cafeteria on any given day are over for New Tampa students, as the Hillsborough County School District (HCSD) has launched a smartphone application that literally puts the menu into the hands (and pockets) of students.

According to HCSD, the app is called School Lunch by Nutrislice, which provides the menus of hundreds of schools nationwide (including schools in Wesley Chapel, too) by day and week. The app includes pictures of menu items, as well as nutrition information.Continue reading

New Tampa YMCA Donates School Supplies To Students In Need

By Matt Wiley | September 10

YMCA Donations, collected throughout the month of August, were distributed to children in need at Tampa Palms Elementary.
YMCA Donations, collected throughout the month of August, were distributed to children in need at Tampa Palms Elementary.

Heading back to school after summer vacation can be tough for students. Who wants to start doing homework again after so many days off? For many students, however, homework isn’t among their biggest concerns. For families in need, heading back to school can be much more difficult, as a simple thing like school supplies can be tough to fit into the family budget.

To help ease the transition into a new school year, the New Tampa Family YMCA, located on Compton Dr. in Tampa Palms, decided to hold its second annual school supply drive to benefit the students of families that may have had a hard time purchasing necessary supplies for classes.Continue reading

New Tampa Schools Overcome Tougher Standards To Earn Good Grades

By Matt Wiley

School Chart
Click here to view the entire Hillsborough County School Rankings Chart

School report cards are out for 2012-13 school year in the Hillsborough County School District (HCSD) and, overall, New Tampa’s elementary and middle schools once again scored highly.

Of the 61 “A”-rated elementary and middle schools in the HCSD (which received a “C” overall from the Florida Department of Education {DOE} this year, a letter grade drop from its “B” in 2011-12), seven are New Tampa schools, including Chiles, Clark, Pride, Tampa Palms and Turner elementary schools, as well as Benito and Liberty middle schools.
High school grades have not yet been determined and will be released later in the year, usually in December. Continue reading

Dr. Teresa Evans Is The New Principal At Chiles Elementary

By Matt Wiley

New Lawton Chiles Elementary’s principal Teresa Evans, Ed.D.
Lawton Chiles Elementary’s new principal Teresa Evans, Ed.D.

In addition to receiving an “A” from the Florida Department of Education (DOE) for the 2012-13 school year, Lawton Chiles Elementary in Tampa Palms also is beginning the 2013-14 school year with a new principal.

Teresa Evans, Ed.D., is the new principal for Chiles (which is located on Tampa Palms Blvd.), but she isn’t new to the school. In fact, Dr. Evans was a teacher at Chiles when the school opened back in 2000, where she taught second and third grade until 2005.

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Wharton Students Place At Rotary Speech Contest & Announcing PigFest 9!

By Gary Nager

Rotary District 6890 Speech Contest winners Brian Do of Strawberry Crest High, Kennedy McCann of Wharton High, Judelande Jeune (2nd place) & Adriana Rosado (3rd place), Jackie Yang of King High and Enoch Kuo.
Rotary District 6890 Speech Contest winners Brian Do of Strawberry Crest High, Kennedy McCann of Wharton High, Judelande Jeune (2nd place) & Adriana Rosado (3rd place), Jackie Yang of King High and Enoch Kuo.

Although none of the competitors sponsored by New Tampa’s three Rotary Clubs advanced to the 2013 District Finals of the Rotary District 6890 Speech Contest, New Tampa’s Paul R. Wharton High was well-represented at the second round (aka the “Group level”) of the contest, which was held a little more than a month ago at the Sheraton East Hotel & Conference Center on Princess Palm Ave. near Brandon.

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