On the cover of our Feb. 6 New Tampa issue, we told the story of Gabriel Hassan, the Wharton High senior who received his diploma for graduating from the New Tampa high school with a 4.7 GPA on Jan. 22, despite suffering from terminal leukemia.
It was with heavy hearts that we learned yesterday that Gabe had succumbed to his cancer a few days ago and was buried on or the day before Valentine’s Day. We also learned that his specific form of leukemia is called Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome, or SDS.
Out of respect to the Hassan family, we didn’t try to contact them, but we did want to at least acknowledge his tragic passing here, as well as post the story we published about him in the paper.
Last year’s “Hole Lotta Love” Cornhole Tournament at Wharton High was so successful and so much fun, the school’s PTSA decided to make it an annual event. (Cornhole Photos provided by the Wharton PTSA)
Although we no longer have a regular Community Calendar listing in our print issues, there are a number of upcoming events that merit your consideration, so we decided to include as many of them here as possible.
If you have an event upcoming that takes place after March 5, feel free to email me at ads@ntneighborhoodnews.com and I will see about getting it included in our next New Tampa issue.
Saturday, February 10, 2 p.m.-5 p.m. — The Second Annual ‘Hole Lotta Love” Wharton Cornhole Tournament.
This event, held for the first time last year and hosted by Wharton’s PTSA, will again be held on the Wharton football field (20150 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.). This is a community event for players of all ages and skill sets. Tournament play begins at 2 p.m. and check-in opens at 1 p.m. There is no deadline to sign up, but pre-registration is highly encouraged for quicker check-in. Spectators and fans also are encouraged to come and cheer on their favorite teams and best of all, 100% of the proceeds will fund grants for Wharton’s teachers and staff.
Each two-player team is guaranteed to play four games in the Round Robin qualifier for a chance to enter the Single Elimination Championship! In addition to ultimate bragging rights, the players from the top two teams will each walk away with a prize package.
Can’t make the event, but still want to show your love from afar? Consider supporting us by purchasing 50/50 tickets or by making a general donation.
The cost to play is $20 per player and all registrations are considered to be a donation to this fund-raising event. No refunds will be issued for cancelled registrations. For more information, see the ad below.
Thursday, February 15, 8 p.m. — The Tampa Jazz Club’s USF New Tampa Jazz Series presents singer Alexis Cole with the USF Jazz Ensemble 1.
New York-based singer Alexis Cole will join the USF Jazz Ensemble 1 at a big band performance at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center on Feb. 15.
The USF Jazz Ensemble 1 will present an evening of modern big band jazz with outstanding New York-based singer Alexis Cole at the amazing New Tampa Performing Arts Center (8550 Hunters Village Rd.). Sponsored in part by the Neighborhood News. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for Jazz Club members, $10 for students and just $5 for USF students For more info, see the ad below.
Friday, February 23, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. & Saturday, February 24, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. p.m. — The Friends of the New Tampa Library’s Annual Giant Book Sale.
The Friends of the New Tampa Library will host their annual Giant Book Sale at the New Tampa Regional Library (10001 Cross Creek Blvd.). With most books being sold for just 50 cents, all proceeds will benefit the library’s Summer Reading programs for children and events and classes for all age groups. For more information, see the ad to the right.
Monday, February 26, 7 p.m. — Monthly meeting of the New Tampa Democratic Club.
The New Tampa Democrats are gearing up for the upcoming 2024 Presidential and local election season. For more information, see the ad below.
Wednesday, February 28, 6 p.m. -8 p.m. — Book Launch Performance & Book Signing for Running From Yesterday by Margarette Allyn.
Margarette Allyn will be dancing and signing her book Running From Yesterday: A True Story of Hope, Courage and Love at the NTPAC on Feb. 28.
Margarette Allyn (photo, left) is an author, speaker and dancer who believes in the healing power of making choices guided by instinct, intuition and faith.
Two unexpected episodes played pivotal roles in Margarette’s life, introducing her to the world of the performing arts.
The first was watching “The Nutcracker” on TV. The second was encountering the iconic TV show “Fame,” which struck a chord with its relatable characters and stories that felt just like her own. Dance soon became Margarette’s refuge — a way to escape and express herself. Her dance aspirations took flight when she was accepted into Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts — the real “Fame” school — in New York’s Upper West Side.
It was a dream that seemed beyond reach, especially for a young woman from Harlem. But, Margarette held onto the idea that the sky has no limits. However, unforeseen circumstances, ego and personal choices halted her burgeoning dance career, crushing her dreams of attending Juilliard and leaving her with a deep sense of loss.
At the age of 24, Margarette embarked on a new path, joining the New York City Police Department (NYPD). Despite battling an overwhelming cloud of dread, despair and her complex relationship with alcohol, she clung fiercely to her discipline, determination, and the will to truly live.
Supported by her loyal friends and colleagues, she dedicated twenty years to her police career, retiring as a Sergeant in 2019.
Today, Margarette resides in New Tampa with her husband and two sons.
This remarkable journey serves as the focal point of her inspiring memoir, Running From Yesterday, A True Story of Hope, Courage, and Love. Grateful for the grace and mercy bestowed upon her, Margarette finds purpose in giving back to those she mentors, is dancing once again, accepts motivational and inspirational speaking engagements and looks forward to many more years of being on stage.
Pride Elementary principal Paulette English (left) with Pride media specialist and 2024 Hillsborough County Public Schools’ Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year award finalist Suzy Tkacik in the school’s Media Center. (Photo provided by Hillsborough County Public Schools)
Among more than 200 nominations for the 2024 Hillsborough County Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year award, just four finalists were selected.
And, although she didn’t end up winning the award, one of those four standout District-wide educators/finalists was Pride Elementary media specialist Suzy Tkacik.
“Mrs. Tkacik is deserving of this recognition because she positively influences every student, teacher, support person, district worker, and visitor who comes our way,” says Pride principal Paulette English. “She is enthusiastic, creative, motivating, and kind. Because of her leadership and love for students, our Media Center is a cheerful, well-organized, welcoming environment, and always buzzing with happy students, teachers and volunteers.”
The Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year is one of three awards given out each year by the Hillsborough Education Foundation, in partnership with Hillsborough County Public Schools.
According to the Foundation’s website, the award is named after Ida S. Baker, who became the first African-American to serve as Deputy Superintendent for the Florida Department of Education (DoE), after she also was the founding principal of Cape Coral High and the first-ever Black high school principal in Lee County. Baker was known for her efforts to support diverse students and encourage academic success. After her passing in 1992, the DoE created this statewide award in her honor.
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.”
Suzy says she loves being the media specialist at Pride, where most of the school’s families come from other countries.
“About 60 percent of our families are from India, and then we have students from China, South America, Africa, Europe, Eastern Europe and others,” she says. “I’ve gotten to meet students from all around the world.”
She says that once she meets a student, she tries very hard to remember his or her name. “We have students who have more than 20 characters in their first name alone,” she says. “I take a lot of time to learn their names and learn how to pronounce them. It matters a great deal to me.”
And then, she also makes sure that every student is represented in the Media Center’s library by the books and materials that are available to them.
She says she recently had a seven-year-old ask for a book about her home country of Jordan. Since there wasn’t one already in the library, Suzy found one to be added to the collection. When it arrived in the Media Center last week, Suzy says the girl’s eyes just lit up.
“That’s Amman!,” she says the girl exclaimed as she flipped through the pages. “That’s my city!”
Suzy says the wonderful diversity of her school has had a deep impact on her.
She thinks back to last fall, when she challenged her students to share information about the Hindu festival of Diwali on the school’s morning show. Suzy says she learned about the ways Diwali is celebrated by many of the school’s families who are from India. While it’s a common holiday to celebrate, each family has different traditions and some even have different beliefs about the origin of Diwali.
“When I get to hear their stories of their rich backgrounds, I want to soak it all in,” Suzy says. “They teach me more than anything.”
Suzy has been the media specialist at Pride since she launched her second career 15 years ago. Before that, she earned a degree in public relations and journalism. She says once her children — who are now 28, 25, and 22 — started school, she “discovered school libraries and what cool places they are” and returned to college to earn a Master of Arts (M.S.) degree in Library Information science from University of South Florida (USF).
For the last 15 years, she says she has been surrounded by fantastic educators who do an amazing job of maintaining Pride’s “A” rating year after year.
“I don’t have a degree in education,” Suzy says, “so everything I’ve learned about being an educator has been from watching my great colleagues. It’s a team effort.”
Unfortunately for the timing of our Feb. 6 New Tampa issue, Hillsborough County’s 2024 Excellence in Education Awards Gala was held on Feb. 1, after that issue went to press. The Ida S. Baker Award winner this year was Dr. Ilfaut Joseph of Jennings Middle School. The other two annual awards announced at the Excellence in Education program on Feb. 1 were the 2024 Teacher of the Year Dr. Clayton Nylund of Blake High and Instructional Support Employee of the Year Maria Ortiz of Temple Terrace Elementary
All 11 schools in New Tampa submitted a nominee in each of the three categories. But this year, Suzy was the only New Tampa nominee to be chosen as a finalist in any category. “Our amazing Mrs. Tkacik wears lots of hats and is many things to many people,” English says. “She makes every child feel special and makes everyone she works with feel valued and appreciated.”
All eleven New Tampa public schools repeated their Florida Department of Education letter grades from the end of the 2021-22 school year to the end of the 2022-23 school year. Several New Tampa elementary schools have had “A” grades for many years in a row.
With the 2023-24 school year roughly half over, the Florida Department of Education recently released its letter grades for every school in Florida, including the six elementary, two middle, two high and one “combination” school (Turner-Bartels K-8) in New Tampa for the 2022-23 school year.
All eleven public schools in our area repeated their letter grades from the previous school year, with all six elementary schools in our area — Chiles, Clark, Heritage, Hunter’s Green, Pride and Tampa Palms — all receiving “A” grades. Benito Middle School also received an A again, while Liberty Middle School and Turner-Bartels (which receives its grades for both its elementary and middle schools) earning Bs. Freedom and Wharton High again received C grades.
A Tradition Of Excellence
New Tampa’s schools, which again outperformed the Hillsborough School District as a whole, continued their long-standing tradition of excellent grades, as both Clark and Pride elementaries have received A grades from the state for 21 consecutive years, while Chiles earned its 20th A in a row
Meanwhile, Benito has received an A grade for 20 of the last 21 years, but that includes one year when middle schools did not receive letter grades. Tampa Palms has earned an A for six consecutive years, while Liberty has received three straight Bs after earning As the 18 years before that.
Turner-Bartels has earned a B for six consecutive years, after nine straight As in the years before that.
And, while both Wharton and Freedom have each received seven straight Cs, both earned either As or Bs the previous six years.
Both Heritage and Hunter’s Green elementaries have had more of a mixed bag prior to their two consecutive As, with both schools receiving either Bs or Cs for either eight (Heritage) or nine (HGE) years since their last As.
New Tampa’s elementary schools definitely outperformed the Hillsborough School District as a whole, which had only 35 A schools among its 144 elementaries. And, Benito’s A was one of only 12 As earned by the District’s 45 middle schools.
Overall, the District’s 267 total elementary, middle, high and combined public schools earned a total of 96 A grades, or about 36% earning that highest possible grade. But, New Tampa’s seven As among its 11 total District schools meant that 63.6% earned that most-coveted letter grade. Congrats!
Tkachik Named A Finalist!
Because of when the finalists were announced (during the Christmas break), we were unable to interview Suzy Tkacik, a media specialist at Pride Elementary, who was named one of the four finalists for the Hillsborough School District’s Ida S. Baker Diversity Award. The winner will be announced on February 1 at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Tampa, along with the District’s Teacher of the Year and Instructional Support Employee of the Year.
No other finalists were from New Tampa’s schools. Good luck, Suzy!
City of Tampa and Hillsborough County School District officials came out in force for the ribbon cutting at the new New Tampa Sports Pavilion behind Liberty Middle School in Tampa Palms. (All photos provided by the City of Tampa)
What used to be six old, underused tennis courts just for students at Liberty Middle School in Tampa Palms has been transformed into a new recreational area for the entire community.
The tennis courts are gone, and what stands in their place will now be called the New Tampa Sports Pavilion.
The Pavilion includes three basketball courts that also can be used for pickleball, tennis and volleyball.
Next to the courts, a huge metal shade structure stands over an artificial turf field. At 166 feet by 127 feet, it’s larger than four school buses lined up one way and three school buses lined up the other.
A building with offices and restrooms is located by the covered field, too.
On November 15, City of Tampa and Hillsborough County School District officials held a ribbon cutting to officially open the new expansion, which will be used by Liberty students during the school day and open to the public whenever school is not in session.
The new basketball courts at the Pavilion.
District 7 Tampa City Council member Luis Viera, whose son attended Liberty, says the idea was suggested at a 2020 town hall meeting by Tampa Palms resident Alexandra Gilmore. He championed the idea, saying it would add to the other recreational opportunities that have been brought to New Tampa over the last several years.
“This is another big win for New Tampa and a really big deal,” says Viera. “It’s a $4-million expansion, and when you include the $3-million expansion of the New Tampa Recreation Center and multi-million-dollar All-Abilities Park, it represents a nearly $10 million investment in parks for New Tampa since 2018.”
He’s referring to the playground that opened at the New Tampa Community Park one year ago, the first of its kind in the city that is designed for kids of all abilities, especially those who may not be able to play at typical playgrounds because they use a wheelchair or have other special needs.
Viera says that investment has made a significant impact.
Dist. 7 Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera speaking at the ribbon cutting.
“New Tampa has gone from being a city park desert, where all we had was a rec center that was busting at the seams,” he says, “to being home to the city’s first All-Abilities Park and now this additional expansion.”
The new rec center expansion is located adjacent to the New Tampa Community Park on the property of Liberty at 17400 Commerce Park Blvd.
The ribbon cutting on Nov.15 was attended by Viera, City of Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, Hillsborough County School Board members Jessica Vaughn and Lynn Gray, and Hillsborough’s Superintendent of Schools Van Ayres.
Viera says the public access to the courts will be scheduled after school ends each day, during school holidays, weekends, and summer.
City of Tampa manager of athletics, aquatics and special facilities Heather Erickson says the New Tampa Sports Pavilion has experienced something of a soft opening and expects to be fully operational around January 1.
She says security lights are in place, but the courts themselves are not yet properly lighted, so they currently are only open until sundown.
Starting in 2024, the pavilion will be staffed for open basketball and pickleball nightly, plus scheduled activities.
“Our obligation is to make sure it’s not just a hangout without supervision,” Erickson says. “We also offer classes such as sports readiness for girls and boys, fitness and agility.”
For more information, she says check the City of Tampa website at TampaGov.net after Jan. 1. Navigate to “Parks & Rec,” then “Activities,” then “Athletics.” For questions about using the facility, reach out to Tampa’s supervisor of athletics Cedric Smith at Cedric.Smith@tampagov.net.
