Penguin Project Offers Special Opportunity For Aspiring Special Needs Performers

One of the goals of the New Tampa Players (NTP) performance troupe has always been to introduce people to the theatre, and make it accessible for everyone.

The Penguin Project will help NTP meet its vision.

The project, a national effort to involve special needs actors in stage productions, is coming to Tampa, as NTP will adopt the Penguin Project for a production of a โ€œJuniorโ€ version of โ€œAladdinโ€ which is scheduled to run April 4-6, 2019.

Informational meetings about the production will be held on Monday, November 5, 7 p.m., and on Sunday, November 11, 5:30 p.m., at Family of Christ Lutheran Church on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in Tampa Palms.

As a parent of special needs children, NTP president Nora Paine says she canโ€™t wait to get started, adding that the response already has been greater than she expected, with interest from Bradenton to Brandon to Town N Country.

โ€œWe are well on our way,โ€ says Paine.

The Penguin Project was founded by Dr. Andrew Morgan in Peoria, IL, in 2004. Dr. Morgan not only had a passion for helping disabled children, which he did as a pediatrician, but also for local community theatre. He saw no reason why he couldnโ€™t combine the two, starting the Penguin Project, which pairs disabled children and adults ages 8-21 with mentors who arenโ€™t disabled.

Dr. Morgan has described the experience of Penguin Project productions as life-changing for the special needs actors who take part.

Paine had been brainstorming ways to incorporate special needs actors into productions, but it was at a theater management conference in Venice, FL, earlier this summer that convinced her to reach out to Dr. Morgan.

โ€œThere were several theaters all around the country there (at the conference) talking about it,โ€ Paine says. โ€œAfter I heard everyone talk about it, I thought it would be a perfect fit for the New Tampa Players. Thereโ€™s nothing like this in New Tampa.โ€

In Penguin Project productions, actors are paired with a same-age peer mentor, who will help the special needs participant learn his or her role.

The mentor, who also has to learn all of the lines and choreography, will perform on the stage with their special needs counterpart, usually in the background of a scene, offering encouragement and whispering lines that may be forgotten. The mentors also help with stage footwork.

โ€œBut, the special needs kids still get to be the stars of the show,โ€ Paine says, โ€œand they get to have that great theatre experience.โ€

The special needs of Penguin Project participants range from Down syndrome and cerebral palsy to learning and intellectual disabilities and other neurological disorders.

โ€œI know there are organizations devoted to specific disabilities that do great things,โ€ Paine says. โ€œ(With the) Penguin Project, however, it doesnโ€™t matter what the disability is. They take the child where they are and supply the support that they need.โ€

The NTP troupe has already done productions with children involved that have some learning disabilities, but Paine thinks expanding that effort will be a good thing for the entire Tampa Bay area.

โ€œI know the need for something like this is great,โ€ she says.

During the four months of preparation for โ€œAladdin,โ€ Paine says Dr. Morgan and his team will visit Tampa six times โ€” including at the informational meetings at Family of Christ โ€” to provide assistance with the production.

Already, Paine says she has more than 30 interested performers and production workers, and almost as many peer volunteers.

It will be a rewarding experience for both, she says. โ€œItโ€™s a two-way street,โ€ Paine says. โ€œMentors are going to get a lot out of it. They can teach a lot of skills to the kids with special needs, and also get the reward of being able to help a child.โ€

For more information about the New Tampa Players and the troupeโ€™s upcoming productions, visit NewTampaPlayers.org.

Cypress Creek Taking Shape

Now that the โ€œRestaurant Rowโ€ on the north side of S.R. 56 has been completed, developers have moved into the retail phase in Cypress Creek.

When Dilip Kanji, the president of Impact Development and developer of the new Hyatt Place Hotel on S.R. 56, told a crowd of local business leaders back in February about a dozen or more retail and restaurant offerings coming to the area known as Cypress Creek Town Center North, there were audible gasps.

Nowadays, those gasps have been replaced by leering eyes, as those stores and eateries begin going vertical.

Located across S.R. 56 from the Tampa Premium Outlets and to the west of the north side of 56โ€™s โ€œRestaurant Row,โ€ trendy eateries like the Walk-Onโ€™s Bar & Bistreaux and Blaze Pizza, hip green grocers like EarthFare and mega-stores like Burlington and Home Goods are now taking shape.

โ€œWhat is going thereโ€ is now being replaced by โ€œWhat is that building going to be.โ€

More than a decade ago, this advanced transformation of the State Rd. 56 corridor hardly seemed possible, as Sierra Propertiesโ€™ development of the Cypress Creek Town Center Development of Regional Impact was mired in delays, most caused by environmental concerns, that caused some of the plans โ€” including, at one time, a 1.4-million-sq.-ft. regional mall and movie theater โ€” to be scrapped and modified. When that happened, the Shops at Wiregrass was almost immediately developed a few miles to the east on S.R. 56.

But once the hurdles were cleared, the transformation of S.R. 56 west of I-75 began, with the Tampa Premium Outlets and restaurants like Fordโ€™s Garage and Chuyโ€™s lining the road that has become the what some might call the main artery running through Wesley Chapel, which definitely has a strong pulse.

 

Pasco County To Take Bids To Build Indoor Sports Facility At WC District Park

The new and massive Wiregrass Sports Complex behind Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, which boasts more than 100,000-sq.-ft. of playing area and a new Marriott-branded Residence Inn hotel, has grabbed all the headlines the past few years.

Meanwhile, Pasco County is getting ready to seek bids to build a smaller indoor facility at the Wesley Chapel District Park (WCDP), which is located at 7727 Boyette Rd. near Overpass Rd.

According to Pasco County District 2 commissioner Mike Moore, bids will be sought to design and construct a facility to host indoor basketball and volleyball and other gym events, as well as additional activity rooms for the public to host meetings or even card games and crafts.

The approximately 13,000-sq.-ft. indoor recreation facility will be similar to the Land Oโ€™Lakes recreation center on Collier Pkwy., which is built on 79 acres of land and offers not only indoor sports, but outside offerings like tennis, soccer and even swimming.

The county has allocated $2.5-million towards the Wesley Chapel project, although Moore said he is unsure it will even cost that match. The money, he says, comes from developer impact fees, and โ€œwill not be a tax burden on everyday citizens.โ€

The funding was approved in Pasco Countyโ€™s Fiscal Year 2017-18 budget.

The WCDP is much larger than the Land Oโ€™Lakes complex, with 143 acres and several lighted athletic fields for soccer, football and baseball. WCDP also has lacrosse fields, which have hosted the national DICKโ€™s Lacrosse Championships for years, as well as three tennis courts, four basketball courts and grass fields for a variety of sports.

The Wesley Chapel Athletic Association (WCAA) runs leagues for most sports at the WCDP, including basketball, which plays on the outdoor courts.

But, Floridaโ€™s funky summer weather can wreak havoc on youth sports schedules.

โ€œHaving the ability to play basketball or any sport inside will be a big deal, especially during the summer when it gets so hot,โ€ Comm. Moore says.

An indoor facility will allow the WCAA to add other sports, like volleyball, which is difficult to play outdoors, and other sports that require indoor accommodations, like gymnastics.

Moore also says the indoor facility will give local residents a place to gather, for weekly meetings, exercise classes or even parties. He says he has heard from a number of residents who think there is a need for such a facility.

Moore said there has been talk of a Wesley Chapel recreation center for years, but it โ€œjust kind of went away.โ€

He said he decided to pick it back up because he continues to hear requests for it.

A new Pasco County recreation center at the park may end up being more useful to local sports enthusiasts than the Wiregrass Sports Complex being built by RADD Sports.

The Wiregrass complex is expected to be booked for basketball, volleyball, pickleball and gymnastics tournaments most weekends, although there will be Monday-Thursday access for locals, according to RADD Sports, which is developing that facility.

School Notes: A Homecoming For The New Wesley Chapel High Principal

New Wesley Chapel principal Matt McDermott.

Matt McDermott is the new principal at Wesley Chapel High (WCH), replacing Dee Dee Johnson.

Johnson was selected to take over as principal at Pasco Middle School, where former principal Jeff Wolff was removed in September amid concerns about low teacher morale at the middle school in Dade City.

โ€œIโ€™m super excited,โ€ McDermott says. โ€œIโ€™ve lived in the community since about 2000, and I was briefly an assistant principal there from 2009-2010, before I opened Fivay High (in Hudson).โ€

Some of the young Wildcats approve.

โ€œThe kids who live in my neighborhood have been by to say congratulations and tell me theyโ€™re excited to have me as their principal,โ€ McDermott says.

McDermott has worked for Pasco County Schools since 1996 and has been a teacher, coach, athletic director and school administrator. He started as an AP environmental science and biology honors teacher and football and wrestling coach, and became the athletic director at Sunlake High in 2007 before a brief stay as assistant principal at WCH in 2009. He helped open Fivay in 2010, and returned to Zephyrhills as an assistant principal in 2015.

This is McDermottโ€™s first appointment as a principal.

โ€œYou always think youโ€™re ready to be a principal,โ€ McDermott says. โ€œI have good mentors and people I can reach out to if I need something. Iโ€™ve been in the principal pool for a while and prefer the southeast part of the county because thatโ€™s where I live. This is one of my dream jobs and Iโ€™m excited to be given the opportunity.โ€

Judy Choinski is a parent of two students at WCH, and a member of its School Advisory Committee (SAC). She says sheโ€™s happy for Johnson, the schoolโ€™s now-former principal. โ€œItโ€™s a huge compliment to her that she was chosen to bring [Pasco Middle] back up to where it needs to be,โ€ Choinski says. โ€œSheโ€™s going to turn that school around.โ€

Choinski acknowledges that thereโ€™s disappointment in losing Johnson, and in having yet another new principal. But, she says there is just as much excitement about McDermott.

โ€œHis reputation is really good,โ€ she says. โ€œSome parents and teachers I talked to said they were hoping he would be selected, that he would be the perfect fit for Chapel.โ€

At our press time, McDermott had been recommended as principal by Pasco School Superintendent Kurt Browning and was expected to be approved by the School Board on October 16, with a start date of October 17.

โ€œItโ€™s a win-win for everybody,โ€ Choinski adds. โ€œHopefully, everything will stay solid for a while.โ€

Good As Gold
At a Pasco County School Board meeting on Oct. 2, Browning and members of the Board were presented with the Florida Healthy School District Gold Flag by Florida Action for Healthy Kids.

The county received the Gold Flag โ€œfor establishing a culture and climate in which students and staff can reach their personal potential and for continuing to serve as a leader in the state in reducing and eliminating the barriers to learning, resulting in increased academic achievement.โ€

Pasco County Schools earned the Silver award in 2016, but this year is its first-ever gold. The district will hold the Gold award designation through 2020.

To earn the Gold designation, the district demonstrated high scores in areas like creating a healthy school environment, contributing to employee wellness and excellence in counseling, psychological and social services and health education.

The Florida Partnership for Healthy Schools is a grassroots partnership that advocates for school health issues and recognizes excellence among Florida school districts.

PTAs Honored Nationally
Double Branch Elementary and John Long Middle School have both earned recognition as a National PTA (Parent Teacher Association) โ€œSchool of Excellence,โ€ with a designation that lasts from 2018-20.
The National PTA School of Excellence recognition program โ€œsupports and celebrates partnerships between PTAs and schools to enrich the educational experience and overall well-being for all students,โ€ according to the National PTA website.

Schools apply to be recognized, then complete a series of steps designed to improve relationships between schools and families, which are individual to each school. If they meet their goal, they earn the designation.

In addition, the county-wide Pasco County Council of PTAs (PCCPTA) was recognized for having the highest increase of membership in Florida for the 2017-18 school year. PCCPTA representatives Mahalia Surin, Denise Nicholas and Andria Roscart presented the trophy they received to Pasco School Board chair Cynthia Armstrong and Superintendent of Schools Kurt Browning (photo above).

Teachers Wanted
Want to work as a teacher in Wesley Chapel? Pasco County Schools will host a fall instructional job fair on Wednesday, November 14, 4 p.m.-6 p.m., at Sunlake High in Land Oโ€™Lakes.

The district is looking for teachers in math, science, emotional and behavioral disorders/autism spectrum disorders (EBD/ASD), exceptional student education (ESE) and elementary education. They also have openings for guest teachers, behavioral analysts and school nurses.

All education interns, teachers, student services employees, and those who have a Bachelorโ€™s degree and are interested in becoming certified educators are invited to attend. Applicants can meet with administrators and hiring managers for on-the-spot interviews and job offers.

Anyone interested in attending should register at https://pascofalljobfair2018.eventbrite.com, visit http://www.pasco.k12.fl.us/hreq/ or contact work@pasco.k12.fl.us.

Former Wiregrass Ranch Hoopster Stephanie Brower Surprised To Earn U-F Scholarship

Former Wiregrass Ranch High girls basketball standout Stephanie Brower, a 2017 walk-on at the University of Florida, reacts with her teammates to being told by the Gators womenโ€™s basketball coach Cam Newbauer that she had earned a scholarship for this season. (Photo: Screengrab, UF video)

Former Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) girls basketball player Stephanie Brower was never one of the most recruited players in Pasco County. But, she was always one of the hardest working and, after one season as a walk-on at the University of Florida, it is probably no surprise that, well, she no longer is a walk-on.

On Oct. 8, Brower received the surprise of a lifetime when, surrounded by her teammates, she was told by Gators head coach Cam Newbauer that she had officially earned a scholarship.

Brower could only cover her mouth in shock as her face slowly turned red with tears. Her teammates mobbed her in celebration.

The Gators team had gathered at the Delta Zeta house, which is Browerโ€™s sorority, under the guise of promoting the team and drumming up attendance by inviting the sorority sisters to come to games this season.

After Newbauer made his pitch to support his team, Brower took the floor to loud cheers. Newbauer then interrupted.

โ€œCome on now, how loud do you cheer for a Delta Zeta?,โ€ he asked a gathering of about 50 sisters, which then erupted into even louder cheering.

After they stopped, Newbauer continued: โ€œHow loud would you cheer for a Delta Zeta…that earned a scholarship?โ€

Brower covered her heart with her hands — โ€œOh my God, are you serious?โ€ — and then covered her face as her teammates jumped into the celebration.

It was the second time this summer that Newbauer surprised one of the Gators with a scholarship. Brower joined Corey Staples, who was surprised with a scholarship after a carefully orchestrated scavenger hunt.

โ€œItโ€™s been really cool for me to see Stephโ€™s growth and development,โ€ Newbauer says. โ€œWhen I was coaching at Belmont (University) she actually came out to our elite camp and was really interested, but at the time we didnโ€™t have any scholarships available or room on our roster. Then when I got here to Florida, she reached out about a walk-on opportunity. I was really excited to hear from her because I remembered how hard she played. She will do anything to add value to the team.โ€

Brower, a 2017 WRH grad, averaged 15.1 points and 10.5 rebounds as a 5-foot-11 guard. She led the Bulls to the schoolโ€™s first district title in 2016, surpassing the 1,000-point career mark with a 15-point, 16-rebound performance in a 59-47 district championship win over Freedom.

Brower finished her Wiregrass Ranch career with 1,493 points. 1,059 rebounds and 514 assists.
She walked on at Florida on Dec. 12, 2017, appearing in six of 30 games during the 2017-18 season, including four Southeastern Conference games. She played 24 of her 45 minutes against No. 15 Tennessee in February, scoring 2 points with three assists, two rebounds and a steal.