Making The Grade

Wesley Chapel High senior Kris Chandler wasn’t sure he’d ever see the football field. But, fortitude overcame frustration and he’ll start Friday’s season opener for the Wildcats.

Hidden in what could very well emerge as one of the top rushing attacks in Pasco County is a back that you’ve probably never heard of.

Hitting the holes has never been a problem for Wesley Chapel High (WCH)’s Kris Chandler. Hitting the books, however, has.

But, no longer.

After three years of high school, with each of those football seasons spent practicing with the Wildcats but unable to compete because of academic requirements, Chandler will start tonight’s season opener against Sunlake in a great comeback story.

Chandler originally attended Wharton High in New Tampa, but transferred to Wesley Chapel (WCH) after a semester. That first year in high school after moving from Alabama, however, put him in an academic hole he thought he’d never climb out of.

“My first semester at Wharton was hard,” Chandler said. “We had just moved from Alabama and I didn’t like it here. I was resentful, mad, my whole focus was on going back.”

There was no going back, however. So, Chandler had to move forward. He came to WCH with a 0.7 GPA, making him ineligible to compete in high school sports. While he was still allowed to practice with the team, he could not suit up on Friday nights for games.

Head coach Tony Egan took an interest in Chandler, because he saw enough raw athletic ability that he thought the running back could one day play his way into a college football scholarship.

“I’ve always thought he was good enough to play D1 football,” Egan said. “Athletically, he’s a little raw but he’s as strong as can be. You should see him in tackling drills, he’s just a beast.”

First things first, Egan told Chandler. The coach got with his player’s teachers, sat down with Chandler in front of guidance counselors and helped put him back on track to attaining eligibility.

Egan admits that it was an uphill climb from 0.7. Chandler’s sophomore year went by, but his grade-point-average slowly climbed.

He took summer classes, online classes and retook classes through Apex, an online virtual school. He was still ineligible as a junior, but he kept showing up for practice, and kept showing out in the classroom.

Halfway through his junior year, he had raised his GPA to 1.78. By then, the Chandler project was taken up by his teammates and teachers. He credits science teacher Susan Cullum and SSAP/graduation enhancement counselor Celeste Richter for helping turn things around. Then-teammates Dexter Leverett, Malik Melvin and Isaiah Bolden encouraged him. Assistant coaches Nelson Vazquez and Delroy Lewis worked with him after school.

It turned Chandler’s attitude toward schoolwork on its head.

“I would turn my work in early, so my teachers could check it and make sure I had done everything right,” he says.

This past June, at the end of his junior year, Chandler nervously awaited his grades.

“I went in to the library to check with Ms. Richter, to see if I would have to take summer school again,” he said. “She was sitting there behind the computer, smiling. She told me I had done it. I asked her, ‘Are you sure?’. She turned the computer around and showed me.”

He had climbed all the way out of his hole. The computer monitor displayed a 2.3 GPA.

Chandler left the library and immediately sent his mother a text with the good news. He also sent texts to his sister, older brother and dad. He ran over to the weight room to tell his coaches.

Chandler was cleared to play in 2018, so he could take the summer off and focus on conditioning with the football team.

“It took a lot of weight off my shoulders,” Chandler said. “I think about it every day. I promise you, there’s no danger of sliding back now.”

It’s no secret what Egan likes to do on offense — run the ball down your throat, and Chandler could be his battering ram in 2018.

Egan coached offensive line at River Ridge High when the Royal Knights rushed for more than 3,000 yards in both 2014 (3338) and 2015 (3166). As head coach at WCH, Egan guided Leverett to consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, with Melvin serving as a dangerous complement in the rushing game, building one of the area’s most productive ground attacks.

Chandler’s one year of high school football will be a big one, as he steps into the role vacated by his former teammates.

Egan says that Chandler squats 450 pounds, bench presses 320 and can power clean 285. He also runs a 4.4-second 40-yard dash. Chandler looks like a high school version of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin — short, with a compact frame and tree trunks for legs. What’s more, Chandler has an awful lot to prove, not just to himself but to all of the people who helped him get to where he is.

He got to pull a game jersey over his head on August 7 for the team pictures. On August 17, as we were going to press with this issue, he saw his first live game action in a preseason matchup against Land O’ Lakes.

But tonight, it’s for real.

Tonight, Chandler officially makes it all the way back.

Nondenominational Christian Bible Study Classes Available Now At St. James UMC

On Thursday mornings in New Tampa, dozens of women gather together to laugh, read the Bible and share life with each other.
Some are young women.

Others are moms, who may bring their young children to attend their own classes in a nearby room. Still others are grandmothers and even great-grandmothers.

Whether they’re young or old, married or single, parents or not, and whatever their religious preference, all women are invited to join the Tampa Northeast/New Tampa Community Bible Study (CBS) class, says the group’s teaching director, Karis Tiberia.

“We’re there to study the Bible together,” Karis explains. “One of the things I think is special is that we focus on the essentials of the Christian faith, not on denominational distinctions. Whether they attend church or not, everyone is welcome.”

While the focus is on studying the Bible, that’s not all that’s happening in the group.
“We encourage each other, love each other, challenge and take care of each other through all of the ups and downs of life,” Karis says.

The Tampa Northeast/New Tampa CBS class is part of an international organization called Community Bible Study. The group that meets in New Tampa has just completed its third year, with about 75 women registered, and will begin its fourth year this fall.

It meets most Thursday mornings, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., at St. James United Methodist Church, 16202 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. While St. James provides meeting space for the group, it is completely independent and supported by other churches, too, such as Grace Episcopal Church, where the group’s Leaders Council meets each week to prepare.

Moms who have children who are in third grade and younger can bring the kids along. Carmellia Loyd is the children/youth director. She says children will be cared for in a loving, fun and safe environment, and all teachers are trained and background checked.

“It’s not childcare,” Carmellia says. “From the time they’re two and older, they’re in programming, learning Bible stories, songs, simple verses, and how to have a relationship with God.”

The group’s leadership team is made up of 15 women, including Karis and Carmellia. When women join CBS, they’re placed into a smaller discussion group, called a “core group.” New this year, one core group will be meeting in the evening to accommodate more women’s schedules.

The first class will be held Thursday, September 6. An Open House will be held on Thursday, August 30, 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m., for people to drop by, find out more about CBS, meet the leaders, pick up a study book and/or register. The group will meet most weeks, except for holidays, and will end on May 9, 2019.

The group will be studying the Book of Matthew. Registration is $35 and children’s registration is $10.
Participants complete a 10-15 minute lesson in their CBS study book each day, then gather for the weekly class, where they sing worship songs, break into discussion groups, and then come back together for a large group teaching, led by Karis.

“Some people gain knowledge by answering questions, others by sharing in discussion, and some by hearing the teaching,” Karis says. “CBS covers all of those ways.”

Carmellia says she has been involved in CBS, which has several groups in the Tampa Bay area, for 18 years.

“The thing I like about it is it is straight Bible study,” says Carmellia. “They ask you questions, you look at the answers in the Bible and discuss it in your small group. It doesn’t matter if someone has known Jesus for six weeks or has been a saint for 60 years — everybody has something to contribute.”

Carla Rybolt is the group’s coordinator, handling logistics, including member registration. She has participated in the New Tampa group since its inception.

“Being in God’s word keeps me closer to God at all times,” Carla adds. “I was in the midst of a terrible storm when I started with CBS and the class led me through a gamut of learning how to completely trust God and let go of all of my anxieties. Through everything that I’ve learned, I’ve been surrounded by amazing women who hold me up.”

Karis agrees. “It’s made a difference as I go through life to have women who I know will be there for me. Aside from the Bible study and how we grow in our faith, I am also personally encouraged by my participation both in the class and as a leader.”

All three women say they love the diversity of the women who attend the group.

“The number one thing I liked about CBS from the beginning is that it’s biblically-based and everybody is welcome. Whether you’re Atheist or Jewish, no one is ever turned away,” says Carla. “Jesus tells us to love one another, and that’s the way it is at CBS.”

Carmellia adds, “It’s for anybody, whether you want to find out what the Bible is all about or have studied it for years. It’s a great place to feel comfortable and not judged.”

Registration is open now. For more information, visit the group’s website at TampaNortheast.CBSclass.org or email Carla Rybolt at CBS.Tampa.Northeast@gmail.com.

Education Notebook: Big Surprise For Weightman Middle School Student 

Mayah Jaramillo hadn’t seen her brother, U.S. Air Force Airman E-2 Joel Jaramillo, the entire school year.

The graduating eighth grade student at Weightman Middle School had no idea that her mom and assistant principal Andressa Williams had been secretly planning to change that in a big way.

They’ve been plotting with Joel, stationed in Nevada, to get him home for her middle school promotion ceremony. They were hoping that when her name was called at the ceremony on May 25, Mayah would get the surprise of her life as Joel joined her on stage.

Plans were for Joel to take a red-eye flight to arrive the morning of the ceremony and sneak in the back door of the Wesley Chapel Center for Performing Arts on Wells Rd. to be there for his little sister’s special day.

Joel is a 2015 graduate of Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH), but the last time Mayah saw him was at his graduation from basic training last August.

Because of his commitment to serve his country, Joel wasn’t able to drive her to school for her first day of eighth grade, as he had for her previous three first days of school. (See photo.)

The surprise went off without a hitch, as a shocked Mayah burst out in tears as her brother came up from behind and surprised her.

WRH Ranked Nationally

Wiregrass Ranch High has landed on the U.S. News & World Report list of 2018 Best High Schools.

Less than 30 percent of high schools in the country qualify for the list, and only four other schools in Pasco County appear on it: Land O’Lakes, Mitchell and Sunlake high schools, plus the Pasco e-School.

WRH earned a “Silver” badge, meaning it was in the top 11 percent of U.S. high schools. The U.S. News & World Report analysis ranked the school number 117 in Florida, with a 91 percent graduation rate and 37.4 college readiness ranking, out of 100.

The college readiness ranking is a measure of how many students took and passed at least one Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) test before or during his or her senior year for the last year this data is available, which is 2015-16. (It does not consider students taking dual enrollment classes, which are a popular alternative to AP classes among high-achieving students at WRH).

“I can’t tell you how proud this news makes me,” said Kurt Browning, Pasco County’s superintendent of schools. “This is a testament to our administrators’ deliberate planning, our teachers’ high-impact instruction, and our students’ hard work and focus.”

For more information about Pasco’s schools on the 2018 Best High Schools report, go to USNews.com/education/best-high-schools.

High Schools Celebrate Graduates

Congratulations to the graduating classes of Wesley Chapel (WCH) and Wiregrass Ranch (WRH) high schools.

WRH students graduated on May 24, at the Sun Dome on the Tampa campus of the University of South Florida (USF). The school’s valedictorian is Sabina Grace Boddupalli, who plans to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville and major in Business Administration.
WCH’s valedictorian is Karissa Sue Olsen. After graduating with the rest of her class at the USF Sun Dome on May 25, Karissa is planning to return to USF for college, where she’ll major in Pre-Physical Therapy.

Cypress Creek Middle High School, which opened this fall, did not have seniors this year. Its first graduates will be the class of 2019 next year.

Quail Hollow Elementary Kid Cooks Fall Short At ‘Challenge’

The team from Quail Hollow Elementary (QHE; bottom photo on next page) that was one of four finalists in the fifth annual Gridiron Cooking Challenge at One Buccaneer Place didn’t bring home the trophy they coveted.

Fifth-graders Gracie Evans, Madison Gulley, Katelyn O’Neil and Lindsey Overland prepared their Alfredo Smothered Roasted Red Pepper & Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Swirls for the event, held on May 19 at the practice facility and HQ of the Tampa Bay Bucs.

But, they were bested by Lake Gibson Middle School in Polk County, which clinched the victory with its Quarterback Quesadillas with Pineapple Salsa recipe.

“It’s been another impressive year by our Tampa and Central Florida schools,” said Teresa Moran-Wiebe, Dairy Council of Florida, Director of Youth Wellness. “Each team demonstrated the versatility and nutritional value of dairy products in a creative way.”

The students’ creations were judged by Florida Dairy Farmer Courtney Campbell, Executive Chef of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Michael Beadles and Publix Aprons Cooking School Chef Alan Landers.

Hosted by the Dairy Council of Florida in partnership with the NFL, the cooking challenge is a fun-filled food competition for elementary and middle school students throughout Florida and is part of the “Fuel Up to Play 60” program.

School & Hospital Partner Up

North Tampa Christian Academy (NTCA), which is under construction on County Line Rd. and set to open for the 2018-19 school year, has announced a partnership with Florida Hospital, naming it the “official health and wellness partner” of the school.

The new private school is currently being built on more than 43 acres of land. It is now accepting applications for students in grades K-12, while its on-campus preschool is accepting applications for kids ages two to pre-K.

The partnership is an obvious fit, as the NTCA is the culmination of plans that started in 2012, when the Florida Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists began working in concert with the Adventist Health System and Florida Hospital West Florida Region to establish the school in this area.

Sandra Doran, Ed. D, NTCA’s Founding Head of School, says, “We are so thrilled to have Florida Hospital joining us, as our official health and wellness partner. Our core values truly align and it’s all about the students, providing them unique healthcare opportunities both in and outside the classroom setting.”

NTCA will is inviting the local community to a ribbon-cutting ceremony, inviting the community to tour the brand-new campus, on Tuesday, July 17, 11 a.m.

For a virtual tour of the school, visit SeeThisSchool.com. An informational session for interested parents will be held on Wednesday, June 20, 6:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m., at Lincoln Memorial University Nursing School at Florida Hospital Health Park (3102 E. 138th Ave., Tampa). Call (813) 591-0309 for more info or to RSVP.

Wesley Chapel Elementary Odyssey of The Mind Team To Defend Its World Title

Wesley Chapel Elementary’s Odyssey of the Mind (OM) team is known as the 2017 World Champion elementary school team in the extracurricular academic activity that is a combination of technology and performance art. The WCE team gets to defend its title this weekend.

If you ask someone to name a world championship team from Wesley Chapel, the first thought might be the U.S. women’s national ice hockey team that trained at Florida Hospital Center Ice before winning the Gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea earlier this year. 

But, for those who follow competitive mind games, the Wesley Chapel Elementary Odyssey of the Mind (OM) team is famous for winning the 2017 World Champion elementary school team in the extracurricular academic activity that is a combination of technology and performance art. According to the OM website (OdysseyOfThemind.com), OM is the “largest creative problem-solving competition in the world!”

Teams of students compete in grade-appropriate divisions to solve problems that require building and using a vehicle they can ride on while completing a triathlon of feats that display mechanical prowess and dexterity, such as jousting, curling and navigating a course in two directions.

The students compete from prepared routines they create, corresponding to a rubrik of requirements, such as a multiplication problem or something more spontaneous — like being asked unexpectedly to answer a question like “name a tree.”

It is a production that for the WCE team, known as “JJAMSSS” (the name is derived from the first initial of the name of each team member), combines a bit of pirate-speak and a boat that turns into a sea monster with a learning platform for science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) knowledge.

“The dynamic of this team is incredible,” says Joelisa Sherman, a parent serving as the team publicist. “They have truly learned the meaning of teamwork through perseverance, hard work, and a lot of creative thinking.”

Of the seven team members, six are fifth-grade students and one is in the third grade. Three of them are returning veterans from the 2017 World Championship competition that took first place at the OM World Finals at Michigan State University in Lansing.

Among them is Sam Cappelluti, who says that while performing as the lead sea monster can be good preparation for a possible career in life science, he really enjoys the time with like-minded students.

“I like thinking creatively and having fun with my friends,” Sam says.

Also adding championship experience to this year’s team is fifth-grader Jason Sherman, who says the atmosphere at the Odyssey World competition is not too unlike other big events, whether in education or sports.

“You develop great relationships with friends and there’s a lot of things to do there,” Jason says.

Mina Melaika is the third member of the team who competed for WCES last year, and she says it truly is an international event. “You go to a dorm and meet friends from Japan and trade pins and stuff.”

Third-grader Jadyn Sherman, Jason’s sister, says she enjoys crafts and finds the OM competition a good fit for her artistic skills.

“I saw the creativity in it and I like to make stuff,” Jadyn says, adding that participating in OM is “a really cool way to hang out with my brother (Jason).”

Anna Gust is a fifth-grader who says she appreciates the close-knit nature of her team and that she wants to “learn more stuff about inventing because, when I grow up, I want to invent stuff.”

The storytelling aspects of OM competition is of particular interest to fifth-grade student Samarth Muralidhara, who also says he’s finding an outlet for his curiosity about how things work.

“I like to see people laugh at my jokes and I love to do the pirate voice,” he says.

A new member of the team who brings about four years of experience is Sean Donahue, who has been participating in OM for four years. He has high expectations for the World Title defense, which will take place at Iowa State University in Ames, May 23-26.

“I’m especially excited for the Worlds, to meet new people and brainstorm,” he says.

Parents who are serving as coaches for the team are Jackie and Sergio Cappelluti, Sandy Gust and Elena Donahue.

The WCES team earned the right to compete at the World Finals by placing first in the Gulf Coast Regional and Florida State-level competitions earlier this year.

Quail Hollow Kid Cooks Ready To Take Their Talents To The ‘Gridiron Challenge’

(L.-r.) Lindsey Overland, Madison Gulley, Gracie Evans and Katelyn O’Neil show off their Alfredo Smothered Roasted Red Pepper & Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Swirls.

Quail Hollow Elementary (QHE) students Gracie Evans, Madison Gulley, Katelyn O’Neil and Lindsey Overland will be competing in a “Gridiron Challenge” on Saturday, May 19, at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ training facility at One Buc Place.

But, don’t expect the 10- and 11-year-old fifth-graders to be knocking anyone down with ferocious hits.

Instead, they will be trying to knock some people out with their Alfredo Smothered Roasted Red Pepper & Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Swirls.

The Wesley Chapel girls will take part in a culinary competition against students from three other schools in the annual Gridiron Cooking Challenge, part of the “Fuel Up to Play 60” initiative, an in-school nutrition and physical activity program run by the National Dairy Council and the NFL.

The event is free and open to the public to attend. And, while it’s still a few weeks away at our press time, the girls say they are already getting nervous.

“I think about it a lot. I’m very excited,” Katelyn says, with her teammates nodding in agreement.

At the competition, the Quail Hollow quartet will have an hour to prepare their signature dish for a panel of judges, including a Florida dairy farmer, the Bucs’ executive chef, a representative from Publix and teenage culinary whiz Zac Kara, a former MasterChef Junior competitor on FOX-TV.

The QHE team has its own culinary whiz and former television competitor in Gracie. In 2016, when she was just 9-years-old, she battled against nine other kid cooks from across the country on Food Network’s “Star Kids” cooking show.

On that show, Gracie had to present a live audition to judges, prepare dishes on the fly and incorporate social media — such as a Snapchat cooking tip — into her cooking presentation. She still maintains a popular Instagram page, where she posts her most current dishes.

It’s a skill set she picked up from her mother, Juliana, a well-known dessert maker who has appeared on NBC-TV’s “The Today Show,” as well as the Food Network and local TV. She describes herself as a “freelance food stylist,” and her daughter is following in her footsteps.

It was while both were giving demonstrations at the Southern Women’s Fair last October that Gracie was introduced to the Florida Dairy Council, which suggested she take part in the council’s upcoming competition.

The idea of a team competition appealed to Gracie, as opposed to the kid-to-kid cooking combat she went through at Food Network. She decided to team up with Madison, Katelyn and Lindsey, with fifth-grade teacher Alysha Moscarelli and Juliana helping to guide the girls.

“It will definitely be better than my first time,” Gracie says. “You will be able to rely on other people. It helps you relax more. You won’t be as nervous.”

The Power Of Teamwork

In fact, each girl has her own role to play on the team, forming a finely-tuned unit.

Gracie started brainstorming immediately after finding out about the competition. She pitched the Council with one of the recipes she served on the Food Network, modifying it by replacing the recipe’s marinara sauce with Alfredo sauce, as the competition calls for dairy-based recipes.

“I changed it a little bit,” Gracie says. “It was really easy to make and it is an interesting dish because it has a lot of components that, all together, taste really good.”

One of those components, which provides a secondary dash of dairy, could be called the “secret sauce” — yogurt.

“It made it a little creamier, and yogurt has that tart kind of a bite,” Juliana says. “It plays very nicely.”

Katelyn also helps with the Alfredo sauce. “We put a lot of work into it and practice and tasting, making sure it’s real smooth,’’ she says. “And, we have a lot of back-up plans, in case it’s not perfect.”

Lindsey’s job is the lemon ricotta filling, which she says she makes with ricotta cheese (still more dairy), zested lemon, salt and black pepper.

“We mix it all up and put it (on the noodles) and roll it all up,” she says.

Madison is responsible for the roasted pepper sun-dried tomato, which is blended with pesto, baby spinach, parsley and olive oil before being incorporated into the lasagna noodles.

“It’s very delicious,” says Madison, who is dubbed the “Pesto Queen” by her teacher.

Lindsey and Madison both say that since joining the Gridiron Challenge team, they have taken a greater interest in cooking and now make more dishes around their homes.

“I really enjoy doing the cooking,” Lindsey says. “But, I think it all started with this competition.”

The team has been practicing for three months now, sometimes at home, other times at school, where they push three desks together and set up their stations.

Moscarelli, a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) teacher who has all four girls in two separate math and science classes at Quail Hollow, says she has enjoyed watching them work together in preparation for the upcoming competition, not to mention all the taste-testing she has been able to indulge in.

“It’s nice to see them use their critical thinking skills, communication skills and teamwork in everyday life,” she says. “And, the recipe is delicious.”

The girls are all friends and have each brought their own special talents to the cooking table — with a mix of brainstorming and experimentation.

“They started to talk about it at lunch,” Moscarelli says, “and they would say, ‘Ooh, what if we added this to the recipe?,’ and then would go home and try different things and alter the ingredients. They all jumped right in.”

The recipe is finalized, and the team is now working on the little things, like plating and timing. They will have to plate and present four dishes for the judges, and also are responsible for producing 50 samples for the audience.

The girls are confident they will do well and deliver a hit at the Gridiron Challenge. The delicious kind.

“We have been working hard,” Madison said. “It will be good.”