PHSC’s Timothy Beard To Retire

Retiring PHSC Pres. Dr. Timothy L. Beard

After 17 years at Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC), which includes leading the Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, president Timothy L. Beard, Ph.D., will retire effective January 31, 2024, the school announced on Mar. 1.

By the time he retires, Beard will have served nearly nine years as the state college’s president and CEO. Prior to that, he served more than  eight years as PHSC’s Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. 

The school announced that it is conducting a nationwide search for Beard’s successor.  Myers McRae Executive Search and Consulting firm will lead the search for PHSC’s fifth president, teaming up with a presidential search committee comprised of community stakeholders and PHSC faculty, staff and students.

During Beard’s presidency, PHSC constructed the $18-million Instructional Performing Arts Center (IPAC), located on Old Pasco Rd. in front of Cypress Creek middle and high school. The facility opened in 2021, and provides instruction in music, dance, theater and multi-media design.

“Serving as PHSC’s president has been the crowning achievement of my career,” Beard said in a release. “The College has made exceptional progress, thanks to the guidance of our trustees and the dedication of our administrators, faculty and staff. I remain in awe of the transformative power of education.”

Beard also has been at the helm for a number of other major projects, like adding a $5 million Burn Center and Fire Academy training center at PHSC’s East Campus in Dade City, which will also be home to a future STEM Student Success and Community Engagement Center with a projected $25-million budget.

Dr. Beard earned his Bachelor’s degree from Florida A&M (FAMU) in 1984, and received his Master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Florida State University. He worked on the staff, faculty and in the administrations at FAMU, FSU and the University of South Alabama in Mobile before accepting the vice president’s position at PHSC.

He succeeded former PHSC presidents Katherine M. Johnson, Ed.D., in 2015. Johnson was preceded by the late Robert W. Judson, Jr, Ed.D., and Milton O. Jones, Ph.D., the college’s founding president.

PHSC, which has six locations in Pasco and Hernando counties serving nearly 10,000 students annually, saw its operating budget increase by nearly 40 percent under Beard, and the PHSC Foundation’s assets increased by more than 60 percent. Beard personally raised several hundred thousand dollars to establish and fund scholarships.

PHSC’s nine-member District Board of Trustees is hoping to find and introduce Beard’s replacement in September.

Information on PHSC’s Presidential Search, including details about the application and nomination process, can be found at MyersMcrae.com or PHSC.edu/about/leadership/presidential-search.

AIMING FOR THE TOP

Parth Madabhushi gives 100 percent to everything he does, as evidenced by his acomplishments in dance, music and sport.(Photos: Courtesy of Madabhushi family)

Wesley Chapel teenager Parth Madabhushi doesn’t do anything half way. 

When he took up karate, he put in all his effort and made it onto a national team that competed in other countries.

When he took up dance, he spent hours and hours practicing his craft and became the third generation in his family to learn the classical Indian dance Bharatanatyam.

And, when he took up music, he mastered the mridangam (the ancient classical drum of South India), recently completing his solo percussion recital, or arangetram, with renowned Indian musician Padma Shri A. Kanyakumari.

Whereas the majority of people may take a few years of karate or a few lessons in dance or compete in a couple of sports leagues, Parth has always set out to conquer everything he tries.

“I’m proud of myself for the accomplishment,” Parth says. “I don’t really get the appeal of doing something and stopping, unless it was just a hobby or something. Accomplishing all three things was important to me. My parents preached that if you’re not going to do something 100 percent, don’t do it.”

The most recent accomplishment on Parth impressice roster was completing his mridangam arangetram last year.

An arangetram (which means “ascending the stage”) ceremony is a rite of passage that is most similar to a recital or graduation, and is deeply rooted in Indian culture. The mridangam, the instrument Parth plays, is the.

All classical dancers and musicians participate in an arangetram at the end of their training with a guru, and it signifies their ascension from disciple to performer and even to teacher.

For his arangetram, Prahlad Madabhushi, Parth’s father, managed to arrange for his son to accompany violinist Padma Shri A. Kanyakumari, a recipient of the Padma Shri Award from the government of India for her devotion to the arts. Prahlad says it is rare that such a prominent artist would agree to play at an arangetram.

The Madabhushi family (l.-r.) dad Prahlad, Parth, sister Nitya and mother Sabrina.

“We had been in communication for 2-3 years, before Covid,” he said. “And, her calendar is packed. However, she sent us a message that she had a weekend open, and we were shocked. It was jaw dropping. But, we can see why she agreed. Parth is very very unique, and artists want to enrich upcoming brilliant kids.”

On October 29, 2022, Parth took the stage at USF and accompanied Padma Shri A. Kanyakumari in a three-hour performance that included a 10-minute solo. She changed pace often, playing at such a dizzying speed at times 

it was hard to imagine Parth keeping up on his mridangam. However, he did. 

“The speed she played at was crazy,” Parth said. “I enjoyed it, trying to see how fast I can play. She was challenging me, and now I know I can play that fast.”

Prahlad, who joined his son on stage, called it an impressive performance.

“It was exhilarating to see my son not only play well, but hang in there,” he said, “because it is very difficult when she plays the violin, because it’s not just at one speed, but 4-5 speeds. And she’s not like, “This is a newcomer, let me take it easy.’ Very, very seasoned musicians find it difficult to hang in with her, but Parth did.”

Completing the arangetram was just another step for Parth, who has already piled up a list of impressive accomplishments.

His father says that Parth represented Team USA at the World Karate Federation championships four times, winning four championships, and also has recently gained the title of Sensei in the martial arts form of Shitu-Ryu.

At his first arangetram in 2008 for dance — his mother Sabrina and grandmother Geetha Raaj are dance teachers — he became the first boy in Florida to complete a recital in the classical Indian dance Bharatanatyam.

Prahlad says that combination of accomplishments is “one-in-a-billion.” 

So, what’s next for Parth? He’s not sure. A Carrollwood Day School graduate, he is currently a second-year Business student at the University of South Florida, and has taken an interesting in video editing. While school is a priority, and time-consuming as well, he has wondered what his next challenge might be.

“In my brain, I want to do something else,” he says. “I will figure it out. In my opinion, having something to accomplish, that’s what makes life fun.”

Wesley Chapel’s 2022-23 Teacher Of The Year Nominees 

The Pasco County School District recently named its Teacher and School-Related Personnel of the Year.

Anita Dienes, Instructional Assistant at Thomas E. Weightman Middle School, won top honors in the District among all School-Related Personnel.

“Mrs. Dienes was nominated for her outstanding dedication to our students and continuous support of our staff,” says Donna Gricoski, the principal at Weightman. “She works hard to build relationships with students and is an out-of-the box problem solver when working through various student-related interactions.”

Timothy Hamlin, a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math)teacher at Wiregrass Elementary, was one of three finalists for the District-wide Teacher of the Year, although the award was ultimately presented to Kim Theurer of Gulf High in New Port Richey.

District-wide winners are chosen from the nominees selected at all schools in the county. Being chosen as the nominee from a school is an honor in itself, so we congratulate all of the teachers and supporting staff in the schools in Wesley Chapel who were recognized as their school’s nominees this year. 

At the brand new Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation off Curley Rd., the school chose its first-ever nominees, including Brooke Howard, learning design coach, as its Teacher of the Year.

“I am extremely honored to receive this recognition from those who I work alongside,” she says.

Timothy Hamlin (with plaque)
Wiregrass Elementary 
Schoolwide STEM Specialist
Brooke Howard
Kirkland Prep
Nicholas Shaw
John Long Middle School
Jordan Less
Double Branch Elem.
Taryn Neale
Seven Oaks Elem.
Brenna McHugh
Quail Hollow Elem.
Danielle Sauerwein
Cypress Creek Middle School
Shaylon Peck
Sand Pine Elem.
Danielle Provenzano
Wesley Chapel Elem.
Jamie London (l.) New River Elem.
Barbara Sheats
Pasco Adult Ed at WC
Deborah Hutner
Cypress Creek High
Krista Carbone (R)
Veterans Elem.
Kori Barber (L)
Watergrass Elem.
Penny Ward
Wesley Chapel High
Stephanie Adams Kincaid (R)
Wiregrass Ranch High
Anita Dienes, Instructional Assistant at Thomas E. Weightman Middle School, won top honors in the District among all School-Related Personnel (SRPs).

‘Kidpreneurs’ Learning The Art Of Making Business Deals

Layal (left), Nouf (center) and Alghaliah Rizq own Queen of Hearts, which sells homemade jewelry as well as other products.

On the way to school one day just over a year ago, one of the neighborhood kids that Danielle Cannon was driving to school mentioned that she wanted to start selling some of her homemade bracelets.

Cannon’s own two kids, 7-year-old Jane and 9-year-old Adam, chimed in that they were interested in selling some stuff as well.

“So I posted online asking if anyone knew of a good place to do this little thing for the neighborhood,” Cannon says.

That little thing, however, became a much bigger thing. Within a day, more than 20 families had replied that their children wanted to be a part of it as well, and the Tampa Children’s Business Fair was born.

At the end of last month, Cannon’s army of “Kidpreneurs” set up more than 40 tables at the KRATE at The Grove container park, selling everything from artwork to tree saplings to cookies to Christmas trinkets to — you guessed it  — bracelets.

“It has really grown,” says Cannon, who has poured thousands of dollars of her own money into her nonprofit fair where all the business owners are kids, ages 6-16. “Literally, the only limitation is finding places to hold it,” Cannon says.

The KRATE was generous enough to provide the space for free, although Cannon says other locations have charged as much as $1,500 to host a fair.

Cannon’s first event late last year attracted about 20 kids. The final event of this year, held at the Temple Terrace Recreation Center on Dec. 11, featured a whopping 75 tables and more than 100 Kidpreneurs.

“We would have had more but there was no more room,” Cannon says.

It was the fifth business fair of the year, and some of the young business owners — like New Tampa sisters Alghaliah (13-years-old), Layal (11) and Nouf Rizq (6) — have sold their wares at all of them.

The sisters, who all attend Turner-Bartels K-8 School, sell a variety of different necklaces and bracelets, including ones with clay beads displaying positive messages like “Kind,” “Cute,” “Love” and “Shine.”

At the KRATE fair, the trio’s Queen of Hearts business displayed an expanded product line to include pens and PopSockets (to help you hold your cell phone) and, at the Temple Terrace fair, they unveiled jewelry boxes made of resin.

“You can add colors to them,” Alghaliah says. “It looks really cool.”

The sisters have made more than $400 at the fairs. They say they wanted to learn more about entrepreneurship and the process has helped them become more confident.

“It’s been fun,” Layal says.

Cannon says the Rizqs are some of her best Kidpreneurs, even winning “Best Presentation” honors at one of the fairs. Typically, Cannon has local business owners help her choose the booths that have the “Best Presentation,” “Most Creative Business Idea” and “Highest Business Potential.”

Wesley Chapel resident Gabrielle Thompson shows off her wares at the recent Tampa Children’s Business Fair held at the KRATE at the Grove. (Photos: Charmaine George).

Gabrielle Thompson, a 15-year-old sophomore at Wesley Chapel High, was one of the “Kidpreneurs” selling blinged- out tumblers and other items from her business, jets_customs. She also does custom items if you’re looking to put a name or saying on a 12- or 20-ounce tumbler.

Gabrielle has been doing pop-ups for a few years now and was excited to join the TCBF event, and hopes to continue to do so in the future.

“It’s taught me patience and organization,” Gabrielle says. “And, money management, too, of course.”

The Tampa Children’s Business Fair encourages children to embrace all the tenets of entrepreneurship — developing a product and a brand, building a marketing strategy, setting prices and selling to customers.

Booths cost $25, but Cannon tries to return $5 to each business owner so they can walk around and network and buy things from their fellow Kidpreneurs.

Cannon hopes one day to not have to charge at all. She is hoping to land some sponsors to help cover some of the costs of running the quarterly fairs moving forward; those costs also include things like insurance and sometimes having to hire off-duty law enforcement officers, a requirement for some of the sites.

“I’m way over full-time hours working on this, but I know once people know about this they are going to love it,” Cannon says. “This is awesome, I love doing it, and the kids love it.”

For more information about the Tampa Children’s Business Fair and future fairs, visit TampaCBF.org. 

Kirkland Ranch Academy Of Innovation Is WC’s Newest High School!

DeeDee Johnson

Wesley Chapel’s newest high school — the Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation (KRAI), which opens this month to 9th and 10th graders for the 2022-23 school year — held its inaugural student orientation, known as the “Navigator Kickoff,” on July 29.

Although we weren’t on hand for the kickoff, we wanted to welcome Wesley Chapel’s fourth high school to the community. Although KRAI isn’t a charter school, it is a Pasco school choice magnet school, and students have to apply for attendance by lottery.   

The school, which is located north of the entrance to the Watergrass community (and south of the Innovation Prep K-7 charter school) at 32555 Innovation Dr., off Curley Rd., “was built to provide students with an educational opportunity unlike any other,” according to its website (krai.pasco.k12.fl.us). Every year after this year’s inaugural school year, KRAI will add a grade level until becoming a full-fledged 9-12 high school.

Kirkland Ranch offers ten in-demand and innovative programs structured to include an integrated business curriculum that offers a diverse learning experience focused on helping students develop dynamic skillsets that lead to high-paying careers. The ten programs are: Automotive (Diesel), Biomedical Sciences, Building Trades & Construction Technology, Cybersecurity, Digital Media, Electricity, Engineering & Applied Robotics, Patient Care Technology and Welding Technology Fundamentals. If you want to be ready for college, career, and life right out of high school, KRAI is the place to be!

KRAI’s principal is DeeDee Johnson, who previously was the principal at Wesley Chapel High and most recently Pasco Middle School in Dade City, before transitioning to oversee the opening of KRAI.

“I am most excited about the opportunities that it’s going to bring students in the District,” she says, “whether it’s college, career, or preparing them for life.”

She emphasizes that while the school can provide a pathway to an in-demand, high-paying job right after high school, it’s also a great choice for college-focused students.

“There are industry certifications, but also Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment courses,” says Johnson. “It’s going to give students a leg up by having connections with business and community partners.”