New Tampa Sensory & Autism Friendly Park To Break Ground Feb. 14! 

A rendering of the New Tampa Sensory & Autism Friendly Park breaking ground next week.

District 7 City Council member Luis Viera has championed building a sensory park in New Tampa since he first took office in 2016. The inspiration for the idea is personal — Viera’s older brother Juan has autism.

It’s somewhat fitting, then, that Viera’s labor-of-love — the New Tampa Sensory & Autism Friendly Park — will officially break ground on at 9 a.m. on Valentine’s Day (Monday, February 14), at the New Tampa Community Park in Tampa Palms.

“There have been some delays, like Covid, but it is a great day for New Tampa that this park is finally going to be built,” says Viera. “It’s going to be a big deal for a lot of people.” 

While the city has made a number of improvements in recent years with playground equipment that has made its existing parks more accessible to children with autism, including the New Tampa Community Park, this full-fledged autism/sensory park will be the first of its kind in the city.

Proponents of the park have said that as many as 40,000 children in and around the New Tampa area are likely to use the park each year.

Viera said the lack of such facilities has always been a pet peeve of his. One year after being elected in 2016, he says he pulled the previous City of Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn aside and they had a long discussion on the importance of possibly building a sensory-friendly park for those on the autism spectrum.

Luis Viera

Viera requested $90,000 be allocated in the 2018 budget for the design, and that the park be located in New Tampa.

He jokes that he told Buckhorn he would wrestle with whoever the next mayor was for the construction money to build the park.

Fortunately, it didn’t require too much wrestling. In 2020, current Tampa Mayor Jane Castor passed a $1.3-billion budget for Fiscal Year 2021, which included $1.7 million to build the park (rendering above).

The park, which was originally earmarked to be built on five acres of land behind the BJ’s Wholesale Club on Commerce Palms Dr. in Tampa Palms., is for children with a wide range of physical, cognitive, sensory and socio-emotional abilities. 

It will include multiple play pieces that are wheelchair accessible, a sensory area geared towards children with autism or other sensory or cognitive challenges, a new art mural based on a ‘Fantastic Florida Nature’ theme, and more, all built on 10,000 sq. ft.

Those identified as having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) generally do not process information from their five senses as everyone else does, and can become overwhelmed and unable to communicate and interact because they are overcome with anxiety. The park will benefit families with children and adults with ASD (and other similar disorders) and focus more on soothing and serene activities.

Everyone, however, will be allowed to use the park. Viera says the hope is that all children will be able to play together.

With ASD numbers growing, from one in 150 children in a 2007 report to one in 44 children — according to the most recent data provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — sensory parks (and increased sensitivity to those afflicted with ASD) are becoming more prevalent across the country.

Most recently, the Wesley Chapel District Park, located 20-25 minutes north of New Tampa, opened a universally inclusive 7,000-sq.-ft. playground in 2019.

“I think this will be symbolic,” Viera says. “This tells parents raising kids with sensory issues that they are a priority, and that we care (about) and stand with them.”

To further his cause, which includes putting playground equipment for the disabled in every city park, Viera says he is looking to plan a handful of townhalls across Tampa — including one in New Tampa — to discuss other special needs concerns and how communities can help.

Gary’s Top 25 New Tampa Restaurants!

Every year, in the issue after we report the results of our annual Reader Dining Survey & Contest, I always feel compelled to give you my dining favorites, including all of the restaurants that opened in (or very near) Wesley Chapel and New Tampa the previous year.

As someone who remembers when Good Fellas, The Boston Cooker, The Ultimate Bagel and Joy-O-Wok in Tampa Palms were the only restaurant options in New Tampa —  and who has sampled every new place to eat since then — I do feel uniquely qualified to provide you with my annual list of favorites in both of our distribution areas. 

And, even though quite a few new eateries opened in our distribution areas in 2021 after the reader voting ended, my top-25 “survey” lists aren’t quite as different from the readers’ lists this year as they have been in previous years, especially in Wesley Chapel.

 And, I’m excited to say that this year, both Stonewood Grill & Tavern and Treble Makers Dueling Piano Bar & Restaurant have both repeated as my Favorite Restaurant in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel, respectively, which is a pretty big accomplishment, considering all of the new competition that opened in 2021 in both of our distribution areas.

On pages 28-32 of the latest New Tampa issue, you’ll find short write-ups about my 25 favorite restaurants (new and existing) in New Tampa for 2021.

Enjoy! And, try to remember that, as it says above, these opinions about local restaurants are mine alone, so I don’t expect you to agree with me about everything (or anything). Feel free to let me know when you agree or disagree!

1 — STONEWOOD GRILL & TAVERN
17050 Palm Pointe Dr., Tampa Palms
(813) 978-0388

Despite the fact that a number of new restaurants have opened in New Tampa the last two years, it was still too hard for me to disagree with our readers as to which restaurant in New Tampa is my #1 favorite for 2021 — Stonewood Grill & Tavern!

     There is no doubt that despite the fact that all seven of my top New Tampa favorites on this page are good enough, in my opinion, to one day challenge for New Tampa’s #1 restaurant, Stonewood still has the best (and best variety of) steak, the best ahi tuna appetizer and some of the best fresh fish options, and those have always been the  most important choices for yours truly.

    Stonewood also has delicious bruschetta, an outstanding sweet tea brined pork chop, an excellent blackened chicken pasta, super-tasty Tuscan chicken and great new crafted bowls with ahi tuna, southwest chicken or salmon, plus  an incredible “two hand” chicken club sandwich with bacon and Swiss. 

    When you throw in the fact that Stonewood also is mine and Jannah’s favorite bar in New Tampa, with superlative service and fair drink prices, and you can understand why it has repeated as my favorite restaurant in New Tampa this year (as it has been with our readers every year but one since 2015) and has long been in my top 5. 

2 — VIA ITALIA
8644 Hunter’s Village Rd.
The Village at Hunter’s Lake
(813) 475-4857

Although I still prefer it for pasta moreso than for its amazing variety of pizzas, the reason Via Italia ranks as my #2 favorite restaurant in New Tampa is because those pasta dishes are all so authentic and delicious it’s hard for me to go very long without them.

A lot of places in our area have good pasta with pesto sauce, but Via Italia’s pesto Genovese is the best and also is the only place that serves authentic pasta pesto Siciliana (photo). And, add in delicious bruschetta, meatballs, oven-baked chicken wings, lasagne, cavatelli with broccolini and sweet Italian sausage and the “intensely flavored” linguine alle vongole (clams) and you have one of New Tampa’s best.

If owner/chef Roberto Maganuco ever adds fresh fish and/or grilled steaks and chops, it could easily be my #1.

3 — ACROPOLIS
14947 Bruce B Downs Blvd.
Oak Ramble Plaza
(813) 971-1787

Even though Acropolis Greek Taverna isn’t new, it was taken over by new owners Eddie Nasr and Stacy Esposito in 2021 and has definitely returned to its former top-5 glory with both yours truly and our readers. My favorite dishes are the saganaki (fried cheese) appetizer, the lamb lollipop chops and the amazing Athenian fish pictured above, although there are many other Greek specialties I enjoy, too — including the mini-gyro trio (lamb, pork and chicken), the pastitsio (Greek-style lasagne), the chicken Rhodes (in garlic parmesan wine sauce) and the pasta Santorini  (in a creamy lemon wine sauce), to name a few — to keep me coming back for more. And, while the “Acropolis dressing” on the Greek salad isn’t a traditional Greek vinaigrette, it’s pretty yummy.  

4 — FRAMMI
17631 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.
(813) 523-5075

Before 2021, this restaurant was still called “Oakley’s Grille” and featured some of New Tampa’s best hamburgers, chicken sandwiches and a few Italian specialties from new owner Luca Ammirati, who took over a couple of years earlier. But, when Luca decided to add an entire additional menu of his native Italian specialties and rename his restaurant Frammi early last year, it catapulted all the way up my list of favorites, with an outstanding black angus beef ragu, pasta pesto Genovese, a semi-spicy sausage ragu, a spicier arrabiata red sauce and the savory pasta vongole (clams) pictured above. Yes, Frammi still has those great burgers, fajitas, chicken and pressed sandwiches on his expanded American menu, but it is his new and extensive (without being expensive) Italian menu that keeps me coming back for more. 

5 — THE GRILL AT MORRIS BRIDGE
10920 Cross Creek Blvd.
(813) 388-5353

When I first heard that a new, upscale restaurant was coming to the space previously occupied by Beef O’Brady’s and a couple of failed Italian restaurants in the Cross Creek Plaza, I was excited about the possibilities. Once I got to sample the new Grill at Morris Bridge opened in Dec. by brothers Frank and James Gouveia and Executive Chef Daniel Friley, I was even happier. No, The Grill isn’t cheap, but it has excellent steaks, delicious fresh fish, the best Caesar salad in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel, great crab cakes, authentic New England clam chowder, a tasty dry aged pork chop and a wonderful rigatoni with chicken and baby broccolini, plus New Tampa’s best wine list and amazing bar food and drink specials.   

6 — FAT RABBIT PUB
16029 Tampa Palms Blvd.
City Plaza at Tampa Palms
(813) 252-3004

Even though the Fat Rabbit Pub could have dropped a little more in my personal rankings when it stopped offering a fresh fish special every week, the fact is that this is still one of New Tampa’s best restaurants with one of its most creative, better-than-sports-bar-food menus in our area. The Fat Rabbit serves the best blackened wings, plus delicious burgers, an amazing blackened chicken roll appetizer, delicious street tacos (with pork, shrimp or short ribs) and new rice bowls like chicken tortilla and the tasty and tender short rib bowl shown above, plus blackened chicken, Tampa Palms cheese steak, Key West grilled chicken and other unique sandwiches, and the area’s best tater tots, all coupled with an ultra-premium liquor bar and craft beers.  

7 — LIMA PERUVIAN
19056 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.
New Tampa Center
(813) 304-0205

You may not have known that Peruvian food has long been considered the best of the Latin cuisines, but if you try owner Oscar Escudero’s Lima Rotisserie Chicken & Peruvian Cuisine, you’ll understand why it’s true. Yes, the rotisserie chicken is outstanding, but I love Lima for its fresh fish ceviche (available with one or a trio of unique sauces), lomo saltado Lima (beef tenderloin tips or diced chicken breast wok-sautéed with soy sauce, onions and tomatoes) and tallarin saltado with flamed tenderloin tips, a variety of shellfish or diced chicken (photo) with lo mein-style noodles, pescado a la chorrilana (fried fresh fish filet), Peruvian-style fried rice and some of the best black beans and rice in our area. And, you can top it off with a Cusqueña Peruvian beer.      

8 — CALI
17004 Palm Pointe Dr.
Shoppes at The Pointe
(813) 975-1222

It seems that virtually every restaurant in our area now serves some sort of bowls, but Cali (formerly Ciccio Cali) was undoubtedly the first local restaurant to focus on the now-popular bowl culture. Cali also serves great wrap sandwiches (like the California club wrap with bacon and char chicken), unique baked pizzas and of course, those epic bowls.

The bowls at Cali are all available with seared ahi tuna, char or blackened chicken, grilled steak and  a variety of  veggies proteins (like lentil bites) and bases, but my favorites are the Hot & Crunchy bowl with seared ahi tuna, the Lean & Clean bowl with char chicken, roasted broccoli and cauliflower and the grilled steak fajita bowl.

9 — BAYSCAPE BISTRO
10630 Plantation Bay Dr.
@ Heritage Isles Golf Club
(813) 994-3445

F or good, old fashioned American cuisine with a variety of other options, owner/chef Eddie Bujarski’s Bayscape Bistro offers breakfast all day (try the brioche French toast, meat lover’s hash or the Breakfast in Hand), smaller plates like delicious battered and fried grouper baskets, wings and chicken strips, a fresh grilled mahi and other sandwiches, hot dogs and burgers, and wonderful signature dishes like mojo pork loin, a 12-oz. ribeye steak, a pasta garden with roasted veggies, roast half chicken and a really delicious country fried chicken (photo). Yes, even though it’s located at a golf course, Bayscape is open to the public and also features karaoke on Friday nights and $25 family of four takeout meals.

10 — FRESH KITCHEN
8648 Hunter’s Village Rd.
The Village at Hunter’s Lake
(813) 336-3800

My third favorite new restaurant to open in New Tampa in 2021, Fresh Kitchen is a Florida-based mini-chain with 15 locations either already open or opening soon, and it has some of the best options for your freshly made bowl of any restaurant.

My favorite proteins are the grilled steak, the almond-baked chicken planks (both shown in the bowl above), grilled citrus or BBQ chicken and even Caprese tofu. My favorite bases are the baby kale Caesar and kale slaw, but Jannah loves the sweet potato noodles and spinach salad bases. We both enjoy the parmesan broccoli and sesame green beans, as well as the creamy white ginger and herb balsamic vinaigrette sauces. 

The best of the rest:

11. LAS PALMAS
12. LIANG’S BISTRO
13. ORONZO HONEST ITALIAN
14. KOBE JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE
15. CANTINA REAL MEXICAN
16. SUSHI CAFE
17. WOOD FIRED PIZZA
18. MICHI RAMEN
19. LITTLE GREEK
20. GLORY DAYS
21. THAI RUBY
22. POKE ISLAND PLUS
23. MAHANA FRESH
24. BURGER 21
25. PEABODY’S

Why I’m Glad I Took The Covid Vaccine — A Non-Political View

Before I get into my own whys and wherefores, I just want to say that even though I disagree with those who refuse to get vaccinated against Covid-19, I still defend your right not to take the “jab.”

Gary Nager Editorial

While I’m not over age 65, I am in my 60s, still somewhat overweight and I’m on daily medicine to control my blood pressure, so as soon as I became eligible to receive the vaccine, I took my chances and got my two doses of the Moderna vaccine in February and March of 2021. Eight months later (in November of 2021), I got the Moderna booster and will plan to continue to get boosted whenever the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) says I should or that it’s OK for me to do so.

Why? The primary reason I chose to do so, and why Jannah did as well (also having received her two original Moderna doses and her booster a little less than a month after I did), is because we love to go out to eat, to have a few drinks, go to sing karaoke, see concerts and attend Lightning and Bucs games and we believed that being vaccinated was a safer way for us to continue to do those things than choosing not to. While we wore our masks whenever we went shopping or to local Chamber, Rotary and other public meetings, we certainly didn’t wear them when we went out to eat or to watch the Bolts at Amalie Arena. 

To those who say we’re crazy, that we don’t know what’s really in those shots or how they will affect us long term, for us — as older adults (although Jannah’s almost eight years younger than me) who aren’t concerned about how the vaccinations will affect our reproductive systems — the choice was easy for us and now, we’re both even happier that we made the decision we did.

After still basically doing all the things we love and never having tested positive for Covid in the nearly two years since the pandemic first hit (despite taking multiple rapid and PCR tests during that time)*, I first got a mild cough in mid-January, and I thought it might even just be a cold or allergies because I never ran a fever and never had body aches or major fatigue. And, although my cough did get a little worse, I still didn’t think I had Covid until my son called me a couple of days into my symptoms (and a week after we had all celebrated mine and my mom’s birthdays together) to say he had tested positive and that he was having a major sore throat issue.

The sore throat — which we heard was a major indicator that we had caught the Omicron variant — finally kicked in for me the following day and got so bad over the next two days that no matter how much hot tea with honey, zinc, vitamin C, Airborne, cough drops and other over-the-counter medications I took, it got so bad I couldn’t sleep for two nights. I actually went and had myself swabbed for strep at a local Urgent Care center, just to make sure I didn’t have two illnesses happening at the same time. But, I tested negative for strep and was told to increase my Ibuprofen doses and within a day or so after, the sore throat started to subside and while I was still coughing up phlegm, it no longer hurt to do so. Two days after that, I again tested negative for Covid.

Meanwhile, Jannah tested negative when I first tested positive but began experiencing entirely different symptoms than I had on the third or fourth day after my positive test. She started with a low-grade fever and body aches, which progressed into a minor cough with a minor sore throat a couple of days later, but all of her symptoms went away within a few days and, almost exactly a week after her positive test, she also tested negative for Covid.

Now, people tell me that Omicron, while apparently more contagious than previous variants, generally had less severe symptoms than Delta and other earlier forms of the disease, even for the unvaccinated. Even so, I could only imagine how much worse my symptoms could have gotten and that the possibility of being hospitalized, at least for me, seemed all too frighteningly real.

So, while I fully expect to receive the usual string of nasty emails and requests not to deliver the paper to those who are anti-vax and anti-mask, I still felt that I wanted to share my Covid story — not necessarily to change anyone’s mind, but just to say that knowing that people in my age, weight and general health categories are still dying from even the Omicron variant, I’m still glad that I weighed my options and felt that “taking the jabs” was less risky than just allowing my immune system to fight off this scourge.

And, considering that I’m getting ready to have both of my knees replaced over the next few months, I’m glad that, at least for now, I can worry a little less about Covid and more about my post-surgical recovery.   

The Story of Justin Scott: Never Give Up!

Justin Scott, surrounding by his family and friends, got his first playing time on Senior Night against Durant. (Photo: Charmaine George)

Wharton senior Justin Scott took in every high five, every pat on the back and every hug on the most glorious night of his life.

The doctors who birthed him wouldn’t have believed it. His first teachers would be floored. Most anyone who knows anyone with cerebral palsy would be flabbergasted.

This kid can play.

Overcoming the greatest of odds, Justin held his head high as he walked off the field towards the locker room, still talking about the game, a 2-0 Wildcats win over Durant, a victory he started and played almost all 80 minutes of, like it was a dream he hoped would never end.

“I was told I would never walk, I would never walk, and I was told I was going to die before I was two year old,” Justin said. “Now look where I am — playing soccer for my high school team.”

On Jan. 14, 18-year-old Justin started at forward for the Wharton boys soccer team, a surprise reward for his years of perseverance, his positivity and his commitment to his teammates.

Justin says soccer has long been  his passion. He once had a hat trick in a league game at the YMCA and, in limited action at Turner-Bartels K-8, he was a goaltender who never allowed a shot past him.

But, in high school, as the players get bigger and stronger, Justin was outmatched.

He didn’t try out for the soccer team as a freshman, because he was too nervous. He was cut as a sophomore but, instead of giving up, he accepted a spot as the team’s manager and promised he would try out again.

He again was cut junior and senior years. “I really thought this year I had a chance,” Justin said.

His chance did finally come, on Senior Night, where friends, teachers and family — his mother Michelle and her husband Rob, his father Michael Scott and his wife Jennifer, and grandmother Blannie Whalen — gathered while waving cutouts of Justin’s head on a stick, to celebrate the young man  who just wouldn’t quit.

Justin’s teammates were as excited for him as he was, smiling as they welcomed him to the starting lineup. (Photo: Karl Greeson)

When he was introduced as part of Wharton’s starting lineup, he trotted out to the middle of the field where his smiling teammates high-fived him. When the first whistle blew, he took off like a bolt, chasing down the opponent, and blocking a long pass attempt by jumping in front of the ball, the thud sending a shiver down his mother’s spine.

“I was pretty nervous,” Michele said, “but I was also so full of pride. He played so well. He was fearless.”

Justin was born prematurely, a childbirth during which Michelle had an allergic reaction “to a penicillin-type drug” and went into anaphylactic shock. Justin was born with brain damage and, sometime around the age of 1, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

He learned how to walk, which wasn’t supposed to happen, and learned how to talk, too. Eventually, he was running and jumping around and fell in love with soccer, and grew into a popular kid that teachers and classmates rallied around.

While cerebral palsy had stripped Justin of many of the motor skills and coordination needed to play, he never stopped once he started, not only playing but learning how to be a linesman and refereeing games and helping to coach his old middle school team.

And, of course, he was a great manager, always there, always encouraging, so eager to be part of the team. But of course, his dream was to play. And Wharton coach Scott Ware finally gave him his opportunity. 

Justin didn’t score, but he had a few chances. (Photo: Karl Greeson)

“He deserved it,” Ware said. “He’s definitely earned it.”

Justin called his mom when he first heard it might happen and, when it became official, he brought home his kit (uniform) and proudly tried it on for her. 

“He told me, ‘Mom, this isn’t just about me, I just want people with disabilities not to give up on themselves,’” Michelle said. “That’s how he is.”

The next day, Justin, who has been accepted into a number of colleges but is really hoping to attend the University of Florida, wore his kit to school, and later that night played in it: No. 14.

And Justin played hard, as hard as he could, eager to make the most of the moment. He chased down opposing players who had the ball, mixed it up in the box with others trying to jostle for a shot, actually had a few potential goals go awry and even had a header. 

Every time he came close to a ball near the goal, his teammates on the bench would lean forward, and in unison yell “Justin” in anticipation of a miracle.

“We were all excited for him that he was playing,” said senior Christian Lundblad. “If he had scored, I would have stormed the field. I might have gotten in trouble for it, but I would have done it. We were all rooting for him tonight.”

At halftime, he was asked if he was tired. “I could keep going for another two days,” he said. 

In the second half, a ball was played into the box from the far side. The ball miraculously found its way through four players and the keeper, right to the feet of Justin. He was surprised it got to him, and reacted as quickly as he could, sliding and poking the shot just wide of the open net. It was agonizingly close.

“Nine times out of 10 the goalkeeper stops that ball,” Justin said. “That’s why I missed it. That will haunt me for days and years.”

But, it didn’t stop him from smiling afterwards.

Just playing in the game was a dream come true. Justin said he doubts his coach even knows just how much it meant to him. He was proud, and grateful beyond words for an opportunity he thought would never come.

“I just never gave up,” he said. “It’s the story of my life.”

Dr. Kiran Patel To Open Elementary School On Charter Campus

When Dr. Kiran C. Patel Elementary School opens this fall, it will complete the campus that currently houses Patel High School for students in grades 9-12 and Terrace Community Middle School for students in grades 6-8.

The 32-acre campus is located on Raulerson Ranch Rd. and is visible from I-75 near E. Fowler Ave, just 15 minutes south of New Tampa.

Patel High opened its doors for the 2019-20 school year and has continued to increase in popularity, with 450 students already signed up with hopes of being chosen by lottery to fill one of the 150 available slots at the school for the 2022-23 school year.

Terrace Community Middle School has been operating for more than 20 years and moved onto the Patel campus at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year in August.

After establishing the high school and working to bring the middle school onto the campus, Dr. Kiran C. Patel has turned his attention to younger students with the latest campus expansion. 

“I think education in the formative years is what will create the future for anybody,” says Dr. Patel, a local entrepreneur and philanthropist who is both the founder and financier of the school. “Here we have an educational institution that focuses on a well-rounded person who has qualities of being a better human being. We don’t just focus on the grade of the school. There’s no question we want students to achieve a high standard of measurable goals, but there’s a lot more to education than that.”

(L.-r.) Co-founder Ashok Bagdy, Dr. Kiran C. Patel and former Chiles Elementary assistant principal Ashley Galfond are the driving forces behind Dr. Kiran C. Patel Elementary, which opens Aug. 2022.

After initially committing $20 million to launch the high school, Dr. Kiran has spent another $20 million to build the elementary school and has spent an additional $5 million on upgrades to the campus, such as adding a covered outdoor court and restrooms by the sports fields. The Tampa resident’s business enterprises include luxury real estate development, medical software, healthcare solutions and commercial property acquisition and management. The success of these businesses allows him to make impactful contributions on a global scale, which he has done through the establishment of schools, colleges and hospitals on three continents. 

“Construction on the elementary school was completed this summer,” says Ash Bagdy, who is a co-founder of the school, along with his wife, Kavita Jain, and Sonali Judd, who is Dr. Patel’s daughter. 

Bagdy explains that the 84,000-sq.-ft. building is L-shaped. The elementary school is housed in one half and the middle school in the other. The two schools are completely separated with no interaction and TCMS remains a completely independent charter school.

Bagdy also says the campus was built with security in mind. Classrooms have key card entries, there are security cameras, a school security officer, and the school can be locked down in an emergency, with “one click to lock all doors.”

About The Elementary School

New Tampa’s Ashley Galfond has been hired as the first-ever principal of Patel Elementary.

Galfond was most recently the assistant principal at Chiles Elementary in Tampa Palms. She taught elementary school since her graduation from USF in 1998 until she moved into school administration seven years ago. 

While she says it was not an easy decision to leave Chiles, she is extremely excited about the smaller focus at Patel.

“I like that everything within the organization is focused on the kids of Patel Elementary,” she says. “Here, everyone who has any stake in the school is just focused on our students.”

In fall 2022, the school will open with students in just three grades — kindergarten, first and second grade.

 “Each year, as those children move to the next grade,” Galfond says, “we will add that grade until — four years from now — we will have K through five.”

Patel Elementary will open with a total of 270 students. There will be five classes in each of the three grades.

Each class will be limited to just 18 students. Although the physical size of each of the classrooms was expanded just before construction, it was to allow kids to spread out more for physical distancing because of Covid, not to make space for more kids in each classroom.

The Three ‘Pillars’

Galfond says that faculty members explain to parents and students that there are three crucial “pillars” at Patel Elementary.

“First,” she says, “we will focus on the whole child, including mental, physical and academic health and growth, with great outdoor learning opportunities as well as in the classroom.”

The second pillar, she says, is social emotional learning, which will be woven into the academic curriculum every day. Galfond explains that this includes teaching children to support one another, helping them to learn to express their own opinions and views, and figure out ways to calm themselves when they become upset. She adds that teacher training is a crucial part of the program.

The third pillar, according to Galfond,  is project-based learning.

“It is inquiry-based,” she says. “We start with a question to engage students – something that affects the community in some way — and then, all disciplines are tied in to solve the problem, from reading to science to math.”

Dr. Patel notes that while academic achievement will be emphasized, it is not the only measure of success for the students who attend Patel Elementary.

 “We will have a holistic approach and the goal of producing a student who is going to be an asset to the community,” explains Dr. Patel. “The purpose of education should not be to become a CEO. That should not be the primary goal, but to say that I will be a better human being and leave the earth better than I found it.”

Students Chosen By Lottery

Parents whose students will be entering kindergarten through second grade for the 2022-23 school year and are interested in attending Patel Elementary must apply online at PatelElementary.org. Students are chosen to attend the school through a random lottery process.

 “This is the year with the best chance to get in,” explains Galfond. “It’s the most spots we will ever have.”

Every Tuesday in January, at 6 p.m., the school will host a new applicant Open House where families can meet the principal, with food and drinks provided.

“I am excited that everything materialized,” says Dr. Patel. “It was a big, big endeavor. I am very happy and proud to provide this option to the community.”

Patel Elementary is located at 10739 Raulerson Ranch Rd. in Tampa. To apply online for a spot for the 2022-23 school year, visit PatelElementary.org. For more information, call (813) 444-0660 or see the ad on page 21.