The beginning of the 2026-27 school year in Hillsborough County (unfortunately for our schedule) began on Aug. 10, or the day after we went to press with this issue.
And, while we did not get to interview new Freedom High principal Deanna McCahan (right) before school started, we did chat with (and photographer Charmaine George got a few pictures of) new Chiles Elementary principal Kelly Wackes.
In her Principal’s Message on Freedom’s web page on the HillsboroughSchools.org website, McCahan (who spent the last five years as principal at Shields Middle School in Ruskin, said, “As your principal, I am thrilled to welcome you to another exciting school year. Our dedicated staff is committed to providing a supportive and challenging environment where every student can thrive. We believe in fostering a community of respect, responsibility, and excellence. Whether you are a returning student or new to our school, we are here to support you every step of the way. Let’s make this year memorable and full of achievements.”
McCahan succeeds Kevin Stephenson, who is the new principal this year of Sgt. Smith Middle School in the Citrus Park area.
Welcome, Kelly!
Kelly Wackes is already a familiar face to many New Tampa residents, as she served as the assistant principal at Clark Elementary in West Meadows for the past five years and has been part of Hillsborough County Public Schools for the last 11 years — first as a math coach and then as a teacher.
“This week, getting to know the staff has been amazing,” Wackes told me just before the 2026-27 school year began. “Everyone has been so welcoming.”
She said she is proud to be the new principal at Chiles, as this is the school’s 25th year of existence, “and it’s never been anything other than an ‘A’-rated school,” she said. “And, all of us — the teachers, staff, parents and students — are committed to continuing that tradition of excellence. Our motto this year is, ‘Honoring the Past, Soaring into the Future.’”
Wackes, who holds a Master of Education (MEd) degree from the University of Central Florida in Orlando, said her oldest child is entering the 4th grade and is still at Clark, “but my youngest is starting Kindergarten with me at Chiles. I’m so excited for this year!”
She added that the 25th anniversary celebration for Chiles has been temporarily set by the District for March 5, 2027. — GN
(Left, l.-r.) Wesley Chapel residents Brittany Long and her daughter Lillian, with New Tampa residents Reha, Mahi and Rudra Patel and Nicole Tuminella, the Tampa Bay Invention Convention Worldwide affiliate for Hillsborough County Public Schools. (Photos provided by Brittany Long and Reha Patel).
Our sincere congratulations go out to New Tampa resident Mahi Patel and Wesley Chapel resident Lillian Long. These two young inventors recently won some impressive honors at the seventh annual Invention Convention Worldwide (ICW)- Youth National Invention Convention June 5-8, at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI.
Representatives from the U.S. Patent Office enjoy checking out Lillian’s unique, award-winning slime.
Lillian is a 4th grader at Clark Elementary who invented a “derm-friendly” slime that is suitable for people who have eczema and other skin sensitivities. Meanwhile, Mahi, a 5th grader from Chiles Elementary, created an Artificial Intelligence (AI) program through coding to help better — and more quickly — recognize lung cancer in body scans.
First, the girls entered their projects in the Hillsborough Regional STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) Fair back in March, after each won first place at their respective school STEM Fairs. Both were entered in the Invention categories in their respective grade levels. Out of more than 1,500 projects at the District-level elementary fair, the girls were then chosen to represent Tampa Bay at the ICW-Youth National Invention Convention.
Mahi with her “Top Show Board” prize winner.
Going for the experience and to share their passion for their respective inventions, both girls ended up walking away from the National Competition with two outstanding awards each. Mahi won 1st place overall in the country for 5th grade entries and the Top Show Board award for the entire event, while Lillian won 2nd place overall in the country for 4th grade entries. She also won the top Medal/Health award of all projects K-12 in the entire event. These were surely some huge accomplishments, considering that there were 366 students who were selected to attend the 7th Annual ICW nationwide event.
Both students have personal connections to their inventions and sought out solutions to help others.
Lillian hopes to create a product line that can be used for many purposes in dermatology offices, child psychology offices, and occupational therapy offices as well. She says her primary goal is to create an inclusive product that is safe for everyone.
Mahi hopes that her product, which uses a different algorithm, can help identify a variety of cancers at a much faster rate, allowing more people to have quicker care and less chances for misdiagnosis. Mahi’s brother Rudra, who is going into his junior year at Middleton High, also has competed in (and won) science fairs in the past.
Both girls also have been selected to represent the U.S. and have their inventions at the worldwide virtual competition, which will be held at the end of this month, with the awards to be announced on Aug. 11! Good luck, young ladies!
New Tampa says good-bye to several beloved and long-serving principals at the end of the 2021-22 school year, including Chiles Elementary’s Dr. Teri Evans and Benito Middle School’s John Sanders, who are both retiring, Liberty Middle’s James Amiratti and Maryann Lippek, who is moving from Tampa Palms Elementary (TPE) to Schmidt Elementary in Brandon.
Lippek has been at TPE since the school opened in 2004, and has served as its principal since 2014. She is being replaced by Angela Gluth, an assistant principal from Heritage Elementary.
Frank Diaz is coming over from Webb Middle to replace Amiratti.
At Chiles, Evans will be replaced by Todd Connolly, who is moving from Riverhills Elementary in Temple Terrace.
Evans became a teacher after raising her kids as a stay-at-home mom. First entering the classroom at 40 years old, she then spent her entire 24-year career in New Tampa. She taught at Chiles, Hunter’s Green and Pride elementaries, then returned to Chiles as principal nine years ago.
“I’ll miss the whole Chiles community — the families, the kids, and the teachers,” Evans says. “It’s the best place, my home, and I’ve made lifelong friends (here).”
She looks forward to a change of pace, spending time with her grandkids, reading and traveling.
Evans adds that the school will be getting a new air conditioning system over the summer, so the building will be closed. The office will temporarily move to Tampa Palms, which is where new principal Connolly will work until the new A/C upgrade is complete.
Meanwhile, at Benito, Brent Williams takes over as principal for the retiring Sanders. Williams was most recently principal at Memorial Middle School in Tampa.
Williams has been an educator for 27 years, previously working in Alachua and Miami Dade counties before moving to Hillsborough in 2006. Over the course of his career, he has served as a teacher, peer evaluator, assistant principal and principal.
“I truly appreciate and admire the work that has been done here by Mr. Sanders,” says Williams. “I look forward to working with an exceptional group of faculty and staff members to continue the great tradition of excellence at Benito Middle School.”
Williams says he comes from a family of educators and that his wife Sonja also is a teacher in Hillsborough County.
He expects to be highly visible to students in the hallways, classrooms, cafeteria, and at the school’s extracurricular activities, and says that his door will be always open to them.
“I want them to think outside the box and have a voice on what their experience here at Benito will look like,” he says.
Math teacher Daniel Gostkowski says he and many others are excited to welcome their new leader to the school.
“He seems very genuine,” Gostkowski says of Williams. “He genuinely cares about the kids, the community and the people in the building.”
New Tampa Again Accepts County PTA/PTSA Awards
The Hillsborough County Council of PTAs/PTSAs announced this year’s countywide award winners at a ceremony on May 19. Several New Tampa schools took home trophies for their efforts this year.
Freedom High’s Christina Finn won Volunteer of the Year and assistant principal Jenna Lamour won Administrator of the Year.
The school also took home an award in the Educational Program category, and Freedom also won the high school category for Top Community Partner, which honored Infinite Edge Learning Center (also located in Tampa Palms) for its support of the school.
The Top Community Partner award at the elementary school level went to Hunter’s Green, which nominated the Hunter’s Green Homeowners Association.
Wharton High also took home some honors, as school nurse Angela Strahl won Non-Instructional Person of the Year and Crystal LeFebvre, culture and climate resource teacher, was named Instructional Person of the Year.
Wharton also won in the Health & Safety category for its comprehensive support of the school’s nurses and clinic throughout the year.
*Every New Tampa school had the same grade for 2018-19 as it did the previous school year, with the exception of Hunter’s Green Elementary, which improved to a “B” grade after four straight years of “C” grades.
*New Tampa had six schools earn “A” grades, two that earned B grades and three earned C grades.
*Chiles Elementary was the only New Tampa school to score higher than 80 in English Language Arts (ELA), Math and Science Achievement.
*Pride Elementary earned the best score among our schools for ELA Achievement (86), while Chiles was tops in Math (85) and Science (85).
*Chiles is now 17-for-17 in earning an A grade from the state.
*However, Benito Middle School, Pride and Clark elementaries all have the longest current streak of “A” grades — 18 straight years, dating back to 2002.
* Freedom and Wharton high schools were both “C” schools for the fourth straight year.
* Did you know that from 2008-10, every elementary and middle school in New Tampa earned A grades?
L.-r.: Chiles fifth graders Drew Moose, Ava Campbell, De’Vantae Jackson and Paige Duffield.
Chiles Elementary fifth-grader Aaron Back has his notebook open, and his laptop charged up. Instead of doing his research by paging through a book — and good luck finding a book on sand boils, which he currently is studying — Back is able to peruse the web, scribbling his findings and ideas on paper.
“I like that you have more than one option,’’ says Back, who is 10 years old. “When you’re reading, you only have one option, but (on the computer) you have lots of options you can go to.”
Back is one of 146 fifth-graders at Chiles, which is located in Tampa Palms, taking part in Hillsborough County’s “Project Innovate,” which provides students with a Hewlett Packard x360 laptop for a completely different — and a little more advanced — learning experience.
“The concept is to prepare our students for the digital age they are growing up in and to increase engagement with their teachers, as well as meeting the needs of students by differentiating instruction in a more confidential way,’’ says Chiles assistant principal Ashley Galfond.
The county has provided 150 of the laptops to Chiles, with the hope of changing the learning landscape and getting kids comfortable with more high-tech means of taking notes and producing projects.
Schoolwork is done using Microsoft products, and the work is all held in OneNote, a digital note-taking app. If insurance issues can be worked out, the students may even be able to take those laptops home during the second semester, but for now, they can still access their work on their families’ home computers.
Back and the other students will be able to ultimately file their assignments to English Language Arts (ELA) teacher Nancy Erickson in many different media. “They can do their projects however they want,’’ Erickson says. “If you’re passionate and an artist and want to make posters, that’s a great thing. I can’t draw to save my life, so I might be more comfortable doing something digital-oriented. The nice part is, they can look at the info and say, ‘This is the best way I can present my information, so I’m going to present it in a brochure, make a poster or make a movie trailer.’”
Galfond is in her second year at Chiles, after coming over from Turner-Bartels, the grades K-8 school in Live Oak Preserve.
Chiles fifth-grader Aaron Back. 10, works on his project about sand boils.
At Turner-Bartels, Galfond was part of preparing the first “cohort,” or group of students working together, for Project Innovate, before coming to Chiles last year to prepare the students for being the second cohort, which started this new school year.
“We’ve been doing it on a small scale to learn as we go and to be able to support the students so there is a successful implementation,’’ Galfond says, adding that the intent is to include other grades in the near future.
The current laptops have keyboards, but also can be flipped to work as a tablet. But, Erickson said the goal is to get kids used to the more traditional laptop form. In fact, she says, so many kids have iPads and other tablets that this has been their first work, for many, on a regular laptop computer.
“They don’t have the basic computer skills that, I guess, I use every day,’’ Erickson says. “They are not users, they are players, if that makes sense. So, things like editing, and copying and pasting things like URLs (Uniform Resource Locators), or typing and moving the cursor up and down, they didn’t know that.”
Erickson adds, however, that she expected the transition to be a learning process — even for her, since she is primarily an Apple user.
The students are enjoying their new tools. Their class, part of a daily “Genius Hour” afforded to students to work independently and on whatever they choose, is quiet. The students seem more earnest in their work, and the only sound is the tappity-tap of a keyboard or students softly whispering as they share their work with one another.
As for Erickson, she likes the options the project gives her as a teacher.
Instead of collecting papers and taking them home to grade, she can look at quizzes and assignments immediately and provide feedback while the topic is still fresh in the students’ minds. She also can make suggestions and help privately instruct individuals who might have questions they wouldn’t normally ask in front of the whole class.
“I can post something and ask them, ‘Type in your reactions to this,’” Erickson says. “I can take polls, and I can do really quick, down-and-dirty assessments that way. We can do quiz-like games, and (the students) are having a blast doing that, too.”
Erickson’s group is currently studying Crystal Springs, which is located in the southeastern corner of Pasco County, since the class will take a field trip there Sept. 14-15. The students have been tasked with producing reports on various aspects of the springs, from why they exist to the wildlife that lives nearby, to, well, even sand boils (which, according to Wikipedia, occur when water under pressure wells up through a bed of sand. The water looks like it is “boiling” up from the sand, hence the name).
For other things they study where a field trip is not possible, the students will be able to use their laptops to Skype with experts on location.
“The great things about (the laptops) is they (students) can take this as far as they want,’’ Erickson says, adding that one student already has asked if he can do coding for a Nintendo game. “I think you’ll see a lot more great things as we go forward.”
