Frapwell Is Pasco’s Volunteer Of The Year; WRH Senior Wins Regeneron Award! 

The Pasco County School District recently named Gretchen Frapwell, whose kids attend Veterans Elementary, the District’s Adult Volunteer of the Year. 
(Photos: Pasco School District) 

Gretchen Frapwell, a volunteer at Veterans Elementary, has been named the Adult Volunteer of the Year by the Pasco County School District. 

According to a Facebook post released by the School District, “Gretchen is the definition of a volunteer. She has been volunteering at Veterans Elementary School for five years and has logged in 220 volunteer hours so far. With two children attending Veterans, she serves on the SAC committee and is a PTA member which supports (the school’s) 91 staff members and 675 students. The PTA recently provided recess equipment for each grade level. She is there for every school event, including book fairs, school carnivals, science nights and holiday shops. Gretchen has shown her creativity by planting a pumpkin patch in the courtyard for the teachers and students to utilize. It was a great idea for learning purposes, but also brought beauty to the school. We appreciate everything she does for Veterans Elementary to improve overall morale for the teachers and students.” 

Sharon Zurita, of the Veterans Elementary PTA, says that, “Gretchen in amazing. She’s everywhere and does so many things at our school. She’s not only willing to do things we ask, but also suggests things we can do to help the school.” 

Among those things, Gretchen says, was that she “Organized closets, planted gardens, ran a carnival last year…Trunk or Treat event, where we handed out actual ice cream, book fairs…anything and everything. My kids are only going to be this young for so long, so I show them, by taking time off from my job, how important their school is. I guarantee that once you (volunteer) for an hour, you’ll want to do more. The kids are just awesome.” 

Other Volunteer winners this year are Ann Birch, Gulfside Elementary (Senior Volunteer) and Avery Hoskins, Anclote High & Gulfside Elementary (Youth Volunteer). 

Congratulations, Meghna! 
Wiregrass Ranch High senior Meghna Manjith was named a Regeneron STS Scholar for her project, winning $4,000. 

Our sincere congratulations go out to Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) senior Meghna Manjith, who has been named a Scholar in the Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) for 2024. She received a $2,000 award for herself and $2,000 for WRHS for her project, “Preventing Surgical Site Infections: Designing a Novel Post-Surgical Treatment Using Silver Nitrate & Ayurvedic Extracts in Combination with DNA Sequence Analysis.” Amazing! 

According to SocietyforScience.org, “Regeneron STS is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science research competition for high school students. Started in 1942 as the Westinghouse STS, Regeneron STS recognizes and empowers our nation’s most promising young scientists who are developing ideas that could solve society’s most urgent challenges.” 

Only 300 Scholars were selected from more than 2,000 entrants nationwide, with only 40 finalists selected for an opportunity to win the $250,000 top award, which was scheduled to be announced on Mar. 12. 

What an accomplishment, Meghna!

Chip In For Education To Benefit New Tampa Schools

(L.-r.) Wharton PTSA president Jenny Giraldo, Hunter’s Green Elementary PTA president Rebecca Towner, Hunter’s Green Community Association president Rob Larsen and Benito/Wharton PTSA treasurer Jamie Priest are helping to organize the Chip In For Education golf tournament fund raiser for Labor Day (Mon., Sept. 6). (Photo: Charmaine George)

Emerging from a pandemic and a year when most Parent Teacher Associations (PTSAs) had a hard time organizing and hosting fund raisers and, in most cases, weren’t even allowed on campus, the Hunter’s Green Community Association came up with an idea to give a boost to the three schools where the community’s kids are zoned to attend.

For the past 25 years, residents of Hunter’s Green have sent their kids to Hunter’s Green Elementary, Benito Middle School and Wharton High.

This Labor Day, on Monday, September 6, those three schools will benefit from the “Chip In For Education” golf tournament at Hunter’s Green Country Club.

“There are a lot more students at these schools than just Hunter’s Green residents,” says Rob Larsen, the president of the Hunter’s Green Community Association, who has been a resident of Hunter’s Green since 1992 and whose three kids attended the local public schools. “So, this is an opportunity to build community. We have good schools and teachers and this is something we can do to promote that and get people together.”

In fact, the three schools combined serve nearly 4,000 students.

Volunteers from the elementary school PTA and the middle and high school PTSAs (Parent Teacher Student Associations) are helping to make the tournament a reality.

AdventHealth, which is planning to open its Care Pavilion (se ad on pg. 2) outside the Hunter’s Green neighborhood (in the former LifePoint Church building) in September, has signed on as the title sponsor of the event.

The tournament will be open to 144 golfers, with proceeds from registration, sponsorships, and a silent auction going to the PTA/PTSAs at each school.

Rebecca Towner, the president of the Hunter’s Green Elementary PTA and a Hunter’s Green resident, says the funds will be allocated according to the number of students at each school, and it will be up to each PTA how to spend the money.

“This is a way for schools to work together instead of being segmented and thinking only about where you are now,” says Rebecca. “Right now, I only have kids at the elementary school, but what’s going on at Benito and Wharton matters to me, too, because one day that’s where we’re going to be.”

Rob, Rebecca, and the team of volunteers helping to make this tournament happen hope that members of the community will sign up to play, donate auction items, and consider becoming sponsors to make the event a success for the local schools.

The day’s events will include a family-friendly luncheon with activities for kids. Non-golfers are invited to participate in the luncheon and silent auction.

The Chip In For Education Golf Tournament will be held at Hunter’s Green Country Club (18101 Longwater Run Dr.). The four-person team scramble tournament will have a 9 a.m. shotgun start and will be followed by family-friendly festivities with a silent and live auction and luncheon.

For more info, visit HuntersGreen.com and click on “Chip In For Education Golf Tournament” under the “Resident Life” tab of the menu.

5K Road Race & Music Fest Will Benefit Hunter’s Green Elementary PTA

The Hunter’s Green Elementary PTA is hosting a professionally chipped, photographed and timed 5K road race on Feb. 9, which is the school’s primary fund raiser for the year.

On  Saturday, February 9, the Hunter’s Green Elementary (HGE) Parent Teacher Association (PTA) will host a 5K run and 1-mile fun run starting at the school and winding through the Hunter’s Green neighborhood.

“It’s two weeks before Gasparilla, so we’re inviting everyone to participate as a great training run to get your groove for Gasparilla,” says  Emily Milam, HGE’s PTA president, who is one of the event organizers.

Having a chip-timed 5K race in New Tampa, which is open to everyone, is rare, says Milam.

Typically, she explains, these types of races can’t be held in our area because the City of Tampa won’t issue permits to close roads in New Tampa. The roads for the Hunter’s Green race are privately owned by the Hunter’s Green Community Association, which is partnering with the school to bring the race to its residents and the surrounding community.

The race will be professionally chipped, photographed and timed by FitNiche Events. Swag bags and t-shirts will be given to those who register, and medals and prizes will be awarded to winners.

The $35 race entry fee will go to support the school and also includes admission to the second part of the event — a music festival that will be held at Hunter’s Green’s Capt. Nathaniel Hunter Community Park for all residents and race participants from 4 p.m.-8 p.m.

The family-friendly music festival will feature three local bands — Celebrity Romance, Panic Fire featuring Gary Schutt and Chello Hollyday Band. There will be food trucks and bounce houses. While the music fest is being organized by the Community Association for residents of Hunter’s Green, everyone who runs in the 5K race that morning will be invited to come back for the music fest in the afternoon.

“It’s definitely a multi-faceted focus,” says Jenny Giraldo, the social director for the Hunter’s Green Community Association. “The music fest is a great time for the community to come together, take full advantage of our amenities and the wonderful park we’re fortunate to have, while enjoying the live entertainment.”

The Hunter’s Green 5K run and Music Fest will serve as the school’s primary fund raiser for the year. For the past two years, the PTA has hosted an extremely successful gala that raised about $30,000 each year. In addition, the school has held a “fit fest” that included a fun run the past two years.

This year, the PTA is replacing the gala with the expanded 5K run, hoping they can grow it to be as successful an event as the gala has been.

“The gala was great and does really well for us, but it’s an overwhelming amount of work,” says Milam. “We also wanted to move to something that’s really family friendly. Kids weren’t allowed at the gala.  This is a more of a family-targeted event, so your whole family can prepare for it together and run together, then participate in the music fest together.”

She says reaching out to the Hunter’s Green community and the New Tampa area is an important part of the plans, as well.

“It’s a new era in our school,” Milam says. “We’re trying to reach beyond the walls of our school to impact a lot of the neighborhoods around us and support the school where funding (is lacking).”

She says the PTA spends the majority of its funding to go to technology in the school, where the goal is to have a 1:1 ratio of every child having access to a laptop computer at his or her desk.

The PTA also funds supplemental support for music and art, which Milam says are areas that consistently get cut in the School District’s budget, plus school beautification and teacher support.

For more information or to register for the race, which includes admission for your family to the MusicFest, visit HuntersGreenPTA.com/5k. Registrations will be accepted up until the morning of the race.

Local Schools Produce Award Winners

Clark Teacher Named Hillsborough’s Reading Teacher Of The Year!

The Hillsborough County Literacy Association (HCLA) has named Christy Gupta its Reading Teacher of the Year for all Hillsborough County schools.
Gupta is a fifth grade teacher at Clark Elementary in West Meadows, teaching English Language Arts (ELA). She was nominated for the award by the school’s principal, Paulette English, and assistant principal, Nicole Libby.

English says that Gupta is an engaging and dynamic teacher who supports many students outside of her classroom with school-wide programs, such as online Twitter book studies with other teachers.

In class, English says Gupta is creative and motivating, such as when she recently turned her classroom into an operating room to teach her students about “text features” using a “surgery” theme.

“We see that in the early grades a lot,” says English, “but we don’t always see teachers as engaging and making learning fun at the fifth grade level.”

New Tampa Schools Take Home PTA Prizes

Congratulations to the local schools, staff, parents and students who have received awards from the Hillsborough County Council Parent Teacher Association (PTA) for outstanding programs and efforts at their schools during the 2017-18 school year. Of 42 awards given throughout the county in elementary, middle, and high school divisions, 10 were taken home by New Tampa schools, including:

Elementary Schools:
• Education: Hunter’s Green Elementary, SMART Super Heroes

Middle Schools:
• Advocacy: Benito Middle School, Junior Blue Crew
• Family Involvement: Benito Middle School, School Beautification
• Health & Safety: Benito Middle School, Red Ribbon Week
• Local Unit Instructional: Liberty Middle School, Brendan Paul
• Local Unit Non-Instructional: Benito Middle School, Sharon Hineline
• Principal of the Year: Liberty Middle School, James Ammirati

High Schools:
• Outstanding High School Senior: Wharton High, Rachel Hineline
• PTSA President of the Year: Freedom High, Jeanine Ernst
• Volunteer of the Year: Wharton High, Michele Echols

Freedom Student Wins
‘All In For CF’ Scholarship
Freedom High senior Kira Taylor is one of 80 people nationwide to be awarded an “All In For CF” college scholarship for the upcoming academic year.
The $5,000 scholarship was awarded by Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Kira is a gifted musician and community activist,” said a Vertex representative. “She also happens to be living with cystic fibrosis.”
Kira will attend Hillsborough Community College this fall and is working toward an Associate of Arts degree. She then hopes to pursue a career in special education.