Tag: Wesley Chapel

Congratulations To Wesley Chapel’s Teacher Of The Year Nominees!

For the 2023-24 school year, local schools have chosen nominees for the Pasco School District’s countywide awards.

Three Teacher of the Year nominees — one each from the District’s elementary, middle and high schools — and one School Related Personnel (SRP) nominee will be surprised by Pasco school superintendent Kurt Browning with the announcement that they have been chosen as a countywide winner later this year.

Each public and charter school throughout the District, including all of the schools in Wesley Chapel, nominated candidates for consideration. The people named on these pages were recognized by their peers on their respective campuses for their outstanding contributions to their schools. Congrats to all!

Editor’s Note — We had not received the Teacher/SRP of the Year info for Union Park Academy or Innovation Prep at our press time.

Double Branch Elementary

Teacher of the Year: Debra Hodros, Kindergarten (photo)

School-Related Personnel of the Year: Jill Galvis

New River Elementary

Teacher of the Year: Brianna Warren (photo)

School-Related Personnel of the Year: Maria Zamora

Quail Hollow Elementary

Teacher of the Year: Robin Stead, Kindergarten (photo)

School-Related Personnel of the Year: Wendy Bibbey, Instructional Assistant

Sand Pine Elementary

Teacher of the Year: Heather Forsman, 2nd Grade (right)

SRP of the Year: Bailey Glover, ESE Instructional Assistant (left)

Seven Oaks Elementary

Teacher of the Year: Danielle Bullara, 3rd Grade (right)

School-Related Personnel of the Year: Andrea Long, Kindergarten Instructional Assistant (left)

Veterans Elementary

Teacher of the Year: Bridget Aubuchont, 4th Grade, PLC Facilitator, New Teacher Leader

School-Related Personnel of the Year: Cristin Becker, Bookkeeper

Watergrass Elementary

Teachers of the Year: Pam Armstrong, 1st Grade (left) & Jenna Huetten, 3rd Grade (right )

School-Related Personnel of the Year: Tracy France, Instructional Assistant

Wesley Chapel Elementary

Teacher of the Year: Aveon Moon (photo)

School-Related Personnel of the Year: Beth Kurland

Wiregrass Elementary

Teacher of the Year: Heather Olds, 5th Grade STEM Teacher (left)

School-Related Personnel of the Year: Jamie Zuzek, Guidance Secretary (right)

Cypress Creek Middle School

Teacher of the Year: Justin Santiago, Language Arts, PLC Facilitator, New Teacher Liaison, Prof’l Development Coordinator (left in photo)

School-Related Personnel of the Year: Tami Milner, Data Entry Operator

John Long Middle School

Teacher of the Year: Porsche Alderman (photo)

School-Related Personnel of the Year: Loretta Stephenson

Thomas E. Weightman Middle School

Teacher of the Year: Adam Zondor, Art (photo)

School-Related Personnel of the Year: Nadine Di Vittorio, Instructional Assistant

Cypress Creek High

Teacher of the Year: Warren Underwood, Theatre (left in photo)

School-Related Personnel of the Year: Lorraine McKinney, Bookkeeper

Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation (Charter School)

Teacher of the Year: Stephanie Bertig, Digital Media/Multimedia (photo)

School-Related Personnel of the Year: Juan Garcia, Custodian

Wesley Chapel High

Teacher of the Year: Jennifer Salter, 9th Grade English (pictured with her family)

School-Related Personnel of the Year: Denise Garcia, School Registrar

Wiregrass Ranch High

Teacher of the Year: Tammy Williams, Assessment Coordinator (photo)

School-Related Personnel of the Year: Jessica Jackson, Front Office Secretary/Sub Coordinator

NTBC’s Award Winners Include AHWC, Avalon Park WC & Parks Ford

Congratulations go out to all of this year’s “Excellence in Business” award winners and finalists from Wesley Chapel. The annual honors were presented by the North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC) at its awards gala held at TrebleMakers Dueling Piano Bar & Restaurant in The Grove on Nov. 17.

Among this year’s award winners were Jennie Yingling of both Spinner Law and the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel, who was honored with the “Community Hero” award; Avalon Park Wesley Chapel, which took home the “Excellence in Innovation” award; and to Parks Ford and AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, which (no pun intended) shared the “Innovation in Collaboration” honors (the first-ever tie for an NTBC award, according to Chamber president & CEO Hope Kennedy). Other winners included Pepin Academy (“Inclusivity”) and SOF Missions (“Integrity”).

AHWC Avalon Park North Tampa Bay Chamber North Tampa Bay Chamber Awards NTBC Peppin Wesley Chapel

Academy Sports + Outdoors Opens To Cheers & Lots Of Gift Card Winners!

If I ever open a store, I hope I can do as good a job as Academy Sports + Outdoors, a nearly 300-store chain which opened its newest location next to PopStroke on the north side of S.R. 56, in front of Total Wine & More.

From Fri.-Sun, Nov. 17-19, the first 150 people to visit received a free Academy Sports + Outdoors gift card valued anywhere from $20 to a whopping $500. According to Academy’s regional marketing specialist for Florida Michael Reynolds, a total of more than $14,000 in gift cards were given away and just the prospect of winning one of the two big $500 cards given away each day certainly had everyone in attendance excited about the Wesley Chapel area’s newest sporting goods store.

In fact, Jannah, photographer Charmaine George and I were on hand to witness the two $500 winners on Friday, including Kalyn Saliba (top left photo), who said that although she’s not particularly “sporty” herself, her husband and sons had shopped at the Academy store in Louisiana, where they lived for several years before moving back to Florida.

“But, I’m a big fan of Academy now,” Kalyn said after she posed with her giant gift card and called her husband, who didn’t believe she had really won. “No, really,” she said. “Let’s definitely go shopping here soon!”

We also heard several $75 and $100 gift cards being given to some of the other early attendees, none of whom won less than $20, and most were quick to make purchases — including yours truly, who scooped a new pair of New Balance running shoes that were already 25% off before taking my $20 gift card into consideration. The athletic shoe department has lots of other options, including Asics, Brooks, Nike and more.

I don’t know how long the opening 25% off prices will remain in effect, but there’s no doubt that Academy Sports + Outdoors has pretty much everything you need to be outfitted for everything from baseball to volleyball and brand names from Adidas to Yeti — all at outstanding prices.

The outdoor department is huge and does include camping, fishing, hunting and hiking gear and even grills and turkey fryers.

Academy Sports + Outdoors (25415 Sierra Center Blvd., Lutz) is open every day except Thur. For more information, call (813) 953-4410 or visit Academy.com.

Academy Sports Academy Sports and Outdoors Michael Reynolds Wesley Chapel

Rice & Beans Opens Its ‘Express’ Location On S.R. 54

Congratulations to owners Cindy and David Cruz and their entire family (photo above) and staff on the opening — finally! — of their Rice-n-Beans Express location at 24726 S.R. 54 in Lutz, a mile or so west of the Tampa Premium Outlets.

Although there are a few tables inside the new location, Rice-n-Beans Express is much more of a take-out place than the Rice-n-Beans Puerto Rico restaurant on Wesley Chapel Blvd., which has a large formal dining area, a full-liquor bar and live entertainment on the weekends.

The great news is that the authentic Puerto Rican cuisine at the Express location is just as delicious as at the WC Blvd. restaurant.

Jannah and I were happy to be invited to the private Friends & Family ribbon cutting event on Nov. 9, which included a great live DJ, free homemade sangria and samples of many of the new restaurant’s many menu items.

Our favorites included the fritters/ empanadas, which include traditional beef (left photo), chicken and even ham & cheese options, as well as a unique spinach, artichoke and cheese version that had its own delicious flavor.

We also loved the rotisserie chickens (photo below) that provide the centerpiece of the new Express location, the Cuban sandwiches and yes, both the red and the black beans and rice.

Since that truly wonderful Grand Opening event, Jannah, photographer Charmaine George and I have sampled quite a few other menu items at Rice-n-Beans Express, including the pernil (roast pork; left) entrée (which comes with your choice of one or two sides), the sweet plantains, the canoa (a plantain “canoe” stuffed with ground beef & shredded cheese), the yellow rice with pigeon peas, the yucca with mojo sauce and perhaps my favorite menu item at the full-service restaurant, the chichårrons (fried pork skin; bottom right photo).

The rotisserie chickens are available in a variety of sizes, from quarter chickens with one or two sides to the “Familia Grande,” which includes two whole chickens, 32 ozs. of rice, 16 ozs. of beans and two additional large sides. There’s also a huge chicken & pork combo meal.

Save room for dessert because the Puerto Rico Desserts case in the Express offers vanilla and Nutella tres leches and three varieties of flan. Decadent!

For more info, call (813) 428-5077 or visit “Rice N Beans” on Facebook and please tell them I sent you! -GN

Cindy Cruz David Cruz Rice & Beans Rice & Beans Express Rice and Beans Rice and Beans Express Wesley Chapel

Looking Back At The NTBC Ribbon-Cutting Events in November!

The North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC) stayed busy in November, with its annual Excellence in Business awards gala at Treble Makers on Nov. 17 (which we featured in our Nov 28 Wesley Chapel issue), as well as three ribbon-cutting events that didn’t make it into our print editions.

On Nov. 2, the Wesley Chapel Contract Postal Unit (CPU) on S.R. 54, which has been open for a few months now, celebrated with an NTBC ribbon cutting. Owner Jevon Willians provided free food and beverages for about 40 guests and introduced attendees to the CPU’s many services, all of which are available at regular U.S. Post Office prices. For more information, call (813) 994-7522.

On Nov. 8, the StoreRightSelf Storage facility, located on Crystal Grove Blvd. (near the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 41 and Sunset Lane) in Lutz, introduced attendees to its 749 storage units, most of which are climate-controlled. Store Right also is opening a similar-sized storage facility the second week in December next to the new El Dorado furniture store near the intersection of S.R. 54, Wesley Chapel Blvd. and S.R. 56 in Land O’Lakes. For more info, call (813) 567-8100 or visit StoreRight.com.

And, on Nov. 14, owner Gail Sickler’s Sustain M.E. on S.R. 56 (in the same plaza as Capital Tacos & Touch Nail Spa) officially finalized its re-branding of the store that previously was a location of Lüfka Refillables Zero Waste Store with its own NTBC ribbon-cutting event. The revamped refillables and health & beauty products store features a similar variety of all-natural products as did Lüfka, but with new products that are all locally sourced. For more info, call (8130 812-8219 or visit SustainMotherEarth.com.

Gail Sickler Jevon Willians NTBC ribbon cutting StoreRight Self Storage Sustain ME Wesley Chapel Wesley Chapel Contract Postal Unit