Congrats To The Top-10 Graduating Seniors From Wiregrass Ranch High!

Wiregrass Ranch High School — Graduation Ceremony: Saturday, June 6, at USF Yuengling Center 

1. Gavin Sawall, Valedictorian 

GPA: 4.7368 

Clubs/Activities: NHS, Science NHS, Alpha Theta, Senior Research Officer of Research Club 

College planning to attend: University of Florida 

Planned major or future career: Mechanical Engineering 

Best thing about high school: Hanging out with friends & engaging in new opportunities. 

2. Vaishnavi Panchavati, Salutatorian 

GPA: 4.73 

Clubs/Activities: HOSA, FBLA, Indian classical dancer 

College planning to attend: University of Florida Honors Program 

Planned major or future career: Microbiology & Cell Science 

Best thing about high school: Meeting my closest friends and enjoying every single day with them in class. 

3. Nathan Finkel 

GPA: 4.0/4.7077 

Clubs/Activities: SADD chapter president, varsity boys basketball manager & statistician, SAC chairman, FTSDC teen ambassador board member, District Student Congress Representative, girls flag football announcer, NHS, basketball summer camp counselor, Culver’s Crew member 

College planning to attend: Univ. of Florida 

Planned major or future career: Sports Management/Sports & Media Journalism 

Best thing about high school: Assisting the coaching staff & recording stats for the basketball team as we won four consecutive District championships. 

4. Sarah Khatib 

GPA: 4.67 

Clubs/Activities: Student Council President, Moffitt Cancer Center Intern (Fall 2024), HOSA member & State competitor, Founder of World Matters Human Rights Club, Associate of Arts Degree at PHSC through Dual Enrollment 

College Planning to Attend: University of South Florida Honors College 

Planned major or future career: Physician Assistant specializing in neurology 

Best Thing about High School: The supportive community & the meaningful connections you build along the way! 

5. Carson West 

GPA: 4.0/4.49 

Clubs/Activities: Varsity cross country, FBLA, Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter treasurer, varsity lacrosse offensive captain & starter, varsity golf starter, Teen Court Regionally Celebrated Attorney, Class of 2026 Treasurer& volunteer coordinator, NHS Service Group member, SADD, Rho Kappa HS, Bulls Nation spirit leader & pep rally lead, Intl. Science & Engineering Fair finalist, Science Research Club co-founder & senior research lead, Red Shift robotics club CAD design team, Stockholm Jr. Water Prize State competitor & honoree, Chemathon chemistry competition selected representative 

College planning to attend: Vanderbilt Univ. 

Planned major or future career: Biomedical Eng. & Human & Organizational Development 

Best thing about high school: Learning more about yourself, your interests & who you want to become in the future. Research, where I developed & tested my own project which ended up leading me to International Science Fair my junior & senior years. 

6. Sophia Zhang 

GPA: 4.68 

Clubs/Activities: Crochet Club (among other things) 

College planning to attend: Yale Univ. 

Planned major or future career: Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology 

Best thing about high school: The wonderful people & teachers I got to meet!

7. Bomin Kwon 

GPA: 3.98/4.66 

Clubs/Activities: Tampa Museum of Art Youth Council member (pd. internship), Green Club (co-founder), piano study (10 years) 

College planning to attend: Univ. of California at Berkeley 

Planned major or future career: Chemistry 

Best thing about high school: Collectively stressing out about school with friends. 

8. (tie) Kylie Glatfelter 

GPA: 3.98/4.66 

Clubs/Activities: Varsity softball 3 years, Student Council, Mu Alpha Theta, Teen Court, Key Club, Red Cross 

College planning to attend: Univ. of Tampa 

Planned major or future career: Major in Business Management, Minor in Law, Justice, & Advocacy in hopes to be a corporate attorney 

Best thing about high school: The support system my teachers & guidance counselor has given me to achieve my goals & succeed in the future. 

8. (Tie) Karl Bufe 

GPA: 4.6604 

Clubs/Activities: President of Spanish NHS, President of English NHS, Co-President of Book Club, secretary of Rho Kappa Social Studies NHS, volunteer at St. Joseph’s Hospital & concessions at Dr. John Long Middle School 

College planning to attend: University of Florida Honors Program 

Planned major or future career: Psychology, Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience specialization 

Best thing about high school: Meeting the absolutely amazing people — staff, teacher & friends — who have supported me & helped me get where I am today. 

10. Isabella Stevenson 

GPA: 4.63 

Clubs/Activities: Club ECNLR soccer, varsity soccer, varsity flag football, volunteer with Feeding Tampa Bay & Grace Family Church 

Wiregrass Ranch High Sophomores Help Vulnerable People Get Ready For The Heat

Siyana Khan (left) & Nicole Huynh started “Hydrating for Hope” to help vulnerable Florida residents better deal with the upcoming summer heat. (Photos provided by Siyana Khan) 

While some Floridians grew tired of the prolonged cold we experienced in the early weeks of 2026, Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) sophomores Siyana Khan and Nicole Huynh know the heat is coming. Soon. Fast. Difficult for those without air conditioning and, especially, proper hydration, to survive. 

As student athletes, Siyana and Nicole have both experienced some of the consequences of dehydration. “I’ve had sunburns, heat exhaustion and even strong nausea from not hydrating myself completely,” says Nicole, who is a member of the WRH color guard. 

Siyana had lived in New Jersey for 10 years and wasn’t used to the heat, so playing flag football in Florida proved to be overwhelming for her. “When I moved to Florida, I wasn’t hydrating properly,” Siyana says. “I actually passed out and had to go to the ER, and was diagnosed with orthostatic hypotension (abnormally low blood pressure) because of dehydration.” 

The girls teamed together and used their shared experiences to consider how others may need help when Florida’s heat takes hold. 

“We created ‘Hydrating for Hope,’” Siyana explains. “It’s a local community service initiative dedicated to hydrating and serving those around us. Many vulnerable communities around Tampa Bay suffer in this hot environment, making them more susceptible to [several] heat-related illnesses.” 

They began collecting heat-related essentials and also raised $1,260 through GoFundMe to purchase additional supplies. 

Their efforts have allowed them to purchase nearly 1,200 items, including bottles of water, reusable water bottles, Gatorade, sunglasses, hats and portable electric and paper fans. 

These items will be donated to homeless shelters and organizations that help vulnerable populations, such as Better Together, a Naples, FL-based nonprofit organization with a Tampa Bay-area chapter that is focused on preventing foster care by supporting families in crisis. 

“I was genuinely moved by [Siyana and Nicole’s] passion for serving their community,” says Joy Harris, executive director of Better Together. “It was clear in our conversation that this initiative is coming from a place of deep compassion and a desire to make a tangible difference for others.” 

Siyana and Nicole also worked with 100 students, including their peers at WRH and some at John Long Middle School, as well as The Learning Experience of New Tampa, to create 140 handwritten cards (above) for family members who are being served by Better Together. 

The recent Hydrating for Hope event at WRH.

“Their efforts not only provide encouragement to those receiving the cards,” Joy says, “they also inspire others to step up and look for ways to support their neighbors. I am grateful for the opportunity to partner with students like these and for the chance to see the next generation lead with such heart and intentionality.” 

The girls have become close friends through their time at the WRH Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) club. They plan to enter a statewide FBLA competition for community service projects this summer. They also are considering creating their own 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to be able to continue doing the work they’ve started through their Hydrating for Hope project. 

“We hope to hold more events, like when we held an event to write cards,” Siyana explains, “and also make bracelets or other crafts, too.” 

They hope their initiative will not only help those who are vulnerable, but will also provide awareness of heat-related problems for all of those living in Florida. 

To learn more about Hydrating for Hope, visit Hydrating4Hope to link to its Instagram, GoFundMe, donation list on Amazon and more.

Here’s What’s Expected To Open In Wiregrass Ranch in 2026!

There’s no doubt that the Florida Medical Clinic Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital will be the single largest addition to Wiregrass Ranch this year, but there are multiple other projects that also are expected to be completed and open before the end of 2026 in the 5,000-acre property owned by the Porter Family Trust. 
We told you about the 46,000-sq.-ft. Wiregrass Medical Plaza (left photo) being developed by Flagship Healthcare Properties (in conjunction with the Porters’ Locust Branch Development) last issue, which will have Florida E.N.T. as its anchor tenant. 

What we didn’t know about at that time, is the two-story, 50-bed in-patient injury rehabilitation facility that will be called Encompass Health Rehab Hospital being constructed by Brasfield & Gorrie (top photo), across from the Wiregrass Medical Plaza, closer to S.R. 56. Both of these buildings are separate from the Orlando Health hospital’s medical buildings. 

We also told you back in October about the Arcadia at Wiregrass Ranch apartments, the 320- unit luxury rental community now under construction behind the planned Publix near the intersection of S.R. 54 and Wiregrass Ranch Blvd., across from Walmart. As you can see in the photo right, those apartments have now gone vertical. 

Much closer to completion, however, is the 50,000-sq.-ft. Post Acute Medical (PAM) Rehabilitation Hospital (below) directly to the north of the Amberlin apartments on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. We first told you about PAM Rehab back in March of 2024 and although the building is looking pretty close to being completed, we were not yet able to find out a planned opening date for it, but we’ll keep you posted. 

Also not too far from being completed is the Ace Medical Plaza (bottom photo), a 15,000-sq.-ft. medical office building located between the entrance to Amberlin and BBD, across from Eagleston Blvd. 

What we sadly don’t have yet is the information everyone wants — the name of the upscale restaurant(s) that will be built next to Cooper’s Hawk and when the selection of the contractor and the construction of Legacy at Wiregrass Ranch, the community’s “downtown hub” will begin. Hopefully, we’ll have that information by sometime later this year, but we’re pretty sure that those highly-anticipated developments will not be completed by the end of 2026. — GN

Wesley Chapel 2026 — Florida Medical Clinic Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital

Hospital That Will One Day Be The Largest In Wesley Chapel Gets Ready To Open Apr. 21 With A Hiring Event 

Florida Medical Clinic Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital — Opening April 21! 

With everything that’s coming to Wesley Chapel this year, perhaps the biggest addition is the Florida Medical Clinic Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital, which has tabbed Tuesday, April 21, as its scheduled opening date. 

The new hospital — the third in Wesley Chapel (AdventHealth WC and BayCare WC are the others) will open with 102 beds, with room to expand to 300 beds in the future, which would make it Wesley Chapel’s largest. 

In anticipation of the hospital’s opening, Pasco Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, located less than a half-mile away from the facility, hosted a hiring event which attracted hundreds of potential employees — everyone from nurses and nursing support professionals to allied health and support staffers. 

We also got to meet many of the hospital’s team leaders, including (l.-r. in the right photo) talent acquisition manager Richard Pelaia, chief nursing officer and assistant vice president Susan Dolezal, chief financial officer and assistant VP Tanya Knepp, director of human resources Jennifer Alexander and Richard Matte, the assistant VP of business development & non-clinical operations. 

Charmaine also got drone photos of the cleared land for the two large medical office buildings to be built on the hospital’s campus (above left), which should begin going vertical soon. 

Ground Broken On Wiregrass Ranch Medical Building Near Orlando Health Hospital

So, as we’ve previously reported, despite all of the new stuff and everything that has already been built, the Wiregrass Ranch development is still at less than 40% of its approved capacity. 

But, with the Florida Medical Clinic Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital nearing completion, that number is going to rise and it will also bring two affiliated medical office buildings into the fold in the future. 

But now, Wiregrass Ranch, the Porter family and its Locust Branch Development are partnering with Flagship Healthcare Properties (which is based in Charlotte, NC) to begin building a separate 46,000-sq.-ft. medical outpatient building (rendering below) within walking distance of the second hospital to open in Wiregrass Ranch. 

On Dec. 9, Flagship and Wiregrass Ranch hosted a groundbreaking event at the site of that new medical office building, which will have as its anchor tenant Florida E.N.T. (Ear, Nose, Throat) & Allergy. Those entities were joined by Precise Construction, Ardurra Engineering, Kasper Architects & Assoc. and Atlantic Union Bank for the groundbreaking, which was led by Flagship’s executive VP of development Dev Gregg (4th from left in photo, above), who first thanked everyone involved in the project. 

“All we build are medical outpatient projects,” Gregg said. “We have been working on this project for about three years and are proud to be here today.” 

Gregg also thanked Florida E.N.T., “(Physician partner) Scott Powell and his team. Florida E.N.T. will occupy 12,000 sq. ft. of the building and is also a partner in the project. We’re really proud to be working with them.” 

He then thanked JD Porter and Scott Sheridan (5th & 6th from the left in the top photo) of Locust Branch. “They’ve been wonderful to work with. It’s harder and harder to put these projects together, but they’re partnering with us on this project and we’re excited to have it come out of the ground.” 

He added that, “We’re looking forward to this project being an asset to the community, the health care providers in the area and the patients.” 

For more information, visit FlagshipHP.com.