Sarasota County Schools News

SARASOTA COUNTY- Public high schools throughout Sarasota County will host Student-Parent Information Nights (SPIN) in April. The events are designed to help next year’s high-school freshmen learn about the school they will attend in 2009-10, as well as to provide useful information for parents and guardians.

Eighth-grade students can explore their districted high school and learn about course options, small learning communities, major areas of interest, career & technical education, scheduling, graduation requirements, extracurricular activities and much more.

The SPIN events are scheduled as follows:

• Riverview High: 5 p.m., Thursday, April 2, auditorium
• Booker High: 6:30 p.m., Monday, April 13, Visual & Performing Arts Theatre
• Suncoast Polytechnical High: 6 p.m., Tuesday, April 14, cafeteria
• Sarasota High: 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 14, auditorium
• Venice High: 6 p.m., Tuesday, April 14, auditorium
• North Port High: 5 p.m., Wednesday, April 29, Performing Arts Center

SPIN events last at least one hour. Some information is presented more than once but students and parents are encouraged to arrive at the starting time.

The 2009-10 school year begins Monday, Aug. 24 in the Sarasota County Schools. Information about each high school is available on the school district Web site: www.SarasotaCountySchools.net/departments/highschools

High school SPIN nights schedule

TOP SECRET PROJECT - Sarasota Middle School Literacy Coach Judi Robson prepares to release copies of "I.Q.," a spy mystery all sixth-graders in the Sarasota County Schools will be reading as part of the Starbooks program. 

SARASOTA COUNTY – At area middle schools this spring, principals and staff members dressed as characters from “Men in Black” and “Mission: Impossible” are revealing the secrets behind the latest round of Starbooks. The literacy program is designed to reinforce the joy of reading among middle-school students.

Starbooks: Round Two features the book “I.Q.” by Roland Smith. The suspenseful novel received the Mom’s Choice 2009 Gold Award for Juvenile Fiction.

At Brookside Middle School, Principal Jack Turgeon and the school’s support staff arrived at the cafeteria dressed as the characters from the "Men in Black" films — complete with dark suits and sunglasses — for the delivery and introduction of the new book to sixth-grade students. Students assisted with the event, and a video message by the author played on the big screen. Turgeon unveiled the “I.Q.” book from a briefcase handcuffed to him.

At Sarasota Middle School, staff members also followed the "Men in Black" dress theme, with the school resource officer escorting the delivery of the books on a motorcycle. Sixth-grade students performed a Reader's Theater presentation from the first two scenes of the book.

At Woodland Middle School, the presentation took on a “Mission: Impossible” theme, centering on the two main characters of “I.Q.,” Q and Angela. The kick-off began with the students being escorted to the cafeteria by a team of "secret agents." The Q and Angela characters invited the sixth-grade students to go with them on a journey to places they will meet again as they read “I.Q.,” offering clues to the book’s plot.

Middle-school celebrations trhoughout Sarasota County continue in April. The Starbooks reading program is being funded by a $217,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, part of Literacy Empowers All Families (LEAF), a multi-year initiative to promote and improve literacy among children of all ages. The idea behind Starbooks, the middle-school component of the foundation’s $675,000 first-year financial commitment, is to encourage reading through the involvement of peers, parents, teachers, media specialists and literacy coaches. Other components of the Starbooks program include author visits and family events.

SARASOTA – Students from Brookside Middle School and Phoenix Academy are traveling to Mote Marine Laboratory and Myakka River State Park in March and April as part of a project exploring the importance of healthy land and marine habitats to the area’s ecosystem. Students from Suncoast Polytechnical High School also have visited both sites.

At Mote, students are conducting water quality tests of Sarasota Bay near the marine research lab and collect marine specimens in the shallow waters next to the facility. Students  are also conducting tests of the Myakka fresh water system to determine the levels of phosphate, nitrate and dissolved oxygen, as well as the temperature, salinity and turbidity (cloudiness) of the freshwater samples. Students are analyzing the data they collect at Myakka and Mote and sending it to SWFWMD for their records. The schools hope to continue this research for the next few years so the water management district has a baseline of date for comparison with future studies.

The field trips are part of a series of watershed sustainability projects involving students from Brookside, Phoenix Academy and Suncoast Polytechnical High School. The projects are made possible by grants from the Education Foundation of Sarasota County and the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD).

The school projects are part of a larger community effort to engage citizens in the critical issue of protecting the local watershed — the area of land that water flows across as it moves toward a common body of water, such as a stream, river, lake or bay. The health of the Southern Coastal Watershed, which stretches 60 miles along the southern part of central Florida’s gulf coast, determines the quality of the area’s water bodies, large and small. Conserving water and preventing water pollution are the keys to maintaining a healthy watershed and overall quality of life.

Even some of the school district’s youngest students will benefit from the watershed sustainability project. On Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22, Southside Elementary fifth-graders will travel to Brookside to see middle-school students present action plans. From 6 to 8 p.m. that evening at Mote Marine Laboratory, students from Brookside, Phoenix Academy and Suncoast Polytechnical High School will showcase their watershed sustainability projects for the community.

Sarasota High student Courtney Berger shares a story with younger students as part of the "Sailors Helping Future Sailors" reading party and book donation event at Alta Vista Elementary.

SARASOTA – As part of a “Sailors Helping Future Sailors” initiative, Sarasota High School Student Government members donated more than 1,000 books to the 680 students at nearby Alta Vista Elementary School. The school held a reading party from March 27 in the media center to celebrate the donation, with SHS students reading the books to second-graders.

Sarasota High Student Government collected the new and gently used age-appropriate books from SHS students for the project. Members of the organization delivered the books to eager students at Alta Vista in time for the reading party. 

“This is a great example of high-school students serving as role models for elementary-school children,” said Barbara Shirley, principal of Alta Vista Elementary. “As a former Sarasota High School assistant principal, I’m delighted that SHS Student Government members took the initiative to collect books for younger students, deliver them to our school, and read to our students.

“Reading is so important to the success of our students, and they were very excited about this event and getting books to take home. We created a real party atmosphere, with balloons and refreshments.”

Grier Ferguson, SHS Student Government president, said, “The project was a lot of fun. Children’s books tell great stories with wonderful illustrations, so our students had a great time collecting them — including some of their own favorite books. Our students were really inspired by the ‘Sailors Helping Future Sailors’ theme and they loved the idea of doing something for our younger neighbors at Alta Vista.”

Alta Vista Elementary School is located at 1050 S. Euclid Ave., Sarasota. More information about the school is available at www.SarasotaCountySchools.net/AV.

SARASOTA - Booker High School and Booker Middle School, which host the Visual & Performing Arts magnet programs of Sarasota County Schools, are now auditioning students with an interest and talent in the arts. Auditions for students who wish to try out for either program for the 2009-2010 school year, as well as tours of the VPA facilities, may be scheduled by calling the appropriate school.

The VPA programs at both schools provide highly specialized and intensive training for students in the visual and performing arts areas of dance, music, television and media arts, theater (performance and technical), and the visual arts, with additional creative writing and graphic design components at Booker Middle School.

The VPA programs are open to students from throughout Sarasota County. Qualified applicants may be accepted from other counties on a space-available basis and with approval from the sending district. Bus transportation is provided within Sarasota County.

For the high-school program, students must submit a copy of their most recent report card, demonstrating a 2.0 GPA or higher, and two letters of recommendation: one from an arts-specific teacher and one from a general education teacher. Other qualifications are based on the specific arts area the student wishes to pursue.

More information about the programs, audition requirements and upcoming performances are available at www.BookerVPA.com (Booker High School) and www.BookerMiddleSchool.org (Booker Middle School) or by calling Colleen Glenney, coordinator for the VPA programs at both schools, at 941-355-2967 (Booker High) or 941-359-5824 (Booker Middle).

Booker High School is located at 3201 N. Orange Ave., Sarasota. Booker Middle School is located at 2250 Myrtle Street, Sarasota.

SARASOTA – Kirk Hutchinson, the principal of Sarasota County’s newest elementary school, is hosting a series of Town Hall meetings for families of prospective students and interested community members. An organizational meeting for the school’s Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) and a Kindergarten Round-Up also are planned.

The school, which will open in August for the 2009-10 school year, goes by the working title of Elementary I (capital letter “i”). A committee is reviewing name suggestions for the school, and a recommended name is expected to be presented to the School Board of Sarasota County for approval within the next few months.

In the Town Hall meetings, Hutchinson will provide construction updates and details about the instructional program, school uniform policy and timelines leading up to and into the school’s inaugural year, as well as other pertinent information. Parents will be encouraged to participate in the visioning process for the school and Hutchinson will answer questions from the families.

All Town Hall meetings are open to families, and everyone is welcome. The same core information will be shared at each session to allow parents and guardians the opportunity to attend the meeting that works best for their schedule. The meetings will be held at Toledo Blade Elementary School, 1201 Geranium Ave., North Port, unless otherwise noted.

March meetings

Tuesday, March 24: Town Hall Meeting with families, 6 to 7:30 p.m., Portable 846 (interpreters will be available for families speaking Spanish, Haitian Creole, Russian and Ukrainian)

April meetings

Thursday, April 2: Town Hall Meeting with families, 9:30 to 11 a.m., Portable 846

Tuesday, April 14: PTO Organizational Meeting, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Portable 846

Wednesday, April 15: Town Hall Meeting with families, 4:30 to 6 p.m., Portable 846

Wednesday, April 29: Town Hall Meeting with families, 9 to 10:30 a.m., Portable 846

Wednesday, April 29: Kindergarten Round-Up, 6 to 7:30 p.m.,

Woodland Middle School cafeteria, 2700 Panacea Blvd., North Port

May meetings

Monday, May 4: Town Hall Meeting with families, 6 to 7:30 p.m., Portable 846

About Elementary I

Elementary I is being built on Huntsville Avenue, one block south of the intersection of E. Price Boulevard and Atwater Street. The design for the school is a re-use of the plan for Lamarque Elementary, with some variations. It is also similar to Cranberry (North Port) and Tatum Ridge (Sarasota) elementary schools. The 124,000-square-foot school was designed by BRPH Architects/Engineers (architects of Lamarque, Cranberry and Tatum Ridge schools) and is being built on 35 acres by Jon F. Swift General Contractors. It will include 970 student stations.

The location is adjacent to the future Atwater Community Park, which will include youth ball fields. The school district is working closely with Sarasota County Emergency Management to build the school as an enhanced hurricane shelter, designed to withstand wind speeds of 180 miles per hour rather than the standard 130 mph.

Elementary I, like nearby Woodland Middle (opened in August 2008), incorporates “green” features into its construction. These include the use of regional building materials, recycled-content materials and low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) materials; energy-efficient heating and air conditioning; minimized water usage; efficient storm water management and drought-tolerant landscaping. The district plans to seek LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for Elementary I and Woodland Middle.

More information is available at www.SarasotaCountySchools/schoolI.

SARASOTA - In the middle of the school day, doing what they love best, three of Sarasota County’s exceptional teachers were “surprised and shocked” when the Teacher Tribute Tour arrived with balloons, awards and gift bags.

Schools Superintendent Lori White, the Education Foundation’s Cindy Kaiser, School Board Chair Caroline Zucker and a bus full of sponsors, district personnel and past winners traveled to three schools to surprise finalists in the 2009 Teacher of the Year competition. Winners at the elementary, middle and high school levels received the good news in front of delighted students, colleagues and family members, who were in on the secret.

The first stop was at Riverview, where High School Teacher of the Year Chuck Evans was ushered onto an auditorium stage as the band played the school’s fight song and students in the audience cheered. Evans is an 11-year veteran who teaches honors physics courses, percussion techniques and marching band with the school’s renowned Kiltie Band.

High School Teacher of the Year Chuck Evans, surrounded by well-wishers at Riverview

“For you students sitting out there wondering what to do with your futures, to be a part of students’ lives, day after day, is a wonderful thing,” said Evans, as wife Kim and daughter Katie, age four, joined him onstage. “This honor is a reflection of all the phenomenal teachers we have here in Sarasota County.”

The second stop was McIntosh Middle School, where the Tribute Tour party interrupted an assembly in the media center and called for Stanley S. Judd III to step forward. The district’s new Middle School Teacher of the Year credited his parents, Jackie and Stan Judd, who surprised their son by driving from their home on Pine Island for the festivities.

Stanley Judd, Middle School Teacher of the Year, is honored at McIntosh

“Mom was a teacher, and my father was a life-long business owner. I learned my most important lessons from them. First, always finish what you start. Second, be professional.” The World Culture teacher has spent his entire 15-year career in Sarasota County. His wrestling club at the middle school, started a dozen years ago, is now nationally recognized. Issabel, Judd’s therapy dog and a classroom regular, also stepped forward to receive congratulations and treats.

The third and final stop for the day was at Taylor Ranch Elementary. There, Sarasota County’s Elementary School Teacher of the Year, Amy Beechy, was just beginning to read "Green Eggs and Ham" to a media center full of children. “It’s such a surprise and a shock,” said the visibly shaken teacher. “And it’s even more a privilege because I get to work with the most talented staff ever!” Husband Steven and five-year-old son Aiden, a Taylor Ranch Kindergartener, shared long hugs with the honoree. Beechy, who has also spent her entire 15-year career in Sarasota County, teaches children from kindergarten through fifth grade as an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and media specialist.

Elementary Teacher of the Year Amy Beechy gets surprised at Taylor Ranch

The overall district Teacher of the Year will be announced at a luncheon on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at 11:30 a.m., Michael’s on East in Sarasota. The Teacher of the Year will represent the Sarasota County School District at the Florida Department of Education - Macy's Teacher of the Year program and serve as our community spokesperson and representative for the teaching profession throughout the 2009-2010 academic year.

Premier Sponsors of Teacher of the Year are the H. Jack Hunkele Family Foundation, Nova Southeastern University-Fischler School of Education and Human Services, Promethean/Logical Choice Technologies, Publix Super Markets Charities Inc., Saturn of Sarasota and SunTrust.

Diamond Sponsors include The Notre Dame Club of Greater Sarasota. Gold Sponsors are VALIC, McDonalds of Sarasota, Prudential Retirement, and the Sarasota County School-Based Administrators. Barnes & Noble Booksellers is a Silver Sponsor. Sarasota County’s Teacher of the Year coordinator is Patricia Brustad.

Dedicated to quality education for all children, the Education Foundation of Sarasota County is an independent, not-for-profit organization that works in partnership with the community and Sarasota County public schools. With the support of individuals, families, companies and foundations, the Education Foundation awards more than $1,200,000 each year to initiatives including the TeXcellence Computer Donation program, the Regional Science, Engineering and Technology Fair, Teacher of the Year, Academic Olympics, classroom grants, fine arts programs, and literacy initiatives. For more information visit www.EdFoundation.net or call 941-927-0965.

ROAD-EO PRO - Mary Gore, a 33-year veteran of the Sarasota County Schools Transportation team, scored 10th in the Veterans category at the 2009 Safety Skills Road-eo for bus drivers, held in February.

SARASOTA – Ten Sarasota County School District bus drivers were recognized for their driving skills Tuesday (March 3) at a regular meeting of the School Board. The drivers competed at the district’s Osprey transportation headquarters in a February event, the Safety Skills Road-eo, to showcase their abilities.

The event is held each year on a Saturday and takes most of the day. Drivers are not required to attend, but many of them do in order to demonstrate their professionalism and to compare their skills with those of other drivers.

The competition consists of an obstacle course in 11 parts. The diminishing-clearance challenge requires drivers to navigate through poles on either side of the bus that get closer together down the road, until they are just 1 inch wider on each side than the width of a school bus. In another part of the course, drivers must parallel-park a 77-passenger bus within 3 inches of a line representing the curb.

Drivers compete in either the Veteran category (those who have competed four times or more in Road-eo) or as a Rookie (competitors for three times or less). Points are assessed for performance in the various activities; a perfect score is 635.

This year’s winners included: 

• Linda Kopie: Rookie, first place overall, 620 points 
• John Sullivan: Veteran, second place overall, 617 points 
• James Copeland: Veteran, third place, 604 points (the current Florida State Champion bus driver)

Other high-scoring competitors honored at the School Board meeting included Brad Ashman (603 points), Theresa Kerrigan (596 points), Viktor Chtchvalinski (594 points), Wendy Uglum (592 points), Norman Wright (576 points), Max Bedwell (552 points) and Anatoliy Schcavlinsky (549 points). The experience level of these competitors ranged from four months as a bus driver (Wright) to 13 years (Copeland).

The Rotary Club of Sarasota Bay has sponsored the Road-eo for over 35 years. More than 35 Rotarians, including judges, scorekeepers and other participants, volunteered this year to help stage the event. The club also provided $1,000 in cash prizes for the winning drivers and trophies valued at $500. The Sarasota Classified /Teachers Association matched the cash prizes for their members.

“This is a very worthwhile project,” said Brian Flynn, a Rotary Club member who has chaired the event for 11 years. “I’ve gotten to know many of the drivers. They’re like an extended family.

“In the end, the Road-eo is not about the destination, it’s about the journey. Winning is fun for these dedicated professionals, but they know it’s the practicing that develops their skills. The end result is that it enhances the safety of our kids going to and from school. Nothing is more important than that.”

SARASOTA – In a presentation to the School Board of Sarasota County at its meeting March 3, school district energy managers reported that The Landings has received the Energy Star rating from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The office complex is the headquarters for the board and school district administration.

The Energy Star designation recognizes products and companies for energy efficiency and environmental protection. This rating for The Landings is one result of an overall energy-saving program by Sarasota County Schools that has helped the district reduce the energy costs in its schools and facilities by an estimated $3.6 million since June 2007, saving taxpayer dollars while protecting the environment. District energy managers announced to the School Board in November 2008 that Lamarque Elementary School in North Port received the Energy Star designation.

“We are pleased that the EPA has rated The Landings and Lamarque Elementary as Energy Star facilities,” said Scott Lempe, chief operations officer for Sarasota County Schools. “Just as we strive for optimum energy efficiency in our schools, we work hard to make sure that all of our other facilities can be operated in a way that saves energy and taxpayer dollars.”

Many people recognize the Energy Star label from home appliances, but buildings also can earn the same award for being among the top 25 percent of facilities in the U.S. in terms of energy efficiency. Commercial buildings that earn the Energy Star label use an average of 40 percent less energy than a typical building and release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Thirty-two schools in Florida have earned the Energy Star award. Nineteen of these schools, including Lamarque, are partners with Energy Education, which is also the energy consulting firm for Sarasota County Schools. Only two other school district headquarters complexes in Florida are Energy Star-rated: those in Martin and Sumter counties.

The original building in The Landings office complex, which now includes the School Board Chambers, was built in 1981. The three other buildings in the complex were constructed from 1982 through 1984. The School Board purchased the property in 1995. A number of renovations have been made to each of the four buildings since then, in order to provide additional square footage and to ensure energy efficiency.

The Landings office complex is located at 1950-1980 Landings Blvd. in Sarasota.

SARASOTA - The audience rose with a roar when auctioneer Jimmy Dean announced the winning bid for Radio Geisha, a colorful acrylic painting by Venice High School senior Nichole Timoney. Final bid for the piece was $23,100, setting an all-time record for a single work of student art at the Education Foundation’s 14^th annual “Evening of Excellence” benefit Feb. 27. The winning bid was made by philanthropist Al Weis, who also purchased the Best of Show painting by Timoney’s classmate, Amberose Courville. Both student art works will be donated by Weis back to the school district to be displayed in the artists’ names.

The benefit grossed well over $260,000 in cash and in-kind support, including a live auction total of $50,500. Education Foundation executive director Cindy Kaiser and board chairman Chris Pfahler thanked supporters and recognized this year’s award-winning high school artists, their parents and their art teachers. Sherry Burd and Hartley O’Brien co-chaired the event, leading a committee of twenty-six dedicated volunteers. Honorary Chairs were Jon and Janey Swift, long-time Foundation supporters. The event’s theme, Inspirata da Venezia, was inspired by one of last year’s student paintings – My Town – that held the previous record for highest single bid at $11,000.

“Evening of Excellence” is not only an innovative art program but also an established Sarasota social event that raises significant funds each year, benefiting 41,000 children in the public schools through the work of the Education Foundation. The event combines an elegant dinner with a spirited auction that puts the 25 Best of the Best student art works on the auction block. The program has raised more than $1.5 million for Sarasota County’s public schools over the past fourteen years, while raising awareness about the vital role the arts play in learning.

Venice, Florida shared the spotlight with its namesake city in Italy. This year’s event theme, Inspirata da Venezia (Inspired from Venice), inspired young artists from Venice High School: 11 of the top 25 student works selected from 296 entries in the competition were created by students of Craig Seidell, longtime art instructor at the school. Other schools with students whose work was in the top 25 were Booker High School, Phoenix Academy, Pine View School, Riverview High School and Sarasota High School. Student art awards of $500 to $2,000 were presented to each of the 21 winning students, four of whom had two pieces in the top 25. Combining the generosity of art award sponsors with proceeds from the benefit, over $40,000 in monetary and in-kind gifts was given to the student artists, the art teachers and high school art departments.

The evening also featured entertainment by the Venice High School Chamber Chorus, Le Voci di Venezia, under the direction of Steve Johns.

About the Education Foundation of Sarasota County

Dedicated to quality education for all children, the Education Foundation of Sarasota County is an independent, not-for-profit organization that works in partnership with the community and Sarasota County public schools. With the support of individuals, families, companies and foundations, the Education Foundation awards more than $1,200,000 each year to initiatives including the TeXcellence Computer Donation program, the Regional Science, Engineering and Technology Fair, Teacher of the Year, Academic Olympics, classroom grants, fine arts programs, and literacy initiatives. More information is available at EdFoundation.net or by calling 941-927-0965.

SARASOTA – Sarasota County Schools Superintendent Lori White has announced that she will record a brief video message to school district employees each week. The purpose of the videos is to keep staff informed about how the $40-million-plus budget reductions slated for 2009-10 will affect schools and staffing. She taped her first update in late February.

The three- to five-minute updates will be e-mailed to employees in the form of a link to the video messages. They also will be aired regularly on The Education Channel (Comcast 20 and Verizon 33 in Sarasota County) and may be viewed at www.sarasotacountyschools.net/departments/superintendent.

“In addition to the budget reductions already approved by the School Board for next year,” said White, “there are possible changes coming from the state and federal government that may affect our schools next year, including education funding provisions in the stimulus package from Washington and possible legislation in Tallahassee. As different parts of the picture come into focus, I want to give staff regular updates about the outlook for next year. These short video messages are the best way to do that.”

With more than 5,000 employees, including teachers, administrators and support staff, the school district is the largest employer in Sarasota County. District employees buy homes, cars and merchandise from local businesses. The district contracts with many vendors based in Southwest Florida, such as construction companies. These businesses hire local workers and subcontract with other companies, creating a ripple effect throughout the local economy.

Because district budget and staffing changes affect so many people, White wants employees and the entire community to know as much as possible about the outlook for 2009-10 before the current school year ends on May 29.

In her first message, White told employees, “We will try to do our best to keep you up-to-date, because we know how this impacts so many of you. I really thank you for the work that you are doing. You are such a stabilizing force in the community as families go through so many difficult times. If we stick together…and make decisions for the welfare of our students, I know we will continue to feel the community’s support.”