Sarasota County Schools News

State Sen. Nancy Detert visits Pam Benuche's American History class at Brookside Middle School on Jan. 20.

SARASOTA - Students from Pam Benuche’s eighth-grade American History class at Brookside Middle School got a lesson in civics from a special guest on Jan. 20: State Senator Nancy Detert.

The District 23 Republican visited the class on Inauguration Day after students wrote to various public officials as part of an assignment in which they were asked to determine whether an issue they care about would be best addressed at the local, state or federal level.

“The students were very impressed that Senator Detert responded to a letter and said she would like to visit the class in person,” said Benuche.

Among the topics the students discussed with the senator were what some believe is a disproportionate emphasis on FCAT testing and the issue of older people driving unsafely. Detert talked about how the state legislature deals with such public concerns.

The class plans to continue to write to elected officials.

“They would love to have President Obama visit,” said Benuche, “but I think we'll have to write many more letters for that to happen!”

TREE-MENDOUS EFFORT – Woodland  Middle  School sixth-grader Brittani Bunkley places a shovelful of dirt on the roots of a Dahoon  Holly   tree  her class planted on the school campus Jan. 16. during the city of North Port’s annual Florida Arbor Day celebration.  Woodland sixth grade teacher Scott Thurow assists at left.

NORTH PORT – Students in Scott Thurow’s sixth-grade class at Woodland Middle School learned recently that on a percentage basis, Florida is losing more of its tree canopy each year than the Amazon Rain Forest. To do their part to reverse that trend, the class braved a chilly winter wind on Jan. 16 to plant a Dahoon Holly tree on the school grounds.

The planting ceremony was the highlight of the City of North Port’s Florida Arbor Day celebration, which Woodland Middle School hosted this year. The planting also was part of the 2009 Tree-mendous Tree Planting Blitz, sponsored by People for Trees, a North Port volunteer group dedicated to increasing awareness of the importance of trees in the ecosystem and the community. For their part in the blitz, Woodland students and staff have planted six Dahoon Holly and four Laurel Oak trees on the school campus.

Woodland Principal Kris Lawrence said she was pleased that the students are involved in the project because it is important for them to understand and appreciate the natural Florida habitat. She said she expects the students to watch the trees grow as the students themselves mature in the coming years and take pride in their contribution to the school and the city.

People for Trees spokeswoman Alice White posted signs around the tree planting site touting the value of trees: They lower air temperature, produce oxygen, reduce erosion, improve property values and lift the spirit. Shading a home with trees, for example, could reduce the cost of air conditioning by 50 percent.

White said People for Trees was formed in 1997 to raise awareness of the harmful effects of clear cutting trees for development. She said the group plans to plant 50 trees at all the schools in North Port in honor of Florida Arbor Day and to recognize the city's 50th anniversary.

The group donated the first tree for each school and is encouraging individuals, groups and businesses to donate $50 towards additional tree plantings, which People for Trees will match. The Allamanda Garden Club has donated funds for six trees and the city's Beautification and Tree Council has contributed to the purchase of 16 trees, White said.

North Port is designated as a Tree City USA. It retains that status by having a tree ordinance and a citizens’ tree council and by celebrating Arbor Day each year with a ceremony that includes a tree planting. North Port city officials who participated in the city’s Arbor Day festivities at Woodland included City Commission Chairwoman Vanessa Carusone, City Arborist Ryan Pieper and Beautification and Tree/Scenic Highway Committee member Vickie Bailey.

Volunteers from Wal-Mart at University Parkway and Lockwood Ridge Road plant a tree on Earth Day 2008 on the campus of Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota.

SARASOTA – From donating school supplies to elementary-school students to rallying 100 local businesses to support a new technical high school, companies and organizations in Sarasota County support public schools in a number of ways.

On Jan. 15, Sarasota County Schools, PALS Partners in Education and the Education Foundation of Sarasota County presented the annual Business Partner Recognition Awards to 37 recipients at Laurel Oak Country Club in Sarasota. Business partners ranged from restaurants and retail stores to a church, a car dealer and a bank.

Wal-Mart at University Parkway and Lockwood Ridge Road in Sarasota was named 2008-09 Outstanding Corporate Business Partner for its support of Emma E. Booker Elementary School. The Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County was selected as Outstanding Local Business Partner for supporting the county’s newest high school, Suncoast Polytechnical.

“Wal-Mart touches the lives of so many of our students and their families through their generous donations and contributions,” said Dawn Clayton, principal of Emma E. Booker. “They provided backpacks and school supplies for the children and even planted a tree on our campus on April 22, Earth Day 2008. They are truly making a difference.”

As Suncoast Polytechnical High School was getting ready for the launch of its inaugural year in August 2008, Principal Jennifer Putnam wanted to let the business community know that the school wanted to develop close relationships with executives to help prepare students for the 21^st century workforce.

“That meant putting our teachers in real-world situations so they could convey the needs of businesses to our students from day one,” said Putnam. “Kathy Baylis, president of the Economic Development Corporation, immediately saw the value of our school for the local economy and helped us connect with business quickly. Our teachers had the opportunity to job-shadow at a wide variety of businesses last summer before our school even opened.

“Thanks to tireless support from Kathy and her colleagues, more than 100 businesses support our school with opportunities for teachers and students, as well as donations. We could not have hit the ground running without the support of the EDC.”

In addition to Wal-Mart and the EDC, other business partners recognized at the luncheon included five Special Recognition Business Partners: Comcast Cable (Venice High School), DQ Grill & Chill (Garden Elementary and Venice Middle School), Florida Cancer Specialists (Laurel Nokomis School), Gulf Gate Community Church (Gulf Gate Elementary) and Youth Experiencing the Arts (Phoenix Academy).

Businesses interested in becoming business partners may contact schools directly or call PALS Partners in Education at 941-927-9000, extension 31500.

 SARASOTA – The finance department of Sarasota County Schools has received certificates of excellence in financial reporting for the fourth consecutive year from the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) and the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA).

The ASBO award recognizes excellence in the preparation and issuance of the annual report for the school district’s Fiscal Year 2007 (July 2006-June 2007). The GFOA certificate, awarded for the same fiscal year, demonstrates that the district’s finance department shows a spirit of full disclosure to the public of all aspects of the school system’s financial operations.

“These awards are the highest form of recognition for financial accountability by school districts and governments,” said Mitsi Corcoran, chief financial officer for Sarasota County Schools. “We are pleased that both of these highly respected organizations have recognized our work for four years in a row.”

Corcoran will do a brief presentation about the awards for the members of the School Board of Sarasota County during the board’s regular meeting at 3 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 20, at the School Board Chambers, 1980 Landings Blvd., Sarasota.

Kirk Hutchinson, Elementary I principal

NORTH PORT – Elementary I, a North Port school scheduled to open next August, now has a principal. The School Board of Sarasota County approved Hutchinson's appointment to the position Tuesday, Jan. 6, during its first meeting of 2009.

Hutchinson, an assistant principal at North Port’s Lamarque Elementary School, will guide the process for naming Elementary I (capital letter “i”), the working title of the new school. The school currently is under construction at 4701 Huntsville Ave., North Port. When a school is built, the district works with community members, including the parents of future students at the school, to solicit ideas for a permanent name.

“The naming process will be the beginning of relationship building that I hope will be a hallmark of our school,” said Hutchinson. “I really see the new school as a fun place to learn, work and visit — a hub for this area of North Port. We want to reach out to families, and partner with businesses and civic organizations, to help the school build its own identity. We’ll have a strong focus on teaching, learning and customer service. I’m very excited to work with the students, staff, families and community of Elementary I as we build a school that everyone will take pride in.”

Before joining the Lamarque staff, Hutchinson served as assistant principal at Sallie Jones Elementary School in Punta Gorda, Fla.; Talbott Springs Elementary School in Columbia, Maryland; and in several teaching positions at Fulton Elementary School, Fulton, Md. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from the University of Maryland and a Master of Science in Administration and Supervision from The Johns Hopkins University.

“We think Kirk is a great choice to lead the county’s next elementary school,” said John Zoretich, executive director of elementary education for Sarasota County Schools. “He has a strong commitment to academic excellence and collaboration with parents and the community.”

The design for Elementary I 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.

Dr. Hal Nelson

Articles by Hal Nelson, assistant superintendent for Sarasota County Schools, have been published in two academic journals (click on the links to view the articles).

Arts Education and the Whole Child, an assessment of the ways in which arts programs in schools can contribute to the well-being of children, is featured in the January/February 2009 issue of Principal, a publication of the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP).

Partners in Progress: School/Community Advocates Address Achievement Gaps, an account of the 2007-08 efforts of a group of educators, parents and other stakeholders to address the educational challenges facing poor and minority students, is featured in the Winter 2008 issue of the FASA Communicator, a publication of the Florida Association of School Administrators.

Thanks to NAESP and FASA for permission to showcase the articles here.

SARASOTA – Students at Suncoast Polytechnical, Sarasota County’s newest high school, are putting their communications and employability skills to the test with a series of oral and visual presentations about the environment. Some of their key grades on the projects will not come from classroom teachers, but from a diverse group of the county’s top business leaders, foundation executives and environmental experts.

From 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., Thursday (Jan. 8), and from 9:15 to 10:30 a.m., Friday (Jan. 9), representatives of Sun Hydraulics Corporation, Trent Culleny Landscaping, GAP Engineering & Planning, the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, the Gus A. Stavors Center for Free Enterprise and Economic Education at the University of South Florida and many other organizations will judge the students’ exhibits on watershed sustainability for their content; use of statistics, examples and other evidence; visual presentation; explanation of the project to an audience and other 21^st century workplace skills. Susan Scott, deputy administrator, Sarasota County Government; Kasey Teimouri, associate principal, SchenkelSchultz Architecture; and Sarah Pappas, president of the William G. Selby and Marie Selby Foundation, will be among the judges.

Suncoast Polytechnical High School began its inaugural year in August. “We are committed to thinking outside the box,” said Jennifer Putnam, SPHS Principal. “As a new kind of technical high school, we are dedicated to helping students develop the skills and attributes needed in today’s workforce. What happens here is real life, not just preparation for it.

“We have already received generous support for our school from a number of business partners, including the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County, Crane Environmental, the Florida House Board of Directors, the Folsom Group, and Sarasota County Global Information Systems (GIS) Services, to name a few. Our hope is that projects like this will not only help students think of new ways to address the challenges facing our world today, but that they will encourage more interaction between today’s business leaders and our students — the leaders of tomorrow.”

The watershed sustainability projects at SPHS 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.

In an approach to education known as project-based learning, SPHS teachers worked collaboratively to design the school-wide project. The series of events and projects related to this topic have included data-gathering field trips to Mote Marine Laboratory and Myakka River State Park, interdisciplinary workshops at the school, and three-dimensional exhibits and presentations about watershed sustainability.

Suncoast Polytechnical High School is located at 4650 Beneva Road, Sarasota. More information is available at www.SarasotaCountySchools.net/SPHS.