Students sing 'Hooray for Southside' at school's ribbon-cutting ceremony

SARASOTA - Southside Elementary School began a new chapter in its more than 80 years of history Tuesday (Oct. 23) as officials cut the ribbon on its renovated 1926 building and a new 57,000-square-foot, 25-classroom wing designed to complement the historic structure.

Superintendent Gary Norris and School Board members Shirley Brown, Caroline Zucker and Carol Todd cut the ribbon with Southside students Oct. 23 to celebrate the renovation of the school's 1926 building and the opening of a new 25-classroom wing.

Members of the School Board of Sarasota County, Superintendent Gary Norris, Principal Sharon Marks, students, parents, alumni and volunteers attended the ceremony. Speakers and guests recognized from the podium included Norris, Marks, school board members Carol Todd, Shirley Brown and Caroline Zucker and representatives of the project's architects, TRO Jung/Brannen, and general contractor, Willis A. Smith Construction. Marks told the crowd that students and staff at Southside were part of a legacy left by everyone who is part of the school's history.

"We have the privilege of living in this legacy," she said. "And now we have new and improved classroom space that's ready for the 21st century."

Elizabeth Byrd Messer, second from right, attended Southside Elementary School from 1927-1933. Her daughter Ida Mae Messer Cash, second from left, and her granddaughter Karen Cash Greco, left, also attended the school. On the right is fourth-grader Sydney Askins, who gave them a tour of the school.

Among those at the ceremony who are part of Southside's legacy were Elizabeth Byrd Messer, who attended the school in the 1920s; her daughter Ida Mae Messer Cash, who was a Southside student in the 1940s; and Cash's daughter Karen Cash Greco, who went to the school in the 1960s.

"This restoration means everything to me," said Messer. "This is a landmark that relates to my family."

Current fifth-grade student Benjamin Kalish, who has attended Southside since kindergarten, spoke of the "interesting" two years during construction. After his class spent time in temporary classrooms created by dividing the cafeteria into several separate rooms, they moved into portable classrooms, then the historic building, and finally into classrooms in the new building.

"We're all very ecstatic," said Kalish. "The cafeteria is big and gorgeous and the ActivBoards are so high-tech and cool."

After the ribbon was cut, guests moved into the courtyard to hear all Southside students sing the school song, "Hooray for Southside." Refreshments were served and students gave tours of the school.

Designed by architect M. Leo Elliot, who also drew up the plans for the original Sarasota High School building and what is now known as Bay Haven School of Basics Plus, Southside first welcomed students in 1926.

Under its first principal, Doris Brownell, the first parent-teacher organization was formed. Southside Elementary has been a focal point for family and community life in south-central Sarasota ever since.

In 1928, with a total enrollment of 170, Southside's students, parents and teachers worked to raise enough money to stay open for a full eight-month term.

Southside legends include the story of a 1930 second-grader Jack Goehring, who met his dog Mickey after school, as he did every day. As they walked home Mickey spotted a snake. While protecting Jack from the reptile Mickey was bitten and later died. Jack's class raised money for the plaque honoring Mickey's bravery, which is still in the entry hall today.

In 1973, Dorothye Smith was named principal of Southside, becoming the first African-American in Sarasota County to become principal of a predominately white school.

In September 2005, after two years of planning, work began on the renovation of the historic structure and construction of the new building. The project was completed in August 2007, in time for the start of the new school year. The cost of the project was $14,167,451.

For more information on Southside Elementary School, 1901 Webber St., Sarasota, and other Sarasota County schools, visit http://www.sarasotacountyschools.net/.

Health director says good hygiene is key to preventing infections

The chief medical officer for the Sarasota County Health and Human Services department has urged parents and other community members to be cautious, but not overly concerned, in the face of recent news reports regarding a strain of staphylococcus that is resistant to some antibiotics. Dr. Kieran Smart, the medical executive director for the Sarasota County Health and Human Services Department, told reporters in a news conference on Oct. 18 that methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus known as MRSA (pronounced mersa) is a common bacteria that usually presents as a skin rash.

Although MRSA is resistant to some antibiotics, it can be treated with others. As with any staphylococcus infection, it can be serious if left untreated or contracted by a person with a compromised immune system or other serious health problems. But such complications are rare, Smart said, and media reports that MRSA is a major health threat are exaggerated.

MRSA has been known to the medical community for decades, Smart said. Resistant strains of staphylococcus are common in hospitals. About 85 percent of MRSA cases are among hospital patients, he said, and the antibiotic to which it was originally identified as resistant has not been in common use for more than 30 years.

Nevertheless, heightened concerns about MRSA emerged when more cases began to be identified last summer outside hospitals, particularly among athletes. It became a national news story when a student in Virginia died of complications from a MRSA infection.

In Sarasota three students at three different high schools (Riverview, Sarasota and Venice) are known to have been treated for MRSA infections during the month of October. Since MRSA is not considered a serious enough public health threat to be a reportable disease, Smart said, this number of cases should not be cause for alarm among parents.


"There doesn't appear to be a significant increase," he said. Three cases among a student population of 43,000 indicate that the schools and parents are doing a very good job of preventing infections.

"The key is good old-fashioned hygiene," he said. He cited the following as the most effective means of prevention:

· Wash hands frequently.
· Clean and cover new skin injuries immediately.
· Cover open wounds with a dry bandage that will remain in place during activity.
· Regularly clean and disinfect exercise equipment.

MRSA facts for parents

Sarasota County Schools Supervisor of Athletics Jim Clark said coaches and trainers emphasize those precautions continuously. In light of the recent concerns, he said, school nurses will be doing additional infection control trainings with students, starting with athletes and proceeding to the classroom level in all high schools and

District Facilities Services Director Jody Dumas said standard custodial procedure requires all bathrooms, locker rooms, shower areas and training rooms to be cleaned and disinfected nightly. He said custodians also have been focusing on cleaning procedures to prevent skin infections for several months.

Areas of focus are increased inspections by head custodians and managers for cleaning quality, and retraining for all custodians cleaning bathrooms and athletic facilities. The chemicals used in cleaning bathrooms and athletic facilities are EPA certified for killing bacteria and viruses, including MRSA, he said.

Although it has the potential to become a serious condition, Nicole Coffin, a spokesperson for the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, "MRSA in the community is typically a mild skin infection that rarely becomes life-threatening." More information about MRSA and preventing skin infections is available on the CDC website at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/submenus/sub_staphylococcus.htm

More Important Health Information posted here:
http://www.sarasotacountyschools.net/Health/

Pine View teacher gets honorable mention in USA Today team program

OSPREY - USA Today has honored Fran Squires, a third-grade teacher at Pine View School, with an honorable mention in its 2007 All-USA Teacher Team program. The 2007 team is listed in today's edition of the national newspaper.

The program was started in 1998 to recognize outstanding teachers across the nation. This year USA Today selected 20 teachers for the All-USA Teacher Team; Squires was one of 14 honorable mentions -13 individuals and one team of two.

"I'm still in shock after getting the news," said Squires. "But I really think my students are the stars. Our motto is 'Go big or go home!' Like a lot of teachers, I work hard to get my students to work hard at learning." A former clinical speech pathologist, Squires was inspired by her son's needs as a gifted student to launch a second career as a teacher. She says she always admired classroom teachers, but never saw herself as one. "I wanted to have a hand in my child's education," she said, "so I became a teacher and never looked back."

A National Board Certified Teacher, Squires emphasizes writing and economics in her classes. Squires' Stars, as she calls her students, have received several awards individually and collectively for their projects. Their winning efforts have included essays on the theme of "What it Means to Be an American" for the Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge, essays for Law Week for the Florida Law Related Education Association and essays about creative business ideas for the Free Enterprise Essay Contest, sponsored by the Gus A. Stavros Center for Free Enterprise and Economic Education at the University of South Florida, Tampa. Her class projects have also included a student literary magazine and letters to soldiers in Iraq.



For instilling her students with an enthusiasm for entrepreneurship, Squires has been recognized as the Florida Economic Educator of the Year by the Florida Council on Economic Education. She was named Elementary Social Studies Teacher of the Year 2006-07 by the National Council for Social Studies and Elementary National Citizenship Teacher of the Year 2006-07 by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

She says awards are nice, but seeing how teaching affects children is what really counts. Fran Squires' devotion to featuring reading whenever possible in her Pine View School social studies classes has helped earn her third-graders medals for their essays on freedom.

"When you want to see a difference for kids," Squires said, "you have to be part of making the difference yourself."

Pine View School, One Python Path, Osprey, is designed to meet the unique needs of intellectually gifted students in second-12th grades. For more information about Pine View and other Sarasota County schools visit http://www.sarasotacountyschools.net/.

Riverview's Jo Ivey named National Cheerleading Coach of the Year

During the upcoming school year, Riverview High School's cheerleading team will have something new to cheer about. Their coach, Jo Ivey, has been recognized as National Cheerleading Coach of the Year.

Ivey was named 2007-2008 National Cheerleading Coach of the Year during an awards presentation at the National Cheer Conference, held in May at the campus of Methodist College in Fayetteville, N.C. The annual award is presented by Cheer Ltd. in recognition of outstanding contribution and professional achievement in the sport of cheerleading.

"I truly feel this award is not just mine, said Ivey. "It is for all the outstanding young women who have gone through our program and are now successful woman in our community. This is an award for all of us."

To be considered for the award, a coach must be nominated by a cheerleader, administrator or parent. A national committee reviews all the nominees and selects a number of candidates to interview by phone, then narrows it down to the top ten, and finally the top three candidates. Personal interviews are conducted at the National Cheer Conference, and the winner is selected. As Coach of the Year, Ivey will serve as spokesperson for the sport of cheerleading throughout the country in addition to instructing clinics and seminars on state and national levels.

Ivey is used to going the distance. She will soon start her 19th year as cheerleading coach at the school, whose Riverview Rams football, girls volleyball, girls basketball and boys basketball teams have had their share of victories and losses. Win or lose, the cheerleaders are there to make sure school spirit is alive and well.

"Let's scream it, let's shout it - R-H-S!" is Ivey's favorite cheer, and when her cheerleaders chant these words it's a safe bet that students, teachers, parents and alumni will rise to their feet in the stands.

Ivey routinely gets compliments about her team's professionalism and attitude. She insists that all team members understand the rules of each sport so they know when to cheer and - just as important - when not to cheer.

Ivey's cheerleaders enjoy competing; the 1996 team finished ninth in the National High School Cheerleading Championship. Still, Ivey believes strongly that cheerleading should be more about school spirit than competition.

"More than anything else, it's about representing the school wherever we go," she said. "We all work together to make a good impression. I always emphasize the importance that TEAM stands for 'Together Everyone Achieves Miracles.' "

With Coach Ivey's help, the Rams Cheerleaders do just that.
Coach Jo Ivey, left, and the 2006-07 Riverview High School cheerleading team.
Top row (left to right): Brittney Howard, Lindsey Walsh, Alli Chrismon, Erica Falk, Betsy Strickland;
middle row: Danielle Schnering, Chelsea Guiliano, Jasmine Long, Kayla Repass;
bottom row: Naomi Hansen, Alli Cottillion, Megan Clark, Grace Sullivan.

PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy Hime Photography