By Tamas Mondovics
District Postpones Boundary Changes for Boyette Springs, Announces Opening of New Elementary in 2017
Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) officials recently decided it was time to propose an attendance boundary change on the elementary school level involving Stowers, Bevis, Pinecrest and, at a later date, Boyette Springs Elementary Schools.
The proposal has focused on providing relief to Stowers, which currently has a student count of 1,058 with a seating capacity of 972.
After public comment and additional research, district officials also decided to recommend to the School Board that the area proposed to be reassigned from Stowers to Boyette Springs be placed on hold and reevaluated next school year due to a number of factors, including the launch of the Center for Gifted Studies which will increase enrollment at the Boyette Springs campus.
HCPS officials also announced the opening of a brand new elementary school “C,” which has not been named yet, but is slated to open in the Triple Creek area in 2017.
“This new school is to relieve Summerfield, Summerfield Crossings and Collins Elementary Schools,” said HCPS Spokesperson Tanya Arja. “We will discuss the boundaries for that school and may look at a small part of the existing Stower’s boundaries.”
Student reassignments from Stowers to Boyette Springs Elementary (including those areas contained within the original staff proposal) will continue to be reevaluated during the drafting of the new attendance boundaries for elementary “C.”
Decreasing enrollments at Stowers during the redistricting plan for the 2017-2018 school year will also be monitored.
Visit www.sdhc.k12.fl.us. To submit questions and comments, email boundaries@sdhc.k12.fl.us. To receive a return call, include phone number in the email message or call 272-4608.
East Bay High School Journalism Teacher Among Rising Star Award Winners
East Bay High School teacher Ashley Clark was one of 13 journalism teachers and media advisers to receive the Rising Star Award in 2016. According to The Journalism Education Association (JEA), this year’s winners will be honored during a luncheon of the JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Convention in Los Angeles in April.
“Every day I get to help students tell their peers’ stories that will actually be published in a keepsake that will be shown to children and grandchildren,” Clark said adding that in the process, her staff gets to learn life lessons: how to talk to people, how to present information, how to make decisions, how to meet deadlines and how to be part of a team.
“It feels validating to have this day-to-day process and my part in it recognized,” she said. “It’s empowering to know that the Journalism Educator’s Association sees value in the opportunities I create for my students and the products that result from that process.”
The Rising Star Award honors scholastic student media advisers who have completed five or fewer years in the profession. A total of 109 advisers have been honored since the award’s inception, and many have gone on to greater involvement in local, state and national scholastic journalism organizations. Visit www.jea.org.
Waterset Honors Outstanding East Bay High Students for Perfect Attendance, GPA
“Get straight A’s, have perfect attendance, and earn an iPad” has been the message from Waterset by Newland Communities to area students as an incentive to stay on track this season.
According to Newland officials, over the last several years, more than 40 outstanding East Bay High School and Eisenhower Middle School students were honored for either perfect attendance or earning a 4.0 grade point average.
The most recent recognition ceremony was held last month marking the achievement of East Bay High School students in ninth through twelfth grade with perfect attendance during the first semester.
The students’ names were entered into a drawing, with four selected to receive complementary iPads, courtesy of Waterset. The four winning students included Travis Davis (twelfth grade), Wendy Guo (eleventh grade), Anthony Julien (tenth grade) and Esmeralda Reyes (ninth grade). Call 235-0154 or visit www.watersetfl.com.
