Kim-Tien Vo of Lakeland, a senior at Harrison School for the Arts, got perfect scores on two Advanced Placement exams, one of only 12 students in the world to do so this year, Fox 13 News reports. Both exams were in visual arts, and Principal Kevin LeVine says Vo excels in math and science, as […]
Category: Schools
Posted inSchools
Polk State College Forgiving $1.2 Million in Student Loans
Polk State College is using $1.2 million of its federal COVID-19 relief funds to forgive 1,300 student loans, Fox 13 News reports. The debt relief applies to loans issued by the college to students enrolled between March 2020 and June 2021. Amounts vary from 47 cents to $17,000. | ALSO: News Channel 8, Bay News […]
Posted inPeople, Schools
Sun ‘n Fun CEO ‘Lites’ Leenhouts Will Retire Next Spring
John “Lites” Leenhouts has announced he will retire as president and CEO of Sun ’n Fun Fly-In Inc. after the April conclusion of the 2022 aerospace expo, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association reports. Leenhouts, who assumed the position in 2011, transformed the organization’s focus to education and was instrumental in establishing the Aerospace Center for […]
Posted inDining, Schools
Read It in the Morning Paper: School Options, Bandidas
SCHOOL OPTIONS: Polk County Public Schools are changing the application process for magnet schools, choice schools and career academies. A single limited deadline is being replaced with three enrollment periods; in addition, families will be able to apply via a paper form, not just by computer. | LEARN MORE: PCPS website. BANDIDAS: The three Latinas […]
Posted inHealth, Schools
Polk Schools Lose 17 Employees to COVID-19 This School Year
COVID-19 has claimed the lives of at least 17 Polk County Public Schools employees this school year; twelve were “active” employees who had returned to work when classes resumed this fall, and five had not returned. School Board member Lynn Wilson tells News Channel 8, “Our hands are tied. The reality is — you can’t […]
Posted inSchools
International Teachers Help Fill Polk Teacher Gap
Sixty-plus teachers from 16 countries have come to Polk County to help relieve the teacher shortage in public schools, Fox 13 News reports. The teachers, who are in the U.S. under exchange visitor visas, are certified and qualified in critical subject areas, according to sponsoring organization TPC Cultural Exchange (website).
Posted inHealth, Schools
As COVID Declines in Polk Schools, Worries Emerge on New Quarantine Rules
Polk School Board members heard mixed messages on COVID-19 in local schools when they met Tuesday, The Ledger reports. Infections involving students and staff have steadily decreased during the last three weeks, Superintendent Frederick Heid said. But he and an infectious disease expert expressed worries about the effects of new, laxer state rules regarding quarantines […]
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Kathleen High School Teacher Charged in Provoking Protest
A Kathleen High School teacher/coach is being accused of provoking Monday’s protest that resulted in 15 student arrests. Tomaris Hill was arrested in Orange County, where he lives, on misdemeanor charges of interfering with the education process and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, News Channel 8 reports. The school district is “moving forward […]
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Partnership Offers Jobs, Tuition Stipend to Lakeland Aircraft Mechanics Students
A partnership between Lakeland’s International Aerotech Academy and Piper Aircraft aims to put a dent in the nation’s aircraft mechanic shortage by offering tuition stipends and conditional job offers to the academy’s students who complete an interview successfully, ABC Action News reports | News release Source: ABC Action News
Posted inSchools
15 Students Arrested at Kathleen High School Protest
A “largely peaceful” protest at Kathleen High School Monday morning resulted in 15 students arrested for disrupting the campus. Student grievances with new Principal Daraford Jones include strict enforcement of class tardiness rules and directives about dress and close dancing at an upcoming homecoming celebration, Fox 13 News reports. ALSO: News Channel 8 | Bay […]