LucieLink – News and Communications for St. Lucie Public Schools
Students at Southport Middle School recently celebrated literacy with popcorn and refreshments during each grade level’s book swap. Sixth, seventh and eighth graders were able to bring in books from home and swap with each other. There were also some new books donated from the reading department as well. Pictured is Brendan Gonzalez enjoying the event, along with other eighth grade students during their time in the media center.
Members of the Southport Middle School Brick Squad Step Team have enjoyed entertaining crowds since the group was formed in November, 2013. Under the leadership of Adrianne Mendoza, these students stepped and marched in the Martin Luther King Jr. Parade in January. They will be performing an FCAT Turn Up routine that will be broadcast on the school’s morning news show to pump students up for the upcoming tests, and will be the half-time entertainment at an upcoming basketball game. Pictured is the squad ready to perform!
Students in Lori Kennedy’s fifth grade enrichment class at St. Lucie West K8 School recently wrote letters to city officials regarding concerns they had about issues in the area. After Port St. Lucie Mayor JoAnn Faiella received hers, she accepted the invitation to visit, saying she would like to address their concerns personally. Mayor Faiella answered questions as she informed the students about how the city procedures are carried out. She also extended the invitation for a student to shadow her as Mayor For the Day! Pictured with the mayor, from left, are Galo Rebelo Villamizar, Mackenzie Ramsey, Aidan Tambling, … Read More
The Port Saint Lucie High School Jaguar Battalion held their annual Service Learning event at their school; this year’s event was a Flag Retirement ceremony.
The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) recently held an awards ceremony where district winners of their annual essay contest were recognized, and students in Shirley Helton’s fifth grade class at Fairlawn Elementary School took top honors. Pictured are Carli Israel, left, who won first place for her essay on The Boston Tea Party, and Morgan Adkison, who took second place for her essay on Children During the American Revolutionary War. Carli’s essay has been submitted to the state for judging.
First grade students at Mariposa Elementary School were recently challenged to dress as a US President as a way to learn more about Presidents in the past and those in the future. Pictured, Steven Reinosa poses as future President of the United States, and his costume was so impressive, he won the contest for his class and was awarded a set of mechanical pencils instead of feathered quills.
St. Lucie West Centennial High School allied health teacher Elizabeth Durkee was presented a $3,000 classroom mini-grant from the Technology Education Resource and Redesign Alliance, Inc. (TERRA) at the February 25, 2014, St. Lucie County School Board meeting. TERRA is a non-profit organization governed by a Board of Directors whose mission is to mobilize the resources, knowledge, and capacity of individuals, foundations, business, and industry in shaping and facilitating educational policy, practice and research for increased achievement in a global environment. Ms. Durkee was awarded the grant due to her utilizing curriculum to create engaging, interactive activities for all levels … Read More
Frances K. Sweet Elementary School hosted its fifth annual Sunrise Stampede 5K recently to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Racers ranged in age from the youngest at four years old, to the eldest at 72. Families and the community came out and had a great time raising money for a cure. Pictured is a racing family, clockwise from top left, Robin Williams, Sarai Major (second in her age division), Ariel Major, and Elijah Major (first in his age division). Complete race results are available at www.itsperfecttiming.net
The St. Lucie County School Board supports the district’s STAR (Special Thanks and Recognition) Program to recognize employees for their behaviors, skills and actions that correlate with the district vision, to reward employees on the results of their behaviors and outcomes by clarifying what we value most as an organization, and to reclaim passive employees by rewarding those who exemplify our core values. Port St. Lucie High School’s Lucinda Reeder, center, was one of two employees recognized at the February 25, 2014, school board meeting as a STAR. Pictured, from left, are School Board Chairman Debbie Hawley, Reeder, and Superintendent … Read More
The St. Lucie County School Board supports the district’s STAR (Special Thanks and Recognition) Program to recognize employees for their behaviors, skills and actions that correlate with the district vision, to reward employees on the results of their behaviors and outcomes by clarifying what we value most as an organization, and to reclaim passive employees by rewarding those who exemplify our core values. Media Services’ Debbie McAnelly, second from right, was one of two employees recognized at the February 25, 2014, school board meeting as a STAR. Pictured, from left, are program coordinator Michelle Jerger, School Board Chairman Debbie Hawley, … Read More
The St. Lucie Public Schools 2014 Outstanding Volunteers of the Year were recognized at the February 25, 2014, St. Lucie County School Board meeting, following a reception sponsored by the St. Lucie County Education Fooundation for all of the nominees and their families. Applications for nominees in the three categories of youth, adult and senior volunteers are submitted by schools to a six-member review committee, which ranks the applicants on a rubric scale. Leslie Young, Manatee Academy K8 volunteer coordinator and committee member, presented the three district winners, who received plaques and congratulations from the school board and Superintendent Genelle … Read More
Students from Keiser University came to Savanna Ridge Elementary last week to read to students in Penny LaCorte’s classroom as part of a partnership between the school and Keiser as an ongoing support system. The 15 Keiser students had a unique assignment for their Speech/Communication class — to create a short children’s story and practice their public speaking skills by sharing their work to a group of students. The Keiser students supported the primary classrooms during the reading block. They shared their stories during read aloud time and served as “live” centers to work with students in small groups. Savanna … Read More
A team of four students from Forest Grove Middle School, coached by science teacher Colleen Wilson, won the Title I Middle School Science Bowl held recently at the Stem Center at the Indian River State College campus in St Lucie West. Pictured, from left, are students Dustin Vanderpool, Vincent Rappa, Samantha Doohan, and Brandon Payen, with Wilson. The team will now compete at the state regional Middle School Science Bowl in Brevard County March 8.
Representatives from school districts in Florida and Georgia recently visited Savanna Ridge Elementary to see enthusiastic teachers implementing Document Based Questions (DBQs). The students were engaged as teachers walked them through the process of analyzing documents and making inferences to answer the question, “Jamestown: Why did so many colonists die?” The visitors participated in a debriefing session following their classroom observations, and were impressed by the level of engagement from teachers and students. Many of the representatives are currently using DBQs within their middle and high schools, so they were excited to see elementary students actively participating in higher level … Read More
Five Southport Middle students placed in the Top 10 from the seven participating St. Lucie County public schools in this year’s Sumdog.com math competition. Southport Middle finished third overall in the math competition among all participating schools. Sumdog.com is a website where the students can practice math skills while playing fun games! Pictured, from left, are Macy Nielander, first place; Faith Cook, third place; Alycia Hardie, second place; and Christian Oravec, fourth place. Moxa Raval (not pictured) placed ninth in the competition.
Students and staff at Samuel S. Gaines Academy are very proud of the newly formed Girl Scout Troop #40729. The young ladies who participate in troop acitivies learn about their special talents and how to be leaders in their community. The new troop is comprised of second through fifth graders who are Brownies and Junior Girl Scouts. Pictured are troop members with their sashes, who are ready to serve their community with a smile.
Fort Pierce Central High School senior Hunter Sciscente was recently presented with the Daughters of American Revolution (DAR) Good Citizen Award at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall for his outstanding contributions to the community. Being the regional winner, Hunter has since completed an essay on Personal Heritage, which is currently being submitted to the DAR statewide competition along with his well-earned credentials. Hunter, who was the FPCHS Homecoming King this year and was named to the All Area Defense team in football, will graduate with a 4.6 wighted GPA and intends to major in Biology and then attend medical … Read More
The winners in each of four employee categories for St. Lucie Public Schools were announced at the annual Night of the Stars gala celebration at Lincoln Park Academy February 22, 2014. The recognition program is sponsored by the St. Lucie County Education Foundation and the school board. Oak Hammock K-8 School media specialist Heather Bolitho was named 2015 Teacher of the Year, and Parkway Elementary School school nutrition manager Angelia Jean-Louis was named 2014 School Related Employee of the Year. Both of these district representatives will move on to regional consideration for the state honors in their categories. The Teacher … Read More
The Northport Northstar team that includes Gifted and Enrichment courses for targeted students has opened wide the doors on new technology at the school. The Northport K-8 School middle grades Northstar students, under the direction of instructor and “Project Lead The Way” specialist Christine Santos- Nurse compiled the school’s first ever STEaM Starbots team. The robotics team recently won an award and special competition in Bradenton, Fl at the VEX IQ Add It Up competitions. Parents and students were thrilled to make the encouraging and positive announcement and are thrilled with the implementation of this program to build the school’s … Read More
Northport K-8 students are very familiar with veterans and the US military because many have grown up seeing men and women in uniform at the school. Northport has built an excellent program called “Veterans In Education” partnership. Veterans visit Northport regularly imparting information and drawing respect from the students. When the opportunity was presented by Superintendent Genelle Yost for students to enter a writing contest offered by the Port St. Lucie Elks Lodge #2658, Northport teacher leaders jumped on the idea. The topic, “What Does Veterans Day Mean To Me?” fit right into the schema of Northport’s overarching themes of … Read More