Category: District News

Treasure Coast High School (TCHS) reading teacher and St. Lucie Public Schools’ 2014 Outstanding First Year Teacher of the Year Leilani Ankiel was recognized at the March 11, 2014, St. Lucie County School Board meeting for her honor. Ankiel was unable to attend the Night of the Stars gala employee recognition event February 22, 2014, where she was announced as the district winner, because as the team coach, Ankiel was accompanying the TCHS girls’ varsity basketball team at the state championship game in Lakeland the same day. The team was also honored at the school board meeting for their accomplishment … Read More

St. Lucie Public Schools Superintendent Genelle Yost garnered the most donations in a month-long fundraising activity to benefit Kids at Hope, a mentoring initiative of the Roundtable of St. Lucie County, earning the right to kiss a pig at the St. Lucie County Fair. Yost exceeded the funds raised by the five other local women community leaders in the contest, and topped the winner of last year’s all-male team in contributions. “I truly wanted to be the one to get to kiss the pig,” Yost remarked, adding appreciation for all of the friends, colleagues and community members who supported her … Read More

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.

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

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

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

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

Fairlawn Elementary School fifth grade teacher Shirley Helton was recognized at the February 11, 2014, St. Lucie County School Board meeting for being named the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ national 2014 Citizenship Teacher of the Year. Pictured, from left, at the meeting are Superintendent Genelle Yost, Fairlawn Elementary principal Jennifer Hedeen, Helton, local VFW representatives Alyceson Smith, Barbara Laidlaw, and Soo Keller, School Board chairman Debbie Hawley, VFW member Nell Moyers, who nominated Helton for the award, and Deputy Superintendent Dr. Mark Rendell.

Two Fort Pierce Central High School (FPCHS) staff members, and a volunteer, were honored as S.T.A.R.S (Special Thanks and Recognition), the district’s employee recognition program, at the St. Lucie County School Board meeting on February 11, 2014, for their quick thinking that potentially saved the life of a FPCHS student athlete. The focus of the STAR program is to RECOGNIZE employees for their behavior, skills and actions that correlate with the district vision, to REWARD employees on the results of their behavior and outcomes by clarifying what we value most as an organization, and to RECLAIM passive employees by rewarding … Read More

The American Heart Association proclaimed February as National Heart Month. And Friday, February 7, was celebrated as National Wear Red Day. For the last decade, the American Heart Association has promoted Women Going Red for heart disease, which kills more women than all forms of cancer combined. Pictured are 26 of the many school district offices employees — including one gentleman seated in the middle, Eddie Reed — all of whom wore red for the day to show support for research on women’s heart health issues. The event was sponsored by Wellness Department Director Carlye Fabrikant, seated first row, second … Read More

Frances K. Sweet Elementary School principal Juanita Wright was honored at the Florida Department of Education Commissioner’s Leadership Award Luncheon recently held at Disney World. Pictured is Florida Education Commissioner Pam Stewart congratulating Mrs. Wright as St. Lucie County’s 2014 Principal of the Year and nominee for the state award.

Treasure Coast High School Assistant Principal Henry Sanabria was recognized at the Florida Department of Education Commissioner’s Leadership Award luncheon recently as St. Lucie County’s nominee for 2014 Outstanding Assistant Principal of the Year. Pictured are Sanabria, left, and Commissioner Pam Stewart. Congratulations for this outstanding achievement.

Students in Shannon Dolan’s multi-age gifted class at Lawnwood Elementary are studying the life cycle of a butterfly by catching specimens. Pictured is second grader John Donnelly as he explains to the class how he captured both a caterpillar and a butterfly in his own yard. The students then watched how he fed his new family member with a stick of sugar water. First grade teacher Carolyn Bates’s classroom has butterflies that freely fly while the children do their lessons. One child exclaimed, “It’s like a butterfly garden, only inside!”

Three teachers were surprised at their school sites the morning of January 24 when an entourage led by Superintendent Genelle Yost, school board members, district administrators and representatives of the St. Lucie County Education Foundation visited their classrooms to announce their selection as finalists for the 2015 St. Lucie County Public Schools Teacher of the Year. Pictured is Superintendent Yost, right, with finalist Heather Bolitho of Oak Hammock K-8 School. The finalists are: Heather Bolitho, media specialist at Oak Hammock K-8 School in Port St. Lucie; Matthew Boswell, Fort Pierce Central High School band and choral director; and Kelly Ridle, … Read More

The 30th annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Commemmorative Committee Grand Parade streamed down 25th Street, or Martin Luther King., Jr., Boulevard, in Fort Pierce on Monday, January 20. The event culminated 10 days of community events, beginning with the Opening Ceremony January 10, 2014 and ending with the parade and festival in the park adjacent to Lawnwood Stadium. The St. Lucie School District was proudly represented by numerous floats and vehicles, bands, and student group performances. Pictured, from left, are Fort Pierce Central High School ROTC Cadet Honey Cardona-Franco, Cadet Ruben Ramirez, Cadet Chris Green, and the Cadet Stephanie Castillo … Read More

Congratulations to Chef Jesse Strell and his team of culinary arts students from St. Lucie West Centennial High School for earning the Chefs of Tomorrow trophy by virtue of getting the most votes from the public for the best of show entry in the inaugural St. Lucie Public Schools Culinary Arts Showcase held recently at the Port St. Lucie Civic Center. Teams from five of the county’s public high schools — Centennial, Fort Pierce Westwood, Fort Pierce Central, Port St. Lucie, and Treasure Coast high schools — plus Northport and St. Lucie West K8 schools competed in the event, which … Read More

The School Board of St. Lucie County has demonstrated support of Kids at Hope and the belief that “all children are capable of success – no exceptions.” The Kids at Hope organization has designated November 13, 2013 as “Kids at Hope Day – Day of a Million Treasures,” and the St. Lucie County School Board recognized and proclaimed the date during its November 12, 2013, meeting. This is an opportunity to recognize the amazing treasures that exist in all children. The goal of this day is to discover a MILLION treasures in children across the US and Canada. Pictured, from … Read More