Category: School News

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!

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.

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  

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 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

Six and seventh grade students at Dan McCarty School decided to show their support of the eighth grade students on their quest to pass the upcoming FCAT Writing 2.0 test, so they reached out to the administrative team for assistance. The students asked the administrative team to purchase mints and other goodies to pack and distribute to all the eighth graders on Tuesday morning as kind gesture and show of support. The students also placed a positive note in the bag. Pictured are Kiara Diehl, left, and Patricia Vining packing the bags.

The Port St. Lucie High School Jaguar Battalion presented the colors for the opening ceremony for the Jaguar baseball game against Fort Pierce Westwood High School. The Color Guard was led by cadet Sergeant Major Robert Hopkins carrying the national flag. Cadet Captain Tyler Lynn carried the state flag while Cadet Captain Ashlee Seipel and Cadet Second Lieutenant Jaffrey Murankus posted as their guards. The Color Guard gave a great presentation for the opening ceremony. Pictured, from left, are Jaffrey Murankus, Robert Hopkins, Tyler Lynn and Ashlee Seipel. By Kaleb Dover.

The Port St. Lucie High School Jaguar Battalion Color Guard participated in the recent Northport K-8 School Black History Month ceremony. The Color Guard was led by Cadet Sergeant Major Robert Hopkins carrying the national flag. Cadet Second Lieutenant Cole Herndon carried the state flag, while cadet Second Lieutenant Taylor Chaney and Jaffrey Murankus posted as their guards. The school gave a wonderful welcome to the cadets, who gave a respectful presentation for the ceremony. The Jaguar Battalion thanks Northport for the special invitation to be a part of their ceremony. Pictured, from left, are Jaffrey Murankus, Robert Hopkins, Cole … Read More

The Port Saint Lucie High School Jaguar Battalion presented the colors for the season opener for Jaguar Softball, at their district game against Westwood.

Recently at Palm Pointe Educational Research School @ Tradition, an annual breakfast was hosted to recognize its Business Partners and Volunteers. Pictured, from left, are Karol Carvelli-Volunteer Coordinator, Diane Yeager-Senior Volunteer of the Year, Diana Hight-Adult Volunteer of the Year, Natisha Burch-Adult Volunteer of the Year, Stephen LePore-Male Youth Volunteer of the Year, Ariana Marie Ramos-Female Youth Volunteer of the Year, and Debra Snyder-Principal.

District champion Westwood High School Panthers girls varsity basketball team recently culminated its season with a hard fought, one-point loss in the regional semi-final game, 48 to 47. Pictured front row, from left, are Coach Tomonica Bell, Alexis Byrd, Jermecia Robinson, Reniaya Burr, Tonaijia Ganious, and Coach Thernell Mills. Second row, from left, are Trudy Walker, Antonnette Boothe, Principal Ucola Barrett-Baxter, Tiara Evans, and Dymond Mosley. Top row, from left, are Destiny Crandell, Bammetria Joseph, Erica Knight, and Kwynisha Rhodes.

Students in Kathleen Saunders’ first grade class at Fort Pierce Magnet School of the Arts recently were able to get their brand new library cards! As part of Literacy Week, elementary students took home forms for parents to fill out and return so that students could receive their very own cards. Heather Ricksecker, instructional coach, headed up the endeavor and was able to secure over 75 St. Lucie County library cards for students! Students were encouraged to visit local libraries often to build fluency and love of reading.