Students in the allied health academy at St. Lucie West Centennial High School (SLWCHS) recently participated in the HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) Winter Leadership Conference at Keiser University in West Palm Beach along with HOSA members from all over Region IX to determine those who would go on to state competition. Teacher and HOSA advisor Elizabeth Durkee coordinated events for the students. Pictured, from left, front row, are SLWCHS students Jalisa Smith, third place, Human Growth and Development; Michael Riley, third place, Dental Science; Tony-Anne Walker, third place, Home Health Aide; Victoria Hodges, first place, Speaking Skills. Back … Read More

Northport K-8 School Media Center and Big Brothers, Big Sisters (BBBS) of St. Lucie County, in conjunction with the AmeriCorps tutoring program, joined forces to bring a terrific community celebration of Read Across America and the birthday of Dr. Seuss to the students of Northport K-8 School recently. Special guests from across the county were warmly welcomed for a huge breakfast and then were escorted across the campus to K-5 classrooms by student ambassadors. Students and teachers were overwhelmed by the display of love, care and concern for education by arriving guests. Special thanks to Olivia Watkins, Mayor Joanne Faiella, … Read More

The staff and faculty at Samuel Gaines Academy recently sponsored a Winter Games family event.  At least 200 families — over 400 people — attended.  The opening ceremonies included teachers with their students in a “parade of colleges.” Grade level teams promoted colleges with banners as students proudly waved college flags. The family games, teacher challenges and closing ceremony that followed engaged students and families of all ages throughout the evening. In addition, parents were appreciative of the take home materials and supplies to use with their children. Pictured, from left, are fifth grade teacher Saphir St. Louis, AVID teacher Kristen … Read More

Lawnwood Elementary School second grade student Ethan Stabile is pictured with his project on display in the Kiwanis Building at the St. Lucie County Fair. Ethan’s project was on the county firefighters. Over 30 projects were selected among first through fifth graders to be displayed for Lawnwood Elementary this year, which won first place in the elementary division for the second year.

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.