Education Bulletin

Orange County nabs prestigious scholarship award

Orange County Public Schools garnered national attention on Monday as the Broad Foundation announced the district as a co-winner for the Broad Prize, one of the largest scholarship awards in the country.

The Broad Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting students in public education, selected Orange County Public Schools and Gwinnett County Public Schools in Georgia for $500,000 awards in scholarship money.

Funding will go toward the class of 2015, specifically toward students who have shown consistent improvement throughout their four years of high school, said Orange County Public Schools Chairman Bill Sublette.

“We’re ecstatic,” Sublette said. “Really this is a tribute to the hard work that our students and teachers have put in.”

“It really shows that, [when it comes to] what’s important to a public school system, we’re really hitting the mark. We’re closing our achievement gaps and showing that all children, regardless of how much money their parents have in the bank or the hardships they may have at home, or their race, can achieve.”

Orange County Public Schools was selected following a three-day evaluation period back in May. The foundation observed the school system’s focus on giving children of all backgrounds an opportunity to succeed.

Brookshire Elementary School works with the community to support healthy living

In an effort to incorporate the community and inspire healthy habits among its students, Brookshire Elementary School, in partnership with the Winter Park Health Foundation and Rollins Center for Lifelong Learning, is beginning the CATCH Healthy Habits program. This is an after school program that will teach students about the components of a healthy diet, provide a nutritious snack, and include a physical activity to get the students moving. The instructors of the program are comprised entirely of community members that have been vetted through OCPS’s ADDitions program and trained by a coordinator through Rollins College. The program is beginning small by only allowing 25 students for the first eight-week course. It is the goal of the school to be able to open the program up to many more students in the very near future. The principal of Brookshire Elementary School Kenisha Holmes has long been a proponent of schools and communities working together for the enrichment of students and is excited by the new partnership.

Local private school raises funds by helping the community first

The Geneva School in Winter Park is mobilizing forces for their annual SALT Serveathon —Serving And Learning Together. On Sept. 26 the school will suspend its normal school day and students will serve the community instead. It anticipates that 700 students, teachers and parents will donate approximately 3,500 service hours to the community at 13 nonprofit organizations throughout Central Florida. It’s also an important philanthropic effort, funding the school’s tuition assistance program.

During the Serveathon, each grade is assigned its own project for the day. Some students will be sorting and stocking shelves at food pantries, while others will be planting gardens or cleaning up local parks. Older students will be spending the day planting gardens with autistic children, and younger ones will be making seniors smile at two retirement homes. One grade will be packing 10,000 meals for hungry children around the world and then have a “hunger feast” by eating the same food they packaged for others. Geneva’s senior class will team up with kids from The Russell Home for Atypical Children for bowling and pizza. They have been told to bring their A-game as the Russell Home kids are Special Olympian bowlers.

Peacock cookies for a cause

What do peacocks, cookies, and St. Margaret Mary Catholic School have in common? Together they embody the spirit of one very special former student – Elizabeth Buckley – her unending connection with the school, and her love of Winter Park’s peacocks.

Earlier this month, St. Margaret Mary Catholic School parent Amy Cuff baked 50 peacock-shaped cookies to raise funds for a peacock fountain. The fountain is the idea of classmate John Michael Thomas who combined his plans for an Eagle Scout project with the memory of Elizabeth’s fascination with peacocks.

Elizabeth studied at St. Margaret Mary from kindergarten through the middle school, when she succumbed to an illness that led to her death. Her curious and friendly nature made Elizabeth an easy friend to all. So when it came time to think about his Eagle Scout project, Thomas instantly thought of peacocks. He worked with the city of Winter Park, and it all fit into place. He would spearhead a campaign to erect a peacock fountain in the rose garden on Park Avenue in Central Park. Working through the proposal approval and garnering support from city merchants, St. Margaret Mary Scout Troop 62 and St. Margaret Mary Catholic School, Thomas kicked off his project last spring. Thomas is approximately two-thirds of the way to his fundraising goal of $50,000.

The latest effort was an old-fashioned bake sale. “We couldn’t be prouder of John Michael for his compassion, tenacity and loyalty to a dear friend,” said school principal Kathleen Walsh. “He reminds us all that our school is family and that our community reaches beyond our classroom doors.”