Education Bulletin

Nonprofit rallies for back-to-school donations

A Gift For Teaching, the primary provider of free school supplies to students in need all year long, is kicking off Central Florida’s largest school supply drive at its free store during the first day of shopping, where teachers shop for free supplies. Last year, lines were out the door with more than 300 teachers waiting to get prepared for the school year. AGFT will ask the community to think of the students in need as they shop for school supplies during tax-free week, Aug. 5-7. Members of the community can get involved in the Back-to-School Drive campaign by donating supplies or making financial gifts to the organization through Sept. 16. For every $1 received, A Gift For Teaching can provide up to $10 worth of school supplies that go back into the classroom and into the hands of students in need, and with generous matching funds from The Bond Foundation, the organization can turn that $10 into $20. The nonprofit is the official school supply partner of Central Florida’s school districts and annually serves more than 14,000 teachers and more than 210,000 students in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties. AGFT accepts donations year-round to make sure its shelves are always stocked. For more information, visit agiftforteaching.org

Messiah Choral Society searching for volunteers

Handel’s “Messiah” is widely regarded as one of the finest and most well known classical music works ever written. The Messiah Choral Society has long been committed to provide an enriching and rewarding musical experience for young people interested in choral music. The Society is open to singers of all ages but offers a special "Choral Scholar" opportunity to seniors in high school and to college students. If you know of a student who might wish to be a Choral Scholar, please have them contact [email protected]. Choral Scholars receive a copy of the musical score for Handel’s “Messiah” as well as a practice CD. They also receive special mention in a beautiful program and can earn community service hours for the time they put into rehearsals and the performance. Choral Scholars are warmly welcomed, assigned an experienced member of the choir to mentor them and receive an unparalleled artistic experience under the tutorship of Dr. John Sinclair. Seniors and college students are able to compete for one of three $500 college scholarships that will be awarded this year. There are no auditions, but the Society aspires to meet professional standards. The choir generally has 110 to 140 members. Performing with the MCS presents a unique opportunity for amateur singers without requiring a major time commitment. The Society rehearses approximately two hours on each of the 12 Sundays from the Sunday after Labor Day until Thanksgiving. Most rehearsals are planned for Sundays from 2 to 4:15 p.m. in the Rehearsal Hall (Room 119) of the Keene Music Building on the Rollins College Campus in Winter Park. The MCS presents a performance of the highest caliber. This year, their concert is at 3 p.m., on Sunday, Nov. 27, at the Bob Carr Theater in Orlando. There are no tickets and admission is free. Everyone is invited. Learn more about MCS at messiahchoralsociety.org

Winter Parker named to university dean’s list

Winter Park resident Gabriel Morales was recently named to the 2016 spring semester dean's list at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. To qualify for the dean's list, a student must complete 12 or more letter-graded credits while attaining a minimum 3.66 grade point average.

YMCA receives $30,000 grant

The YMCA of Central Florida announced last month that it has received a $30,000 grant from Bank of America in support of YMCA Teen Achievers. The grant will help improve college and career readiness among more than 500 at-risk teens whom attend nine Central Florida high schools. For 26 years, YMCA Teen Achievers has provided additional mentoring, academic support, college and career preparation, and opportunities for community service to more than 12,800 young people. Fully 90-percent of Teen Achievers graduate from high school and go on to earn college degrees, attain professional certifications or join the military.

Faith Arts Village Orlando looks to support students

Faith Arts Village Orlando will be collecting backpacks filled with school supplies during their first Friday art show and exhibition from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 5, at 221 E. Colonial Drive in Orlando. The event will include artwork on display and food trucks. For more information, visit faithartsvillage.com or call 407-221-1231.

High schoolers tour UCF Business Incubators

High school students participating in a seven-week summer program designed to expose them to opportunities in S.T.E.M. career fields recently toured the UCF Business Incubators in Winter Springs and Research Park in East Orlando. The Altamonte Springs Science Incubator Internship Program (AS21), in cooperation with Seminole County Public Schools, is in the second year of existence. The program provides juniors and seniors in Seminole County public high schools – at least 16 years of age – with a dynamic educational experience working with Central Florida organizations to help further their interest in STEM related fields. After a presentation by UCF Business Incubation Program Director Gordon Hogan and tours of the facilities by the site managers, clients of the incubator sat down with the students to engage in an informal dialogue.

Maitland resident recognized for academic achievement

Maitland resident Abheek Raviprasad has been named to the dean's list for the spring 2016 semester at Washington University in St. Louis’ College of Arts & Sciences. The university draws students and faculty to St. Louis from more than 100 countries and all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The total student body is approximately 14,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students, and the university offers more than 90 programs and almost 1,500 courses leading to bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in a broad spectrum of traditional and interdisciplinary fields, with additional opportunities for minor concentrations and individualized programs. To qualify for the dean's list in the College of Arts & Sciences, students must earn a semester grade point average of 3.6 or above and be enrolled in at least 14 graded units.

Trinity Prep student lands Latin exam scholarship

The National Latin Exam Scholarship Committee is proud to announce that Saumya Sao, student of Carolyn Davidson at Trinity Preparatory School, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship after receiving a gold medal in the 2016 National Latin Exam. Scholarship applicants must be seniors who are planning to continue their study of Latin or Greek at the college level for at least one year. Students are judged on their overall academic standing and on an original essay. Over 142,000 Latin students from 50 states and 19 foreign countries took the 2016 National Latin Exam. Saumya Sao plans to attend Duke University.

Brennan named to Lafayette dean’s list

Julia Brennan of Winter Park has been named to the 2016 spring semester dean's list at Lafayette College for outstanding academic achievement. To qualify for dean's list, a student must achieve at least a 3.60 semester grade point average on a scale of 4.0. Brennan is a graduate of Lake Braddock Secondary School. Lafayette is a top liberal arts college with 2,450 students and 215 full-time faculty that offers a wide variety of undergraduate degree programs including engineering. With close proximity to New York City and Philadelphia, Lafayette has one of the highest endowment-per-student rates in the nation.