As many of you are finishing your last week before the holidays I wanted to take a minute and wish everyone well. I have been blessed in so many ways this last year and I want to thank everyone who has sent an encouraging email, card, or letter. Being Florida's Teacher of the Year is an honor for which I am grateful. But honestly I have been more moved by the support and the encouragement of my fellow teachers and the wonderful students that I've taught for the last 29 years.
The awards are great, but hearing from my kids has been the greatest thrill I could ever ask for. I am truly blessed.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa and special prayers to each of you as you celebrate this season in your own way. May we all be looked upon with favor in the next year.
Rick
University of Florida Distinguished Educator
Friday evening I attended a dinner on the campus of the University of Florida hosted by Dean Catherine Emihovich honoring this year's recipients of the College of Education's Distinguished Educator Award. I was selected by orange County to represent our district as one of five teachers from around the state being honored with this award.
Joining me in Gainesville were Susan Ames, Bradford County Public Schools 2007 Teacher of the Year; Gretta Sancho, distinguished Middle School educator from Manatee County Public Schools; and Dr. Mark Strauss, 2007 Broward County Public School Principal of the Year and state finalist. On Friday evening we dined with Dean Emihovich, selected staff and supporters of the College of Education and student ambassadors. It was a wonderful evening of great food and conversation culminating of a special recognition of our accomplishments by the College of Education.
Saturday morning we dined in the President's Box atop "The Swamp' and then walked over to the O'Connell Center where we prepared for the University of Florida Commencement. As Distinguished Educators we met Dr. Bernie Machin, President of the University of Florida; we were robed and became part of the graduation procession; and joined the President, faculty and other honored guests on the stage for the Fall Commencement. During the commencement we were each recognized and again honored for our contributions to education in Florida.
The final highlight seeing a young lady who lives across the street from us and a colleague's son cross the stage and to be able to be one of the first to congratulate each! This was a wonderful experience that I will long cherish.
I want to give special thanks to Dean Catherine Emihovich for this special recognition and the opportunity to represent the teachers of Orange County and a big thank you to Event and Alumni Affairs Coordinator, Jodi Mount for arranging for every detail of a perfect weekend.
Lake Butler Middle School
Leaving Lake Butler Elementary I traveled down the road a few blocks to Lake Butler Middle School. Both of these schools are award winning and I can see why. I met another dedicated staff and went to the media center where I addressed Chris Mecusker's class of very sharp middle school students. My conversation with the class was broadcast throughout the school as I spoke about teaching, my personal experiences and opportunities which exist in education and science for these wonderful students. I then visited a few classrooms (saw a great Algebra lesson and a fantastic science lab dealing with thermal expansion) and got a great sense of why this school performs so well. Thanks to Staffing Specialist, Chrystal Woodall for facilitating this and the administrators, teachers and students at Lake Butler Middle School for a great afternoon.
Union County Schools
Friday I left Orlando early for a trip up to Union County (about 20 minutes north of Gainesville) and visited two great schools. I first went to Lake Butler Elementary School and visited with the third and fourth grade teachers where I learned of a wonderful science grant they have received in partnership with P.K. Young Developmental School. Through inservice provided by the grant each grade level divides the responsibility for science instruction into physical, earth and life science teams who are trained indepth to provide the best instruction possible for the entire grade level of students. We spent the morning talking about integrating science into all aspects of the curriculum. A special thank you to Principal Lynn Bishop and her staff for making me feel so welcome. You can tell a lot about a school as you walk with a principal. We were constantly greeted by students interested in sharing their day and giving this wonderful administrator a hug. Neat stuff!
The Teacher of the Year Process
Monday and Tuesday I was part of the OCPS district selection committee to help select our next district Teacher of the Year. Different districts follow different paths. In Orange County each school selects a school TOY (usually nominated by and vote on, by the school staff); school winners then complete a rather lengthy written application; each of these applications is reviewed by a large group of administrators, parents, community leaders, and teachers (I was part of this process)- a scoring rubric is used with each application scored by at least three readers; The top ten applications are then sent to each of our area superintendents for a final reading where five finalists are picked; which leads to the final phase which I have just participated in. A committee consisting of the current OCPS Teacher of the Year, a current or retired OCPS administrator and three business/community leaders visits each of the finalists. We observed each finalist teach a lesson (about 20 minutes) and then we proceeded to interview each finalist for another 20 minutes. Yesterday afternoon we completed that process and spent considerable time reviewing applications, discussing the merits of each of our fine finalists and choosing our next OCPS District Teacher of the Year. The announcement will be made at a gala celebration at Walt Disney World's Contemporary Hotel on February 13th. Until then the winner is kept secret. Not even the Superintendent knows until the announcement is made.
I was proud of each of the finalists and excited to be part of the process. I can say that the decision was incredibly difficult and the committee was deeply moved by the expertise and dedication of each of the finalists. Orange County's finalists are (in the order they were interviewed): Tamara Daugherty, third grade teacher at Lakeville Elementary School; Emily Thorpe, 9th grade English teacher at Apopka High School 9th Grade Center; Jennifer Bohn, I.B. Coordinator and 9th/10th grade social sciences teacher at Evans High School; Stephanie Johnson Possell, 9-12th grade health teacher at Olympia High School; and Dr. Donna Walker-Knight, ESE resource/co-teacher for grades K-2 at Grand Avenue Primary Learning Center.
I will be taking the group out for dinner before the February event for a chance for them to get to know each other. This has become something of a tradition within our district over the last few years. I'm looking forward to listening and learning and sharing as I spend time with this wonderful group of educators.
The District winner continues the journey and will then begin applying to become next year's state TOY winner. Interestingly I will no longer be the current OCPS District Teacher of the Year after February, but will remain the Florida TOY until July when a new person is selected. It can all become quite confusing!
I was proud of each of the finalists and excited to be part of the process. I can say that the decision was incredibly difficult and the committee was deeply moved by the expertise and dedication of each of the finalists. Orange County's finalists are (in the order they were interviewed): Tamara Daugherty, third grade teacher at Lakeville Elementary School; Emily Thorpe, 9th grade English teacher at Apopka High School 9th Grade Center; Jennifer Bohn, I.B. Coordinator and 9th/10th grade social sciences teacher at Evans High School; Stephanie Johnson Possell, 9-12th grade health teacher at Olympia High School; and Dr. Donna Walker-Knight, ESE resource/co-teacher for grades K-2 at Grand Avenue Primary Learning Center.
I will be taking the group out for dinner before the February event for a chance for them to get to know each other. This has become something of a tradition within our district over the last few years. I'm looking forward to listening and learning and sharing as I spend time with this wonderful group of educators.
The District winner continues the journey and will then begin applying to become next year's state TOY winner. Interestingly I will no longer be the current OCPS District Teacher of the Year after February, but will remain the Florida TOY until July when a new person is selected. It can all become quite confusing!
Suncoast Area Teachers Training Honors Program
Leaving the Parade Thursday evening I travelled on to Tampa and spoke Friday morning at the USF College of Education Honors Teachers' Commencement. Rightly described as the "best of the best" in the College of Education I met an incredible group of graduating seniors. It was a honor to share a few stories, give a few words of encouragement and welcome this group of new educators into our teaching family.
I was extremely impressed with the level of professionalism displayed by The SCATT students. A special thanks to Interim Associate Director, Lori Hartwig Yusko and Director, Dr. Roger Brindley for allowing me to be a part of this wonderful experience.
I was extremely impressed with the level of professionalism displayed by The SCATT students. A special thanks to Interim Associate Director, Lori Hartwig Yusko and Director, Dr. Roger Brindley for allowing me to be a part of this wonderful experience.
Lakeland Christmas Parade
Thursday evening I became an honorary Macy's employee and joined the wonderful people from the Lakeland Macy's store in the annual Lakeland Christmas Parade. The people of Lakeland love this parade! There seemed to be as many people lining the street as I saw at the New York Thanksgiving Parade. My arms are sore from waving, but I had a blast! Thanks to my wonderful store manager Stacy Korona and my new friends at Macy's.
A Pinning Ceremony
Today I was at Southeastern University in Lakeland. I was invited by the Dean of the College of Education, Dr. Sam Bennett. Sam was the 2006 Florida Department of Education/Macy's Teacher of the Year and went on to become a National TOY finalist! Sam has since made the transition from fifth grade teacher to University Administrator! From all appearances he has found a wonderful new home on a large and beautiful college campus.
Each semester graduating members of the College of Education participate in a ceremony celebrating a successful senior internship, the end of their college years and the start of their teaching career. Each intern is honored, recognized and pinned by their supervising teacher and college advisor. It was obvious that this is a tradition that has special meaning for these graduates and their families.
For my part, I welcomed them to our profession; spoke about some of my own teaching experiences; and challenged them to help maintain the excellence within our professional family. It was great to see so many excited new teachers.
UCF - Conference USA Champions!
Today I attended the UCF vs Tulsa Conference USA Championship game as a guest of the UCF College of Education. It was my first chance to attend a game in the new Brighthouse Stadium and it is wonderful. My family had season tickets for years and it was great to be back with Knight fans!
For the record UCF beat Tulsa 44 to 25 and is the new Conference USA Champion. We now go on to play in the Liberty Bowl on December 29th. Go Knights! And a big thank you to College of Education Dean Sandra Robinson and Rich Sloane, Director of Community and College Relations. Great seats and great company!
Final New York Thoughts
As we sat in the airport waiting to go home Sunday morning I had a few final thoughts.
Thank you Macy's for giving my family such a memorable weekend. A special thanks to Ruth Hamilton and her staff in Florida who fretted over so much and were with us in spirit all weekend. We are still eating from the gift basket! Thanks to the Macy's people in New York who put on such an outstanding parade!
Thank you to the staff at the Iroquois Hotel for making us feel incredibly special. A special thanks to concierges, Angelic and Marga who found our elusive Broadway tickets!
I need to begin walking everyday! You don't see a lot of fat people in New York! They must have either walked it off or been eaten in the subway! With all of the walking over the last few days Susan and I have pledged to get out everyday and walk away our pounds!
I am blessed with two wonderful sons, a fantastic wife and a great daughter to be. At the risk of being too syrupy - I really do have a wonderful life!
Thank you Macy's for giving my family such a memorable weekend. A special thanks to Ruth Hamilton and her staff in Florida who fretted over so much and were with us in spirit all weekend. We are still eating from the gift basket! Thanks to the Macy's people in New York who put on such an outstanding parade!
Thank you to the staff at the Iroquois Hotel for making us feel incredibly special. A special thanks to concierges, Angelic and Marga who found our elusive Broadway tickets!
I need to begin walking everyday! You don't see a lot of fat people in New York! They must have either walked it off or been eaten in the subway! With all of the walking over the last few days Susan and I have pledged to get out everyday and walk away our pounds!
I am blessed with two wonderful sons, a fantastic wife and a great daughter to be. At the risk of being too syrupy - I really do have a wonderful life!
Saturday in New York
Saturday was spent in the place I was looking forward to the most. Susan and I got up early, braved the cold, found a natural food bakery and proceeded to the place we had been looking forward to since learning we would get to visit NYC. The Museum of Modern Art! We love art galleries and spent a great day among the impressionist masters, the modern wonders and the hanging Calder's! We became members of the museum, brought home things for our classrooms and will be ordering some prints.
We had lunch at a neat mom and pop Italian Bistro and topped off the day with a Broadway show. Though most of Broadway is on strike, we managed to get tickets to see Mell Brooks' Young Frankenstein. If you loved the movie you will love the play. The sets were lavish, the singing perfect and the evening pretty special. Zach and Emily went to Xanadu and said it was also great. My only regret is not sitting in the fourth row center seats I had purchased two months ago for three really special shows that were effected by the strike. Maybe someday we will come back for the total Broadway experience.
The Rest of Friday
While family history was being made on a carriage ride, Susan and I were in a different carriage taking pictures of fall leaves. Our driver was a former high school teacher from Turkey who gave us a great tour. Later in the day we paid a visit to the Guggenheim Museum enjoying the architecture of the upper East Side and the art. Lots of food, lots of art, lots of New York. Lots of fun!
A Big Day For the Ellenburg Family!
Our family has been sworn to secrecy for two months in the biggest conspiracy we have ever been a part of. On Saturday the surprise was sprung. On a romantic carriage ride in Central Park, Zach proposed to his long-time girl friend, Emily! The day was clear and cold and it couldn't have been more perfect. Zach graduates with a degree in Finance in May and has already accepted a job in Orlando - so this caps off a great senior year. They plan to be married in a year or two.
Emily currently lives outside of Cleveland with her family and teaches preschool. Their courtship began as sweethearts in high school, was broken off for a few years and reignited through the telephone during Zach's Junior year. After thousands of airline miles, phone calls and extended visits on both of their parts they have reconnected.
Susan and I love Emily to death and couldn't be happier for the two of them. They bring out the best in each other and are truly best friends in life.
Post Parade New York
Central Park is still in fall colors! After a walk through some of the park we eventually returned to the hotel; we feasted on strawberries and apples brought to the room courtesy of the hotel; took a wonderful nap; had dinner at a very posh, downtown restaurant; and went to the Off Broadway show, Altar Boyz. A totally fantastic finish to Thanksgiving.
A few shots that had to be added!
It seemed only appropriate to include Snoopy, Scooby, Santa, Dancing Christmas Trees and Wynonna on a guitar!
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The weather was perfect. Clear skies and temperatures in the low 50s. Unfortunately it was too warm for the pull over Macy's Parade sweatshirts that were give to us. It was warm enough for me to sit on my jacket through much of the parade! We got an early start and rode the subway uptown with our VIP tickets in hand. Walked a few blocks and got to our entrance to the grandstands. The grandstands were at the beginning of the parade and stretched for two blocks. We were about a half a block down from the NBC people and could hear Mat Laurer do his running commentary. We had a clear,unobstructed view of everything and it is definitely a once in a lifetime experience! My TV at home was Tivoing, I bought a new digital film camera just for the parade and I handed my still camera to my son, Zach. Boy do we have some pictures. My wife, Susan, hates to be photographed - so if she is in a picture consider it a rare thing!
The best way to describe our experience is by just sharing the pictures. The viewing order is before, during and after the parade.
Wednesday in New York
We had a great flight to New York and a wild ride to the hotel. The Iroquois is a beautiful, small, boutique hotel just two block off of Broadway. After settling in it was off to see the inflating of the parade balloons. Well we couldn't figure out how to hail a taxi, we walked a longggggg way and we got lost in the subway. All of that in the first two hours! But then we ended up in Central Park where they were inflating the balloons. A street was filled with partially filled characters that you could almost walk up to and take pictures of. Above are just a few of the neat ones.
We called our oldest son, Mat. Mat lived in New York for five years and helped us figure out transportation and we finally mastered the cab system. New York is definitely colorful, crowded and loud. We had a fantastic first day!
A New York Thanksgiving
This week I will be sharing the event that has drawn the most interest as Florida Department of Education/Macy's Teacher of the Year: my trip to New York City for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! Each posting will highlight one of our days. Traveling with me on this adventure was my wonderful wife, Susan; our youngest son, Zachary; and his cute, long-time girlfriend, Emily. I want to thank the wonderful people at Macy's of Florida for making everything you are going to read about possible! As you read these postings I think you will agree that Macy's has given our family the most wonderful Thanksgiving memories we could ever ask for!
Macy's Thanksgiving Parade !!!!!
Excitement is in the air! Our family will fly to New York on Wednesday morning to begin our big adventure. Expect pictures, stories, and perhaps a few clips of the parade. My wife Susan and I will be traveling with our youngest son, Zach (a senior at the University of Florida) and his girlfriend, Emily. Emily is flying down from Cleveland to join us and Zach has a break before finishing his next to last semester at UF.
I have my fingers crossed that the lights of Broadway will be back on so that we can see our shows. Regardless this will be a trip the Ellenburg family will never forget. Have a great Thanksgiving!
I have my fingers crossed that the lights of Broadway will be back on so that we can see our shows. Regardless this will be a trip the Ellenburg family will never forget. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Progress Energy/UCF Leadership Institute
On Friday I spoke before about 150 educators and administrators from a ten county area and experienced a first for me. In almost 30 years of speaking to groups I have had a number of snafus - but Friday was the first time I have taken a tumble. That's right - I stepped onto the steps leading to the rostrum and had the unpleasant experience of having the steps collapse. I fell onto the portable stage, off the stage, against a wall and to the ground. Yes, fat men do bounce! I completed my speech and I want to thank the people in attendance for bearing with me because it definitely threw me off a bit. Today is Saturday and I'm sore and stiff. Who knew there would be such danger and adventure linked to being Teacher of the Year.
The only real damage seems to be to my ego and of course my aspirations of life as a circus performer is dashed. But nothing seems to badly damaged so I'm ready for my next adventure.
The only real damage seems to be to my ego and of course my aspirations of life as a circus performer is dashed. But nothing seems to badly damaged so I'm ready for my next adventure.
A busy Thursday!
Thursday I had the privilege of meting with the Mount Dora Kiwanis Club at the historic Lakeside Inn in Mt. Dora. The pictures are of the wonderful people who do such great work for this Lake County community. Thanks to my new friends in Mt. Dora for a wonderful lunch and great time.
Later that day I was at Jones High School in Orlando for the State Science Standards town meeting. As we continue the review process for the proposed standards town meetings have been help across the state. Though not heavily attended, there was a great deal of interesting discussion.
Seminole Education Association
I celebrated American Education Week this afternoon with the teachers of Seminole County. Hosted by the Seminole Education Association I had a wonderful time sharing and learning from a great group of teachers. And thank you for the wonderful ink pen which will travel around the state with me. Thank you Rosa Pickett and Gay Parker for allowing me to share this time with your teachers.
Thanksgiving in New York is just around the corner
In one week the biggest perk for the 2008 Florida Department of Education/Macy's Teacher of the Year takes place: our family trip to New York City hosted by Macy's of Florida. Next week my family flies to New York to be guests of Macy's for the Thanksgiving Parade! We are flying up, being met and taken by limo to the Iroquois Hotel located just off Broadway.
This is the event everyone asks me about wherever I go! I don't have any more details yet, but I will share them as I find out more. When we get back expect incredible pictures, and perhaps a video clip to appear on the blog.
Thank you Macy's of Florida !!!
This is the event everyone asks me about wherever I go! I don't have any more details yet, but I will share them as I find out more. When we get back expect incredible pictures, and perhaps a video clip to appear on the blog.
Thank you Macy's of Florida !!!
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
I spent a wonderful afternoon learning more about a resource that every educator in Florida should be aware of: The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. I have been to the Center years ago, but I was amazed at the changes that have taken place. Billy Specht, Manager of Education took me on a tour of the facilities and shared the new teacher resource materials now available to teachers. Wow!
I rode the new Shuttle Launch Experience, a high quality simulator experience that had me convinced I was pulling Gs! This is a great experience and not to be missed. I also visited Astronaut Encounter where I listened to a presentation and met retired astronaut John Blaha. Mr. Blaha has logged 161 days in space on 5 space missions. He served as pilot on STS-33 and STS 29, was Spacecraft Commander on STS-58 and STS-43, served on Mir-22 as Board Engineer 2, and was a Mission Specialist on STS-79 and STS-81. Astronaut Encounter allows visitors to meet an astronaut on every visit!
I came away with the new teachers packet that is filled with classroom information. And finally I visited the Astronaut Hall of Fame and got to see the interactive Student Astronaut Training Experience (ATX). All of this is an incredible field trip experience that I would highly recommend. For more information contact them at www.KennedySpaceCenter.com.
The first picture is me with astronaut John Blaha. The second is me with Billy Specht, Manager of Education and Vicky Santamaria, Education Sales Manager. I want to thank both of them for a wonderful visit.
And for the teachers of Florida and Georgia a special treat! You may go online and request an application for an Educator Study Pass. Bring the completed application with a valid teacher ID card or teaching certificate and you will receive a free pass to the visitor center for one year. This entitles you to ride the Shuttle Launch Experience, meet an astronaut at Astronaut Encounter and have access to the teacher resource library and educational center facilities.
Zero Gravity !!!!
I will be sharing more about this shortly, but Saturday I attended a workshop at the Stephen Hawking Microgravity Education and Research Center at the Kennedy Space Center Education Center where I worked on lessons to be conducted in ZERO GRAVITY !!!
That's right, on December 8th I will be joining a group of educators from around the state and flying on G-Force One, a specially created Boeing 727-200 cargo aircraft. We will take off from the Kennedy Space Center and reach an altitude of of 24,000 feet, begin a 50 degree ascent peaking at 32,000 feet and turn the nose down in a 45 degree descent. This "roller coaster" inertial effect results in a 30 second weightless flight (also known as parabolic flight).
Joining me on this flight are Florida's Presidential Award finalists for Mathematics and Science, the new president of the Florida Association of Science Teachers, a team of research students from the University of Central Florida, media representatives, and a select group of educators from Florida, including my wife, Susan Ellenburg. Susan and I will be the first husband and wife educator team to fly the same Zero-G flight in the state of Florida! More details will follow soon, but for now check my link or go to www.HawkingCenter.org to learn more about this great flight.
I must take a moment to think a few people. First a huge thank you to Dave Sadlowski and the wonderful people at Space Florida for underwriting this flight. Space Florida is a group dedicated to promoting space industry in Florida and creating opportunities for Florida to become the center of research and educational opportunities related to space. Go to www.spaceflorida.gov for more information. Secondly I would like to thank Gwendolyn Annello, Vice President Education and Research and Michelle Peters, Director Education Programs of ZERO-G Corporation for giving us this once in a lifetime experience. Go to www.gozerog.org for more information. And personally I want to thank Vie Vie Baird from the Math and Science Department of the Florida Department of Education for making this happen for me. Vie Vie has flown on G-Force One and is a wonderful friend to teachers in Florida. She knows what this flight means to me.
For a guy growing up in the backyard of our nation's space program this is a dream come true! I grew up idolizing the Mercury Seven, I have watched launches for almost my entire life. The space program fueled my passion for model rocketry, which I share with my students, made me especially proud to be a Floridian and I am particularly honored to be the Christa McAuliffe Ambassador for Florida. I never expected in this life to share any of an astronaut's feelings, but thanks to all of these people I will experience weightlessness for a total of 7.5 minutes as we complete 15 parabolic cycles. In the first manned flight Alan Shepard experienced weightlessness for 15 minutes. I look forward to sharing more of this adventure with everyone as it unfolds.
It's Teacher of the Year time!
The process for Teacher of the Year begins quite early. Though the finalists for National Teacher of the Year won't be announced for a couple of months, the work toward the next crop of TOYs begins. In our district schools recently selected their individual school winners who then spent a great deal of time filling out a rather long application.
Thursday I joined other former OCPS District Teachers of the Year, selected principals and district personnel to review all of the applications. Our task was to select those we feel would best represent Orange County as district finalists. We were each given a very comprehensive rubric and a group of applications and each application was read by a number of readers. With the completion of our task the process now continues with a second team and eventually the selection of our district finalists. In December I will join a selection committee tasked with visiting each finalist and observing a lesson being taught. Each finalist will then be interviewed by the committee. The next OCPS District Teacher of the Year will be announced at a gala event at Walt Disney World's Contemporary Hotel.
As you can tell from October, when schools make their selections, until the next Florida Teacher of the Year is announced next July, the entire process takes almost ten months!
Thursday I joined other former OCPS District Teachers of the Year, selected principals and district personnel to review all of the applications. Our task was to select those we feel would best represent Orange County as district finalists. We were each given a very comprehensive rubric and a group of applications and each application was read by a number of readers. With the completion of our task the process now continues with a second team and eventually the selection of our district finalists. In December I will join a selection committee tasked with visiting each finalist and observing a lesson being taught. Each finalist will then be interviewed by the committee. The next OCPS District Teacher of the Year will be announced at a gala event at Walt Disney World's Contemporary Hotel.
As you can tell from October, when schools make their selections, until the next Florida Teacher of the Year is announced next July, the entire process takes almost ten months!
Honoring OCPS Grant Recepients
This afternoon I was part of an Orange County district reception for teachers receiving grants to be used for classroom enhancement. The Foundation for Orange County Public Schools put on this event to celebrate the hard work going on in our classrooms. Almost $250,000 was given out to almost 400 teachers to be used in support of learning. Led by the Bond Foundation, Citigroup, Universal Orlando Foundation, Darden Restaurants, and Progress Energy, grants were awarded to teachers or teams of teachers received anywhere from $500 to $2000.
Local WFTV television anchor, Vanessa Echols served as master of ceremonies as teachers were recognized, pictures were taken and checks were given out. WFTV sponsors reading initiatives and is a major partner in their support of learning in Central Florida. This afternoon was a wonderful example of the great things that can happen when the business community partners with education and support excellence in our schools.
An upclose look at a cell
While visiting Crooms Academy earlier in the week I poked my head in a biology lab and saw this. The teacher created a cell using light weight plastic attached with duct tape. Two fans run into it to keep it inflated. Students can actually enter the cell. I wish I had gotten more information but contact Crooms Academy in Seminole County Public Schools and I'm sure they can put you in contact with the right person. What a neat idea!
Florida PTA Conference
Friday I spoke in Daytona Beach before the Florida Congress of PTA. What a great group! The weather was overcast and blustery, the waves were crashing against the seawalls, but inside the Hilton hotel the atmosphere was filled with excitement and discussion. I've been a member of PTA for my entire teaching career and appreciated being allowed to address the group. Among the many special guests, I found myself seated between Dr. Margaret Smith, Superintendent of Volusia County Schools and Jan Harp Domene, our National PTA President. What wonderful company and conversation!
I was also surprised and overwhelmed to be recognized by Florida PTA in a very special way - a brick with my name on it is being placed in the Honor and Memory Patio at the Florida PTA Building recognizing my service to children. My mom was a devoted PTA officer and room mother through out my school years and I know this would have had a very special meaning to her as well. I can't thank the members of Florida PTA enough for this honor.
I was also surprised and overwhelmed to be recognized by Florida PTA in a very special way - a brick with my name on it is being placed in the Honor and Memory Patio at the Florida PTA Building recognizing my service to children. My mom was a devoted PTA officer and room mother through out my school years and I know this would have had a very special meaning to her as well. I can't thank the members of Florida PTA enough for this honor.
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