Spotlight on Employees
Congratulations to Punta Gorda Middle Teacher Sharon Bruno, 2012 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association Middle School Program of the Year Winner!
Sharon Bruno, teacher at Punta Gorda Middle, recently received official notification that her STEM program was selected as the 2012 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association Middle School Program of the Year. This award in one of the highest honors a Technology Education teacher can receive. Mrs. Bruno's program is the sole winner representing STEM labs in Florida!
Mrs. Bruno and Punta Gorda Middle School will be recognized nationally and presented with an engraved plaque at the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association 74th Annual Conference in Long Beach, California in March. State recognition will take place in October.
CCPS Strives for Five by Celebrating "Veggie-Mania" Day!
Four schools in Charlotte County were recently awarded the coveted "Carrot Award" for selecting the most servings of vegetables on "Veggie-Mania" Day, Wednesday, January 11, 2012. The students and staff of Charlotte Harbor Center, Peace River Elementary, Murdock Middle School and Port Charlotte High School earned the award for making the most healthy choices, a win for their school and a win for each customer.
Champ's Café's 165 food and nutrition services staff members donned hats decorated with vegetables that week as part of the "Strive for Five" promotion to encourage students to eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day. During the Strive for Five week, the Champ's Cafe staff decorated the cafeteria with a "Vitamins in Veggies" banner and they labeled the steamed and raw vegetables on the serving line with the vitamins found in them. Food & Nutrition Services Specialist Joyce Welsh developed her idea to provide nutrition education to the student customers by also posting signs that described what functions the vitamins carry out in the body.
The focus on serving meals that encourage students to select fruits and vegetables has been on-going in Charlotte County's 20 Champ's Café restaurants for a number of years. In 2004, USDA awarded a "Best Practices" Award to Charlotte County's school food & nutrition services program for demonstrating an increase in consumption of fruits and vegetables through nutrition activities and promotions.
School Food & Nutrition Services Director Terri Whitacre stated, "We know that vegetables are high in nutrients, low in calories, but also tend to be low in popularity. Students have their favorites, like corn and green beans, so we were concerned that students would not select any vegetable if we switched and offered beets or spinach or steamed cabbage instead of their favorites. As part of our campaign to increase consumption of fruits and vegetables, we expanded our offerings several years ago to two or even three vegetables on each lunch menu--the USDA requires just one vegetable offering. Between a Champ's Cafe breakfast and lunch, our increased variety means a student may have five or even six servings of fruit and vegetables each day at school."
Whitacre added, "Teachers and staff members are setting the example for our student customers by selecting vegetables for themselves. Our goal is that our focus on nutrient-dense vegetables will help our customers develop healthy eating habits for a lifetime."
For more information about Champ's Café, Charlotte County Public Schools' food & nutrition services program, visit our School Meals web page.
Congratulations Support Employee of the Year Finalists!
The following CCPS support employees were chosen from the 45 outstanding nominees to represent not only our school system, but our community:
- Carolyn Cowan, Family Services, Baker Center
- Mary Cox, Paraprofessional, East Elementary
- Jeffrey Smith, Lead Custodian, East Elementary
- Debra Joiner, Paraprofessional, The Academy
- Vicky Tuttle, Cafeteria Manager, Vineland Elementary
On Wednesday, February 15, 2012 @ 5:00 p.m. at the Charlotte Harbor Events and Conference Center, one of these fine individuals will be named the CCPS Support Employee of the Year.
Congratulations Teacher of the Year Finalists!
The following teachers were chosen from the Teacher of the Year nominees to represent the traits and characteristics of our great Charlotte County educators.
- Doreen Alvarez, 4th Grade Teacher, Meadow Park Elementary
- Grace Shepard, Kindergarten Teacher, Liberty Elementary
- Deborah Monck, Media Specialist, Port Charlotte High School
- Maureen Cerbone, 8th Grade Teacher, L.A. Ainger Middle School
- Sherry Dodd, 4th Grade Teacher, Vineland Elementary School
Charlotte County is proud of all our teacher nominees and finalists and grateful for the hard work and dedication put forth every day to help each child achieve success!
Congratulations Kathleen Moore and Andrea Tarlowski for being chosen by the Florida Council for the Social Studies as Outstanding Teachers of the Year!
Every year the Florida Council for the Social Studies (FCSS) recognizes exemplary social studies educators in all 67 school districts in the state of Florida. Kathleen Moore, Punta Gorda Middle School, and Andrea Tarlowski, Charlotte High School will be recognized at the FCSS Teacher of the Year Luncheon in October for earning this prestigious award and representing Charlotte County.
Congratulations to both of these teachers and a special thanks to both for all they do for the students of Charlotte County.
Career and Technical Education Teachers Attend Professional Development Conference in Clearwater
Sixteen Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers and the CTE Director attended a three-day conference from July 25 - 27, 2011 in Clearwater. The rally brought together CTE teachers and administrators from all over the state to network, share curriculum ideas, and develop a five-year strategic plan for CTE. Planning and funding for this conference was accomplished last year through a Perkins Grant.
Charlotte County students will benefit greatly from the concepts that were developed such as Career Academies for each high school; ideas for developing middle school Career Academies; new Industry Certifications for students; articulation agreements for postsecondary programs in Florida (college, technical centers, and private postsecondary institutions); and training for high skill, high wage careers.
The CTE teachers attending included:
Aime McLeod - Academy of Culinary Arts, Charlotte High School
Michelle Dill - Diversified Career Technology, Charlotte High School
Denise Sansone - Career Specialist, Charlotte High School
George Sansone - Academy of Drafting, Charlotte High School
Karen Smith - Academy of Multimedia Design, Charlotte High School
Brad Smith - Academy of Multimedia Design, Charlotte High School
Chris George - Power and Energy Technology, Charlotte High School
Cindy Webb - Academy of Agriculture, Charlotte High School
Janet Scinta - Academy of Television Production, Charlotte High School
Bryan Bouton - Academy of Television Production, Port Charlotte High School
Deb Tate - Career Specialist, Port Charlotte High School
MaryJo Holleran - Career Specialist, Lemon Bay High School
Debbie Huber - Academy of Technology Excellence, Lemon Bay High School
Laura Meyer - Diversified Career Technology, The Academy @ CTC
Tim Conte - STEM/Career Lab, Murdock Middle School
Michelle Wier - Career Specialist, Charlotte Technical Center
Carolyn Gorton - CTE Director, Charlotte County Schools
Congratulations to Michelle Flanagan, Deep Creek Elementary for Winning the CLEF Survey Drawing
The Charlotte Local Education Foundation (CLEF) recently asked all school employees to complete a survey about their programs and services. They had a prize drawing for people who completed the survey and also gave their name and contact information. Michelle Flanagan a teacher at Deep Creek Elementary won the drawing for a $50 gift certificate to Carrabba's.
The Charlotte Local Education Foundation, Inc. thanks all school employees who participated in the recent survey of our program services. Congratulations to Michelle!
For more information about Charlotte Local Education Foundation, please visit their website at http://charlotteschoolfoundation.org/
Tim Ostrow, LA Ainger Band Instructor Receives Artist Residency with The Hermitage Artist Retreat
The Hermitage Artist Retreat in Englewood, FL has just initiated a new artist residency for arts teachers in the state of Florida. State Teacher/Artist Residencies (STAR) will provide five public school educators with the opportunity to pursue their artistic work with a four-week summer residency at the Hermitage. This newly formed program is a collaboration with The Florida Alliance for Arts Education (FAAE), a statewide service organization that works to ensure that all Florida students have a complete education that includes the arts. FAAE coordinated the selection process of the teachers in visual arts, writing and music. LA Ainger Middle School Band Instructor, Tim Ostrow was one of five individuals honored with this annual gift of time and space to devote to their personal artistry. The residency will take place during summer break.
For more information about the Hermitage, visit the website at www.HermitageArtistRetreat.org
For more information about employee recognition and announcements, or if you would like to post information to this page, please contact:
Mike Riley
Manager of Adult Education/Community Liaison
941-255-7430
Michael_Riley@ccps.k12.fl.us