Student Success Stories
CCPS Students Win Visual Art Scholarships at the Charlotte County Fair
Congratulations to all the elementary, middle, and high school students who submitted their artwork at this year's Charlotte County Fair. The efforts of all the CCPS art teachers and the Fair board are greatly appreciated. All art will be on display at the fair all week. The Visual Art Scholarship winners were:
- Autumn Hutton, Port Charlotte High, $1000
- Nicole Palumbo, Charlotte High, $500
- Claudia Rodriguez, Charlotte High, $500
- Laurisa Fisher, Lemon Bay High, $500
- Tessa Seveney, Lemon Bay High, $500
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Port Charlotte High School Model UN Excels at University of Florida's Gator Model UN Competition
PCH Model UN team was able to defeat 16 other schools including the th place nationally ranked Gulf Coast at the University of Florida's GATORMUN this past weekend.
PCHS won 9 first place Best Delegate Gavels, 5 second place Outstanding Delegate Awards, and 3 Best Position Paper Awards on their way to team championship. The Pirate MUNers will compete next in the Southwest Florida Model UN conference at FGCU in March.
| Best Delegate Awards | Outstanding Delegate Awards |
|---|---|
Samantha Luce |
Eden Starnes |
Liberty Elementary Student Wins the Daughters of the American Revolution Essay Contest
The Charlotte Bay Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) sponsors an annual American History Essay Contest for CCPS students. Students in grades five through eight are encouraged to participate. The topic for the 2011-2012 DAR Essay Contest revolved around the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812.
Essays were judged for historical accuracy, adherence to topic, organization of materials, interest, originality, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and neatness. This year Shaelyn Taylor, a 5th grade students from Liberty Elementary, won 1st place in the essay contest. Shaelyn was honored at an awards presentation by the DAR on Tuesday, January 24, 2012, where she received a $100 check for her winning essay.
Vineland Elementary Students Win the Statue of Liberty Essay Contest
The Rotonda VFW Post #10476 Ladies Auxiliary sponsored a Statue of Liberty Essay Contest for grade 5 students at Vineland Elementary School. Three winners were chosen from each class and three overall winners were honored at an awards ceremony on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at Vineland Elementary.
- 1st Place - Allison Deal
- 2nd Place - Kailene Holmes
- 3rd Place - Emma Engel
CCPS High School Students Win VFW Voice of Democracy Oratorical Contest!
Since 1947, the Voice of Democracy Oratorical Contest has been the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) premier scholarship program. Each year, more than 100,000 high school students compete for more than $2.5 million in scholarships and incentives. Students compete by writing and recording a broadcast script on an annual patriotic theme. This year's theme "Is There Pride in Serving in Our Military?" netted nearly 25 CCPS students entries.
- First place was awarded to Samantha Luce of Port Charlotte High who also won third place for VFW District 10
- Second place was awarded to Zachary Frohn of Charlotte High
- Third place was awarded to Nicole Montgomery of Charlotte High
Charlotte High School Mock Trial Team Wins 2012 Competition!
The 26th Annual Charlotte County Public Schools Mock Trial Competition was held Saturday, January 21, 2012 at the Charlotte County Justice Center with the assistance of 10 local attorneys and 5 local judges. Charlotte High School's team coached by David Riley was declared the 2012 champions and will represent Charlotte County at the District 20 Competition in February. Thank you to all our student participants and team coaches as the contest was extremely competitive.
CCPS Students Recognized at the 2012 Thomas Alva Edison Kiwanis Science & Engineering Fair!
Congratulations to all the CCPS students who participated and were recognized at the awards ceremony for their outstanding science research projects on January 14, 2011.
Best of Fair was awarded to Nadia Kemal and Nicole Miller from Charlotte High School. The team will compete at the State Science Fair in March in Lakeland and the Intel International Science/Engineering Fair in May in Pittsburgh.
Nine students will compete at the State Science Fair in Lakeland in April:
- L.A. Ainger Middle - Elenor Keys, Dominic Moore, and Sean Robinson
- Murdock Middle - Hayden Wilder
- Port Charlotte Middle - Alfredo Ortega
- Charlotte High - Nadia Kemal, Nicole Miller, and Angelique Noles
- Lemon Bay High - Laura Delaney
Six students will participate in the FGCI Summer Research Opportunity:
- L.A. Ainger Middle - Carissa Lawson, Alexandria Medico, Makayla Smith, and Shannen Smith
- Murdock Middle - Hazen Williams
- Punta Gorda Middle - Nicole Burg
Thank you to all the teachers and parents for providing their time and expertise for this amazing opportunity for our students. For a list of all the awards by school, please click here.
Port Charlotte High and Murdock Middle Students Win 1st and 2nd Place in the Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest
Congratulations to the following Murdock Middle School students. Michaela Etheart, 7th grader, won first place in the Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest middle school division, sponsored by the Blanchard House in Punta Gorda. Destiny Boggs, 8th grader, won 2nd place.
Congratulations to the following Port Charlotte High School students. Loquessenie Orleus from Mrs. Ayers' class won first place in the high school division. Logan Cook from Dr. Bishop's class won 2nd place.
The winning students also presented their essay to over 200 people.
Murdock Middle Students Win 1st and 2nd Place in the Patriot's Pen Essay Contest
Congratulations to the following Murdock Middle School students. Vanessa Rodriguez, 8th grader, won first place in the Patriot's Pen Essay Contest sponsored by the VFW. Ceasar Poggi, 8th grader, won 2nd place.
Two CCPS Students Accepted into the 2012 Florida All State Bands!
Congratulations to Joshua Grossnicklaus, Lemon Bay High Band Leader and Tim Ostrow, L.A. Ainger Middle School Band Leader, both of whom had students accepted into the 2012 Florida All State Bands. Charlotte County is proud of their hard work and dedication. Congratulations to the following students chosen to represent Charlotte County:
Chris Leiper, Trumpet, Lemon Bay High School - Florida All State High School Honors Band.
Kelsey Morrison, Oboe, L.A. Ainger Middle School - Florida All State Middle School Honors Band.
L.A. Ainger Middle School Student Wins Several Awards at the Thomas Alva Edison Inventors Fair!
Congratulations to L.A. Ainger Middle School student Sarah Lown for her outstanding showing at the 55th Annual Edison Science and Inventors Fair at FGCU. Sarah won three trophies, placing first in the 7th Grade Division and the Middle School Division. She was also awarded a $4000.00 scholarship to a college of her choice, $500.00 for the continuation of her project, a $250.00 gift card from FPL, a Sony tablet, and a Sony stereo.
View the news coverage video from ABC-7
Charlotte High Tarpon Academic Team Wins First Match!
Congratulations to the Charlotte High Tarpon Academic Team which won its first round match against Riverdale High by a score of 321-1. The Tarpons controlled the match from the beginning and won the final round to close out the match. The Tarpons are the only Southwest Florida school to have reached the semi-finals of the NBC2 competition each of the last four years. The years team members are:
- Matt Forensky
- Hadley O'Neill
- Maguire Peters
- Clifford Rice
- Nathan Seepaulsing
- Maria Tierney
- Kole Keesling
- Jake Christie
L.A. Ainger School Art Students Win Annual 5-County Workforce Poster Contest
LA Ainger Middle School art students, under the direction of Chris Broyles, have won the annual 5-County Workforce Poster contest again this year! This contest provides a true STEM opportunity for students to combine art with career and technical skills in the form of a career poster. The winning designs were placed in a 2012 career calendar entitled, "Picture This As A Career."
Winning the coveted calendar cover was Samantha Dipiazza who researched and sketched the career of a "Marine Biologist." Second place went to Haleigh Niles. Also pictured in the calendar were posters designed by Alexa Ferriter and Kristal Guido.
Port Charlotte High NJROTC Cadet Receives Scholarship
Congratulations to Nicholas Frisicia, the Cadet Commanding Officer of the Port Charlotte High School Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, in his earning a FULL Navy ROTC Scholarship to the University of South Florida. Nick plans to study criminology while at USF. Upon graduation, he will be commissioned as an Ensign in the US Navy where he plans to become one of the finest Surface Warfare Officers in the Navy.
Charlotte High School wins Southwest Gulf Coast Regional Envirothon Competition!
Two teams from Charlotte High School competed this past Friday, December 9, 2011 in the Southwest Gulf Coast Regional Envirothon Competition. CHS placed First and Second overall against close to 30 other competing high schools from Charlotte, Lee, Collier, Hendry, Highlands, and Glades counties. The first place team will be competing at the Florida State Envirothon finals in April. Congratulations to Envirothon Coach Jason Wikman and the following students for their success!
First Place Team : Natalie True, Makayla Gleason, Catlin Fanstill, Andrew Paquette, and Kole Keesling
Second Place Team: CJ Rice, Matthew Keibler, Andrew Pollizzi, Nathan Seepaulsing, and Margaret Magaletta
PCHS Model UN Wins Prestigious Coon Award for Diplomacy at the College of William and Mary!
More than fifty schools and 1500 students participated in the XXV College of William and Mary Model UN Conference this year. This is the largest conference held in the 16-state southern region. The PCHS Model UN Academic Team was presented with the prestigious Coon Award for Diplomacy. The award recognizes the team as the best large school delegation, as well as the most diplomatic and professional delegation in attendance. The Pirate MUNers won First Place Best Delegate Gavels in eleven of the sixteen committees they competed in! The team will compete at Harvard in January and will attempt to garner the number one ranking in the country.
BEST DELEGATION AWARDS
- Nick Dunakey & Emily Byrski - African Union
- Addie Parker & Joe Capeto - Disarmament
- Julia DiPronio - European Union
- Elana Powell & Caleb Torres - SpecPol
- Bianca Joseph & Kyle Mercado - UNCND
- Nicole Rockower & Jessica Hevia - Environment
- Eden Starnes & Maryann Issac - UNHRC
- Andrew Amontree - Apple Board
- Samantha Luce - Ad Hoc Comm
- Joel Davis - U.S.S.R. Space
- Danielle Rioux - Arab League
OUTSTANDING DELEGATION AWARDS
- Nick Stampar - Security Council
- Ahmad Islam - Organization of Islamic Countries
- Jessica Liu & Lauren Katz - Social and Humanitarian Comm
HONORABLE MENTION AWARDS
- Sara Breitenstein & Jordan McGee - UN Development Comm
- Amanda Piazza & Megan Desjardins - World Health Organization
VERBAL COMMENDATION
- Joe (Tyler) Kirby - OIC Committee
CTC SkillsUSA Annual Food Drive a Huge Success!
The CTC SkillsUSA Chapter is proud to announce that their annual food drive was once again a success! Over 800 non-perishable food items were donated the week of November 7-11, 2011 and will be delivered to a local pantry. The Charlotte Aviation Institute program brought in the most items with over 600 items brought in. One CAI student, Kyle Brandt, brought in over 300 items. Thanks to all the CTC students who contributed to the success of the annual food drive!
L.A. Ainger Middle Career Posters on Display at Southwest Florida Works!
The art students in Christine Broyles class at L.A. Ainger Middle school have entered the career poster contest through the Southwest Florida Workforce Development Board 5-County competition. The submitted 55 posters depicting career fields and also included research they have done on the careers. The posters are on display at our local Career and Service Center of Southwest Florida Works at 1032 Tamiami Trail, Unit 9 (across Highway 41 from Treasure Lanes Bowling Alley).
Please stop by and vote for your favorite poster! The winners will be featured each month in the annual career calendar. Last year, Charlotte County won the cover for the calendar with beautiful artwork fro L.A. Ainger Middle.
Congratulations to the ArtSensation Participants and Winners!
Saturday, November 5, 2011, ArtSensation sponsored a district wide art show for CCPS students. Only five pieces of artwork per school were allowed to be entered. All Elementary students were winners and received a certificate of participation. Secondary student winners received a check for $50 for first place, $25 for second, and $10 for third. Congratulations to the following students:
Middle Schools
1st place - Sofia Redman, LA Ainger Middle
2nd place - Romy Aiken, Murdock Middle
3rd place - Amanda Thompson, Punta Gorda Middle
High School
1st place - Nicole Palumbo, Charlotte High
2nd place - Autumn Hutton, Port Charlotte High
3rd place - Claudia Rodriguez, Charlotte High
Honorable Mention
Gabrielle, Rockhill, Port Charlotte High
PCHS Model UN Wins 11th Consecutive Best Delegation Award in Atlanta!
Sixteen PCHS delegates representing the United States won the coveted George P. Burdell Cup, presented annually to the top performing country delegation of the entire conference, which is held by the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs. Not only did PCHS win the Burdell Cup, but 14 other PCHS delegates representing Pakistan won the SECOND PLACE OUTSTANING DELEGATION AWARD, losing out only to the PCHS United States delegation!
A thousand student delegates from nearly fifty schools competed in the two-day event, including last year's #4 nationally ranked University of Chicago Lab School and #8 nationally ranked Centennial high school.
Winning FIRST PLACE gavels as the BEST DELEGATE IN THE COMMITTEE AWARDS were seniors Amanda Piazza and Julia DiPronio; juniors MaryAnn Issac, Megan Desjardins, Amber Emmons and Ahmad Islam; sophomores Elana Powell, Caleb Torres.
Winning SECOND PLACE DISTINGUISHED DELEGATE AWARDS were seniors Nick Stampar, Danielle Rioux, Nicole Rockower and Adrianna Parker; juniors Sara Breitenstein, Jordan McGee and Joe Capeto; sophomores Nick Dunakey, Alex Fredrick, Lauren Katz and Daphne Odeh.
Next up for the PIRATES will be the largest competition in the south, held at the College of William and Mary in Virginia in November. PCHS will attempt to solidify its #1 RANKING IN THE SOUTH, a geographical ranking region that stretches from Virginia all the way to Texas. And having defeated the Chicago Lab School (ranked #1 in the Mid-West) PCHS can claim that designation as well.
A HUGE THANK YOU to the PCHS teachers, Administration and staff and to all in the CCPS system and the community who continue to support the Pirate MUNers.
Peace River Elementary Celebrates Multi-Cultural Family Night
Peace River Elementary held their first ever Multi-cultural Family Night on Thursday, September 29. Parents volunteered their time and talents with a variety of displays showcasing the varied cultures representing the school. Michelle Holt, Title I Parent Involvement Paraprofessional, organized the event with the help of the school's parent involvement committee. There were twelve stations in which families could visit to get a flavor of the diverse cultures. Many parents who volunteered brought clothing from their native countries as well as food to share. Mrs. Isaac, a Peace River Elementary parent, represented Palestine with a wonderful display of her culture and samples of homemade hummus and a variety of baked goods. Her daughter Sumar also participated by sharing a traditional dance. 
The Sheridan and Perez families had a display featuring Costa Rica. They shared homemade chicken and rice and scrumptious baked items. Port Charlotte's Interact Club showcased the Philippines while Murdock Middle School students highlighted Mexico. Mrs. Vinacco, a Peace River Elementary parent, enjoyed sharing her family's Germany heritage by showcasing various tradition pieces of German clothing and photograph of trips made to the area. The attendance for this inaugural event was overwhelming with the hopes that this could become an annual event at the school.
CHS Students Commended in the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Program
Congratulations to Charlotte High School Students Laura Kneski, Nathan Seepaulsing, and Maria Tierney for been named as Commended Students in the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Program.
About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2012 competition for National Merit Scholarships, Commended Students placed among the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2012 competition by taking the 2010 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).
"The young men and women being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success," commented a spokesperson for NMSC. "These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation. We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success."
Vineland Elementary's Family Math Night was a Success!
Armed with clipboards and calculators, almost 100 Vineland Elementary School students and their families participated in Family Math Night at the Publix Supermarket in Cape Haze. Students navigated their way up and down aisles answering scavenger hunt math questions relating to the products in the store. Vineland teachers Sherry Dodd and Kathy Wylie, part of the committee that helped coordinate the event with Publix, spent time developing age-appropriate scavenger hunts that would put students and parents to the test. Assistant Principal, Adrienne McElroy, greeted students and their parents as they entered the store while Vineland Principal, Laura Blunier, was helping her own son answer the questions on his clipboard in addition to chatting with other Vineland families. In addition to the scavenger hunt there was an estimation jar (donated by the Wylie family) containing pennies. Anthony Caputo, a 5th grade student, was the closest in guessing with his estimate of 1100 pennies. There were actually 1080 pennies in the jar. As the student with the closest estimate, Anthony got to keep the jar of pennies!
It took students an average of 30 minutes to answer all of the questions. When students finished their task, they checked out and in return were given a homework coupon to excuse them from one assignment at school. In addition, Publix treated each student who participated to a coloring book, a package of crayons, stickers and a balloon. Many thanks to Publix-Cape Haze for rewarding our students for doing real life math and for being Vineland Elementary School’s business partner!
Congratulations to the National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists
Officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the names of approximately 16,000 Semifinalists in the 57th annual National Merit Scholarship Program, a number of whom are from Charlotte County Public Schools. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 8,300 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $34 million that will be offered next spring.
Our Semifinalists are Yvonne R. Ross from Lemon Bay High, Austin Hunter, Anne Moenning, Hadley O'Neill, Maguire Peters and Clifford Rice from Charlotte High and Julia DiPronio, Samantha Luce and Danielle Rioux from Port Charlotte High.
Congratulations to these outstanding young men and women.
Congratulations to the SkillsUSA Participants!
Four students from Charlotte Technical Center just returned this week from
the 47th Annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in
Kansas City, Missouri. Three high school students and one postsecondary
student represented CTC and competed with other top career and technical
education students from across the nation in Culinary Arts, Dental
Assisting, and Technical Drafting. One student, Amanda Jones, earned a
silver medal in Culinary Arts and a $4,000 scholarship to the Culinary
Institute of America. The SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills
Conference is the largest career and technical student conference in the
country with slightly over 15,000 registered members attending and more
than 5,500 students competing in 94 different skill areas. A complete
listing of the medal winners can be found on the SkillsUSA website at
www.skillsusa.org.
Haley Webb, CHS Student Wins State Secretarial Bid at the 2011 Future Farmer's of America Convention!
At the 83rd Florida State Future Farmers of America Convention (FFA) in Orlando, Charlotte High School’s Haley Webb was elected State Secretary! The five-day convention and leadership conference had over 3,800 attendees including 15 students from Charlotte High School. Haley’s election as State Secretary came after one year of applications, interviews, and leadership activities. During her campaign, she addressed the 3,000 students in a dynamic speech using the theme of "Chart Your Path."
Haley graduated from CHS this year and will now spend the next year in the full-time job as state ambassador for FFA. She is delaying college entry for one year due to this prestigious honor where she will be traveling for over 300 days of the year to each FFA chapter in Florida. Her year will begin at the National Leadership Conference in Georgia for the Southeast Region where she will receive in-depth leadership training. She then leaves for Washington, D. C. where she and the FFA State President will have leadership training with FFA students from the entire nation. The event will culminate with a meeting in the White House with President Obama.
FFA is a youth organization that develops leadership in young adults for agricultural careers and beyond. No longer does an agriculture student dream only of careers in farming. There are opportunities now in agri-business, biotechnology, communications, alternative energy, and more. Haley plans to graduate from UF with a degree in Large Animal Chiropractic Medicine and work with horses and cows. At this convention, she won first in the state in "Feeder Steer Proficiency." She charted this course three years ago by entering the competition but was only in the top five places until her win this year.
The FFA Chapter at CHS has been active for over 40 years with students competing in livestock, poultry, hogs, forestry, tractors, public speaking, parliamentary procedure, and many other events. Next year CHS will open an Agriculture Academy including career paths in Plant Biotechnology, Agriscience Sales and Service, Livestock, and Veterinary Assisting. Students should see their counselor to get enrolled and have all the opportunities for leadership development that Haley has had!
CCPS Recognized as a 2010-2011 Academically High-Performing School Districts in Florida
Congratulations to the Charlotte County Public School District for achieving recognition as one of the 2010-2011 Academically High-Performing School Districts by the State Board of Education at its May 17, 2011 meeting. Based on the latest release of school and district grades, 13 districts successfully met all eligibility criteria, including Brevard, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Gulf, Indian River, Lee, Martin, Nassau, Seminole, Sumter, Wakulla, and Walton counties.
For more information, 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