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Estrella Publishing - Fish Hawk Living magazine

September 2018

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September 2018

Published by Estrella Publishing LLC, PO Box 6962, Goodyear AZ 85338. Additional copies and article reproductions can be obtained for a fee by contacting info@EstrellaPublishing.com Catherine Uretsky, Publisher and Editor 623.594.9283 info@EstrellaPublishing.com Al Uretsky, Publisher and Sales Executive 623.594.9283 info@EstrellaPublishing.com All contents ÂŠ 2010-2018 Estrella Publishing LLC. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in any form, in whole or part, without written permission from Estrella Publishing LLC is prohibited. Estrella Publishing accepts freelance contributions, there is no guarantee that materials will be used or returned. Some content is provided by Brandpointe and Family Features. Estrella Publishing is not responsible for the views of contributing writers and assumes no responsibility for errors appearing within. Opinions expressed are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the Publisher or Advertisers. Estrella Publishing reserves the right to restrict all advertisement to their proper classification and to edit or reject any copy at its sole discretion. Neither this publication nor Estrella Publishing is an agent of or in any way affiliated with the associated Developer nor Homeowners Association, or any of their respective affiliates. This publication has not been approved by, sponsored by, or endorsed by the associated Developer nor Homeowners Association in any way.

Catherine Uretsky Publisher & Editor

Lisa Aber Assistant Editor

Al Uretsky Publisher & Sales Exec

T h e B r e w e r Te a m . n e t Jeff: 813.951.4680 Liz: 813.299.6745

Estrella Publishing - Fish Hawk Living magazine

September 2018

From Me To You... Technology is the answer to all our problems! We have phones that have more computing power than that with which we sent man to the moon, and devices that can turn on our lights and lock our doors. Need a phone number? Ask Siri! And that doesn’t even include the basics like appliances to wash our clothes and do our dishes. Yes we have it made in the shade.

That is until the power goes out. Anyone else hit by the latest round of storms? We were, big time. Our power was out for almost 24 hours. At first it was an adventure. I obviously needed to find a way to make coffee in the morning - but thanks to my outdoor grill I had some cowboy coffee going in under 15 minutes. Not quite as instantaneous as my 30 second Keurig and it was possibly the strongest cup of Joe I have drunk since leaving Europe. However, problem solved, I had my caffeine intake covered. Next on to more mundane tasks like work. Ah no internet. So I took the day off, it was a Saturday anyway and so what if my deadline was looming? I can play hookey for a day. What do I usually do on a day off? Well as I have already established, the internet was down so I turned to a good old fashioned book. Great. As I settled down in a comfy chair I began to feel a little uncomfortable. It was getting hot. Really hot. Oh that’s right, the air conditioning was down too. Hmm. The thermostat stubbornly refused to switch off and it mocked me as it gradually showed the temperature in the house coming level with my blood temperature.

great distances by horse, cart and on foot, they also crossed what to me would be insurmountable obstacles. What made those men and women come up to the Grand Canyon or the Rocky Mountains and think, “Let’s keep going, there is something better on the other side.”? And then they did it. They crossed the obstacle and made it to the other side. Amazing. Once settled it was not easy going even then. Scorpions, snakes, not to mention the crippling heat. And they persevered. It makes me think twice about complaining when my indoor temperature spikes and my ice-cream starts to melt. Hang on, not the icecream! Thankfully we have friends who own a generator and had power, so they lent us the means to keep our fridge running until our power came back on. There was not enough juice to run the air conditioning, but I am thankful for small mercies. I am also thankful for the great ones, like the power coming back on in time to sleep in comfort. No matter how many times I fantasize about living off the grid and going back to simpler times, I know I am not strong enough to go all the way back. I could probably manage to clean my clothes and cook my meals over a fire, but I draw the line at losing Candy Crush. ;)

Catherine Uretsky

Editor, Fish Hawk Living magazine info@estrellapublishing.com 623.594.9283

How did people survive before air conditioning? I know they did, I know that they deliberately lived in places like Arizona and Florida without the conveniences we rely on today. These people continuously fascinate me. Whenever I drive anywhere in America I marvel at the tenacity of the pioneers. Not only did they travel across 4 Estrella Publishing - Fish Hawk Living magazine

September 2018

Culture Club

Beethoven’s Fifth launches Florida Orchestra season

The four most famous notes in music launch The Florida Orchestra’s 51st season Sept. 28-30. If da da da dum is all you know of Beethoven’s immortal Symphony No. 5, then wait until you hear the rest, an uplifting journey from darkness to light that changed music forever, conducted by Music Director Michael Francis. But why stop there? It’s easy to Compose Your Own series of concerts to last all season long. It’s just $25 a ticket for some of the best reserved seats when you buy three or more concerts (regularly $33 and $48 tickets). Mix and match from 23 Tampa Bay Times Masterworks and Raymond James Pops concerts. Here’s a guide: GET ‘EM WHILE YOU CAN: Did you know The Florida Orchestra had record attendance last season? No doubt tickets will go fast this season for the ever-popular Holiday Pops (Dec. 1416, with two matinees) featuring American Idol star and St. Pete native Michael Lynche; The Planets, with NASA images on a big screen (Feb. 15-17); and The Music of John Williams (April 27 with a Saturday matinee). Princes and princesses of all ages with feel like royalty at Disney in Concert – Tale as Old as Time, enhanced with film sequences on a big screen (Nov. 2-4; tickets may be limited). LOVE A PIANO: Pick a threepack of piano pieces, including Gershwin’s Estrella Publishing - Fish Hawk Living magazine

Rhapsody in Blue with Cuban jazz pianist Aldo Lopez-Gavilan (Jan. 4-6); Anne-Marie McDermott on Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 27 (Feb. 2224); and one of the most sought-after pianists in the world, Benjamin Grosvenor on Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 (March 29-31). POWERED BY WOMEN: Violinist Esther Yoo is turning heads with her talent, and she debuts with TFO on Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto (Nov. 16-18 with Sunday matinee). And how often does this happen? The conductor, composer and soloist are all women: Guest conductor Gemma New leads TFO’s own violinist Sarah Shellman as soloist in Anna Clyne’s The Seamstress (April 12-14 with Sunday matinee). In the Raymond James Pops series, check out Women Rock, a tribute to the women who changed rock ‘n’ roll forever (March 2-3). How to Compose Your Own series: Choose from 23 classical and pops programs at ComposeYourOwn.com. (Service charges apply.) Get single tickets at floridaorchestra.org or 727.892.3337 and 1.800.662.7286. The orchestra regularly performs at the Straz Center in Tampa, Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, and Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater. Submitted by Kelly Smith September 2018

On Our Cover On our cover this month we have the Higgins family Beau, Elizabeth, Casey, Jimmy, Connor and Cooper.

Beau and Elizabeth met in D.C. when he was in Marine Corps training and she was a teacher. They soon fell in love and were married. What followed was a life of a career army family , living in places as far as Guam, North Carolina, California, Alabama,and Maryland. While Elizabeth and the children stayed stateside for most of the time, Beau served 3 tours in Iraq, 3 tours in Afghanistan one in Bosnia and one in Somalia. After 25 years in the Marine Corps he retired as a Colonel and now heads up Veteran recruiting for Amazon. During all those moves Elizabeth remained a teacher, having to lose seniority and recertify in every state they moved to. With all that sacrifice, she is as dedicated to her career as Beau was to his. So how did they end up here? From 2009-2012 they were stationed in Florida and fell in love with the Tampa area, the whole family knew that this was home. Knowing that retirement was not too far away (Beau retired in 2014) they purchased their home in FishHawk Ranch and rented it out until they were able to return for good.

Beau is also involved with the Travis Manion Foundation. Travis was a Marine in the 1st Recon Battalion deployed to Iraq in 2007 with Beau. Before deployment a friend had joked about injuring himself so he would avoid being stationed overseas but Travis said, If not me, then who? I am trained for this and I should be the one to go.” Tragically Travis was killed during that deployment by an enemy sniper and his family wanted to honor his legacy. The Travis Manion Foundation was born and strives ‘to empower veterans and families of fallen heros to develop character in future generations.’ The (/11 Heros Run is being held here in FishHawk Ranch on September 15th starting at 8am. ‘The 9/11 Heroes Run 5k +1M fun run/walk welcomes runners, ruckers, and walkers of all levels and of all ages. Events take place all over the world, on or near September 11th, and are 100% organized by local community volunteers. It is the perfect opportunity for your community to personally come out and thank your local veterans, their families, and first responders in an annual, fun, and family-friendly environment!’ Consider joining your community on Sept. 15th, registration is open up to the beginning of the run. Go to www.travismanion.org/communityengagement/911-heros-run/2018-lithia-fl/ for more information and to sign up.

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Estrella Publishing - Fish Hawk Living magazine

September 2018

So far in 2018 The Brenda Wade Team has...

SOLD 43 listings in Fishhawk Ranch SOLD the TOP 5 sales in price per square foot in Fishhawk Ranch SOLD 14 homes over $500,000 in Fishhawk Ranch, no other agent has sold more than 5 Closed 26 buyers in Fishhawk Ranch

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5738 CIRCA FISHHAWK BLVD

15920 SORAWATER DR

5207 GRANITE RIDGE DR

5807 DUNLINWOOD LN

Office 813-655-5333 Direct 813-924-8677 Brenda@BrendaWade.com Estrella Publishing - Fish Hawk Living magazine www.BrendaWade.com September 2018

School Zone

On August 10th, 2018 Newsome will begin its sixteenth year as one of the premier high schools in Hillsborough County. There will be many and exciting and informative events scheduled throughout the school year. As the academic leader of Newsome High School, I request your help in making sure our students are in class every day. The importance of attendance directly reflects on the student’s success. Therefore, I highly encourage that when making appointments for your students that you take into consideration using time before or after school. I would like to remind parents that absenteeism and signing students in and out consistently may have an adverse effect on your student’s academic process. I also encourage each student to be challenged Welcome Back to The Greatest School on Earth! New Ringmasters opened the show at Bevis Elementary for the 2018 – 2019 school year. The theme this year at Bevis Elementary is “The Greatest School on Earth” and Rebecca Thoms, Principal, and Dr. Diane Levy, Assistant Principal, were excited to welcome back staff, students and families in a spectacular way! Close relationships with a community are so important to the success of schools and Bevis staff felt the support for our school in a big way during pre-planning week. Bevis PTA, Taco Yolo, and FishHawk Fellowship provided wonderful meals and YardCards R Us helped welcome Bevis students back with a beautiful sign in front of the school. Coming soon, students will begin participating in many unique after-school opportunities such as Chorus, Orff, Handbells, TIVITZ, Chess Club, Art Club, Running Club, Math Leagues and more! The Bevis PTA is also planning many fantastic opportunities for families to be involved this year with exciting Spirit Nights, Academic Events, as 10 Estrella Publishing - Fish Hawk Living magazine

academically. Newsome offers many Honors, advance Placement, and Dual Enrollment Courses. I encourage all student to take advantage of these opportunities. I look forward to sharing in the success of our students in the classroom as well as within our extracurricular activities. I also want to thank all of the Newsome staff, faculty, students, parents and community for your continued support. Again this year Newsome is recognized by U.S. News and World Reports as one of the top performing schools in the Nation and we once again earned an “A grade” by the Florida Department of Education. In the land of the wolves, Carla Bruning Principal, Newsome High School well as coordinating the many ways to involve parents in volunteer activities at school. Bevis Elementary celebrated the success of students last year as 88% of students in third through fifth grade scored a 3 or higher on the ELA (reading and writing) portion of the FSA, 93% scored a 3 or higher in the math portion of the FSA, and 85% of our 5th graders scored a 3 or higher on the Science portion of the SSA, earning an overall “A” school grade for the 2017 – 2018 school year. With a continued focus on the research of Growth Mindset in the classroom and looking at new and exciting ways to ensure academic and social growth for every student, Bevis students will continue to “Step Right Up” to success! Becky Thoms Principal Bevis Elementary

September 2018

New start times highlight changes in Hillsborough Schools As more than 200,000 students return to class, now is an important time to remind everyone about some changes coming for the 201819 school year in Hillsborough County Public Schools. These changes were approved by our School Board months ago after extensive community input. First, the new school year started on Friday, Aug. 10. A Friday does seem like an awkward day to return, but there’s a reason for it. It is the earliest date allowed by the Florida Legislature, and starting then allows us to preserve a full week off for Thanksgiving break while also completing the first semester before winter break. Our students and teachers have told us that completing a semester (and semester exams) before the long winter holiday is what’s best, so we structured our calendar to meet their needs. We want to make sure parents pay special attention to new bell schedules in place throughout our district. There are some specific exceptions — so check with your school — but most schools will operate on these schedules: • Elementary: 7:40 a.m.- 1:55 p.m. (12:55 p.m. on Mondays) • Middle: 9:25 a.m. - 4:20 p.m. (3:20 p.m. on Mondays) • High: 8:30 a.m. - 3:25 p.m. (2:25 p.m. on Mondays) • Magnet Elementary: 8:45 a.m. - 3 p.m. (2 p.m. on Mondays) • Magnet Middle and High: 8:30 a.m. - 3:25 p.m. (2:25 p.m. on Mondays)

• This new schedule was the number one choice in parent, student, staff, and community surveys. • The new schedule matches guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which recommends high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. • This change allows us to more efficiently use our school buses, with 80 percent of our buses now able to serve three schools rather than 60 percent before. All campuses open 30 minutes before the first bell for free breakfast and a range of enrichment activities. Affordable before- and after-school care is also available at schools throughout our district. This will be a significant change for our system and for our community, with traffic patterns expected to shift throughout the county. However, the overall need to do what is best for student learning and improve efficiency drove this significant shift, guided by extensive community input. You can confirm your school’s bell times and check out before- and after-school care options at our district website, sdhc.k12.fl.us. Our district’s motto for the coming year is We Climb Together, and we look forward to a great 2018-19 school year filled with high student achievement. Chris Farkas, Deputy Superintendent, Hillsborough County Public Schools

We made these changes for several reasons: • Before this change, about 12,000 students were transported to school late every day because the schools’ start times were too close together. Estrella Publishing - Fish Hawk Living magazine

September 2018

Make it Med Trending Tastes Mediterranean-inspired cuisine

Just like forward-thinking culinary artists, many at-home chefs seek out the next trendy flavor to provide friends and family gathered around the table. When pondering which trend you’ll dive into in the future, consider incorporating tastes from an especially influential international location - the Mediterranean Sea region. Considered by the experts at Les Dames d’Escoffier International (LDEI) in the organization’s 2018 Trends Report to be one of the most influential parts of the world on the American food scene, flavors from the Mediterranean Sea focus on a diet heavy on fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, seeds and nuts. Take this Hummus recipe, for example, which involves processing a host of beans, seeds and seasonings to create a light, smooth dip to serve with anything from vegetables to crackers. Because the fare is typically lighter, small bites and salads such as this Tomato, Feta and Basil Salad provide easy-to-prepare versions of Mediterranean cuisine. Incorporating vegetables (tomatoes and basil) along with the salty, milky flavors of feta cheese makes the salad a distinctly Mediterranean dish.

chapters across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Mexico, is highly diversified and reflects the multifaceted fields of contemporary gastronomy and hospitality. Find complete 2018 Trends Report survey results and expert panel insights by contacting info@ ldei.org. For more information, visit LDEI.org or find LDEI on Facebook. Tomato, Feta and Basil Salad Recipe courtesy of Beth Vlasich Pav of Cooking by Design, LLC, on behalf of Les Dames d’Escoffier International Servings: 15-20 8 medium size tomatoes, sliced into 1/8-inch strips 1 block (8 ounces) feta cheese, sliced into 1/8inch pieces 2 small packages fresh basil, leaves picked off stems 3 teaspoons sea salt 2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper 1/4 cup olive oil On large platter, arrange slices of tomato and feta so they overlap. Place basil leaf between each tomato and Feta slice. Repeat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. Serve immediately.

As trends continue changing, growing and spreading, the experts at LDEI continue to provide updates from the food world. LDEI is a worldwide philanthropic organization of professional women leaders in the fields of food, fine beverage and hospitality. The invitation-only membership, composed of 2,300 women in 40 12 Estrella Publishing - Fish Hawk Living magazine

September 2018

With the new school year underway, we know school security is top of mind for every parent of school aged children in the Fish Hawk area and all of Hillsborough County. It should be.

included elaborate and extremely life-like drills at Hillsborough County schools over the summer. I’m proud of the hard work they’ve put in, and will continue to put in, to look out for your kids. We are working hard every single day to make sure kids are safe in the classroom, but we can’t do it alone.

I implore every student, parent and school staff member to reach out to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office right away if you have a concern Keeping your kids safe at school is a priority for or question that relates to school security. We me as your top law enforcement officer and as a fellow parent. I want you to know the Hillsborough need your eyes, ears and instincts. You’ve heard the saying, “If you see something, say County Sheriff’s Office has trained roughly 300 something.” That notion is more important than security professionals and counting in advance ever in the world we live in today. I’m asking of the 2018 school year. Most of them work for for your support and awareness to ensure that HCSO. These men and women are skilled and each and every one of our schools stays safe. truly care about your children’s well-being. They Let’s work together, as a team, so that every know precisely how to handle any active threat child is protected and thrives in our excellent and will be posted at every Hillsborough County Hillsborough County classrooms. school. They know how to read early warning signs and spot a bad guy before a situation Chad Chronister, Hillsborough County Sheriff escalates. Our deputies will run towards the danger immediately and put themselves in harm’s Danny Alvarez, Chief Communications Officer way for the sake of your child. Their training has

Estrella Publishing - Fish Hawk Living magazine

September 2018

Puzzles & Games 3

5 3 7 6 9 8 2

6 9 4 3 8 5 7

7 5 2 9 3 4 1

1 6 3 7 2 9 8

9 4 1 8 5 7 6

3 2

4 1

Sudoku Solution 7

Numbers from 1-9 must appear only once in each row, column and box. Good Luck! Solution is on our website www.EstrellaPublishing.com

Sudoku for September

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