Town-Crier Newspaper May 20, 2016

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MEET THE 2016 VALEDICTORIANS AND SALUTATORIANS FROM PBCHS AND RPBHS SEE STORIES, PAGE 3 THE

TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE

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INSIDE

Wellington Council Honors Former Vice Mayor John Greene

Volume 37, Number 21 May 20 - May 26, 2016

Serving Palms West Since 1980

BUBBLES & BOUQUETS BENEFIT

The Wellington Village Council thanked former Vice Mayor John Greene last week for his four years of service on the council. He was honored as an advocate for education, crime prevention, fiscal responsibility, job creation and greater transparency in government. Page 7

Grandmaster Gustavo Pope-Guerriero Receives Eighth-Degree Black Belt

Grandmaster Gustavo PopeGuerriero of Xtreme Tae Kwon Do was promoted to the rank of eighth-degree black belt on Saturday, May 14 at Ultima Fitness in Wellington. The presenter was Grandmaster Patrick Petitjean, a ninth-degree black belt. Pope-Guerriero achieved the rank after years of training and instruction in martial arts. Page 7

Honor Flight Veterans Return Home To A Patriotic Welcome

Southeast Florida Honor Flight brought 20 World War II veterans and 61 Korean War veterans to Washington, D.C., on Saturday, May 14. They returned to Palm Beach International Airport after a long day visiting memorials. This marked the first trip where there were more Korean War veterans than World War II Veterans. Page 17

OPINION Hurricane Preparedness Week: Are You Ready For Storm Season?

With the start of hurricane season just days away, the week of May 15-21 is Hurricane Preparedness Week. There are a few guarantees which are part of life in South Florida as we approach the end of May: the summer months will be hot, the rain will happen daily like clockwork, and the threat of hurricanes will be front and center on the minds of all who live here. Be sure that you and your family are ready. Page 4

DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS................................. 3 - 9 OPINION.................................. 4 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 8 PEOPLE................................. 13 SCHOOLS.......................14 - 15 COLUMNS...................... 16, 23 BUSINESS......................24 - 25 SPORTS..........................29 - 31 CALENDAR............................ 32 CLASSIFIEDS................ 33 - 36 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

The second annual Bubbles & Bouquets, to benefit Petals With Purpose, was held Sunday, May 15 at the Binks Forest Golf Club. Five couples competed in a floral arranging contest with flowers from Wellington Florist after guests enjoyed a brunch by Aaron’s Catering of the Palm Beaches and desserts by Tami’s Tasti Treats. Shown here are Petals With Purpose board members Liz Mabry, Steve Halbrook, Brittany Agro, Ryan Smallwood and Kimberly Loux. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 19 PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER

ALA Handing Over Acreage Incorporation Effort To PAC

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Acreage Landowners’ Association has conducted a series of meetings for residents who might be interested in supporting an incorporation effort for the community. The final meeting will be a presentation by Florida League of Cities Director of Membership Development Lynn Tipton on Tuesday, June 14 at 7 p.m. at the Indian Trail Improvement District office. That will be the last presentation put together by the ALA, but a new political action committee to move an incorporation effort forward, Preserve the Lifestyle of the Acreage Now (PLAN), has formed. That group will meet for the first time on Wednesday, May 25 at 6:30 p.m. at the Acreage library. ALA President Lillian Hall said

members have become concerned about the effectiveness of the current agreement with Palm Beach County called the Neighborhood Plan, and are taking advantage of a clause in the plan that refers to annexation or incorporation. “It talks about incorporation or annexation and letting [residents] decide if and when they want to do something about it,” Hall said. “And with all the development that’s occurring, we thought now would be a good time to bring it up and see if residents are interested in doing either of those things.” The ALA has hosted several speakers, including Loxahatchee Groves Councilman Ron Jarriel, a former opponent of incorporation who now serves in municipal government; a speaker from the county on annexation; a county code enforcement official; and County Engineer George Webb,

who spoke on anticipated traffic issues due to new development. “We invited Lynn Tipton down from Orlando, who will be giving us unbiased information about the pros, cons and process of incorporation,” Hall said. Since annexation was mentioned in the Neighborhood Plan as an option, the ALA had a person from the county talk about the process of voluntary and involuntary annexation. “We were a little concerned that perhaps we would be annexed by Minto,” she said. “It was quite a relief to learn that they can’t do it.” The ALA had Jarriel speak on incorporation at its February meeting. “He had opposed incorporation for Loxahatchee Groves, and now he’s a staunch advocate, so we thought that he could provide both See PLAN PAC, page 18

Wellington Foundation Aims To Help Residents In Need By Jason Stromberg Town-Crier Staff Report The newly revitalized Wellington Community Foundation will hold its first fundraising event on Thursday, June 2 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Wellington home of Dr. Edward and Maria Becker. It is an event that will open a new chapter in the history of the nonprofit organization, currently chaired by former Wellington Mayor Tom Wenham. Created in 2009, the Wellington Community Foundation was originally envisioned as a nonprofit community service arm of the Village of Wellington, led by the Wellington Village Council. However, new rules have since been put in place that forbid elected officials from raising money through such an entity. After years of discussion, the foundation was handed over to a community-run board last year. Since then, Wenham has been working with attorney Mickey Smith, secretary of the foundation, to expand the nonprofit’s board and develop its mission.

“From my perspective, the foundation would have died without Tom Wenham’s leadership,” Smith said. “His relentless desire to give back to the Village of Wellington inspired me to help him.” With a new board coming together, Wenham sees bright days on the horizon. “I’m very pleased with the

positive spirit of the board of directors,” Wenham said. “I’m so proud to be a part of this wonderful group.” Joining the board in recent months are treasurer Maria Becker, Wellington Regional Medical Center CEO Robbin Lee, TownCrier Publisher Barry Manning, See FOUNDATION, page 4

Wellington Community Foundation — Board members include: (front row) Mickey Smith, Karen Cavanagh, Robbin Lee and Barry Manning; and (back row) Tom Wenham, Maria Becker, Maggie Zeller and Jim Sackett. Not shown: Ken Adams. PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER

WHS Fire Academy Graduates First Class Of Cadets By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington High School’s Fire Science Academy held its first graduation ceremony on Friday, May 13, honoring seven pioneering students leading the way for many more to follow. “Welcome to the first of what we know will be many annual events of this nature,” WHS Principal Mario Crocetti said. “It seems like just three months ago, but it has really been three-and-a-half years, that Jim Marshall and I were discussing the idea of bringing a fire science academy to Wellington High School. Once we made that decision, it was Jim who ran with it.” Crocetti thanked Palm Beach State College and the School District of Palm Beach County for their support, partnership

and encouragement. “We’ve had amazing instructors for our students, and all the cadets will agree to that,” he said. PBSC instructors typically work with post-high school students, but shifted gears to work with those just entering high school, Crocetti said, extending his thanks to the entire fire-rescue community in Palm Beach County. “Thank you for taking a chance on us,” he said. “This was absolutely new three years ago — untested. It had never been done in Palm Beach County before, and you put your faith in us. And I hope we’ve delivered.” Marshall presented the first graduating class, which was led in by the Palm Beach County FireRescue Pipes & Drums before the Pledge of Allegiance. “I’m an educator who came into See FIRE GRADS, page 18

CHAMBER BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARDS

The Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Business of the Year Awards on Saturday, May 14 at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington. Shown here, master of ceremonies John Carter of Minto Communities and Chamber Chairman Thomas Bean of FPL honor Carol O’Neil of CEO Financial Services as Chamber MVP of the Year. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 9 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Local Observances On Memorial Day In Wellington, RPB By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report This year, Memorial Day will be observed on Monday, May 30. Observances honoring those who paid the ultimate sacrifice will be held in both Wellington and Royal Palm Beach. Originally called Decoration Day, Memorial Day began in the years following the Civil War, honoring those who died in that conflict, and later all the wars that followed. Sgt. Tomas Coles-Reyes, an Air Force Vietnam veteran, was discharged in 1972. He had been drafted in 1970 and took the exam necessary to be in the U.S. Air Force. “When I came home, there was nothing put in place for any of us,” recalled Coles-Reyes, a guest speaker at this year’s observance

in Royal Palm Beach. “I was an orphan when I went into the military… I left with nothing, and I came back with nothing.” Homeless for two years upon returning, Coles-Reyes went to college for a degree in social work, and he has spent more than 30 years working with veterans and their families. He became involved with veterans’ organizations, including with the Stand Down House, when he moved to Florida. In 2010, he started Vets Place Inc. (www.vetsplacewpbfl.org) in West Palm Beach. He also works with the Palm Beach County Veterans Coalition. “For the last five years, I’ve been on a committee to bury homeless veterans,” Coles-Reyes said. “Most of the time, I am by See MEMORIAL, page 4

Wellington Landings Program Puts Focus On Tech

Choice Coordinator Michael Samarel and Principal Blake Bennett in one of the technology classrooms.

PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER

By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report When Wellington Landings Middle School Principal Blake Bennett noticed that many of her students were not as technologically savvy as others, and with technology skills becoming in ever-higher demand, she sought a way to help. The result? The school’s PreBusiness Information Technology choice program. Several years ago, after her first year on the job, Bennett noted that the school did not have any choice programs. She started looking into pre-business programs, realizing that all of her students must learn how to keyboard, since all of their assessments are computer-based. “I wanted to make sure that we

can measure what the children know, not how fast they can type,” she explained. Many of the literacy standards also encompass multimedia approaches, where students need to know how to present, speak, listen and do so in a multimedia approach for the Florida State Standards for literacy. “I need to make sure I’m on top of that. Not only can my kids type, they need to know how to use Word. They need to know how to use Excel. They need to know how to use Publisher and PowerPoint, because otherwise they’re going to be thwarted in being able to do all of these multimedia approaches to the speaking, listening and presenting parts of the literacy standards,” she said.

Bennett explored what would align with high school programs and noticed that many of her students participate in marketing programs in high school. To benefit them in the future, the Information Technology choice program was born. In sixth grade, students spend half the year learning keyboarding, then learn various Microsoft programs in the Keyboarding and Computer Applications class. In seventh grade, the students focus more on applications. New for the 2016-17 school year, seventh-graders will also have the opportunity to earn an industry certification. In eighth grade, a high school credit course is offered in which students take See IT ACADEMY, page 4


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