District Dispatches

OCPS has earned Silver Level status as a 2021 Florida Green Ribbon School District from the U.S. Department of Education.

Part of Florida’s Green School Network, the initiative recognizes Florida school district efforts to reduce environmental impacts and costs; improve the health and wellness of students and staff; and provide effective environmental and sustainable education.

The district was one of six in the state to receive the honor. OCPS Environmental Compliance and Sustainability named the following schools as the top 2020-21 OCPS Green Schools with monetary awards:

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• First place: Millennia Gardens

Elementary - $5,000 • Second place: Stone Lakes

Elementary - $3,000 • Third place: Westpointe

Elementary - $1,000

For more on their individual sustainability projects, visit OCPS Green on Facebook or @OCPSGreen on Twitter.

OCPS has started a new program, Nourish to Flourish, to thank employees for helping to ensure our students have promising and successful futures. In collaboration with a generous donor, the OCPS Mental Health Commission is providing a $25 Nourish to Flourish gift card as a wellness boost each week through the end of the school year to a randomly selected staff member.

Congratulations to the following staff members whose names were pulled in October*:

• Avanish Jagial, Social Studies teacher at Jones High • Julie Bender Martinez, registrar at Westpointe Elementary • Teresa Russell, fifth-grade teacher at Wolf Lake Elementary All OCPS employees are automatically entered into the drawing. Gift cards will be delivered to the lucky winners by district Student Services team members or a member of the Mental Health Commission.

This gift is just a small way to boost your individual wellness needs as you are encouraged to pay attention to our physical; emotional; behavioral; cognitive; interpersonal; spiritual; and professional needs. Julie Bender Martinez

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Avalon Middle will be honored this month by the U.S. Department of Education as a 2021 National Blue Ribbon School at an award ceremony in Maryland. It earned the award as an Exemplary Achievement Gap-Closing School, being among Florida’s highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school’s student groups and all students.

OCPS students will be able to apply in the spring for the 4R Black Youth Scholarship Program by 4R Restaurant Group, operator of 4 Rivers Smokehouse and The COOP, and 4Roots. This inaugural scholarship program aims to make higher education more affordable for Black students in Florida.

Scholarship funds will be raised from collecting a percentage of proceeds from sales made every Martin Luther King Jr. Day at any 4R Restaurant Group restaurant. Last year, 4R Restaurant group raised $20,000, which will be distributed in $5,000 amounts to the Foundation for OCPS; Bethune Cookman University; Florida A&M University School of Law; and Valencia College.

What do students experiencing homelessness; scholarships; arts and mentoring programs; teacher supplies; and your favorite school all have in common? You can support them – and more – through OCPS Gives.

OCPS Gives is our voluntary employee giving campaign. You can support any OCPS school, program or department through the Foundation for OCPS, in addition to the following: Heart of Florida United Way; United Arts; A Gift for Teaching; and United Negro College Fund. Make a one-time gift or use payroll deduction to maximize your impact. Together, we can make a BIG difference.

For questions, call the Foundation at

OCPS is one of six school districts across the nation in cities former basketball player Shaquille O’Neal has lived in. As such, O’Neal and Mission Tiger chose OCPS to receive a $100,000 grant from Mission Tiger to help fund sports programs, equipment and other needs. The three OCPS middle schools that will benefit are:

For more about Mission Tiger, and how you can help donate, visit www.missiontiger.com.