Bloomingdale/FishHawk
C E L E B R A T I N G
46
March 2019 Volume 18, Issue 3 Ph: 657-2418
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Y E A R S
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P U B L I S H I N G
Lithia Residents Find Perfect Home With HGTV House Hunters By Kate Quesada
C O M M U N I T Y
N E W S
Local Teachers Receive County-Wide Recognition At Annual Awards
By Kate Quesada
Three local teachers received well-deserved recognition recently through the Excellence in Education Awards from the Hillsborough Education Foundation and Hillsborough County Public Schools. Sandra Misciasci, a reading teacher at Newsome High School, received the group’s 2019 Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year; Scott Hottenstein, social studies teacher at Barrington Middle School, was a finalist in the Teacher of the Year category; and Jordan Luke Harris, custodian at Stowers Elementary School, was a finalist for the Instructional Support Employee of the Year category. According to Hannah Resendiz, Communications and Public Relations Coordinator with the Hillsborough Education Foundation, 686 teachers and staff were nominated in the three categories and 13 nominees were chosen as finalists. “The 13 finalists represent the best of the best in Hillsborough County Public Schools,” said Resendiz. “The Foundation is proud to support the district in the promotion and fundraising of this event. We can not emphasize enough how important our teachers are and the tremendous impact they have on our students, so this is a night when we honor them.” Nominees for the awards are chosen at their schools and applications for each nominee are then passed on to the district. The district staff then reviews all applications and identifies those requesting to participate in the district-level competition. Those applicants are reviewed by individual Award Selection Committees
Harris
and the 13 finalists are chosen. The finalists are interviewed by the superintendent and the finalists selection committee and the winners are announced at the annual Excellence in Education Awards event. “The awards selection committee is made up of members of the Principal Councils, Supervisory Council and district staff subject matter experts,” said Resendiz. “The finalist selection committee, consisting of district staff and representatives from the Hillsborough Education Foundation and award sponsoring companies, interviews each finalist and selects the awards winner in each category.” “The awards event recognizes all Hillsborough County Public School employees who demonstrate a passion for excellence in education,” said Resendiz. For more about the Hillsborough Education Foundation, visit www.educationfoundation.com.
Hottenstein
Misciasci
In This Issue RELAYS FOR LIFE ................................PG 4 NEW CALENDAR OF EVENTS..............PG 5 BUSCH GARDENS FOOD & WINE .......PG 9 TOOTHLESS MONSTER.....................PG 10 THE PIGEON AT GLAZER...................PG 12 PEDAL POWER .................................PG 13 SPORTS CONNECTION...............PGS 32‐33 CHALKLINES .....................................PG 30 MOTORING ......................................PG 39
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A Lithia famiwas everything ly made its my children and national televiI wanted and sion debut last needed and that month after an our search was exciting move. over.” Franka Potter The team and her four chilfilmed for five dren were feadays and, tured on HGTV’s according to popular television Potter, the post show House production, editHunters finding ing, approvals their new home and script took in FishHawk. eight months to Potter, who complete. was moving to “The show the Tampa area was like the from the British icing on the Virgin Islands cake,” she FishHawk resident Franka Potter and her family were following a said. “We were recently featured on HGTV’s House Hunters. divorce from her able to docuhusband of 15 years, was approached by ment this beautiful, exciting and new her realtor asking if she would be interest- experience. It was a joy for the children ed in being on the show. and their new friends as well.” “I said yes, and everything went from Potter and her family moved into the there,” she said. home July 1, 2018 and are so far very When looking for a house happy there. in the Tampa area, Potter told “The schools are amazing,” her realtor that she would like she said. “The parental involveto find a beautiful, safe home ment is amazing. There are with four to five bedrooms, amazing facilities with low two to three bathrooms, an open-plan livturnover rates, beautiful scenery and we ing room, yard and home office in a great even have a beautiful peacock family of school district, as her children range in eight birds living close by.” age from 6 to 14 years old. The family can be found enjoying the “I started out looking at three commu- nature trails and visiting the shops, nities in the Wesley Chapel area; while restaurants and activities in Brandon. they were beautiful, they did not meet the “I enjoy the lakes and the waterways, exact needs for my family,” said Potter. as they remind me of island life in the “My realtor asked if I was willing to travel Caribbean,” said Potter. a little further as she thought Lithia would To learn more about House Hunters provide all I wanted and more as a newly and the schedule of showings, visit single mom. On the first visit, I knew it www.hgtv.com.
P O S I T I V E
Bloomingdale’s Relay For Life event will take place at the school’s track, located at 1700 E. Bloomingdale Ave. in Valrico, from Friday, April 26 at 6 p.m. through Saturday, April 27 at 6 a.m. Newsome High School, located at 16550 FishHawk Blvd., is one of the few 18 hour Heritage Events and will start at 12 Noon on Saturday, March 30 and end at 6 a.m., Sunday, March 31. See Full Story on Page 4.
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