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Lunch At Columbia Rewards FCAT Achievers

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By NEIL JOHNSON

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 3, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - You can choose a sandwich and salad most days in the cafeteria at Boca Ciega High School, but never anything like this.

Sixty students from the Gulfport school sat down to Cuban sandwiches and the signature 1905 Salad from the Columbia Restaurant in St. Petersburg on Tuesday, their reward for scoring 5 out of a possible 5 on some portion of the FCAT.

That was just part of the reward, though. They dined across town at the Columbia, looking over the water through glass walls on the fourth floor of The Pier. They also rolled there in a convoy of limousines.

The event was organized by Boca Ciega Principal Paula-Gene Nelson to honor students who performed well in reading, math and writing on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

"We told them before the FCAT last year, as an incentive for doing well, they would have this lunch," Nelson said.

For many, it was their first ride in a limo; for others, it was their first visit to the storied restaurant with its fourth-floor view through glass walls of the inverted pyramid known as The Pier.

"It feels pretty good," said sophomore Andres Cardenas-Rivas as a slab of Cuban bread was placed on a plate by an apron-clad waiter. He was talking about his first time at the restaurant, first limo ride and of getting scores of 5 on the reading and math portions of the state-mandated examination.

Next to him, Anais Griffin, another sophomore, said she didn't expect to score 5s on math and reading but just forced herself to get rid of the butterflies during the test.

"I'm proud, because a lot of my friends made it," she said.

Shay Tracy, a junior, remembered being told there would be a reward for snagging a top score, but not this. "I thought it would be a little lunch. I didn't know it would be this extravagant," he said. "It makes me feel smart."

Tracy, who also played junior varsity football when preparing for the test, planned his strategy for the writing portion, preparing a basic structure and deciding on the number of supporting paragraphs and the opening.

"It all came together. When you're writing you have to know what you're talking about," he said.

In addition to the lunch and limousine rides, the students got a visit from Miss Florida, Sierra Minott, who stopped at each table to chat.

The restaurant offered a break on the lunch price, but it still cost about $850. The students had company, too, including district administrators and St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker and Gulfport Mayor Mike Yakes.

Money for the tab came from a grant the school received through a partnership with Florida Blood Services, Nelson said.

Vehicles and drivers were donated by three St. Petersburg-based companies: Gulf Coast Limousines, Bryant Luxury Transportation and Escalade Limousine.

For junior Menachem Jessurun, the lunch was gravy for the high scores, said his mother, Monique Jessurun, as her son boarded one of the six limousines at the school.

"If he passed with flying colors, he would get a PlayStation 3," she said.

Getting the highest possible score qualified as flying colors, she said. "He really wanted that PlayStation."

Reporter Neil Johnson can be reached at njohnson@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7731.

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