TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Hard Work On The FCAT Appetizing For Wiregrass Ranch High Students

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 15, 2009

WESLEY CHAPEL - If Wiregrass Ranch High students needed any extra incentive to work hard on last week's FCAT, the aroma of hamburgers sizzling on an outdoor grill may have done the trick.

Parents and school employees served up a special barbecue meal Thursday to hundreds of students who gave their best effort on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

"I'm excited," said Nicholette Clark, 15, a sophomore who expressed gratitude that FCAT was over and mealtime had begun. "I love food. It's really cool of Mr. Bonti."

Mr. Bonti is Principal Ray Bonti, who donned an apron to help grill the burgers. He said Wiregrass Ranch High tries to create a family atmosphere for the students, so the barbecue was about more than the FCAT.

"It's about the opportunity to celebrate with the kids," he said.

Freshmen and sophomores took the FCAT math and reading exams on Tuesday and Wednesday. Juniors took the science exam Thursday.

"I thought it was really easy," said sophomore Heather Ford, 16. "They told us it was going to be hard so it wasn't like I expected."

Ronnie Blair

Longtime Pastor Plans Retirement

PLANT CITY - The longtime pastor of Plant City's largest church has announced his retirement.

The Rev. Ron Churchill will deliver his last sermon at First Baptist Church of Plant City on Easter.

Churchill has been First Baptist's pastor since 1988, when he moved from First Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Ga.

Under his leadership, the church moved from downtown to a larger campus at 503 N. Palmer St. in 1993 and in recent years purchased acreage at 3309 S. James L. Redman Parkway for another possible move.

Churchill, who turns 66 next month, will not be idle after delivering his Easter sermon April 12 and will not be far from the church he has served for more than two decades.

He will teach at Evangelical University and Seminary, an interdenominational, Bible-based educator training school that opened in 2007 and is headquartered on First Baptist's campus.

George Wilkens
City Seeks Name For New Lake

EAST TAMPA - Neighborhood residents are considering potential names for a retention pond on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard that is being fashioned into a small lake.

Last year, the city opened Fair Oaks Community Lake next to Fair Oaks playground on 34th Street. It was the first of three pond transformations supported with property taxes collected within the East Tampa redevelopment area bordered by Hillsborough Avenue, Interstates 275 and 4, and Tampa's city limits.

Suggested names for the Martin Luther King project will be accepted through April 15. Among planned amenities at the retooled lake are benches, a bicycle rack, an exercise course and walking trail, and an aerator system.

In recent months members of the aesthetics and beautification subcommittee of the East Tampa Community Revitalization Partnership have worked with city officials to craft guidelines for naming or renaming landmark projects such as the community lake.

This project is the first test of those guidelines. Work on the $1.5 million project on Martin Luther King between 17th and 19th streets is expected to be completed by June.

Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio and city council members will make a final decision on the name choice.

Kathy Steele

Fence Issue Electrifies Board

SULPHUR SPRINGS - Members of a city board want proof the owner of Sunshine Tires has tried other security measures before it considers allowing the business to install an electrified fence.

They also want to see Tampa police reports supporting the contention that there is a crime problem at the tire store at 8634 Nebraska Ave.

Board members asked if the shop owner had considered less-intensive security measures such as alarms or guard dogs.

"What was the reason you went immediately to the fence?" board member Randy Baron asked at a hearing last month. "Electrified fence is the ultimate in security."

A follow-up hearing at which the board is expected to render its decision has been scheduled for April 16.

The owner's representative, Steve Michelini, has told Tampa's variance review board the shop has lost inventory to thieves. "He's trying to protect his livelihood," Michelini said.

People who oppose the fences maintain they are ugly and a hazard for unwary residents, including children, who accidentally might touch them.

Kathy Steele

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT