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Cimino Gets Close To Critters

Tribune photo by D’ANN LAWRENCE WHITE

Cimino Elementary School students pose in front of the new Cougar Creatures Vivarium sign for a photo prior to the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

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By D'ANN LAWRENCE WHITE

dlwhite@tampatrib.com

Published: March 29, 2009

VALRICO - If the first day of spring wasn't cause enough to celebrate, students at Cimino Elementary School were given two more reasons to rejoice.

Students gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the school's new living habitat and to hear their principal, Deborah Talley, make the formal announcement that their school had been named a 2009 Florida State School of Character, the first Hillsborough County school to receive that honor.

"It's been an exciting month here," Talley said as she prepared to help cut the ribbon for the $10,000 living habitat, a screened structure funded by the Cimino PTA that will be home to an assortment of bugs and flowers. "We were very surprised to hear we'd been named a State School of Character. It's quite an honor."

The award is presented annually by the Washington, D.C.-based Character Education Partnership. Each year, the partnership honors schools across the country that have outstanding character education initiatives, student behavior, school climate and academic performance. Winners receive grants of up to $10,000, said Linda Cobbe, spokeswoman for the Hillsborough County School District.

Talley was quick to give credit to Cimino guidance counselor Debbie Minichbauer for undertaking the lengthy application process to nominate the school.

The partnership received applications from 185 public and private schools from across the nation. Twenty-seven were named national finalists. Ten national winners will be named in May. Cimino Elementary was among 28 schools receiving honorable mentions.

Three Florida schools, Aventura City of Excellence School in Aventura, Fuguitt Elementary School in Largo and Seminole Elementary School in Seminole, were named national finalists. Endeavour Elementary Magnet School of Technology in Cocoa and Sarasota Middle School in Sarasota also received honorable mentions.

"We're very proud to represent Hillsborough County," Talley said.

She noted that the newly opened living habitat goes hand-in-hand with many of the values emphasized at the school, including respect, responsibility and caring.

The PTA began the project, named Cougar Creatures Vivarium, last year under the chairmanship of PTA board member Christine Oliver.

The morning of the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Oliver and her husband were attending to last-minute details while 50 monarch and painted lady butterflies she had released into the habitat were still slumbering.

In the coming weeks, Oliver will introduce caterpillars and ladybugs so students can study the stages of metamorphosis through child-friendly magnifying glasses strategically located throughout the habitat.

Reporter D'Ann Lawrence White can be reached at (813) 657-4524.

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