Old Kings collects 10,000 Box Tops

Palm Coast Observer
Neighbors

Old Kings Elementary PTO held its first Box Tops Collection effort for the 2013/2014 school year during August and September and collected over $1,000 in funds for the school, thanks to more than 10,000 Box Tops.

One of the biggest collectors was Landry Bradford, a kindergarten student in Liz Cabral’s class. He helped contribute more than 1,000 Box Tops alone. How did he accomplish collecting so many Box Tops for his school? His mother, Stephanie, said it was a family effort.

“Landry's nana waits for the items with bonus Box Tops to hit the shelves, and then she stocks up,” the proud mother said. “Landry saved all his Box Tops over the summer, and his nana helped him save over the summer, too. His great-aunts and great-grandmother saved over the summer as well. Landry can spot a Box Top in the grocery store from a mile away.

“His first goal was to save 500, and then once we achieved that goal, he set a new goal of 1,000," Stephanie Bradford said. "Needless to say, when we did our final count, he was overjoyed to have collected 1,100 with the help of our extended family.”

FTI Employee Adrienne Harvey appointed to the Florida Board of Cosmetology
Adrienne Harvey was appointed to serve on the Florida Board of Cosmetology by Gov. Rick Scott. Her appointment is from May 31, 2013 to Oct. 31, 2016.

The Board of Cosmetology is responsible for licensing and regulating cosmetology. In order to be considered for this appointment, candidates must apply with the Governor’s Appointment Office and meet specific requirements.

“Adrienne’s passion and commitment to her career as a cosmetologist and educator at Flagler Technical Institute has earned her this ... appointment,” said Sharon Kochenour, program manager of cosmetology, facial and nail specialist programs at Flagler Technical Institute. “I am extremely proud of how she continues to strive to make our cosmetology program at FTI one of the best, not only for our students and staff but for our community as well."

Harvey was also named the Teacher of Year for Adult and Community Education.

Bunnell Elementary prepares for Fall Festival
Bunnell Elementary School students are preparing for the school’s annual Fall Festival 5-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11. Teachers will run booths; there will be cake walks and cookie hops, face and hair painting, pumpkin bowling and pumpkin golf.

There will also be bounce houses and obstacle courses. Drinks and food will be on sale, prepared on the grill by Principal Richard Dupont. The Bunnell Fire Department will also be there handing out Halloween bags and special guest Wendy, from our local Bunnell Wendy's, will also be there handing out her own treats.

Entrance is free, but tickets to participate in events are 50 cents apiece. Most booths range are 1-2 tickets.

Princess Place Biodiversity projects wins State Farm Youth Advisory Board Grant
The State Farm Youth Advisory Board awarded a total of $230,354 to four Florida organizations to support youth-led, service-learning based projects.

The Princess Place Preserve Biodiversity at Matanzas High School was one of those four projects, earning a $47,500 grant.

The project deals with environmental responsibility. The students lead, manage and actively engaged in all aspects of research while also creating all educational materials based around biodiversity at the Princess Place Preserve.

Throughout the school year, students will research and inventory the biodiversity of life at the1,500 acre preserve/nature classroom. They also document any threatened or endangered species, and report back to the community for support.

Matanzas High School introduces interactive music to ESE students
Matanzas High School’s Exceptional Student Education program now includes hands-on interaction.

Last month, one of ESE teacher Sandra Oliva’s student teacher assistants had an idea to bring her trombone to the ESE class to see how the students would respond to the music. Not only did Larisa Kupiszky, an 11th-grader who wants to be a neurologist, play for the students, she gently put the student’s hands on the instruments so they could feel the vibration of the sounds. The room, usually full of noise, went silent.

Ninth-grader Emily Tartaglia also brought her mellophone to play, and the students loved it.

“Our ESE students are medically fragile, and many have visual, hearing, or cognitive impairments,” Oliva said. “We have a student teacher assistant program, which provides positive interaction with peers, peer advocates and even buddies. So when I saw the reaction of my students when they were interacting with the music students and their instruments, it brought tears to my eyes.”