2012-13 Teacher of the Year: A List of Finalist Contenders

On Friday, Jan. 18, the finalists for Hillsborough County’s 2013 Teacher of the Year are scheduled to be announced with “surprise patrol” visits at their schools. Here’s the list of contenders from Hillsborough’s public schools.

  Who will get surprise visits this week at work, signifying their selection as finalists for the 2013 Teacher of the Year award in Hillsborough County? The selections will come from the list below (see who earned the honor at your neighborhood school). According to Roselle Cronan, marketing manager for the Hillsborough Education Foundation, "surprise patrols" are set to visit schools Jan. 18 to announce this year's Teacher of the Year finalists. ______________ What To Know About Hillsborough's Teacher Of The Year Program ______________ 2013 Teachers of the Year at Hillsborough Public Schools

• Photos (1)

Firings, Demotions Sought After Probe Into Rodgers Middle School Student’s Death

Superintendent of schools MaryEllen Elia calls for two firings and the demotion of both the principal and assistant principal after a three-month investigation into the death of Jenny Caballero, a Rodgers Middle School student with Down syndrome.

  A three-month investigation into the drowning death of Rodgers Middle School student Jenny Caballero has resulted in Superintendent MaryEllen Elia calling for the firing of a teacher's aide and an exceptional student education attendant and the demotion of the school's principal and vice principal. Hillsborough County Schools Superintendent MaryEllen Elia announced her recommendations at a Jan. 9 press conference at school district headquarters. She said she wants the district to fire teacher's aide Terrance Sowa and ESE attendant Patricia Tobin and to demote Principal Sharon Tumicki and Assistant Principal Shawn Livingston. Her announcement was made after a "thorough investigation" by the district's Professional Standards Department …

• Photos (1)

School Safety: Beefed-Up Security Planned for Local Schools

In the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school shootings, local law enforcement officers will be at the ready at Hillsborough County elementary schools as students return to classes after the winter break.

  As elementary school students throughout the Greater Brandon area head back to school Jan. 7, so, too, will sheriff's deputies and Tampa police officers be in attendance at Hillsborough County schools. And they’ll stick around until the end of the school year as well. “School safety is the utmost priority,” said Lt. Chad Chronister of the sheriff’s office’s community outreach division. With 91 elementary schools in unincorporated Hillsborough County alone, Chronister said the sheriff’s office will have its work cut out for it, but it’s up to the challenge. “We have a great sheriff,” he said. “He doesn’t care what it costs . . . just get it done. We’re going to do whatever it takes." Hillsborough deputies aren't alone in their quest to …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Principal Mark West Leaves Bloomingdale To Head Armwood High

Armwood High welcomes a new principal. Mark West leaves his post at Bloomingdale to head the school in Seffner. A new principal for Bloomingdale is expected to be named in January.

  When students, teachers, coaches and staff return to Armwood High after the winter break, Mark West will be in charge, as the newly named principal of the 28-year-old school off U.S. Highway 92 in Seffner. West left the same post at Bloomingdale High, where he served as the 25-year-old school's third principal, after Charley Harris and B.J. Stetler. Armwood opened in September 1984, brining much-needed relief to Brandon High School, which at the time was toying with triple sessions to relieve a burgeoning student enrollment. The school opened with Lyle Flagg, who came from Brandon to serve as Armwood's charter principal. The football field is named in his honor. Other past Armwood principals include Evelyn Hughes and Doug Erwin. Armwood'…

• Photos (1)

What Grade Did the State Give Your High School?

The Florida Department of Education each year awards state grades for public high schools. See how your school fared among Hillsborough County's comprehensive high schools, which collectively received 13 A's,10 B's and 4 C's.

State Grades Show Challenge for Higher-Need Title I High Schools

Four of Hillsborough’s public high schools in 2012 received a "C” grade from the Florida Department of Education. At each of the schools, more than 70 percent of the students qualified for a free or reduced-price meal.

  Hillsborough County’s seven public high schools with the lowest percentages of children qualifying for a free and reduced-price meals received “A” grades from the state this year, "based in large measure on results from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) in reading, math, science and writing. Included in that top seven were Bloomingdale, Durant, Newsome and Riverview. In contrast, five of the county’s six public high schools with the highest free- or reduced-lunch rates received “C” grades from the state — the exception being Middleton, which also has a magnet school program drawing students to the school from other areas of the county. All six schools qualify for Title I funds. Middleton received a “B” grade from the state…

• Photos (1)

When Do Hillsborough Schools Close for Winter Break?

What days do kids get off for winter and spring breaks and holidays? Early release is when? Parents and students can plan ahead with this chart. So, too, motorists who will find streets less crowded around schools during morning commutes.

Hillsborough Superintendent Elia Sends Safety Message to School Employees

School employees received a telephone message from Hillsborough County Superintendent of Schools MaryEllen Elia concerning safety measures in place following the Newtown, Conn., massacre. Parents were sent a similar message.

  Hillsborough County's superintendent of schools, MaryEllen Elia, sent a telephone message to school-based employees aimed to alleviate fears or concerns they might have concerning school safety in light of the school shooting massacre in Newtown, Conn., on Friday, Dec. 14. Here is the text of the supeintendent's message to school employees, sent Dec. 16: Hello, this is superintendent MaryEllen Elia, calling to talk about going back to schoool on Monday in light of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the 20 children who lost their lives at Newtown on Friday, as well as the teachers, the principal, the pyschologist and the staff who literally gave their lives protecting the…

• Photos (1)