* #I TnR ETNhD eI N GK n o w
Foundation funds new Beacon programs
Leading students into uncharted waters Sometimes, teachers need to think outside the box…and the classroom. Just ask Leesburg High School teacher Tessa Clark. To help her advanced placement (AP) environmental science students prepare for their final exam in May, she is allowing them to test the quality of water at Lake Louisa State Park, Leesburg Canal Street Waste Water Treatment Facility, and Bourlay Historic Nature Park. Tessa secured a $2,000 grant from the Lake County Water Authority and purchased wastewater treatment kits, biological factor kits, nitrate water test kits, and digital soil test kits. Her students tested the water in February.
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lakeandsumter
.com
Beacon College in Leesburg has received a $50,000 grant from the David R. Clare and Margaret C. Clare Foundation to boost career-readiness programs for students with learning differences (LD) through a residential experience. The grant allows the college to launch its innovative First Career and postgraduate Beacon Certificate programs. “The Clare Foundation has assumed a leadership role in advancing Beacon’s vision of a superior undergraduate institution that will understand an obligation to benefit the society beyond the boundaries of our campus,” says Dr. George J. Hagerty, president of Beacon College. It’s estimated that 20 percent of graduates from Beacon or LD students from other institutions may boost their chances of thriving personally and professionally with a postgraduate-mentored living, learning, and employment program. Participants will get that with First Career, a two-year communal experience, where members live together, engage in service and learning opportunities, and attend weekly group sessions with other residents. They also will work full-time entry-level jobs provided by JP Morgan, JetBlue, Sea World, Disney, and other Beacon national corporate partners.
TAVA R E S
Rock the boat It’s a beautiful March day in Tavares. A great blue heron stands statue-like on the banks of Lake Dora while a great bald eagle spreads its wings and soars overhead. The sun’s rays shine down on shiny, sleek wooden boats displayed in water and on land, stretching as far as the eye can see. This scene becomes reality when the Sunnyland Antique Boat Festival makes its way to Wooton Park March 24-26. More than 200 boats will be displayed, making the event the largest antique and classic boat show on America’s East Coast. The types of boats on display include historic boats built before 1918; antique boats constructed between 1919 and 1942; classic boats built between 1943 and 1975; and contemporary boats manufactured from 1976 to the present.
