Education Spotlight

It’s no joke to make online threats

The #ItsNoJoke awareness campaign is aimed at addressing school threats made by students in Florida, as these threats can result in felony charges. The campaign further seeks to educate youth and parents that threats of violence include statements made anywhere online.

The number of Florida youth charged with school threat-related offenses has risen steadily in the last three years. In Fiscal Year 2016-2017, 629 youth were charged with school threat-related offenses, followed by 687 youth in Fiscal Year 2017-2018, and 779 youth in the Fiscal Year 2018-2019.

Making threats, even if it is in jest, can have serious consequences. Youth, parents, and teachers are encouraged to report any and all threats they see or hear. You can notify law enforcement or report a threat anonymously through Florida’s FortifyFL App or the SaySomething app. Please watch the following video to learn more about #ItsNoJoke.

www.tiny.cc/ItsNoJoke

Pinellas teacher named Spectrum Bay News 9 A+ Teacher of the Year

Vickie Tarantino, a teacher at Eisenhower Elementary, was selected as Spectrum Bay News 9’s first A+ Teacher of the Year. Tarantino was one of more than 50 teachers honored as A+ Teachers last year, and she was one of seven nominees for A+ Teacher of the Year.

Tarantino was nominated by one of her fifth-graders, Bailyn Hagadone. Bailyn and other students said Tarantino has changed their lives and that she goes out her way to help them grow personally as well as academically.

To view the Spectrum Bay News 9 profile on Tarantino visit www.pcsb.org.

Students head to D.C. after winning a regional competition

Students from James B. Sanderlin IB World School won the regional competition of the 2020 Regional Future City Competition. There were 24 teams representing multiple school districts from the Tampa Bay area. The Sanderlin team will now travel to Washington, D.C. to compete in the national competition. scale model; a project plan, and a presentation to judges at Regional Competitions in January.

Future City is a flexible, cross-curricular educational program that gives students an opportunity to do the things that engineers do—identify problems; brainstorm ideas; design solutions; test, retest and build, and share their results. This process is called the engineering design process. With this at its center, Future City is an engaging way to build students’ 21st-century skills.

Future City is an engineering competition that poses a question to sixth, seventh and eighth-graders: how can you make the world a better place? The students then imagine, research, design, and build cities of the future that showcase their solution to a citywide sustainability issue. Past topics include stormwater management, urban agriculture, public spaces, and green energy. This year’s topic is Clean Water: Tap into Tomorrow.

Participates must complete five deliverables: a virtual city design (using SimCity); a 1,500-word city essay; a

Clearwater High named Model School For the fourth time in seven years, the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE) has named Clearwater High School a Model High School. Clearwater High is being recognized for uncommon innovation through creating a growth mindset culture that utilizes the school’s DNA and student efficacy.

As a result of the Model Schools designation, Clearwater High be highlighted at the annual Model Schools Conference this summer in Orlando. At the conference, school leaders will share how rigor, relevance and relationships are paramount to providing a culture that truly prepares students to be college and career ready. Hundreds of schools apply each year for the Model Schools designation, and approximately 20 are selected.

FAMILY LIBRARY The children’s book, “The Runaway Egg” shares God’s true love story. We Floridians are surrounded by the created beauty of God. His love bursts through in our gorgeous waters, beaches, landscapes and skies! And His relentless passion for us was fully displayed in His son, Jesus. Long, long ago we chose our own way leading to epic failure for all generations. But Holy God could not let us go. He reached out and made the way back to Him. Personally, I am a local author who’s lived in Pinellas County for 27 years while raising three kids into adulthood. Over time, through various writing opportunities and working with children and adults, God has continually pressed on my heart the need to communicate Biblical truths in understandable and fun ways. Nancy Nickel Local Children’s Book Author

In “The Runaway Egg,” a special egg escapes from an Easter egg hunt and goes on a wild adventure. We follow the egg on its extraordinary journey and discover the hands that ultimately receive its forever treasure. It’s a message for all ages!

Little and Big Kids Alike–

Do you ever feel alone? Unloved? Overwhelmed? Confused by circumstances or by information overload?

I’ve been in that battle and had to dig my way back to the foundation of life – God’s incredible love for us.

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I would love to meet you at an upcoming local book signing. The next event is: Saturday, March 30th, 11:00 A.M until 1:00 P.M. Barnes & Noble in Sarasota 4010 South Tamiami Trail

“The Runaway Egg” is available at BarnesAndNoble.com (and in some stores), Amazon.com, and Christianbook.com.

Please contact me at NancyJNickel@outlook.com for any community, school, or outreach opportunities.

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BOOK SMART BONDING

by Sarah Cole, Glazer Children’s Museum “One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish.” When I think these words, I hear them in my father’s voice. During my childhood, we spent nearly every night working our way through our library of Dr. Seuss stories. Those nights provided me with great memories, and set me on the road to a love of reading and learning.

March is the birth month of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. To celebrate his birth, the National Education Association is promoting the Read Across America program. The goal of Read Across America is to have every child in the country spend time reading with an adult.

So, what is it about reading with an adult that is so important?

Children who see their parents reading are much more

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likely to read for pleasure as they get older. Students who read for pleasure tend to be better readers and writers and to score better on tests. A recent study has shown that children who grow up in homes with many books obtain on average 3 years more schooling than children in homes with few or no books, regardless of parental education level, occupation, or socioeconomic status.

The importance of reading goes far beyond school success. Reading with children is an important bonding moment. It says to your child that despite your busy day, you want to take time to focus on him or her for a while. Reading with a child provides a great opportunity for a close snuggle on the couch.

Here are some tips to make the most of reading with your kids!

1 Be interactive. Point out pictures, ask questions and encourage your child to ask questions. Questioning during reading helps build reading comprehension and also nurtures curiosity.

2 Learn about each other. Take a trip to the library or a bookstore. Introduce your child to your favorite books, and look for new titles that appeal to your little one.

3 Make it fun! Silly voices, props, puppets and costumes can all make reading extra fun. If your child has a flair for the dramatic, consider putting on a play of favorite books, or allowing him or her to make sound effects.

4 Reading isn’t just for bedtime. For parents who work odd hours, bedtime books aren’t always an option. Try reading over breakfast, or have an older child read aloud to the family during the commute!

5 Keep a spare book handy. Stuff a few books in the car, your bag or even in the trunk. These books may come in handy during summer traffic jams or while waiting for a table at a restaurant.

Q: Some friends of ours are talking about possibly adopting a child. Honestly, my wife and I have never thought about doing that. But I’ve heard you’re a big proponent of adoption, and I’m curious as to why.

Jim: Let’s do some name-dropping: Babe Ruth. President Gerald Ford. Steve Jobs. Dave Thomas (the founder of Wendy’s). These were all successful people, but they also share the distinct privilege of having been adopted.

I spent a year in the foster care system myself, so I know what it means to be an orphan. I also know the stability and nurture a loving adoptive family can provide a child.

That’s why I never forget that there are thousands of children across the country and around the world who have the same need for a family to bring them into their home, to love them and to show them their worth. Adopting a child is a serious responsibility, but the rewards are priceless. And

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ADOPTION CA N POSITIVELY CHA NGE THE FUTURE OF A CH ILD IN NEED

FocusOnTheFamily.com. And if you’d like to read some inspiring stories, I highly recommend a book by my friend Paul Batura titled “Chosen for Greatness: How Adoption Changes the World.”

it can make all the difference in the life of a young person in need—literally changing their entire future.

Not every adopted child will grow up to be a head-of-state like Nelson Mandela or the founder of a Fortune 500 company like Steve Jobs. But it’s hard to overestimate the lifelong impact that growing up in a loving, adoptive family can have on a child. We all need love, a sense of worth and the security of knowing that we belong. Without the gift of adoption, many children will grow up without those things.

For more information about helping an adopted child to thrive—or coming alongside a family that has adopted—visit

PAR ENTS CONCERNED THA T DAUGHTER HA SN’T ACC EPTED THEIR VALUES

Q: Our daughter is finishing high school and will soon “leave the nest.” We’re concerned that she doesn’t seem to be enthusiastic about the values we’ve tried to teach her. It’s discouraging to us as parents—but is it too late?

Jim: I think all of us, as parents, struggle at some point with this kind of concern. Here’s my advice: Be patient. You’ve planted the seed and watered it. Now comes the tough part—waiting for it to take root and grow.

Let me share a story. A few years back, my family and I were driving through open farmland. My son, Trent, asked, “Hey, Dad, why aren’t the farmers out working?” He was expecting to see tractors and combines rumbling through the dirt, and rows of crops sprouting up along the endless miles of fields. But since the planting season had just ended, the landscape of empty fields didn’t tell the whole story. I explained to my son that before the farmers could harvest a crop, they had to be patient and wait for the seeds they had planted to take root and grow.

Parents face much the same challenge, and it’s easy for discouragement to settle in when we don’t immediately see the results we’re hoping for. But, like a farmer, you can’t force a seed to grow. It must be nurtured and given the right nutrients for it to have its best chance of taking root on its own. For a child, that includes patience, firm and healthy boundaries,

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As a parent, you do what you can while your child is under your roof. I’ll presume that you’ve communicated and hopefully modeled the values you want your daughter to emulate. Now it’s up to her. Her decisions as a budding adult might not always be the ones you’d prefer. But even if that seed seems dormant for now, under the right conditions it can still sprout and grow.

THE POWER OF THE WORDS WE SPEAK

Changing Lives

Q: I’m getting married soon. My fiancee and I thought it would be good to ask various people—family, friends and experts—for their best marriage tips. What’s your advice? you down trails you never intended to go. That’s why it’s important to put up strong fences early on in your relationship to guide you in what you should and shouldn’t say to one another.

Greg Smalley, Vice President, Family Ministries: There are many things I could say, but let me go with this: Your chances for a successful marriage increase substantially when you both agree to temper the ways you speak to each other.

Have you ever noticed the power of the words we speak? They can build up and heal our relationships, or they can tear them down and destroy them. Careless words are like runaway horses. Once they’re out in the open, they’ll lead

One of the most effective boundaries for protecting a relationship is removing talk of divorce from your conversations at all costs. It’s not wise for couples to threaten an end to their marriage as a tactic for getting their way. Every marriage encounters disagreement at times. But if you allow yourself in the heat of an argument to raise the possibility of divorce, it suddenly becomes a “real option.” Instead, make up your minds in advance that, come what may, divorce is absolutely off-limits. It’ll motivate you to find other ways to settle your differences.

Trouble will come to your relationship— that’s just part of being human. But take “divorce” out of your vocabulary and work on finding other opportunities for resolving the issues you face.

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HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO THE MISTAKES IN PAR ENTING

Q: How can I deal with my shortcomings as a parent? I love my family dearly and do my best, but I feel like I make a lot of mistakes with my kids. When imperfection happens, I have learned to ask myself four key questions:

1. What happened (from both my perspective and my child’s)?

Danny Huerta, Vice President, Parenting and Youth: Parenting has a way of sometimes highlighting our imperfections. Thankfully, being a good parent doesn’t mean having to be a perfect parent. In fact, true success in parenting is about how you learn from and respond to the mistakes you inevitably will make. 2. What can I learn from what happened?

3. What will I do differently next time?

4. What’s my next move to reconnect with my child and move forward?

As I’ve worked through these questions in specific parenting situations, I’ve also developed more and more empathy

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and understanding for other parents— including my own.

Along the way, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to continue learning grace, forgiveness, humility, love and patience through my role as an imperfect dad. Even though we can drive each other nuts sometimes, as a family we’ve also come to understand one another at a very deep level, and that fosters genuine empathy and connection within our home.

You can become a better parent by taking advantage of specific parenting tools (like our organization’s 7 Traits of Effective Parenting Assessment, which you can find at FocusOnTheFamily.com/ parenting). Find out where your strengths

with Jim Daly lie and maximize those. Learn what your weaknesses are and work to shore those up. And, as should be the case in every area of life, be ready to apologize and repair when needed. Q: My daughter is a great kid, but she doesn’t always see her own value. I believe in her; still, I sometimes have trouble communicating that to her. How can I build my child up? Danny Huerta, Vice President, Parenting and Youth: Who and what we become is generally impacted by many people. Let’s talk about three types of “builders” your child needs: investors, influencers and encouragers. Who are the investors in your daughter’s life? These are people who contribute their time, money, talents and advice. I had several coaches during my teen years who invested time in me. For example, I was awful at tennis in high school, but one coach believed in me and took time to help me become a better player. I eventually won a tennis scholarship my second year of college, because someone invested in me. How about the positive influencers in your daughter’s life? These are wise life decision-makers your daughter admires and trusts. They teach and model good examples. These may include friends, siblings, teachers, coaches, mentors and, of course, parents. Who are encouragers in your daughter’s life? These individuals’ words propel us forward, reminding us of our value, purpose and direction. (Unfortunately, many of tend to pay more attention to the critics.) When I was in high school, my principal stopped me one day and said, “You’re going to be a great leader someday.” Those were profound fueling words. He may not remember that moment of encouragement, but I’ll never forget it. INVESTORS, INFLUENCERS AND ENCOURA GERS

I urge you to commit to consistently investing in your daughter, positively influencing and persistently encouraging her along the way. And remind her to not give critics too much “microphone time” in her mind.

On a related note, Focus on the Family has developed a suicide prevention resource called Alive to Thrive (alivetothrive. focusonthefamily.com). It’s a free and excellent resource to equip those who invest in, influence and encourage young people. I urge you to use this to help your community move in a healthier direction. Every life is important and precious!

Jim Daly is president of Focus on the Family, host of the Focus on the Family radio program, and a husband and father of two.

MARCH 2, 2020 WWW.TRINITYCOLLEGE.EDU

And The Award Goes To… by Paul Asay, pluggedin.com Welcome, welcome everybody. Don’t trip on the red carpet on the way to your seat. You all look very fine indeed, what with those tuxedos/ evening gowns/sweatpants you’ve donned for this very, very special occasion. We’re talking about the Plugged In Movie Awards, of course. It’s a ceremony far more lavish than the Oscars… or would be, if we had the time and, well, any money at all. Still, as you can see from the footage from the ceremony, we do our best. 2020 Plugged In Movie Awards:

pluggedin.com

Plugged In’s award-winning website and reviews are designed to shine a light on the world of popular entertainment while giving families the essential tools they need to understand, navigate and impact the culture in which they live.

BEST MOVIE FOR KIDS

BEST MOVIE FOR TEENS

The Nominees: Abominable; Aladdin; How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World; Klaus; Toy Story 4 Plugged In’s Pick: Toy Story 4 Did we really need another Toy Story movie? I mean, weren’t the first three good enough? Those were, admittedly, questions I was asking when I walked in to review Pixar’s newest film. But Pixar proved that there was another toy story to be told— one that asked some serious questions of its own. Toy Story 4 proved to be both an existentialist rumination and a wildly fun, clean kids’ flick—not an easy combo to pull off. But, to paraphrase Buzz Lightyear, it did it in style. The Nominees: Avengers: Endgame; Blinded by the Light; Harriet; Little Women; Togo Plugged In’s Pick: Harriet We didn’t overload this category with fourquadrant blockbusters this year as we often do. Even so, the race for the Teens’ title was stacked. Endgame was a fitting climax to a more-than-decade-long saga. Little Women is a Best Picture contender at the Oscars. Blinded by the Light and Togo were great pics in their own right. But in the end, we went with Harriet, the inspirational, faithrich biopic about Harriet Tubman. This wellcrafted film shines a light on someone who deserves it—educating and entertaining its audience at the same time.

BEST MOVIE FOR ADULTS

BEST CHR ISTIAN MOVIE

The Nominees: 1917; A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood; The Farewell; A Hidden Life; Just Mercy Plugged In’s Pick: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Every year, this is the category that we Plugged In staffers argue over more than any other. Some fought for 1917, the resonant World War I drama, even though it has some pretty difficult content to wade through. Others argued for A Hidden Life, Terence Malick’s beautiful story of faith and principled resistance. But A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, a semi-fictionalized snapshot of Mister Rogers, ended up taking the prize. As Plugged In Director Adam Holz said, it’s a rare picture that you walk out of that makes you want to be a better person. And that’s what this film does.

The Nominees: Breakthrough; Jesus is King; Overcomer; The Pilgrim’s Progress; Unplanned Plugged In’s Pick: Unplanned For the first time in the history of the Plugged In Movie Awards, we decided to honor an R-rated film—and oddly, it came in the Christian category. This impactful, harrowing and at times difficult-to-watch drama unpacks one woman’s journey from abortion provider to pro-life advocate. The latest polls suggest that the United States is more accepting of abortion than ever: If more people watched Unplanned, those stats might change.

Your Pick: Aladdin Y’all didn’t like Toy Story 4 as much as we at Plugged In. Perhaps it was the spork. No matter: You gave Disney’s live-action Aladdin remake your highest grade, with the final chapter in the How to Train Your Dragon saga flapping into second place.

Your Pick: Tie, Avengers: Endgame and Little Women Your choices could not be more different from each other… and yet they’ve got some strange similarities going for them, too. Both feature time-honored, diverse characters that clash with each other at times, but who still care for one another when the chips are down. Both films stress sacrifice, determination and love. Both come with hard-earned happy endings. Only one, though, features a gigantic bedazzled glove that could destroy the universe.

Your Pick: 1917 The British war drama has picked up tons of honors this awards season, so why not add one more? This film is a fascinating blend of an intimate portrait—that of two soldiers making their way through the war’s horrific No Man’s Land—told on a sprawling canvas. It’s really effective as a movie and surprisingly impactful as a story. It shows us that, even in the most deplorable conditions, we can—and must—still try to do the right thing.

Your Pick: Unplanned You were equally moved by this tricky story, with Overcomer sliding into second place. A few folks were wondering why Silence, God’s Not Dead 3 and Do You Believe didn’t make our list of nominees. The answer: Those films weren’t released in 2019.