LOCAL NEWS

HORNET CLOSET

Haines City High students no longer have to go without clean clothes, hygiene items, or school supplies, thanks to a project spearheaded by IB Resource Specialist Morgan Hammett. Earlier this school year, Hammett began noticing students who were wearing the same clothes several days in a row, or who were carrying stacks of books because they didn’t have a backpack. In August, she began collecting donations of clothing, shoes, deodorant, backpacks, jackets and other items. By December, she’d collected enough to open the Hornet Closet inside the HCHS media center. To support the Hornet Closet, contact morgan.hammett@polk-fl.net.

PIRATE INVASION

On Friday, February 12 a world-renowned daredevil Nik Wallenda will “walk the plank” 60 feet in the air from inside LEGOLAND® Florida Resort to the new LEGOLAND® Pirate Island Hotel. Park and hotel guests are invited to take part in the fun by watching this nail-biting stunt safely from the ground. This one-time-only event will be no “walk in the park” for the Wallenda Team as they will construct a high wire longer than 500 feet for the walk. They will also work closely with LEGOLAND® Master Model Builders to craft LEGO® bricks onto Wallenda’s 28-foot balance pole. This daring demonstration is the first event in a year-long celebration for the park’s 10th birthday.

VACCINATION SITE

Polk State College’s Lakeland Campus was the location of Polk County’s first drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination site on Tuesday, January 12, 2021. Through its partnership with the Florida Department of Health of Polk County and Polk County Board of County Commissioners, Polk State provided the use of the Lakeland Campus parking lot for mobile vaccination services. During the day-long event, 1,000 individuals aged 65 or older who had preregistered for appointments received their first doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. It is expected that the College will continue to be a location for mobile vaccination.

GRAD RATE INCREASE

Polk County Public Schools’ graduation rate jumped to 86.5 percent last year, a record high, even as seniors faced unprecedented challenges due to the pandemic. The district’s latest graduation rate was a 5.3 percentage point increase from the previous year (81.2 percent in 201819), according to the Florida Department of Education. Polk County’s 14 traditional public high schools had an average graduation rate of 91.6 percent in 2019-20, an increase of 2.8 percentage points from the previous year (88.8 percent in 2018-19). Many of these traditional public high schools outperformed the statewide graduation rate of 90 percent.

VACCINE PORTAL

Florida Department of Health Polk County’s vaccination registration web portal is up. It’s here where you create an account for a future vaccine appointment. The state’s allocation plan is based on a phased approach while the vaccine doses are in limited supply. Polk County is directing the first vaccinations to high-risk health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities at the highest risk of contracting COVID-19, as well as any person over the age of 65. (863) 298-7500, call center hours are Mon-Fri: 8am - 5pm, Sat & Sun: 8am - 2pm. You can also visit register.polk.health.

CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations are extended to Mayor Brad Dantzler and Mayor Pro Tem Nathaniel Birdsong who were both selected at the January 11, 2021 Regular City Commission meeting to serve another year in their positions.

SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH

A group of citizens has been chosen to help narrow down the possible candidates for the next top leader of Polk County Public Schools. A special school board meeting was held in January where 36 people were selected to serve as members of the Citizens Screening Committee. The committee is tasked with reviewing the applications of people interested in becoming the next PCPS superintendent and identifying the top candidates who meet the necessary qualifications and qualities to fill this important job. The committee’s list will then be sent to the school board for consideration. See the complete list at polkschoolsfl.com.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Polk State College Students Petal McKenley and Nehemiah Charles were honored Wednesday during the Polk State College’s 17th annual MLK Celebration as this year’s recipients of Dream the Dream scholarships. They were recognized for their academic achievements, community service, and inspiring stories during the event, which took place virtually for the first time in its history. They will each receive scholarships worth up to $500 through the Polk State College Foundation.