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DR. FALCONETTI

Governor Ron DeSantis announced in early August Polk State College President Dr. Angela Garcia Falconetti’s appointment to the Education Commission of the States alongside Florida Department of Education Senior Chancellor Dr. Henry Mack. Falconetti and Mack will represent Governor DeSantis and Florida Department of Education Commissioner Manny Diaz as an extension of the state’s education policy team. The Commission comprises seven members from each state and territory. In most states, these appointees include the governor, four individuals appointed by the governor, and a representative from each chamber of the state’s legislature.

FORBES’ LIST

Polk County Public Schools has been named on Forbes’ 2022 list of America’s Best Employers for Women. PCPS ranked 58th on the national list, which identifies companies that “support women inside and outside their workforces.” To compile the rankings, Forbes said it partnered with the market research firm Statista and surveyed 50,000 Americans (30,000 women and 20,000 men) who work for organizations with at least 1,000 employees. Respondents rated their employers on criteria including working conditions, diversity, and how likely they’d be to recommend their workplace to others.

ROTARY PARK

Rotary Park is one of Winter Haven’s busiest parks, and the City is excited to announce that it will undergo a series of upgrades. These upgrades will include a newly renovated playground, park restroom, and resurfaced parking lot. During this time, parts of the park will be closed including the playground and restrooms. A restroom building will be constructed adjacent to the sand volleyball court and playground area. This will be a new feature at the park to serve park patrons. It will feature two restrooms and a cooling water fountain with a water bottle filler. The main parking lot located off Lake Martha Drive NE will be resurfaced.

TEACHERS

In August, 381 teachers showed up for a free Teacher Pop-Up Market. Polk County Public School Liaisons, Steve Warner and Betsy Cleveland, collaborated with the leadership team at Freedom Tour to give teachers free supplies for their classrooms. Teachers walked away with bags full of classroom decorations, pens, notebooks, hand sanitizer and so much more. While supply drives are popular for students, it’s rare to see an event that’s all about equipping teachers with the supplies they need to give their students the best year ever.

BRICK-OR-TREAT

Monsters are taking over LEGOLAND Florida Resort! Families will be screaming in excitement as they enjoy more candy, more LEGO characters, and more spell-binding surprises than ever before at Brick-or-Treat. Creating inclusive experiences for families during their visit is a resort priority no matter the season. As a Certified Autism Center, LEGOLAND Florida will also be designing Brick-or-Treat specific sensory guides for families and will offer alternative treats, available through Guest Services. Team members will also be equipped with Halloween-specific information related to autism sensitivity and awareness to better understand the needs around the celebration.

BUCCANEERS

Mulberry High kicked off the football season with a special visit from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers! The Panthers scored big with a $250,000 grant to help offset the cost of the new synthetic turf field at the school’s Phosphate Bowl stadium. The grant was awarded by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers through the NFL Foundation Grassroots program – a partnership between the NFL Foundation and LISC, the nation’s leading community development support organization. Since 1998, the NFL Foundation has granted nearly $58 million to revitalize playing fields in underserved neighborhoods.

AEROSPACE

UCF student and Winter Haven High grad Perla Latorre-Suarez has been named among “the most promising graduate students in the world who are likely to change the aerospace industry.” Latorre-Suarez is featured in this year’s list of 20 Twenties award winners presented by Aviation Week Network. She was selected from 82 student nominees from around the world who were recognized for their academic performance, civic contributions, and the value of their research or design project. Latorre-Suarez graduated from WHHS in 2016 and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in aerospace engineering at UCF.

KEEPING IT 100

One hundred percent of last year’s graduating class earned their IB diploma at IB Bartow. It was the first time in IB Bartow’s 26-year history that the school achieved a flawless pass rate — and that’s a very big deal. International Baccalaureate is one of the world’s most rigorous and prestigious programs available to students. It’s tough to get accepted, it’s even more difficult to complete the program while earning a regular high school diploma, and obtaining the IB diploma adds another level to the challenge. According to the IB organization, just under 86% of IB students earned their diploma last year. Bartow was at 93% in 2020-21 and then perfect last year — literally keeping it 100, as the kids might say.