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Crafts show set for December By Kevin Weiss kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
With a new venue in place, the 37th annual GFWC Lutz Arts & Crafts Show promises to be “bigger and better than ever.” The show — one of the most popular events in Hillsborough County — will be on Dec. 3 and Dec. 4 at Keystone Prep High School, 18105 Gunn Highway in Odessa. After last year’s show was cancelled due to a sinkhole at Lake Park, the GFWC LutzLand O’ Lakes Woman’s Club scrambled for about three months to find a new permanent venue location. The club signed a five-year contract with Keystone Prep to hold the festival on the school’s property, which spans over 60 acres.
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The 37th annual Lutz Arts & Crafts Show will be held on Dec. 3 and Dec. 4 at Keystone Preparatory High School in Odessa.
“We’ve got a lot more room,” said club chairwoman Faith Sincich. Other possible venues — Land O’ Lakes
Community Center and the Florida State Fairgrounds — were also explored. “Our club really banded together,” said Kay Taylor, art show director.“We have 100 members, and we had people from the whole club check out venues.” The club is hoping for a “smooth transition” in the show’s first year at Keystone Prep. “We’re trying to anticipate every single hiccup that can happen,” Sincich said. The show director agreed. “We know we have more to address,” Taylor said, “because the county provided things like dumpsters and electricity.” After the show’s cancellation in 2015, See CRAFTS, page 13A
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A banner outside of Lutz Preparatory announces the ‘President Palooza.’
18920 N. Dale Mabry Hwy Ste 101 Lutz, FL (Corner of Sunlake & Dale Mabry)
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The voting booths were very busy as first-grade students cast their votes.
Lutz Preparatory hosts ‘President Palooza’ The Laker/Lutz News Staff Report
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ELECTION
2016
Staff writers with The Laker/Lutz News will be out and about at polling sites on Nov. 8, finding out what’s on the minds of voters as they cast ballots in a momentous presidential election, and also make choices in state and local elections. A story on the election will be published in the Nov. 16 edition of The Laker/Lutz News.
First-grade students at Lutz Preparatory School spent some time during this election year learning how the process of voting works and learning about biographies. On Oct. 28, students dressed as historical Americans and presented their biographies to classmates and families. Some of these included Theodore Roosevelt, George Washington, Betsy Ross, Susan B. Anthony and Amelia Earhart. On the same day, the students had an opportunity to enter voting booths and cast a vote for favorite school subject, favorite food and the reward the first graders would get for reaching their academic goal on the NWEA (assessments used to measure academic progress) testing in December. The “President Palooza” enabled the students to experience that everyone’s vote counts. Votes were tallied and displayed in a bar graph on the school fence.
Lexa VanHuele presents her report on Amelia Earhart.
First-grade teacher Theresa McMeen, as Betsy Ross, heads into the voting booth.
Learning Gate dishes up a garden party By Kathy Steele ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
Learning Gate Community School threw a garden party and invited its friends. More than 80 parents, local garden club members and community leaders shared a luncheon feast in a glade beneath the branches of an ancient oak tree. A short stroll away, fifth-graders guided lunch guests on a tour of the school’s working garden. Kindergarteners through fifth-graders also entertained at the luncheon with songs about nature and Mother Earth. The annual event, in its third year, brought the school family and the community together to take a peek at what Learning Gate is all about. “It’s so nice to see people come into our world and see what we’re doing here,” said Principal Michelle Mason. Learning Gate abides by the motto, “Nature is our best teacher,” and has received a national award for its EcoFest, held each year at Lowry Park Zoo. “It’s kind of like a secret, a hidden jewel here,” said Michelle Northrup, marketing and parent involvement facilitator.“Our students work in the garden everyday.We do a lot of projects, based on hands-on learning.”
KATHY STEELE/STAFF PHOTOS
D.J. Rivera handed out star fruit to Learning Gate parents Jamie Meyer (in blue), and Nicole Rametta. Assistant Principal Adam Wolford looks on.
The charter school for kindergarten through sixth grade is tucked away in a wooded area off Hanna Road in Lutz. A school campus for seventh and eighth grades is on Lutz Lake Fern Road. The school’s hands-on approach can help students build confidence. “We provide an atmosphere where they are able to explore who they really are,”
said Adam Wolford, assistant principal.“This is something that really sticks with them.” Ten-year-olds Anna Mitchell and Emily Slean said they tend small gardens at home. They said the school garden offers a fun way to learn. “We don’t just have to look it up in a See GARDEN, page 13A