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Sanders magnet deadline is approaching By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
The Jan. 15 deadline is approaching for applications to Sanders Memorial STEAM Magnet School – Pasco County’s first magnet school. So far, the district has received around 1,400 applications for the school, at 5126 School Road in Land O’ Lakes. It is scheduled to open August. The school — which will emphasize science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics — is being built to accommodate 762 kindergarten through fifth-grade students. As a magnet school, there are no attendance boundaries. Any elementary school student throughout the school district is eli-
B.C. MANION/STAFF PHOTO
Considerable progress is being made on the construction of Sanders Memorial STEAM Magnet School – Pasco County’s first magnet school. Applications for the school, which are being accepted from across the district, must be filed by Jan. 15.
gible to apply. A weighted lottery system will be used to select students. Pupils from nearby Connerton and Oakstead elementary schools, as well as children of Sander’s staff members, will have a higher priority for admission because Connerton and Oakstead are overcrowded. Siblings of students accepted to Sanders also will be given extra weight in the lottery. Once accepted, a student will be able to attend Sanders through fifth grade. The district expects to notify parents of their child’s acceptance by email before Feb. 6. Although the standards for the students will be the same, the learning approaches See SANDERS, page9A
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U.S. Army Col. Peter Quinn returns from deployment in Afghanistan just in time for the holidays, surprising his children on stage in front of 200 classmates at Saint Anthony School in San Antonio. The officer’s wife Kelly, left, joins him along with two of his children: Gabriel, 13, and Grace, 11.
Sometimes the best gifts come in camouflage By Bryant L. Griffin Correspondent
For three unsuspecting siblings attending Saint Anthony School in San Antonio, a student assembly marking an early start for Christmas break on Dec. 19 was more than it seemed. It actually was cover for a carefully orchestrated holiday surprise: The return of their father, U.S.Army Col. Peter Quinn. Quinn, who just returned from Bagram, Afghanistan for a two-week leave, was determined to give his children a present they wouldn’t forget, especially since the deployment — his second to the region — resulted in nearly a year of separation from his Wesley Chapel family. Working with the Army Intelligence and Security Command in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, Quinn currently serves as a senior contracting officer’s representative providing U.S. Army Col. Peter Quinn surprises his children on stage in front of 200 classmates at See CAMOUFLAGE, page9A
Saint Anthony School in San Antonio, joining his wife Kelly, left, and children Gabriel, Faith and Grace.
Learning Gate wins national award for being green
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF LEARNING GATE COMMUNITY SCHOOL
The U.S. Green Building Council has named Learning Gate Community School a recipient of one of its 2014 Best of Green Schools awards. The school was recognized for the EcoFest it organizes every year to promote environmental sustainability.
Learning Gate Community School in Lutz is one of the 2014 Best of Green Schools award recipients, according to the U.S. Green Building Council. The school received word of the recognition last month, and it is just one of the honors that the charter school located in Lutz has received for its focus on environmental education. The award is based on the school’s annual EcoFest, which brings together businesses, organizations and individuals from Tampa Bay who are dedicated to the principles of sustainability, according to a news release from Learning Gate. The event, held at Lowry Park, offered more than 100 vendors, live music, workshops, demonstrations, informational booths, green living products and services See AWARD, page9A