The LAKER
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EAST PASCO EDITION
LAKERLUTZNEWS.COM
JANUARY 7, 2015
Sanders magnet deadline is approaching By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
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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 in 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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Participants sought for Hearing Aids in noise study. Deadline extended thru Jan. 23rd Free loaner hearing aids, exams and follow up care in exchange for your opinion of a new invention.
FRED BELLET/PHOTOS
Thousands of seasonal residents flock to Zephyrhills every winter to escape bone-chilling weather in northern locales. Betmar Acres, the city’s largest mobile home park, has been housing winter residents for decades.
Seasonal residents find plenty to like about life in Zephyrhills By B.C. Manion
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INSIDE, PAGE 1B
bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
Motorists cruising through Zephyrhills along State Road 54 or U.S. 301 may not realize what a mecca the city is for residents wanting to escape winter’s chill. If those passing through took a closer look, however, they’d observe the myriad mobile home parks dotting the community. There’s Betmar Acres, at 37145 Lakewood Drive, which founder M.H. Meengs and his partner, George Sprinkle named by combining their wives’ first names — Betty and Mary. There’s Winters Mobile Home Park, Inc., 38022 Winter Drive, operated for generations by the Winters’ family since the 1950s. Grand Horizons, Gem Estates Mobile Home Village, Southport Springs, Baker Acres, Valleydale and Palm Tree Acres are among the other parks that are home to the thousands of seasonal and permanent residents dwelling in Zephyrhills. These communities are more than mere collections of manufactured homes. Residents talk about the sense of com-
Winters Mobile Home Park, the oldest mobile home park in Zephyrhills, has been owned and operated by generations of the Winters family.
munity that develops from mingling at potluck suppers, going to square dances, playing card games and shuffleboard, and taking part in other special activities. The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of
Send us your news
We know there’s a lot going on in the mobile home park communities in Zephyrhills, and we’d like to help you share your news. We encourage you to write accounts of what’s happening in your park and we really appreciate photos, as well. Please help us to share your stories. If you’d like to know how you can submit your park news, contact Mary Rathman at mrathman@lakerlutznews.com.
Commerce office, at 38550 Fifth Ave., is often the first place that new seasonal residents visit when they arrive in town, said Vonnie Mikkelsen, the chamber’s executive director. “They’ll come in for a map, and they’ll leave with a handful of information,” Mikkelsen said. Those who haven’t been to the chamber before often are surprised by the friendly reception they receive, Mikkelsen said. Many don’t realize that Zephyrhills has a history of welcoming newcomers — one that dates back to the city’s earliest days. Capt. Howard B. Jeffries purchased land in December 1909 in Zephyrhills to initiate a colony for Civil War veterans, according to See SEASONAL, page9A
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.
WELCOME BACK PARK RESIDENTS! CHECK OUT YOUR PARK NEWS, PAGES 2 & 4