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Volume 11, Issue 8 Ph: 657-2418 P U B L I S H I N G

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Brandon High Graduate Joshua Ledauaponte Participates In Maritime Warfare Exercise

Superintendent Promises Districtwide Success During Back To School News Conference

A 2013 Brandon Green Fleet yearHigh School gradulong initiative will ate and Riverview also play a major native is serving in role in RIMPAC. the U.S. Navy and The initiative highparticipating in the lights global operaworld’s largest intertions using energy national maritime conservation measwarfare exercise, the ures and alternative Rim of the Pacific fuel blends to Exercise (RIMPAC). demonstrate how Petty Officer 3rd optimizing energy Class Joshua use increases Ledauaponte is an resiliency and operoperations specialist ational readiness. aboard USS San During RIMPAC, Diego, currently almost all participatoperating out of Pearl ing units will operHarbor, Hawaii. ate using an A Navy operaapproved alternatetions specialist is fuel blend. Riverview resident Joshua Ledauaponte is responsible for surTwenty-six currently serving in the Navy and will particiveying maritime pate in the world’s largest international mar- nations, 45 surface itime warfare exercise, the Rim of the ships in the area and ships, five subPacific Exercise. alerting the captain to marines, more any threats. than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel “I'm looking forward to this experiwill participate in the biennial Rim of the ence and being able to travel,” said Pacific Exercise. This year's exercise Ledauaponte. includes forces from Australia, Brunei, According to Navy officials, RIMPAC Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, provides a unique training opportunity that France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, helps participants foster and sustain Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, cooperative relationships that are critical New Zealand, Norway, People's Republic to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and of China, Peru, the Republic of Korea, the security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, 2016 is the 25th exercise in the series Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom and that began in 1971. the United States. The theme of RIMPAC 2016 is “What I've learned about myself since "Capable, Adaptive, Partners," Navy offijoining the Navy is that I can push myself cials explained. The participating nations further and excel in new environments,” and forces will exercise a wide range of said Ledauaponte. “I’ve also witnessed capabilities and demonstrate the inherent how we can come together as a team.” flexibility of maritime forces. Visit www.cpf.navy.mil/rimpac/ for The Department of the Navy's Great more information.

things to reach his goals of graduation rate is to understand that every child counts and that the job of each teacher is to know their students and their needs. Speaking once again about the support in place for the more than 16,000 strong faculty, Eakins promised, “Every teacher will receive the support and the tools they need, when they need it, at their school site, so that they can best meet the needs of the most Photo Courtesy Hillsborough County Public Schools Superintendent Jeff Eakins talks to Hillsborough important client we serve; our stuCounty Public School Board members, teachers and dents.” staff during the annual back to school news conferThe news conference would ence held at Mort Elementary, A Community School. not be complete without a discusSuperintendent Jeff Eakins was sion about transportation, which has recently joined by school board members reportedly earned some low ratings at the to explain his goals for the upcoming start of the 2015-2016 season. school year during the annual back to “We obviously had some issues that school news conference, held this year at needed to be addressed immediately,” Mort Elementary, A Community School. Eakins said, but added that under The event took place just two days Director Jim Beekman, Transportation before the start of the 2016-2017 season, communication and routing issues have which saw more than 200,000 students addressed. been return to the classroom at the nation’s Eakins emphasized that for the diseighth largest school district. trict to achieve its goals, each member To begin, Mort Principal Woodland must believe it can be attained. The press Johnson called on school board chair conference concluded with the ribbon cutApril Griffin who put things in perspective ting for Mort Elementary, A Community when she said, “I know we had an abbreSchool. Vsit www.sdhc.k12.fl.us. viated summer but that just means that

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we really didn't get out of the school spirit and we are all excited to get back.” Taking his turn, Eakins reminded his audience that during his first year at the helm, the board went through a lot of changes and growth as a district but that his current, full team is now in place ready to work on the district’s strategic plan, including the four top priorities he introduced one year ago. “We are excited as now this plan will guide us to focus on these priorities,” Eakins said, adding that one of the biggest goals is to increase graduation rates. “By the year 2020, we are aiming for the graduation rate of 90 percent,” Eakins said. “This rate is unheard of in a district this size, but it will happen because of the people in Hillsborough County.” Eakins said that one of the main

In This Issue MASTERPIECES & MARTINIS..............PG 9 COASTAL CLEAN UP .........................PG 11 ZERO ENERGY HOMES .....................PG 12 HOA HOT TOPICS .............................PG 17

SEWING CLASSES FOR KIDS............PG 19 CHALKLINES .....................................PG 28 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT................PG 37 SPORTS CONNECTION...............PGS 38‐39