The St. Johns County History Fair was held last month at First Coast Technical College (FCTC). All of the projects were impressive, and I was so pleased to see the in-depth study and hard work that went into them.

Theresa Le and Anoushka Patel of Switzerland Point Middle School won top honors for their project, “3 … 2 … 1 … Blast Off to the Space Race: John F. Kennedy’s Influence in the Start of the First Space Program in the United States” which was awarded the Overall Most Outstanding Project. Theresa and Anoushka explained, “John F. Kennedy’s motivation to assemble the country together and his confidence in the potential of the American people to accomplish anything that may seem impossible, inspired us to form our topic around Kennedy and the influence he had on the start of the first space program.”  They were each awarded a $75 check by the St. Augustine Historical Society.

The SJCSD History Fair featured approximately 100 projects representing 150 participants. This year’s theme was “Taking a Stand in History.”  Students in grades 6-12 from six middle schools, one K-8 school and four high schools conducted research using primary and secondary sources on related topics. After analyzing and interpreting the information they have gathered, students express their findings in a paper, exhibit, performance, documentary or website. They may work individually or in groups of up to five members except in the historical paper category, which is open only to individuals. Students’ entries are judged in two divisions—junior (grades 6–8) and senior (grades 9–12)—during the various levels of competition. First- and second-place county winners in each category and division advance to the state contest.

Theresa and Anoushka will be joining 22 other students representing seven schools to compete in the State History Fair scheduled for May 7-9 in Tallahassee. First- and second-place state winners in each category and division earn the right to represent Florida at the National History Day competition in College Park, Maryland in June.

The SJCSD History Fair is produced in conjunction with the Florida State History Fair sponsored by The Museum of Florida History in Tallahassee and the National History Fair sponsored by National History Day. The project-based learning emphasized by the history fair provides an excellent opportunity for students to showcase college and career readiness skills including research, writing, speaking and creative thinking while embracing history.

Brian Morgan, SJCSD program specialist, coordinated the history fair.

I look forward to recognizing both Theresa and Anoushka at the upcoming School Board meeting on April 11.

Information Technology

BusinessPlus Upgrade

The IT Department completed the version upgrade of BusinessPlus last month.  This upgrade brings more functionality to District BusinessPlus users.   System performance has also been improved.

Some of the new features include:

• Ability to delete attachments in purchase orders
• More control over the timecard review process for Timekeepers
• Ability to multi-thread workflows to produce faster processing
• New workflow notification for alternate approvers when primary user is “out of office”
• For Employee Online, the system will detect when a browser is unsupported and advise the user that “not all features will be available”

School Wireless Upgrade

Thirteen schools have been selected for wireless upgrades this school year.  These upgrades include new high-speed cabling, new GB network switching and new high speed wireless 802.11ac access points for classrooms.  Because this project covers three technology areas and multiple schools, it is slated to take most of this school year to complete.   Here are the schools on this project list:

Bartram Trail HS	Ocean Palms ES
Ponte Vedra HS	PV-Rawlings ES
Nease HS	Wards Creek ES
St. Augustine HS	Hartley ES
Pedro Menendez HS	RB Hunt ES
Liberty Pines Academy	Otis Mason ES
Osceola ES

eSchoolPlus Upgrade

The IT Department completed the version upgrade of eSchoolPlus last week.  This upgrade brings more functionality to School Admin users and does not affect Teacher Access Center (TAC).   One of the largest improvements is the improved interface and capability to perform a key word search to find menu items and student detail.  If you are a school administrator who uses eSchoolPlus and has not received training on this upgrade, please contact the eSchoolPlus IT team.

On the Horizon

The annual reception to honor school volunteers and volunteer coordinators is Thursday, April 6 at 6 p.m. at First Coast Technical College, CHARACTER COUNTS! Conference Center, located at 2980 Collins Ave. Please contact the Volunteer Services Department at 547-3945 for more information.

American Youth Character Awards Banquet

The annual American Youth Character Awards Banquet will be held Thursday, April 27 at 6 p.m. at Anastasia Baptist Church. This event recognizes high school juniors and seniors throughout the county who have been nominated by their schools for displaying the Six Pillars of Character — Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, Citizenship — in their daily lives. In addition, two students will be awarded special scholarships, the David Macaulay Mathis Memorial Pursuing Victory with Honor Award for displaying character on the athletic field and the Tucker McCarty Memorial Scholarship for exuding good character in an effort to make the world a better place.

The St. Johns County Elementary Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics Fair

The St. Johns County Elementary Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Fair will be held at Palencia Elementary School Saturday, May 13.  The purpose of this event is to encourage and celebrate student interest in STEM, with the primary goal to promote student use of these subjects to solve real-world problems.  Student representation will be decided at the school level.  Teachers, parents, administrators, and community members are welcome to attend.

Status Report

Did You Know…?

• St. Augustine’s annual Rhythm & Ribs Festival celebrates delicious barbecue, music and good times, with live entertainment and local chefs competing for the best BBQ. The 2017 festival will take place Friday through Sunday, March 31 – April 2, 2017, at Francis Field. This festival includes great live music throughout the weekend, people’s BBQ choice awards, a kids zone, mechanical bull, an array of vendors, and much more.  The Rythm & Ribs Festival is the signature fundraiser of St. Augustine Sunrise Rotary Club. The many beneficiaries who receive funds generated by the Rhythm & Ribs Festival include Home Again St. Johns, Betty Griffin House, Catholic Charities, Boys and Girls Club, Council on Aging, St. Francis House, Habitat for Humanity, SAFE Animal Shelter, and the St. Augustine Orchestra.

“I don’t need a certain number of friends, just a number of friends I can be certain of.”
~Alice Walker

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The St. Johns County Regional Science Fair was held last month at First Coast Technical College (FCTC). All of the projects were superb, and I am so proud of all the categorical and special awards winners.

Adam Snowden, from Ponte Vedra High School, won top honors as the Best Overall in the Senior Division. Adam’s project was titled “The Effect of Wnt/Beta-Catenin Signaling Inhibition on Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.”

Aditya Singh, of Valley Ridge Academy, won Best Overall in the Junior Division for his project “Developing Distance Based Edge Detection.”

Approximately 123 participants were involved in the St. Johns County Science Fair. This annual academic competition is designed to challenge students to meticulously apply science process skills and content knowledge in order to investigate scientific questions of their own choosing. Participants also experience the importance of practicing science ethics and responsibility on a personal level.

Twenty-one students representing four St. Johns County schools will attend the Florida State Science and Engineering Fair in Lakeland, March 28-30. Adam Snowden will attend the International Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles, California in May.

I look forward to recognizing both Adam and Aditya at the upcoming School Board meeting on March 21.

Human Resources

Recruitment Efforts Underway

The St. Johns County School District (SJCSD) is looking for high-quality teachers and non-instructional personnel to help fill upcoming openings for the 2017-18 school year. If you are interested, continue reading to learn more about available college/university visits and upcoming job fairs.

College and University Visits

The district recruitment team made up of administrators and teachers has already started attending career fairs at different colleges and universities both in and out of state. The fairs allow SJCSD representatives the opportunity to talk to education majors about opportunities and teaching in the SJCSD. With over 24 events scheduled this spring, the team is looking forward to talking to high-quality teachers who have a passion for their work with students. The recruitment teams will be visiting Flager College, Florida A&M University, University of Central Florida, University of West Florida, Florida Fund Minority Teachers in Tallahassee, Miami and St. Leo, Valdosta State, University of Florida, Bethune Cookman University, Savannah State College, College of Coastal Georgia, Albany State University, Georgia Southern University, University of North Florida and Florida State.

Job Fairs

The SJCSD recently held a teacher job fair at St Augustine High School on Saturday, February 25 and nearly 120 teachers attended. Teachers were not only local but also came from South Carolina, New York, South Dakota, and Texas. The focus of the fair was to provide interested educators the opportunity to learn more about teaching in St. Johns County Schools and to have the opportunity to sign up for 10-minute interviews with principals and assistant principals in attendance.  Based on the fair’s feedback form, 96 percent of respondents indicated that the Job Fair truly met their needs and they enjoyed it. Many of the attendees expressed how grateful they were to have had the opportunity to interview face-to-face with administrators. Well over three-quarters attending shared they learned about the fair through our district’s recruitment website at http://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/recruitment/.

Saturday, April 1

The next fair is an invitational event held Saturday, April 1 at First Coast Technical College. This fair will allow invited attendees to have a more in-depth interview with principals and assistant principals from around the SJCSD.

Saturday, April 29

Saturday, April 29 at Sebastian Middle School will be the last teacher recruitment fair of the spring. This fair allows any new education graduates the opportunity to meet with SJCSD administrators and have a limited number of short interviews with them.

Saturday, May 20

Saturday, May 20, the SJCSD will host a non-instructional job fair for anyone interested in working as a paraprofessional, food service worker, custodian, bus operator, bus attendant, extended day worker, clerk or in the maintenance department. Interested people are asked to bring copies of their resume and register online prior to the event.

Wednesday, July 26

July 26, the district is hosting an Associate Teacher Expo. This expo is designed to identify, interview and recommend associate teachers needed in schools for the 2017-18 school year. Be sure to monitor the district website for job fair information throughout the spring and summer.

Individuals planning on attending any of the job fairs need to:

1. Complete an application online at http://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/recruitment/apply/
2. Register online at http://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/recruitment/jobfairs/
3. Bring multiple copies of their resume to the job fair.

Attendees will receive an email the week of the fair with additional information.

Critical Needs Positions Identified

The SJCSD recently identified hard-to-fill teaching positions and will be focusing on finding high-quality educators to fill positions for the 2017-18 school year.  Areas identified include speech/language pathology, music, teachers for students who are visually impaired, chemistry/physics, Spanish, Algebra II and higher level math teachers. Teachers for self-contained exceptional student education (ESE) are also difficult to fill positions.  The district will be looking for teachers with these particular certifications during the upcoming college/university visits and job fairs.

In addition, is in critical need of highly qualified bus drivers and bus attendants as well as paraprofessionals, extended day workers and custodians.

Job Postings

Individuals with certification or experience in these particular positions mentioned above are encouraged to complete an application online at http://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/recruitment/apply/. Positions are posted daily on the school district website. If you need assistance with your online application, please call our Application Help Desk at 547-7631.

Department Location

The Human Resources (HR) Department is currently housed at First Coast Technical College (FCTC) located at 2980 Collins Ave in St. Augustine. The St. Johns County School District Administrative Building sustained damaged to the first floor during Hurricane Matthew and is currently under renovation. Construction should be finished by late summer at which time the HR Department will return to 40 Orange St.  Please note that Human Resources resides in two different areas on the FCTC campus. Associate Superintendent for Human Resources Cathy Hutchins as well as the assistant director for position control and the pre-employment team are located in Building 1. The director of instructional personnel, the director of non-instructional personnel, the director of benefits and compensation and their teams are located in Building A. The department’s telephone numbers remain the same and they can also be contacted by email.  Human Resources main number is (904) 547-7600. All new employee set-up meetings are currently being held at FCTC until further notice.

 

On the Horizon

The Character Cup

The Character Cup is a student-centered event highlighting physical education which links academics and character education through athletic competition.  In 2016, 200 student-athletes representing 20 elementary schools participated, and this year’s event looks to be even bigger and better.

The 2017 Character Cup will take place Wednesday, March 22 at St. Augustine High School.  Parents, teachers, administrators, school mascots and community members are strongly encouraged to come out in support of these hard-working students. The Character Cup Trophy will once again be awarded to the winning team for display at their elementary school during the 2017-18 school year.

Outstanding School Volunteer Reception

The annual reception to honor school volunteers and volunteer coordinators is Thursday, April 6 at 6 p.m. at First Coast Technical College, CHARACTER COUNTS! Conference Center, located at 2980 Collins Ave. Please contact the Volunteer Services Department at 547-3945 for more information.

The St. Johns County Elementary Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics Fair

The St. Johns County Elementary Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Fair will be held at Palencia Elementary School Saturday, May 13.  The purpose of this event is to encourage and celebrate student interest in STEM, with the primary goal to promote student use of these subjects to solve real-world problems.  Student representation will be decided at the school level.  Teachers, parents, administrators, and community members are welcome to attend.

Status Report

School-Related Employees of the Year

The 2016-2017 School-Related Employees of the Year have been selected from each of the district’s 36 schools, St. Johns Virtual School and First Coast Technical College, along with four district representatives. School-related employees enhance the educational experience for the children whose lives they touch, and they are essential to the successful operation of a school or school district office. These nominees were chosen for the significant contributions they have made in their schools and community and to the school district as a whole. Criteria for the award includes exemplary job performance, dedication on the job, interpersonal skills, leadership ability, in-service/training to upgrade skills and contributions to the school and school district environment. A district-wide screening committee has reviewed all of the candidates and the winner of the St. Johns County School-Related Employee of the Year was announced, along with runners-up Ms. Renee Baker of the School Services Department and Ms. Caroline Russ of Mill Creek Elementary, at a reception honoring all of the nominees March 9 at the World Golf Hall of Fame Museum.

Mr. Stevenson Mitchell, a diesel mechanic for the Transportation Department, was named the 2017 School-Related Employee of the Year for the St. Johns County School District. Mr. Mitchell has worked in the transportation department for 33 years. His duties as the lead inspector for the district’s fleet of nearly 250 buses include performing corrective and preventative maintenance, service and repairs. Steve is a Florida Department of Education State Certified School Bus Inspector and completes his job with incredible attention to detail as well as enthusiasm. Mr. Mitchell’s name has been submitted to compete at the state level.

2016-2017 School-Related Employees of the Year

Renee Baker	Academic Services Department
Constance McLaurin	Bartram Trail High School
Marvin Jenkins	Creekside High School
Peter Ryan Bartell	John A. Crookshank Elementary School
Philip Rado	Cunningham Creek Elementary School
Christine Kelley	Durbin Creek Elementary School
Ronald Hitchcock	First Coast Technical  College
Vicki Barfoot	Fruit Cove Middle School
Danielle Sisk	W. D. Hartley Elementary School
Eric Rathmann	Hickory Creek Elementary School
Christine Hector	Human Resources Department
Kenneth Schreiber	R.B. Hunt Elementary School
Robert Chrzanowski	Information Technology Department
Judy Fuhr	Julington Creek Elementary School
Janet Bryant	Ketterlinus Elementary School
George Wood	Alice B. Landrum Middle School
John Valastro	Liberty Pines Academy
Catherine Nix	Otis A. Mason Elementary School
Holden Duke	Pedro Menendez High School
Caroline Russ	Mill Creek Elementary School
Ida Wright	R.J. Murray Middle School
Greg Annucci	Allen D. Nease High School
Jessica Weeks	Ocean Palms Elementary School
Rona Welch	Osceola Elementary School
Dawn Gillis	Pacetti Bay Middle School
Abra Murrell	Palencia Elementary School
Sobrina Martin	Patriot Oaks Academy
Susan Gelb	Ponte Vedra High School
Jennifer Scarbrough	PVPV/Rawlings Elementary School
Darlene Delaney	Gamble Rogers Middle School
Stefanie McMaugh	St. Augustine High School
Patricia Eighmey	St. Johns Technical High School
Jeffery Baldwin	Sebastian Middle School
Kouvaris Davis	South Woods Elementary School
Cheryl Terry	Switzerland Point Middle School
Jerita Sizemore	Timberlin Creek Elementary School
Stevenson Mitchell	Transportation Department
Andres Vega	Valley Ridge Academy
Stacy Neal	Wards Creek Elementary School
Claire Heffernan	The Webster School

Did You Know…?

• Celebrating traditional and modern bluegrass music, the Anastasia Music Festival will debut at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre Thursday, March 16 through Saturday, March 18. In an epic three-day bluegrass celebration, the festival will host over 20 of the brightest bluegrass stars today including The Del McCoury Band, David Grisman’s Bluegrass Experience, Sam Bush, Elephant Revival, Fruition, Cabinet, Jeff Austin Band, The Travelin’ McCourys, Mandolin Orange, Joe Pug and much more! VIP Festival Passes, 3-Day Passes and Individual Day General Admission tickets are on sale now. The VIP Festival Pass includes VIP Viewing Pit Area Access, Parking Pass, Laminate, Bag and VIP Area with private bathroom access. Children 10 and under are free with paid adult admission.

“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.”
~Albert Einstein

March is Arts in Education month, a time to recognize the outstanding music, theater and art programs within our schools. Many schools will be participating in district and state visual and performing arts activities, so be sure to check with your school regarding upcoming arts celebrations and events.

The St. Augustine Art Association is presenting the 12^th annual All-County High School Art Show March 3-April 2.  A community outreach partnership with St. Johns County Schools, this juried exhibition features selected art by students in grades nine through 12 and is sponsored by Carr, Riggs, Ingram. The materials range from experimental digital media and graphite studies to abstract pottery and sculptural assemblages.  The student winners will be recognized at the April 11 School Board meeting.

Our thanks to the St. Augustine Art Association, who is the partner and co-sponsor of this event as well as for the upcoming All-County Middle School Art show in April. Congratulations to all the dedicated teachers and students who participate in these incredible displays showcasing the many talents of our students.

March is also Music in Our Schools Month the purpose of which is to raise awareness of the importance of music education for all children and to remind citizens that schools are where all children should have access to music. The study of music is basic to the complete education, engages students in individual and group activity, develops creativity and problem-solving, as well as critical and evaluative skills.

Operations

FACILITIES AND OPERATIONS

Transportation

New Buses
The Transportation Department will be receiving 21 new school buses from Integrated Coach (IC) over the next 30 days.  After completing a thorough technical inspection of each bus, they will go into immediate service transporting over 21,000 district students.  These new buses are part of the annual capital budgeting plan to replace/retire older buses and expand the fleet to support continued growth.

Safety/Training
The Transportation Department, continuing its focus on student safety, will expand and enhance training capabilities and opportunities to all its personnel.  These include achieving eight state-certified operator trainers and three state-certified operator testers; recurring inspection certifications for school bus mechanics; specialized engine training with Cummings; expanded behind-the-wheel training for all operators, specialized scenario-based training for ESE transportation personnel as well as an intensive training week for all department staff.  Parents and guardians should expect to see district school bus training countywide the first week of August in preparation for a successful start to the school year.

Bus Planner Routing System
The transportation department is preparing to implement a new bus transportation routing system known as Bus Planner.  Bus Planner has inherent safety capabilities which will assist operators and routing personnel in establishing and sustaining the safest and most efficient bus routes and stops for student riders.

School bus route information for the 2017/2018 school year will be provided via SchoolMessenger to all parents and guardians in July.  Routing information may also be found in the transportation section of the district website as well as in the eSchoolPlus Home Access Center (HAC).

Building Code Administration

SREF Inspections
Annually the district’s Building Code Administration staff, in conjunction with all school site managers, performs annual inspections as required by the State Requirements for Educational Facilities (SREF).  These inspections focus on code compliance for fire safety, casualty safety and sanitation.  All required inspections are complete, and school personnel along with maintenance department staff are addressing any remaining deficiencies in advance of the submission deadline to DOE.

Energy Management

Energy Savings
Since instituting the District’s Energy Management Program in 2008, the district has surpassed the $40 million mark in energy cost avoidance.

Energy Star
Each year the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) recognize organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through energy efficiency with an Energy Star Award.  During 2016, 95 percent of all St. Johns County School District facilities received the Energy Star Award for outstanding energy conservation efforts.

Shutdown Savings
This year’s winter break shutdown was one of the most successful to date for the district.  Spring Break is quickly approaching, and the district team is looking forward to a successful spring break period with nine days of energy savings.

Facilities and New Construction

New K-8 Schools
Construction is underway for K-8 School “KK” in the Nocatee community and “LL” in the Aberdeen community.  Building foundations are complete at both sites and work is progressing on the slab-on-grade as well as the forming and pouring for the concrete tilt-wall panels.  The schools are scheduled to open for the 2018-2019 school year.

Elementary School “M”
The construction of Elementary School “M” in the World Golf Village area is currently underway and on schedule for completion in early summer 2017.  This 110,000 square foot facility is being constructed to Green Building Standards and will open for the 2017-2018 school year.

Nease High School Expansion
Allen D. Nease High School’s major expansion project is ongoing, with the 600 student station, two-story building addition on schedule for completion this summer.  The kitchen renovation, dining room expansion and new bus loop were completed and have been in use since August.  Additional site improvements and existing facility pod renovations are scheduled to start summer of 2017.

Dining Expansions
Dining room expansions are nearing completion at both Pacetti Bay Middle School and Valley Ridge Academy.  These dining room expansions are being constructed to alleviate overcrowding in these existing facilities and are expected to be in use by the end of March.

Maintenance Services

Annual Life Cycle Visits
The facilities and maintenance department leadership teams are currently conducting annual life cycle meetings at all district schools for capital maintenance and operating needs.  Reports generated from these meetings assist in determining the specific needs of schools, scheduling of capital maintenance projects, and establishing a budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

Relocatable Classrooms
Installation of 34 relocatable classrooms at 10 separate school sites is underway to address district growth. Relocatable classrooms include the full complement of permanent classroom facilities including integrated building management systems and controls, audio enhancement, wireless accessibility and smartboard technology. All classrooms will be ready for the 2017-2018 school year.

BUSINESS AND FISCAL SERVICES

Accounting, Payroll and Accounts Payable Departments

Tax Forms
The payroll department issued 5,900 Form W-2, wage and tax statements to current and former district employees.  Of these, 2,501 were processed electronically to employees on January 15, with the remaining 3,399 hard copies sent on January 30.  Also, the accounts payable department processed and issued 624 IRS 1099 Tax forms to district vendors.

Budget Department

Budget Preparation
Beginning each February, the budget department turns its attention to the next school year.  Preparations are being made to build school operating budgets including FCTC.  District department budgets are formulating now as well.

Food and Nutrition Services Department

Summer Food Service
Food and Nutrition Services is preparing for the USDA Administrative Review scheduled in April.  This is a comprehensive review of the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program and After School Snack Program.  The department is also planning for summer food service which serves breakfast and lunch to children 18 years of age or younger.  There are two types of feeding sites, closed and open.  Closed sites serve children enrolled in a sponsor’s program, and open sites serve anyone 18 years of age or younger as walk-ins. Sites are determined by geographical need and will be determined closer to the end of the school year. Site information is available on the Summer BreakSpot website at http://www.summerfoodflorida.org.

Purchasing Department

Furniture Purchase
The purchasing department, in partnership with the principals for Elementary School “M” and Allen D. Nease High School, is working with multiple vendors to meet the furniture needs of the new elementary school and the high school expansion. Delivery and installation will be early summer.

Bids
Since January 1, 2017, over 15 competitive solicitations have been released by the district, and interested parties are encouraged to participate.  For more information on how to do business with the district, please visit http://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/purchasing/.

 

On the Horizon

The Character Cup

The Character Cup is a student-centered event highlighting physical education which links academics and character education through athletic competition.  In 2016, 200 student-athletes representing 20 elementary schools participated, and this year’s event looks to be even bigger and better.

The 2017 Character Cup will take place Wednesday, March 22 at St. Augustine High School.  Parents, teachers, administrators, school mascots and community members are strongly encouraged to come out in support of these hard-working students. The Character Cup Trophy will once again be awarded to the winning team for display at their elementary school during the 2017-18 school year.

The St. Johns County Elementary Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics Fair

The St. Johns County Elementary Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Fair will be held at Palencia Elementary School Saturday, May 13.  The purpose of this event is to encourage and celebrate student interest in STEM, with the primary goal to promote student use of these subjects to solve real-world problems.  Student representation will be decided at the school level.  Teachers, parents, administrators, and community members are welcome to attend.

Job Fairs

The district will be hosting four different Job Fairs in the coming months. The SJCSD is looking for men and women to join the ranks of Florida’s #1 public school district. Job Fairs will be held throughout the spring and summer on the following dates:

Invitational Teacher Recruitment Fair (By invitation only)
Saturday, April 1, 2017
Location: First Coast Technical College

Teacher Recruitment Fair
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Location: Sebastian Middle School

Non-Instructional Job Fair
Saturday, May 20, 2017
Location: First Coast Technical College

Associate Teacher Expo
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Location: First Coast Technical College

Status Report

Shriner Jeans Day Fundraiser

On January 20, the St. Johns County School District held its second annual “Love to the Rescue” jeans day. The day’s efforts raised $1,305.25 donated to the Shriners Hospital for Children in Tampa.

Shriners Hospitals for Children provides specialized care to children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate, regardless of their financial situation. More information can be found on their website at http://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org.

 

Did You Know…?

• Congratulations to Sreeniketh Vogoti, an eighth-grade student at Fruit Cove Middle School, who gets a second chance at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. He won the 73rd annual Florida Times-Union Regional Spelling Bee for the second year in a row Saturday in a record 51 rounds. His final correctly spelled word was “facade.” Sreeniketh represented North Florida in 2016 and was one of the final 10 spellers in the Scripps championship round.

“If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.”
~Mark Twain

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