Cara Cronk, 2011 Teacher of the Year: Indian Trails Middle School
Schools
Joan Blasingame, 2011 Teacher of the Year: Old Kings Elementary
Joan Blasingame, 2011 Teacher of the Year: Old Kings Elementary
FPC Graduate Kristen Hadeed’s Student Maid Co. Tapped for ABC TV’s “Extreme Makeover”
Kristen Hadeed, a 2006 FPC graduate, built Student Maid, a Gainesville-based cleaning service, from scratch in the last two years. A crew of 30 will donate its time to ABC’s “Extreme Makeover” shoot in Clay County later this month.
Between Authority and Authoritarianism: Conklin and Pryor Clash Over Principal Power
The school board is debating a new policy and procedure controlling the staging of controversial plays. Matanzas Principal Chris Pryor doesn’t want to be “second-guessed.” Board member Conklin doesn’t want unilateral decision-making.
Ready for Prime Time: Back Home at FPC, IB Conquerors Claim Their Diplomas
A majority of Flagler Palm Coast High School’s IB class of 2010–32 students, all of them now in college–returned on Monday afternoon for their diploma ceremony, an occasion small in numbers but oversize in achievements.
A.J. Neste and Hollingsworth Gallery Frame Young Photographers’ Voices in 1-Night Show
The 15 photographers in the Florida Endowment Foundation’s “Voice” program learned to frame, shoot and market their work all the way to Palm Coast’s premier gallery, where they had a brush with the feel of an art show opening.
Half of Flagler’s Legislative Delegation Listens to Local Pleas Without Quite Hearing Them
Sen. John Thrasher and State Rep. Fred Costello listened to 90 minutes of pleas and policy suggestions from Flagler County officials Wednesday in Bunnell. Whether they heard anything is debatable. And two of Flagler’s legislators didn’t show up.
Encore: Flagler County Artist of the Year Edson Beckett at Hollingsworth Gallery
Edson Beckett, a ceramics, photography and graphic design teacher at Flagler Palm Coast High School for 22 years, is the Gargiulo Art Foundation’s 11th Artist of the Year since the award’s inaugural in 2000.
Youth Orchestra’s “Gift of Music” Concert Kicks Off Auditorium’s Holiday Extravaganza Tonight
Close to 300 students in the Flagler Youth Orchestra take to the stage at the Flagler Auditorium for their 16th major concert in six years, their second under the direction of Caren Umbarger.
Impasse Over: Teacher and Service Unions Win Salary Concessions from Flagler School District
Five days earlier the unions had declared an impasse. The deal will cost the school district an extra $1.2 million this year and $2.4 million a year beginning next year.
FPC Improves from D to B, Matanzas High School Maintains a B, Heritage is an F
The Flagler County school district as a whole was tentatively awarded an A last year, pending today’s results. Heritage’s F is not expected top affect that overall grade.
It’s On: FPC Will Stage To Kill a Mockingbird At the Flagler Auditorium Feb. 24-26
FPC Principal Jacob Oliva and Drama Director Ed Koczergo finalized plans for staging Mockingbird over four performances as part of Black History Month, with many innovative stage elements to be incorporated into the production.
At Indian Trails, Girls’ and Boys’ Reading Clubs Find Creative Ways to Fill Their Library
The girls’ reading club hosted a sleep-over in the library, the boys’ club launched a reading campaign, and both are sponsoring a book drive this week to benefit the ITMS library.
Flagler’s School Employee Unions Declare Impasse After 7 Months of Salary Negotiations
Teacher and support employee unions were looking for a restoration of the annual salary increases they were due since 2008. The district was ready to offer a $600 bonus and return to the table in January or February.
Music, Dance, Art: Auditorium’s 5-Day Holiday Extravaganza Will Boost Art in Education
With arts funding in free fall in Florida, the Flagler Auditorium’s series of concerts, performances, art showings and auctions Dec. 8-12, half of them free, will raise money to help art programs in Flagler schools.
Former School Board Candidate Raven Sword Joins Livingston & Wolverton Law Firm
In her first political campaign, Sword lost to John Fischer. By joining Jay Livingston and Jim Wolverton, the trio is now one of the larger law firms on Flagler County.
Feed Flagler Ingredients: 100 Turkeys, 450 lb. of Ham, 170 Pies, and 2,000 Guests Wednesday
The kitchen at Buddy Taylor Middle School was a feast’s brew as Hammock Dunes Club’s chef and other volunteers were wrist-deep in preparation for Wednesday’s feasts for 2,000 in 10 locations around Flagler County.
Former School Board Member and Realtor Eddie Herrera Jailed On a Battery Charge
Eddie Herrera served eight years on the school board, two as chairman. The Realtor’s fight with acupuncturist Scott Beat, with Herrera’s daughter in the car nearby, was over an accusation of infidelity.
Graduation Rates: FPC Falls to 83.5%, Matanzas Soars to 90.4%, Both Beat State’s 79%
It’s Matanzas High School’s best graduation rate to date, helping the district increase its overall graduation rate by either state or federal standards.
Delbrugge’s Letter to Flagler, Part II: How Egypt Compares And What Matters Most
The former school superintendent reflects on life in Egypt by deflating myths about the difference between private and public schools, comparing his in Egypt with Flagler’s school district, and speaking about what matters most in life.
Bill Delbrugge’s Letter to Flagler, Part I: America’s Place In the World–And Yours
In the first of two parts, Delbrugge recaps life in Egypt, America’s image abroad, and all the things Americans take for granted–but shouldn’t, including the importance of local government and civic engagement.
As Superintendent and School Board Now Urge Play’s Revival, Focus Shifts to Drama Teacher
Scripts of the Mockingbird controversy are being furiously re-written as the school district shifts to backing the play, but vague accusations and ugly slanders are now being directed at the Ed Koczergo, the drama teacher.
Tale of Two Recommendations: Valentine “Completely” Supports Staging of Mockingbird
The appeals committee’s original recommendation was re-written to more clearly reflect Mockingbird as an “appropriate” play to be staged by Flagler County school students.
Mockingbird‘s Fate Still Hanging as Appeals Panel, Endorsing the Work, Punts on the Play
A majority of the committee clearly wanted the play staged. But it’s recommendation goes no further than declaring Mockingbird “appropriate” for instruction–a matter never in doubt.
Live Recap: Mockingbird Appeals Committee’s Minute-By-Minute Deliberations
The nine-member appeals committee, meeting this morning at Matanzas High School, will recommend a fate for “To Kill a Mockingbird”–whether FPC’s students will stage it or not, and how. It’s up to Superintedent Valentine to make the final decision.
In Her Own Words, Please: A Friend of
Harper Lee’s Pleads the Case Against Censors
Jack Cowardin, the St. Augustine novelist, has been corresponding with Harper Lee for years. His take on the controversy over the staging of the play by FPC’s Drama Club: Let it go on unmolested by political correctness.
Starry Saturday: Theater, Art, Grit and Glitz from Bunnell to Palm Coast
Staring with FPC’s courageous thespians, the visual and performing arts had a fabulous Saturday in Flagler, with two gallery openings and two local theater productions. That’s what the county’s unbound cultural scene should be about.
The National Coalition Against Censorship’s Letter to Janet Valentine
“We urge you to encourage student creativity and civic engagement, and to teach students the skills to discuss opposing views respectfully,” the NCAC writes. “We urge you to allow the students to perform the play.”
National Coalition Against Censorship Urges Valentine To Reverse Mockingbird Decision
The strongly-worded letter from a coalition representing 50 organizations of actors, writers, educators and clerics calls on Superintendent Valentine to enrich the conversation on race and culture, not restrict it.
Mockingbird Appeals Committee’s Challenge: Loyalty to “Protocol” vs. Free Expression
Interviews with appeals committee members reveal a divide between instinctive revulsion of censorship and hesitancy over second-guessing a principal’s decision even as the facts of the case continue to be muddled by unspecified generalities.
Shapiro: In the End, It’s the Profanity of Censorship Against the Sacredness of Learning
In a column on the Mockingbird controversy at FPC, Rabbi Merill Shapiro argues that whatever the merits of administrative issues, “the profanity of censorship,” in the end, “has no place in our community.”
Stetson Scores Freedom‘s Jonathan Franzen For Its James Turner Butler Lecture Nov. 22
The author of Freedom and The Corrections, an almost sure winner of this year’s Pulitzer for fiction, will be at Stetson on Nov. 22 for just one hour. The event is free, but tickets are extremely limited.
Uniforms in Flagler Schools? Data Show Dress-Code Violations To Be a Negligible Issue
The dress code in Flagler schools remains a hotter topic of discussion, especially on the school board, than it is a problem, especially in schools. Yet the arrival of a new school board member may prompt more talk of uniforms.
Two Bus Stop Robbery Suspects, Riding With Schoolgirls, Arrested Following a Wreck
Sebastian Dominguez, 18 and Brandon Smith, 19, were riding in a truck with a 14 year old girl from Indian Trails Middle School and a 15-year-old girl from Matanzas High School when they allegedly decided to hold up a Matanzas High School student.
Skyping in From Cairo, Delbrugge Joins School Board’s Farewell to Shellenberger
Evie Shellenberger ended her eight years as a school board member Monday evening with a parable and sponsorships of Afghan girls’ education in her fellow board members’ names.
Conklin Triggers Mockingbird Appeals Committee, Likely Enabling Play’s Revival
Unearthing a district policy on “the appropriateness of books or materials,” School Board member Colleen Conklin appealed the decision to cancel the play. A committee will be appointed to handle the appeal.
Before School Censors: When Mockingbird‘s Harper Lee Spoke Proudly of Flagler County
In 2002, Harper Lee addressed Flagler County proudly when her book was the centerpiece of county-wide events. The school district’s censoring of the play this month contrasts sharply with that progressive history.
Daviana’s Excellent Adventure: Halloween Bash Fills Carts and Kitty for the Hungry
Little Miss Flagler Daviana Campbell raised $900 and filled four shopping carts full of canned goods for a local food pantry through a Halloween dance that drew some 300 participants.
Feared Weapon Never Made It Onto Indian Trails Campus; School Has Normal Friday
A report of a student planning to bring a weapon to Indian Trails Middle School surfaced Thursday evening. The school administration and law enforcement intervened, the family of the student cooperated, and the weapon never appeared.
Campaign Notes: Dwyer Backs Craig, Sword and Fischer Vie for Teachers’ Attention
Craig and Horrox in the circuit court race and Sword and Fischer in the school board race make their final pitches with radio appearances and a television ad from Sword, while others continue to press for the ballot measure on continuing the .25-mill school tax.
FPC’s Top Student Makes the Case
For the .25-Mill School Tax Referendum
Kyle Russell, the top-ranked senior at Flagler Palm Coast High School, argues that students need every competitive advantage they can get if they’re to have a chance against others in the state and the nation.
Singing Its Signal Achievements, Flagler Education Foundation Celebrates 20 Years
The gala dinner at the Hammock Dunes Club drew a sold-out audience of 175, and was highlighted by testimonials about the foundation’s works and rousing performances by Amy Fulmer’s Formality Ensemble.
In School Board Race, a Clash of Clarity And Fact Between Fischer and Sword
John Fischer makes wild, often incoherent claims and exaggerations, betting, correctly, that his audiences won’t verify what he says. Sword is about clarity and rational analysis.
In Palm Coast, Another Dud Turnout At School Tax Town Hall
School officials had thought (and feared) that the tea party throngs would turn up at Monday’s town hall on the proposed $0.25 mill school tax referendum. They didn’t. What those tea leaves say is not clear.
FPC’s Boys Raced, Pink-Socked, in Breast Cancer Solidarity at Manhattan Invitational
Inspired by their coach, an idea started by Brad Walbert, to honor his grandfather, developed into team-wide solidarity for breast cancer victims–with unexpected and moving results as the boys raced in in New York City.
Superintendent Janet Valentine: Why You Should Vote For the .25 Mill School Tax Levy
School Superintendent Janet Valentine makes the case for the 25-cent-per-$1,000 property tax levy on November’s ballot, the continuation of a tax homeowners have been paying all along.
School Board Members Talking to Empty Benches at Town Halls on Tax Levy
School officials think most people have already made up their minds about Flagler’s .25 mills school tax levy. They just can’t tell which way they’ll vote.
At Indian Trails, a Visa to Middleworld By Way of 2012’s Maya Calendar Rubbish
The Jaguar Stones trilogy authors Jon and Pamela Voelkel brought their live spectacle, humor and accurate history to some 90 Indian Trails Middle School students, setting a calendar’s record straight along the way.
To Counter Bullying, Flagler Sheriff Is Giving Away 3,000 Internet Monitoring Programs
The free programs enable parents to keep track of their child’s internet activity and exposure, from chats to bullying, though the cyberbullying problem may be overstated.
New York Bound: FPC’s Cross-Country Best Running in Manhattan Invitational Saturday
The storied Manhattan Invitational, actually held in The Bronx, is the largest high school cross-country meet in the nation, with some 10,000 competitors from 14 states.