Current Projects
DeSoto Elementary
"Kids In Parks" Project
After receiving a grant through the National Park Trust to replace damaged and lost student artwork in the McKay Bay Nature Park Pavillion, Ms. Sherri Alvarez' students are able to take field trips, one to clean-up with Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful as part of their community service projects, and another to identify the variety of plants, animals (birds and insects) found in the park during our visit. Virginia Overstreet from the Florida Native Plant Society brought out volunteers to identifying plants and trees within the park.
Students will be researching more about mudflats and mangrove swamps so that the students will become more familiar with this ecosystem within the park. The students will then choose a plant, tree, bird, or insect, or other animal to draw on tiles that we will then label, paint, and have fired once complete. These will be on display in the park's pavilion hopefully by June/July 2023. This will provide a place where visitors can relax and also identify the variety of plant and animal species they observe in the park.
NYLC Education in Action
Greco Middle School and Williams Middle School are participating in the NYLC Education in Action Grant Program and are focusing their Equity in Education projects on the Green Team initiative. Greco AVID students held a poster competition and now have six posters that will be used around the school to remind students what goes in their brand new recycling bins.
NYLC Project Ignition
Middleton High School and Gaither High School are participating in the NYLC Project Ignition Grant Program and are focusing their projects on Distracted Driving Awareness Campaigns. Middleton help an Safe driver awareness campaign the week before their prom. Students were asked to read and sign the pledge banner, and were then presented with a Safe Driver wristband. tania and Roger, project leaders, invited the Tampa Police department to talk with Drivers education students about safe driving. Students got to participate in a DUI Rodeo.
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Burnett Community Garden
In the Spring of 2022, Burnett Middle School AVID Coordinator Akilah Graham Allen support from Learn and Serve Tampa Inc in planning a community school garden. As a result of our connection, the project has received $3000 in funding from the Whole Foods Foundation and $200 from Roots and Shoots Inc. In December 2022, Home Depot joined Burnett students from Rebecca Lawrence's culinary arts class to construct the garden beds. In February 2023, the Florida Extension Office trained students in drip irrigation, and teachers and students began installing automated watering system.
Dr. Verdi,
Ms. Graham Allen, and
Burnett Principal
Dr. Tarrelle Brooks
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