Posted on June 14th, 2015 by
Thomas Kennedy
Chronicle: Educational renaissance
Thank you to Chronicle Reporter Abdon Sidibe for his article ‘Educational renaissance’ in Sunday, June 14th, 2015 Citrus Chronicle on the Renaissance Center. Below is an excerpt;
“Citrus County School Board members voted unanimously Tuesday to extend for another year the lease of a Marion County company which operates the Renaissance Center.
If the extension wasn’t endorsement enough, district officials indicate the company is doing a great job running the school.
The school board voted last year to hand over operations of the school to Silver River Mentoring & Instruction Inc., or SRMI. The Ocala-based company promised it could run the school cheaper and more effectively. The contract was for two years, with an opt-out clause for the district after one year.”
(Follow this link to read rest of story: http://www.chronicleonline.com/content/educational-renaissance)
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Posted on June 9th, 2015 by
Thomas Kennedy
BOCC Votes 5-0 to keep School Concurrency
“Well done Commissioners!”
I want to greatly thank each of the five Board of County Commissioners for voting unanimously to maintain school concurrency, essentially reversing their previous decision to remove school concurrency.
Each of the Commissioners asked excellent questions and the County Staff provided essential feedback. This decision by the Commissioners was a positive one because it was not only in the best interest of our students, schools and taxpayers, but I hope will begin a new positive collaborative relationship with our two governing bodies.
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Filed under: News & Updates
Posted on May 31st, 2015 by
Thomas Kennedy
Citrus County School Board Summer Communication
(Please click here to download a PDF version of the full communication which provides next years calender, summer reading list, open house dates and much more! Below is just the introductory.)
We are fortunate to be part of a community that values education, supports education, and is firmly committed to helping students succeed. The accomplishments and achievements featured in this special publication are the result of the combined efforts of talented teachers, excellent instructional leaders, quality staff, hardworking students, and involved parents and families. In addition, we have many community volunteers and business partners who never stop giving! Just this year our graduating students in the Class of 2015 received over $550,000.00 in scholarships from local clubs, groups and affiliations.
We plan to provide information to our community three times a year to celebrate and to better understand Citrus County Schools and our mission – to educate ALL students through relevant curriculum and experiences for life in an everchanging world. This may include district goals, curriculum,
instructional practices, assessments, technology, resources, and achievements that contribute to the successes of Citrus County Schools. This inaugural publication spotlights outstanding accomplishments throughout the school year and additional information for this summer and next school year.
Please click here to download a PDF version of the full communication which provides next years calender, summer reading list, open house dates and much more!
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Posted on May 26th, 2015 by
Thomas Kennedy
What a great Graduation Week!!
One of the best weeks of the year for me as a School Board member is high school graduation week. It has been tradition long before I was elected to the school board for all the School Board members to attend each of the Senior Awards Ceremonies and each of the High School Graduations. Each year the schools rotate the order of the graduations. This year CREST was the first on our list, followed by Withlacoochee Technical College, Citrus High School, Lecanto High School and finishing this year at Crystal River High School.
Each school’s graduation is filled with unique and distinctive traditions which make each event so special. It is a night that the surrounding communities pause to also participate and support the graduations. It is an honor to get to play a small role in attending these special memorable events. We are grateful as board members to have an opportunity to be close enough to offer a simple, “congratulations” to the graduates—perhaps give a hug and often “hoot and holler”. For these are the most special of moments not to be taken for granted. Most of these students have struggled in one form or another to get to this day. They have been challenged more than they could have ever understood when they began as freshman— and they have persevered.
We want to also take this time to thank some people that made this day special for our students— the marvelous district and school staff at each of the schools who worked so hard to again give our students’ and their families a successful and memorable graduation. Each day at the three main high school football fields a large stage for the graduation is installed and the field is filled with chairs for the graduates and their families. Through the outstanding work of John Colasanti, Coordinator of Maintenance for the School District and his staff; the high school Athletic Directors, Tony Stukes, Ron Allan, Larry Bishop; and the school Head custodians, Larry Summerlin, Robert McKinnon, and Jeff Fisher. These individuals and their teams are amazing as immediately following the graduation ceremonies they begin to break down the stage, chairs and sound systems, and relocating them to the next school. They repeat this all week until the last ceremony is over, then pack everything away for next year. There work is essential in creating important positive memories for our students and their families. We thank them for the work they did this past week and each day for our kids!
We want to congratulate each of the students in the Class of 2015, and wish them the best as they continue in their individual successes.
CHS Class of 2015
LHS Class of 2015
CRHS Class of 2015
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Filed under: News & Updates
Posted on May 17th, 2015 by
Thomas Kennedy
Citrus’s Top 15 in 2015
On Sunday, May 17th, 2015 Citrus’s Superintendent of Schools Sam Himmel shared the Top 15 graduates for 2015—five students from each of the three high schools who have earned distinguished rankings.
Superintendent Himmel explained, “many high school students, including these esteemed scholars, select the most rigorous courses available such as; college level classes that are identified as dual-enrollment classes, Advances Placement (AP) classes that award college credit should the student achieve a college-ready score on an AP standardized test, International Baccalaureate (IB) classes that also require a selected score on international tests for college credit and may lead to a prestigious International Baccalaureate Diploma, and Industry Certification classes that lead to licensing, certification, and possibly college credit.” And went on to say, “some of our students exit high school with an equivalent of two years of college studies completed — close to 60 college credits.”
To read the complete story follow this link: http://www.chronicleonline.com/content/top-15-2015
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Posted on May 16th, 2015 by
Thomas Kennedy
Parents and others, email Gov. Scott
Following the Citrus County School Board’s letter to Florida Governor Rick Scott earlier this week requesting that he suspend testing consequences, others are following Citrus’s lead. The Tampa Bay Times is reporting that Leon County School Superintendent Jackie Pons is calling on Florida Gov. Rick Scott to scale back the use of state testing results this spring.
It is vital at this time for parents and members of the public to support the School Board’s actions and individually email Governor Rick Scott asking him to immediately sign an executive order that would suspend testing consequences. (See Excerpt from the CCSB letter below.)
I humbly ask you do this immediately!
Excerpt from the CCSB letter:
We therefore are imploring you to use the authority of your office to immediately sign an executive order that would suspend:
- the use of these assessments for students’ grades,
- the use of these assessments for course requirements,
- the use of these assessments for graduation requirements,
- the use of these assessments for any performance pay requirements for teachers and administrators
- the school accountability/school grade for the 2014 – 2015 school year.
Follow this link to download the CCSB 5/12/2015 Letter to Gov. Scott: https://thomastalks.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/201505130857_Sign-CCSB-Letter-to-Gov.-Scott.pdf
Tampa Bay Times Story: Leon County superintendent calls for easing of Florida testing consequences
http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/gradebook/leon-county-superintendent-calls-for-easing-of-florida-testing-consequences/2229828
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Thank you to Chronicle Reporter 
