Honored to receive the Phil Royal Legacy 2021 Heart of Gold Award
“The Phil Royal EMT Program is one of the greatest programs I have had the privilege to be a part of!”
This evening I was so honored to be awarded, along with Lindsay Tozer, the Phil Royal Legacy 2021 Heart of Gold Award.
Two weeks ago I received a message from April Royal asking me to be interviewed about the Phil Royal EMT Program at the Crystal River High School Academy of Health Careers, in partnership with the College of Central Florida. I love sharing about this amazing program and those that are a part of it so I jumped at the chance. Royal had me meet her at Cornerstone Church in Inverness to shoot the video. Where I arrived I saw Becky Beattie and Lindsay Tozer were there which wasn’t out of the ordinary for anything connected with the Phil Royal Legacy organization. As I walked in April came up and hugged me and I was so excited to share with her a personal photo that I knew she’d appreciate. I was so involved in talking about the photo that I didn’t realize until April started the interview that she was wearing an evening gown. As April started to talk it started to become clear I was there for more than an interview. I heard April say something about my work on the school board and with the Phil Royal EMT program and I began to tear up and then April started to tear up. About then Becky put her hand on my shoulder and at that moment I began to understand what was happening but I still did not fully accept that I could be there to receive this great honor. As April asked me to come up, I must admit that my tears became stronger. You see, the Phil Royal EMT Program is one of the greatest programs I have had the privilege to be a part of! (Follow this link to read more about naming the program for Phil Royal: https://thomastalks.org/phil-royal-emt-program/)
I am so truly honored to receive this special award and I thank April Royal and the Phil Royal Legacy Board of Directors. Let us continue Phil’s work! Visit www.PhilRoyalLegacy.com and learn how you can help! “ONE TEAM, ONE MISSION, ONE COMMUNITY”
This week was graduation week for our three largest high schools, Citrus High School, Lecanto High School, and Crystal River High School. Over and over in speeches this year by school leaders and students the theme was “thanks” and “gratefulness” for having in-person graduations, and for all that their teachers and school staff did this school year to provide face-to-face instruction during a global pandemic.
For the past four months, district and school staff have been preparing for these special traditional graduations. The enormous and monumental tasks of these graduations are more complex than most people know. They are challenging enough during a typical year but add COVID and the extra planning and efforts have more than double the work preparing for this year’s graduations.
I have always been impressed by the planning and execution of setting up these graduation events, from the chairs, main stage, sound systems, and much more, take strategic planning by our leaders and school maintenance teams. And if you think the preparation is a lot the breakdown is equally impressive. The very moment graduation ends the school and district maintenance and custodian teams swoop in and break it all down, moving it to the next school for the next day’s graduation. They then repeat this over and over until all three schools have had their graduation. (I still think “magic” or elves must be involved.)
I want to thank our Superintendent Himmel, school administrators, graduation coordinators, guidance counselors, school facility staff, district maintenance staff, and student setup volunteers (JROTC, athletics teams, and others). I want to also specially thank one person who always keeps a low profile, but this year especially lead the efforts behind the scenes to ensure our graduates had a safe and traditional in-person graduation, Assistant Superintendent Jonny Bishop.
We are so grateful for all these dedicated persons. Just look at some of these photos of their work for our graduates. (click on photos to enlarge)
Thank you to each and every one of them!
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Last night I had the great pleasure of attending the second annual Nature Coast Investment Practicum (NCIP) event for high school students. NCIP is a great public/private partnership in our schools for high school students real world investing experience by having students in their high school accounting class manage actual investment portfolios. The students or given parameters for purchasing and selling of stocks but must choose the right stocks by evaluating them and reevaluating them throughout the school year. The process is overseen by local financial planners who also help teach them along with their teacher sound investment practices and accounting principles. This program is currently at Citrus High School, but efforts are being made to expand it to all our high schools. As a result of the enormous success of the students’ portfolios, the money goes back into the initial account which currently has more than quadrupled. Profits from these investments are used to provide scholarships to students. Last night from the current class almost $5000 in scholarships were given out. This program would not take place if not for the Citrus County Educational Foundation and its directors. A special thanks to Scott Lee and CHS accounting teacher Mrs. Cooke.
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What an exciting week for Citrus High School, Lecanto High School, and Crystal River High School as they saw their 2021 Citrus County Golden Citrus Scholars honored! The Golden Citrus Scholars Award is the Academic Oscars in Citrus Schools. Each school nominates the best academic scholar in each of eight categories. During the week leading up to the Golden Citrus Scholar Awards Day it has become a tradition to hold events similar to those held during Homecoming or Prom week. Schools recognized their respective Golden Citrus Scholars on social media and on morning shows. Schools often awarded gifts like custom Scholar shirts and mugs. Students wore special sashes that week and attended special catered meals. The week not only celebrates the Scholars at the schools but serves as an example to underclassmen of what hard academic work can achieve.
The week concluded with the Golden Citrus Awards, a special event where each nominee is specially honored, the winners of each category are announced, and at least two specialty honors, including the overall Golden Citrus Hall of Fame Scholar, are recognized. Due to COVID, the Golden Citrus Awards once again event became mobile. From early morning until late afternoon the Golden Citrus Awards bus, filled with dignitaries from the Citrus County Education Foundation, the school district, and Chamber, brought the awards event to each of the nominee’s homes where family and friends waited to celebrate their nominee. Each nominee was awarded a $500 educational stipend, category winners each received a $1,000 stipend, and the two specialty winners received a $2,000 educational stipend. The stipends can be used for the Scholars’ post-secondary educational needs. Many Scholars noted how these funds would help in covering the costs of textbooks, room and board, and other essential educational needs.
Laptops for Specialty Scholars
Due to the generosity of two local technology company sponsors, the specialty Scholars also received a MacBook laptop. All About IT (AAIT) and Technology Conservation Group (TCG) sponsored the MacBooks for the Scholars. Those laptops will provide significant savings to those students and their families as they will now not need to purchase those essential educational tools that contribute to our Scholars’ success in their post-secondary studies. We are so grateful to AAIT and TCG for sponsoring this unexpected and extra special award to these Scholars.
It is important to take this year’s assessments seriously as they do count!
Wishing all our students the best of luck as they begin their state assessment on Monday. It is important that students try their best when taking these state assessments. They do count and they are important in helping us know what our students have learned and how we can continue to meet their needs.
As I read social media this weekend, I am concerned that there is some misunderstanding regarding the recent Executive Order No. 2 by FL-DOE Commissioner Richard Corcoran. Please know I am so pleased and grateful for the executive order.
E0-02 gives school districts some additional options for this year’s graduating seniors who have not passed the state assessments required for graduation. E0-02 gives some very limited options that can be considered on a case-by-case basis for seniors. Seniors must still meet state graduation requirements. All other students’ state assessments are being given as in any typical school year.
Please encourage your students to do their best as they take these assessments. As one educator shared with their students before their assessments, “Show what you know and relax. It’s a celebration of knowledge.”
Read more about Florida Department of Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran Executive Order No. 2 at FL-DOE: https://bit.ly/3a14KAq
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Every day in our schools and our district there are extraordinary and special people that give so heartfully to make our students’ lives better.
This past week there is a special group of individuals that we must lift up for the work that they are doing, it is that of our school counselors, crisis team workers, and administrative leaders, who have been on the front lines of meeting our students’ safety and mental health needs. I am not sure people really can appreciate and understand the work these people do to care for our students and their families. These people are meeting with students, their families, they are visiting students’ homes, speaking with other counselors, and working with anyone they can to ensure that our students are safe and cared for. I encourage you to reach out to these special people and let them know how much you appreciate what they do.
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This evening I was so honored to be awarded, along with Lindsay Tozer, the Phil Royal Legacy 2021 Heart of Gold Award.
which wasn’t out of the ordinary for anything connected with the Phil Royal Legacy organization. As I walked in April came up and hugged me and I was so excited to share with her a personal photo that I knew she’d appreciate. I was so involved in talking about the photo that I didn’t realize until April started the interview that she was wearing an evening gown. As April started to talk it started to become clear I was there for more than an interview. I heard April say something about my work on the school board and with the Phil Royal EMT program and I began to tear up and then April started to tear up. About then Becky put her hand on my shoulder and at that moment I began to understand what was happening but I still did not fully accept that I could be there to receive this great honor. As April asked me to come up, I must admit that my tears became stronger. You see, the Phil Royal EMT Program is one of the greatest programs I have had the privilege to be a part of! (Follow this link to read more about naming the program for Phil Royal: https://thomastalks.org/phil-royal-emt-program/)
