CSMS School Improvement Planning

This morning I am at Citrus Springs Middle School for the School Advisory Council (SAC) School Improvement Planning. I so believe in these important opportunities when all these stakeholders sit down and work together to develop the schools’ improvement plan to meet the needs of students and families. At these plannings, very open and candid conversations are taking place. These stakeholders care about each and every student. These planning meetings are happening at every school. Our SACs are comprised of parents, teachers, staff, administrators, community members, and students. Thank you to all the SAC members and school teams that participate in these important plannings.

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Filed under: Blog Posts, News & Updates

6th Annual Phil Royal Legacy 2022 Heart of Gold Gala

Such an honor last night to attend the 6th Annual Phil Royal Legacy Heart of Gold Gala. We are so grateful to the Phil Royal Legacy for all the work they are doing for our students and community.

Congratulations to the 2022 Phil Royal Heart of Gold recipients; Diane Kingree for her amazing lifelong work especially for the Rails to Trials and Pilot Club, Jackie & Bob Dey for their great support of the Phil Royal Legacy and missions, and the other recipient was our dear friend Patrick Simon for his lifelong work as an educator, most recently with the founding of the Citrus County Coalition for College & Careers. The CCCCC this year alone provided $64,900 in scholarships to local students. Weekly Mr. Simon and his team support students in our high schools as additional career & college counselors and mentors to our high school students as they navigate their post-high school planning. Thank you and congratulations, Patrick, Diane and Jackie & Bob!

During the evening Lindsay Tozer and I were also acknowledged for being the 2021 Phil Royal Heart of Gold recipients. Due to COVID, the 2021 Gala had to be virtual, so April was so kind to honor us again last night. Being a Heart of Gold honoree is one of the greatest and more heartfelt achievements in my life. I feel blessed to be included with all these truly great Heart of Gold honorees.

During the evening April Royal shared about the wonderful new Phil Royal Legacy initiative of partnering with Who We Play For to provide cardiac screening to student-athletes in Citrus County. At the Gala were WWPF President Evan Ernst and Board Member, Shawn Sima, U.S. Air Force major (Retired) & Orthopedic Physician Assistant. Evan and Shawn shared very personal and passionate stories about the value of cardiac screening for student-athletes. Thank you to Phil Royal Legacy and Who We Play For.

Thank you to all the attendees, sponsors, supporters, donators, the event Co-Chairs, the Legacy Board Members, and April Royal for not just a very special evening, but for the work that has been done and the work that is to be done.

God Bless Phil Royal Legacy! “ONE TEAM, ONE MISSION, ONE COMMUNITY”

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CHRONICLE: New NASA project to bring Kennedy Space Center to schools

Thank you to Education Reporter Georgia Sullivan and the Citrus County Chronicle for covering this initiative. Read the story at https://www.chronicleonline.com/news/education/new-nasa-project-to-bring-kennedy-space-center-to-schools/article_77dab226-1735-5b1f-b7f8-c7d3e30d9b69.html

I am so excited about this Mission One STEAM initiative and the opportunities that will follow for all of Florida’s students, especially ours here in Citrus County. The initiative’s access to NASA and the Astronauts Memorial Foundation Educational Center will provide extraordinary opportunities for students and teachers. One of the many things I love about the approach of this program is that it looks to interconnect STEM with Career and Technical/workforce education. Many industries, including the aerospace industries, have long recognized the importance of having team members who are knowledgeable technicians who come from all educational paths including technical certification institutions, programs, and our Armed Forces. Citrus County Schools is proud of its role in helping produce some of these experts including former Citrus Schools Alumni Dr. Eric Stewart Aerospace Engineer at NASA. It is my hope that this new program will further expand the desire for more engineers, technicians, and scientists from Citrus County.

A special thank you to Matt Susin, Brevard County School Board for his work launching this project.

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