Black History Month

Honoring Educator Zeola Germany Allston

As part of the honoring of Black History month, I wanted to share about a person from the education world who was also important to my family and my life.

Zeola Allston, her husband Tom, their two daughters, and two sons moved to the Stoneham, Massachusetts area a suburb outside of Boston in the 1970s when Mrs. Allston was hired as one of the first African-American teachers at the private Seventh-Day Adventist elementary/middle school which was part of the New England Memorial Hospital community in Stoneham, Massachusetts where my sisters, and later I, attended school. In a short time, the Allston family and our family became close, and Mrs. Allston became one of my mother’s closest friends.

Growing up in New England a young person would typically not refer to an adult by their first name, so it was not uncommon for close family friends to be allowed to call them “Aunt” or “Uncle”. and so, I always knew Mrs. Allston as “Aunt Zeola”.  We have always thought of the entire Allston family as part of our family. When I married my wife, Aunt Zeola came to our wedding and met my wife for the first time, she came up and gave her a big hug and said, “I am your new Aunt Zeola”. Thinking of that moment today still gives me a wonderful feeling because that is the heart of Zeola Allston.

Mrs. Allston is one of the most dynamic, upbeat, engaging, and inspiring individuals and educators you could ever meet. Mrs. Allston was a constant positive educator and lifelong learner. She took every opportunity to find teachable moments. While she taught for more than 36 years her students numbered far more than those from her classroom. Because any of us that knew Aunt Zeola became her students in one form or another. She broke down barriers while always honoring herself, her family, her community, her heritage, and her God.

God bless you Aunt Zeola!

Zeola Germany Allston Biography*

Mrs. Zeola Germany Allston, M.A., teacher-educator, a Seventh-day Adventist for many years, and a native of Birmingham, Alabama, has dedicated her life to the cause of Christian education.

Recipient of the Zapara Excellence in Teaching Award, 1989, Mrs. Allston’s career as an educator extends over a period of 36 years, 33 of which were dedicated to Christian education.

A specialist in elementary education, Mrs. Allston has served as Principal-Teacher, Oakwood Elementary school, Huntsville, Alabama; teacher,. Oakwood Academy; cooperating teacher, Oakwood College Education department; teacher, multigrade classroom; principal-teacher, Berea Seventh-day Adventist school, Boston, Massachusetts; Edgewood SDA in Stoneham, Massachusetts and in many other teaching positions. Mrs. Allston has also served as director of student activity, recruiter, dean of women, Oakwood College; director of inner-city programs, Metropolitan Boston SDA Church; director, Headstart program, Boston, Massachusetts; and assistant director, day care center, New England Memorial Sanitarium and Hospital, Stoneham, Massachusetts.

Mrs. Allston’s expertise in the field of Christian education is an invaluable contribution to the Adventist Church, Educational System and the committee which planned and developed this work. She has helped to give it the prominence which it hopes to achieve in the field of Seventh-day Adventist education.

A Star Gives Light Seventh-Day Adventist African-American Heritage Teacher’s Resource Guide. Office of Education Southern Union Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, 1989.

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4-H Speech Competition at Citrus Springs Middle School

An important skill for young people to learn and be successful in is public speaking and 4-H competitions at the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade levels are an excellent opportunity to show those skills. And today they did! All eight students did a superb job sharing about issues, passions, problems, and solutions. Three students receive medals, and the top 1st and 2nd place winners move on to the District-wide competition. Thank you to CSMS Instructional Coach Muriel Burnett for coordinating the event, the teachers for their work and support with the students, and for the families for their support.

Congratulations to CSMS 1st place Noah Walker on his speech “Splash!”, 2nd place Sastia Mitchell on her speech “It Only Takes a Second”, and 3rd place Tyler Neveau on his speech, “Technology”.

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CTE Month and HOSA Student

HOSA students share at School Board opening

LHS and CRHS HOSA students share about recently competed very successfully at HOSA Florida Regionals.

February is a month we celebrate and honor a number of great things. It is Black History Month, School Counseling Week honoring our great counselors, and February is Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month! (CTE is sometimes referred to as Workforce education and in the ‘olden days’ vocation classes.)

Citrus Schools has been committed to CTE education. Many of you know it is a personal passion for me as well. Citrus Schools has magnet programs like the Academy of Computers at CHS and the Academy of Health Careers at CRHS, and each of our high schools has in-school academies like culinary, drafting, business, and more. We now offer over 150 separate CTE courses, covering approximately 63 industry certifications, that connect to 34 different Program of Study Pathways available to our high school students at one or more of our three high schools and through dual enrollment at Withlacoochee Technical College. We are also expanding four new Programs of Study for the new 2022-2023 school year.

I had opening exercises for our February school board meetings and as is my tradition I love to bring students from our schools in to share their talents and successes. At yesterday’s meeting, we have seven students from Crystal River High School and Lecanto High School share about their recent HOSA– Future Health Professionals competitions. A number of the students received top awards as individual and team, and some advanced to the State competitions later this winter.

One of the most in-demand programs of study pathways and in need careers in Citrus County and Florida are in the medical profession. We have over seven medical pathways available to high school students, and at two of our schools, we have local chapters of HOSA– Future Health Professionals (formerly known as Health Occupations Students of America). HOSA is the premier organization for student leaders pursuing careers in the healthcare industry. HOSA is a state and national organization that operates as an integral component of the health science education curriculum.  Through its association of state and local chapters, HOSA provides powerful instructional tools, recognition, leadership, networking, scholarships, and connections with the healthcare industry to thousands of members across Florida and the United States. Through the HOSA Competitive Events Program, members have the opportunity to showcase their health care and leadership skills in over 55 different events related to all aspects of the health care industry.  HOSA integrates into the Health Science Technology Education curriculum seamlessly to develop and recognize smart, dedicated, and passionate future health professionals.

Thank you to our students for sharing and their families, teachers, and staff for their support and encouragement of our students!

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