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Graduating home-schoolers set record

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By BARBARA ROUTEN

Tribune correspondent

Published: May 27, 2009

BRANDON - Families Instructing Students at Home, a support organization for families with home-schooled students, graduated its largest class May 16 at Bell Shoals Baptist Church.

Twenty-six students from the greater Brandon area graduated. Only 21 received their diplomas at the ceremony, said Debbie Bradley, assistant to Kim Platt, the graduation coordinator. The rest received theirs at other ceremonies.

Nine students graduated last year, and the next-largest class graduated 15.

The fellowship and support offered by the organization's member families is the main reason the graduating class has grown so much, Bradley said. "We, the Green family and the Platts have known each other since the kids were babies, and we've formed friendships over the years."

Families Instructing Students serves 225 families, offering home-schooled students opportunities to participate in extracurricular field trips, sports, clubs, 4-H activities, band and choir.

Families must agree to a basic statement of Christian beliefs to join the fellowship. "One reason some people home-school is to instill Christian character in their kids," Bradley said.

The graduation ceremony began with a prelude played by Kim Lee. Barrett and Stephanie Higgins, who help lead the group, welcomed the crowd. Students Steven Paul Warren II and Alyssa Marie Oyen were the senior speakers.

Graduates at the ceremony included those who have been home-schooled 12 years or more: Warren, Peter William Henchey, Troy D. Ragsdale, Samantha Jean Tierney, Benjamin Paul Bradley, Justin Daniel Valentine, Kendyl Brianna Platt, Jacob Thomas Cardinal, Nicole Danielle Mion, Jesse Allan Palm, Alexandria Nicole Morris, Lauren Mychal Higgins, Abigail Kristin Lee and Logan Michael Cooney.

Graduates who have been home-schooled 10 years or less are: Oyen, Zachary Gerald Green, Maegan Lanee' Willingham, Chelsea Riann Bullock, Emily Anne Randall, Ashley Kate Bollinger and Mara Rechael Brate.

"It's been fun," Debbie Bradley said as Benjamin, her first-born son, prepared to get his diploma. "Like anything, it's work, but at the end of the journey, it's a blessing."

Elks hand out scholarships

At the Brandon Elks Lodge annual youth awards banquet May 3, Kim Martinez, scholarship chairwoman and past exalted ruler, Marvin Lopez, youth activities chairman, and Eileen Subko, past president of the Brandon Ladies of the Elks, presented scholarships and U.S. savings bonds to 16 teenagers.

Marissa Ciesla of Brandon High School and Niall Brown of Newsome High School received $1,000 awards. Those earning $500 scholarships included Cody Artalona of Bloomingdale High School; Brandon resident Ann Hentschel, a student at Academy of the Holy Names in Tampa; Jeremy Jacobs of Newsome High School; and Krystal McCoy of Brandon High School.

Scholarships worth $1,000 were given to Emily Bernal of Durant High School and Daven Borders, Catalina Starke and Shakera Franklin of Brandon High School.

Students who had been honored as Teenager of the Month throughout the school year received $50 U.S. savings bonds. They were Kelly Dickerson, Devin Kelley, Rhonda Robeel, Megan McGarrell and Ciesla of Brandon High School and Nora Zaki, Rebecca Webster and Brown of Newsome High School.

Dickerson also received a $100 savings bond for being chosen Lodge Teenager of the Year.

Auditions open for 'Steel Magnolias'

StageDoor Performing Arts will hold auditions for six female roles in "Steel Magnolias" at 7 p.m. Sunday, with call-backs at 7 p.m. Monday, at Limona Village Chapel, 408 Limona Road.

Actors should bring a photo, resume and Louisiana dialect to use doing cold readings from the script.

Director Janet Frenkel will hold rehearsals mostly on Monday and Wednesday evenings starting in July. Thursday evenings will be added from mid-August through September.

The show will be performed Sept. 25, 26 and 27 and Oct. 2 and 3 at Limona Village Chapel.

For details, contact Frenkel at (813) 244-8669 or jsf1224@gmail.com.

TOPS club donates 16,000 pull tabs

VALRICO - Dick and Sue Riedl of Take Off Pounds Sensibly No. 712 in Valrico uncharacteristically collected weight recently - eight pounds, to be exact.

That was the weight of the more than 16,000 aluminum can pull tabs they amassed and delivered to Shriners Hospitals for Children. The hospital makes cash by turning the tabs in for recycling.

TOPS meets at 8:30 a.m. each Thursday in the social hall of Bethel Baptist Church, 1801 Miller Road S.

For information, call (813) 655-5580.

Sorority names new officers

Carol Olive, outgoing president of the Beta Iota Master chapter of Beta Sigma Phi sorority, installed new officers May 5. They are Candy McDonald, president; Doris Moran, vice president; Linda Pettis, treasurer; Carol Greene, recording secretary; Billinda Borden, corresponding secretary; and Corinne Stuart, extension officer.

LifePath Hospice, the Emergency Care Help Organization, SHARE, Relay for Life and the Brandon Outreach Clinic were recipients of the group's philanthropy this year.

Sharks raise money for play court

RIVERVIEW - It took students at Symmes Elementary School only five days to raise more than $1,300 with a recent coin drive held to collect money for construction of a covered play court.

As a reward, the Tampa Bay Tech Step Team performed for the student body and gave dance lessons to students in the five classes that collected the most money. Their teachers are Amanda Scoggins, Julie Doyle, Heather Exum, Jennifer Garcia and Kim Urbaniak.

Donations are still being accepted. For information, call the school office at (813) 740-4182.

Send news and photos of community interest to Barbara Routen at The Tampa Tribune, 933 Chad Lane, Tampa FL 33619; call (813) 627-4751; or e-mail neighbors@tampabay .rr.com.

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