It's a long way from the flat sidewalks of Westchase in a Florida summer to a mountainous camp where your water bottle can freeze overnight. ...more

July 16, 2008

The Edmund Sheffield Chapter Colonial Dames XVII Century announced Marissa Tweed, daughter of the Revs. Dave and Rita Gardner Tweed, the winner of its 2007-08 Anne Massey General Scholarship at a meeting May 15 at Palma Ceia Country Club. ...more

June 11, 2008

The Edmund Sheffield Chapter Colonial Dames XVII Century announced at a meeting May 15 that Marissa Tweed, daughter of the Revs. Dave and Rita Gardner Tweed, is the winner of the chapter's 2007-08 Anne Massey General Scholarship. The meeting was held at the Palma Ceia Country Club in Tampa. ...more

June 4, 2008

From middle school to their senior year, these select students have been mentored and monitored. ...more

May 30, 2008

A steering committee for the International Baccalaureate program has recommended that the school district appoint a program coordinator to shepherd the school district's application should Highlands County School Board opt for the prestigious international high school curriculum. ...more

February 20, 2008

The information reported in your recent articles as well as their tenor leaves one with the impression that local public education is decidedly unremarkable, perhaps below average, and also that the community is rather complacent about it. Both, we are not doing well and we don't care- have long-term dire consequences because the quality of education impacts the community and affects us all. County planners, who are in the visionary business, could likely paint a glowing picture of a Highlands County that had education as a community priority. As the "Education County" we would eventually gain a more diversified economy and an even better life style. As it stands now, we are moving towards a service economy with most jobs in the retail, hospitality and medical fields. Those are typically low-paying jobs requiring minimal education which serve to change our landscape with the "affordable" housing and rental units those workers require. It is the only economy our education supports. ...more

December 9, 2007

My goals for my children's education include development of a lifelong love of learning, higher order thinking skills, and the gift to become good world citizens in the age of a global economy. The best classes are those that encourage my children to think and apply knowledge across disciplines, not merely to memorize and regurgitate facts in isolation. Our schools are evolving to meet the needs of today's student and must continue to do so. Computers in the classroom were an important step in this process and now Highlands County is ready for the next. ...more

December 6, 2007

A few fine people are at the forefront of a great idea that we urge the Highlands County School Board to embrace. Diane Juve, who is a parent of a district student, as well as Highlands Regional Medical Center CEO Robert G. Mahaffey and hospital Chief of Staff Vinod Thakkar are advocating for the International Baccalaureate Program in our schools. We can't think of a better idea to instantly propel our school district into a new league. The International Baccalaureate program is a college prep program recognized internationally. It has rigorous academics and extracurricular requirements. Our district's best and brightest would compete on a level playing field with students from the best schools in the country. Successfully completing the program is the first step into gaining admittance to the best colleges and universities in the country. The program, which students must earn the right to enter, involves less memorization of facts and more critical thinking and in-depth study in various areas of study. It's a strong liberal arts education, but also stresses math and sciences. It's the same thing prep schools in the Northeast provide their students, and that's why many of them are considered the best in the country. In fact, most of the best high schools in America are part of the International Baccalaureate program. ...more

December 2, 2007

LAND O' LAKES - The Land O' Lakes High School volleyball season may be completed, but Kaela Nassief's work is not done. The outside hitter, known for her "Killer Floater" serves, once scored seven aces in a match. Her coach, Michelle Griffin, considers Nassief one of the team's best servers. ...more

November 19, 2007

While many other 16-year-olds are just happy to get their driver's licenses, Chelsea DeVries is a published romance writer who wants to be an accountant. ...more

October 25, 2007