Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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EDITOR'S NOTE: The following report was written by Kendall Farrar, reporter for the Bok Academy North Future Farmers of America chapter (FFA). We are very proud of these students who work so hard toward their future careers. Bok North FFA has had an action-packed month, filled with exciting activities, community service projects, and meaningful opportunities for students to strengthen their bonds with each other and the community. The month kicked off with a Keep Polk County...
Friday dawned as another day without power for thousands of residents of southeast Polk after the area after Hurricane Milton raked the area with 100 mile-per-hour winds and heavy rainfall before dawn Thursday. Shattered or uprooted trees, some punching holes in roofs, along with damage to signs, sheds, utilities and fences were visible across the area. Flooded roads and intersections delayed responses to the disaster, a common scene as hurricanes increase in both frequency...
Offering a joyful evening that will bring a smile to all who attend, "Stuck on These Islands" is the newest offering of the annual children's production at Lake Wales Little Theatre, opening tonight for a two-weekend run at the intimate theatre at 411 North Third Street.. With a cast of youngsters guaranteed to steal hearts, the play depict a cast of tiny insect who find themselves marooned, requiring them to cooperate in a variety of ways to find their way off their isolated...
Avoiding the likelihood of an expensive lawsuit, the trustees of the Lake Wales Charter School have accepted a settlement of issues connected to their abrupt June 7 termination of the system's former superintendent. Dr. Wayne V. Rodolfich had served just under two years at the head of the seven-school system when he was cited for one or more "grievances" filed by employees. Details of the accusations have not been made public but based upon statements made by both Rodolfich...
With the threat of a "long, expensive, and distracting" lawsuit looming, the Lake Wales Charter School board will have an opportunity to reconsider their June 7 decision to summarily fire Superintendent Dr. Wayne V. Rodolfich "for cause," according to an attorney representing him. The board agreed without objection to place the issue on their July 22 agenda after hearing from attorney Kemp Brinson, who is representing Rodolfich. Brinson, in a special presentation that was the...
The Lake Wales Charter School board summarily dismissed School Superintendent Dr. Wayne V. Rodolfich during a meeting this afternoon after hearing a report from the Tampa law firm of Barbas Cremer regarding their investigation into anonymous grievances which were filed against Rodolfich earlier this year. Dr. Rodolfich has led the seven-school charter district since July 2022 after a year-long hunt ended in his hiring in March of that year. He came to Lake Wales after leading...
Lake Wales Charter Schools Superintendent Dr. Wayne Rodolfich has spent more than two weeks "working from home" after anonymous grievances were filed, apparently by employees who had worked with him in the school district's home office on Central Avenue in Lake Wales. The charter school's human resources officer, LaQuanda Burroughs, reported to the at a special meeting on March 28 that three different grievances had been filed. After hearing of the grievances, charter school...
A development proposal adjacent to Lake Alta on the near north side of Lake Wales has been modified by the developer in an apparent attempt to reach a compromise with neighboring residents. Growth Management Division Director Autumn Cochella attended a Community Redevelopment Agency meeting this week to explain to commissioners that developer J. Walter Homes will bring a new proposal back to the city's Planning and Zoning Board at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 27, calling...
The Florida Commission on Ethics had found "probable cause that Polk County School Board member and Lake Wales resident Lori Cunningham has created a conflict of interest for her sales of clothing to the Lake Wales Charter Schools and a Dundee school. According to the complaint, Cunningham's personally-owned company, Applied Images, has been selling school uniform shirts to at least four local schools for years, specifying "over $16,000 in sales made to charter schools since...
High school reunions are still a part of American culture and life experience that can offer a way to reflect on a lifetime of work and achievement. The Lake Wales High School Class of 1974 is going back...back to where it all began. On Friday, March 15, 2024, the class will be taking a trip down memory lane celebrating 50 years. It's not unusual for classes to celebrate 50 years, but this class is somewhat unique. They hold the bragging rights of being the last class to...
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was written by middle school students at Bok North Academy. Students enrolled in the Bok Academy North agriculture program are excited for the opportunities they are being offered this year. Among those are participation in the Future Farmers of America programs. LakeWalesNews.net plans to publish monthly stories written by students of the program. Instructor Jennifer Williams says she is teaching students that agriculture "is much more than just...
EDITOR'S NOTE: Students enrolled in the Bok Academy North agriculture program are excited for the opportunities they are being offered this year. Among those are participation in the Future Farmers of America programs. LakeWalesNews.net plans to publish monthly stories written by students of the program. Instructor Jennifer Williams says she is teaching students that agriculture "is much more than just cattle and oranges." Our members are excited about our new year and so are...
After causing a scare in the east Polk region by approaching Florida from the southwest, Hurricane Idalia behaved much as the computer models had predicted, staying well offshore of Florida's west coast before slamming into the Big Bend Area of the state as a Category Four hurricane. That course left the Lake Wales area and surrounding communities undamaged due to winds. Three times during the overnight hours tornado warnings caused alarms to sound on phones and tablets in...
Thousands of area students will stream back to school tomorrow for an unusual Friday start to the new school year. Seven schools operated by Lake Wales Charter Schools and several other area schools controlled by the Polk School District will draw in more than 5,000 students to face the new academic year with high hopes. Some students in the northwestern portion of the Lake Wales area will be assigned to a new elementary school in southeast Winter Haven, which has changed...
The Lake Wales Highlander of 100 years ago reveals much about the history of our community, including overcrowded schools and the divisive debate over free-range versus fences. A referendum would soon decide whether to end free-range cattle that often wandered onto roads. The build-out of the 1919 school building was underway, but The Highlander pointed out that some 100 minority students still had no facility. Each week the Lake Wales News will publish a front-page image of t...
Lake Wales' first school building could become its newest as well if the efforts of the local Charter School Foundation are successful. They are preparing to launch a fund drive to raise $1.5 million, needed to complete the $6 million remodeling of the attractive two-story red-brick structure. "We want to take this eyesore out" to create a useful and beautiful new facility, Lake Wales Charter School System Superintendent Wayne Rodolfich told a group of 25 community leaders...
Lake Wales newest middle school campus is set to benefit from a $6 million construction project, but Lake Wales Charter Schools is working to find the resources to pay for the new school building at BoK Academy North. Filling the $3 million gap in funding to complete the new campus is being approached through a three-tiered fundraising effort that includes giving away a 2023 Cadillac XT4. Dr. T.J. McKeon spoke with the LakeWalesNew.net this week to explain the crucial need,...
Teaching children to read is one of the most important steps in the life-long project of learning. Getting them started early is critical, many educators believe. Among those who created reading material that draws children into the learning process was the beloved Dr. Seuss. As a way to mark Dr. Seuss' birthday on March 2, Lake Wales Charter Schools Superintendent Dr. Wayne Rodolfich, accompanied by Bilingual Specialist Dr. Julio Acevedo and PD Coordinator Stacie Padgett,...
A special public workshop at Crystal Lake Park will give residents an opportunity to discuss ideas and options for a new connecting bike-and-pedestrian trail segment. Engineers and planners will be on hand to share design ideas and preliminary drawings. The proposed trail, linking Lake Wales Library and the Bok Academy North neighborhood with Park Avenue and the Lake Wailes Trail, will parallel Sessoms Avenue on the north side of Crystal Lake, and is expected to offer views...
A special free learning opportunity is being offered to area Middle and High School students, who will learn and earn a special completion certificate as "Student Naturalists."The program is being offered in special Saturday events at Lake Wales Public Library, and will be led by certified Florida educators. The three-hour educational program, described as "a fun experience," is being hosted by Lake Wales Heritage, a local non-profit endeavoring to recreate the "garden city"...
A special free learning opportunity is being offered to area Middle and High School students, who will learn and earn a special completion certificate as "Student Naturalists."The program is being offered in special Saturday events at Lake Wales Public Library, and will be led by certified Florida educators. The three-hour educational program is being hosted by Lake Wales Heritage, a local non-profit endeavoring to recreate the "garden city" envisioned by city founders. While...
Lake Wales Little Theatre is offering an entertaining and timely comedic romp through the American political landscape in its production of "The Outsider," which runs through November 20. What would you do if you were suddenly thrust into public office, and were terrified of crowds and cameras? That's the dilemma facing accidental Governor Ned Newley While the script provides its appropriate level of laughs, it's the cast that brings the play to life, with solid performances...
The parade of development proposals that have stirred citizen concerns of runaway changes to Lake Wales continued to be evident at the most recent city commission meeting as details emerged for several more projects. A calculation by LakeWalesNews.Net staff has indicated that more than 12,000 new single-family homes, townhomes, apartments, and mobile homes are included in developments already on the drawing table. At least three other projects have been proposed but remain to...
A second public high school for Lake Wales moved a large step closer to reality last week after Polk County Schools Superintendent Frederick Heid proposed that McLaughlin Middle School campus be used to house new facilities and purposes to provide "continuity" for students there to transition straight to high school with their peers. "Any time we can remove a transition between school levels for students, the students benefit, the school benefits, the staff benefits, because...
Exposure to the Covid-19 virus among members of the cast and crew at Lake Wales Little Theatre have interrupted the current schedule of performances, causing the cancellation of three shows this Friday through Sunday, February 21-23. ":Due to an exposure to our cast and crew, and out of an abundance of caution, we regret having to cancel the three shows of this weekend's scheduled performance of "Ripcord." a special statement issued by the theatre said. The normal schedule is...
