Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Two instances of molestation of children by adult authority figures, a minister and a coach, have resulted in the arrest of two individuals by the Polk County Sheriff's Office. In an incident that took place in Frostproof, 20-year-old Skylar Ready of Fort Meade was charged with four felonies related to an illegal and inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old student at the school, whom he allegedly threatened to kill is she had sex with anyone else. Ready had served as a...
A local educator received a visit from the "Surprise Patrol" today and learned that he has been selected as a finalist in the Polk County School System's annual awards, which are given to the teacher and paraeducator of the year. Matthew Brojanowski now teaches English at Roosevelt Academy, located on East Street in Lake Wales. He has had a remarkable career in education. Brojanowski first got involved in schools as a parent volunteer, then worked as a substitute, and went on...
Like a mushroom after a summer rain, a beautiful new gymnasium has popped up this week on the campus of McLaughlin Middle/High School of Excellence. The building is being constructed using a "tilt-wall" method in which completed solid concrete walls are rapidly erected, rather than a traditional hollow concrete "breeze-block" method, allowing the walls to be erected over a two-day period. Much work remains before the structure will be completed, which is anticipated to happen...
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...
Precautions are advised for strong winds and heavy rains due to the approach of Hurricane Idalia, still expected to move near Florida's Gulf Coast overnight on Wednesday. The 11:00 am, update from the National Hurricane Center in Miami indicates that the center of the storm is still on a generally northward track of five degrees, indicating a slight eastward movement. Any increased eastward adjustment in the course would raise the potential impacts of the storm in the east Pol...
The threat of a direct strike from Hurricane Idalia on east Polk and the Lake Wales Ridge area continues to diminish this morning as the storm has continued on a northerly track with no sign of a dreaded turn to the east. That much-feared jog would bring the storm ashore on Florida's populous west coast rather than the sparsely-populated Big Bend area. Nevertheless, precautions continue in Polk County for anticipated tropical storm-force winds and the possibility for heavy...
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...
Teachers and staff preparing for a new school year at Spook Hill Elementary were the happy recipients of a complimentary "thanksgiving" lunch this week in gratitude for their efforts to teach children and positively affect their lives. Tammy James delivered a stack of pizzas and beverages which had been purchased by the Lake Wales Area Democratic Club as part of their "Teacher Appreciation Month." James had approached school principal Michelle Browning about the donation, and...
The conversion of the former McLaughlin Academy of Excellence, a middle school, into McLaughlin Middle/High School is moving ahead with the construction of a new gymnasium, the first of several new facilities that will be added to the school's 38-acre campus in coming months and years. The new gymnasium will serve the full line-up of athletics anticipated for the McLaughlin Phoenix teams. The 28,300 square-foot gymnasium will host a variety of athletic programs, including...
Polk County Public Schools (PCPS) and Varsity Tutors have launched a new online tutoring partnership that brings live instruction and lessons to 40,000 students across the district. The first-of-its-kind program enables district educators to schedule online, face-to-face personalized tutoring for any student. The services will be available across 43 Polk County schools and utilized by both teachers in the classroom and families at home. "This program was designed to serve as a...
Sir Richard V. Giordano KBE, an iconic American business leader who led a transformation of British corporate culture, creator of the BOC Challenge sailing race and Knight Commander of the British Empire for his contributions to British industry, died on December 27, 2022 at 88 years of age at his home in Lake Wales, Florida, surrounded by his family. Born on March 24, 1934, in the Bronx, New York, Giordano was the youngest son of Italian immigrants. A proud product of New...
Polk County Public Schools’ graduation rate decreased to 78.3 percent in 2021-2022, according to the latest data released today by the Florida Department of Education. District officials continue to analyze the data, but they anticipated a drop due to changes in graduation requirements during the pandemic. State exams were waived as graduation requirements during the pandemic (2019-20 and 2020-21 school years). As a result, students did not need to pass these exams to earn t...
Thursday was an exciting day for both students and administrators of Lake Wales' McLaughlin Middle/High School as they broke ground for a new $15 million gymnasium, and welcomed back former student Amar'e Stoudemire to give a keynote address. Stoudemire brought a message of encouragement to students hoping to follow his success as a "student athlete. "Hard work" was the repeated theme he share. Highlighting the need for education as well as athletics, he proudly announced his...
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...
UPDATE: Polk County Public Schools will reopen on Tuesday, October 4. Students should be prepared to resume their normal class schedules at that time, according to school officials. At the urging of County emergency officials and the National Weather Service, Polk County Public Schools are to activate some schools that will be serving as storm shelters for those evacuating their homes, creating the need to close the schools for classes effective and the end of today....
Polk State College's campuses and centers will reopen on Monday, including the collegiate high schools, spokesperson Madison Fantozzi reported Sunday. Kyle Kennedy, spokesperson for Polk County Public Schools, said that "all available PCPS staff will return to work on Monday" in order to prepare the schools to receive students on Tuesday morning. Fantozzi's statement statement said that crews have been working through the weekend "to clear debris and repair minimal damages"...
In the aftermath of the ongoing surge in school shootings nationwide, Polk County Schools plan to conduct random "screenings" of students during the coming school year, which begins Wednesday, August 10. According to a released issued by Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Fred Heid, "ALL screenings are done randomly." "Schools will vary the screening location on campus, the time when the screening takes place and the frequency of a screening," Heid wrote "For instance,...
Twenty-seven community leaders will soon begin exploring the complexities of managing one of the largest school districts in the nation. Inside PCPS - a new countywide leadership program - was created through the collaboration of Polk County Public Schools and Polk Vision. Superintendent Frederick Heid said the new program addresses an important goal within the district's new strategic plan. "One of our major goals is to better engage families and the community," Heid said....
A pair of forums offering voters a chance to hear from seven school board candidates has been moved to an online event due to the recent upsurge of Coved cases in Polk County. The event had been scheduled for the James Austin Center in Lake Wales with a capacity of 100 guests. The event will now take place via Zoom, with a link to be posted for interested guests. The August primary election will be the final chance to vote in some local races, including those for new school...
The August primary election will be the final chance to vote in some local races, including those for new school board members for four different seats on the seven-member board. A total of nine candidates are seeking spots on the board, which governs more than 100 local schools. The two events will take place on Monday, July 18 and Thursday July 21., The public is encouraged to come hear the candidates discuss the challenges facing public education, and the important role...
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...
Quickly advancing plans to co-locate a new high school on the campus of McLaughlin Middle School, administrators brought some 60 parents, students, teachers, and staff together Tuesday to discuss the shape and operation of the school. The school will offer students a second choice of high schools in Lake Wales The charrette-style event, held in the school cafeteria, was themed around "Phoenix Airlines," using the school's mascot as the flight host. Each attendee was given a...
A heartfelt plea for peace and an end to the politicizing of the Lake Wales Charter Schools has been sent to more than 20 leaders of the system by former Board of Trustees Chairman Dr. Andy Oguntola. The system has been disrupted by divisive fights over leadership and curricula. "There are moments in history where each of us play a pivotal role in finding solutions or navigating a difficult path through a storm that seems troublesome," Oguntola wrote in reference to sharply-di...
