Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 12-15-15 Edition

Local
Black History Committee Seeks Teen Award Nominations
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
For more than 20 years, the Tampa Police Department’s Black history Committee has sponsored a program. How- ever, for next year, the Com- mittee is adding a new facet to its program.
The Committee will host its first Annual Teen Excellence Awards Program. And, they are seeking teenagers to partic- ipate in the initiative. Fifteen of those who participate will re- ceive scholarships.
Major Rocky Ratliff
said, “This is an opportunity for the adults in the commu- nity to recognize students who are working hard to stay on the right track in the classroom or in their neighborhoods. It’s im- portant for our young people to know that we are proud of their accomplishments, no matter how small they may be.”
The teenagers participating in the competition must be en- rolled in school in Hillsbor- ough County, and must be in grades 8 through 12. The nom- inee will be required to write a short essay explaining why the
youngsters who are just as de- serving, but are often over- looked.
“There are youngsters out there who may help a neighbor or even his parents and are never noticed. Or, there may a kid who made some bad deci- sions and has turned his life
FYI
around. These are the young- sters we want to know about.”
The deadline to submit a nominee is January 1, 2016 and must be postmarked by that date. Anyone interested in submitting a nominee can ob- tain an application at www.tampagov.net/policebhc.
MAJOR ROCKY RATLIFF
student should be considered for an award.
A student may be nomi- nated in one of the following five categories: These cate- gories include: Academic Ex- cellence; Good Citizenship and Behavior; Leadership, Volun- teerism, or Overcoming Signif- icant Challenges.
The top three winners in each category will be presented with a monetary scholarship during the Black History Com- mittee’s Teen Excellence Awards Recognition Banquet and Dance. The event will take place on February 27, 2016.
Ms. Janelle McGregor,
spokesperson for the Tampa
MS. JANELLE McGREGOR
Police Department and mem- ber of the Black History Com- mittee said, “We are encouraging students and adults to participate in our First Annual 2016 Teen Excel- lence Awards. The Committee is currently accepting applica- tions and nomination for mid- dle and high school students.
“Any adult in the commu- nity who knows of a teenager deserving of this recognition is encouraged to nominate him or her. Usually, honor students are the ones who receive all of the recognition. And, while we are not diminishing their ac- complishments, we are inviting adults to nominate those
Free Book Giveaway Draws Large Crowds
On Saturday, a group of several organizations united to host a free book giveaway. And, a large crowd stood in a long line to receive the books.
More than 40,000 books were given to students, families, and educators in Hillsborough County. The idea was to help stu- dents and families build home libraries.
The book giveaway began at 9 a.m. and ended at 3 p.m. It was held at the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association, 3102 N. Habana Avenue. The giveaway will also offer bilingual and Spanish language books.
The books were made available through a partnership of sev- eral organizations and were earmarked for children from low- income families. Each child could receive up to 5 books.
In addition to the students, teachers from Title I schools were also able to select books for their classrooms.
The books were provided by Molina Healthcare, a local not- for-profit organization.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 9