Page 16 - 2-20-15 Friday's Edition

Features
School Board Approves Transition Of Sulphur Springs To K-8 School
Requests For Redevelopment Of Ybor City Being Accepted
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Members of the Hillsbor- ough County School Board approved changes to a trou- bled elementary school Tuesday. The transition from elementary school to K-8 will begin next year.
School board members voted unanimously to trans- form Sulphur Springs Ele- mentary School to a K-8 facility. The total transition will take three years, with 6th grade being added in the fall.
Steve Hegarty,
spokesperson for the Hills- borough County School Dis- trict said, “We have had very good luck with turning other schools into K-8 Schools. We’ve already had one meet- ing with parents and there will be others planned.
“There are several K-8 schools now and each has its own distinctive identity. Rampello is the oldest exist- ing K-8 and it is doing well. Some of the others in Roland
Park K-8, which is an Inter- national Baccalaureate School, there is Turner-Bar- tel K-8, and Tinker K-8, which caters to the military population. Each school is designed for the community it serves.”
Hegarty further said some of the challenges that students face is going from elementary school to middle school and then from middle school to high school. The K- 8 school concept eases one of those challenges.
“The students at Sulphur Springs already know the campus and many of the teachers. That will help be- cause the students begin changing classes in middle school,” he said.
When the transition takes place, students who would normally attend Sligh Middle School or Van Buren Middle School may be redi- rected to Sulphur Springs. The board will discuss the new boundaries for the school as well as other fac-
tors that must be taken into consideration.
For several years, Sul- phur Springs Elementary School has been the topic of conversation. Changes to improve the quality of edu- cation at the school have constantly been made as its grades fluctuated through the years.
In 2008, Sulphur Springs Elementary School received an “F” grade. However, in 2009, the school earned a “B.”
In 2010, the grade dropped to a “C” and re- mained there for the 2011 school year. But, in 2012, the grade dropped once again to a “D,” and remained there in 2013. However, last year, the school’s grade improved and it earned a “C.”
The enrollment at the school is below capacity, so it will be allowed to add the 6th grade next year.
Sulphur Springs Elemen- tary School is located at 8412 N. 13th Street.
The City of Tampa is re- leasing a Requests for Pro- posals (RFPs) aimed at generating new economic op- portunities in historic Ybor City. The RFP is for a vacant, city owned parcel located on the northeastern corner of E. 7th Ave and Nuccio Parkway slated to be purchased and re- developed with a variety of uses, meaning a combination of residential, retail, and/or office space.
Mayor Bob Buckhorn said, “Time and again, we have seen how transforming
one vacant parcel of land can catalyze the transformation of an entire neighborhood. This parcel sits at the front door to the historic district, and by activating it, we continue the progress, investment, and de- velopment already happening Ybor City.
“This will bring new mixed use opportunities that will contribute to a 24/7 envi- ronment.”
The deadline for the RFPs must be submitted to the City of Tampa by Friday, March 20, 2015 at 4:00 p.m.
Retired Banker Named To Hospital Governing Board
A retiree from the banking industry was recently chosen to serve on the governing board of Tampa General Hos- pital. He will begin his 3-year term next month.
Gene Marshall is a founding board member and chairman of Northstar, Bank based in Tampa. He is also a Consultant with Success Sci- ences, Inc.
A native of Jamaica, Mar- shall began a career that spanned 35 years, in 1969. He had only been in America for a year when he applied for the job. He was hired and soon after began attending school.
He earned his BBA at Baruch College and an MBA from New York University during his employment. He moved to the Tampa Bay Area in 1990, where he built and managed bank processing centers in Tampa, San Anto- nio, Texas, and Vancouver, B.C. He became a Senior Vice President at JP Morgan Chase in 1993, and retired in 2004.
GENE MARSHALL
... To serve 3-year term on hospital’s governing board
At the age of 63, Mar- shall currently serves on the boards of Straz Center for the Performing Arts, WEDU, the Caribbean American National Development Organization, Inc., and the Council for Edu- cation Change, which is based in Weston, FL.
He is also the chairman of the board at the University Area Community Develop- ment Corporation. His goal at the center is to improve the economic, educational, and social welfare of the residents in the North Tampa commu- nities.
Meeting
Howard W. Blake Class Of 1961
The Howard W. Blake Class of 1961 will hold a meeting for its 55th reunion on Saturday, February 28, 2015, 1 p. m. at the C. Blythe Andrews Jr., Branch Library, 2607 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
All members are asked to be present and on time. Members in attendance: Emma Collins, Patrice Johnson, Flerida Miller, Eddye McIntosh, Jerlean Reaves, Clara Glenn and Lavern Hills.
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