Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 11-13-18

Local
Special Meeting Set To Discuss Changing School’s Name
Hundreds Attend Community Care And Connection Event In Park
Over 500 people at- tended the 3rd Annual Community Care and Con- nection event sponsored by Derrick Brooks Charities, Fifth Third Bank and The City Of Tampa at Copeland Park on Wednesday, No- vember 7, 2018.
The event offered free financial literacy and infor- mation on how to purchase a home, in addition to how to increase credit ratings, according to Darrell Daniels, the charity's ex- ecutive director of youth programs.
Two previous events,
held at the Springhill Park
in Sulphur Springs, had a
combined total of 700 people and was well received by the community.
"We decided to move the event to Copeland Park to expand our footprint," said Regina McBride-Smith of the City of Tampa Parks and Recreation Department. Over 50 vendors were in attendance to educate attendees on free services offered to the community.
Some of the other sponsors were: Publix, PDQ, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa Bay Lightning and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
ROBERT E. LEE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Pictured in front of the Fifth Third Bank E-Bus from left to right are: Lieutenant Anthony Collins, HCSO; Darrell Daniels, Derrick Brooks Charities; Diedrea Anthony, Tampa Parks and Recreation Department; Ester Marshall, Fifth Third Bank; Regina McBride-Smith, Tampa Parks and Recreation Department; and Captain. R. S. Blasioli, TPD.
On Thursday, November 15th, the Hillsborough County School Board will hold a spe- cial board meeting. The pur- pose of the meeting, which begins at 4 p.m., is to con- sider names for Lee Elemen- tary School. The board will also make some administra- tive appointments during the meeting.
In June 2017, at the School Board’s request, the district began the process to rename Robert E. Lee Ele- mentary School. However, before the process was com- plete, the school suffered a devastating fire.
The effects of Hurricane Irma struck the area and re- sulted in power outages. When the power was re- stored on September 12, a fire ignited and destroyed the building.
The School District held a meeting with parents on May 23, 2018, to discuss the fu- ture of the building including design, where several school names were submitted by families. On October 16, 2018, the School Board voted to rebuild the school, after the district negotiated full payment for the building from the insurance compa- nies.
As plans are underway by the construction manager and design professionals to build the new school, offi- cials decided it is the appro- priate time to discuss several issues, including the name change.
The community can submit names for con-
sideration by email to school.name@sdhc.k1 2.fl.us until noon on Tuesday, November 13.
Some of the names al- ready submitted are: Lee El- ementary (with no first name), Tampa Heights Ele- mentary, Harper Lee Ele- mentary, and Amelia Elementary.
All names submitted will be presented to the Hillsbor- ough County School Board for their consideration at the November 15, 2018 special called school board meeting.
According to School Board policy, school sites and facilities shall be named for individuals who have ren- dered outstanding public service to public education, for geographical locations, and for groups and clubs.
The school was built in 1906, by volunteers, and was named Michigan Avenue Grammar School. In 1943, the school was relocated to 305 E. Columbus Drive, and its name was changed at that time. It was the first brick school building in Hillsbor- ough County.
It was renovated in 1989, and won a local historic preservation award. It also became the first magnet school in the county. In 1993, the school became the dis- tricts first magnet elemen- tary school.
In 2005, it was renamed Robert E. Lee Elementary School of Technology and World Studies, in honor of the Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2018 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3