Wednesday, May 22, 2013
These two students are standouts at Largo High School. Who knows what they will achieve next!
All that hard work paid off, which is a fine lesson that seniors Steven Higginbotham and Adriana Wilson carry with them as they graduate from Largo High. Congratulations to them and to the Class of 2013! The two have good reason to celebrate: Out of a graduating class of 303 seniors, Steven is the Valedictorian for the Class of 2013, with the highest grade point average. Adriana us the Salutatorian, with the second-highest GPA. That dedication shows they know what it takes to succeed. Here are some more details on these top achievers. Get the Largo Patch newsletter delivered to your email for free. Sign up here.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
This standout Largo senior was tapped to play in the senior all star game at Tropicana Field in May.
Shortstop Steven Petrilyak, a Largo High School senior, has committed to LaGrange College in Georgia, the Tampa Bay Times is reporting. LaGrange College is in the USA South Athletic Conference. Here are highlights from the Largo shortstop's performance this season. Get the Largo Patch delivered to your email. It's free. Sign up here.
Monday, April 29, 2013
One Florida County has given elementary school principals the green light to paddle misbehaving students. What do you think about this, Tampa Bay?
A trip to the principal’s office in Marion County elementary schools might mean more for misbehaving students than a call to parents and possible detention detail. Principals there have been given the green light to paddle unruly pupils. The county’s school board decided April 23 that it was high time this once banned practice was brought back into the educational system. Citing repeat disciplinary problems with students where nothing else worked to get kids on track, board member Carol Ely, a retired principal, put the idea on the table. While the measure passed, principals don’t have carte blanche to paddle kids. Principals must first obtain standing written permission from parents, and they must get verbal permission before each …
Thursday, April 25, 2013
It's not just a school rumor. The Pinellas County School District has decided to end the practice.
You can almost hear the collective groan in Largo classrooms: There will be no more early release days at Pinellas County schools. Starting next school year, the early dismissals on Wednesdays will go away. Pinellas County Schools posted the announcement on its website, along with a listing of bell schedules for campuses across the district. To find out the bell schedules for individual schools, just visit the district’s website. “The new school bell times for 2013-14 reflect minimal changes,” district officials said on the website. “However, next school year, schools will not have early-release Wednesdays.” Students end this school year on Wednesday, June 5. Get the Largo Patch newsletter delivered to your email.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Largo High joins two other Pinellas County schools that have earned the elite designation.
It's official: Largo High School has earned its International Baccalaureate program certification. The official authorization from the International Baccalaureate Organization places the high school in an elite group in Pinellas County. It is the third high school to earn the designation. The other two are Palm Harbor University High School and St. Petersburg High School. Monday's announcement culminates a three-year planning and review process for high school leaders, according to the Pinellas County School District. “I congratulate and thank the teachers, students, staff and administrators of Largo High School for their commitment to building the county’s newest IB program,” said Michael A. Grego, superintendent for Pinellas County …
Danny Bergstrom won his match while fellow Largo standout Derrick Doss was upset in the 182-lb. class.
The Pinellas County All Stars wrestling team defeated the Pasco County All Stars 45-15 on April 15, 2013. Pinellas County won 10 of the 14 bouts. Largo High School senior Danny Bergstrom earned a majority decision over Gary Garcia of Land O' Lakes High School in the 195-lb. weight class. Bergstrom's compelling life story was chronicled earlier this year in an article on the Bright House Sports Network website. Another Largo High wrestler, Derrick Doss, dropped his match by a 6-2 score to Collin Hahn of Fivay High School. Doss, a senior standout on the Packers' football team and one of the top wrestlers in Class 2A, was competing in the 182-lb. weight class. The Pinellas team was coached by two-time NCAA All-American Dustin DeNunzio from …
Monday, April 8, 2013
A district review of dropout prevention and alternative education programs showed there was room for improvement. What changes would you like to see made, Largo?
Pinellas County School Board members want to see the district do a better job in handling troubled students. Specifically, board members want the district improve the way it handles disruptive kids and those who are at risk for dropping out. A recent countywide review of programs geared toward troubled kids showed the district’s programs are not used as much as they could be, The Tampa Tribune reported. To remedy that, the district hopes to add programs meant to get students who have fallen off track back on grade level faster. It also wants to boost its technical education programs. Plans are also in the works to revamp programs that target kids who are chronically disruptive in classrooms. School Board Vice Chairwoman Peggy O’Shea said …
Monday, April 1, 2013
Shawn Siede, 42, has resigned from Osceola Middle School after students accused the teacher of physically and mentally mistreating them.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Shawn Siede, 42, has resigned from Osceola Middle School after students accused the teacher of physically and mentally mistreating them.
Shawn Siede, a history teacher at Osceola Middle School, has resigned following a series of mental and physical abuse allegations from students, according to a report from the Tampa Bay Times. The Times said an investigation by the Pinellas County School District revealed ongoing mistreatment to students by Siede. "He pinched and squeezed shoulders and would sometimes push children's heads onto their desks. He pushed them when they walked into class and tripped them in the halls. He would put an elbow in their backs or chase them until they fell. He would knock things off their desks, or the pencils out of their hands. He would call the children stupid, say they were jerks. He would say that they were going to fail out of school. He …
Thursday, March 28, 2013
What should happen to underperforming schools in Pinellas County?
A proposed 'Parent Empowerment Act' has raised concerns with multiple members of the Pinellas County School Board who say the bill would hurt the school district. The bill, according to TBO.com, would "allow parents to request that school districts rehabilitate schools that earn consecutive failing grades from the state instead of leaving the decision up to the school board; in many cases, that would mean converting the schools into charter schools." In an interview with TBO, school board member Chairwoman Carol Cook said the proposed legislation is more harmful to the district than it is helpful to parents. “We aren’t just a bunch of yahoos that have been elected; we are constitutional officers and we are responsible for the education …
Diana Smith
11:49 am on Monday, May 13, 2013
Get the dope out of schools. There would be less problems. I have heard of kids selling drugs in middle and high school, and even students have told me there are needles in the bathrooms of the high school. Thankfully, my grand daughter is against drugs of any kind. She is disciplined at home, and has chores she has to do and maintain good grades which she does. I really don't see where paddling … more ›