SPC alumna wins Rookie Teacher of the Year award

Katelyn Sovocool and Principal Seymour Brown III from the Plumb Elementary School

St. Petersburg College alumna Katelyn Sovocool has been named the winner of the Jack R. Lamb ESE Rookie Teacher of the Year district award from the Suncoast 176 Chapter of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC).

The announcement was made at the CEC Chapter 176 Spring Banquet held at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater on April 25.

Sovocool, 24, is a full-time Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) kindergarten teacher at Plumb Elementary School in Clearwater. She completed a bachelor’s degree in Exceptional Student Education (K-12) with a certification in Elementary Education with ESOL and Reading Endorsements at SPC.

“SPC helped me prepare to reach my dreams of becoming an educator by providing me with a quality education and an unsurpassable experience in the educational field,” Sovocool said in a recent interview. She hopes to make a difference through her career by providing each of her students with the highest quality education possible.

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SPC alumna is finalist for Rookie Teacher of the Year award

Katelyn Sovocool

St. Petersburg College alumna Katelyn Sovocool is a finalist for the Jack R. Lamb ESE Rookie Teacher of the Year district award by the Suncoast 176 Chapter of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC).

Sovocool, 24, a full-time Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) kindergarten teacher at Plumb Elementary School in Clearwater, completed a bachelor’s degree in Exceptional Student Education (K-12) with a certification in Elementary Education with ESOL and Reading Endorsements.

“When I first started the education program at SPC, I wanted to receive a degree in Elementary Education,” she said. “But, after the informational sessions provided, I learned about the Exceptional Student Education program and felt as though I needed to pursue that degree.”

Although none of her family or friends had a disability and Sovocool had little experience with exceptional students, she felt that she was still making the right choice. “Once I was accepted into the program, I knew I was right where I was meant to be.”

“SPC helped me prepare to reach my dreams of becoming an educator by providing me with a quality education and an unsurpassable experience in the educational field,” said Sovocool. She hopes to make a difference through her career by providing each of her students with the highest quality education possible.

Sovocool is in the running with two other new teachers for the award:

• Marissa Miranda from Hamilton Disston School
• Crystal Grimmer from Bardmoor Elementary

Finalists will be recognized and winners will be announced at the Suncoast 176 Chapter’s 35th annual banquet at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, at Ruth Eckerd Hall.

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MIRA ‘opened my eyes’ to a music industry career

SPC graduate Dustin Brause is putting the college’s degree in Music Industry Recording Arts to work behind the camera and online.

Brause, 23, received his associate of science degree in SPC’s MIRA program in early 2012. He now is working as both the leading sound advisor for the startup video game company Solvent Studios and a freelancer for a Tampa ad agency.

SPC MIRA graduate Dustin Brause works as a sound man on a Sweetbay commercial.

That’s Brause behind the scenes during the filming of a Sweetbay commercial where he was part of a two-man sound team. “We’re very proud of his success,” said Mark Matthews, MIRA’s lead instructor.

Brause said he had always been involved in music, participating in band and dabbling on the computer. When he started looking at schools, he found out about the MIRA program at SPC, what it offered and that it was more affordable than other educational opportunities in this field.

“I would say that it definitely opened my eyes as to how much really is involved and how many different types of jobs there are,” Brause said about MIRA. “They try to prepare you for how it will be like to get a job.”

Looking back, Brause said he would advise current MIRA students to network with people in the music industry. “Networking really makes a difference while in school,” he said. “It’s the primary way people get work in the industry.”

Looking ahead, he’s hoping things will take off for Solvent Studios and his work with them. He also is watching for an opportunity to learn more through MIRA at SPC.

Brause’s dream job would be to work as a sound mixer for film and television, he said. However, he would need more specialized training, which he hopes MIRA will provide if it expands and begins offering a bachelor’s program. With people in the music industry considering job options in film, television and online, Brause said, “There are a lot of opportunities for (MIRA) to grow.”

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SPC alum among finalists for Pinellas Outstanding Educator of the Year

Six finalists have been named in the annual Outstanding Educator of the Year recognition program. Two hold associate degrees from SPC, ABC Action News reported.

Jennifer Klimis is a nine-year veteran of Pinellas County Schools and is a case manager at Tarpon Springs Fundamental Elementary. Jean Wark began her teaching career in 1982 and has been a Kindergarten teacher at Perkins Elementary in St. Petersburg since 1985.

The 2012-13 Outstanding Educator of the Year will be announced at the annual Evening of Excellence on Feb. 25 at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater.

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2011 class in SPC Respiratory Care program celebrates 100 percent pass rate

The 2011 graduating class in the Respiratory Care program enjoyed a 100 percent pass rate on the Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) exam.

According to the National Board for Respiratory Care, the national new candidate advanced level program pass rate is 79 percent.

“We have had a number of 100 percent CRT pass rates in past years,” said Steve Mikles, Program Director, Respiratory Care, Caruth Health Education Center.

“We do extensive testing and diagnostic review of weak areas for each student using the NBRC Comprehensive Secure CRT (Certified Respiratory Therapist) and RRT (Registered Respiratory Therapist) examinations prior to graduation,” he said.

The Respiratory Care program pass rate in 2010 was 86 percent.

The Respiratory Care program began in 1971 with its first graduating class in 1973.

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College of Ed alumna begins third year of teaching in Abu Dhabi

Susan Mishler with some of her second grade students in Abu Dhabi

Susan Mishler has lived in many countries throughout her life. And although she made various stops along the way, her journey eventually led to St. Petersburg College, where she received a bachelor’s degree in education.

Her father worked for a company that ran airports and airlines, which allowed her family to live in many places throughout her childhood, including Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It was her familiarity with the area and the people who reside there that helped her to return more than 40 years later as a teacher.

“My parents worked and lived overseas since I was a baby,” said Mishler, 57. She is originally from England but became a U.S. citizen when she married her American husband, Tom Mishler. “I had maintained contact with some dear friends in Abu Dhabi, and one day I just decided to research and see what was available and this opportunity came up.”

Before she got married, she worked a variety of jobs, such as a personal secretary for a Japanese oil company, at the Iranian Embassy, and as a hotel receptionist in London at the Cumberland Hotel in Marble Arch.

“I was working as a Parapro (paraprofessional) back in California while my own children were in school,” said Mishler, who has four grown children and two grandchildren residing in the San Diego area. “Several teachers that became very good friends were amazed I was not a teacher and said I should become one.”

For family reasons, she moved to Pinellas County where she began working in the school system as support staff. “Then the cutbacks hit, and that is when I decided to take a great leap of faith and decided to go back to school to become a teacher,” she said.

With St. Petersburg College being so close, she decided to enroll at the Tarpon Springs and Clearwater campuses. She liked the comfortable environment and did not feel intimidated by the size of the campuses.

“The availability of the education program was so helpful to me,” she said. “I was able to work part-time and attend classes and have no stress of large commutes.”

She received an Associate in Arts in 2005 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Exceptional Student Education K-12 with ESOL Endorsement in December 2007.

Since September 2010, she has been working for the Abu Dhabi Education Council, where she teaches math, science and English to second grade boys and girls, most of whom have very limited knowledge of English.

“The culture and language here is going through a major change in the creation of a New School Model that is proposed over the next 10 years,” said Mishler. Although the Arabic language is still dominant in the schools, English also is taught. Math and science also are taught in English.

“It has not been easy to tackle this assignment, but fortunately I had an idea of what it would be like when I took it,” she said. “Some people come over here and think it will be a breeze, and the excitement of traveling and living in an exotic place envelopes them. But it’s not all peaches and cream; it’s also very, very hard, intense work.”

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College of Ed celebrates 10 years with open house

More than 150 people attended the College of Education’s 10-year anniversary open house.

The College of Education (COE) at St. Petersburg College hosted a celebration to commemorate 10 years of graduating “effective, reflective and caring teachers” on Sept. 29 at the Tarpon Springs Campus.

The open house  was attended by more than 150 prospective and current students; alumni; families; staff and former faculty members; Tom Furlong, former Vice President of Baccalaureate Programs; and the Bilirakis family, who were instrumental in starting the College of Education. Photos of the event are available on the SPC Facebook site.

The College of Education began offering bachelor’s degrees in 2002, and later expanded to offer post-baccalaureate programs leading to teacher certification through its EPI program.

During the Saturday program, three alumni speakers reflected on how their time in the SPC College of Education prepared them for their careers:

• Heidi D’Ambrosio, Exceptional Student Education major in the 2004 inaugural class: D’Ambrosio now serves as an area supervisor for the ESE department of Pinellas County Schools and also is finishing her doctorate in educational leadership. She shared her experiences in the COE’s early days, and underscored the relationships she formed with her professors and classmates.
• Tracy Staley, a 2007 graduate of the COE: Staley was recognized in 2011 as the Pinellas County Outstanding Educator in the Year and was a finalist for the 2012 Florida Department of Education Teacher of the Year. She shared experiences of her time in SPC’s elementary education program and how well the program prepared her for her career.
• Ronda Carney, a 2011 graduate of SPC’s Educator Preparation Institute: Carney recapped how well the College of Education prepared her for teaching. After graduation, in a year when hiring was tight, Ronda was offered a job by each school where she interviewed.

A photo slide show highlighting the College of Education’s 10 years also was shown.

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‘Sweeney Todd’ brings SPC alumnus home

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Oct. 5, 7 and 9 The Tony-award winning show features the murderous thrills and machinations of the vengeful English barber, his accommodating landlady and a colorful cast of characters from 19th century London. Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Hugh Wheeler. Russell Andrade and the rest of the cast of Sweeney Todd will perform at the Palladium Theater in downtown St. Petersburg. For tickets, visit the St. Petersburg Opera website.

Like the main character in the musical Sweeney Todd, Russell Andrade finds himself returning to the place he calls home after several years away. But, thankfully, that is where the similarities end for Andrade and the fictional butcher barber.

Andrade, 32, a St. Petersburg College alumnus and St. Petersburg Opera Emerging Artist, will perform the cover role of Beadle Bamford, a pompous public official whose loyalty is to a corrupt judge, in St. Petersburg Opera’s Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street at the Palladium Theater.

Born in Dubai but of Portuguese descent, he came to the U.S. to work as a computer engineer in Ohio, but his heart wasn’t in it. In 1999, he decided to enroll at St. Petersburg College because he wanted to be closer to his grandmother who lived about two blocks from the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus.

Russell Andrade

Wanting to become a classical guitarist, Andrade began studying with Instructor Joe Braccio and also began taking voice lessons with former Instructor Ronald Billingsley. But his plans of becoming a classical guitarist came to a halt the following year when he suffered nerve damage to his hands in a car accident. He turned his attention to singing and joined the college’s chorus and musical theater.

In hindsight, Andrade looks at the car accident as an unusual blessing.

“There are a number of reasons why it’s great,” said the lyric tenor. “The fact is I’m a far better singer than I ever was a guitar player, and the accident helped me to focus on my voice.”

“There’s a sensation you get when you sing and you sing well, when you sing without effort,” he said. “It’s kind of a high. It just makes you feel euphoric.”

“I feel sorry for the computer engineers who never get to know what it is like.”

After graduating from SPC in 2003, Andrade earned Bachelor of Music degrees in vocal performance and music composition from the University of Georgia. He also completed graduate work in arts administration at Florida State University.

Since his time at SPC, Andrade has performed as a recital soloist with the Vermont Philharmonic and the Northwinds Symphonic Band, as well as in the chorus of the Atlanta Opera, along with many other gigs. He has received several awards, including the 2006 Metropolitan Opera Encouragement Award for the Atlanta District, as well as the Bel Canto Institute Performance and Orchestral Performance awards.

Andrade is excited to set foot on stage in SPC’s Palladium Theater and to again be doing something in the area.

“St. Pete College has impacted my life a lot,” he said. “I still have pride in SPC because it’s done so much for me.

Though he resides in Lawrenceville, Ga., he tries to remain active with the college. In January 2010, Andrade performed a recital at the St. Petersburg College Music Center to raise funds for the Earlene and Marvin Tiehaara Endowed Music Scholarship in honor of his late SPC piano teacher, Marvin, and his late wife.

“To this day, I still have more contacts from SPC than I’ve got from grad school or the University of Georgia,” he said. “Everyone just became friends with everyone, and that really makes a difference.”

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Area woman pushes forward toward graduation at SPC after son’s death

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune published an article July 21 about SPC graduate Natasha Clemons, the mother of a Bradenton man who died in an officer-involved shooting on June 11 in Sarasota County. Clemons’ classmates and professor, Dr. Sandra Campbell, helped her afterward. They pulled together to purchase her a new lab coat for work that lists her as having received her bachelor’s degree in nursing.

In the article, Clemons said when she walked down the aisle at SPC’s graduation ceremony she planned to carry a photo of her son. Clemons, 40, is the second in her immediate family to receive a college diploma. Her late son graduated from Eastern New Mexico University in December.

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2012 CRD Benefactor Award recipient named

Bill McCloud

Willie “Bill” McCloud has been named the 2012 Council for Resource Development Benefactor Award recipient. McCloud, who serves on the SPC Foundation Board of Directors, will be honored for his longstanding service on the boards of the St. Petersburg College Alumni Association and the Gibbs Junior College Alumni Association, and for his participation in initiatives that are important to student success.

The CRD Benefactor Award, which has been given since 1993, recognizes individuals, foundations, or businesses/corporations for outstanding contributions to community colleges. This year, seven donors who embody the ideals of philanthropy, leadership and volunteerism were selected to represent the thousands of individuals, foundations and corporations whose philanthropy benefit community colleges around the nation.

In 2006, McCloud helped establish the Gibbs Junior College Alumni Association Scholarship, which has provided financial assistance to more than 30 SPC students at the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus. He created the Willie (Bill) McCloud/Veolia Transportation Scholarship, a five-year, $50,000 pledge that will play an important role in attracting bright students interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math programs.

To receive the award, McCloud will attend the Benefactors Banquet during the 46thAnnual Council for Resource Development Conference “Paradigm Shift: Start a Movement” in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 10.

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