Middle and high school males gain keys to manhood through education

In an effort to eliminate the academic challenges middle and high school male students experience, St. Petersburg College and community leaders are providing resources through the Keys to Manhood Seminar. This seventh annual seminar for men will be held from 8:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, at the SPC Allstate Center, 3200 34^th St. S., St. Petersburg.

This year, several graduating high school seniors will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship to St. Petersburg College and one participant will win a grand prize award.

The keynote speaker will be Dr. Koco Eaton, the orthopedic surgeon for the Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Keys to Manhood features a variety of breakout sessions:

• What’s Going on in Cybersecurity?
• Your Body is Your Temple
• Setting Financial Goals
• Consequences, Decisions and Choices
• How to Develop your 30-second Elevator Pitch
• 5 P’s to Destiny
• Professionalism & Personal Branding
• Passport to Manhood
• The Power of Credit

The seminar is free and open to the public, and lunch will be provided. Registration is required at why.spc.edu/max. This event is presented by Transamerica and sponsored by Verizon, GTE Financial, the City of St. Petersburg and Tampa Bay Rays.

 

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Affordable health care for children in Florida

More than 147,000 children in Florida are currently living without health insurance, but may be eligible for low-cost or completely free health insurance through Florida KidCare.

St. Petersburg College has partnered with Florida KidCare through a $15,000 grant to increase awareness of how the state’s children can have access to affordable, quality health care from birth through the end of age 18. This initiative aligns with the college’s culture to be a community of care through civic engagement.

With four unique Florida KidCare programs – Medicaid for children, MediKids, Florida Healthy Kids and the Children’s Medical Services Managed Care Plan – the simple and free application process is designed to identify the best fit for the family.

All four Florida KidCare coverage options include:

• Doctor visits
• Check-ups
• Hospital stays
• Surgeries
• Immunizations
• Prescriptions
• Emergencies
• Vision and hearing
• Dental
• Mental health services and more

Most families pay nothing at all, and many families pay as little as $15 or $20 a month. Families not eligible for subsidized coverage may purchase Florida KidCare at the full-pay monthly premium, which is competitively priced. A free online eligibility calculator is available to help Florida families interested in applying for Florida KidCare. This tool utilizes two key pieces of information — family size and annual household income — to estimate a family’s monthly premium payment for Florida KidCare coverage.

Applying is both easy and free, and with year-round enrollment, families can apply for Florida KidCare at any time. Just fill out one application and Florida KidCare will match you with the right option based on your children’s ages, household size and family income. Parents can apply online or call 1-888-540-KIDS (5437) to apply over the phone or have an application mailed directly to them.

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Student earns the highest possible ACT score

St. Petersburg Collegiate High School (SPCHS) student Calvin Finley earned the highest possible ACT composite score of 36. Only two-tenths of 1 percent of students who take the ACT earn a top score. In the U.S. high school graduating class of 2018, only 2,760 out of more than 2 million graduates who took the ACT earned a top composite score of 36.

ACT CEO Marten Roorda described Finley’s achievement as “significant and rare.”

The American College Testing (ACT) is a curriculum-based achievement exam that measures what students have learned in English, mathematics, reading and science on a scale of 1–36. A student’s composite score is the average of the four test scores, and those who earn a 36 composite score have likely mastered all of the skills and knowledge they will need to succeed in first-year college courses in the core subject areas.

Finley is a 15-year-old junior at SPCHS, where he’s a dual enrolled student simultaneously earning a high school diploma and an Associate in Arts degree from St. Petersburg College. He’s also a student-athlete at Boca Ciega High School as a player on the basketball team.

In addition to his scholarly achievements and sports, he’s actively involved in the SPCHS National Honor Society, Student Government Association, Interact service club, and is a member of Junior Achievement, where he teaches financial literacy to Pinellas County public elementary schools in grades 1 -2.

“Calvin epitomizes the SPCHS vision of becoming a successful learner and leader,” SPCHS Principal Starla Metz said. “Not only does he excel academically, but he demonstrates the hallmarks of the SPCHS National Honor Society of scholarship, leadership, service, and good character. I am immensely proud of him.”

Finley desires to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and plans to major in Data Analytics.

“Stay dedicated to your studies and passions, because they will lead you to great places,” Finley said.

 

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Student Musicians and Performers needed for Art & Music Festival

Share your talent with the community at the Good Vibes Only Art & Music Festival on Saturday, April 6. The festival, a joint venture between St. Petersburg College and USF St. Petersburg, is a celebration of student art and music.

Student musicians, bands and visual artists can apply to participate in the one-day event from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. at Williams Park, 350 2^nd Ave N., St. Petersburg. All applicants must apply by Feb. 14 and be a current student of SPC or USF. To apply to perform at the festival, visit spc.edu/vibes.

Attendees can enjoy this family friendly, free event featuring headlining talents Alex Harris and CeCe Teneal & The Soul Komotion. The festival will also include:

• Food Trucks
• Rock climbing wall
• Nomad art bus
• Silent disco and more

For more information about the festival, contact Frank Jurkovic at jurkovic.frank@spcollege.edu or (727) 341-7974.

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St. Petersburg College Titan Trot 5k Race Feb. 9

Join the fun of the Titan Trot 5K at St. Petersburg College and help support student scholarships at SPC. The race will be held at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 9 at the SPC Clearwater Campus, 2465 Drew St. All levels of participants – whether you are a walker or a runner – are welcome.

This event is organized and presented by SPC’s Faculty Governance Organization (FGO) to benefit SPC students through scholarships. The registration fees are:

• Public – $35
• Current SPC Students – $10
• SPC Faculty and Staff – $20
• SPC Alumni – $20
• Virtual Runner – $20

Sponsorship opportunities are available starting at $100. To register for the race, visit stpe.co/titantrot2019.

To learn more about the race, contact:

• (Race) Linae Boehme at linae@spcollege.edu
• (Scholarship) Shannon Ulrich at shannon@spcollege.edu
• (Volunteer) Melanie Paden at melanie@spcollege.edu
• (Sponsorship) Rachel Bennett at rachel@spcollege.edu.

 

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New Performing Arts Scholarship Announced

Longtime St. Petersburg College Humanities Instructor and Academic Chair Nancy Smith passed away on Dec. 29 after a long battle with cancer, but her dedication to students will not end.

The Nancy Feagans Smith CoMotion Dance Scholarship will offer a monetary award each fall to a Performing Arts student at SPC.

Born and raised in St. Petersburg, Smith earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a Master of Science in Health Education. Smith was a co-founder, director and choreographer, along with choreographer and instructor Cynthia Hennessy, of SPC’s Co-Motion Dance Theatre, which is one of Pinellas County’s only modern dance troupes. What started as a club with only five people evolved into a popular community program offering spots to any and all interested in modern dance, regardless of age or experience.

Smith came to work at SPC in 1989 as an instructor in the Humanities Department and ultimately became the Academic Department Chair of Humanities and Fine Arts at the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus.

Dean of Humanities and Fine Arts Jonathan Steele said Smith always showed true grace – both in dance and in everything else she did. “Nancy was wonderful to work with because of her calm demeanor in resolving conflicts, her patient and caring approach with those most needy, and her ability to see simple solutions to confounding challenges,” Steele said.

Public Policy and Legal Studies Dean Susan Demers remembers Smith as a wonderful and giving colleague and a gifted educator who, on more than one occasion, changed people’s lives by convincing them to try dance. “Arts educators enrich lives every day,” Demers said. “But the truly great ones change their students at the very center of who they are – how they see both inside and outside their bodies and souls and how they relate to the world. Nancy was one of that very rare breed. She will be missed, but she has left such a mark in this world.”

You can donate to the scholarship in Smith’s memory here. Select the Nancy Feagans Smith CoMotion Dance Scholarship from the drop-down menu.

Smith leaves behind her husband of 33 years, Rand Smith, three children and beloved pets.

A celebration of Smith’s life will be held this Saturday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. in the Clearwater Arts Auditorium, and all are invited.

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SPC expands support for students with intellectual disabilities

As a way to support students with intellectual disabilities, St. Petersburg College (SPC) has established a new program called Titans-Up. This program is an inclusive college experience that allows students with intellectual disabilities to attend integrated classes, participate in student clubs and campus events, build relationships with student peer mentors and progress on one of four academic certificate tracks.

Beginning the summer of 2019, Titans-UP will begin recruitment efforts for the fall 2019 cohort class of eight to 10 students.  Each year Titans-UP will continue to enroll eight to 12 students for this wonderful opportunity.

“Titans-UP has been in development for almost two years now,” said SPC Executive Director of Retention Services Dr. Misty Kemp. “Notification of the award could not have come at a better time as we have been working on strategies to provide transition opportunities for higher education.”

SPC received a $300,000 start-up grant from Florida Postsecondary Comprehensive Transition Program (FPCTP) at the University of Central Florida to fund Titans Up’s program development and implementation.

The development of an FPCTP is in direct response to state legislation changes, which provide students with intellectual disabilities a traditional high school diploma and therefore direct access to Florida College System institutions, such as SPC.

Titans-UP will focus on increasing SPC’s capacity to serve students with intellectual disabilities, increase academic and life skills and employability and career skills to support long-term employment. SPC has partnered with community vocational services to provide job shadowing, career skills, on the job training and paid employment opportunities including:

• The Arc of Tampa Bay
• PARC
• Pinellas Interagency Networking Council
• Vocational Rehabilitation

For more information about Titans-UP, contact Dr. Kemp at 727.614.7056.

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