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July 04, 2008
July 03, 2008
Calvin Smith (ex-Freedom) makes Olympic bid
The folks at Freedom High School emailed us with this great news: 2006 Freedom graduate and current University of Florida student Calvin Smith has reached the finals of the 400m for the Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon. His is one race away from qualifying for the Olympic games in China 08. This final will be broadcast at 11 p.m. Eastern time on USA Network. Check TV schedule tonight (7/3/08) on Channel USA for the starting line-up.
Continue reading "Calvin Smith (ex-Freedom) makes Olympic bid" »
June 25, 2008
Looking forward to football
It's early to think of high school football. Or is it? Have a look at our High School Sports preview of next year's teams for Freedom and Wharton.
June 19, 2008
Ex-Freedom star wins Ironman event
From High School Sports:
Former Freedom High runner/swimmer Javier Beuzeville, who just wrapped up his freshman year at Saint Leo, won last weekend's Javelin Ironman 70.3 Collegiate Championship in Kansas to earn a spot in November's Ford 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater.
The 70.3, half the distance of the Ironman Triathlon, features a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and 
13.1-mile run. Beuzeville, Saint Leo's top finisher at last fall's Sunshine State Conference cross country meet, finished in four hours, 23 minutes, 21.39 seconds -- 14 minutes ahead of the runner-up.
An accomplished triathlete well before graduating from high school, Beuzeville, of West Meadows, placed 33rd overall in the elite amateur series of the St. Anthony's Triathlon in April.
The 70.3 World Championships, which begin on Clearwater Beach, are set for Nov. 8.
June 11, 2008
Wharton, Freedom students fear for lives as boat sinks
Seniors at Wharton High School, top from left, Josh Powell, 18, and Brian David, 17; and, middle from left, Jackie Filippi, 18, Allison French, 17, and Brittney Smith, 18; and bottom from left, Saya Arakawa, 18, Kierslyn Kujawa, 17, and Terri Trovato, 18, returned safely to Tampa after their ordeal on a sinking boat in Mexico. [Photo by John Pendygraft, Times]
Kierslyn Kujawa and her friends yearned to jump off the second deck of their catamaran as they headed out from Cancun on a trip celebrating their recent graduation from Wharton High School.
But the ship's crew told them it was a safety hazard, that they would get in trouble if they jumped, so Kujawa, 17, and her friends decided against it.
Until their boat began to sink. Then they had no choice.
Some two-dozen graduates from Wharton and Freedom high schools returned Monday as survivors of a shipwreck — one that left an 18-year-old Texas girl on life support.
"I don't think at first any of us realized what the extent of this was," Kujawa said Tuesday, now safe and sound back home. "It was kind of like, 'Okay, now we all get to jump off the second deck!' "
The teens departed for Cancun on June 2 for a vacation before most of them head off to college at the end of the summer. On Saturday, they boarded a 75-foot catamaran with almost 100 other teenagers for a snorkeling trip.
Continue reading "Wharton, Freedom students fear for lives as boat sinks" »
June 07, 2008
School rules tightened on cell phone use
Hillsborough students openly breaking the rules and using cell phones in class should brace for trouble. A crackdown is coming next year.
"It's a pretty simple slogan: If we see it, we take it," School Board member Carol Kurdell said. "It doesn't get any clearer."
The comment summed up a workshop discussion on Friday — one twice interrupted by ringing cell phones — on how to address rampant abuse of the devices by students.
The current policy says students must keep phones off during the school day. Many don't.
When school begins in August, school officials want all electronic distractions put away. Otherwise, they may be confiscated.
Some school principals present praised the idea, which the board must approve in a vote. They say the situation is out of control, with parents calling kids in the middle of class, and seemingly harmless phone pranks turning into cheating scandals.
School officials would return the phones after school. They have yet to figure out some details, including the chain of consequences and how to enforce an out-of-sight rule on school buses.
Not that the change would solve everything. Many students have learned to text with their hands in their pockets, without looking at their phones.
"Every rule that's in place, there's going to be a way to work around it," said Christopher Farkas, the incoming principal at Freedom High. "That's being a child."
June 04, 2008
Parents, learn how to budget
Freedom High School mom Elizabeth Bell did not suffer sticker shock at graduation time. Or at least that's what she posted to Gradebook.
May 29, 2008
Freedom photos here!
Many thanks to our readers for this batch of pictures from the Freedom High School graduation. Shown here are Liz Behrman and Justin Satore. Several more below. The rest of the Class of 2008, congratulations and please keep sending those photos to northtampa@sptimes.com.
Freedom grad was on thin ice
Note: This is one of three stories that will appear on the cover of the St. Petersburg Times North of Tampa on Friday, all profiling members of this year's Class of 2008. A souvenir page listing Freedom High School seniors is included as well. Buy the Times anywhere in northern Hillsborough County.
Chance Letson met the Philadelphia Junior Flyers last fall. The junior league hockey team had a single empty spot on its roster, so he flew to Philly, where coaches held a tryout just for him.
He impressed them, and they offered him a spot. He could play hockey for the team — just what the Freedom High School senior had hoped for.
But, in the end, he turned it down.
Freedom’s ice hockey season hadn’t ended. And he couldn’t walk away from his teammates.
“He’s got a lot of loyalty toward that team,” said his dad, Patrick Letson.
Eighteen-year-old Chance was expected to graduate Wednesday from Freedom, after playing center for the Patriots, who ended the season as champions.
May 27, 2008
Freedom alum named all-SEC in track
Freedom grad Calvin Smith, a sprinter for the Florida Gators, was named second-team All-Southeastern Conference on Monday. Smith, a sophomore, earned the honor for his stellar efforts this spring in the 400 meters (he placed third in the conference, 45.83 seconds) and 4x400 relay (he ran the second leg on the SEC runnerup squad.).
Smith and his teammates will compete at the NCAA East Regional this week in Tallahassee.
--KEITH NIEBUHR
May 26, 2008
ESPN honors Freedom grad
Laura Gioia, a Freedom graduate and standout tennis player at Furman, has been named as a 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III selection. The junior was chosen to the second team. Gioia holds a 3.82 GPA with a Health & Exercise Science major. This spring, she was named Southern Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player -- and earned first-team all-conference honors for both singles and doubles. Gioia recently competed in the NCAA Division I Tournament. You can read more about her HERE.
--KEITH NIEBUHR
May 03, 2008
The hidden talents of Generation Text
Sue Carlton
Times Columnist
Times Columnist
I'll say this: The ingenuity and determination of the teenagers of Generation Text are something else.
Recently I learned that some of them are so adept at sending text messages via cell phone that they can do it one-handed. With minimal movement. And — this is the biggie — while they are sitting in class allegedly listening to a teacher, with the above-mentioned hand and cell phone tucked casually into a pants or hoodie pocket, inside of which they are surreptitiously texting away. (Helpful hint: Works best with an ultra-thin phone.)
All of which illustrates the problem schools grapple with: kids using cell phones when they're supposed to be learning, or at least giving it a shot.
At best, kids texting at school is a distraction. They will tell you they can simultaneously absorb calculus while setting up an after-school rendezvous at Sonic, but if you've ever tried to talk to one of them mid-message and gotten that blank stare, you know differently.
Cell phones also can be handy for cheating. Remember when the smudgy ink of answers written on the palm of a hand could get someone busted? Imagine the technological possibilities of a cell phone.
And the Times recently reported about how text messaging was used to try to stir up trouble at Hillsborough's Freedom High (riot in the courtyard between 5th and 6th period).
May 01, 2008
Social security number required to attend prom
TAMPA PALMS -- In an effort to protect students at Friday's senior prom, Freedom High School is requesting some very detailed information about its outside guests.
Along with the standard name, address and telephone number, administrators would like student's to provide social security numbers for their dates who do not attend the school, according to the PTSA newsletter.
"We have to know whose coming to these things," said Linda Cobbe, a spokeswoman for the Hillsborough School District. "Our first priority is the safety of all our students."
Cobbe said though providing information about guests is a universal policy in the county, there is no district mandate or guidelines.
Richard Bartels, Freedom's principal, told Cobbe that the school was collecting social security numbers to run background checks.
"The principals have autonomy," she said. "They decide what they criteria will be."
--Robbyn Mitchell, staff writer
Scholarship winners
The Freedom High School PTSA announces these scholarship recipients:
- The $1000 Bartels Freedom Scholarship, awarded to a student interested in education or medicine, went to Brendan Kelly.
- A $1000 PTSA Education Scholarship is awarded to Giancarlo Santillan.
- A $500 PTSA Education Scholarship is awarded to Kelley Maronic.
- A $500 PTSA Education Scholarship is awarded to Aarika Hymowitz.
Best wishes from Bruce B. Blog!
April 29, 2008
Graduations
The Hillsborough School District has announced graduation dates for area high schools. Here is where things stand for New Tampa schools:
Paul R. Wharton High School
Principal: Scott Fritz
Anticipated # of Graduates: 480. Phone: 631-4710
Valedictorian(s): Alex Bartholomew GPA: 6.75
Salutatorian(s): Dessislava Sevdina GPA: 6.52
Class President: Kelly Sykes
Graduation (date, time & place): May 30, 2008, 4 p.m., USF SunDome
Commencement Speakers: Student Government President, Senior Class President, Principal, Valedictorian, Salutatorian
School colors: Navy Blue and White School mascot: Wildcats
Freedom High School
Principal: Richard Bartels
Anticipated # of Graduates: 459. Phone: 558-1185
Valedictorian(s): Nathan Scott Daly. GPA: 6.56
Salutatorian(s): Meghan Cecile Ferrall. GPA: 6.52
Class President: William Payne
Graduation (date, time & place): May 28, 2008, 7 p.m., USF SunDome
Commencement Speakers: Principal, Valedictorian, Salutatorian
School colors: Red, White, and Blue School mascot: Patriots
C. Leon King High School
Principal: Carla Bruning
Anticipated # of Graduates: 396. Phone: 744-8333
Valedictorian(s):
Kaeleigh Hill - Traditional
Sherry Chao – IB Program GPA:
5.8882
8.6800
Salutatorian(s):
Devin Frechette - Traditional
Ankit Gandhi – IB Program GPA:
5.7709
8.3600
Class President: Lena Nguyen
Graduation (date, time & place): May 30, 2008, 8 p.m., USF SunDome
Commencement Speakers: Principal, Valedictorians, Salutatorians
School colors: Red and Blue School mascot: Lions
April 28, 2008
Freedom golfer in finals
Freedom golfer Matthew Camara is headed to the Golf Channel's Pitch, Putt and Drive finals on a roll. The freshman recently took third in a sectional event at Falcon's Fire Golf Club near Orlando, then captured the regional competition on the same course to reach the championship round, which is Aug. 28 in Celebration.
"He's completely stoked," said his father, Frank Camara. "It was amazing."
At sectionals, the top three advanced. At regionals, only the winner moved on.
Matthew Camara, 14, beat the competition in the regional round by placing first in driving, second in putting and third in pitching. His winning drive went 288 yards.
Fourteen players reached the finals, which will be televised by the Golf Channel.
"He's really looking forward to it and to meeting kids from across the country," Frank Camara said." It's an opportunity to play with some of the best talent."
--KEITH NIEBUHR
April 27, 2008
Cell phone use jangles educators' nerves
Between classes, Durant High's Haley Quinzi sneaks a peek at the blinking message light on her cell phone.
Valencia Solomon says she texts the entire time she walks between classes at Tampa Bay Technical High.
Michael Radder wonders why he was reprimanded by a substitute at Bloomingdale High for using a cell phone, when it was a teacher calling him.
These student government leaders don't hide the obvious: They're breaking the rules. Hillsborough County students are supposed to keep cell phones off — not on silent or vibrate — during school hours.
Not that anyone seems to be following the policy.
Continue reading "Cell phone use jangles educators' nerves" »
April 24, 2008
Cancer study enlists largest group in Florida
TAMPA PALMS -- Last weekend's New Tampa Relay for Life enrolled 149 participants in a long-term cancer study, the highest number of any of the 11 enrollment efforts in Florida.
"We actually had to turn people away because the phlebotomists were out of kits," said Stephanie Crawley, the American Cancer Society volunteer who organized the New Tampa signups.
Participants, who gave blood samples, agreed to complete regular surveys about their health for the next 20-30 years. Researchers hope the data from some 500,000 partipants nationwide will reveal cancer connections linked to diet and lifestyle patterns.
The enrollment took place last Friday night at Freedom High School, amid the Relay for Life, one of many such fundraisers this spring for the Cancer Society.
Crawley said she originally was assigned to enlist at least 364 study subjects, based on past participation in the New Tampa relay. But fewer fundraising teams participated this year, apparently deterred by the soft economy, so the Cancer Society reduced Crawley's goal to 111.
She said the 149 people who signed up for the study included 23 who who came for that purpose, and not the Relay for Life.
"They stayed for some of the events," Crawley said.
-- Bill Coats, Times Staff Writer
April 21, 2008
Rotary speech winners
April 17, 2008
Freedom H.S. student honored tonight
Christian Nunez of Freedom High School will be named a "Hero for Hillsborough Youth'' tonight at a 20th anniversary celebration of the Hillsborough County Children's Board. Nunez, 17, is described as "an outstanding young woman who is active in service to her community. She is active in the General federation of Women’s Clubs through the Little Women of Lutz and in the Florida Junior Women’s Club where she is now the State Leadership Chair. In 2007, Christian was a member of the Mayor’s Youth Corp and this year she is part of the Leadership Council for the Mayor’s Youth Corp.''
April 16, 2008
Letter from Freedom High
Please join me in congratulating Web Design 2 students Casey Peters, Eric Dean, Samantha Hearne, Sameer Navelkar, and Tyler Ryan for placing in the Sensational 6 Web Design competition finals.
Freedom High was the only high school in Hillsborough County to have two teams place in the finals. Alonso, Bloomingdale, Hillsborough and Wharton each had one team place in the finals.
These students have worked very hard on this project and will be honored at a lavish dinner ceremony, sponsored by the Centre Club of Tampa.
Each finalist gets a ticket and another one for a guest. Teachers and students can purchase extra tickets for $15.
Micah Heins, Web design teacher, Freedom High School
April 15, 2008
New principals for Chiles Elem., Freedom H.S.
Freedom High School's new principal will be Chris Farkas, and Chiles Elementary's will be Kim Pietsch, the Hillsborough County School Board just now voted. Farkas last ran Tampa Bay Tech High School; Pietsch comes from Lockhart Elementary. They start their new jobs on July 1, replacing Richard Bartels and 
Sharon Beaubien. In addition, the board named Beaubien its new supervisor for elementary education.
High school musical
Freedom High School Theatre will perform “Thoroughly Modern Millie” at 7 p.m. this Thursday and Friday, and at 4 p.m. Saturday in the school auditorium. Cost is $10 for adults, $8 for students and $5 for children. Call (813) 558-1185. NOTE TO ANYONE STAGING A PLAY IN NEW TAMPA: Please let us know by sending an email to northtampa@sptimes.com. Send a picture -- before or after -- and we'll post it!
April 14, 2008
Peek is a Gator
Scott Peek, a wide receiver/defensive back at Freedom High School, has accepted an invitation to be a preferred walk-on at in the University of Florida football program. The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder, who had the misfortune of being injured much of his senior season, and is shown here in blue, 
likely will be a DB in Gainesville. Peek's father (also named Scott Peek) won the prestigious Guy Toph Award in 1975 while playing at Jesuit.
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
April 12, 2008
More about Bostick's arrest
The trail never really went cold, even after 18 months of interviews, second interviews, public pleas for help and an investigation that reached several dead ends.
Then came an improbable break: the name of a distant relative from Tampa came up during yet another round of interviews. Detectives summoned the teenager to their Brooksville office for a meeting and pressed him hard for some information.
That's how Hernando investigators finally discovered how Patrick and Evelyn DePalma were stabbed to death in their Masaryktown home in 2006.
David Alexander Bostick, 18, was charged Friday with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of the DePalmas, a couple whom he sometimes referred to as "Uncle Pat" and "Aunt Evelyn." Detectives also were questioning two other men linked to the case.
Bostick, who was a juvenile at the time of the stabbings, is being held without bond.
"We were just going back through tips and info," said Sgt. Donna Black, a spokeswoman with the Hernando County Sheriff's Office. "… That interview led to enough probable cause that he was involved with this case."
Back in Tampa Palms, at the end of a cul-de-sac of townhomes in Emerald Pointe, Bostick's parents refused to comment about the arrest.
"I never would have thought that about him," said Cameron May, 20, who lives across the street from the Bosticks.
Bostick, a senior at Freedom High School, sometimes goes by the name "Alex." He has no prior arrests or history of traffic violations, according to a search of local and state records.
April 11, 2008
Freedom student arrested for double murder
The Hernando County Sheriff's Office has arrested David Alexander Bostick for the 2006 murders of Masaryktown residents Patrick and Evelyn DePalma. Bostick, who was a juvenile at the time of the stabbings, is a distant relative of the couple who he refered to as "Uncle Pat" and "Aunt Evelyn."
According to the police report, Bostick, a student at Freedom High School who lives in the Emerald Pointe section of Tampa Palms, joined two others in running errands the weekend before Halloween 2006. They ended up at the DePalmas' home, and Bostick and another person, whom the DePalmas also knew, were let into the home. Bostick and the two individuals with him sat and talked to the couple, then one of them asked Bostick to go out to the car and get a cell phone.
When Bostick returned, the DePalmas were dead, stabbed numerous times. Bostick told sheriff's officials that one of the others had a large fixed-blade knife in a sheath. The other two began ransacking the house and Bostick joined them. He also carried out a garbage bag full of the victims' belongings. Bostick made the statements to a Hernando detective on Thursday. The other suspects will be named later after further investigation, according to the police report.
Now 18, Bostick is being held at the Juvenile Detention Center in Ocala. Click here to read previous coverage of the case from the St. Petersburg Times.
April 09, 2008
Women of Distinction
The Athena Society, a prestigious group of professional women, recently honored 10 high school juniors as the Young Women Of Promise for 2008, including three from New Tampa. The honorees are:
Yashobha Ranaweera, Freedom High: Yashobha of West Meadows taught herself to read using preschool books after moving here from Sri Lanka in third grade. She ranks at the top of her junior class. Read more about Yashobha on the cover of Friday's North of Tampa in The St. Petersburg Times.
Gordana Krone, King High: Gordana of West Meadows, a student in the International Baccalaureate program, is captain of the soccer team and a member of the National Honor Society. Later this month, Gordana will attend the March of the Living, an international education program that takes high school students to Europe to visit Nazi concentration camps.
Hannah Claire Rutherford, Wharton High: Hannah of Pebble Creek is an excellent student diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2002. Since then, she has helped raise more than $10,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
April 03, 2008
Mission Impossible: Your own password
Time to break into her bank account again. If only Christie Gold can produce the password.
Gold, an English teacher at Freedom High School, sits at one of the school computers after class, manifesting positive password karma. For some online accounts, she types in aurous. Cute, in an English teachery kind of way, since that's a fancy word for golden and since most hackers aren't likely to have boned up on their Latin cognates. Sometimes, she tries crg1966, using her initials and birth year. Or else corgi, in honor of her dog Fred. Or flamby, the name of her big red horse. If those don't work, she tries corgi8. Or flamby8.
"Eight is my favorite number," says Gold.
Why 8? Because as a tot, young Christie got it into her head that turning 8 would be the greatest, which it was, thanks to Mrs. Legge, her luminous third-grade teacher. Gold's four-digit code for her voice mail? 8888. Love you, Mrs. Legge!
The online bank account. Yes. Actually, it's a credit union. Gold needs to check her balance, such as it is, and make sure nothing's about to bounce. But first she has to produce yet another code. She can't resort to any of her standard sign-ons or passwords, because the credit union insists on entry through a seven-digit number. Wonderful.
The pressure's on. This site, extra strict, allows only one try before security measures kick in.
Gold has the number memorized. But she's typing fast, and she grazes a 9 when she means to hit a 0.
Denied.
• • •
Note to readers: Christie Gold shared her passwords cheerfully, promising she would change them before this story appeared. Apologies to Fred and Flamby.
• • •
In password nation, the things we love make us vulnerable.
We rely on passwords to pay our mortgages, find a doctor, order movies, ogle naked women or men, check on our retirement funds, watch videos of our brother's gorgeous new baby girl. Some of us even have a special code just to order pizza.
Nearly every need and want and whim demands another password. Soon it's all too much. So we choose predictable totems of our personalities — details of adoration and obsession, numbers freighted with childhood meaning, fragments from the mosaic of ourselves.
Freedom senior is Lombardi scholar
Heather Belle has yet another addition to her list of accolades.
The graduating senior at Freedom High School is one of only eight high school students in Florida to be selected as a University of Florida Lombardi Scholar.
Named after John V. Lombardi, the scholarship and mentorship program chooses eight students statewide who exemplify the former school president's commitment to excellence, community service, and public responsibility.
And, with more than 400 community service hours, boy oh boy does Belle of Tampa Palms qualify.
A quick resume:
The 17-year-old is a Freedom drum major, president of Mu Alpha Theta mathematics honors society and vice president of Beta Honor Society. Her grade point average is 6.4 weighted, with advanced placement courses, and 4.0 unweighted.
From 2004 to 2007 Belle was a teen volunteer at University Community Hospital. From 2000 until 2007 she was an altar server at Corpus Christi Catholic Church.
She is a cofounder of Krafts For Pawz, a group that makes crafts to sell and donates all proceeds to the Humane Society.
Belle's been accepted to such prestigious schools as Duke University; but is set on UF, where she plans to major in biomedical engineering, get a doctorate in medicine and pursue a career in pediatric oncology research.
In addition to an educational stipend, Lombardi scholars are given the opportunity to pursue research with members of the UF faculty, study abroad and do internships throughout their four years of undergraduate study.
--- Amber Mobley, Times Staff Writer
March 30, 2008
Fear among teachers
Mary Jo Spack faces criminal charges stemming from alleged relations with a Freedom High School student. Wharton's Jaymee Wallace received a harsh sentence last year. Around the bay area, teachers are being accused of all kinds of indiscretions, and some of their peers are getting nervous. Read Letitia Stein's report, with links to more teacher scandal coverage.
March 29, 2008
Freedom H.S. student charged in stabbing
A Freedom High School student was arrested Friday, accused of stabbing a classmate in the chest during a cooking class, according to the Tampa Police Department.
The trouble started at 1 p.m., police said, when Shakeshia Mckeller, 17, was washing dishes and a 15-year-old boy grabbed her with a pair of salad tongs. Shakeshia held the wrist of the boy, and stabbed him in the chest with a kitchen knife, Tampa Police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said. The name of the victim was unavailable.
Tampa Fire Rescue officers determined that the boy's injuries were not serious enough to merit a trip to the hospital. Davis said his parents took him to a walk-in clinic for medical care.
Officers charged Shakeshia with aggravated battery and took her to the Juvenile Assessment Center of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Davis said.
Andrew Meacham, Times staff writer
March 27, 2008
Huertas earns soccer honor
The Jose A. Alvarez Award for Hillsborough County's top male and female soccer players has been awarded annually for 24 years, but almost every spring the winners are caught off guard.
Most of the award's recipients are told they're going to dinner. Only when they arrive at the Apollo Beach home of Jose Alvarez, the man for whom the award is named, do they begin to realize they've been tricked.
"It's kind of nice if they don't know they're getting the honor," Alvarez said. "I'd say out of the 49 winners, 47 have probably been surprised."
Two more were duped Wednesday night.
But it's doubtful Freedom forward Bobby Huertas or Newsome midfielder Rudi Rodriguez, this year's winners, minded being fooled about where they were headed and why.
"I think they figured it out when they started looking at the scrapbook," Alvarez said, laughing.
Huertas, a senior who will play for Saint Leo, scored 36 goals for the Patriots, who reached the second round of the Class 5A playoffs. Rodriguez, who will play for Troy University, had five goals and five assists for a region finalist squad, but was known more for her defensive abilities.
Both players were nominated by their coaches, then were selected by a vote among all county coaches.
"I think that's what makes it all the more interesting," said Alvarez, who has been influential in area soccer circles for years.
Keith Niebuhr
March 24, 2008
Flag football takes off at Freedom
From High School Sports:
Perhaps the most dominant squad in Hillsborough spring sports this year is the Freedom flag football team, which is 4-0 after winning its games 26-6, 57-0, 33-6 and 32-0.
“I haven’t seen the other teams play, but we’ve been consistently good,” Patriots coach Dennis Derflinger said. And not just this season. Since starting flag football in 2006, the Patriots are 23-2. A year ago, they reached the final 16 of the state playoffs. This season, they’re hoping to go farther.
Can they do it?
“I think so,” Derflinger said. “I think we can at least improve on where we were last year. We have pretty athletic girls all the way through the lineup. We have good offensive and defensive schemes, girls who can catch the ball and throw it, and people who can pull the flag really well.”
Freedom plays host to Wharton tonight at 7:30.
-- KEITH NIEBUHR
March 21, 2008
Freedom H.S. sex investigation continues
A day after a Freedom High School teacher was arrested in the latest sex scandal, Tampa police said they are seeking more possible victims.
Mary Jo Spack was arrested Thursday, accused of having sex with a 17-year-old boy. Police say Spack, a 45-year-old English teacher, met two male students at a liquor store March 14 then took them to a local motel, where she had sex with one of them.
Police have no evidence of other victims. “We’re just making a plea that if there are other victims then they should come forward,” said Tampa police spokeswoman Andrea Davis.
Spack’s arrest was the fourth in the last five months of a Hillsborough teacher for inappropriate sexual contact with a student, and the second female teacher in a week to be jailed.
A Wesley Chapel resident who is married and the mother of a 13-year-old daughter, Spack has taught at Freedom since 2004 after transferring from Chamberlain High School. Her personnel file didn’t contain an explanation for the transfer. School district spokeswoman Linda Cobbe said the district had no record of any problem.
Instead, her file was filled with letters of commendation and glowing performance reviews. Aside from teaching English and reading, Spack was the sponsor of the boys lacrosse club.
Spack “is an accomplished educator who always goes above and beyond for all students,” a 2003 evaluation stated.
Continue reading "Freedom H.S. sex investigation continues" »
More about the Freedom teacher
Thursday's news about Freedom High School's Mary Jo Spack prompted one Hillsborough County School Board member to request a special meeting or workshop to discuss the recent rash of teacher sex scandals.
"I think the public feels this is an epidemic, and I'm very concerned about it," said School Board member April Griffin. "I'm just sick to my stomach about what's going on in our schools at the moment. Is this Hillsborough County, or is this something that's going on across the nation?"
Police say Spack, 45, met two male students at a liquor store last Friday, then took them to a Tampa motel, where she had sex with one, age 17, in the shower as four other students overheard in the next room.
March 20, 2008
This time it's a Freedom teacher
A Freedom High honors teacher has been arrested, accused of having sex with a 17-year-old boy.
Tampa police say Mary Jo Spack, left, 45, took two Freedom High School students, ages 17 and 18, to a liquor store on March 14, where she purchased a bottle of Crown Royal, then took them to a hotel.
The two teenagers text messaged friends to tell them they would be partying at the Howard Johnson Motel on Fowler Avenue, police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said.
Spack and the 17-year-old had sex in the shower in a room at the Howard Johnson Motel on Fowler Avenue, then walked out of the bathroom with their clothes soaking wet. By then, three other Freedom students had arrived and overheard the commotion in the bathroom. The ages of the other students were not immediately available.
McElroy said rumors about the incident circulated quickly before a school resource officer heard it and began investigating. Police say the 17-year-old admitted to having sex with the teacher in the motel room. McElroy said Spack knew the student from campus, but did not have him in her class.
Spack, of 6824 Axelrod Way in Wesley Chapel, is charged with unlawful sexual activity with a minor, a second-degree felony. McElroy said she also faces two charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Spack was hired by Hillsborough County Schools in 2000. She first worked at Chamberlain High and, in 2004, transferred to Freedom, where she teaches honors English.
Linda Cobbe, spokeswoman for the school system, said Spack has not had any prior disciplinary action. She has been placed on paid leave pending School Board review of her case.
This is the second female teacher from Hillsborough schools arrested within the last week on charges she had sex with a student.
-Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writer
Read tomorrow's St. Petersburg Times for the full story, and bookmark Bruce B. Blog for future developments.
March 17, 2008
Scholarship available
Freedom High School students interested in pursuing a college education in education or medicine can apply by April 14 for the Bartels Freedom Scholarship. The one-time $1,000 award is available to graduating Freedom seniors who have been accepted to a two or four-year community college or university, are in good standing with the student affairs office and have at least a 3.2 GPA. Students are required to write an essay at least 250 words and include two recommendations. An application form is here:Download Bartels_Freedom_scholarship_application_200840.pdf
March 14, 2008
Buy a brick for Freedom
Named in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, Freedom High School is selling bricks to pay for the upkeep of the memorial flagsite it shares with Liberty Middle School. You can help by purchasing a brick 
for $45 or $75 by March 28. Information is here: Download freedom_memorial_brick.bmp
March 12, 2008
Deputies want to question man about double murder
Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies want to speak with a convicted drug dealer in connection with Tuesday's shootings that left two dead, including former Freedom High School student Laurier "Rick" Myrick, Jr., in a north Tampa apartment. Kito Felton, 31, has been convicted of multiple counts of cocaine possession and sales since 1997 and has served jail time, according to Florida records. His last known address is 3104 E 8th Ave.
Authorities wouldn’t say why they are looking for Felton. “We just want to talk to him,” said sheriff’s spokeswoman Debbie Carter, who declined to call Felton a suspect or provide details about the investigation.
The shootings happened just after 2 a.m. Tuesday, when a man opened fire in a second-floor unit at the Camelot Apartment complex at 13135 N 19th St. Susan Myrick, 35, and her son, Laurier Myrick Jr., 17, were killed. Her daughter, Jessica Myrick, 18, a mother of two, was shot twice in the chest and once in the stomach and has had two surgeries since, said Kalvin Hearn, Jessica Myrick’s longtime friend.
As of Wednesday afternoon, she was in stable condition, he said.
Jessica Myrick’s 6-month-old daughter was in the apartment but unharmed. Her 4-year-old daughter was not home. Authorities put both girls in the custody of Jessica’s father, Laurier Myrick Sr., Carter said.
“Him and those kids are the only family that girl’s got now,” neighbor Shantae Brinson said.
Continue reading "Deputies want to question man about double murder" »
Former Freedom student, mom shot to death
Laurier and Francine Myrick (left to right) address reporters outside the apartment complex where Laurier's teenage children and ex-wife were shot early this morning. Laurier Myrick's 18-year-old daughter survived; his son and ex-wife were pronounced dead at the scene. [Casey Cora|Times]
A gunman opened fire in a north Tampa apartment early Tuesday, killing two people and wounding one but sparing a 6-month-old.
Investigators provided no motive for the shooting and named no suspect.
Killed were Susan Myrick, 35, and her son, Laurier Myrick Jr., 17. Her daughter, Jessica Myrick, 18, suffered multiple gunshot wounds to her upper body, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office reported.
Jessica Myrick, mother to daughters ages 6 months and 4 years, was admitted to St. Joseph's Hospital in critical condition, according to Francine Myrick, her stepmother. The Sheriff's Office said she underwent surgery.
Her baby was in the apartment during the shootings but was not injured, and the 4-year-old was not home. Authorities put both girls in the custody of Jessica's father, Laurier Myrick Sr., according to Debbie Carter, a Sheriff's Office spokeswoman.
Laurier Myrick Jr., who went by "Rick," attended Freedom High School as recently as this school year but was no longer enrolled at the time of the shooting.
Continue reading "Former Freedom student, mom shot to death" »
March 11, 2008
Freedom PTSA wants you!
Start your child's Freedom High School experience on the right foot. Come to a PTSA meet-and-greet at the school at noon on March 18. You'll find out about open officer and committee positions for the next school year. Parents of incoming students are invited. Call (813) 558-1185, ext. 577. Read more about recent events at Freedom High here on Bruce B. Blog.
March 07, 2008
More about cell phones at Freedom H.S.
You don't need be confused about the cell phone policy at Freedom High School, or about safety procedures in general. In response to sporadic fighting that was publicized in text messages, the school PTSA has sent out the following fact sheet. Download AdviceFromStudentAffairs.pdf If you're not on their listserve, you can send an email to: freedomnewsbrief@gmail.com. To ask a question to the PTSA, email gretchendh@gmail.com.
March 05, 2008
Freedom High School's student paper is tops
Congratulations to the Freedom High School newspaper staff for its recent wins in The Southern Interscholastic Press Association contest awarded at the annual conference this past weekend in Columbia, S.C.
The Freedom Revolution staff was awarded the Scroggins Award as the most outstanding newspaper in the region, and the Revolution was also named best SIPA newspaper in Florida.
The newspaper staff also won the following awards:
* Best in Show Centerspread -- Logan Firth
* Best in Show Op/Ed Page -- Kristie Serrano
* Best in Show Front Page -- Liz Behrman
* Honorable Mention Feature Page -- Katie Park
Revolution is a candidate to receive either a Gold Crown or a Silver Crown from Columbia Scholastic Press Association in two weeks. The frequently decorated newspaper won the Gold Crown in 2006, and has been named best SIPA newspaper in Florida five out of the six years the school has been open. Check out the newspaper's online version here.
School board could limit cell phone use
With cell phones increasingly causing problems on Hillsborough campuses, School Board members said Tuesday they want to look into tightening policies.
Hillsborough's rules prohibit students from using cell phones during school hours, but that didn't stop students from using text messages to spread the word about upcoming fights recently at Freedom High School.
Even confiscating cell phones can become an issue for teachers and administrators. Parents aren't happy when expensive phones and other electronic devices disappear at school.
"Cell phones do not belong in schools," said board member Candy Olson, suggesting that parents and students should sign a form acknowledging the policies. "There are too many opportunities for misuse and cheating."
Her colleagues agreed the problem needs more discussion, requesting input from students and parents. A comment thread on the cell phone issue starts here.
--Letitia Stein, Times Staff Writer
March 03, 2008
Letter about Freedom High
I am writing in reference to the report in the Sunday St. Petersburg Times [and Bruce B. Blog] about Freedom High School fights and cell phone text messaging.
My question is this: Why do students need to have their cell phones in class with them?
Shouldn't there be a policy that bans cell phone usage during school hours? Any emergency can be handled through teaching staff and other onsite administrative and support personnel. Any communication students need to have during the school day other than emergencies should be the old-fashioned way of waiting until you see the person you want to converse with and speak with them in person.
My suggestion is to have all cell phones go into student lockers, or create a system of drop off and pick up near entrances for students to leave their cell phones while in school. Of cou