Register for SFSC’s Summer Term

AVON PARK, Fla.–March 31, 2016–SFSC has started registration for its summer term. Classes for the summer term start May 6. Students can register for the summer term through May 5.

New students may apply for admission to the college by clicking the “Apply Now” button at the top of SFSC’s home page at www.southflorida.edu. Students should apply for admission before the start of the term so that they’re ready to start classes on time.

Returning students may register and pay for classes through the college portal, Panther Central.

The summer term schedule of classes is available online at www.southflorida.edu/current-students/class-schedules.

Students and their families can learn more about SFSC’s programs at an open house on April 28, 4:30-6 p.m., in Building B, on the Highlands Campus in Avon Park. The open house is geared toward all students, from new and current students interested in the summer term, or new students with an eye on starting college in the fall.

Students can register in person for the summer term on the Highlands Campus in Avon Park by visiting the Advising and Counseling Center in Building B., 8 a.m.- 6 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m.- 5 p.m., Fridays. Students can also register on the Hardee Campus in Bowling Green, the Lake Placid Center, or the DeSoto Campus in Arcadia.

Financial aid is available to those who are qualified. For more information about financial assistance and scholarships, contact the SFSC Financial Aid Office at 863-784-7134.

For further information about registration, call 863-453-6661 (Highlands Campus), 773-3081 (Hardee Campus), 993-1757 (DeSoto Campus), or 465-3003 (Lake Placid Center). For information about SFSC and its programs, visit www.southflorida.edu.

AVON PARK, Fla.–March 31, 2016–Rodger Smith loves his wife. He loves his three kids. He loves his community.

He also loves his job.

“I am now in my third year teaching full-time at South Florida State College,” said Smith. “I have to say I really, really love this work.”

At a time when record a number of Americans report dissatisfaction with their work, Smith’s love for his job stands out. He teaches introductory psychology courses at SFSC.

Job satisfaction among Americans topped 60 percent in the late 1980s, according to the Conference Board, a nonprofit business research firm that publishes an annual survey of U.S. workers’ level of contentment with their jobs.

Last year, only 48.3 percent of Americans said they were satisfied with their jobs. A majority of Americans hasn’t been satisfied at work since 2005.

Smith places himself squarely in the camp of those who hold a genuine affection for their jobs. He found himself at SFSC after he landed a part-time teaching position on the Highlands Campus in Avon Park in 2007, a position he did not seek out.

“I was busy with my own consulting business at the time and got a call from a friend to fill in for an SFSC instructor who had to take leave,” said Smith, who agreed to step in teaching for a few weeks. “Next, the dean asked me if I might be interested in developing an online psychology course and I said, ‘Sure, I can do that.’ ”

Smith had completed his doctoral degree in adolescent psychology two years earlier, after working for 14 years with teens and adults recovering from substance abuse.

“I had learned that my calling was working with kids, especially those who had drug abuse problems” Smith said, from his office in the SFSC University Center. “That’s how I got started in psychology and also working with adults,” he said.

Like his chancing upon SFSC, Smith didn’t set out on a career in addictions treatment—he sort of stumbled into it.

“I am from God’s country, South Jersey, a place called Haddon Heights,” Smith said. “I moved to Fort Lauderdale in 1992 to spend some time with my brother and took a job a drug treatment program for adolescents simply because I needed money.”

It was at Outreach Broward, a residential center for children 8 to 18, that Smith found his calling. At age 25, still single and without a college degree, Smith said he started to learn about mental health and addictions treatment. Even though his choice was made without any forethought, Smith said he took to working with teens in trouble.

He decided to complete his bachelor’s degree. He also decided to start a family, marrying his wife Dawn on New Year’s Eve in 1996. “When people get to know my wife, they forget my name,” Smith said with a laugh. “She’s not my better half, she’s more like my better three-quarters.”

Soon came their first child, a son Aslan, named after the great lion who figures throughout “The Chronicles of Narnia” by C.S. Lewis. “They were my favorite books growing up, and not just me, but my wife too,” Smith said.

With a family, a college degree, and several years of addictions treatment experience under his belt, Smith set about finding a town better suited to raising children. “No, I didn’t just get on U.S. Highway 27 heading north to first town that looked OK,” Smith said. “I knew someone here, and my wife and I thought this would be a better environment for our kids than Broward County.”

As it was by happenstance that Smith came to teach at SFSC, so it was that he found clinical work in Highlands County. “When I got here without a job, I looked for work in adolescent mental health,” said Smith. “But, if you look around, you’ll notice there isn’t any.”

Driving down West College Drive, Smith noticed the Florida Additions Treatment Center. He inquired about employment, and though his background was in adolescent programs, he got hired on as an addictions counselor.

“My expertise was with kids, but I discovered I enjoyed working with adults too.”

Soon came two more children, two girls, Rilian and Corin, like their older brother taking their names from characters in Lewis’s novels. Smith left full-time counseling to devote time to graduate school. He attained state certification as an addictions counselor and mental health professional, and earned his doctorate degree from Capella University in 2006.

Rather than return to counseling, Smith opted for a stint as consultant to owners of small to medium-sized businesses. “I had always had an interest in administration, which is something I did while at the addictions treatment center in Avon Park,” Smith said. “Here, as well, I found work that really appealed to me.”

Then came the call in 2007 asking if Smith would substitute for the SFSC instructor, bringing him to the attention of college officials. After taking up the dean’s challenge to launch the online psychology course, Smith also started teaching classroom-based psychology courses.

“I enjoyed both angles of the work,” Smith said. “Teaching psychology to students online and in the classroom.” With the departure of a longtime professor, SFSC offered Smith a full-time teaching position.

Smith said his part-time stint at SFSC brought out a love for teaching he had not known he had. “I came to realize that I wanted to do this for the rest of my career,” Smith said. “I knew I wanted to put deep roots down here.”

“Professor Smith brings a wealth of clinical and academic experience to the classroom,” said Kimberly Batty-Herbert, SFSC’s dean for arts and science. “His background in addictions treatment and his experience with adults and children, gives him a perspective on psychology that shows in his classroom instruction and the students’ satisfaction.”

Batty-Herbert said her favorite comment from one of Smith’s students was, “I liked that the instructor made us think!”

Smith’s contentment at SFSC extends to his feelings for Highland County. “Our family is involved in our church and with Highlands Little Theatre,” he said. Smith volunteers as a lighting director and has had parts in several plays. Dawn is a worship leader at First Baptist Church of Lake Placid, and the three children have all acted in productions at the Sebring-based theater company.

When hearing that his students give him high marks for his classroom instructional methods and love of learning, Smith flashes an “aw shucks” smile.

“I like them and they like me,” Smith said with a grin. “I guess it’s a good match.”

“I have loved all my jobs,” Smith said. “I’ve been blessed with interesting jobs and interesting coworkers.”

Even though Smith carries a full teaching load, he still finds time to lead occasional group therapy sessions at the addiction treatment center down the road from the college. He said he had not lost his passion for “all things addictions treatment-related.”

“A lot of people work at jobs they don’t like and don’t want to do,” Smith said. “Not me.”

AVON PARK, Fla.–March 24, 2016–After a decade of planning, waiting, and hoping, South Florida State College now boasts a fire science program, giving residents the opportunity to train for careers in firefighting.

On Wednesday, dozens of public officials, dignitaries, and college employees attended a dedication ceremony at the foot of SFSC’s new four-story-tall fire tower, officially launching the program and showcasing its facilities to the public.

“We dream a lot about the future at SFSC,” said Kevin Brown, SFSC’s dean for applied sciences and technologies, who spearheaded the push to bring the firefighting program to the college. “One of those dreams has become a reality here with our new Fire Science Program,” he said to those who had assembled for the ceremony.

Planning for the program stretches back 10 years, when college administrators mulled the idea of adding firefighting to its offering of public safety programs. The college’s district board of trustees formally requested funding for the program in 2008. That’s when the waiting began.

In 2014, with the help of State Senator Denise Grimsley, the Florida Legislature appropriated $2.6 million to fund SFSC’s plan, giving the college the green light to begin construction and buy equipment.

“We wonder, as do most Floridians, where do our tax dollars go,” said Senator Grimsley, who followed Brown in addressing the audience that included local fire chiefs, city council members, county commission members, and retired firefighters.

“Today’s dedication ceremony offers a solid answer to that question: Here we have a world-class firefighting training center that will train with the highest standards ultimately making our communities a safer place to live.”

Work on the training facilities was completed last summer. The inaugural class of recruits started classes in August, with SFSC enrolling 11 candidates from Highlands, Hardee, and Polk counties.

Steve Ashworth, SFSC’s chair of EMS and fire science programs, walked the audience through the steps to become a firefighter in Florida. He said the state requires career firefighters to complete a two-part training program. The initial 206-hour phase of the course, known statewide as Firefighter I, prepares recruits to work as a member of a firefighting team, giving them the credential needed to serve in a volunteer fire department.

Ashworth said a second 192-hour course, Firefighter II, gives recruits the additional skills to work as career firefighter in a county or city fire department. He added that SFSC will offer the Firefighting II course to members of local volunteer fire departments next month.

In November, the state fire marshal gave SFSC’s program its approval, placing it on Florida’s list of approved firefighter recruit training centers. SFSC joins 15 of Florida’s state colleges in offering the state-approved training.

Prior to SFSC starting its program, area residents had to travel to Bradenton, Tampa, or Winter Haven to enroll in the complete state-approved course.

“We are extremely proud of this new facility,” said Timothy Backer, a member of SFSC’s district board of trustees who represents DeSoto County. “I served 24 years as chief of the Arcadia and DeSoto volunteer fire departments, so this is near and dear to my heart.”

After the ribbon cutting ceremony, Ashworth lead a tour starting at the 44-foot-tall fire tower in which instructors can burn live fires, simulating structure or stove fires in 18,500 feet of burn space. After watching one of the instructors demonstrate how a recruit can rappel down the tower, the crowd saw Ashworth set a stove ablaze. Within seconds a fireball engulfed the stove, sending waves of flames rolling across the ceiling.

A set of fire props dot the area around the tower that recruits use to learn real-world firefighting techniques. With Ashworth at her side, Senator Grimsley ignited a blaze under one prop, a metal carriage simulating a car that sent flames leaping upward, enveloping it completely in fire.

To give cadets hands-on experience, SFSC acquired two fire trucks. The Hardee County Board of County Commissioners donated half the amount toward the $30,000 purchase of one of its retired fire trucks, Engine #31, a 2003 Pierce Contender, capable of holding 1,000 gallons of water.

SFSC bought a second fire engine with help from the City of Frostproof for $6,000. The 1984 GMC fire truck, valued at $12,000, can pump 1,000 gallons of water per minute.

Recruits practicing their fire suppression skills draw water from a 40-foot-tall tank holding 50,000-gallons. The tank is fed by 6-inch well, with a secondary water supply coming from the city of Avon Park. Ashworth noted the facility was designed to be “eco-friendly.” All the expended water, he said, seeps into a retaining pond so that it can return to the aquifer.

Ashworth said applicants to the program must have a high school diploma and have reached age 18. While applicants need not pass a physical agility test, the nine months of training to complete both Firefighter I and II requires recruits to pull heavy hoses, break through doors, and carry a potential victim to safety.

The 11 recruits in the inaugural class will take their certification examination next week. Ashworth said nine of the recruits already landed jobs with fire departments, ready to serve their communities.

“We never expect to wake up to find a fire truck in our front yard,” said Senator Grimsley. “But when we find ourselves in those moments I want to know we have done our best to train and equip those who do respond. That’s why today is a great day for SFSC and Florida’s Heartland.”

AVON PARK, Fla.–March 11, 2016–Walking under a sun-drenched sky with a stiff wind in their faces, five visitors to South Florida State College’s Wildflower Wayside Shrine Trail set out in search of wildflowers blooming in the warmth of spring.

Following their guide, SFSC librarian Claire Miller, the group snaked their way through the quarter-mile trail. Within minutes they chanced upon a light blue flower nestled among the powder puff lichen hugging the ground.

“Look, it’s a blue-eyed grass,” said one, comparing the flower to the picture in her printed guide. “Yep, that’s what it is,” said Miller. “Now let’s see if we can find the pygmy fringe tree.”

The group was just one of several who came out to SFSC’s Highlands Campus for the Pygmy Fringe Tree Wildflower Festival on March 10. Now in its third year, the festival, hosted by the college’s Museum of Florida Art and Culture (MOFAC), coincides with the flowering season of the pygmy fringe tree, which was almost driven to extinction by development.

Known also as Chionanthus pygmaeus, the now rare flowering shrub grows between three and six feet tall. The shrub garnered the affection of wildflower enthusiasts for its stunning flowers that appear in early spring. The federal government declared it endangered in 1987.

Getting closer to the site where a pygmy fringe tree grows, Miller pointed to the fine white sand that blankets the trail. “If you come out early in the morning, you can spot the paw prints of otters who inhabit the nearby lake,” she said.

The trail winds its way along the north side West College Drive, about two hundred feet from the shore of Lake Lelia.

The festival kicked off with music by Florida Seminole songwriter Rita Youngman, who sang songs telling the lore of her tribe. Keeping the wildflower hunters entertained during musical interludes, Florida folklorist Carol Mahler told stories that showcased the state’s rich history.

“Our Wayside Shrine Trail is one of the few venues where the public can readily encounter this rare and extraordinary shrub,” said Mollie Doctrow, MOFAC’s curator, who organizes the annual festival. “Early spring is the ideal time for the pygmy fringe tree to flower, giving the public a singular instance in which to view this beautiful plant.”

Miller and her troop rounded a turn on the trail. “Here’s a pygmy fringe tree,” she said. “Oh, no, it’s not flowering yet.” Still, the group huddled around the shrub, listening to Miller describe how the trail came to be and what makes the native wildflowers special.

The trail is the brainchild of Doctrow, noted for her award-winning woodcuts of natural habitats. She conceived the trail based on her own exploration of nature. The trail opened in 2011.

Doctrow said the public can glimpse a range of native plants flowering along the trail: the big flag pawpaw, sky-blue lupine, and another endangered species, the scrub St. Johns Wort.

“I had no idea the trail was right here on campus,” said Kurt Estinoso, a first year SFSC student, who plans to study physical therapy. “I learned a great deal today walking the trail, not only about the flowers but the land too.”

Visitors to the trail can write their impressions in notebooks found in wooden shrine boxes sitting atop poles along the path. The boxes, designed by Doctrow, contain information that showcases the shrubs and wildflowers. She developed the idea after studying indigenous shrine boxes she encountered while studying Indian culture.

Relief images of the trail’s wildflowers adorn the side of each box, allowing visitors to make a rubbing on paper as a memento of their visit.

A walk through the trail gives visitors a chance to see the land, known as the Lake Wales Ridge, as it existed for centuries. The ridge, an ancient beach and sand dune system formed 1-3 million years ago, has been home to flora that has struggled to survive against development.

Asked when visitors will see the pygmy fringe tree flowering this year, Doctrow said, “They’re really late this year. Perhaps one more week or possibly two.”

The shrub’s late bloom gives visitors who missed the festival a chance to catch the pygmy fringe tree show off its flowers. The trail is open to the public during regular college hours. Visitors should look for Entrance 5 along College Drive. A sign across the roadway marks the point where the trail begins.

For more information on the Wayside Shrine Trail, call Doctrow at 863-784-7240 or visit www.waysideshrinetrail.com.

AVON PARK, Fla.–March 11, 2016–South Florida State College kicked off its 30th Annual College Week on March 7, at SFSC’s Highlands Campus, Avon Park. College Week celebrates the 28 colleges of the Florida College System.

The four-day event pits teams of SFSC students and employees against each other in a slew of fun-oriented but competitive games.

The first day of the games saw ten teams vying for top honors in three-legged races and egg tosses. Each team chose off-beat monikers and sported vibrantly colored T-shirts to stand out during the games. From the peach-colored Goonies to the turquoise of There She Is to the bright green of CK Fly, each team tried to best the other while having fun.

“This year, the teams chose the events and had a lot of input into planning,” said Andy Polk, the coordinator of student life and baseball team’s assistant coach. “This is my fifth year overseeing the games, and it has come off very well.”

On day two, the teams turned out in the Panther Gym for bragging rights to the top dodgeball team. After eight teams were eliminated, SFSC employees, playing under the team name Risky Business, faced off against There She Is, a team comprised of men’s baseball players. Their pitching skills couldn’t save them—There She is went down in defeat at the hands of the college employees.

The sun shone brilliantly on day three when the teams took to the pool for a belly flop contest. James Holle, a freshman from Olympia, Fla, didn’t win the competition but he won the laughs of everyone for painting a bull’s-eye target on his belly. In spite of his efforts, he missed the mark.

From water to land, the teams took to the sand of nearby volleyball court for a contest of strength in a game of tug of war. The men of Their She Is held out, defeating Your Future Boss, a team comprised of students in SFSC’s bachelor’s degree in business program.

The games ended with teams running an obstacle course on the college’s intramural fields. In the end, Goonies tied with There She Is, with each team garnering 95 points. A tie-breaker chose the winner: There She Is.

“The week was super fun,” said Rebecca McKenzie, who serves as president of the student government association. “The games are competitive but everyone was focused on having fun.”

“In a way, it’s like a break before Spring Break,” she said.

AVON PARK, Fla.–March 10, 2016–The Calusa tribe, an indigenous people who thrived along southwest Florida for centuries, will be the topic of the next Kissimmee Valley Archaeological and Historical Conservancy lecture at South Florida State College.

Theresa Schober, an anthropologist who has researched the Calusa tribe for nearly 20 years, will speak March 17, 7 p.m., in Building G, Room 101, on SFSC’s Highlands Campus, Avon Park. The public is invited at no cost.

Schober’s research has focused on the settlement and use of the Estero Bay estuarine system in southern Lee County by the Calusa tribe. Her recent work centers on Mound Key, a 125-acre man-made island in Estero Bay that served as the Calusa capital. Juan Ponce de Leon recorded his discovery of the mound on his initial voyage to Florida 1513.

The mound holds remnants of elevated ridges, sculpted canals and water courts that serve as a reminder of the once thriving Calusa chiefdom. The Calusa tribe vanished for existence by the mid-1700s, extinguished by warfare and disease from contact with Europeans.

Schober serves as president of the Florida Anthropological Society and is a member of Lee County’s Historic Preservation Board. She studied archeology and anthropology at the University of Calgary and the University of Florida.

Schober just wrapped up production of a documentary exploring the mound’s recent history. Based on her role as the film’s executive producer, Schober will discuss how researchers can represent the past through film. Her presentation will include a teaser clip of the documentary itself.

The talk is one of a series at SFSC sponsored by the Kissimmee Valley Archaeological and Historical Conservancy. For more information, call Anne Reynolds at 840-3995.

AVON PARK, Fla.–March 10, 2016–Government safety watchdogs call them powered industrial trucks. But to workers in warehouses, factories, and the neighborhood improvement stores, they’re just forklifts.

Now South Florida State College offers a two-part class leading to certification as a forklift operator, meeting the demand from the federal government that all employers hire only trained operators.

The first session starts Tuesday, April 5, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., in Building I, room 211, on SFSC’s Highlands Campus, Avon Park. This classroom session will cover the basics of safe forklift operations.

The second session is scheduled for Saturday, April 9, with training times to be determined during the first session. Students will get hands-on training in safe forklift operations.

The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires all businesses using forklifts to certify that operators successfully completed certification training.

SFSC’s two-part class meets OSHA standards by providing students with the operational knowledge as well as the skills required to operate a forklift safely.

The class costs $199, and students must be older than 18 years of age. 

For more information, call 863-784-7405 or email corporatetraining@southflorida.edu.

AVON PARK, Fla.–March 8, 2016–South Florida State College will close Sunday, March 13, through Sunday, March 20, for Spring Break. The college will reopen on Monday, March 21.

During the one-week break, new students can still apply for admission online by visiting SFSC’s home page at www.southflorida.edu. Returning students can register for summer term classes through Panther Central.

The scholarship application deadline for the summer term is March 15. Students can apply for scholarships online at www.southflorida.edu/scholarships. The summer term begins May 6.

For more information, call SFSC’s Highlands Campus at 863-453-6661, the DeSoto Campus at 863-993-1757, or the Hardee Campus at 863-773-3081.

AVON PARK, Fla.–March 7, 2016–The South Florida State College Foundation held its seventh annual Panther 5K Run/Walk on March 5, attracting 95 runners and walkers to the South Florida State College (SFSC) Highlands Campus in Avon Park. The $3,725 in proceeds will benefit SFSC’s Athletics programs.

“What makes this event so special is that the runners are able to interact with our student athletes and get to know those who are impacted by the success of this event,” said Jamie Bateman, executive director of institutional advancement, SFSC Foundation. “We are thankful to all our sponsors and participants who came out on Saturday for our seventh annual Panther 5K Run/Walk.”

The 5K attracted runners and walkers, ages 8 through 86; children in strollers, pushed around the course by moms and dads; and canine companions and their owners. SFSC’s mascot Pete the Panther greeted 5K participants and encouraged tired runners as they approached the finish line.

This year’s Panther 5K Run/Walk was won by 14-year-old Dylan Branch, who navigated the race in 17 minutes, 4 seconds. Branch was also the winner of last year’s Panther 5K. The overall women’s winner was 16-year-old Savannah Oldfield with a time of 22 minutes, 41.3 seconds. Male and female Master winners were Jayson Bass, 17:37.0, and Angie Dinchik, 24:47.3. Grand Master winners were Chuck Best, 21:04.2, and Valerie Lee, 32:50.5.

Finalists by age division are as follows:

Women’s Division Finalists 

Age 8 and Under: first, Jordan McDaniel, 41:51.6

Age 9-11:  first, Abby Peacock, 29:14.9; second, Hana Piety, 42:40.1; third, Gracyn Thomas, 43:17.1

Age 12-14: first, Vedi Persad, 30:23.6; second, Sara Piety, 47:31.3; third, Angela Eaton, 51:32.6

Age 20-24: first, Lindsey Leitzel, 48:00.0; second, Heather Oyola, 48:13.8; third, Patricia Quinn, 50:58.7; fourth, Katherine Oyola, 51:35.1

Age 25-29: first, Tabitha Swartz, 30:52.5

Age 30-34: first, Latosha Harnage, 30:54.8; second, Teresa Mendoza, 34:13.4; third, Mary von Merveldt, 42:53.9; fourth, Desiree Vincent, 44:32.5

Age 35-39: first, Laura Andrews, 29:03.0; second, Melissa Hernandez, 30:29.8; third, Tara Huften, 39:06.2; fourth, Ketus Thomas, 45:18.7; fifth, Laura Simmons, 51.40.9

Age 40-44: first, Leslie Mahoney, 25:46.1; second, Theresa Juliano, 26:14.4; third, Sharla Elliot, 27:18.3; fourth, Sandy Meeks, 29:19.1; fifth, Niki Gregor, 33:10.2; sixth, Mary Beth Przychocki, 36:42.3

Age 45-49: first, Edsel Kromholz, 32:02.7; second, Cyndi Dassinger, 38:43.1; third, Kathy Collier, 52:55.2

Age 50-54: first, Jennifer Glassburn, 25:04.9; second, Lisa Foster, 25:42.8; third, Maria Sutherland, 30:39.4; fourth, Elaine Daff, 31:56.3; fifth, Andrea Stidham, 37:20.2; sixth, Lisa Jarrett, 46:26.7; Lena Phelps, 52:46.5

Age 55-59: first, Denise Grimsley, 33:21.5; second, Brenda Johnston, 36:16.4; third, Gerilyn Brannan, 36.26.3; fourth, Pamela Gentry, 44:18.8; fifth, Nancy Leitzel, 48:02.0; sixth, Cathy Lewis, 48:39.2; seventh, Cindy Rose, 51:39.1

Age 60-64: first, Ann Frakes, 34:58.2; second, Bonnie Potter, 37:59.7; third, Pat Engelhardt, 48:09.4; fourth, Dawn Pisarski, 51:56.7

Age 65-69: first, Deborah Fuschetti, 34:17.0; second, Gaylin Thomas, 47:32.3

Age 75-79: first, Lois Hotchkiss, 35:00.0; second, Audrey Smith, 41:31.3

Men’s Division Finalists

8 and under: first, Diego Mendoza, 25:26.0; second, Xavier Swartz, 27:14.1; third, Rylan Thomas, 33:45.1; fourth Anden Thomas, 36:37.1; fifth, Ryder Thomas, 38:52.5; sixth, Garrett von Merveldt, 40:04.0; seventh, Nicholas Lynch, 41:23.5

Age 9-11: first, Connor McDaniel, 23:02.3; second, Austin Ulm, 26:57.9; third, Daniel Lynch, 29:12.0

Age 12-14: first, Matthew Andrews, 22:36.1; second, Adam Eaton, 51:43.9

Age 15-19: first, Damian Foster, 18:10.9

Age 25-29: first, Matthew Schult, 19:21.0; second, Charley Wright, 35:44.6; third, Sid Jarrett, 45:52.4

Age 30-34: first, Jeremy Vincent, 23:56.0; second, Josh Rodriguez, 24:15.5

Age 35-39: first, John, McDaniel, 19:45.9; second, Jason True, 24:10.5; third, Antonio Vasquez, 24:45.8; fourth, Mike Huften, 39:06.2

Age 40-44: first, Shannon Peacock, 29:15.3; second, John Collier, 33:27.5

Age 45-49: first, Lynn Phelps, 52:46.5

Age 50-54: first, Michael Austin, 35:28.4; second, Roger Rhodes, 43:31.2; third, Lee Phelps, 52:48.3

Age 55-59: first, Randy Grice, 22:06.1; second, Bill Jarrett, 25:43.6; third, Darrell Jensen, 25:48.6; fourth, Randall Wilkins, 29:10.6; fifth, Raymond Hancock, 33:21.1; sixth, Edwin Gerardo Serrano, 38:29.7; seventh, Tom Leitzel, 48:01.0

Age 60-64: first James Hawker, 24:06.3; second, Joe Wright, 24:30.1; third, Randy Severn, 26:10.4

Age 65-69: first, Michael Stewart, 23:53.7; second, Charlie Potter, 28:07.6

Age 70-74: first, Roderick Matthews, 27:45.8; second, Clifford Ables, 35:11.1

Age 75-79: first, Harold Smith, 46:55.8

Age 80 and over: first, Kenneth Filppula, 47:42.3

The SFSC Panther 5K Run/Walk was sponsored by the Jarrett Family Foundation, MIDFLORIDA Credit Union, Highlands Today, Senator Denise Grimsley, Florida Hospital Heartland, Joe Wright, Wauchula State Bank, Central Security and Electronics, David and Michelle Leidel, The Bike Shop, Tami Cullens, Alan Jay Automotive, and the SFSC Chapter of the Association of Florida Colleges (AFC).

AVON PARK, Fla.–March 2, 2016–South Florida State College’s Museum of Florida Art and Culture (MOFAC) will play host to the Pygmy Fringe Tree Wildflower Festival, a celebration of the region’s native wildflowers, on Thursday, March 10, 11 a.m. – noon, at SFSC’s Highlands Campus.

The festival kicks off with guided walks through SFSC’s Wayside Shrine Trail, a footpath winding its way through pristine scrubland on the college’s campus. The tract, blanketed by fine white sand and overspread with shrubs, is home to native wildflowers that bloom in early March.

The festival takes its name from the pygmy fringe tree (Chionanthus pygmaeus), a now rare flowering shrub that grows between three and six feet tall. The pygmy fringe tree once thrived throughout central Florida. But farming and development nearly swept it from the region, prompting the federal government to declare it endangered in 1987.

“Our Wayside Shrine Trail is one of the few venues where the public can readily encounter this rare and extraordinary shrub,” said Mollie Doctrow, MOFAC’s curator. “Early March is the ideal time for the pygmy fringe tree to flower, giving the public a singular instance in which to view this beautiful plant.”

Doctrow, noted for her award-winning woodcuts of natural habitats, conceived the trail based on her own exploration of nature and from indigenous shrine boxes she encountered while studying Indian culture. The trail opened in 2011.

Doctrow said the public can also glimpse other native plants flowering along the trail: the big flag pawpaw, sky-blue lupine, and another endangered species, the scrub St. Johns Wort.

This year’s festival includes singing by Florida Seminole songwriter Rita Youngman and storytelling by Florida folklorist Carol Mahler.

Visitors to the trail can write their impressions in notebooks found in wooden shrine boxes sitting atop poles along the path. The boxes, designed by Doctrow, contain information that showcases the shrubs and wildflowers.

One side of each box has a plant image in relief, allowing visitors to make a rubbing on paper as a memento of their visit. Rubbing kits will be available for purchase, with proceeds going to SFSC art club. The art club will also sell picnic snacks to visitors.

A walk through the trail gives visitors a chance to see the land, known as the Lake Wales Ridge, as it existed for centuries. The ridge, an ancient beach and sand dune system formed 1-3 million years ago, has been home to flora that has struggled to survive against development.

The guided walks start off from the MOFAC’s entrance adjacent to the Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts at 11 a.m.  The trail is open to the public during regular college hours. Visitors should look for Entrance 5 along College Drive.

For more information on the festival, contact Doctrow at 863-784-7240 or doctrowm@southflorida.edu.