AVON PARK, Fla. – March 30, 2018 – Four South Florida State College (SFSC) Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education students will participate in the five-day NASA Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Educator Institute at the Kennedy Space Center, June 18-22. The program was created to bolster teacher education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
The four students attending the institute are Sheri Cobb, Bonnie Cullifer, Dana Smallwood, and Antonio Tirada. Joining them will be Dr. Maday Leon, lead instructor, SFSC Elementary Education program. SFSC is one of eight institutions from across the country participating the program this year.
“This is a lifetime opportunity for my students,” Dr. Leon said. “They’ll receive training from people who are the top of their fields in science.”
The program is comprised of student-centered classroom activities that use NASA resources and assist educators in developing instructional practices that enhance STEM instruction.
“We stay at the Kennedy Space Center for a week, and the students have a different activity to work on each day,” Dr. Leon said. “The goal is that science and math classes will change from relying on textbooks to using hands-on activities, and the students will make use of “Five E” lesson plans. “Five E” stands for “Engaged, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate.”
Working in groups, the student teachers will be given situations to explore, test, and evaluate, such as how engineers landed the Curiosity rover on Mars or the role of clouds in atmospheric temperature. In testing, they will be given a select set of everyday materials to use, such as cotton balls, thermometers, masking tape, rubber bands, and stop watches. They must then consider how these activities can be implemented in their classrooms.
“We need to change the approach in our education right now,” Dr. Leon said. “We need to use more hands-on activities in education and develop more of the engineering. Through the application process, students can become critical thinkers. That’s what we need now in our society. We need our students to go into the workforce and be innovative.”
“If we continue preparing students for only testing and memorization, we are still existing in the industrial revolution, the prior era,” she continued. “We are currently in the technology age where the student must go to the next level. They should be saying, ‘This is a product. How can I improve it, fix it, or make it work?’ or ‘We have an environmental problem. Let me fix it or let me invent something to solve that problem.’ We need to start students at an early age with this mindset. Then, when the students graduate, they become problem solvers.”
AVON PARK, Fla. – March 30, 2018 – The Florida College System (FCS) has named six South Florida State College (SFSC) students to the 2018 All-Florida Academic Team.
Each year, the FCS names an All-Florida Academic Team to honor students enrolled in Florida’s public state and community colleges for their academic achievement, leadership, and service to the community.
The six SFSC students will be recognized, formally, at an awards ceremony on Friday, April 6 in Tampa. The SFSC students earning the recognition are Austin Beck, Anthony Burnett, Zachary Geitner, Danny Sustaita, Erika Weaver-Coleman, and Kevin Webb. They join 135 of their peers from the 28-member Florida College System in being named to the academic team.
“We are so pleased with the academic accomplishments of these six scholars from the Tau Epsilon Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa at South Florida State College,” said Dr. Sonji Nicholas, PTK advisor and professor of sociology. “Each scholar gives credence to the idea that diligence in academic endeavors has many rewards. Being named as All-Florida Academic Team member is both an honor and a wonderful way to recognize and celebrate the dedication to academic excellence that each awardee has demonstrated while studying at SFSC. We are so proud of them!”
Students named to the All-Florida Academic Team were drawn from SFSC’s Honors Program and the college’s Tau Epsilon chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), an international academic honor society. In nominating students for the All-Florida Academic Team, colleges consider participation in academic honors programs, membership in and awards from collegiate societies, and academic enrichment gained from internships and special projects.
Weaver-Coleman has also been named a 2018 Coca-Cola Academic Team Bronze Scholar and will receive a $1,000 scholarship. Phi Theta Kappa student members are nominated for the academic team by their college administrators. Selection is based on academic achievement, leadership, and engagement in college and community service.
The Coca-Cola Academic Team Scholars will be recognized at the Phi Theta Kappa Annual Convention, April 19-21, in Kansas City, Mo.
The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation sponsors the Coco-Cola Academic Team program by recognizing students with nearly $200,000 in scholarships annually.
Phi Theta Kappa is an honor society that recognizes the academic achievements of community and state college students and helps them to grow as scholars and leaders. The society is made up of more than 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in nine nations. For more on Phi Theta Kappa, visit ptk.org.
For more information about SFSC’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter, contact Dr. Nicholas at 863-784-7286. For information about SFSC’s Honors Program, contact Dr. Charlotte Pressler, director, SFSC Honors Program, and professor of English and humanities, at 863-784-7247.
AVON PARK, Fla. – March 27, 2018 – It’s not too early to register for 2018 summer and fall terms at South Florida State College (SFSC). Student may register now for summer term 2018 classes. Summer classes begin Monday, May 7. Open registration for all students for fall 2018 begins Monday, April 2. Fall classes begin Friday, Aug. 17.
The SFSC Welcome Center on the Highlands Campus in Avon Park accepts walk-in registrations Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m., and Fridays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Students can also register at the DeSoto Campus in Arcadia, the Hardee Campus in Bowling Green, and at the Lake Placid Center in Lake Placid.
Returning students can register and pay for classes through the college portal, Panther Central. New students can apply for admission to the college by clicking the “Apply Now” button at the top of SFSC’s homepage at southflorida.edu. The SFSC class schedules are available on the college website at Class Schedules.
Financial aid is available to those who qualify. 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).
AVON PARK, Fla. – March 26, 2018 – CareerSource Heartland, Wells Fargo and SFSC are collaborating to offer local businesses employee development training. These two-hour workshops are free to attend and cover Conflict Management, Professionalism in the Workplace and Harassment in the Workplace.
All workshops will be offered at CareerSource Heartland, 5901 US Hwy 27 South, Suite 1, Sebring, and are as follows:
- Harassment in the Workplace will be offered April 6 at 10 a.m. Learn how to protect your business by learning what constitutes harassment on the job, how to stop it from occurring, and how to handle it if it does happen.
- Conflict Management in the Workplace will be offered April 13 at 10 a.m. Conflict happens in all corners of the workplace. Attend this workshop to learn the key to effective communication and negotiation skills so employees can learn to manage their own conflicts. Managers will learn when it is necessary to get involved to mitigate the situation and tips to deal with difficult employees.
- Professionalism in the Workplace will be offered April 20 at 10 a.m. This workshop will teach the importance of professionalism in business and give actual examples to help demonstrate the point more clearly. Employees will learn that there is a line that should not be crossed between work and personal life. Managers will learn how to encourage employees to improve their level of professionalism. When these strategies are implemented, it will ultimately lead to a better work environment and positive financial impact to the bottom line of the business. Space is limited. To reserve your spot, email corporatetraining@southflorida.edu or call 863-784-7033.
AVON PARK, Fla. – March 5, 2018 – SFSC’s Museum of Florida Art and Culture (MOFAC) plays host to the Pygmy Fringe Tree Wildflower Festival, a celebration of the region’s native wildflowers, on Thursday, March 8, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., on SFSC’s Highlands Campus, Avon Park.
The festival takes its name from the pygmy fringe tree (Chionanthus pygmaeus), a now rare flowering shrub that grows between 3 and 6 feet tall. The pygmy fringe tree once thrived throughout central Florida. However, farming and development nearly swept it from the region, prompting the federal government to declare it an endangered species in 1987.
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 including the big flag pawpaw, sky-blue lupine, and other endangered species, like the scrub St. John’s Wort.
“The Wayside Shrine Trail on the SFSC Highlands Campus offers the public an easily accessible venue with which to view this rare and extraordinary shrub,” said Megan Stepe, MOFAC curator. “This beautiful plant flowers in early March, so now is the time to take in this wonderful event.”
Leading the walking tours will be Dustin Angell, a conservation photographer and education coordinator from Archbold Biological Station in Venus, Fla. Photography walks will be led by Karla Respress, SFSC art professor.
The festival includes storytelling by Florida Seminole songwriter Rita Youngman and storytelling and song by Florida folklorist Carol Mahler. Members of the Audubon Society and the Ridge Rangers will be on hand to answer questions from the public. Visitors will find members from the Lake Placid Art League along the trail doing plein air, or open air, painting of the shrubs.
Visitors can purchase lunch from local caterer Loafin’ Around, who will have their food truck on hand for the festivities.
The guided walks start at 10:15 a.m. from MOFAC’s entrance adjacent to the Alan Jay Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts. Take Entrance 3 from College Drive to reach MOFAC. SFSC’s Highlands Campus is located at 600 W. College Dr., Avon Park.
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 trail was conceived by Mollie Doctrow, former MOFAC curator and an award-winning artist whose work revolves around capturing natural habitats. The trail opened in 2011.
Visitors to the trail can write their impressions in notebooks found in wooden shrine boxes along the path. The boxes, designed by Doctrow, contain information that showcase 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.
The trail is open to the public during regular college hours. To reach the trail, visitors should look for Entrance 5 along College Drive.
For more information on the festival, call Stepe at 863-784-7240 or follow the events link on MOFAC’s website at mofac.org.
AVON PARK, Fla. – March 5, 2018 – When the Discovery Channel was in search of local college students to become production assistants for one day, Nathan Wilson was on it.
“I want to go into marketing, so I’m interested in anything to do with film and advertising,” he said. “I’d never done anything in production, and it would be working with the Discovery Channel.” Wilson is majoring in business administration at South Florida State College and after graduation in December 2018, plans to work toward a bachelor’s degree in marketing at Florida Gulf Coast University.
The Discovery Channel was producing a digital documentary mini-series called “In the Pit,” specifically, for its Discovery GO app. The series, which launches on the app in April or May, will spotlight racecar drivers and their pit crews and features three racing venues across the country, including the Sebring International Raceway. Production in Sebring took place on Feb. 22.
According to Wilson, the Discovery Channel production crew focused on every aspect of a race team including team managers, drivers, engineers, and mechanics. During filming, the race teams were doing test drives, rather than racing.
Alyssa Wilson, production coordinator with the Discovery Channel, said that when she was looking for student production assistants, she needed someone who knows the area and is passionate and eager to learn. “As a production crew, we were only going to be in town for a short period,” she said. “We needed someone to give us insight into the town. We were coming from New York City, so we were coming there blindly.”
“As production assistant, they gave me some brief job descriptions,” Nathan Wilson said. “It was more like ‘Here’s what we’re going to do, but we’re going to play it by ear.’ They hadn’t seen the track at Sebring International Raceway in advance, so they just wanted to be open to changes.”
“Apparently, the Sebring International Raceway is known as a particularly difficult track because it’s bumpy, the road surfaces are half in concrete and half in asphalt, and it’s not well lit,” he said. “It’s because it was once an airfield.”
Wilson’s day with the Discovery Channel crew began at 6:15 a.m. “As a production assistant, I worked with cameras, lighting, and sound,” he said.
Wilson said that he loved everything about production—being behind the camera, the ins and outs of filming, the sound. He was particularly impressed with the producer. “Her name was Denise. She’s very experienced. She’s got a great eye and has an eye for themes that other people may not. Because of that, the crew used multiple [stabilized, handheld] Osmos cameras that can attach to a phone and create what looks like homemade video. They had GoPro cameras attached to bikes and the racecars. The producer had a good sense of the story.”
Not only did Wilson learn more about production cameras and sound, he learned about racecars as well as the physical and mental preparation that racecar drivers endure. “Some of them are racing for ten or 12 hours at a stretch. You have to have mental strength to be in a car for long periods of time and taking those extreme left turns. For part of their training, the race team would bicycle around the track to keep physically active and loose, just like any athlete.”
Wilson has more production work on his agenda. “I have a job with Mad Media as a production assistant during SFSC’s Spring Break, March 13-18. Mad Media specializes in X-games films. So, they’re filming a lot of the races, cars, race teams, drivers at Sebring International Raceway. But I don’t know how different it will be from the Discovery Channel’s film.”
The production experience with the Discovery Channel, clearly, sparked an interest in Wilson. “You can read something in a textbook, but to live it in the trenches makes it more real. It’s also super rewarding. Rather than take a test about a piece of equipment, you can actually use that equipment. If the Discovery Channel called again, I’d definitely do it.”
AVON PARK, Fla. – March 5, 2018 – Music City Hit-Makers, a one-of-a-kind musical event, comes directly from Nashville to South Florida State College (SFSC) on Thursday, March 8 at 7 p.m. Grammy award winners Chris DeStefano and Marcus Hummon, two of Nashville’s biggest country songwriters perform an evening of country hits in the style of the famous Bluebird Café. DeStefano and Hummon have No. 1 hits recorded by Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson and others. Tickets are $23-$32, and groups of 12 or more can save 25 percent. Visit sfscarts.org for tickets, videos, and a full schedule of events.
“This is a country show with the biggest stars that you never heard of,” said Cindy Garren, director of cultural programs at SFSC. “Country music fans will love the music and listening to the stories behind the music by the guys who wrote the songs.”
Nashville’s top hit maker, Chris DeStefano has penned a series of No. 1 and top 10 country hits, all charting in the past three years. He has also written for Kelly Clarkson, Gavin DeGraw, Bon Jovi, David Cook and Big Time Rush. A multi-instrumentalist, he is also a record producer and his discography includes working with Dan + Shay and Brett Eldredge. DeStefano won a Grammy award for his work on Kelly Clarkson’s platinum album, “Stronger.”
A list of his other popular chart-toppers include: Carrie Underwood’s “Something in the Water,” “Good Girl,” and “Little Toy Guns”; Luke Bryan’s “That’s My Kind of Night”; Billy Currington’s “Hey Girl”; Brett Eldredge’s “Don’t Ya”; Rascal Flatts’ “Rewind”; Jason Aldean’s “Just Gettin’ Started”; “Somethin’ Bad” by Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood; Chris Young’s “Aw Naw” and Chase Rice’s “Ready Set Roll.”
Grammy award winner Marcus Hummon has received seven BMI Awards and five BMI #1 Awards for Rascal Flatts’ “Bless the Broken Road” which also won a Grammy for Best Country Song in 2005 and Sara Evans’ “Born to Fly” which won the Country Music Awards Video of the Year in 2001, among others.
Hummon co-wrote The Dixie Chicks’ “Ready to Run” which was nominated for a Grammy for Country Song of the Year and won the Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Group. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Group for “Roll the Stone Away,” co-written by Hummon.
He wrote and produced three songs for Disney’s feature film, “The Fox and the Hound 2” and has scored two films, “Lost Boy Home,” which won the Best Shorts Award at the Palm Beach International Film Festival, and “The Last Songwriter,” winner of the Audience Award at the Nashville Film Festival 2017.
AVON PARK, Fla. – March 2, 2018 – Combining her experience as a teacher and her desire to travel, Sheri Stolte, a South Florida State College alumna, would find herself immersed in the cultures of two countries, South Korea and Canada. Through that experience, she learned how invaluable flexibility is in teaching.
Stolte, a native of Lake Placid, Fla., graduated from South Florida State College in 2004 with an Associate in Arts degree. She followed it by earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education, with an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) endorsement, from Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers. She spent six years teaching fourth grade at Crestwell School, a private institution in that same city.
Stolte always wanted to travel extensively but wasn’t sure how to do that and work at the same time. While looking through Facebook one day, she found a company called Access South Korea (ASK). The company had been established by a group of Canadians and Americans who wanted to teach overseas.
“I researched their business, and they got good reviews,” Stolte said. “I didn’t see any red flags, so I looked into it further.” ASK required that an applicant prove they were a teacher in good standing and provide a criminal background check and letters of recommendation.
Stolte’s interest in South Korea was piqued by a friend during her college days. “She was into Asian cultures and introduced me to their cuisines and histories,” she said. “One of the things she kept telling me was how nice and welcoming South Koreans are.”
Through ASK, she got a job teaching in South Korea at a Hagwon, a for-profit private language academy. Many students attend English classes at hagwons after their normal school day. “So I taught kindergarten during the day,” she said. “In the evenings, I taught grades two to eight.”
During her two years in South Korea, Stolte learned to be more flexible in a teaching environment. “The six years at Crestwell School was predictable stability,” she said. “There was rarely a surprise. I could plan classes and events a month ahead. But in Korea, it was different every day. You didn’t know if you’d be going on a field trip or if parents were coming in to watch your class that day. We could be told, ‘We’re going to have a school fair tomorrow, so we have to stay and blow up balloons.’ If you can teach in South Korea, you can teach anywhere.”
Stolte found that appearance is important at a school in South Korea. “You must be professional looking at all times,” she said. “We had cameras in all the classrooms, so the parents could watch anytime they wanted. But it’s a challenge to look professional all the time when you’re working with kindergartners.”
After a long-distance relationship evolved, Stolte moved to Alberta, Canada during the summer of 2014, to be with her future husband Evan. She now teaches at a school on a First Nations reserve, called Sunchild. First Nations are the predominant indigenous people in Canada who live south of the Arctic. The people of Sunchild reserve are Cree, one of the largest groups of First Nations in Canada.
“I teach grade 3,” she said. “I started substitute teaching during the last school year, and I’m in the middle of my first full year as a teacher in Canada.”
Stolte explained that learning to be flexible in Korea prepared her for Canada. “Sunchild is a small community, so if the previous chief’s wife passed away, we would shut down the school for one day out of respect. You have to be flexible and change your class lessons.”
She has observed the caring nature of the people of Sunchild and has become accepted into the community. “If you show respect to the people of Sunchild, they are welcoming and sharing of themselves,” she said.
“The people of Sunchild are concerned about losing their culture and language,” Stolte said. “We’ve had elders of the reserve come to the school so the students can ask them about Cree history and culture. At school, we try to have sweat lodges and pow wows. Instead of taking a Spanish class, the students have Cree class so that they maintain their language. I’ve worked a comparison of Cree culture and another culture into my social studies curriculum.”
One daily practice Stolte has experienced is smudging. “The elder comes in with what looks like a little pot in which they burn sage. The elder places it on a desk, and the student pulls the smoke over their face or heart as a cleansing or for good luck.”
Stolte applauds the school’s administrator for his support. “He truly cares about the students. He wants them to understand that they can do or become anything they choose.”
“The only downside to teaching at the reserve are the effects of generational trauma from the ’60s and ’70s—the Big Scoop—when the national government tried to wipe out the native cultures,” Stolte said.
The Sixties Scoop was a practice in Canada in the 1960s of taking children of aboriginal people from their families and placing them in foster homes or adoption, primarily, with white families in North America and Europe. An estimated 20,000 aboriginal children were taken.
Intergenerational trauma may be experienced within a family in which the parents or grandparents were traumatized, and each subsequent generation of the family may continue to experience trauma in some form. Self-destructive behaviors, such as depression, family violence, suicidal and homicidal thoughts, and addictions, can manifest from unresolved trauma.
“You do see some of that trauma—addictions, abuse,” Stolte said. “I’ve been privy to circumstances you don’t see in other places. So, you create a bubble in your classroom that makes it a safe environment. At my school, there is a freedom to be affectionate with the kids. The more positive I am with them, the more positive they feel about themselves. I make a point in the morning to know what they need—it may be a high five, a fist bump, anything they need before they go home. You function as half teacher, half mom with them.”
But Stolte highly recommends teaching abroad to others. “It gives you a better appreciation for your own culture,” she said. “It broadens your horizons. You learn quickly what you’re willing to do and not willing to do. It helps you be more aware of your students in the class. You pay more attention, because you’re not sure if it’s a child issue or a culture issue.”
Based on her own experience, Stolte offered words of wisdom to anyone interested in becoming an elementary school teacher. “Remember, it’s always about the kids. You will work far more than you ever expected at a job. You’re not just a teacher, you’re a psychologist, a psychiatrist, and a parent. And you have to love what you do to stay with this job. Also, Pinterest can be your best friend. I get a lot of ideas for the classroom from Pinterest.”
“And finally,” she said, “You want to be flexible, for sure.”
