North Pinellas notebook

By Times staff reports
© St. Petersburg Times
published May 5, 2002

SPC summer camps cover cosmos

Calling all future doctors, astronauts, and wild animal tamers: St. Petersburg College is offering three summer camps at two locations: Oldsmar Elementary School, 302 W Dartmouth Ave., and the college's Clearwater campus at 2465 Drew St.

The camps are six weeks and designed for children in first through sixth grades.

"These camps have an intense science and math curricula, but the children will be having so much fun they won't know they are learning," said Jackie Addis, program director of Life Long Learning for SPC.

The college and NASA have teamed up to provide a virtual trip across the Milky Way, where children will learn about black holes, red giants, white dwarfs, supernovas and stars. Two family evening picnics and rocket launches are planned.

Other campers with an interest in medicine will meet medical professionals, grow bacteria, set a broken chicken bone, discover the origins of disease, and learn how food serves as fuel for the body. SPC, the Discovery Channel and Morton Plant Mease are partners in this program.

For the third camp, the college, the Smithsonian Institution and the National Zoological Park have planned a special program for wild animal lovers who will explore these creatures in their natural habitats and captivity. Campers will create a biopark.

The camps will be between June 10 and July 19. The medical and animal camps will be held at both locations from 8:30 a.m. to noon. The space camp is only at the Oldsmar location and will be held from 12:30 to 4 p.m. Cost is $375 for the six-week camp. Space is limited to 18 children per camp. Register with a Visa or MasterCard. Call Addis at (727) 341-4451.

Group looks for people for cultural exchange

Friendship Force of the Florida Suncoast, a chapter of Friendship Force International, is looking for 10 people who would like to be part of a cultural exchange Sept. 1-14 in Altotonga and Puebla, Mexico. Participants stay in private homes to learn more about communities and their culture.

Friendship Force International, a nonprofit international cultural exchange organization based in Atlanta, was founded with a single mission: create an environment in which friendships can be established between people of different cultures. It is active in more than 60 countries, promoting friendship and good will through an extensive program of home-stay exchanges.

Later this year, the local chapter will be host to 15 to 20 people from Russia and 15 from Somerset, England. For information about the trip to Mexico and the local program, call (727)785-2342.

Resource Center offers free growth classes

TARPON SPRINGS -- The Resource Center for Women offers free parenting, career development, personal growth and computer training classes at the Union Academy, 401 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

Intake interviews are required for all classes.

A women's support group meets from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Thursdays.

Call (727) 586-1110.

Brooker Creek Preserve offers weekly 3-mile hikes

Free guided hikes are held every Saturday at Brooker Creek Preserve. The 3-mile hikes last from 9 to 11 a.m.

"This is a unique opportunity to experience natural Florida," said Jeanne Johnson, office manager of the preserve. "The hike is through pine flatwoods and hikers will see birds, butterflies and native plants." Hikers may also see some deer.

Reservations are required. Call (727) 943-4003.

Palm Harbor chorus is accepting new members

PALM HARBOR -- The Palm Harbor Community Chorus is accepting new members during rehearsals every Tuesday from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Global Fellowship Church, 2289 N Hercules Ave., Clearwater.

No auditions and no dues are required. The chorus performs Broadway show tunes and songs of famous 20th century composers. Call Nancy Whitmer at (727) 781-4424.

-- If you have news or photos about North Pinellas schools, churches, businesses, neighborhood groups, community organizations or people, fax it to (727) 445-4206, e-mail

northpin@sptimes.com or mail material to North Pinellas Times, 34342 U.S. 19 N, Palm Harbor, FL 34684.

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