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Schools

Coliseum work under way at Gorrie Elementary

By ELISABETH DYER
Published April 29, 2005

HYDE PARK NORTH - Construction on a 9,680-square-foot building at Gorrie Elementary School began Wednesday with a groundbreaking ceremony.

When finished, the John B. Gorrie Coliseum will allow all students to gather in one space for concerts, school dances and volleyball games.

Parents are paying for the project and hope to involve everyone in the capital campaign to raise $1-million. Fundraisers will include student spell-a-thons and penny jars. Brick pavers engraved with donors' names and building naming rights are also for sale.

The building is expected to be finished by fall 2006. Parents will deed it to the district, which will provide maintenance.

DOWNTOWN - Blake High School theater students perform a twist on the Grimm brothers fairy tale musical Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim at 7 p.m. today, Saturday and May 5, 6, and 7 in the Don Thompson Theatre, 1701 N Boulevard. Tickets are $10 and are available at the door or at www.TicketLeap.com On Tuesday, harp students from several Hillsborough arts magnet schools will strum their strings during the seventh Harp Festival, also at Blake's Don Thompson Theatre.

Schools participating are: Blake High; Orange Grove and Progress Village middle schools; and Shore, Lockhart and Mueller elementary schools. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 at the door.

CULBREATH HEIGHTS - Next year's kindergarteners at Dale Mabry Elementary can tour classrooms and meet teachers and principals at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday in the school cafeteria, 4201 W Estrella St. Parents should bring proof of residency, such as an electric bill, and their child's birth certificate, Social Security number and health and immunization records. For information, call 872-5364.

DOWNTOWN - Two Tampa Prep students took top honors at the University of South Florida's Undergraduate Research Symposium on March 31. USF's Honors College hosted the event and invited four high schools for the first time this year. Tampa Prep 12th-grader Lucy Hudson won a first place in creativity for her paper, The Life of Charlie Bailey, and 11th-grader Aaron Becker won first place in Humanities and Social Sciences for his speech on suburban stratification in the United States following World War II.

PALMA CEIA - Two Plant High School students won awards in a statewide essay contest about money management called Your Money, Your Life. Eleventh-grader Katie Reynolds won $750 for first place and 12th-grader Robert Buesing won $250 for third place out of 186 essays from 12 southwestern counties. Funded by the nonprofit organization, Investor Protection Trust, the contest is part of an initiative to educate people on financial literacy.

DOWNTOWN - Several visual arts students at Blake High School will be recognized at the Mayor's Award Ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Tampa Convention Center. Students include: Melissa Germain, third place in painting; Jenna Vaccaro, third place in sculpture; Alex Hibbs, honorable mention and gallery pick in jewelry; Jonathan Fager, third place for photography; and Heidi LeHeup, honorable mention for photography. Kate Boeyen, Evellin Skyers and Victoria Normand won most creative for their rain barrel.

PARKVIEW - Mitchell Elementary mothers, grandmothers, aunts and female alumni are celebrating the school's 90 years of education during a Women's Bobcat Breakfast at 8 a.m. May 6 in the cafeteria, 205 S Bungalow Park Ave.

At 8:45 a.m., Mayor Pam Iorio will speak on the importance of preserving history, and parent Paula Meckley will read minutes from historical PTA meetings.

For information, call 872-5216 .