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Schools

Briefs: Orange Grove student dubbed 'Brave Citizen'

By ELISABETH DYER
Published October 7, 2005

OLD SEMINOLE HEIGHTS - Hillsborough County commissioners, Tampa police officers and Hillsborough sheriff's deputies honored Randy Griffin with the Brave Citizen Award last week for stepping up to protect other students.

In February, Randy, an eighth-grader at Orange Grove Middle School, overheard another boy at his bus stop talking about plans to place a bomb at Stewart Middle Magnet School.

"The kid was making the bombs and he was planning on hurting some people," Randy said.

While others at the bus stop dismissed the boy's comments, Randy took the threat seriously, and sought help from his school resource officer, Greg Caulley.

Tampa police arrested the 14-year-old Stewart student after discovering what they said were bombmaking materials at his home.

Randy was more concerned for the safety of students at Stewart than for being perceived as a snitch, Caulley said. Randy, who lives in Old Seminole Heights, also received a Do the Right Thing award from former superintendent Earl Lennard last year.

Randy could have remained anonymous, but he and his family decided to come forward with his identity to encourage other children to speak out when they hear of potential crime in schools.

WELLSWOOD - For the first time, Tampa Catholic High School will play its homecoming football game at home. The team has had to play at opponents' fields throughout its 39-year history because it hasn't had a home field.

Until now.

The school's new stadium complex, 4630 N Rome Ave., is set to be finished in time for homecoming Oct. 21. To save money, about 30 parents and students have spent the past several Saturdays building a 400-foot fence around the complex, as required by the city as a sound buffer.

Next they will install lights and bleachers and paint the fence.

TAMPA - SERVE, Volunteers in Education and the Hillsborough County School District, is looking for volunteers to spend one hour a week during the day or after school reading with a kindergartener through third-grader.

To register for volunteer training, call SERVE at 872-5254. Training sessions are 1 to 3 p.m. Monday at the West Tampa Branch Library, 2312 W Union St.; 4 to 6 p.m. Oct. 20, at the Seminole Heights Branch Library, 4711 N Central Ave., and 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 26 at the Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library, 3910 S Manhattan Ave.

[Last modified October 6, 2005, 08:25:09]