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At School

Kids' letters boost Tampa soldier's spirit

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK
Published December 11, 2005

There's nothing like a cheery note from a third-grader to improve your mood after a long day fighting the war in Iraq.

Just ask Army Spc. Kevin Thayer.

The 2003 Chamberlain High graduate and Tampa native is serving on the front lines of the war from Camp Liberty, a former presidential palace in Abu Ghraib. He's had his truck blown up, fought his share of bad guys and, soon, will be providing security for Iraq's elections. "Coming back from patrol and going to the mail room and getting letters from little kids, it gets your spirits up," Thayer said in a recent interview from Iraq. "It's actually helped a lot from the stress of having to go out every day and do my job."

Students in Tracy Rossello's third-grade class at Westchase Elementary School began writing to Thayer, 21, after learning from his relatives that he was having a tough time away from home.

"We want to make him happier to be there," 8-year-old Zachary Gulnick explained. "He's lonely and away from his family."

"I like to bring a smile to people's faces and make them real happy," added Katie Evdemon, also 8.

Thayer said the children have helped his buddies' morale, too, with "Dear soldier" letters they sent through him to others in his camp. The other infantrymen grabbed the missives and are writing back, too.

Thayer looks forward to getting leave to come back to Tampa, so he can visit his family and spend a day or two with his new pals at Westchase Elementary. It will be a respite from what he describes as his nerve-wracking daily life in the war.

"Every time you go outside that wire, you think, "Is this going to be the day?"' Thayer said. "A few soldiers go home every month. I'm just waiting for my time."

Baked goods meant bucks for the Tampa Police Department's canine unit.

Third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students at Pride Elementary donated $400 to the unit this month as part of teacher Beth Noll's monthly bake sale. Noll's exceptional education students whip up cookies, cupcakes, brownies and Rice Krispie treats to sell at school.

Since 2001, Noll's students have donated about $5,000 to charities such as Metropolitan Ministries, the Humane Society and hurricane and tsunami relief funds.

Noll said the bake sales teach valuable lessons to her students, many of whom have learning disabilities.

"I just wanted to do something that taught them that you can give back to others no matter what your level of economics or education," Noll said.

Police Sgt. Terri Fullwood , who brought bomb-sniffing dogs to visit the students Wednesday, said the money will buy training equipment.

It wasn't just dollars that went to the canine unit. After hearing that a drug-sniffing bloodhound named Jimbo died recently, Noll's students made sympathy cards to give to Fullwood.

" I was very appreciative of that," Fullwood said. "Probably more than the money."

West Meadows kids should stay in their neighborhood school, Liberty Middle, many argue. They point to their property taxes, their proximity to Liberty, their worries that they'll have to send their kids to Wharton High rather than Freedom, which is closer. They pleaded with Steve Ayers, the School Board's director of pupil services who drew the boundaries, at a recent town meeting at Benito Middle.

Many worry that their efforts won't be enough to persuade the School Board. That's why Steve Falabella, whose family lives in Hawthorne Estates, has started a new blog site (westmeadowestates.blogspot.com/) aimed at fighting the Bartels boundary changes and ultimately improving life for residents. The blog has been extremely active, he said.

"We have a plan to fight this (boundary change) and that includes contact with Jim Davis as well as Gov. Bush's office," Falabella said in an e-mail.

Ayers said he understands parents' concerns, having been through several boundary changes over the last few years. But it's a priority for the School Board to lessen the burden on Liberty and Benito Middle schools, both of which are well over capacity, he said.

The issue will go before the School Board on Jan. 17, when the boundary changes will likely be finalized. That meeting is open to the public, and several West Meadows parents have vowed to attend.

The fifth-grade chess team at Tampa Palms Elementary School won its grade division at the K-12/Collegiate National Chess Tournament in Houston. Top scorers on the team are Hengyi Wu, who placed 14th of 162 fifth-graders; Anthony Yao, who placed 31st; and Yunhan Xu. Others on the team are Mihir Dubey, Diamond Duncan, Jennifer Hobbs, Adam Kole, Joshua Robinson and Daniel Weiss.

Fourth-grade students from Hunters Green, Lewis, McKitrick, Pizzo, Pride, and Westchase elementary schools, and fifth-grade students from Cannella, Heritage, Hunters Green, Schwarzkopf, Tampa Palms, Turner and Westchase elementary schools, have qualified to compete in the school district's Math Bowl finals. The event is scheduled for Jan. 10 at Mango Elementary School.

Pierce Middle School geography teacher Marcos Lazala and Carrollwood Day School middle school language arts Teacher Jennifer Dosher are nominees for 2006 Disney Teacher of the Year. The winner will be announced in July.

Staff writers Emily Nipps and Stephanie Hayes contributed to this column. To suggest ideas for future columns, contact Jeffrey S. Solochek at 813 269-5304 or solochek@sptimes.com

[Last modified December 10, 2005, 10:13:05]