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Wildcats make room for the Bulls

Wiregrass Ranch High is beginning the school year in 44 portables on a middle school campus.

By MARY SPICUZZA
Published August 8, 2006

	[Times photo: Zach Boyden-Holmes]
	Wiregrass Ranch High principal Ray Bonti, center, chats with Peter Bagley, left, as he registers his 15-year-old daughter Shanelle, right, for classes Wednesday in the gym at Weightman Middle School in Wesley Chapel. Wiregrass Ranch is starting the school year in temporary quarters on the Weightman campus.

Times Staff Writer

WESLEY CHAPEL - It's been the "Home of the Wildcats" for more than a decade.

But when Thomas E. Weightman Middle School students go back to school today, they'll notice a new mascot - not to mention a new high school - on campus.

Wiregrass Ranch High School, "Home of the Bulls," is scheduled to open today in 44 portables behind the Wesley Chapel middle school. The two schools are separated by a small display featuring a wagon wheel, a cow skull, a piece of paper with the Wiregrass Ranch bull mascot and a few bales of hay.

"It's a ranch theme," Wiregrass Ranch principal Ray Bonti said with a smile. "But we couldn't get a real bull."

The permanent home of Pasco's newest high school, one of the district's six new schools set to open today, is still under construction and probably won't be ready until January. In the meantime, Bonti is trying to make about 800 students and their teachers feel comfortable in their temporary home.

He's stocked the campus with Wiregrass Ranch school colors, even racing to Publix before last Wednesday's student orientation to buy maroon, silver and white balloons.

Bonti, who was named the district's Administrator of the Year in the spring, loaded about four dozen teachers onto a Pasco County school bus, cranked up the country music, passed out hard hats and took them on a tour of the school's Mansfield Boulevard construction site last week so they could see their future classrooms.

"He is amazing," said Enid Caropreso, president of the Wiregrass Ranch Parent Teacher Student Association. "I've been involved in schools for 15 years, and I've never met a principal like him."

Caropreso already has 100 PTSA members signed up, although they don't yet have a place to meet on campus.

"We met at Johnny Carino's," she said. "They were nice enough to give us a room."

Caropreso and others said that's the kind of community support that helped the quickly growing district open what is believed to be its first all-portable high school.

"The community has been great," said Ray Gadd, Pasco's assistant superintendent for support services. "It's been really supportive."

Gadd said that things are going well at the portable high school, which includes a portable teacher workroom, portable clinic and portable restrooms.

Wiregrass Ranch will share athletic facilities and the lunchroom with Weightman Middle, and may use the neighboring Wesley Chapel High School facilities if needed.

Wiregrass Ranch will begin classes at 10:20 a.m., nearly three hours later than Weightman, to avoid heavy traffic as well as an overcrowded lunchroom.

The school district, which is expecting 62,100 students this year, is opening another school, Trinity Oaks Elementary, in portables located at Trinity Elementary today.

Mary Spicuzza covers education in Pasco County. She can be reached in west Pasco at 813 909-4614 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 4614. Her e-mail address is mspicuzza@sptimes.com.

[Last modified August 8, 2006, 01:02:21]