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Todays Letters: East side students need opportunity
Letters to the Editor
Published January 6, 2008
Our Pasco County school district is seeking community input on the district strategic plan through 2013.
I would like to give input that relates to the following sections of the strategic plan: Schools will expand career and work readiness opportunities that reflect current and future economic trends; strengthen community/governmental/business partnerships for the purpose of impacting program change to meet the demands of the work force; design and implement rigorous and relevant learner-focused curriculum for all career and technical programs; establish and maintain state-of-the-art, attractive and safe facilities; increase technological capacity; equitable distribution of resources; provide infrastructure to allow students and teachers access to state-of-the-art technology; and establish standards for reciprocity in business partnerships.
Our district has property on Old Pasco Road that is designated for a high school. This would be a wonderful site for a technical high school, such as Hernando's Nature Coast or Hillsborough's Tampa Bay Tech. A technical high school at this site would be in line with the above points in our district's strategic plan.
Pasco County schools have offered west side students the opportunity for training in technical careers for more than 20 years through Marchman Technical Education Center. The students in east Pasco County have not had this opportunity to train for careers in computer programming, computer repair, auto mechanics, auto body, electrical wiring, air conditioning and the other 17 programs at Marchman.
The career and technical programs on the east side are at various high schools, with students being bused back and forth. We are always retrofitting and offering east side students a confusing patchwork of programs in different places.
I have seen the impact this has on students. I taught in east Pasco for 20 years and have taught at Marchman for the last eight years. Driving home to Dade City every day for the last eight years, I have thought about and been saddened by the opportunities that my east side students have missed. I think of former east side students that I have had and what a wonderful opportunity the Marchman programs would have been for them. Many of my former students in Dade City lived in areas that were severely economical depressed and training for these careers would have given them a way out of poverty.
A technical high school on the Old Pasco Road site would finally give the east side students a consolidated site with much needed opportunities and a state of the art facility for technical career training, comparable to the opportunities that west side students have had for more than 20 years.
I believe that with the leadership of Rob Aguis, this school could be one of the best technical high schools in our state. Please give the east side students this opportunity for careers that will help them to move up in the world.
Debra Frelick,Dade City
It's always been Church Avenue
My children and I lived on Church Avenue before Church Street Christmas began. My mailing address was Church Avenue even though the celebration was called "Church Street Christmas."
Letter writer Norman Carey was correct when he stated that Church Street Christmas sounded better than Church Avenue Christmas but he is incorrect about the avenue. It has always been Church Avenue. I was never contacted by the Postal Service that it was otherwise. It is possible that the post master reminded everyone of the correct name.
It is my recollection that First Baptist Church originated the idea and together with the other churches on the avenue and others in the area started a wonderful Christmas experience for all of us.
My children still speak of the many wonderful "open house" parties we enjoyed during Church Street Christmas.
Love my hometown of Dade City and all the good memories.
Diane Pike Heiler, Dade City
2 friends killed in New Year's crash Jan. 3, story
Why publish past arrests of victims?
I cannot see the relevance in publishing past drug/alcohol arrests of the victims of this crash. They were hit head-on by a car that crossed into their lane and hit them.
If the victims were driving recklessly or if they had been drinking and had caused this accident, it may then be a fact that shed light upon the accident.
The young daughter now has her parents' past arrests known to schoolmates and neighbors. How sad that your reporter could not have thought of this and saved this child from further pain.
Lillian Mort, Bayonet Point
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[Last modified January 5, 2008, 21:09:26]
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