Kudos

Good afternoon,

I just wanted to let you know about one of your drivers that was running the shuttle bus from the parking lot to the Kumquat Festival this past weekend. She deserves some recognition because she was “awesome”! She was kind, friendly and very helpful.

Thank you,

Kumquat Festival Attendee

Good Morning Mr. Browning, Dr. Scanga, and Mrs. Poe,

My Name is Lauren Wilson. My husband Bob and I have 3 children, two of which have been fortunate enough to attend Sanders Memorial Elementary school in Land O Lakes since it re-opened as a STEAM Magnet school 5 years ago. They are now in 5th grade, 3rd grade and soon to be new Kindergardener! The reason for my email to make you all aware of how AWESOME the principal, Mr. Jason Petry truly is. I'm not sure how I can throw his name in the hat for "Principal of the Year, " but this is the best way I know how. 

Every morning you will find Mr. Petry in the trenches of the dreaded Car Line...except...he always has a huge smile on his face and makes it FUN! He has a giant Bluetooth radio outside blasting music so when the kids first step foot on the campus, they're instantly in a good mood, and just want to dance. Some days is 80's /90"s themed (which the parents love :blush: other days it's what the kids are listening to. In the month of December, you'll find him in car line dressed as the Grinch, or Buddy the Elf. ..the kids LOVE IT!!  When we do our annual school fundraiser, he divides the school into two teams,  turns into the famous " Petry Alien" dressed in an all green leotard and competes with our assistant principal to see which team can raise the most money. At the end they have a huge "War of the Worlds." showdown with inflatables outside and tons of activities for the kids to participate in. I realize school isn't  all about "fun," but gosh...just like we adults want to work for a boss that allows us to let our hair down and blow off some steam, these kids WANT TO LEARN AND DO WELL because they have a leader that infuses his school with enthusiasm, morals, work ethic, and "Work hard, play harder" mentality.

Our eldest son has ADHD and some sensory issues. We've had to reach out to Mr. Petry over the years about various issues we have had with him, where we've needed him to intervene, or advise us. He is always super quick to call us back, talk to us like friends, and resolves the problem immediately. In this society and in the microcosm of the school district in particular, we like to recognize or praise the person or entity with the most "change" or "gains." The D school that's now a B school. FSA scores that were low, that are now high, showing through Data the rise on the graphs. But what about the "status quo," schools? The ones that aren't the squeaky wheels?  the ones that are just always great and expected to stay that way?  Sometimes those Principals are the ones that don't receive the recognition they quite deserve. My Petry is one of those Principals that is loved by his administration and staff, which in turn makes his teachers love their jobs, which in turn makes the students love to learn from happy teachers, which in turn makes parents happy that their kids love to go to school. The trickle effect is real! Now my biggest problem is where to send my son next year for middle school that will even come close to comparing with the loving, collaborative, family that is Sanders Memorial Elementary run by the best Principal in the county.                                                                                                                          

Thank you for you time!

Lauren Wilson

I wanted to take a moment and let you know about Mr. Burdick.

Our son is a senior at Sunlake High School, in the Aerospace Career Academy.  Our other son is a sophomore who is in the Digital Career Academy there also.

Our senior has been accepted to Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, and as you can appreciate, we are seeking every scholarship opportunity to help with the cost.  He is applying for an ROTC scholarship and part of the application process is a Physical Fitness Assessment, which needed to be completed by a PE teacher at his school.  Our senior has never had Mr. Burdick, but when I reached out to all the PE teachers for help, he immediately offered to complete the assessment on his own time after school.  Mr. Burdick not only completed this for our senior, but also for a friend of his who is also applying for the scholarship.  Without this assessment, he would not have been able to complete the scholarship application.

We school choice our children to attend Sunlake and this is yet another example of the remarkable faculty you have there who go above and beyond what is expected of them, making the needs of their students a priority to prepare them for success!

My husband Rex and I wanted to let you know how much this was appreciated!

Andi Walker

Dear Mr. Browning,

I would like to recognize Assistant Principle Sharon Morris at Centennial Middle School; we had some trouble with my daughter’s schedule and she was of great help to us. Not only did she change it, but she did so in a speedy manner that was much appreciated. Throughout the year, she has been a tremendous help with any issue we have had. I am very happy that a person like her works for Pasco County and she obviously takes pride in what she does. Hopefully she continues to work for our school.

Thank you,

Eva Foughty

I simply wanted to find a way to show my gratitude and appreciation for our Fivay High School SRO, Josh Peters! Things have been pretty rough out there but this man makes it his life goal to go above and beyond to keep our kids safe! This man deserves a medal of honor for all he does and I just thought someone should hear how great he is and how hard he works to ensure our kids and the staff members at Fivay are safe! Please recognize him in some grear way for all he does!

-DB

My name is Carlos Infante and I am writing this email in regards to a Ms. Kristen Goodman. I am currently in process to seeking my JLA badge through my company as a motor coach operator with Martz First Class Coach and I have had some hurdles along the way. Ms. Goodman has helped me in every which way she can. I have spoken to a few people regarding this matter and those selected few seemed to not know what the protocol was for my certain situation and Ms. Goodman has steered me down the correct path to where and what I need to do for my situation. I usually don’t reach out for good or negative comments /reviews but I do give credit where credit is due and I feel Ms. Kristen Goodman should be acknowledged for her outstanding service.  She has provided me and information that I have been seeking and on her behalf of the Pasco school system I believe she is an asset to the county. I hope she gets recognized as I have recognized her for the outstanding and swift service she has provided me in a timely manner. Thanks and have a wonderful day.

Kudos to the social worker at Seven Springs Middle School Karyn McGuire. She always goes above and beyond her job expectations and responsibilities. Many schools send home information with resources families can access for holiday assitance. However, Karyn personally called 40 or so families that requested help and got them signed up. These families were able to receive Holiday Meals and will receive gifts for their families this holiday season. So many of these families need holiday help, but have difficulties maneuvering through the process to access it. Karyn was able to eliminate any barriers these families may have had and got them signed up. Way to show your holiday spirit! We appreciate all that you do for our students.    

Thanks,
Dawn

Shannon went above and beyond to research, connect, and persist to assist me with solving a mystery and locating some valuable technology tools for Title 1 schools!  Thank you Shannon!

Nikki Marie Sundsmo

Jeanne Miller over at transportation west has been an outstanding support to our school. She really works hard with the drivers to better understand our kids, goes above and beyond to make adjustments to the routes when requested and always works with me to problem solve those tough situations.

Jeanne’s work ethic is top notch in my opinion – a real asset to the team.

Chris Clayton

You can count on Rhonda M. Hanley who gets work done and does her fair share to work hard and meet commitments in processing employee verifications and employee inquires. She follows through on assignments. She responds to requests for assistance and takes the initiative to offer help. In addition, she shows understanding and the appropriate support of other team members to help get the job done. She never places conditions on when she’ll help, when she’ll choose to listen, and when she’ll share information.  As a good team player, she also has a sense of humor and knows how to have fun. Quite simply, it is a joy to work with Rhonda.