Press Release: March 2015

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Career Education Breakfast Awards $28,000 in Grants & Scholarships

Career Education Breakfast Awards $28,000 in Grants & Scholarships, Features Students of the Acadamies of Pinellas & Next Generation Entrepreneurs

LARGO, Fla. – The Pinellas Education Foundation held its annual Career Education Breakfast on Wednesday where community, business and educational leaders came together to raise funds for career education programs and initiatives in Pinellas County Schools. Keynote Speaker Johnnie Rush, Vice President of Retail Innovation for HSNi, shared an informative presentation on bridging the gap between the art and science of the complete retail experience. In addition, the event recognized business, educator, and school leaders in several career education categories.

The breakfast drew more than 200 participants and awarded more than $28,000 in funding toward classroom grants, scholarships and cash prizes to teachers and students in Pinellas County Schools. Curt Engel, Director/ General Manager for Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training, announced the inaugural Outstanding Achievement in Information Technology Awards. The award recognizes Pinellas County High School students for their performance in IT. Matthew Sala, Patrick Inglesby and Matthew Hamilton, from Lakewood High School, won in the category of Best Technical Design for “Virus Attack.” They will share a prize of $1,000. Michael Malkiewicz won in the category of Best Product for “Test Builder” and Kevin Duff won in the category of Best Process for “Weighted Grade Calculator.” Michael and Kevin, both from Lakewood High School, will receive a $1,000 prize.

Kurt Long, CEO and Founder of FairWarning® announced the winner of the 2015 Next Generation Entrepreneurs Program, a year-long business competition involving high school juniors and seniors which included business plan training, creativity workshops and mentoring. The winner was Daniel Terry, from East Lake High School, who developed Universal Retrieval System. The product provides an immediate retrieval system for emergency or other time sensitive situations enabling lives to be saved with a device that can be launched to reach a person and pull them to safety. He will receive $5,000 as he meets various milestones to start his business. Finalist Joshua Finegold from Countryside High School, developed Kayak/Paddleboard Transport, a trailer type attachment for bike that enables the transportation of a kayak or paddleboard without the need of a car. Finalists Austin Taylor and Bradley Bellinger, from Seminole High School, developed The Shark Saver, an innovative fishing hook made of case hardened stainless steel that enables detachment without harm to fish, bird of wildlife. Both Finegold and the team of Taylor and Bellinger will receive $2,500 as they meet various milestones to start their businesses. 
The 2015 Frances Stavros Career Education Champion Award was presented by Ellen Stavros to John Schnepp, Service Director for Pinellas County at the Crowne Automotive Group, who has actively supported career education and is dedicated to helping Pinellas students succeed. A $2,000 scholarship to the Frances Stavros Career Education Program will be awarded to a deserving student in Schnepp’s honor.

The 2015 Career Educator of the Year Awards recognize outstanding Career and Technical educators in Pinellas County at the middle school and high school levels. Courtney Thompson, Information Technology and Digital Media Instructor at Osceola Fundamental High School was named the 2015 Career Educator at the High School level. Dee Chastain, Technology Educator at Dunedin Highland Middle School, was named the 2015 Career Educator at the Middle School level. Both winners will receive a $2,000 classroom grant for their respective programs. The Middle School Award was made possible through the generous sponsorship of Bob McIntyre and DITEK. Finalists Suzanne West Tow, Early Childhood Education Instructor from Tarpon Springs High School and Kelly Webb, BioMedical Health and Wellness Instructor at Palm Harbor University High School, each received a classroom grant in the amount of $500 for their respective programs.
Melissa Seixas, Government and Community Relations Manager, Pinellas and Pasco for Duke Energy, and Michael Harpole, Area President, Greater Bay South, for Wells Fargo, presented the 2015 Academies of Pinellas awards.

2015 Academies of Pinellas Outstanding Achievement Awards went to the following high schools. Each high school will receive $2,000 toward its programs.
Area 1: Tarpon Springs High School
Area 2: Lakewood High School
Area 3: Dixie Hollins High School
Area 4: Clearwater High School
During the breakfast reception, a showcase of student skills and programs from the Academies programs were displayed in Finance Park and Enterprise Village. Programs included:
 
Academy of Finance – Northeast High School
Aeronautical Space Academy (CASA) – Clearwater High School
Academy of Information Technology – Northeast High School
Applied Robotics  - Lakewood High School
Culinary Arts – Osceola Fundamental High School
Center for Wellness and Medical Professions - Palm Harbor University High School
STEM Academy – Anona Elementary School
                                                                  

Academies of Pinellas prepare students for college and careers by providing opportunities to:
o   Learn academics through the lens of a career, making it more relevant and engaging;
o   Work with professionals in the field who mentor them in their projects;
o   Develop problem-solving, critical-thinking, communication and teamwork skills through engaging in real-world problems with their peers, business and post-secondary school  
       representatives;
o   Explore possible career pathways so they can make more informed decisions about their future.
The 2015 Career Education Breakfast was made possible by generous support from Catalina Charitable Foundation and Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training. DITEK and Achieva Credit Union were Gold Sponsors. Captain of Industry Sponsors were CareerSource Pinellas, Inc., Center Academy, Clearwater Gas System, The Manny and Ruthy Cohen Foundation, Creative Contractors, Inc., Long and Associates Architects/ Engineers, Inc., Suncoast AutoBuilders, and Suncoast Credit Union Foundation. Next Generation Entrepreneurs sponsors are Duke Energy, FairWarning®, and Wells Fargo.

About The Pinellas Education Foundation
The Pinellas Education Foundation is an independent, non-governmental not-for-profit established in 1986.  The Foundation’s mission is to improve and enhance educational opportunities in Pinellas County Public Schools. Well known Pinellas Education Foundation programs include: Enterprise Village, Finance Park, Take Stock in Children Scholarships, Academies of Pinellas, Frances Stavros Career Education/Youth Connect and Teacher Classroom Grants. Visit www.pinellaseducation.org for more information.

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