Let's get Multicultural: MTI hosting special festival

Summer festivals are preparing for take-off, but not before everyone gets a chance to celebrate the ever-important Cinco de Mayo!

The annual Multicultural Festival at Manatee Technical Institute is a free event with a packed entertainment line-up.

The upbeat and folkloric Latin festival will feature music, dancing and fresh ethnic cuisine provided by local vendors.

While the event promoting cultural diversity is free to the public, the Farmworker Scholarship Fund will be accepting donations to provide scholarships and school tuition for students.

The night will mark the 48th anniversary of the Farmworker Education Program in Manatee County.

Here is the fun line-up for the kick-off of the weekend of Cinco de Mayo:

• Eco Band
• El Guantanamero Cuban Music Band
• Manatee High School Ballroom Club
• Brazilian Capoeira Dancers
• Sarasota School of the Arts Dancers
• Mexican Singers
• Fashion Show by Purabell House of Fashion
• Silvia the Zumba Dancer
• Texcalli Mexican Folkloric Dancers
• Mango Latin Band

For more information, call the Farmworker Education Program at 751-7947 or 751-7900 ext. 1048

Behind-the-Scenes at Soup with the Supe

Here are some fun facts about Manatee superintendent of schools Rick Mills that you will not see in my article. O, and we've got pictures of him sporting an apron... 

Mills launched his first Soup with the Supe in Manatee County Wednesday at the Ranch Grill in Lakewood Ranch. it is a time for the superintendent to serve his constituents lunch and talk about the issues schools face at a personal level. Here is a behind-the-scenes look at the luncheon. 

Superintendent Rick Mills serves soup, salad and rolls to community members with school board chairwoman Julie Aranibar.

Fun Fact: Mills was not only a teacher at West Point Military Academy, but he was also a football coach! He coached the 158 league, requiring all players to weigh-in at 158. The team played ivy leagues such as Rutgers, Princeton and Cornell. 

Mills served cups of soup. Note the apron!

Fun Fact: Mills has had exciting careers beyond the Chicago and Minneapolis public schools. he used to live in Jerusalem and was employed by the UN! He was assigned to the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization.

Mills smiles as we poses with the pot of soup. He said  he loves the apron, and I agree. 

Fun Fact: Ever the data-driven guy, one of Mills' favorite movies is Moneyball. he used it as an illustration for better budget planning at the luncheon. 

Mills describes  his leadership style at Soup with the Supe

Fun Fact: An interesting leadership principle at Mills talked about at the luncheon is Maxwell's "Law of the Lid," which states that while everyone has the potential to be a leader, an organization can only be as strong as the people at the top.

"If the leaders are only a 5 or a 6, the organization will never be a 10," Mills said. 

one of his favorite ways of demonstrating Law of the Lid? Through telling the story about the founding of McDonald's! 

Lunch is served! 

The event was a great success. In fact, it was "sold-out." Reservations for the luncheon went so fast that Mills is planning on additional Soup with the Supe events. 

Community members and media starting to gather for the luncheon

And the weather, gloomy and rainy, was perfect for soup. Mills must have magically planned that...

Top Prom Fashions of 2013

Prom: the most "magical" night of senior year, made even sweeter by the excuse to dress like royalty. However, there is a degree of stress that goes into the fun night. For guys, it's arranging the date. For girls, it's the hair, the nails and, most importantly, the dress. You don't want to look like attack of the clones, but you also don't want to look like you stepped out of a time machine.
Break out of the monotonous, floor length-one color look by exploring some of this year's top trends.
Whether you want to go bold and bright or simple and classic, there is an on-trend dress for juniors and seniors.

1. The Asymmetrical Hemline
The asymmetrical dress features a hemline that is shorter in the front and longer in the back. Even though I refer to them as mullet dresses, they have become increasingly popular, and they're fun to twirl in.


2. The Sweetheart Neckline
A sweetheart neckline, believe it or not, looks like the top of a heart. it has two curves that drop and meet in the middle of the bust. this has become increasingly more popular then dresses with necklines that cut straight across.


3. Red or White
Both colors are kind to the complexion. Red is daring and bold and looks awesome on fair-skinned people with the likeness of Emma Stone. White will make you look tanner.


4. Pastels
As spring fades into summer, fashion lines have been showing a lot of pastels, and they are a popular pick for proms this year. Think mint green, peach, pale yellow or light purple.


5. Sequence
Blame it on the Great Gatsby, but if it glitters, it's gold this prom season. Sequence is in this year, whether it is all-round or strategically placed to make a pattern.


6. Sleek, not puffy
Abandon the 1980s frills, if you haven't already, for a sleeker, form-fitting look.


7. White and off-color tuxedos
Sorry, but this is all I've got for the guys. South Beach is making its way nation-wide this year. White and unconventional colored tuxedos, particularly pastels, are in this year for a tropical, vintage South Florida look.

I don't set the trends, I just enforce them. Disagree? Let me know, and tell me what you're wearing to the prom.

Student Spotlight: New College students named Fullbright scholars

Six new College students have been named Fullbright scholars and will be taking their studies internationally.
They will travel to Germany, , Sweden, Tawain and the Czech Republic to study and to teach English.  
These students are ones to watch. Fullbright recipients often go on to significant positions in government, academia and the arts: 44 have received the Nobel Prize, 78 have won the Pulitzer Prize and 10 have been elected to Congress. 
These students are nothing short of astonishing. 
The winners representing Florida this year are: 

Claire Albiez

Claire Albiez has already built a resume of international experience. She was born in Hong Kong, has dual German-American citizenship, grew up in England and has traveled to Mexico, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic. Wow! Talk about an accomplished globetrotter!  

She moved to Florida in 2001 and graduated from Pine View School, where she was in the first violin section of the chamber orchestra.

At New College, she embraced her heritage, studying German language and history along with art history. She traveled twice to Germany, studying art history and architecture. She also learned about teaching, volunteering at Children First Head Start in Sarasota and at the New College Child Care Center.  

 Albiez will teach English in Germany during her Fulbright year, and hopes to go to graduate school for a doctorate in art history, then teach at the undergraduate level.

Seth Borden
Seth Borden has built a record of leadership and  public speaking on the way to his Fulbright grant.
While studying economics and political science at New College, he also has taken four semester of Chinese language.
Outside of classes, Borden has served as a resident advisor, a teaching intern at St. Stephens Preparatory School and a reporter with radio station WSRQ.  He also trained volunteers as a community organizer for President Obama’s re-election campaign.
A hobby of Borden's outside of school is rowing.
Borden will teach English in Taiwan during his Fulbright year, where he also hopes to sharpen his understanding of the Chinese language and international relations. He plans to teach back at home in the United States before entering graduate school and preparing for a career in foreign policy.


Rosalia Maier-Katkin
Rosalia Maier-Katkin grew up in a bilingual German-English home, but for her Fulbright year she will teach English in the Czech Republic.
The interest stems from her childhood, when she traveled to the Czech Republic several times. Her father, a Florida State University professor and dean, was working there on a State Department grant to help the country develop its judicial system.
At New College, she studies International Studies, with a focus on European politics, and has studied in Germany, visited the Balkans and taken classes in German and Russian.
During study abroad at the University of Tubingen in Germany, she picked up a course in Czech language. She was determined to continue learning the language, so she found a tutor to continue her studies when she returned.
Maier-Katkin hopes to build her Czech skills as she teaches in the city of Plzen, and then study international law for a career with the International Criminal Court or the United Nations.


Amelia Nordin
Amelia Nordin already is a talented musical composer and performer, and her Fulbright research grant will let her expand her New College studies of history and music at the University of Heidelberg and the Theater and Orchestra of Heidelberg.
At New College, she has been a teaching assistant in music theory, composed two pieces performed in concert series and interned with Sarasota Opera.
Her studies have been in a field known as musicology, in which disciplines such as history, philosophy, psychology and even mathematics are used to analyze music. She also is an advanced-level German speaker.
At Heidelberg, famed for its music program, she plans to examine the political and social influences of foreign music and 18^th-century opera. Nordin expects that deeper understanding of German opera will help her with a long-term goal of working in opera management or a doctoral program in the musicological business.



Silvia Ulloa
Silvia Ulloa will travel to Sweden under her Fulbright research grant to study resettled Iraqi refugees, an experience she understands on a personal level.
As the daughter of a U.S. Foreign Service family, Ulloa spent her childhood in four countries. The family lived in Saudi Arabia when the second Iraq War began, and had to be evacuated twice. She came away with concern over the plight families face when they flee a war. So during her New College work in anthropology and gender studies, she traveled to Jordan to work with agencies that assist Iraqi refugees.

Her Fulbright grant will allow her to compare the experiences of the Iraqi refugees in Jordan and Sodertalje. The city, near Stockholm, has an established Iraqi community that has taken in more refugees than the entire United States.
She hopes to develop a framework for better meeting the needs of a refugee community, which would prepare her for graduate school in public policy and a career with organizations working in international migration.

Picasso would be proud: Nolan Middle students complete mural

The Manatee County School District may be in financial disarray, but the students never cease to display their many talents. 

Fifteen talented art club students from Nolan Middle just completed a three-month long mural project representing the Health Occupation Students of America  and future health professionals. 

 Under the direction of the school’s art teacher, Wade Smith, students used images of wholesome food production in an agricultural theme for the 9’ x 6’ mural painted on the school’s cafeteria, supporting the importance of dairy, grains, fruits and vegetables. 

Nolan Middle School HOSA advisers Pam Rahn and Michelle Boculac, secured a grant for the mural.

The mural is dedicated to health professionals and to the nationwide movement focused on fighting childhood obesity and is meant to empower kids to take control of their own health.

"The dedication of our HOSA advisors, Ms. Rahn and Ms. Boculac and FACTS advisor, Mr. Smith is absolutely incredible," said Nolan Middle principal nancy High.  "Through their coordinated leadership, we have a beautiful mural in our cafeteria that depicts the importance of good nutrition."

My times as a judge: silver-tongued students shine at speech contest

I had the wonderful opportunity Monday morning to be a judge for the Gullett Elementary 4-H Tropicana Speech Contest.
The contest is sponsored by Tropicana and provides teachers with classroom materials for educating kids about the art of public speaking.
It was my first time being a "judge" for anything, but I felt honored to be included.
I was sympathetic for the kids stepping up to the microphone because of my experiences as a spelling bee participant (I won first place at the state competition for private schools in the eighth grade , but I avoid sharing that fact so that people don't constantly ask me how to spell things).
The fourth and fifth graders fidgeted in their seats in a semicircle on stage in the cafeteria. One-by-one they shuffled up to the microphone to  speak on topics of their choice.
Speeches varied from persuasive and informative to comedy sketches. No matter what the theme, each child was lively and confident.

Working with children has a way of instantly melting your inner critic. It was incredibly hard to judge this competition because it is never easy saying a kid has done something wrong or performed poorly.
I cringed every time a student went over the time limit or lost their place and had to back track, and I had to fight the urge to ignore their mistakes
However, they all presented well, and as in all competitions, there are a few that bubbled to the top.

First place went to fifth grader Hailey Wahlers, who spoke on how to give a good speech. The topic is not wildly out-of-the-box, but Whalers stood out as she combined humor with information. Wahlers also had one of the best conclusions.
"Remember these tips when giving your next speech, or you can just hire a speech writer. I'm available!"
Wahlers gets to represent Gullett Elementary at the county-wide competition May 11.

Second and third place went to Emilio Vega and Robby Goecker. If you remember their names, it is because they had the opportunity to go to Washington, D.C. earlier this month to help plant the White House kitchen garden with Michelle Obama.
Surprisingly, neither of them spoke on this topic.
Vega articulately spoke about his family vacation to Hawaii and did exceptionally well for any young student, let alone an English as a second language student.
Goecker spoke about how he believes athletes' salaries are unfairly high, an astute observation for a fifth grader.

While not everyone can come out with a medal, I do have some honorable mentions:

Shea Murphy, because her presentation was so animated. Her humorous speech about life before modern conveniences, such as plumbing, also included miming.

Austin Gobcynski, because his speech about looking though the windows of other people's cars while travelling was unique and creative, and I genuinely laughed aloud during his performance.

Jaquisha Barnes, because her speech was about the downside of being rich and famous. Principal Kathy Hayes said she has heard students deliver speeches about the desire to be famous, but never about its disadvantages.

Taylor Woodring, because she committed her entire speech to memory and did not use flashcards, resulting in excellent eye contact with the audience.

Ethan McDonald, for his speech "Things I Shouldn't Do in Public." The title alone...

I am grateful that I had the opportunity to be a part of this event. Every one of the 20 students today defeated one of the most common fears among people, which is speaking to a crowd.

Gullett Elementary plans on participating in the 4-H Tropicana Speech Contest again next year.

Southeast High Students have pressing questions for superintendent Mills

Southeast High School student’s show Seminole Teen Talk Live may sound light, but the students involved show serious interest in the issues of the school board, particularly the budget.
Host and creator MacKenzie Yayura interviewed Manatee County school board chairwoman Karen Carpenter and superintendent of schools Rick Mills about the school board’s top issues of the past month, particular the budget shortfall.
According to the show’s producer, junior Gillian Palino, Teen Talk has aired about 10 episodes since Yayura started it this year under the direction of the production teacher Mike Sanders.
The show normally features interviews with other students, and topics addressed include International Baccalaureate versus Advanced Placement, balancing homework and stress and technology’s role in students’ academic lives.
The format allows audience members tuning in from around the community to submit questions via email and Twitter.
Thursdays episode garnered questions from other Southeast High School students, parents in the community and even a fifth grader from Willis Elementary.
Thursday’s episode gave
Carpenter and Mills took the opportunity to visit with students and tell them on a personal level some of the issues the district is facing.
“We need to be more fiscally alert,” Carpenter said on the show. “There is nothing criminal about stupidity, but we didn’t have a comprehensive financial plan.”
Concerns raised included the future of art and athletic departments community’s investment in both high and low performing students and the reimbursement of money to schools.
Yayura also inquired about a possible student advisory for the school board, as well as the possibility of student school board members.
“We need student voices at the school board, policy-making level and in their own schools,” Carpenter said. While she said that it is unlikely, and maybe even against Florida statutes, that a student would be elected to the school board, she still wants to hear student voices.
Yayura is graduating next month, but with younger siblings in the public school system, she said that she has concerns and fears that she would like to see addressed.
“There is too much attention taken away from high performing students,” Yayura said. She added that she would like to see a change in the community’s perception about her soon-to-be alma mater, Southeast High School. “I know I’m biased, but it’s a great school, and I would like to see more community collaboration around it.”
Yayura said that she found Carpenter’s and Mills’ responses reassuring.
“Mills has an action plan, and he is ready to analyze and develop solutions,” she said. “Carpenter supports students and student voices.”
Carpenter and Mills said they enjoyed hearing the interests of students as stakeholders, and they both had broad smiles as they left the Seminole Teen Talk set.
Episodes of Seminole Teen Talk can be viewed any time at www.highschoolcube.com
Erica Earl, education reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7081.


http://www.highschoolcube.com/profiles/setv