On April 5th, 2023, LT’23 (aka BEST CLASS EVER), had an opportunity to visit some of the institutions that truly house the best classes ever. It was a day that started with education at the college level and beyond and ended with our most exciting endeavors for youth. It was heartening to hear and see about all the efforts to promote learning in Tampa for all its residents.
Our day started with our University President’s Panel hosted on the campus of University of Tampa. We heard from Presidents Rhea Law (USF), Ken Atwater (HCC), and Ronald Vaughn (UT). Collectively, they serve over 100,000 students at the Undergraduate and Graduate level and bring 41 years of leadership experience to the Tampa Bay Area. Not to mention that these institutions have a 9-billion-dollar impact on our local economy. Each shared the unique attributes of their organization. For example, President Law noted that USF received 70,000 applications for about 7,000 spots in the most recent applicant pool. President Vaughn described the more than 11,000 students at University of Tampa representing much of the United States and the world! President Atwater highlighted that of the 7200 students enrolled at HCC, 250 are high school students in a dual enrollment program. These students will have a tremendous head start in college. Their mutual respect, collaborative nature, and desire to improve the lives of residents in the Tampa Bay Area was evident and inspiring.
The last part of our time at the University of Tampa was an interactive session with Collegiate Students. Their questions were insightful, but perhaps the best part was hearing about their own journeys and future goals. It gave us all great hope for our future leaders in Tampa Bay and beyond!
Back on the bus and we were headed to Strawberry Crest Highschool to hear from Superintendent Addison Davis. He provided an honest assessment of both opportunities and challenges for education in Hillsborough County. He shared strategies to help attract and retain the best and brightest teachers, Superintendent Davis gave numerous shout-outs to our classmate Shaylia McRae for her efforts to improve the quality of education for our students (see why we are the best class ever!!!). Since I got to hear him in person, it was no surprise that he made national headlines for his letter to students about attending the Taylor Swift Concert! We also had the chance to have an amazing lunch prepared by students led by Chef Paul Bonanno, Culinary Arts Instructor. The menu was a favorite for LT’23 and it was hard to top the delicious desert in honor of the school – strawberry shortcake (yum!!!).
Feeling good and full, we headed to our next stop at Pepin Academy. We were greeted by the talented students and treated to a musical performance from their upcoming musical of Annie! The tour of the school was amazing and seeing all the ways that the school sought to understand and meet the needs of students attending Pepin was inspirational from the set up of the classrooms to the quite spaces, to the student run café! Hearing both from the Pepin family and Dr. Jeff Skowronek, Executive Director, Pepin Academies about his leadership journey was inspirational.
And last, but certainly not least, our last stop was Sligh Middle Magnet School—we were able to view their state-of-the-art technology center, learn about an amazing leadership program, and the amazing wellness facilities for the teachers at that wonderful school. Many of these efforts were made possible from Thaddeus M. Bullard’s generosity and vision for what is possible in Tampa. Finally, we had an informative Teacher Shadow Debrief with Kay Bonti, Department Manager of Performance Evaluation, Hillsborough County Public Schools.
Every LT program day is a fantastic experience, but we all learned a few things on Education Day!
