MacDill Happenings

On 26 March, the Howard W. Blake Friends of the Arts Foundation presents Tapestry! – an annual showcase that weaves together creativity, talent and skill from Blake students, alumni and faculty – at the Straz Center in downtown Tampa.  The show starts at 7pm. Howard W. Blake High School is the magnet performing and visual arts high school for Hillsborough County Public Schools.  If you want to see what great things can be done with the arts, you should attend this event.  This event will showcase the best of Tampa’s school for the fine arts by featuring a wide range of styles and moods in music, writing, film, dance, and theatre. Students, faculty members, and alumni will participate in the production, which includes several collaborative works and a few surprises. Blake High School is located in the Downtown Tampa Partnership district. Surrounded on two sides by the Hillsborough River, Blake offers a variety of programs for its traditional and magnet students. Over 1400 9th-12th graders engage in rigorous academic, technical and arts programs to prepare them for success in a variety of post-secondary opportunities. The magnet program offerings include visual arts, dance, acting, musical theatre, technical theatre, band, chorus, orchestra, guitar, harp, creative writing, multimedia production, and journalism. Students in these disciplines continue to receive recognition and accolades on the local, state, and national levels. All funds raised from the event will go to supporting the Howard W. Blake Friends of the Arts Endowment Fund. The foundation’s endowment provides support for the school, its students and its teachers through scholarships for needs students attending summer arts institutes and workshops. It also provides for guest artists and general assistance for critical areas of the school throughout the year. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Tickets are $13 and can be purchase at the Straz Center. Don’t wait till the last minute to get your tickets!  Parking is available at public lots near the the Theatre or on the street. There is a self-serve parking lot at the southeast corner of N. Ashley and E. Cass that charges $3 to $5 for parking.

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If your looking to transfer to a university in Tampa, then stop by the University of Tampa’s Transfer Information Session, designed especially for transfer students. This event will provide information about transferring to UT and making your transition a smooth one. You will also learn about transfer scholarships and additional financial aid opportunities. On-the-spot application evaluations are available to students who apply online prior to the event. Bring your official documents with you and admissions counselors will be available at the end of the program to evaluate your application. Campus tours will also be available. Parking is available in the Thomas Parking Garage, which is located about two blocks from Plant Hall. Additional parking is available in the West Parking Garage located on North Boulevard. The University of Tampa is a medium-sized comprehensive, private university located on approximately 100 acres of prime riverfront land in the heart of downtown Tampa. It is the school of choice for 5,800 students from 50 states and U.S. territories and almost 100 countries. More than half of undergraduates are from Florida. Approximately 70 percent of full-time students live on campus. The University offers more than 120 majors, minors and pre-professional programs through a strong core curriculum rooted in the liberal arts. An Evening College presents degree programs to adults who want to study part-time at night. Graduate degrees are offered for Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Education, Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Accounting, Master of Science in Finance, Master of Science in Marketing, Master of Science in Nursing, Master of Science in Innovation Management and Certificate in Nonprofit Management. The MBA program is one of the largest in Florida and is one of the elite private schools in the Southeast to have AACSB accreditation.

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Blake High School, the Hillsborough County Public School District’s Magnet Performing and Visual Arts high school, is presenting a Winter Dance Performance of the “Nutcracker Delight” on Thursday and Friday at 7pm. Students from the Blake High School Dance Department will be performing in the main theater on campus. Students from the theater department will be gaining valuable experience managing the stage and everything behind the scenes. The Nutcracker Delight will showcase portions of the Nutcracker ballet. The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from the story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by E. T. A. Hoffmann. The Waltz of the Snowflakes is a classic scene. The Arts program includes Visual, Performing and Communication Arts. Blake HS is located near downtown Tampa and easily accessible from I-275. Hillsborough County Public Schools provides bus transportation to all Magnet schools from any location in the county. Ticket prices are $10, and $7 for students and Seniors. Tickets can be purchased at the box office at the school the day of the show.

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Sign up with Giant Campus for comprehensive technology training programs for active duty personnel and their families, DOD and base personnel, reservists and retirees. In partner with MacDill AFB, Giant Campus is offering these classes online or at MacDill AFB or at the Brandon Family Resource Center. Giant Campus is an education and learning experience company that develops and delivers classes directly to military service members and their families. Since 1997, Giant Campus has received numerous awards and recognition in business leadership and online education. More than three million students worldwide have participated in Giant Campus programs. Giant Campus offers Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced, instructor-led classes at convenient times through the day on Microsoft Office 2007, Windows Vista, Photoshop, Website Design, Digital Photography along with Computer, E-Mail and Internet basics. Giant Campus also offers exciting daily after-school programs for teens and children at the School Age and Youth Centers on base. Giant Campus at MacDill AFB offers a variety of enrichment and professional development classes each month. Choose from on-site, instructor led classes or enroll in an online, self-paced course. Giant offers certification preparation to pass Microsoft 2007 Office certifications. Giant Campus schedules free daily courses at the Base Library and Family Resource Center. Walk-in open lab sessions are also available every day. For more information on our MacDill AFB Technology Training programs call 813-695-2110.

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Get ready to sign up for the Tampa Theatre Film Camp 2010! Students will create live action and stop motion animation movies on Mac computers using programs like I-Movie and Garage Band and footage they shoot with digital cameras. Each student will premiere his or her film on Tampa Theatre’s big screen and receive a copy on DVD. Initial Early Bird Registration is now available for Tampa Theatre members through March 31. Pending availability, open registration for non-members will be available beginning April 1. All experience levels welcome at all sessions. The campers will be broken down into groups based on their experience levels. Each group will have its own dedicated camp counselor to guide the filmmaking process. Each filmmaker will participate in the film making process as part of a production team – from creating storyboards and scripts to shooting. All campers will particpate in post production work. All materials will be provided. Each team will end the week with a completed 3-5 minute film. The cost is $165. Dates are: June 21-25 from 9 am-noon for 3-5 grades and 1-4 pm for 6-8 grades; July 12-16 from 9 am-noon for 3-5 grades and 1-4 pm for 6-8 grades; July 19-23 from 9 am-noon for 3-6 grades and 1-4 pm for 7-12 grades. There are optional pre-camp orientations, and you can also stay for the Tampa Theatre public tour from 11:30 to 1:00. Pre-camp orientations are Saturday, June 12, 10:45 – 11:30 and Saturday, July 10, 10:45 – 11:30.

On Tuesday, Hillsborough County Public Schools is starting FCAT testing!  Students have to pass their FCAT to be able to move to the next grade.  It’s very important that your child gets a good  night of sleep and a good breakfast.  One of the best things about the Tampa school system is that the Hillsborough County Public Schools offer a free breakfast every morning regardless of income level! The schedule for FCAT testing is FCAT Reading and Science on Tuesday March 9th, FCAT Math on Wednesday March 10th, and FCAT Makeup on Thursday and Friday March 11th-12th. Grades 3 – 10 will have to do Reading and Math.  Grades 5, 8 and 11 will have to Science.  Grade 11 students who are new to the state or re-takes will do Reading & Mathematics.  MacDonald’s is trying to help during FCAT week by offering a complimentary Egg McMuffin, Apple Dippers and a milk or orange juice.  This offer is available from 6am-9am for students in grades 3 to 11.   Check your local MacDonald’s to make sure that they are participating.

Tonight the USF Bulls basketball team takes on the Cincinnati Bearcats at the Sun Dome at 7pm.  The Bulls have been playing great basketball this season with wins over No.7 Georgetown and No. 17 Pittsburgh.  The last game at Cincinnati resulted in a loss, but the Bulls always play tough at home.  Hot shooting junior guard Dominique Jones has been shredding the nets all season. Teams are focusing on Jones, but he still getting his shots, rebounds and assists!  Ticket prices start at $8. There is a special for an all-you-can-eat ticket for $20! Make sure you bring an appetite! The University of South Florida is offering free tickets to all students, high school age and younger, to every men’s and women’s basketball games during the 2009-10 season. The tickets, located in all sections, must be purchased on game day at Gate 3 of the Sun Dome Ticket Office. The University of South Florida is one of the nation’s top 63 public research universities and one of 39 community-engaged, four-year public universities as designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. USF was awarded more than $360 million in research contracts and grants in fiscal year 2007/2008. The university offers 219 degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate, specialist and doctoral levels, including the doctor of medicine. The university has a $1.8 billion annual budget, an annual economic impact of $3.2 billion, and serves more than 46,000 students on campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and Lakeland.

The Hillsborough Choice Options application period for magnet programs, School Choice, and Career & Technical Education programs for the 2010-2011 school year is open from January 12, 2010, through January 25, 2010. Learn about the magnet program on 21 January at Tampa Bay Tech High School at parent information meetings. The meetings will take place from 5pm to 7:30pm. For elementary magnet, middle magnet and School Choice information the meeting will be in the Tampa Bay Tech cafeteria. For high school magnet program sessions, individual room numbers will be posted on boards near the cafeteria. Under Hillsborough Choice Options, students can apply for a magnet school, a Career & Technical Education program, or another public school with available space within Hillsborough County. Students who wish to remain at their current magnet or choice school, or prefer to attend their attendance area school, do not need to complete an application. Normally, students attend a school based on their home address. However, HCPS has more options available for students who wish to attend other schools. The Magnet School program allows students to attend schools that are in line with their academic interests. The School Choice program allows students to chose up to 3 other schools not in their normal school assignment area but acceptance is dependent on space availability. The Career and Technical program allows students to attend specialized technical schools. Applications can be completed on line by current students. New students need to complete a paper application.

On 20 January, the Minaret New Music Concert will present new music by the faculty of the University of Tampa.   New acoustic and electronic music by Tampa composers including UT faculty David Clark Isele, Bradford Blackburn, Haig Mardirosian (dean of the College of Arts and Letters) and featured visiting guest composer Zack Browning (UIUC). Performers include UT faculty Hein Jung and Grigorios Zamparas along with guest Corey Holt Merenda and Kim McCormick. The free concert will take place at Reeves Theater on the University campus from 4pm to 5pm. The University of Tampa is a medium size private university with about 5,600 students on 100 acres on a prime Tampa location on the western bank of the Hillsborough River. The University offers more than 100 areas of study and pre-professional programs through a strong core curriculum rooted in the liberal arts. An Evening College presents degree programs to adults who want to study part-time at night. Graduate programs are offered for Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Education, Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Accounting, Master of Science in Finance, Master of Science in Marketing, Master of Science in Nursing, Master of Science in Technology and Innovation Management and Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Innovation. The MBA program is one of the largest in Florida and is one of the elite private schools in the Southeast to have AACSB accreditation. So stop by and learn how to grow and take care of your plants and check out the University of Tampa at the same time.

For free school help, stop by your local library! Use your local library to help you writing a school paper or study for an upcoming test or research on any college. The library will provide you access to live assistance from Tutor.com and NetLibrary. Those online services provide professional tutors in math, science, English and social studies. Help is available 7 days a week from 2pm to midnight in English and Spanish. Studying can be challenging at times, so why not use every resource available to help you succeed! Reserach habits learned at a young age at the library will help a student be prepared for future academic success. Use the Hillsborough County Public Library website at www.hcplc.org to fing archived newspaper articles, current events, online encyclopedias or research tools with information on science, literature and art. The library’s periodical databases are designed to help elementary, middle and high school students. There is help to work on the FCAT, SAT and AP tests. Check out the website or stop by your local library and ask the librarian about the resources available to help your child.