Last weeks program was provided by Rotarian Keith Smith. Keith’s guest speakers were Simmons Career Center Principal, Cleto Chazares and Guidance Counselor, Jeanne Knotts. Simmons Career Center provides students a second opportunity to graduate from high school at an accelerated pace, while receiving technical training in areas such as industrial technology, business education, and agriculture. Simmons offers the 18-credit (ACCEL), as well as the 24-credit standard high school diploma. Some of the technical programs available require prerequisites and/or instructor approval. Simmons Career Center is a school of choice to provide students with a fresh start towards earning their high school diploma. Students are given the opportunity to combine academics and some technical classes that will assist them in getting their standard high school diploma, entering college, and be technically advanced to join the work force or the military. Simmons Career Center has a large attendance boundary that includes areas of Armwood, Brandon, Bloomingdale, Durant and Plant City high schools. Simmons offers bus transportation so long as the students live within the attendance boundary. In order to qualify for entrance into Simmons students must be at least 16 years old, must have no known record of severe discipline issues, must be enrolled in a public school and be recommended by the school’s counselor, must be willing to commit to follow the rules and expectations of the school including attendance, dress code, and challenging themselves academically, and must have 11 academic credits for enrollment consideration. Simmons has 5 main area’s for students to enroll in: Teen Parent program, Agriculture, Culinary, Business Technology and Industrial Technology. Agriculture:This course is designed to develop competencies in the areas of agricultural history and the global impact of agriculture; career opportunities; scientific and research concepts; biological and physical science principles; environmental principles; agriscience safety; principles of leadership; and agribusiness, employability, and human relations skills in agriscience. Laboratory-based activities are an integral part of this course. These include the safe use and application of appropriate technology, scientific testing and observation equipment. Teen Parent Program: The Teen Parent Program is a State mandated program designed to meet the needs of expectant youth and teen parents by providing an opportunity for pregnant or parenting teens to receive child care services while providing an academic course of study that advances each student’s progress towards earning a high school diploma. Culinary: Culinary Arts prepares students for gainful employment and/or entry in to postsecondary education in the food production and service industry. Content provides students the opportunity to acquire marketable skills by examining both the industry and its career opportunities. Laboratory experiences simulate commercial food production and service operations. Integration of the Family and Consumer Sciences student organization, FamilyCareers, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), greatly enhances this curriculum. Business Technology: Business education is an essential component of secondary education. Educating students for and about business practices and economic issues, developing skills necessary to use technology proficiently, acquiring knowledge to become a wise consumer, and preparing individuals for post-secondary education and the workplace, are the goals of the business education program. Industrial Technology: The Building Construction Technology program exposes students to all phases of the construction industry. Students will learn skills such as using hand tools and power tools safely and properly. Students will work with many of the materials used in the construction industry. Students will also be trained to participate in acquiring NCCER certification. This program helps prepare students for employment in the construction industry. Simmons offers some great opportunities for those students who are challenged with life issues and those that require more individual attention to grow into productive citizens and well rounded individuals. It is a great program with many success stories due to the dedication of the staff and faculty. -provided by Mike Arndt
Rotarian Charles Deusner has been moved to Hawthorne Rehab Facility on Lumsden Road after hip surgery. He can be reached at 813-661-8998 ext 254. He was there last week and may possibly be there part of this week. He is in Room 205 of the Rehab Building and would love to hear from you; give him a call.
There will be no club meeting the next 2 weeks, Dec. 24th and 31st as we break for the Christmas and New Year's holidays.
Have a safe and happy Christmas and New Year's. Enjoy time with your families and please keep our military and first responders, that will not be able to be with their families, in your prayers.
Kayla Drawdy is the new Program Chair! Please notify Kayla of you upcoming speakers at 763-1821 or kayla@htitle.com
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From Our Members
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Have any news you would like to share? Do you have a new position at work? Family news? Any news you would like to share with club members and bulletin subscribers? E-mail to Bill Wicker
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Ever wonder why you feel sleepy after eating a carbohydrate-rich meal? Or why you really can’t
eat just one potato chip? It’s because scientists have discovered certain foods can trigger changes in your brain. These changes can affect sleep, food cravings, as well as your ability to cope with stress. Even your mood can improve in response to certain foods, which is why they’re often referred to as comfort foods. So is it possible food could prevent or even cure certain brain disorders?
The ability of a high carbohydrate and low protein meal to counter some forms of depression is
well established, while a link between anti-inflammatory diets and the slowing of Alzheimer’s
disease has long been suspected. More recently, enough evidence has been collected to suggest Parkinson’s disease may be due to an intestinal disorder. It seems some of the bacteria residing in the gut produce a protein that wreaks havoc when it arrives in the brain area implicated in this movement disorder.
For decades, the assumption symptoms involving the brain were due to a nervous system disorder focused the search for a cure upon malfunctioning neurons. But this approach is akin to the often quoted story of a man searching at night for his lost keys. A stranger asks if that’s where he dropped them. “No, I dropped them over there, but I’m looking under this light-pole because I can see better here.”
December is disease prevention and treatment month and funds are needed to support research that can result in cures. We all benefit when Congress allocates a portion of our taxes to the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. However, that doesn’t
mean you have to wait until scientists come up with some options. A knife and fork may prove a
powerful weapon in slowing the course of even some of the more challenging illnesses.
You can start the holiday season on a charitable note by donating on Giving Tuesday, 27 November.Why should Rotary be your charity of choice? Because our 1.2 million members see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe, in our
