Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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The University of Florida has announced plans to honor attorney and Lake Wales City Commissioner Robin Gibson for a lifetime of exceptional accomplishments related to his law career and his support for education. An Evening of Excellence presented by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Florida was originally planned for April 17, but due to coronavirus concerns will be rescheduled once people can safely gather again. In announcing the recognition,...
The Lake Wales Charter Schools system is offering to buy the city's old high school property north of Seminole Avenue for $575,000 to turn it into a permanent site for Bok Academy North. The City Commission in its capacity as the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) will consider the proposal at an April 14 meeting. Due to coronavirus concerns the meeting will be held online beginning at 6 p.m. via video teleconference and live streamed on the city's website at...
Lake Wales voters Tuesday re-elected Commissioner Robin Gibson for another three-year term. Gibson took 63 percent of the vote against challenger Bob Wood. Turnout was not quite 15 percent, with only 1,420 of the city's approximately 9,770 voters making a choice. The final tally was 898 votes for Gibson and 522 for Wood. The 2019 city election drew a little over 1,800 voters. The COVID-19 virus scare made campaigning difficult and apparently kept some people away from the...
The Polk County School Board will be distributing school breakfast and lunch at 46 drive-through locations from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 17-20. The only Lake Wales site is McLaughlin Middle School at 800 S. 4th St. The school board said since the feeding sites will be closed for spring break March 23-27 they will give out extra food on March 19-20. Children under age 18 may pick up a meal at any location; they do not have to attend that school. The students must be in the car...
Despite the challenges of COVID-19, Lake Wales continues to function as close to normal as possible, Emergency Operations Director Joe Jenkins said Tuesday night. Jenkins, also the city's fire chief, updated Lake Wales leaders on the latest measures and precautions being taken in light of the national health emergency, including where to go if someone suspects they might be infected. Most city facilities are closed to the public – like the library and history museum – but city...
In an abundance of caution to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus various organizations in the Lake Wales area are canceling events or taking extra safety measures. As of 1 a.m. March 14 the Florida Department of Health still reported no cases in Polk County, and a total of 83 cases statewide, which resulted in three deaths. Updates are available online at http://www.floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/COVID-19/index.html Walt Disney World and Universal...
As the 2020 elections take shape, one race for circuit court has drawn the interest of a prominent civil, family and general law attorney from Lake Wales. Attorney Cassandra L. Denmark filed as a candidate for the 10th Judicial Circuit, Group 19 seat now held by Judge John Radabaugh. "If given the opportunity, I assure I will serve with integrity, respect and fairness," Denmark said in announcing her candidacy. Denmark has practiced law in the state for 18 years. Prior to...
In addition to his wife Jean, Robin Gibson has two major loves – the Lake Wales Charter Schools system he helped create and historic downtown, which he is committed to help redevelop. It was a tough choice, but Deputy Mayor Gibson announced at the March 3 city commission meeting he will give up his job as general counsel for the charter schools to avoid an ethical conflict. His resignation takes effect March 15. Gibson said the potential sale of the city's 1919 school p...
Lake Wales lost a special friend when Jerry Miller passed early in the morning of Feb. 24 after a lengthy battle with cancer. The community and government relations manager with what is now Duke Energy, Miller touched countless lives throughout Central Florida and left a lasting imprint. Faith, family, friends and service were Miller's top priorities. His smile, some might call it an impish grin, lit up a room, and he loved to dance. The 61-year-old Miller fought cancer...
Jerry Miller, 61, of Lake Wales passed Monday, Feb. 24, 2020 at his residence surrounded by his loving family. He was born December 25, 1958 at Lake Wales Hospital to the late Clarence and Helen Miller; he was a proud 5th generation Floridian and lifelong resident of Lake Wales. He had a great love for his hometown. Miller played on the tennis and baseball teams at Lake Wales High School, where he graduated in 1976, and remained active in sports until he could no longer play...
Meg Smith calls herself "the luckiest girl in the world." She says she's filled 10 bucket lists by being blessed to play her violin with the likes of famous musicians Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman and for noted composer John Williams. For nearly a decade she's played in the orchestra on tour with opera singer Andrea Bocelli, whose voice is considered one of the finest in the world. Smith's newest endeavor is directing an adult stringed orchestra sponsored by the Lake Wales Arts...
Lake Wales city commissioners in their role as the Community Redevelopment Agency authorized the city manager to explore the possible sale of the 1919 school property to the Lake Wales Charter Schools to become the permanent home of Bok Academy North. But commissioners raised several issues they want resolved during negotiations. Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson left the room during the discussion to avoid any ethical conflict since he serves as legal counsel for the charter system....
Lake Wales City Manager Ken Fields is asking city commissioners, in their role as the city's Community Redevelopment Agency, to allow the Lake Wales Charter Schools to lease the old high school property off Seminole Avenue for one dollar for one year so they can proceed with plans to locate Bok Academy North there for the 2020-21 school year. The CRA meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18 at the city administration building, 201 W. Central Ave. The CRA agenda item asks...
The Lake Wales Charter Schools are looking to breathe new life into the old high school complex by locating Bok Academy North on the site off Seminole Avenue. Charter Schools Superintendent Jesse Jackson said his staff is working with Lake Wales City Manager Ken Fields and may have a proposal for the city commission at their next meeting as the Community Redevelopment Agency Feb. 18. The charter schools approached the city two years ago asking for a donation of the school...
Lake Wales Charter Schools has a new tracking system for all of its bus riders. Called Reaxium, students are being issued identification badges that will check each on and off the bus during the school day. The new system has been in a testing stage for several months, and went live for all schools and buses on Jan. 13. According to school officials, the program will help improve student safety and efficiency in bus route management. "The new system will allow parents and...
While the Polk County Public Schools anticipate about 1,600 teachers to be absent Monday, Jan. 13 to attend an education rally in Tallahassee, Lake Wales High School Principal Donna Dunson said she didn't expect any disruption in the local charter schools. Dunson said charter school teachers support the purpose of the rally, but most are expected to be in their classrooms Monday. Polk County Public Schools were scrambling to provide coverage for the absent teachers, with about...
Lake Wales Highlanders head coach Tavaris Johnson was voted the 2019 Buccaneers High School Coach of the Year contest from an elite field of weekly winners representing seven counties of area high schools. To qualify Coach Johnson won Week Ten's Coach of the Week, and through a voting process, came out on top to win the prestigious award over the other ten nominees. The program is sponsored by Tampa Electric (TECO) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation. Johnson is the...
Editor's Note: Memorial is scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 13 at 1st United Methodist Church in Lake Wales, with musical prelude starting at 1:30 p.m. The grand lady in red, white and blue, Lake Wales legend Mimi Hardman died Friday, Dec.13. A driving force for historic preservation and celebrating the pioneers who built Lake Wales, Hardman left behind an extraordinary legacy. Her service as chair of the Bicentennial Commission led to the opening of the Depot Museum on July...
The Lake Wales Charter Schools Foundation has kicked off it's 2019-20 giving campaign, committed to improving the educational opportunities for all students in the community, according to campaign chairman and Foundation chair James Tully. With the opening of Bok Academy North two years ago, the charter system now operates seven schools, serving a total of approximately 4,750 students. For the fiscal year that ended June 30, the system realized overall revenues of $39.5 millio...
Library cards are still a thing. And now, every single student in the Lake Wales Charter Schools and Polk County School system has one. The Polk County Library Cooperative has partnered with Lake Wales Charter Schools and the Polk County School System to provide free access to public library materials and online resources. Tina Peak, Director of the Lake Wales Library, said the new program is beneficial on many fronts. "This is a wonderful partnership. We often see students...
The stakes are high, but the leaders are optimistic. Unless McLaughlin Middle & Fine Art Academy raises its state grade this year the school faces the possibility of being closed, turned charter or run by a private company. Co-Principals Sharon Chipman and Debra Wright-Hudson are reaching out to the greater Lake Wales community to share their goals for improvement and to ask for help. The school on Nov. 5 hosted its first Community Assessment Team meeting of the year, sharing...
Enrollment is open at Polk State College for the spring 2020 semester that starts January 6. Currently enrolled students may register for classes through PASSPORT. Prospective students must submit a free online application at www.polk.edu/admission-aid. Information on how to complete online orientation and register for classes is included in email communication after the application process, as well as online at www.polk.edu/admission-aid/admissionsteps. Students will also...
What's better than hiring a good young teacher? How about finding a good, young, homegrown teacher? That's the goal of a new affiliation between the University of Central Florida and the Lake Wales Charter Schools aimed at creating a steady pipeline of local teaching talent available for hire at any of the system's seven schools. "It's a win-win situation for our students who are interested in pursing a career in education, and the charter system to have a readily available...
The new Little Silver Streak Academy at Janie Howard Wilson Elementary is giving 20 young students an early leg up on their educational journey this fall at Janie Howard Wilson Elementary School in Lake Wales. The full day pre-K program includes traditional components like outside play time, work on social skills, and breakfast and lunch every school day. But it adds a hefty classroom component as well, with a computer and listening station, and small group instruction in scie...
It's a new school year at McLaughlin Middle & Fine Arts Academy - and it's also shaping up to be a year like no other. From the school's administrative structure to team-building activities for staff members, from strategies designed to cultivate students' school pride to an outpouring of support from the community, it's clear that positive change is taking place at McLaughlin. "It's a new era," said Principal Sharon Chipman. "We're building a team, a culture, and the...
