June 18, 2008

KEY WEST, FL  -- In a partnership with the Monroe County School District, The Cultural American Music Program debuts a new track for non-music students. CAMP, which kicked off June 14, now offers seventh- to 12^th graders the opportunity to learn about culinary arts, hospitality management, tourism and video production.

June 18, 2008

KEY WEST, FL  -- Using funds from the Dori Slosberg Foundation, Monroe County School District is prepared to open the summer driver’s education course with the most up-to-date curriculum, newest manipulatives, best teaching methodology, and safest vehicles. MCSD Safe School Coordinator Sunny Booker and all four driver education teachers attended the Florida’s Driver’s Education Conference for current training. They hope to target private school and home-educated students for the summer programs so classes can accommodate more on-campus students during the school year.

June 18, 2008

KEY WEST, FL  -- Mark Hooper, Coordinator of Career and Technical Education, has recently received information that the Monroe County School District, in partnership with the School District of Palm Beach County, has been awarded a 5 year, $1,570,000 grant. 

June 16, 2008

KEY WEST, FL  -- The 21^st CCLC grant will fund summer programming at five school sites this year. Key Largo School; Stanley Switlik and Gerald Adams Elementary Schools; Horace O’Bryant Middle and Marathon High School will host children from 8:00 am – 2:00 pm Monday through Friday.  Children in the attendance zone for Glynn Archer will participate at Gerald Adams. The program starts June 16 and ends July 18, 2008.

June 12, 2008

KEY WEST, FL  -- With the scheduled closing of Sigsbee Elementary School at the end of the 2008-2009 school year, 64% of the parents turned out to vote on the future of the school as a charter school. The results indicate that 94% of the parents voting are in favor of converting Sigsbee School into a charter school. A group representing the different military commands now will have the task of exploring which type of charter would best meet the community needs. If a conversion charter is selected it must be approved by the teachers some time after the start of the coming school year.

June 12, 2008

KEY WEST, FL  -- Superintendent Randy Acevedo announced that three Monroe County teachers have been selected as “Outstanding Social Studies Teacher of the Year” for the 2007-2008 school year by the Florida Council for the Social Studies (FCSS). Each year FCSS recognizes teachers from all Florida counties at three levels---elementary, middle, and high school. Nancy Ramsdorf (Plantation Key Elementary School), Katie Balazs (Marathon Middle School) and Nora Laubenstein (Key West High School) will be honored by FCSS at their annual conference in October in St. Petersburg, Florida, October 23-26, 2008.

June 5, 2008

KEY WEST, FL  -- The Transition to Independence, Employment and Success TIES program sees three original adult students with disabilities graduate and take on new careers. “Through extensive community based work experience situations and assessments Dan, William and Kenny were offered expanded opportunities that the traditional high school courses of study do not offer,” said TIES Director Ruth Holland.

June 3, 2008

KEY WEST, FL  -- Superintendent Randy Acevedo has announced today that Mark Hooper, Career and Technical Education Coordinator has been selected by the Florida Department of Education to represent the Monroe County School District at the 2008 Chancellor’s Leadership Seminar for Workforce Education. 

May 30, 2008

KEY WEST, FL  -- Dr. Messier has been selected to attend the Japanese Fulbright Program this October, 2008. Dr. Messier will depart for Tokyo, all expenses paid, as a participant in the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund (JFMF) Program. Dr. Messier selected from a pool of over 1,700 applicants by a panel of educators to earn this honor. This program allows distinguished educators in the U.S. to travel to Japan in an effort to promote greater intercultural understanding between the two nations.

May 2, 2008

KEY WEST, FL  -- Working collaboratively with the Monroe County Courts and the Monroe County Bar Association, Monroe County Schools will be celebrating the 50^th anniversary of Law Day  with a series of activities that began on May 1^st, 2008. School districts across the nation celebrate Law Day during the entire month of May, with many activities taking place after the traditional May 1^st observance.

April 22, 2008

KEY WEST, FL  -- Key West High School represented Monroe County at the Florida Commissioner’s Academic Challenge Competition in Orlando April 12 where Monroe County advanced to the finals and finished fourth in the state. This competition tests the limits of students’ knowledge in higher-level math, sciences, literature, foreign languages, geography, history, fine arts and classical music. “This is THE best any Monroe County Academic Challenge Team has ever done in state competition,” said Principal John Welsh.

April 21, 2008

UPPER KEYS, FL  -- During Spring Break Coral Shores High School students were featured on Channel One’s Going Green News, with programs delivered daily to six million middle and high school students nationwide. The segment about the coral reef restoration Dave Makepeace’s marine biology class is doing runs almost four minutes and can still be seen online.

“Channel One really captured the essence of what this class is all about – not only learning but applying science,” said Makepeace. This is part of a Florida Learn and Serve-funded project.

March 20, 2008

KEY WEST, FL  -- Despite more rigorous audit standards, declined enrollment, and an economic downturn, the Monroe County School District received the cleanest bill of health for its fiscal operations since 2002. With a peak of 19 findings on both federal and operating standards in the year ending 2005, the 2007 audit has only five findings..
 

March 19, 2008

KEY WEST, FL  -- Doors to the PACE Center for Girls in the Habana Plaza on Flagler Street are being closed Friday, March 21 by direct order of Donna Gallagher, CEO of PACE Center for Girls Inc. Since the announcement March 10, Monroe County School District Superintendent Randy Acevedo and Florida Keys Community College President Dr. Jill Landesberg-Boyle, with the help of MCSD Program Specialist Carol Eisenman and other staff, have come up with an agreement to start a new program at FKCC. To provide a seamless transition, doors to room P212 at the college are to open for classes Monday, March 24 at 8 a.m.
 

March 1, 2008

TALLAHASSEE, FL  -- Governor Charlie Crist presented one of four Point of Light awards to Sunny Booker of Marathon at the governor’s mansion in Tallahassee Wednesday, Feb. 27 in front of a group of more than 200 community leaders, educators and students at the Governor’s Mansion to mark the conclusion of Black History Month.
  

February 22, 2008

MARATHON, FL  -- Marathon High School was recently designated as a bronze award winner in the ‘Best High Schools 2008 Search’ by U.S. News & World Report. “All of the teachers, administrators and students in our schools have worked diligently to ensure student success  -- for every student,” said Monroe County Superintendent Randy Acevedo.
 

February 19, 2008

KEY WEST, FL  -- Key West High School Senior, Jimmy Hirshbeck was recognized at the February 12, 2008 School Board meeting by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Southernmost VFW Post 3911. Jimmy was the recipient of a generous donation of $500.00 sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Southernmost VFW Post 3911. 

February 19, 2008

KEY WEST, FL  -- Justice Peggy A. Quince, one of seven justices on the Florida Supreme Court, will be visiting several Monroe County Schools on Thursday and Friday, February 21-22nd. A luncheon meeting is also planned for Justice Quince with Monroe County School District and 16th Judicial Circuit personnel.
  

February 4, 2008

KEY WEST, FL  -- Superintendent Randy Acevedo has announced that Christelle Orr, a teacher at Key West High School, has been named Monroe County School District’s Teacher of the Year. 
  

January 17, 2008

MARATHON, FL  -- While cities across the nation have seen public safety agencies and school officials pull together after a shooting or accident affecting a school, Monroe County officials have pulled together ahead of time. In a full-day workshop held Jan. 15 Monroe County Safe School Coordinator Sunny Booker brought more than 40 county-wide school and emergency-related officials together to review and improve the school system’s crisis plan.

January 9, 2008

TAVERNIER, FL  -- The Coral Shores High School student newspaper, the Hurricane Watch, and the yearbook, the Reef, have won First Place from the American Scholastic Press Association. The ASPA issues awards to high school publications nationwide.
 

December 6, 2007

KEY WEST, FL  - Governor Charlie Crist announced Friday Florida’s High School graduation rate is on the rise. The state drop out rate is also on the decline. Superintendent Randy Acevedo reports, with congratulations to principals and teachers, Monroe County out paces the state on both measures.
 

December 3, 2007

KEY WEST, FL  - The School Administration faces pending significant budget cuts for the 2008-2009 school year, forcing the Board to move forward with a decision to close a school in Key West.

The loss of funding stems from a combination of sources, including a revenue shortfall from state funds, a roll back through the constitutional amendment leading to a loss of resources, a decline in local property values, and a reduction of funds for school operating costs. (See the Superintendent’s e-brief from October, 2007, http://www.monroe.k12.fl.us/eBrief/Oct3.asp .)
  

November 15, 2007

KEY WEST, FL  - Employment skills and parent literacy programs run by the Monroe County School District Adult Education program just received a $110,500 boost thanks to a state-funded grant. The Adult Education and Family Literacy, Adult General Education Competitive Grant for the 2007-2008 school year allows the school district to provide adult education and literacy services.
  

November 9, 2007

KEY WEST, FL  - A student-created menu item is soon to appear in school lunch lines as a result of the Healthy Meals, Healthy Minds Contest that runs through Nov. 15. The student whose entry is selected as the winner gets a new bicycle and will have their lunch added to the lunch menu in January for all public schools in Monroe County.
 

November 9, 2007

KEY WEST, FL  - All three high schools in Monroe County, Key West, Marathon, and Coral Shores High Schools have each been awarded a $75,000 grant to implement a career academy on campus. Superintendent Randy Acevedo said, “Thanks to this grant and our partners, these academies can help students gain real-world knowledge and experience to help them succeed in future careers whether they go on to be doctors or dive operators.” The state-funded grant is part of the Succeed Florida Career Paths critical jobs initiative.

November 9, 2007

MARATHON, FL  - Several students in the Practical Academic Cultural Education program at Marathon High School created a recycling awareness program in Spanish to share with students at Stanley Switlik Elementary and the public. The project was made possible by a Florida Learn and Serve grant that requires students to meet educational standards and provide a service to the community to earn their grade. Teacher Teresa Thorne and Outreach Coordinator Rebecca Winter oversaw the project.
 

October 28, 2007

KEY WEST, FL  - Fire rescue was called to Marathon High School around 12:30 Sunday, Oct. 28 for a fire in the auditorium. The facility was under construction. All damage was contained to the second floor in a small room that served as a temporary office for the electrical contractor. No one was hurt.
 

October 27, 2007

KEY WEST, FL  - Monroe County School District is proud to announce three students who have been nominated by their schools for recognition as Sunshine State Scholars:  Robert Idsardi, Coral Shores High School, Gabriela Hernandez, Marathon High School and Noah Kent, Key West High School. 

Of the three nominees, Robert (Bo) Idsardi a senior at Coral Shores High School, will represent the district as Monroe County’s Sunshine State Scholar.  

September 28, 2007

KEY WEST, FL  - Superintendent Randy Acevedo announced that Gerald Adams Elementary School received notification today that they are an “A” school for 2006-2007 school year.  Chancellor of Education Cheri Yecke, confirmed that Gerald Adams Elementary was one of 12 schools in the state that had an error in their final grade calculations. 
  

September 14, 2007

KEY WEST, FL  - Randy Acevedo, Superintendent, has launched a countywide campaign to ignite total community support for the goal of “Student Success…Whatever it takes.” The multi-media campaign is designed to honor those who are already there for the children of Monroe County and to inspire others to become more involved in their children’s education.
 

August 31, 2007

ISLAMORADA, FL  - For the last four years Coral Shores has seen an upward trend in its Advanced Placement (AP) scores due in large part to, “a very impressive school improvement plan that had goals for AP,” said Superintendent Randy Acevedo. Coral Shores High School (CSHS) outranks the national mean average in four out of the six AP courses it offered.
  

August 31, 2007

KEY WEST, FL - The Marathon Business and Professional Women’s Club has partnered with the Monroe County School District to offer a two-day professional development training in Marathon. It is set to take place at the Marathon Training Center, 3400 Overseas Highway, Saturday, September 8 and Saturday, September 15 from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m.
  

August 31, 2007

KEY WEST, FL - The First Child’s Safety Awareness Day held at Bayview Park Saturday, August 25 was a huge success. “This free, family event was fun-filled and may very well save lives,” said Superintendent Randy Acevedo who partnered with the Dade Lodge #14 of Free & Accepted Masons in Key West to develop Child’s Safety Awareness Day.
  

August 22, 2007

KEY WEST, FL - Monroe County School District has been awarded a Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) Prevention grant to open a Neighborhood Resource Center for children ages 8-15 and their parents. The Center will be housed in the Trinity Presbyterian Church Hall, 717 Simonton Street, and will serve children residing in Bahama Village. 
  

August 17, 2007

KEY WEST, FL - Key West High School ranks in the top 5% of all U.S. Schools according to Newsweek and for the first time Monroe County has earned a district grade of A for two years in a row. “Student Success: Whatever it takes! is more than just a motto on a poster for us – it’s our daily life,” Acevedo adds. The school district has implemented many changes in the last four years to improve teacher retention and student achievement.
  

August 1, 2007

KEY WEST, FL - At the July 31^st  School Board meeting in Key West, Superintendent Randy Acevedo honored Executive Director of Instructional Services Mike Henriquez.
  

July 25, 2007

KEY WEST, FL - Randy Acevedo, Superintendent of Monroe County School District has announced the selection of several positions for the 2007-2008 school year. Connie Adams will be serving as principal to both Glynn Archer & Sigsbee Elementary Schools. Henry Boza will be serving as assistant principal at Horace O’Bryant Middle School replacing Harry Russell. Mona Clark will be serving as assistant principal /site administrator at both Glynn Archer & Sigsbee Elementary Schools. 
  

July 16, 2007

KEY WEST, FL - Superintendent of Schools, Randy Acevedo, has announced that Amber Bosco has been selected as Principal of the Year and Brett Unke has been selected as Assistant Principal of the Year. 
  

July 16, 2007

KEY WEST, FL - Superintendent of Schools, Randy Acevedo, has announced that Patricia Claro has been selected as the District Support Person of the Year for the 2006-2007 school year. 
  

July 11, 2007

KEY WEST, FL - Superintendent Randy Acevedo’s aim is for “Student Success: Whatever it takes.” He means all students. One area of concern is the achievement gap between races in Monroe County.  “That has to change,” said Acevedo. With reading as a subject that has the widest gap, the Monroe County School District (MCSD) Students Services Department and Reading Department filed a joint application for a grant to implement new strategies to improve student skills. The US Department of Education, through a state program and the University of South Florida, awarded MCSD a $300,000 Response to Intervention (RTI) Research Grant to use over the next three years.
  

Marathon High School Principal Named

July 3, 2007

KEY WEST, FL - Superintendent of Schools, Randy Acevedo, is pleased to announce that Harry Russell will be the new principal of Marathon High School.   For the last four years, Mr. Russell served as the assistant principal at Horace O’Bryant Middle and Stanley Switlik Elementary.
  

 

 Link to Press Releases -  2006-2007