Pinellas County Schools

Two of our students attended the 9/11 memorial at Curlew Hills Memorial Gardens this morning. They submitted essays for Gene Gentile's 9/11 memorial essay contest. Ella Haasch from Clearwater Fundamental won first place, and Cyrine Hassan from Carwise Middle won second place. Ella was honored to read her essay to everyone in attendance, including 9/11 survivors. #PCSProud

Meet Jesse Kiebzak, the art teacher at Mildred Helms Elementary. When he is not teaching, he is a fashion designer creating one-of-a-kind pieces. Some of his A-list clients include Simone Biles, MGK, and NFL and NBA players and their families. Jesse uses elements and techniques in his fashion that he teaches his students, and he hopes that incorporating his brand into the classroom will encourage his students to explore their creativity. #PCSProud Read more about Jesse: https://lnkd.in/eWVbBdFj

Meet Ileana Liss, a physical therapist at Paul B. Stephens. Ileana says the people she works with inspire her to be a better therapist. Do you know an educator with the #ITFactor like Ileana? Tell us all about them here ?? https://rb.gy/1fu8n1

Brinkleigh Hansen is a freshman at St. Pete High. She was invited to swim at the World Junior Champion 5K open water race in Alghero, Italy. Last week, she won a gold medal in the women's 5km and a silver medal in the women's 3km knockout sprint. ???? #PCSProud

This week, district leadership gathered with the community and the Pinellas Education Foundation for ChangeMakers, celebrating the business partners that help make high-quality education in our district possible. This event featured performances by Lakewood High School guitarists and the John Hopkins Middle School Dance Ensemble. A big congratulations to those who were honored this year ?? #PCSProud ?? Beth Rawlins: honored with the Champion of Education Award ?? Mike Feeney: honored with the Impact & Innovation Award ?? Carol Cook: honored for her decades of service to Pinellas County students ?? Shy’Yonna Parris: honored with the ChangeMaker Award

Erin Taylor dropped out of school in 2001, got married, and had two children. After focusing on raising her kids, she returned to work at their school cafeteria. Her experience there inspired her to pursue teaching. She earned her GED and is now working as a Medical Behavioral Assistant at the same school. #PCSProud Read more about Erin's story: https://lnkd.in/eK3DR6As

You're invited to attend our Listen & Learn: Community Connections on September 18 at 5:30 at Thurgood Marshall Middle School. These sessions are open to all interested students, staff, families, partners, and community members. The event will be streamed on our YouTube channel.

We kicked off a mentoring partnership with the City of St. Petersburg on Friday. This program aims to boost the participation of City of St. Petersburg employee mentors. It allows City of St. Petersburg employees one paid hour weekly to volunteer at Pinellas County schools. About 50 city employees received mentor training and had the opportunity to choose schools, students, and times that work best for them. The Mentoring Matters match will help our students with social, emotional, and academic success. #PCSProud #MentoringMatters

Meet Tori Jones, a 6th-grade ELA teacher at Osceola Middle. Tori's favorite part of teaching is when something that has been challenging for a student finally clicks. Do you know an #InspiringTeacher like Tori? Nominate them here ?? https://rb.gy/1fu8n1

Happy #LaborDay ???? Today we celebrate hard work and dedication. Enjoy your day off! School will resume for students on Tuesday, September 3.