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 Dear FSUS Families,
We are in the home stretch! May is here and our thoughts turn to celebrating - celebrating our dedicated and hard-working teachers and staff; celebrating our graduating seniors; celebrating our kids making it through another year; celebrating the start of summer vacation.
Together, we have accomplished so much this year. We have awarded over $6,000 in Teacher Mini-Grants, supported two seasons of our school garden, hosted a bike rodeo, organized a Cyber Crime education program for our middle and high school students, established a recycling program, celebrated Family Fun Nights at Beef O'Bradys, Chick-Fil-A, and Skate World, collected canned goods for the Second Harvest Food Drive, provided FCAT Snacks, rallied for education, hosted a Health & Safety Fair, awarded $1000 in Senior Scholarships, and so much more.
Thank you all for supporting FSUS PTSA! I have enjoyed serving as your PTSA President and look forward to continuing in that role next year. Our school will need all of us more than ever. Please contact me if you would like to play a greater role in FSUS PTSA or have any comments or suggestions for next year.
Kasey Chapin
FSUS PTSA President
"We're All in This Together"
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Letter from the Newsletter Editor
It has been my pleasure to serve this year as your Technology  Chair. This experience has been invaluable to me. I have enjoyed hearing from teachers, students and staff, and being a part of all the wonderful things that are going on at Florida High. We truly have amazing staff and fantastic students!
I am passing the torch for the 2009-2010 year to Tamara McElroy, who I know will serve you well.
Have a wonderful summer and see you next fall!
Julie Lengacher
Chair, Technology
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May at a Glance
May 2 Animal Shelter 5K and Art Sale by FSUS
Tom Brown Park, 8:30 am (see below)
May 4-8 Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week
May 9 Fishing Clinic
Panacea, FL (see below)
May 25 Memorial Day - NO SCHOOL
May 27-29 Exams/Early Release Days (at 11:35 am)
May 29 Last Day of School
Graduation
Civic Center, 7:00 pm
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Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities
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Want to sign up to help out? Click on one of the PTSA sponsored event/projects below:
Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week will take place the week of May 4th-8th. Thank you to all of you, who have already signed up to help out with the luncheons or to bring a dessert. We still need helpers for the luncheon on Friday, May8th.
- If you would like to help, please click here to sign up.
- If you would like to bring a dessert, please click here to sign up.
You may also contact Susan Brodbeck, Teacher and Staff Appreciation Chair at 877-4230, for more information.
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2009-2010 PTSA Executive Officers
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The 2009-2010 PTSA Executive Officers were sworn in on April 17, 2009 at our General Assembly Meeting. Please join us in welcoming our newly elected PTSA Officers for the following school year!
President Kasey Chapin
Treasurer Christy Griffin
1st Vice President, Fundraising Trevor Brumbley
2nd Vice President, Membership Shirley Harrell
3rd Vice President, Programs Patricia Powell
Recording Secretary Sara Hamon
Corresponding Secretary Heidi Abernethy
Also, a special thanks to Ms. Ebener and her ORFFestra for their fantastic performance! We truly have highly talented students and faculty!
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Family Fun Night at Skate World - Awesome!
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Skate World was an absolute blast! A great time was had by all.  Students enjoyed dancing to YMCA by the Village People, doing the Chicken Dance and the Hokey Pokey, as well as competing in the races. We had a special birthday to celebrate as well. Our very own PTSA President was celebrating her birthday with us, on four wheels no less!
The proceeds raised from this Skate Night totaled $120. Way to go Florida High! We look forward to having events like this next year as well. Plenty of time to practice your skating over the summer, so you'll be ready to roll with us into the Fall!
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| FSUS Art Department Benefit for Tallahassee Animal Shelter - Saturday, May 2nd
A select few of the Florida High Art Department photo students  are participating in a fundraiser/art show event to raise money for the Tallahassee-Leon Animal Shelter. They photographed the homeless animals at the shelter, capturing their personalities and cuteness.
The photos will be sold to raise money for the shelter at the annual 5K run this Saturday, May 2nd, at Tom Brown Park, at 8:30 a.m.
Before during and after the 5K run, the photos will be on display and for sale. All proceeds will go to the Animal Shelter.
We hope to see you there.
Thank you!
Michelle Hartsfield
Instructor, Middle School Art
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"Fun Run" Fundraiser - Pledge Money due May 5th
 Thank you for your support of the spring PTSA Fun Run fundraiser. The actual run was a great success, and all the kids and teachers seem to have a wonderful time.
Now we need your help to complete this fundraiser. Please have your child collect all pledges and/or donations and return them in the red collection envelope (provided by Boosterthon team) to the school/teacher no later than May 5th. If paying by check, please make checks payable to FSUS PTSA.
All students who turn in 100% of their pledges/donations by the  May 5th deadline will be entered into a drawing for an IPod. If you have any questions, please feel free to email Trevor Brumbley for more information.
Thank you again for supporting your school!
Box Tops, Campbells Labels, Tyson A+, Community Coffee, & Nestle Pure Life - Due May 20th
 The next Box tops and labels collection is May 20th, and the class with the
most participation will be getting a pizza party. Prizes for participants will go out the week following May 20th.
So keep clipping and don't forget to turn in ALL of your labels. We are still collecting Community coffee labels for next year and are now starting to get lots of Nestle Water labels.
Thanks to everyone who participates!
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Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week
May 4th-8th
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The first full week of May is nationally known as Teacher and Staff  Appreciation Week. It is a week set aside for us to honor, thank, and applaud our teachers and staff. These special people are a major reason that Florida State University School is such a caring and nurturing place for our children.
You can help the Florida High PTSA in several ways:
- Please encourage your child to do something special for their teacher(s). It does not have to be expensive or time consuming. Teachers would love a card made by a student, thanking them for all that they have done this school year. Any thoughtful gesture would be greatly appreciated!
- Our Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week Committee could use your help by making a dessert for one of the two lunches we will be serving on Tuesday, May 5th and Friday, May 8th. Click here to sign up to bring a dessert.
- We also need help with set-up, clean-up, and serving help during both of these lunches. Click here to sign up to help serve lunch.
- We also need to borrow open sided tents to use on the days we are serving lunch.
We hope that you will join us in our appreciation of our teachers and staff. With your help and support, we can make this annual event a memorable one.
If you need more information please e-mail Susan Brodbeck or call her at (850)-877-4230 for more information.
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Annual Fishing Clinic - May 9th
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 Need a new "larger than life" story about the one that got away? Here's your chance, Florida High, to kick off the summer months with a tale that will grow over the summer months.
Florida High will be providing students and parents with a bus that will head down to the Annual Kid's Fishing Clinic in Panacea, FL on Saturday, May 9th.
The bus will leave Florida High at 8 a.m. and will return at 2 p.m. Participants should arrive by 7:45 a.m., so the group can leave on time. Parents and children get a free lunch/drink at the site. Once a child completes the angler education stations the child receives a free fishing pole.
***Parents must attend the event with their child(ren)***
Please remember to bring folding chairs if you have them, sunscreen and hats! It will be quite hot.
This is such a fun experience for students and a wonderful service that the state provides. Come on out and catch the big one with us! If you would like to ride on the bus, please click here to sign up.
For more information on the Kid's Fish Clinic, please visit the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
If you have further questions, please contact Hank Stephens, FSUS Coordinator for the Fishing Clinic.
Hank Stephens
Coordinator, FSUS Fishing Clinic
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Garden Club Wrap Up
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The Elementary School Garden Club has about 20 kids and they  have planted their herbs and vegetables and are now mulching and watering and waiting for the plants to start producing.
There are a few baby cucumbers and yellow squash and some strawberries, but none big enough to eat yet. The students should have plenty to eat in the coming weeks. They also learned to identify good bugs from bad bugs.
Thanks again to the parent volunteers who make this important project possible: Irene Bivins, Renita Bowman, Kristin Tangen and Kathy Thomas.
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Senior Scholarships to Be Announced Soon
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 PTSA senior scholarship applications were due on April 17th. Recipients of these scholarships will be announced sometime in mid-May. Look for announcement soon!
We wish all seniors good luck in all their future endeavors. We are proud of you!
Bonnie Abellera
Chair, Senior Scholarships
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Student Awards
Excellence in Education Foundation's "Arts for Life Award" Recipient - Cosby Hayes
Congratulations to Cosby Hayes, who has received an "Arts for Life Award" for his sculptures. The Excellence in Education Foundation was established by Jeb and Columba Bush, former Governor and First Lady of Florida, to award outstanding students who excel in the arts.
Cosby was chosen by a prestigious panel of experts for his academic excellence and artistic merit from more than 500 gifted applicants. He will receive a $1,000 "Arts for Life" scholarship to pursue the arts in higher education.
Cosby Hayes will receive his award on Friday, June 26th at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. This is Cosby's seventh senior award, based on his art portfolio.
Congratulations Cosby! We are so very proud of you!
Poetry Jam Wrap Up
For the fourth year in a row, middle school students from around the area dazzled all who were present as they artfully performed poetry for the Leon County Reading Council's Middle School Poetry Jam! The April 21st event was hosted by Florida State University School (FSUS) and featured students from Belle Vue, Fairview, FSUS, and Swift Creek Middle Schools. The Jam was kicked off in style by teacher Alicia Hall, who entertained the large audience with a recitation of a lively poem. Phillip Mullings served as the event's master of ceremonies again this year.
Students competed for fun and prizes before four distinguished judges: Ms. Shannon Ayrish, Ms. Sharon Hinsley, Mr. Bill Johnson, and Mr. Calvin Morris. The students performed original or previously published poetry with gusto and creativity, sweeping the appreciative audience up in a tsunami of descriptive images and emotion!
The prize-winning poets/authors for performances of original poems were: 1st Place - Kaitlin Duchene, Swift Creek; 2nd Place - Shae Powers, Florida State University School; 3rd Place - Sarah Moore, Belle Vue. Belle Vue teacher, Lynn Jones, looked on proudly as Sarah Moore received her medal and gift certificate.
The winners of recitations of previously published poems were: 1st - Kathryn Crotty, who recited "The Spider and the Fly," by Howitt; 2nd - Alyssia Dickey & Kenidee Webster, who led the audience in a rousing rendition of "The McDonald's Rap," author unknown; and 3rd - Brooke Hunter - who recited "Smile," by McLendon-Laumann.
The other wonderful poets received beautiful certificates lauding their participation! The other author/poets included Alaina Sapphire Branch, Dylan Franklin, Avery Lansberry, and Austin Newell. Beautiful recitations of previously published poems were given by Darrien Brown and Angela Lugo.
The event coordinators were Noreen Beattie and Bonnie Clawson and the Poetry Jam Committee members included Barbara Davis - who was also the event's official photographer, Alicia Hall, Phil Mullings, Melode Ortwein, Scott Smith, Kathy Tuovila, and Jennifer Underhill. Everyone in attendance enjoyed refreshments generously provided by the Leon County Reading Council and Florida State University School's PTSA. Cheryl Dippre was FSUS PTSA's facilitator for this auspicious occasion. This luminous event was a spectacular celebration of talent for Poetry Month!
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Original Poems Category Participants
Photo by Barbara Davis
(Left to Right) Sarah Moore, Dylan Franklin, Avery Lansberry, Kaitlin Duchene, Alaina Sapphire Branch, and Shae Powers
Previously Published Poems Category Participants
Photo by Barbara Davis
(Left to Right) Angela Lugo, Brooke Hunter, Darrien Brown,
Kathryn Crotty, and Kenidee Webster (Alyssia Dickey, not pictured)
Prize Winning Original Poems
1st Place
Soar
By Kaitlin R. Duchene
It is an odd sort of thing, to feel breath on your wings,
To soar to places, which others dare not know.
You are different they say, a creature of flight
And the curiosity of every child down below.
How they watch, how they wonder,
So intensely does it linger,
The rapt attention guaranteed
By the flick of your forefinger.
You hold them tightly, gripping hard,
Watching their wide eyes grow fast.
Full of wonder and amazement,
Never dimming as years pass.
You hear it softly, like a whisper,
Calling to you from purest dreams:
All the wonder and amazement,
Turned to longing of far away things.
Thoughts of flight and ever traveling,
Through the clouds and on to dawn,
Over seas of sparkling wine,
Into lands, so far beyond.
Seemingly innocent, precious thought,
Yet inescapable of the truth -
That it is not travel they wish for,
But rather to flee from land of youth.
Wondrous, they call it, absolutely wondrous,
To hold ability of freedom that age grants. To flee from all your rotten troubles,
To finally hold the cards of chance.
2nd Place
Shadow
By Shae Powers
When the wind blows I never move
But I will if you do my dear
I'm your shape no matter what
But my features aren't always clear
Sometimes I will leave you
But never for a day
I will come out sooner or later
Maybe just to play
I'm mysterious and creepy
But I really don't mean to
So please don't run when you see me
Because I'll just keep following you
I'm your clone, I'm your twin
Please don't wrap me in a bow
I'm just something you can call
Your all time greatest shadow
3rd Place
Poem One - Cats; Poem Two - Colors; Poem Three - Me
By Sarah Moore
Cats
Millions of cats
Which ones will you take.
You can only take some
So give it a break.
One little house and one little you
But millions of cats that's to stuck you.
You tried to make another little house
But not enough wood
So you stood in the middle and pulled on your hood.
So you stood there and waited and waited until you had a clink
That the millions of cats were gone in a blink.
Colors
Black or White don't matter to me.
Skin it is
So why can't it be the same always just play with me.
Just look inside and you will see
That we share the same things
Just like me.
Some blood is thicker than others
That's why our epidermis comes out all different colors.
Me
Look around and u will see.
The black African American that lays in me.
I don't care what nobody think.
About my color of my race.
Do u see the smile on my face.
That something every one should appreciate.
To me I love all colors.
But why bother.
Fights start over pity stuff.
But why do we have to fuss.
I love and peace should make up this world.
So why we can't get along.
With this black African girl.
Noreen Beattie
Instructor, Reading
Bonnie Clawson
Instructor, Middle School Reading
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I hope the rest of the school year is a good one and that your summer is safe and lots of fun!
Take Care,
Julie Lengacher
Chair, Technology
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