Who ever said the cheese wagon wasn't cool..

...obviously didn't ride this bus!

Today is Education Day. We'll be heading out to local schools and checking out all the neat programs they are offering to the great families and children of our county. Were starting out with Chesnut Elementary School of Science and Engineering. Can you imagine a 5 year old doing robotics and hydroponics?! Our next fearless leader, Dana Schafer, below, has planned a great day along with School Board Member Barbara Horn, who happens to be in our class! :)

So we head out to Chesnut Elementary, a STEM school which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. These are the primary focus of the school's curriculum, along with the normal guidelines, FCAT and they have a lot of fun doing it!

We walk into the school and there are students there to show us their projects, what appeared to be mostly rides or rollercoasters, built completely out of recycled materials; toothpicks, cardboard, glass, plastics, popcicle sticks etc.

After that was breakfast! SO GOOD! Andddd they had fruit and Fat Free Creamer! Lots of points in my book (and by that I mean not a lot of points on WW ha!). The principal and assistant principal, Karen Bracy and Trenisha Simmons show up in bright white coats, like scientists and they are ready to tell us all about this school that I never even knew existed. They shared videos with us like when they were featured on WOFL Fox 35's Cool School of the Week! I don't have to see the other schools to know that this school is top notch. We got to see all kinds of science and engineering specialties like fossils, bridge building and trial and error with catapults. They also do their own morning announcements. I do not remember ours looking this cool. I had a huge tube TV with a lifesize sheet of paper where the script was pre written and you filled in the blanks...these kids have it all! :)

 So I ask this 1st grader.. "What are you building?" he answers "I'm building a beam bridge. There really aren't any in Florida, most in the western US." I was like...what?! I was worried about coloring in the lines in 1st grade...good for them! :)

Each class spends 50 minutes per day in one of the 4 subjects (STEM) for a 9 week period, then switches. One class we went to was traveling cross country on the map below and had to calculate all they would need to get to where they are going; gas, food, hotel etc.

One of my very favorite parts of this school is the garden they have! There were onions, peppers, cabbage...and they also had hydroponic gardens!

 

Up next we headed to Poinciana High School. Now, not to be bias, but I went to OHS and we always beat Poinciana in...well...everything. But we show up and walk into their new auditorium. Holy. Cow. The principal, Ms Pinkston, greets us and starts telling us all they have accomplished, including going from an F to a B school! That is incredible. She was so passionate, even teared up just talking about the school. Now if only all teachers could be that way...

After that, we split up and got to see the CFE Branch that they have at the school. It is run by students and their customers are students and teachers and administrative and...ME! I love my bank, Central Florida Educators, so when they asked me to demonstrate, I was happy to oblige. The students have to interview and qualify for the position, and they do not have access to all the information, but customers can apply for a credit card, deposit checks and withdraw lunch money.

After that, we headed upstairs to spend some of that money on our lunch. The school's culinary program did a FABULOUS job and we left there everything but hungry. They waited on us hand and foot while the instructor introduced us to a PHS alumni who went on to become a real chef. SO COOL! Check out the menu they prepared for us.

So now that we're all pretty much walking zombies, we head over to New Beginnings, what most would recognize as the old Sports Authority...or not, but it is I promise.

So we walk up and guess who I find, Mrs. Norma Evans O'Connor. You see, this woman and I go wayyyy back. Actually, someone in the class asked me if I went to school here and that is how I knew her...nah. She was at OHS while I was in school there and was our class sponsor. Super huge mentor to me and probably a good reason why I grew some tough skin in school...not a lot, but some.. :) Below she is rejecting the microphone because we both knew she didn't need it! :) These kids are lucky to have her.

 

 So New Beginnings is a form of alternative school where a student does something that causes them to go before the School Board and state their case. It was really great insight or me personally because while some of them think that the reason they are at New Beginnings is not just, they are happy to be there because they weren't able to learn and focus at the schools they were in. There are some rules like everyone in the cafeteria has to face one way, they have uniforms, and driving to school is a privilege. The students that we met were now heading to college and credit New Beginnings for a good part of their success. So happy for them! 

Up next, we headed to the United Center for Cerebral Palsy. We watched a film on the cause and met the director and another employee who had children with disabilities. A myth I learned is that the UCP doesn't just touch CP children, but many disabilities. We got to go out and play with them for a little bit and at first they looked at us like we were aliens, but it didn't take long for the fun to set in and Tim and I were being chased by them! Definitely a great way to work off that huge lunch we had! :)

 They had a chair just for Bud! :)

We ended the day at Valencia where we learned about the Education Foundation. I actually got a scholarship from them in high school when I went to UF. Super helpful! We also touched on Valencia's partnership with UCF and their Bachelor programs. We did Valencia trivia and actually I knew a lot of the answers just by working on their brand a few years ago. Crazy!

Below are some of my classmates' takes on the jam packed super informative day! Thanks again to all involved!

Kelly

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 Sandra Ramirez - PIO, City of St. Cloud

Education Day was the Best Day Ever! Mind you, I have said the same thing every single Leadership Day. Each day has been inspiring and has made me even more proud to be a part of this wonderful community.

During Education Day, we met so many fantastic people who are so dedicated to the children and youth of Osceola County. Chestnut Elementary School’s curriculum is the best I’ve ever seen. I truly wished I were a child again just so that I could be a student there. This school will no doubt help provide a quality career-related future for the lucky students who are enrolled here. These students provide so much hope for the future – I can just imagine them reaching for the stars in the form of exciting and important academic and career paths. The professional, dedicated, and happy staff here help the students learn about so many essential subject matters and the different opportunities that are available to them as they grow. This is so important in the development of a child!

The academic growth of Poinciana High School students is simply  amazing. This school is now a high-performing school. The huge improvement from an F to a B school is due to the FCAT results, which are a product of the school’s leadership, staff, and students. What a great feeling it is to know that these students now have the motivation to meet their potential! Just after a few minutes after meeting her, I knew that this school’s “Chief Eagle” is a very dedicated principal who truly cares for her students - BRAVO for Ms. Pinkston!

The visits to New Beginnings and UCP were remarkable. So much hope and positive energy! The staff is so dedicated and the students seemed to be so comfortable/happy being there. It really takes a special person to work in these challenging areas. And last but not least, the Education Foundation and VCC briefings were great as well. So many great programs are available and now we’ll be able to help get the word out. Thanks to Dana and Kim for coordinating this great day and “hanging out” with us all day to ensure everything went smoothly!

Marixa Salgado - UCF Masters in Social Work Program
I was blown away by the STEM program.  My first thought was, "Why aren't all children being taught like this?"

My very next thought was that a program like this would definitely help children that are diagnosed ADD, ADHD, Autistic (and all others in that category) - these children all learn best by hands on experiences, they are usually so smart they can't sit still through a normal lecture and they daydream for the better part of their days.  This type of instruction would peak their interest and would probably be more successful with testing as they would get a better understanding of what they are doing.

I was impressed by the technology that these children are learning.  I think it is wonderful because those children that come from lower income families, or homeless families do not have computers at home and can potentially fall behind when their peers have all of this at their fingertips.  STEM gives them all equal opportunity for learning - it is amazing!

Then we went to Poinciana High School.  What can I say other than the commitment the faculty and staff have towards the students is paid back by the students taking an interest and investing in their own learning.  I spent time in their "wood shop" (not sure what the official name is) -- those children were building tables, sheds, chairs - they were proud of their accomplishments and eager to complete them.

All I can say is that I am taken aback at what an unbelievable job these schools and educators are doing with our children to have them believe in themselves.

WOW!

Criminal Justice Day: Young Meat = Guinea Pig

I have always looked forward to Criminal Justice Day because it is such great insight to us common-folk how exactly they risk their lives to keep our community safe. We had a full day of activities including the Sheriff's Office, Kissimmee Police Department's firing range & SWAT Team and topping it all off with a tour of the Corrections Facility...or the Jail as most would call it. Let me tell you, while I'm SO glad I got to meet and witness what these people do first hand, I hope it's the last time...and by that I mean, I hope I don't come face to face with them in a predicament...unless I'm the hostage...and in that case, I know I'll be in really good hands. :) And with that, we're off!

We kicked off the day at the Osceola County Sheriff's Office off 192 and Partin Settlement Road (right near the EOC from last week). They really start the day off right with a feeling of security since we pulled up to a gate that led into the parking garage. Luckily there was a young man there to let us in. Hopefully I'm always on the other side of a gate like that! Eek!

So we walk up to the building and enter their shift briefing room where officers will meet before heading to start their day if there has been a significant incident. We were greeted by a super HEALTHY breakfast (THANK YOU!) and I must give my personal thanks to whoever provided the Vanilla Fat Free Liquid Creamer! Made my morning! It is the little things in life I promise... :) A few minutes later, one of the Board Members from Community Vision schooled us a bit on our class project just to get the pot stirring. Each Leadership class has done a class project that benefits a community charity. We're still in the discussing stages of what and who we want to help out, but as soon as we decide, you'll know where to find your information first! :)

Up next, in walks the Sheriff. The room tensed up a little...well, not really too much because we have a GREAT Sheriff in this County. A true Florida Cracker like myself, he was born and raised in Osceola County and has worked for the Sheriff's Office here since 1976. You can tell when he speaks that he is so proud to be working here and doing great things at that. He bragged on his team of officers, as any supervisor should, and let us know that we have some of the best there is in law enforcement.

We kicked off the agenda with a panel that included Sheriff, Bob Hansell, St. Cloud Police Department's Chief, Pete Gauntlett, Deputy Cheif Nancy DeFerrari of the Osceola County Corrections Department and the Deputy Chief of Police from Kissimmee, Mr. Klien. They each talked a little about what they do and their areas of operation and then opened it up for questions. I think everybody will always have questions for these guys. We could have sat there all afternoon. "What are you doing about this.." "Who is in charge of this issue I'm having.." "How is crime in schools...". Myself included, I feel like I have more "What if..." questions. I like to be informed on proper protocol in case something happens to me or a friend of mine. The most important part I think to take from the panel was the "See it. Say it." motto. If you see something going on that looks suspicious, call 911. They have a non-emergency line as well if you are a little hesitant to call 911 right away. I feel like we had more questions for Ms. DeFerrari from the Dept. of Corrections. She jump started the program again when she arrived in December after a few bad previous incidents. As a concerned citizen, while nothing is perfect and we're all human, I felt at ease with the implementation she spoke of that is now in place at the jail.

After a quick potty break, we headed out to a field on the side of the building for the K-9 demonstration. Of course I'm going crazy because I love dogs...my first thought was "PUPPPIEEEESS!" but in all seriousness...these guys do a lot more than shake your hand and sit on command. So first up, Jay asked me if I would volunteer to have my arm bitten by a dog..."Umm...excuse me?" I have way too easily become the class guinea pig. They dressed me up in DECON gear, now I'm getting my arm bitten off...what's next?! In all reality though, I don't mind. I have another arm anyway right?! :)

Watch below as Pyro proceeds to snack on my arm...

Up next, they showed us how the K-9 officers have a button their belts that opens the back door to their cars, releasing the dog from their backseats and sending them on the hunt for the bad guy that could be hurting their partner...glad they required the guinea pig to sit out this one!

We also got to see a narcotics sniffing dog. They are trained to sniff out a number of drugs and he found it right away. Pretty sweet! I believe his name is Endo, which is a type of Marijuana. Wonder how they came up with that!

After that, we headed over to watch the motorcycle officers. They set up a course of cones and had one, then two, and then three officers on the course at one time which displayed their diligence and skill to the max!

They also showed us how they will sneak up on a car and overstimulate a person to distract them, resulting in handcuffs.

Did you jump?! Obviously I didn't get scared at all. Sike... They demonstrated something similar when I went through this as a Teen...so I knew it was coming...did that matter? Clearly, not.

Now that I'm all frazzled, we broke into groups and rotated (which I have found to be very affective by the way since I ask 100 questions) covering the following areas:

1. Mounted Patrol - I learned that the horses actually belong to the officer, the OCS just pays for their gear. Here's Delightful Dee petting the horse!

2. Up next was the Robot Cam. They send this in to hostile situations when they think it might be too dangerous to send in their officers. Its got two cameras on it, one on top with the neck and one on the bottom. It helps them see all around. George is below testing it out. Now, as a photographer, I wouldn't recommend you hire this guy to shoot your priceless memories, but it gets the job done right in a rough situation with the ability to go in water, move up and down and dominate rocky terrain.

 3. We got a closer look at the motorcycle officers, who I hope I never come into contact with again (given the right circumstances, of course) considering their newer Honda bikes could nip my Jeep in no time. They switched a little while ago from the Harley to the Honda considering all the maintenance required for a Harley and they can also get more mileage out of it. Take a look at their roadside desks on the side of their bikes too! They also busted my theory of not being able to take radar behind them. They really can do it. Dannngggit! :)

 

4. Up next was the Marine Unit. The Marine Unit is responsible for patrolling lakes and waterways in the county. The unit handles boating accidents and investigates boating-related crimes. 

  5. THE TANK! So the SWAT team consists of all kinds of officers, but it appears it is a privilege, there is no pay upgrade or incentive, other than you get a pretty sweet ride to pick you up. Check out this drivers seat! Umm...is there a seat belt? Do you need one? Goodness...This tank can fit 9 people I believe including the driver. It has mini windows around so you can peek out. Nice hat, George. :)

6. SWAT - Again...I hope I never have to see these weapons again. If the SWAT are after you, they are out to kill...just FYI. BUT usually, the bad guy surrenders before that happens (at least in this town) and who wouldn't. This stuff is real...and scary!

7. Teen Driver Challenge - Our Final stop, but one of the more real issues. The Osceola County Sheriff's Office now offers a program to help teens become safer drivers. The Teen Driver Challenge consists of two training days totaling twelve hours. The first day includes a four-hour block of instruction in the classroom while the second day is an eight-hour block on the driving range. The program is offered free of charge to students living in Osceola County. So we decided to see how we stood up to the challenge. This machine will take you from 0 to 7mph in a few seconds and in the end...well... you'll see...just watch my hair. I assure you it did NOT feel like 7mph, but I have never been in a head on collision, so I can't imagine what anything faster would be like.

After this, we headed off to lunch (which was delish) and got a special escort to take us cross county to the KPD/Sherriff shooting range. When you are on a big charter bus and the police are escorting you, they stop traffic, no matter what color the light is. I felt like a celebrity! They said the most noted person they had escorted was Joe Biden from what I remember. A shoutout to Matt for almost risking his life to take these for me from the middle of the bus isle!

We get to the range and we head into the classroom where our newest fearless leader, Bill Eustace, Kissimmee's Crime Prevention Specialist greets us with these...

Now, I know what they are, but I was totally unaware I would be shooting a gun today, considering that in the Teen version, for obvious reasons, we didn't do that. So I immediately start having gun anxiety. I hate guns. Do I hate people with guns? Not at all. Do I judge them for having one? No way. I just know that if I were to have a gun in my house, at night, when the ice drops into the bin from the machine, I would have a completely empty magazine and be in desperate need of a new fridge.

We walk outside and see this...

So up goes the anxiety. But I'm contemplating that maybe if I shot a gun, I wouldn't be so afraid. Everyone was encouraging me, so I annied up enough courage to at least take a photo. That is all I wanted. A photo. ONE picture. Then, the SWAT guys were like "Come on, you can't fake like you're shooting the gun for the picture and tell all your friends you were shooting it." I've got a little competitive bone in my body, but that does not mean I wasn't FREAKING OUT. So I decide...I am going to shoot it. I, Kelly Trace, was going to SHOOT a RIFLE. Oh, goodness....

I mean, seriously, 100 things are going through my mind and I wish I took video of it so you could see how much I was shaking. Insane. Would I do it again? Probably. Do I want one in my house? Heck. NO!

After a short water break (Lord knows I needed it!) we headed over to visit the SWAT team's Snipers. I learned that when they are out to get you, they always aim right between your eyes on your forehead. Alllllrightyyy then. He was like, "We're not out to catch you. We're out to kill you." But he also reiterated that they hope to end the situation before they do any of that. Glad it is them aiming and not me! Check out the sniper video below...

 We briefly got to checkout the SWAT truck they use on site to manage a situation and try on some of the gear.

So our final destination was the Corrections Facility. We weren't allowed to take any photos, which of course I was super bummed about for the blog, but understandable. So we walked through metal detectors and into a room. Now, you cannot have one automatic door open before another opens, a good rule when you've got criminals in there. We don't need anyone getting out! We got to see some of the tools the staff is given to ensure that the inmates as well as other staff members are kept safe. The ones I noted most, the Pepperball Gun and the tasing shield.  The pepperball gun shoots like a paintball gun, except it is filled with a stinging pepper mixture that explodes, covering and creating a burning sensation on your body. They had just used it that morning. The tasing shield was a rounded plastic barrier with tasing strips on the inside, making it easy to press an inmate against a wall and get them to calm down. Now, not all inmates are like this, but you'd be silly not to protect yourself with tools like this to control some of the worse ones.

We also got to see the minimum security bays. I saw a man reading a bible and others watching TV. They took roll call and when they misbehaved, the officer put them in their cells. Looked like they are running a pretty tight ship! Our tour came to an end and we headed back to the bus.

What I am realizing the most is that taking this class as an adult, versus a student is very different, not only in the curriculum, but the learning experiences. I learned a lot about community and working together and how to come out of my shell in Teen Leadership. It was more about personal victories at that young age and how to believe in yourself, that you could really go somewhere and be successful. In Leadership Osceola, I'm learning to conquer fears, build relationships and lean on eachother to make Osceola a better place to live. So grateful for this experience. :)

All for now,

Kelly