Apple Slices
Florida Future Educators of America
February 2013
Contents
Viera High School Wins Outstanding Chapter Award! ............................................................................................................ 2
Introducing Our New State Officers! ...................................................................................................................................... 2
From the Officers’ Desk… ........................................................................................................................................................ 3
Space Coast High School, Brevard County .............................................................................................................................. 3
Countryside High School, Pinellas County .............................................................................................................................. 3
A Novel Idea ............................................................................................................................................................................ 4
Palm Beach Lakes High School, Palm Beach County ............................................................................................................... 4
West Shore Jr./Sr. High School, Brevard County .................................................................................................................... 5
Melbourne High School, Brevard County ............................................................................................................................... 5
West Port High School, Marion County .................................................................................................................................. 5
Spanish River High School, Palm Beach County ...................................................................................................................... 6
Ojus Elementary School, Dade County ................................................................................................................................... 8
Longstreet Elementary School, Volusia County ...................................................................................................................... 8
Hagerty High School, Seminole County .................................................................................................................................. 8
Morningside K-8 Academy, Dade County ............................................................................................................................... 8
“Like” FFEA on Facebook ........................................................................................................................................................ 9
Contact Your Officers .............................................................................................................................................................. 9
Viera High School Wins Outstanding Chapter Award!
Nomination Submitted By: Carrie Hosmer, Advisor
In Viera High School’s Florida Future Educators of America club, we do a plethora of activities throughout the school
year, such as creating a life-long love of learning from students our members teach, fundraising, participating in local
community events, and attending the local and state FFEA conferences. We hold our meetings every Tuesday morning
before school so we can prepare for the spirit and display competitions as well as getting prepared for fundraisers and
other activities our FFEA program has participated in. The majority of our school members partake in the Early
Childhood program at our school, where students teach the Hawk’s Next VPK students. This has give the FFEA members
the opportunity to experience being a teacher, creating lessons, making lesson plans, and hands-on teaching of
preschool students.
After having a memory-filled time at the FFEA State Conference, it was back to work during the meeting in the FFEA club
at Viera High School. We came back from the conference with many new ways to improve our club and began
brainstorming ideas for next year’s conference. The meeting after the conference was dedicated to a morning breakfast
party where we could brainstorm ideas for next year’s conference theme, “Teachers Make Dreams Come True.” Food
fueled our brains and we came up with tons of ideas that we will begin to execute later in the year.
Our first goal of the New Year was to begin fundraising for next year’s conference and other activities our club could
participate in. We came up with many fundraising ideas, for example, Lucky Grams, which are treat bags filled with
candy that students can purchase for their friends during lunch the week of St. Patrick’s Day and their friends will be
delivered the Lucky Gram during their seventh period class. We will also be doing a Jewelry Party where the members
invite their mothers and other adults to come to a party to buy gorgeous jewelry. In addition, we have planned to have a
car wash to raise some more money. Since Teacher Appreciation Week is during the second semester of school, we
began preparing and coming up with ideas to honor our local superheroes, the teachers at Viera High School. We are
going to surprise our teachers each day of the week with a special goodie to show our appreciations for all that they do
for their students.
Another big goal of our club is recruitment. We are beginning to start recruiting new members for the 2013-2014 school
year. We advertised FFEA in each of the five Early Childhood Education classes and received a lot of interest from the
students. We also designed an ad to go on the morning announcements at Viera High School to bring any other future
teachers to join our club. We are holding a new member meeting on March 6 to introduce FFEA and explain to the new
members what FEA is all about. We are working on a presentation that we will use to introduce FFEA to the new
members and get them excited to begin to promote education and further their interest in the field of education.
Introducing Our New State Officers!
Deanna Breckenridge, President-Elect
I am a junior at Rockledge High School in Brevard County, Florida. I am so honored to be serving as President of FFEA! I
have wanted to be a teacher since the third grade and every teacher since then has given me more and more reasons to
become a teacher. I have been involved in FFEA since the 7th grade and it has been so rewarding. I am really looking
forward to this next year. I plan on majoring in either Secondary Education or Music Education and I would like to teach
Drama/Musical Theatre or English at the high school level. I hope to become a teacher who makes a larger impact on a
child’s life. I not only want to teach them what the school board says they should learn, but how to become the type of
people they wish to be.
Joe Parker, Vice President-Elect
I am currently a junior at Satellite High School in Brevard County, Florida. I am very excited to say that not only am I the
current Vice President of the Florida Future Educators of America chapter at my school, but also the Vice President-Elect
for the entire state organization. I’m also a member of the collegiate high school program where I’ll be able to obtain my
A.A. degree simultaneously with my high school diploma. I’m also a member of Satellite’s swim team, and I am soon to
be inducted into Satellite’s National Honor Society and Brevard Community College’s Phi Theta Kappa honor society. I’m
excited to be the Vice President-Elect of FFEA and further my desire to become an educator.
From the Officers’ Desk…
Sydney Blue, State Secretary
This has surely been an exciting semester so far. The FFEA Conference in Orlando was a great opportunity to kick off the
new year. Our chapter had a lot of fun, and I hope that yours did too! It was great seeing all of the passionate future
teachers getting excited about education. I especially loved hearing the speeches and essays written in honor of the
many teachers that have inspired you.
I would also like to congratulate the newly elected 2013-14 FFEA officers. I wish you luck with your new position and
duties.
Space Coast High School, Brevard County
By Francine Drabik, Advisor
Space Coast High School has had a great year so far and we are grateful for the many fulfilling experiences we have
encountered. We are continuing to intern in the elementary schools. Learning how to be a teacher means a lot to us and
we love every minute of it!
We enjoyed helping out with the Brevard FFEA Trash Bash in which we picked up garbage at Cocoa Beach to keep
Brevard beautiful. Community functions are always our favorite activity because we get to interact with FFEA members
from other schools.
After preparing our conference pieces for months, the club members were able to participate in the Brevard FFEA local
conference in December. Barbara David, Brevard’s FFEA District Coordinator, did a wonderful job organizing the
conference. We learned a great deal from the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) students who were present. The
conference also helped us prepare for state-level competitions. Our senior student, Audra Greuel, won 1st place for her
lesson plan and we are very proud of her!
Our next big event, and most rewarding, was working on our service project for Alex’s Lemonade Stand. We collected
money in classrooms and at lunch for childhood cancer research. The total amount raised for the cause ended up being
a whopping $830! Go Vipers!
January continued to be a busy month for our FFEA club members. We tweaked our display board and practiced our roll
call skit in order to prepare for the FFEA State Conference. We stayed after school every day. In the end, all of our hard
work paid off because we won two 1st place awards! Since the display board and the roll call skit were a team effort, the
awards meant more to us than any individual award could have. It goes to show you that hard work and a positive
attitude can help you achieve any goal.
Our favorite part of the conference was hearing the 2012 National Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Rebecca Mieliwocki, speak.
She was very inspirational. We also enjoyed meeting other FFEA students. Thank you, Ms. Adolphson and everyone else
who made the conference special. Teachers are superheroes!
Countryside High School, Pinellas County
By: Jamy Hoch, Advisor
The Countryside High School FFEA Chapter just finished a book collection project in conjunction with North Pinellas
Women’s Club in Clearwater, Florida. The FFEA members ran a donation drive to collect books from the high school
students for the needy children of Pinellas County. The students gathered enough grocery bags to distribute to every 1st
period class in school. They announced to each class how the book drive worked and arranged with Chik-Fil-A to have a
chicken biscuit breakfast for the first period class that collected the most books. Second place winners received a bagel
breakfast donated by a local bakery. The drive ran for two weeks and they collected over 2000 books. Two different
math classes were the 1st and 2nd place winners. The North Pinellas Women’s Club then picked up the books and will be
in charge of distributing the books to the children who need them the most. This is such a worthwhile project in that it
encourages reading at a young age. There are many children who do not have a book of their own. Hopefully the small
gesture of giving a needy child a book will promote reading in a positive way.
A Novel Idea
By: Patty-Kay Ergle, Advisor
Teach a novel in TA class? What an outrageous idea. Actually, usually Sharon Draper’s new novel is a great idea. As
Melody tells you about her life in Out of My Mind, you will get to find out what it’s like to be an 11-year-old with
cerebral palsy. You learn about Melody’s challenges while seeing how the education system both helped and hindered
her.
Out of My Mind is technically a young adult book but when read with empathy it can teach all of us. Sharon Draper’s
website, www.sharondraper.com, has discussion questions, activities, and research ideas that make this an ideal class
project.
You can take the perspective of Melody, Ms. V. the wonderfully eccentric neighbor, Melody’s supportive parents, the
teachers and aides, or even one of her classmates. As with any elementary school, the class includes everything from
struggling to advanced students. There is even a class clown and a few bullies.
Whether you do it as a class or on your own, don’t miss the chance to read Out of My Mind. You will be a better teacher,
friend, and parent for it.
Palm Beach Lakes High School, Palm Beach County
By Christine Dansby, Advisor
At the beginning of the school year, Palm Beach Lakes High School assisted new teachers with classroom displays such as
student success boards, grade report boards, and college bound boards under the guidance of Mrs. Dansby.
In September, we sold “Enjoy the City” coupon books and sold cupcakes for FFEA members to raise money to attend the
state conference. Tatianna Brown raised over $300 to cover all of her expenses. This month, all FFEA members became
CPR and AED certified by Palm Beach State College EMT students.
In October, FFEA member sold “Boo Grams” as a fundraiser for the state conference. We had trick-or-treaters from the
Little Rams Early Childhood Center stop by for a special treat that we made for them.
In December, we held our annual potluck dinner and Secret Santa gift exchange. Our last fundraiser for the year was
Holiday Babysitting on Saturday, December 15th for a small fee to faculty and staff. We also sold Christmas Candy Grams
and cupcakes. We continued to prepare for the FFEA State Conference.
In January, the Teacher Academy students and teachers at Palm Beach Lakes High School celebrated the academy’s 20th
anniversary. The Teacher Academy includes on-site dual enrollment coursework. These courses are taught by Mrs.
Dansby, an adjunct instructor from Palm Beach State College on the school campus. Students who complete this
program are offered a Palm Beach School District contract upon completion of the teaching degree.
This past November, the academy hosted a Teach Academy Education Affair. Teacher Academy students displayed their
class and individual research in education. These future teachers reported on relevant, interesting and even
controversial topics educators face every day. Shaquayla Mitchell, FFEA President, created a display board for FFEA. She
had many students and faculty asking questions about our club. This year, we decided to represent our school for
various events, including recruitment efforts.
The following students attended the FFEA Annual State Conference in Orlando, Florida on January 18-20, 2013”
Christopher Clark, Tatianna Brown, Kieviyonnia Ward, Joelle Ann Smith and Danielle Robinson. They were great
representatives of Palm Beach Lakes High School. Although they didn’t place in competitions, their spirits were not
down. Joelle Ann stated, “I had so much fun! I really enjoyed the opportunity to be able to socialize with other peers
from around the state.” Danielle Robinson said, “I had lots of fun and I’m glad I made the trip. We didn’t win the
competitions, but now we know what to expect next year.”
West Shore Jr./Sr. High School, Brevard County
West Shore Future Educators are Busy Superheroes in Training
By: Dina Dearmin, Advisor
The West Shore FFEA has enjoyed a productive and exciting 2012-2013 school year. Our students were inspired by the
annual Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) conference held in Brevard County. This conference gives everyone the
opportunity to meet other FFEA members from across the county and learn through hands-on workshops and activities.
They also witness the creative displays and “spirit” of the other schools in attendance. Members also enjoy walking
around the beautiful FIT campus and eating in their new cafeteria. Junior, Carissa Sage said, “It’s a fun event and I always
look forward to it.”
Our club was also very busy with fundraising events such as the pumpkin grams in October and our new attempt at
raising money through an “I Love My Teacher” competition the week of Valentine’s Day. Students will make donations
toward their favorite teacher and on February 15th and the winning teacher will receive a gift bag with items such as gift
cards for dinner, spas, oil changes and other “goodies.” Sure, it’s a popularity contest, but why not raise money for a
good cause? West Shore students really do appreciate their teachers!
In January, our President, Rima Chakhtoura and Vice President, Carissa Sage got to attend the FFEA State Conference in
Orlando. It was really informative and well planned. The students benefitted from the motivational speakers and
workshops. The most exciting part of the event was when Rima won first place for her essay, “West Shore Has A
Genuine Superhero.” This paper was inspired by a true story about one of our teachers, Jason Whitworth, a young coach
who was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Rima stood before hundreds at the conference and while reading
her paper, was brought to tears. The crowd was most gracious and Rima received a standing ovation.
This spring we look forward to our shadowing visit to Meadowland Elementary School, where our club members will
“teach” kindergarteners for the day. The children are so adorable and always excited to see the older kids. Overall, the
club continues to promote the ideals of good teachers. Regardless of well meaning people who question their motives
for being a teacher, our students remain optimistic and follow their hearts toward a profession they hope will improve
young lives.
Melbourne High School, Brevard County
By Vanessa Doan, Advisor
The Bulldogs attended our local conference at the Florida Institute of Technology, where we went on a college campus
tour and enjoyed breakout sessions led by FIT and UCF students. We participated in the spirit, display board, lesson plan
and essay competitions and were very happy to win 2nd place in spirit and student Kelsey Blair won 1st place in essay.
That experience helped prep us for the state conference in Orlando, which we loved! We really enjoyed hearing from
the National and State Teachers of the Year, as well as the more interactive breakout sessions. As always, the
competitions are always exciting and we were proud to take home 2nd place for our PowerPoint presentation. Now,
we’re focusing on end of the year activities, like events with our school’s exceptional education students, recruitment
for next year, a senior goodbye party, teacher shadowing and teacher appreciation.
West Port High School, Marion County
By Vicki Craig, Advisor
West Port had a great time at the conference this year! We are still reading every week to the second graders at
Saddlewood Elementary School as a part of the Teen Trendsetters Reading Mentoring Program and are excited to start
the Endangered Animals unit for this semester. Our FFEA chapter just hosted the West Port Idol show and raised almost
$2000 and will also be hosting the So You Think You Can Dance show this month, all to raise money for Teacher
Appreciation week in May. We are looking forward to the next few months working with teachers on campus, assisting
them in a variety of ways in the classroom.
Spanish River High School, Palm Beach County
Kindergarten Class Mentoring
By: Yesenia Haro, Career and Technical Education Student of the Year
My entire second period in high school is devoted to assisting Mr. Cammock and her kindergarten class next door. A
small classroom in the early childhood education academy hallway has been segmented off for the learning of these five
and six year olds. The experience and opportunity to shadow her teaching skills has been a true honor. Her devotion and
dedication towards her job is evident through the way she teaches with ease and patience. This small amount of time
given to me each day has provided me with hands-on experience in the education field and has furthered my knowledge
in a way that no other class could have accomplished.
My second period begins with me entering the classroom and hearing a choir of children shout “HI, Miss Yesenia!”
Hearing their small voices and attempt to pronounce my name brings a huge smile to my face each and every day. After
the welcome has occurred, Ms. Cammock continues with her lesson plan. The children learn from a booklet of activities
or from centers that address sight words and letters that they are reviewing. There are normally six centers each day.
Two centers include reading and the practice of applying what they have learned to what they read. Another center
involves computers as the children learn new technological skills. The three centers are completely different. One often
involves using letters and sight words of that week to create sentences and apply “real life” colors into their pictures.
The last uses a hand-on activity, like cutting or playing a game, to learn new word endings or review previously taught
material. These centers are amazingly successful with the children. As I pass around the room observing them, I see their
independence developing and their knowledge growing. The excitement they receive from stretching a word by
themselves or reading an entire sentence of their favorite book is priceless. I cherish these 50 minutes of observation
each day and am grateful for this experience that I will remember forever.
Kinder Sharks Own Pied Piper
By: Alexandra Rockwell, Student
I joined Spanish River’s Early Childhood Academy in my junior year. In this class, I take the kids to lunch, grade tests, pass
out papers, explain math concepts, and help with center time—a time when the kids take turns reading, doing activities,
and being on the computers. I do as much as I can to help Ms. Cammock sand Mrs. Engelhardt. The Early Childhood
program is great for teacher preparation and for parent preparation. Last year, I only took one class of Early Childhood
where I was permanently in Ms. Cammock’s class. Then over the summer, I took four online classes so I could take three
periods of Early Childhood this year. I am now in one period of Mrs. Engelhardt’s class and two periods of being a
permanent big shark teacher’s assistant. This year, we have eighteen kinder sharks, sixteen of them are five years old
and two are six years old. This many kids seems like a handful and it is, but I couldn’t be happier to be in the academy. It
is not always fun or easy, but that is what makes it to great—it is a challenge! I just feel like being a teacher is truly the
best thing I can be.
I was accepted to and will be attending Florida Gulf Coast University in the fall of 2013. I hope to get a BA in Early
Childhood and an MA in Counseling. I hope that while I am in college I can get a job working in a day care. I now work in
the Student Den tutoring kindergarteners.
The Early Childhood Academy has helped me so much to find my career path and to help me get more confidence. I
have always been a very shy person, but I have gained enough confidence to speak in front of an entire class now. Mrs.
Cammock is an amazing role model to have. Where I would be running around trying to help all the kids at once, she is
calm and nicely tells them to wait. She always goes above and beyond when she teachers by not just saying yes or no
but explaining what the kids could do better. Mrs. Stenner, Academy Coordinator, said that the “kids are instinctively
drawn to me” because I have an aura or vibe. When I was at a softball game with my parents and dog, about six kids
walked over and asked to walk my dog. I ended up walking around with them for an hour. Mrs. Stenner also said I am
like a pier piper without the bad ending.
Study NOW
By Chloe Carbajal, Student
When you come into high school, having study skills and appropriate time management is invaluable. Once it begins, the
flow of quizzes, tests, and exams never stops. It’s quickly learned that the only way to staunch the flow is to accept
responsibility and learn how to navigate the ravenous rapids of a secondary education. Teachers have realized the
problem that arises when irresponsible kids are trusted with their future, so classes are sometimes offered on the
subject of time management and study skills.
From what I have learned, the key to success and a bright future is to put a handle on the present. Pop quizzes,
vocabulary quizzes, five-question quizzes, chapter tests, finals and endless heaps of homework will conquer you if you
don’t take the time to practice and perfect time management and study skills simultaneously. The moment you learn of
something you need to study for, do just that. Re-copying your notes and writing down key concepts will help you filter
necessary information from the filler information. If you can find somebody to help you study, take advantage of the
situation and verbally go over your re-copied notes and key concepts. Repetition is a guaranteed way to retain
information and to ace all of your tests.
Time management goes hand in hand with study skills: With the two combined, you can be well on your way to an Ivy
League school. When you are faced with the choice of catching up on “Jersey Shore” or schoolwork, the easy way out is
to watch the MTV marathon. Unfortunately, the right thing to do is complete your homework. If you want to excel when
it comes to time management and life in general, you need to make those choices on a daily basis. With every decision
that you make, take your previous arrangements into consideration and plan around them. Procrastination is the bane
of your existence and will never let you succeed, so stay ahead of the game and don’t fall behind. These are not sure-fire
ways to become a billionaire, but hopefully you can achieve greatness of your own caliber with the tools I have given
you.
Fun Collections and Fundraisers
By Cindy Speizer, Student
At Spanish River High School in the Education Academy, we have had multiple fundraisers during multiple occasions.
Together, we have raised a good amount of money, canned food, as well as toys. It is a wonderful feeling being able to
know the we, the students, can help other children in need who we don’t even know. These children can’t help the fact
that they come from a less fortunate family, so it really is a great feeling to participate in these fundraisers.
First, we made a lot of money by selling churros at our school’s carnival lunch. It was a huge success and about 150
churros were sold for a dollar each. There was a large profit of about $100. Throughout the school year, cookies have
also been sold to many students and all the profits go to these amazing children in need. Making money for a food
cause is so heartwarming for me.
We have also had drives at school. We made sure all our fellow students knew they could donate old, gently used toys,
such as stuffed animals or game boards. These toys were then given to the less fortunate children. It must have made
their day because it even made me smile. Canned food was also donated by students to be sent home with students
who are not able to find a sufficient amount of food at their own homes on the weekend. All in all, I’m sure all these
students and children are very thankful for the help from their peers.
Ojus Elementary School, Dade County
By Sonya Gardner, Advisor
The Florida Future Educators of America Club at Ojus Elementary School is busy doing good deeds. During the month of
January, dedicated members sacrificed time to visit our neighbors at Regents Park Convalescent and Rehabilitation
facility. The residents were filled with excitement and appreciation to celebrate the New Year. The members left this
experience with a deeper sense of service and a better understanding of how simple acts of kindness can make a
significant difference in someone’s life. Our FFEA Chapter plan to visit the center on Valentine’s Day to share our love
and put a smile on our friend’s faces. The residents favorably wish to maintain a partnership with our future teachers.
Longstreet Elementary School, Volusia County
By Aurora Perna, Student
I am in the 4th grade at RJ Longstreet in Daytona Beach, FL. This is my first year in FFEA and it is fantastic. Not only did I
get to dress up as Uncle Sam and ride the float in our holiday parade, I also participated in our Winter Formal
Fundraising Dance. The week of the dance, my fellow FFEA members and I sold tickets to the dance before and after
school, day after day. Sometimes, we would dance and hold up signs to entice people to buy tickets. While people
bought tickets, we kept a log of names, grades, teachers, and tickets sold so that we could give receipts.
On the way to the dance, my family stopped at Publix to pick up cookies to sell at the dance. When we arrived, it was so
exciting to see everyone so dressed up. Mrs. Thomas-Smith asked us to hang up the snowflake decorations. We all
helped. Then, we were given different shifts for the picture, the ticket, and the snack tables. The tasks were actually fun,
and made me feel needed and important.
Did I forget to mention that we dance the night away? I had an incredible time. My friends and I had a blast. I wished
that the night would never end. The fundraiser was a success. The whole school had a fabulous time. As we cleaned up,
we chatted, laughed and said our goodbyes. I am grateful to be involved in such a wonderful club and this great event. It
was a truly rewarding experience. I look forward to many more adventures.
Hagerty High School, Seminole County
By Po Dickison, Advisor
At Hagerty High School, our motto is “Working together to create a tradition of excellence.” This is what our chapter
strives for, despite having only ten members. We meet on the last Tuesday of each month to discuss upcoming events.
During American Education Week, members made ghost lollipops with a note that read “We couldn’t stand a ghost of a
chance without you!” for all staff members at the school. On November 15, students spent a day shadowing teachers at
Carillion Elementary School. Students had the opportunity to work with the teachers. They also lead small group
activities as well as worked with individual students. Then they wrote thank you notes to each of the teachers they
spend the day with. In December, students had the opportunity to attend an information session with the University of
Central Florida’s College of Education. They learned about some possible grants specifically for education majors. They
also met with the Student Government Association student members from UCF to learn more about campus life and
how they can be involved once they start college. They heard firsthand accounts of experiences and advice from the
speakers.
Morningside K-8 Academy, Dade County
By Yolande Pierre, Advisor
This collaboration that started two years ago is getting more interesting every year. In December 2012, FFEA
Coordinator and members for DASH brought excitement to our 54 first graders at Morningside. The high school students
from DASH read a variety of stories to our students. Then each child was able to write and illustrate his/her own book
based on the story read to them. Ms. Quintera Parris and her members distributed a collection of Curious George’s book
to each child to start their own home library. In addition, our own FFEA members received two books from the group.
We will continue this collaboration throughout the year and are grateful for the opportunity this partnership brings to
our school.
“Like” FFEA on Facebook
Facebook.com/FLFutureEducators
Did you know that Florida Future Educators of America (FFEA) has a Facebook page? This page is an online community
where members and advisors can ask questions and share ideas with each other to further the mission of FFEA. You can
use this page to connect with chapters located anywhere in Florida!
“Like” our page to receive exclusive details on the upcoming 2013 conference, student opportunities, outstanding
chapter awards, scholarship information, educational resources, chapter pictures and more.
Facebook.com/FLFutureEducators
Contact Your Officers
Whitney Crocker, Vice President: Whitney.Crocker@marionstudents.net
Sydney Blue, Secretary: sblue1@cfl.rr.com
Deanna Breckenridge, President-Elect
Awsom_music@yahoo.com
Joe Parker, Vice President-Elect
josephparkeripod@gmail.com
Contact FFEA:
Allyson Adolphson, FFEA State Coordinator
Florida Department of Education
325 West Gaines Street, Suite 124
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400
1-800-TEACH-FL
Facebook.com/FLFutureEducators