Neighborhood

By Amber Jurgensen | Staff Writer Casey Hamilton sounded like seven different people on the phone. The Plant City High School senior switched between an Irish accent to a posh British accent. His laugh mimicked the voice of his favorite TV character, Peter Griffin, from the show “Family Guy.”

By Amber Jurgensen | Staff Writer In two days Elijah West will be graduating from a summer pre-kindergarten program at Bryan Elementary and moving on to bigger things — kindergarten. The 5-year-old is excited to learn to read and play games with his friends. But there’s one thing Elijah can’t wait to do.

By Matt Mauney | Staff Writer Lindsey Coyne and Tara Vaughn are both enthusiastic about their new positions at Bailey Elementary in Dover. Both will be first-time teachers this fall, teaching the fifth grade, and they both bring a hands-on approach to teaching. “I just look around at all these great supplies, and I’m just […]

By Michael Eng | Managing Editor Durant High School Spanish teacher Virginia Miller’s classroom is abuzz with nervous laughter. It’s still weeks before the first official day of school, but the lessons in this class — the Greater Access Plan camp — are critically important for this particular group: incoming freshmen.

By Michael Eng | Managing Editor Kiwanis Club of Plant City’s Anna Reitz carries a thick notebook filled with columns of numbers and figures all scrawled in her handwriting. The notebook looks like the elaborate work of a bookie, but it’s something far better: the records for the Kiwanis Club’s annual Stuff the Bus campaign.

By Amber Jurgensen | Staff Writer Nobody missed Betty Jones’ fiery red hair when she walked into an intimate reception for her art exhibit at the Photo Archives and History Center July 27. But it was the hat she wore that made an even bigger statement. She calls it the “Photo Archives Hat.”