Neighborhood News Bureau

Author: briannasimonebush

  • USF Scores Big with NIL Recipient Sofia Chepenik

    USF Scores Big with NIL Recipient Sofia Chepenik

    By Timony Katon Sports Beat Reporter

    In September 2019, California became the first state to allow student-athletes to receive money for their name, image, and likeness, otherwise known as NIL. This started a domino effect, as other states passed the same law, which led to the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruling in June 2021 that the NCAA can’t limit education-related benefits to athletes.

    Since then, this has greatly influenced the NCAA and changed many schools’ recruiting tactics and compliance regulations. However, some schools have chosen not to be as friendly towards NIL.

    This new law has already had an impact on schools around the country. It unpredictably has allowed schools to recruit athletes they may not have been able to. The University of South Florida is no different, as they have successfully recruited and signed NIL standout Sofia Chepenik to their women’s lacrosse team, which will have its inaugural season sometime in the 2023-24 academic year.

    Chepenik, a USF transfer from Clemson, is the first female athlete to receive a lifetime deal with STX Women’s Lacrosse. For Chepenik, these opportunities have been surprising.

    “Originally, I believed that NIL was geared more towards men’s sports like football and basketball, but companies began to realize how impactful women in sports are,” she said. “It has created many opportunities for women’s sports and how powerful we are.”

    Signing an endorsement deal with a company can be intimidating for student-athletes – plenty of factors to consider, significantly affecting how an athlete’s audience can grow. Chepenik is no stranger to increased support after signing her first deal with Loot Mogul, an athlete-led sports metaverse platform, and Nerf.

    “Being able to see the impact that this deal has had regarding communicating my message of women’s empowerment on a bigger scale, and if not for these NIL opportunities, I am not sure I would have reached as big of an audience,” she said.

    NIL has dramatically influenced the NCAA and changed many schools’ recruiting tactics. Not only have the recruiting tactics changed, but their compliance regulations have also changed. Some schools have chosen not to be as friendly towards NIL.

    The women’s lacrosse team gears up for its beginning, and coach Mindy McCord sees the benefit of college athletes embracing this new responsibility. It benefits a team to have a coach who cares about their players, and Coach McCord does just that. In a world of uncertainty, she is passionate about her players having 100% job placement after college while supporting them and utilizing these deals to their advantage.

    “If Sofia wants to leverage NIL to focus on women’s empowerment or leverage her career, and that’s what she wants, then I am here to support her,” McCord said. “I am as eager to support another player whose passion and purpose is to be in the community serving.”

    As South Florida looks to grow further, its athletics, embracing NIL, have contributed to why that is. McCord also suggested that, like pro athletes, hiring an agent will help college athletes navigate this NIL world.

    “It gives athletes a chance to become entrepreneurs at a young age,” McCord said. “Student-athletes should use their resources to help themselves navigate if they have high goals.”

    Since this recruiting cycle indicates that USF is open to athletes receiving these NIL deals, it shows what could happen for the women’s lacrosse team and USF athletics. These elements indicate a promising future for USF athletics, which stirs much excitement amongst the fans. An avid USF fan and alumni, Liam Summers, sees this as the start of something new.

    “I think that if USF Athletics wants to start being a program that is taken seriously, they need to invest more into their athletes,” he said. “It’s nice that we have athletes transferring here and coming with their deals, but the teams’ coaches should take time aside to help their players get these deals. If USF becomes a place where they will help their players earn money, the higher recruited athletes may consider USF over the other schools in Florida or the country.”

    This new law may help propel USF Athletics into a place it has never been. The athletic program’s reputation could be improved, and this law can help change that.

    Chepenik is considered a trailblazer for women’s athletics. Her NIL deals are evidence of that, but in the long run, she may be a trailblazer for USF’s potential modified approach when recruiting athletes and how the coaches approach their jobs.

  • Local business owners struggle under the weight of booming downtown

    Local business owners struggle under the weight of booming downtown

    By Kelsey Foresta Community Beat Reporter

    Downtown St. Petersburg is the place to be when looking for local businesses to shop or dine, however, a lot of businesses have struggled to join or stay in the area.

    Downtown has been the spot for a variety of local businesses throughout the years and is easily accessible by walking or nearby transit options. Covering roughly 420 acres between the waterfront by The Pier, to Martin Luther King Jr.. Street. N, downtown is home to local restaurants, bars, cafes, museums, shops, and even concert venues.

    “Central Avenue is the spine of downtown, and the neighboring districts all makeup what we know as the downtown area of St. Petersburg,” said Breanne Williams, a Pinellas County real estate and economic development business reporter at the Tampa Bay Business Journal and a Tampa Bay native.

    Downtown is a booming haven for nightlife, retail, restaurants, bars, and more. One of the many benefits of living downtown is the walkability: most places are walking distance from each other, and there are multiple options for public transit and transportation such as rentable scooters and bikes, the Downtown Looper, and the more recent SunRunner bus.

    Another great perk businesses gain when joining the downtown area is saving money on advertising. Because of the heavy foot traffic and constant buzz surrounding the area, walking by so many different businesses lures customers into coming in or remembering the name. 

    However, an interesting real estate market has been established in the Tampa Bay area.

    As more and more people are moving and visiting, rent increases have worried a lot of local business owners, especially those downtown where rent is higher. This year alone, rent has already increased 2.9% for those in St. Petersburg, according to ApartmentList.

    “If the business owns the building, there are really no downsides with being downtown, it’s the rent that is the troublesome part” Williams said.

    An example of a business that owns its building is Grassroots Kava House.

    Sarah Suits, who owns Grassroots with her husband, gave insight into her personal experience and perspective of owning a business residing downtown. Suits and her husband opened Grassroots’ first location on Central Ave in 2017 and rented the building until they were offered an opportunity to buy the building a couple of years later.

    “We put together every penny from our couches…and you know that back in 2019, the market has gone up so much. And so, looking back, it’s like the greatest investment that we could have made.” Suits said.

    Even with the downsides, downtown has been a haven for the arts, with hundreds of murals around, along with a sense of place for locals and tourists as well.

    “Downtown created a sense of community for a lot of businesses, where they became a part of the niche identity of their district, therefore becoming a part of the community,” Williams said.

    Grassroots Kava House is located in the middle of The Edge District on Central Ave.

    One of Suits’ favorite parts of owning a local business is the community and diversity of the people.

    “We’ve got so many entrepreneurs that come in and work all day long here. We have artists, developers, it’s just such a span of people. And it’s incredible that they all come to this space and create this community,” she said.

    Another one of her favorite aspects is the platform local business owners have.

    “It’s very fulfilling for me, to have a platform by Grassroots to support local artists and support local entertainers.” Suits said.

    She mentioned several events Grassroots has hosted where they fundraised money for charities and different nonprofits, such as ‘Come Out St. Pete’, a nonprofit organization helping out different LGBTQ+ communities.

    Businesses in a high-traffic area like downtown don’t struggle with a lack of customers or traction like those who reside in not-as-walkable areas. Especially if the business owns their own building, there really aren’t many downsides for them.

    The local businesses and diverse communities are what make St. Petersburg a unique place to live in and visit. Hopefully, downtown can remain a creative, comfortable space for local communities to get together, shop and eat at, and explore for future generations to enjoy.

  • The Rise of Pickleball

    The Rise of Pickleball

    A new sport is gaining momentum: a blend of tennis & ping-pong.

    By Aiden Connell Community Beat Reporter

    Whether it is curiosity, injury recovery, or just plain boredom,  humans are constantly seeking new ways to challenge each other and have some fun. From the likes of wrestling in ancient times, to the modern-day Spikeball, a different and exciting sport seems to pop up every so often to keep the mind sharp.

    As of late, a new sport has seen a boom in popularity: pickleball.

    This new sport seems to be a sort of crossbreed between tennis and ping pong. The scene of pickleball may seem a bit familiar at first, involving two people at a tennis court. Each person grabs their racket, but these are a bit smaller and more solid than a usual tennis racket. They look more like oversized ping-pong paddles. The players also play on a court half the size of a normal tennis court. They appear to be hitting a neon green ball back and forth across the net, much like a tennis ball, however, the ball looks a bit different. There are holes in the ball. It’s just a bright green whiffle ball.

    Pickleball was conceptualized as far back as 1965 in Bainbridge Island, Washington, by Joel Pritchard, according to usapickleball.org. It spent its first-decade gaining traction, having tournaments arranged, and being featured in racquet sports magazines. By 1984, Pickleball had an official rule book organized by The United States Amateur Pickleball Association (U.S.A.P.A.) and soon spread in popularity around all 50 states by 1990.

    However, in recent years it has been picking up speed faster than ever before. It has been the largest-growing sport in America for the past five years, according to Vermont Public. There is a reason for the sport’s sudden spike in interest. The sport offers a lot in terms of versatility. It’s easy to learn the ropes, yet difficult to master. Because of that, it is appealing to any newcomers, no matter their age.

    “I’ve never heard of it, but I thought I’d have fun learning what it was,” Tyler Janssen, 25, said. “At first, I thought it was going to be a mostly older person sport, but… on a lot of competitive nights, there’s a lot of younger people. Last night when I went, the median age was probably low 30s.”

    Pickleball courts are usually about half the size of a normal tennis court, seeing as the whiffle balls being hit on their ping-pong-like rackets do not travel as far as tennis balls on their woven rackets. This essentially means that anywhere that has a tennis court, may very well have a pickleball court.

    Pickleball courts are located at Putnam Park in Palm Harbor, Florida.

    There are many courts in Tampa such as HCC Tennis & Pickleball Court, Rowlett Park, and Northdale Park, as well as some closer to Oldsmar at Bicentennial Park and Tampa Bay Pickleball. The City of St. Petersburg even offers Pickleball classes at Child’s Park every second Tuesday and every fourth Friday of the month.

    After attending one of these pickleball classes in St. Pete, it was easy to see how this sport can bring people together.

    “We began teaching people under the City of St. Pete., three years ago during COVID. It was an amazing time because people didn’t want to be indoors, but they wanted to socialize and still have the chance to be outdoors,” pickleball instructor Jerry Downing, 70, said. “We saw people just renew their lives in physical, mental and emotional ways.”

    Everyone was so kind to one another, all being eager to team up and learn the sport of pickleball, further brought together by Downing’s helpful and friendly coaching. This seems to be the redeeming quality of a lot of sports, but for pickleball specifically – the personal relationships that can be developed through friendly competition, as well as the mental vacation and light exercise that feels so needed in today’s day and age.

    “I definitely have gained a ton of new friends through [pickleball],” FSU student Josh Phillips, 20, said., “A lot of people that I would have otherwise never met…It’s a lot more personal than other sports.”

    Yet not only can pickleball can provide new horizons for personal endeavors, but for financial and potential business opportunities as well.

    Josh Phillips with the paddles he received through Engage Pickleball as a part of his ambassadorship.

    “I’m a brand ambassador for Engage Pickleball,” Phillips said. “I reached out and applied for Tallahassee, and I get to use their products and I get a discount code as well. So, I can get money off paddles and whatnot.”

    It seems this new sport of pickleball has a lot to offer, as this new sport combines many familiar aspects of a few different sports, making it easily digestible and appealing to novices. It can help people develop new and personal relationships with one another and even may lead to business deals. Yet it has a way to go, as it still is not an Olympic Sport. According to pickleball paddle manufacturer Paddletek, the sport’s fast-growing popularity is lending people high hopes for its inclusion by 2030.

  • Food journalism and influencers begin to overlap in evolving digital landscape

    Food journalism and influencers begin to overlap in evolving digital landscape

    Over the last decade, social media influencers and bloggers have created a space for themselves in the food marketing world and food journalism has evolved because of it.

    By Kaitlyn Bock Food Beat Reporter

    Food influencers are changing the food journalism and marketing industries one Instagram post at a time.

    In the early 2000s, news organizations like the Tampa Bay Times, had large sections for food journalism in their newspapers and entire teams of food journalists.

    “I would say when I started in 2000, if you were in the Tampa Bay area and you wanted information about food, whether it was new restaurants or trends in cooking or anything like that, you had the St. Pete Times, well now the Tampa Bay Times,” Janet Keeler, former Food Editor for the Tampa Bay Times, said.

    Even nine years ago when Helen Freund, the Tampa Bay Times food critic, started in restaurant criticism there still was not a huge market for social media and bloggers in the food marketing industry.

    “At the time, there really was no competition if you want to call it competition from bloggers or social media influencers, that just didn’t really exist back then,” Freund said.

    Freund’s only other competition was other reporters, food critics, and dining room reporters at other publications.

    In the last 10 years, there has been a shift in food marketing and food journalism to more bloggers and influencers on a variety of social media platforms.

    “By the time 2015 came along, there were starting to be more bloggers, and definitely the digital scene was really exploding,” Keeler said. “That didn’t exist when I started, there were more people writing online about food.”

    In October of 2014, Kiera Andrews, also known as This Babe Eats on Instagram, launched her food-focused Instagram. At that time, there were not many other food blogs or Instagram posts only food content.

    “I was like you know what, I’m looking for something fun to do because I did not love my job, I had just graduated from college and I was kind of bored, so I wanted a creative outlet,” Andrews said. “So, I decided I love food, I love going out to eat, I might as well share that.”

    After college, Andrews worked for several companies doing a wide range of media strategies and had her food Instagram on the side for fun, but also turned it into a side hustle by running other restaurants’ Instagram account and monetizing her content through branded partnerships.

    In 2020, Andrews was able to go full-time with her social media platform because she had developed a solid foundation of about 40,000 followers.

    In recent years, the food marketing/ influencing industry has become more saturated with people posting about food to get free food from the restaurants they are promoting. However, that was never Andrews’ intention.

    “I did it because I wanted a hobby,” Andrews said. “I still to this day pay for probably 95 percent of what you see on my page.

     With the market being over-saturated with bloggers and influencers, many accounts are writing and posting about all of the same things.

    “You gotta be original,” Andrews said. “I try to go out there and find some small, locally owned places that not one else is posting about to try to shake it up and keep what I’m putting out there different from everybody else.”

    To keep her content original, Andrews finds places to try that are not getting a lot of press. One thing that she does differently than other food influencers is posting strictly photos on Instagram while many post a lot of reels, she likes to keep videos on her TikTok platform.

    In a digital age of influencers and bloggers, news food critics and food journalists are competing with each other as well as the influencers to post and write original content.

    “We try to hope and trust that our readers understand the difference [between journalism and social media influencers],” Freund said. As newspapers started to report less about food because of budget cuts and financial problems, bloggers and influencers started to fill the gap and be the main source of food content for more people.

    “When I started, it was pretty robust, but when I left in 2015 newspapers were starting to, well not starting, were having more financial problems and they were looking for places to cut and that was an area they were cutting,” Keeler said.

    Authenticity is a huge part of Andrews’ brand; she will only share content about places that she genuinely supports which has created a following of people that trust her and her opinions about the places she chooses to post.

    As a journalist and food critic, Freund uses a formula that she has created for herself when reviewing a restaurant. She will go with other people and order many dishes and bounce opinions off of them, but she will also go back alone to compare the experiences.

    It is also more than just the food; she will pay attention to the ambiance and what is happening in the restaurant on top of the presentation and taste of the food.

    When Freund moved to the Tampa Bay area a little over four years ago, she noticed the different markets for food marketing through influencers and bloggers who already had an established presence.

    Many of the things that food bloggers and influencers share are shown in a positive light, whether it is because they fully support that restaurant and want to share it with their followers like Andrews does on her platforms, or because they are being hosted by the restaurant.

    Even with the continuous boom in social media food influencers and food bloggers, there is still a key difference between influencers and journalists.

    “In traditional food journalism, you’re mostly trying to dine anonymous or unannounced and you’re not taking free meals,” Freund said. “You’re sharing with your reader the full experience that you had.”

    As society continues to become more based around social media and digital content, the two worlds will continue to overlap because of the ever-changing presence of social media in peoples’ everyday lives.

    “When you talk about a social media presence, I think there is some competition there because there are people that are following influencers who are getting their information on restaurants and where to go out from them whereas five years ago, that wasn’t the case,” Freund said.

    Even though there is a clear difference between influencers and journalists, both will continue to adapt in ways they haven’t previously.

  • Exploring the teacher shortage: Hillsborough educators speak out about lack of support

    Exploring the teacher shortage: Hillsborough educators speak out about lack of support

    By Zaniya Graham Education Beat Reporter

    HILLSBOROUGH, Fla.- One of the biggest reasons for the current teacher shortage in Hillsborough County is a lack of support amongst educational staff, but the definition of support changes depending on who you ask.

    The U.S. has been battling a teacher shortage, for different reasons, for years.  Consequently, larger school districts like Hillsborough County are struggling to maintain the educational dynamic necessary for students to thrive.

    As the third largest school district in Florida, and the seventh largest in the nation, Hillsborough County Public Schools are desperate to attract new teachers, and retaining staff is becoming almost impossible.

    At the start of the 2023-24 school year, HCPS had over 500 teacher vacancies, down from 691 vacancies last school year. That leaves classrooms full of students, overworked teachers, disorganized sub plans, frustrated staff, and an overall difficult school year for all.

    The Florida Education Association listed several reasons for the shortages, including pay, with Florida ranking in the bottom five nationally for teacher salaries, lack of support, lack of flexibility in instruction and the need to “teach to the test,” lack of multi-year contracts for teachers and overcrowded classrooms.

    Lack of support, the most vaguely explained reason, is what Hillsborough County teachers agree makes it difficult to attract and retain dedicated and qualified education professionals.  Each educator shared different thoughts about what lack of support means to them.

    Diana Wohlgamuth, the math department head at Lennard High School, says she hasn’t had a full staff of math teachers in 3 years.

    Wohlgamuth has been an educator for nearly two decades. In her time as a department head, she has noticed that the county is lacking in providing support to new teachers who are entering the profession.

    She mentioned how when a new teacher starts in Hillsborough County, there is a person from the district who is assigned a mentor, along with a dozen other people across the district, making it difficult for the mentor to properly provide support to newcomers.

    “Last year one of our new teachers said she saw the mentor once in a semester. I feel like new teachers definitely need more support to keep them going,” she said.  

    She believes if the county reinforces a better mentor system to support new teachers as they navigate a new career field, it won’t be as difficult to motivate new educators to continue in their profession.

    Part of the problem lies in the district’s inability to retain teachers. Those who do become teachers leave the profession sooner. The FEA reported that even before the COVID-19 pandemic, 40 percent of Florida’s new teachers left the classroom in their first five years in the profession, state records show.

    According to a survey by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, deans of colleges of education said the number 1 reason for dropping enrollment numbers was the perception of teaching as an undesirable career. That perception is likely based on complaints about a lack of professional autonomy and low wages, the deans said.

     “As I communicate with all my friends who are still teaching, I really don’t have any regrets because it’s[education] not getting better. If anything, it’s just getting worse each year” said Sam Ziss, a former HCPS teacher.

    Ziss is referring to student behavioral issues and a lack of support from the administration.

    He taught high school students for 8 and a half years before he decided to go back to school to pursue a career in civil engineering. He was unsatisfied as a teacher and resigned in hopes of doing something he actually enjoyed.

    “When kids are acting out and the teacher has no option to discipline them, and we need to go to the administrators, they wouldn’t supply that support. There were just never any consequences for what the kids did, and I was feeling that I could not make any changes in them,” Ziss said.

    Today’s culture is leaning towards a softer approach to disciplining young people in school. Teachers are left to stand by and warn students about administrative action for punishment, however, after those referrals, they usually are left to deal with the same disruptions and disobedience.

    Never being told no or having to answer for their mistakes, having as much authority as adults, and gliding through early years of life without taking accountability for their actions is frustrating for the teachers that really care, and can have dangerous consequences for those students in the future.

    In addition to a better mentorship program, and better disciplinary action, teachers can be better supported if the district hires qualified professionals rather than underqualified and undertrained individuals.

    According to the Florida Department of Education, “Districts prefer to hire teachers certified in the appropriate field(s) for the courses they teach, when possible, to ensure students receive instruction at the level of rigor measured by statewide, standardized assessments.”

    However, substantial proportions of teachers who are not certified in the appropriate field are being hired to teach.

    “For someone like myself who is certified and has done this job for a long time, they’re a strain on me,” veteran educator Joe Diaz said.

    Diaz has been a teacher for 17 years, spending 9 of those in the Hillsborough County Public School district. Diaz mentions that the county is filling hard-to-fill positions with people who don’t have the same skills as the average teacher, making his job harder because he then must try to catch them up.

    “These teachers are coming in without the training that they need, whether it’s in classroom management, or curriculum, or anything. So, I’m literally almost like a teacher for the teacher which isn’t my job. It almost is more difficult, and I would rather not have that person there because then I don’t have to babysit and make sure they’re not doing something I don’t want them to do,” he said.

    The county may be filling positions, but teachers are frustrated picking up the slack from those appointed people who aren’t properly doing the job. The solution is not to hire unqualified people but to properly prepare new aspiring teachers so they qualify for the job at hand.

    Hillsborough County Public School teachers say that in order to address the growing teacher and staff shortage crisis in Hillsborough County Public Schools, lawmakers must instill better support systems for all educational personnel. Ways they believe the district can better support staff include providing needed mentorship programs to new teachers, considering better disciplinary action for disobedient students, and hiring more qualified people to teach, to name a few.

    Ultimately, the district must listen to the professionals who are in the schools every day to make sure they provide the necessary support that teachers desire.

  • Saturday Morning Market is a go-to for St. Pete locals

    Saturday Morning Market is a go-to for St. Pete locals

    By Hope Ward Community Beat Reporter

    The Saturday Morning Market has been bringing joy to the St. Pete community for over two decades and is going strong. It has been running every Saturday from October to May 9-2 p.m. at the AI Lang Stadium parking lot on the corner of 1st Street and 1st Avenue S. With their first market opening back in November of 2002, their goal has always been to be the heart of St. Petersburg, as their website puts it. The founders stated that they wanted a place for people to feel a strong sense of joy and creativity all in one place. This market is one of the top 20 markets in the country and is the largest in the southeast United States. Their typical Saturdays bring in an outrageous amount of people, containing over 100 vendors and averaging around 10,000 visitors. Everything from food, crafts, live music, and much more, the spirit of community is stated to define what the Saturday Morning Market experience is all about.

    The market’s main entrance is located right next to the live band.

    The Market has a long waiting list and has had one for years of wanting participants. They carefully screen their vendors and only select a handful of each category; food, produce, art, etc. One of the Vendors, Jill from Just Jill Designs, has been a vendor at the Saturday Morning Market for the past twelve years. She hands paints silks that come in many different styles, most of which utilize nature. The Saturday Morning Market, Jill explained, was without a doubt the best thing that ever happened to her. One of the things she admires most about the management is how they oversee vendors and treat them like one big family. Jill went on to explain what the market means to her personally.  “…it’s all about local…has a wonderful feel to it that reflects St. Peter perfectly. I see regular customers every week when I’m there and have gotten to know them over the years,” said Jill. 

    Just Jill Designs uses different elements of nature such as leaves and water to create some of her most popular pieces of work.

    People like Jill use events like the market to bring people together in their line of work. The market is very inclusive and diverse when it comes to the type of products they sell and food they make, therefore having a little something for everyone. Alex Joyce a St. Pete local, shared about her experience with the Saturday Morning Market. Alex, along with her husband and their 1-year-old daughter, have lived in the St. Petersburg area for almost two years. The three of them were able to enjoy a fun family outing in the Bay Area. This was her first time attending the market. “Where I grew up, there wasn’t many markets like this around that we could just go and talk to small vendors” stated Alex. “…moving to St. Pete really broadened my horizon and allowed me to see a little bit of everything with events like this.” She went on to explain that one of the local vendors, Hoola Monsters, reminded her of when she would dance at dance festivals.

    Hoola Monsters pioneered as Florida’s full-service hoop dance company.

    While the market only closed briefly, it was still a little while before regular customers got to see their favorite vendors. With that, just the vendors alone had said that they missed seeing their fellow small business friends. One of the busiest vendors was Caribbean Quenched. Caribbean Quenched has been going to the Saturday Market prior to being a vendor, for years. They always admired the market’s ability to showcase local businesses. Once they established their business, they had no doubt about applying for the Saturday Morning Market. “The first market back was amazing. I was hoping to ease my way back into the flow of things, but customers seemed to have been anticipating that day” explained Caribbean Quenched. “…It was very busy; however, it was great to see familiar faces as well as meet new people.”

    All in all, the Saturday Morning Market brings the St. Petersburg community together, whether you’re a visitor or a vendor. It enhances and promotes small businesses from all different categories. The live music, the food, and so much more, are what define the Saturday Morning Market in its entirety.

  • New College of Florida’s controversial move to paint over student murals

    New College of Florida’s controversial move to paint over student murals

    By Mike Martinez Community Beat Reporter

    SARASOTA, Fla. – At New College of Florida, a burst of artistic expression emerged earlier this year when a group of talented artists took their brushes to the walls of the NCF campus. These artists, inspired by an art class offered by the school, painted murals that not only added color to the campus but also inspired dialogue about the diversity of art, inclusivity, and the many changes that were sweeping through the institution. Little did they know that their creative expressions would become central to a controversy that would cause trouble for the college and its community throughout the year.

    In January, NCF witnessed significant changes as six out of 13 members of its Board of Trustees were replaced by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. This brought a conservative shift in the institution’s direction, with critical race theory opponent Christopher Rufo joining the new board. One of the immediate controversies of this change was the board’s decision to abolish diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at the school.

    The following month, the Board of Trustees made another significant move. In February, they appointed Richard Corcoran, formerly appointed by DeSantis as the state commissioner of education, as the interim president of NCF. This appointment marked yet another step in reshaping the institution’s leadership and policies.

    In July, Corcoran announced a “beautification” plan for the campus. However, the plan took an unexpected turn when it included painting murals done by the school’s artists. This revelation came as a shock, as no prior notice had been given to the artists.

    Five NCF artists, Annie Dong, Hannah Barker, Emma Curtis, Hanh Nguyen, and Jay Murphy, painted murals on the campus’ exterior walls of the Fine Arts Complex last fall thanks to the On-Site Mural Painting course led by Professor of Art Kim Anderson.

    Each mural is a unique reflection of individual students’ personal histories and their ties to the campus community. Their themes range from the local Florida environment and wildlife to the celebration of cultural heritage and the embrace of diversity.

    One of the murals done by artist Annie Dong focuses on red-crowned cranes and their symbolism in Chinese culture.

    “I poured my heart into creating a mural inspired by Chinese culture at New College. The college houses a Chinese department that teaches students about the literature and culture,” Dong said. “Being able to bring a piece of the culture to life on our campus was an immensely personal and meaningful journey for me, because I didn’t have that growing up.”

    All but one of the murals created by the artists at NCF were painted over as part of an effort to “beautify” the campus.

    “I felt disappointed to have my mural painted over because I spent over 300 hours in the Florida weather, including putting together the design, to produce this large mural. Also, on a scaffolding that is two stories high,” Dong said. “I am not upset over the fact that it got destroyed, but I am upset with the new administration for doing it and fabricating the lies they have been telling students and people. Lies such as notifying the art department and the artists, etc. Which they did not at all. I had to find out it was destroyed through art professors and Sarasota locals.”

    This change is just one of several dramatic shifts in the school’s appearance and culture. The situation revolving the murals caused controversy around the school’s community for its war on culture.

    Amy Reid, a member of the college’s Board of Trustees, revealed that 40% of faculty members had resigned since the new DeSantis-appointed school board had taken over. The campus was grappling with a wave of faculty departures, leaving students and parents concerned about the academic stability and quality of the institution.

    “I’ve been fighting for the students asking for advice, and I’ve been working to hold this place together,” Reid said. “But the students were being driven away, they still are. Everyone we are trying to save this place for, I thought, ‘I don’t know what we’re still fighting for.’”

    In August, DeSantis lauded these efforts, praising the board for its mission to “eliminate indoctrination and re-focus higher education on its classical mission.” However, his comments were met with criticism from students and parents, with disappointed faculty and students departing in significant numbers.

    The following months became a turning point as Dong began sharing her involvement with the murals through news outlets. Her story added to the ongoing debate surrounding the changes at NCF, shedding light on the broader impact of these controversial decisions on the college’s community.

    Other students involved in the creation of the murals declined to comment on this story.

    The New College of Florida’s journey through 2023 was marked by political shifts, artistic expressions, controversy, and challenges. As the year unfolded, it raised important questions about the future direction of higher education institutions and the balance between academic freedom and ideological changes.

    Amid a troubling year at the NCF, Dong was given an inspiring opportunity. As an art instructor at the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County, she was granted a unique opportunity to share her artistic talents with the broader community.

    Recognizing the value of Annie’s artistic talent, the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County invited her to adorn their art room with her creative prowess.

    Annie Dong in front of her mural at the Desoto Boys & Girls Club.
    2023 Annie Dong
    2022 Annie Dong

    “My heart sank when I first heard the news about Annie’s artwork being hidden away,” said Dawn Stanhope, president of the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County. “Her gift is nothing short of extraordinary, and the thought of it being silenced, along with the talents of other artists, is a deeply saddening experience that none of them should ever have had to endure.”

    Dong infused the room with her signature inspiration, diversity, and inclusivity. Dong’s story displays art’s power to inspire, even in challenging times. As the New College of Florida faced a transformative year, Dong’s mural continues to uplift all who visit the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County, highlighting art’s enduring impact on our lives and communities.

    “The people at the Club keep me going and remind me of the power art can do for any child and human being,” said Dong. “Also, what all the murals can represent is up to the viewer to interpret the mural, that is also the beauty of art, letting the public interpret your art.”

    Original Murals

    2022 Emma Curits
    2022 Jay Murphy
    2022 Hanh Nguyen
    2022 Hannah Baker
  • Tampa Bay teachers face new and evolving barriers as school year begins

    Tampa Bay teachers face new and evolving barriers as school year begins

    Societal changes due to the pandemic and the influence of social media are significantly impacting students. Educators are feeling the effects.

    By Annabel Hutchings Education Beat Reporter

    ST. PETERSBURG – The majority of educators are in their careers because they love what they do, but this love can only go so far with the difficulties that keep presenting themselves.

    The beginning of the school year elicits strong emotions in both students and educators. There is always optimism and excitement for students and teachers alike, with a little bit of the nervous jitters, but teachers are still met with challenges that are hard to gloss over.

    Many educators want the best for their students, but providing a quality education is an experience many teachers are finding increasingly more difficult to deliver.

    Student behavior has always been a challenge that comes with the job, but with changes in society comes a change in children, and many teachers are finding the difficulty level to be rising.

    With the rise in social media and general exposure to more, students have picked up habits that do not translate well into a classroom setting.

    Child Mind Institute delved into many of the impacts that social media has on students, touching upon the lack of social awareness that students now have worse than ever because of what they are seeing online. This type of issue does not translate well in the classroom.

    “The decisions that they make are more short-sighted,” said Brooke Giles, a middle school chorus teacher in Hillsborough county. “I think that this is part of the world that we live in of instant gratification.”

    Students don’t care as much as they used to about consequences, leading them to make decisions based on the instant reactions that they get from their peers that give them the validation that they are seeking.

    The pandemic had a lot of influence on this current situation. Students were at home, where all they were expected to do was complete their schoolwork or at least try their best to. The behavior expectations in an educational environment are typically much different from those at home, so students did not really learn how to act in a school setting appropriately.

    This article by Forbes shines a light on what the disruption of students learning structure did to their education and behavior. School is a fragile and vital time for students to continue learning important life skills and the pandemic interrupted that.

    Now that students are back in school, they missed a formative time of learning and maintaining those behavior expectations in the time that they were not in school, and it shows.

    The interference in the classroom has teachers feeling pressure. Creativity is at a minimum with state curriculum guidelines seeping more and more into the classroom, but the work expectation from teachers is not getting lighter.

    Teachers work tirelessly to perfect lesson plans that will give students everything they need to get out of the lesson, and a curriculum change can throw all of that off in a way that can take ages to repair.

    “Just when you think you’re getting something out of it, they change the material and everything that you’re working with,” said Dawn Bock, who is currently teaching at the fifth-grade level in Pasco County.

    The beginning of the school year requires preparation for the new group of students that are coming in, but teachers who have been around for a few years should have a solid lesson plan that they have perfected. This can’t be the case when so many teachers are thrown off regularly by curriculum changes that leave them having to constantly make changes to their plans.

    A new school year also means a need for new classroom supplies. This should be exciting for teachers, picking out fresh supplies for their students to use, but it becomes a bit more daunting when the financial burden lies with the teachers rather than the schools.

    The teachers either have to reach into their own pockets or find other ways to get the money to supply their students with the materials they need to learn.

    “You definitely do have to dip into your own pocket,” said Cheyenne Campell, a third-grade teacher in Hillsborough County. “Especially in this first year; I’m investing in my future. I will say that it is a lot at the beginning.”

    Parents often raise money to cover these costs, saving the teacher the financial burden, but it is still the teacher’s responsibility to seek this out.

    “It’s still the teacher’s work. I still have to ask for money. It would be so much easier if I could swipe a card and buy what I need,” Giles said.