Pinellas County schools recently increased their budget for mental health services, but many students feel the expanded resources are not sufficient to address the pressures of modern adolescence.
“I think they try, but they really don’t know how to reach out,” a junior from Gibbs High School, who prefers to remain anonymous, said. “It feels like they just tell us to reach out and let us know, but how can I tell you if I don’t feel comfortable?”
Suicide attempts were also found to be more prevalent among underclassmen compared to their upperclassmen peers.
“Because of my busy schedule, I feel burnt out and drained,” said the junior from Gibbs High School. “I have a lot of self-doubt, and my teachers make it harder because they can be disorganized, which makes me feel insecure and stupid.”
The pressures extend beyond daily schoolwork, with looming concerns about college applications, financial stability and future plans.
“A lot of my friends are in the National Honor Society, and we are stressed about money and where we’re going,” the junior said. “Can I even get into the college I want at this point?”
For some students, the stress is intensified by the uncertainty in how they will afford higher education.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to go to college,” said Karla Jimenez, a sophomore from Pinellas Park High School. “I might have to start working soon to save up.”
The county currently offers access to the 988 hotline and other similar suicide prevention communication methods, including foundations that can assist with at-risk students.
Each high school in the region is also equipped with social workers, guidance counselors and other various specialists to assist the students.
The district has significantly increased the budget for the local schools by adjusting the local taxes and implementing a plan that prioritizes student success and caring relationships.
India Stallings, a counselor at Hollins High School, said it may take time before the budget increases lead to tangible changes.
“Regarding the impact of recent budget increases, we have not observed any tangible effect thus far,” Stallings said. “Based on our understanding, it is most likely that any significant impact would not be evident until the 2025-2026 school year.”
Some students have expressed understanding that the support they do receive is reflective of the efforts of their school staff.
“I think the school does the best that they can in balancing the stress,” said Abigail Aldas, a junior at Gibbs High School. “We have good counselors, and they do the best they can.”
As Pinellas County commits to the improvement of mental health services, future students can benefit from these efforts and receive better support in managing the challenges they face.
“If you ever want my help just say children, garden or elderly.”
These are the passions that drive Ava DeVaux in her work in the community of South St. Pete. For the past 6 years, she has been a driving force behind the Bartlett Park Community Garden.
You can find her there throughout the week caring for the crops and teaching others how to do the same. She loves being able to show people how food grows and what it looks like since many people are only used to seeing food in stores.
Originally from Quitman, Georgia, Ava was raised on a farm.
“This is me, I’m an outdoors person”, she says. She grew up in the country with her grandparents who took care of everything on the farm. From all the crops to the livestock, they did it all. Eventually, there were 8 children living with her grandparents and they each had their own gardens.
“We competed with each other. You name it, we were growing it.” This is where Ava’s love for gardening started. From age 9 until 21 she worked as a field hand as a way to make money and help her grandparents. Ava’s passion for gardening also came from her mother who is a gardener. “Mom has a green thumb.”
By: Madeline Seiberlich
Ever since moving to St. Petersburg, Ava recalls driving by the Bartlett gardening and noticing how beautiful it was. One day she decided to stop by and start helping.
After meeting Mr. Tony and Andrea, some of the first people who created the garden, she couldn’t stay away. “We all gelled perfectly, and they saw that I knew what I was doing”, she adds.
Ava has passed her love for gardening down to her grandchildren. They visit the community garden with her and she teaches them how to take care of it.
Her grandchildren know the importance of garden eco-systems as Ava has taught them how the bees, ladybugs, and birds are all a part of the bigger garden community.
After the crops have been harvested, they walk around the neighborhood and offer them to those who live nearby. This is how they invite the community in to join them and take a part in helping in the garden. Lately, there’s been an increase in volunteers and garden members, but many people are still not aware of the garden’s existence.
“You’ve got vegetables right here, come and get them,” Ava says.
Currently, the garden is working on three new projects. They are planning on adding grape vines to the garden again and growing moringa trees to help replenish the soil. Another project they are developing involves adding murals to the garden.
By: Madeline Seiberlich
DeVaux explains that this will be a special way to invite residents in and show them all the garden is doing. They would also like to add a second solar panel, which is how they get the energy to run their watering system. The garden doesn’t use electricity and runs off of solar power.
Ava’s passion for the garden and community is evident in everything she does. When you meet her, you feel welcomed and sense that you’ve known her for years. As she continues to share her passion with others she says that she is, “loving every minute of it.”
The Environmental Protection Agency says that lead levels below the action level don’t require public action, but 45 homes in the St. Petersburg Midtown area tested positive for lead in the water.
Most of the homes that were tested contained very low traces. However, according to the EPA, any amount of lead is dangerous, especially for young children under the age of six.
A journalism class, the Neighborhood News Bureau (NNB), class from the University of South Florida St. Petersburg (USFSP) St. Petersburg worked with students at Academy Prep to conduct the testing in the fall of 2016. Each student took home vials to collect water with specific instructions based on a protocol developed by the same Virginia Technological University’s laboratory that tested the water of Flint, Michigan during the water crisis.
The analysis was conducted by Kelly Quinn, a research associate at the USF College of Marine Science. The chosen method was much more rigorous than St. Petersburg’s program, which tests 50 homes at random every three years based on a contested EPA protocol. St. Petersburg was one of the cities exposed by a report published by The Guardian on June 2, 2016 as one of the cities “cheating” on water testing protocols.
Academy Prep students visit the Oceonagraphic Recent Center in USF St. Petersburg to learn more about the process for water testing the samples they gathered in their homes. Neighborhood News Bureau.
Students at Academy Prep were asked to acquire three draws from their homes and their neighbors’. The first draw required the water to be unused for six to eight hours, which gives an accurate indication of how much lead accumulates in the water as it sits in the pipes. The other two draws measure lead levels after water has been flushed.
Kevin Riskowitz, the interim manager of the city’s environmental compliance division said that the city’s lead testing program only takes one draw. The EPA typically only tests water using the first draw as well.
The EPA says that concerned homeowners can test their own homes, which ranges from $20 to $100 in cost.
“As Midtown fits with the characteristics of most of the communities affected by lead poisoning in their tap water, I believe that it would be good to make sure children (and adults) were not in danger”, said Dr. Bernardo Motta, a USFSP assistant professor who initiated the collaboration between the Neighborhood News Bureau class and Academy Prep.
Sources of the toxic metal can be found in water that travels through lead pipes, which are common in old homes, and in pipes that contain parts made of or welded with lead, which can be found in homes built until 1986. The natural corrosion of these pipes compounds the issue. The result is water containing a trace amount of lead in consumable tap water.
To alleviate the problem, John Palenchar, the interim director of St. Petersburg’s Water Resources says that the city uses corrosion control. This method of water treatment creates calcium buildup in the pipes. Calcium helps to slow the corrosion process.
Palenchar attributed the problems in Flint, Michigan, to the lack of proper corrosion control.
In 1986 lead piping installation and repairs nationwide were banned under the amended Safe Drinking Water Act, but many homes in St. Petersburg still have old piping systems held together by lead solder.
Seven of the homes tested by Academy Prep students that came back above 1 part per billion were built before 1986.
At 2.1 parts per billion on average, the amount of lead found in St. Petersburg’s water supply is low. The EPA’s guidelines mandate that action is taken if levels are found to be above 15 parts per billion.
Even the house with the highest amount of lead in the water tested below the EPA’s action level with 13 parts per billion in the first draw.
Per EPA standards, the city must take action if five or more of its 50 samples come back above the action level of 15 parts per billion.
According to the EPA, in children, low levels of lead exposure are linked to damage to the nervous system. Symptoms and permanent health effects include learning disabilities, impaired hearing and impaired function of blood cells.
“It doesn’t matter what level is found on the sample tests, my main concern is always numbers,” said Cynthia Keeton, a lead poisoning prevention coordinator for the Florida Health Department in Hillsborough County.
Although blood lead concentrations below five micrograms aren’t recognized as threatening to the body, Keeton believes that such levels should be lowered to zero in all children’s cases.
The Academy of Pediatrics recently reported that cognitive deficits and behavioral problems can occur at blood lead concentrations below that level, making the case for preventive measures at home even more urgent.
“Food is the thing that gets the lead out of a child’s body. They need to eat rich foods in iron and calcium. You have to put that back in the body. There’s no quick fix unless this child’s blood lead level gets to be 45, they have to go to the hospital. Otherwise, a crucial diet is the solution,” Keeton explained.
Children enrolled in Medicaid receive a blood lead screening test at 12 and 24 months, and those who are between 3 and 6 years of age must also be tested if they haven’t before.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, blood tests that monitor for lead levels range from $10 to $75.
Young children, in many cases, tend to be picky eaters, which makes the absorption of lead higher, due to an empty stomach. Keeton details that in the end, her main responsibility is to educate parents as key players against lead poisoning, even if it’s challenging.
“You got to get parents to do their part. It takes a parent who has had a lead poisoned child, and knows what it does to the families, to take action sometimes,” she said.
The city’s Community Redevelopment Plan (CRA) currently offers funding programs to property owners who want to upgrade old plumbing systems. Only properties that are considered “affordable housing,” or where an income by a number of people living in the household is between $33,050 to $69,856, can qualify to receive the grant. According to the Funding program, the minimum investment must start at $10,000.
Based on data collected by Neighbourhood News Bureau student’s in 2016 and 2017 last year, many properties can be individually eligible for the grant. However, in order for seven house pipe systems, built before 1986, to be replaced, homeowners would have to invest in the project privately. To apply for the grant, homeowners need to have the full money for the job and then use the grant for reimbursement.
Moreover, replacement of corrosive pipelines may also be covered by an income-based mortgage loan through the city Housing and Community Development division, which has primarily worked on roof repairs, lead-based paint mitigation, and electrical hazards.
There are many options besides pipe repair and replacement to reduce the amount of lead found in water. For most homes with low-level lead-contaminated water, a filtered pitcher will suffice. According to the EPA, one of these simple pitchers costs about $20 but requires maintenance at various time intervals to ensure that the filter’s quality doesn’t degrade over time.
In October, Keeton visited A Perfect Start Early Learning Childcare Center located in Tampa, as part of the National Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week program. Children between the ages of four and six asked her about the toxin, as she guided them through preventive steps to take in their homes and avoid consuming lead at all costs.
Although she’s currently the only staff member of the Childhood lead poisoning and healthy homes program visiting child care centers in Hillsborough County, and orienting children and parents about prevention methods, she explains she’s able to work efficiently because the County facilitates a lead poisoning screening map that identifies 25 zip codes across high-risk areas.
“Inner cities always have more lead because of the age of the houses. The zip codes tell me exactly where I need to be going. I target certain zip codes at certain times of the year too, like in the summer when children are more prone to be outside, they are very much exposed to lead”.
According to Hillsborough County’s Reportable Diseases Frequency Report, powered by the Florida Department, 79 cases of lead poisoning have been confirmed in 2018. Last year a total of 132 cases were reported, and four were identified in minors varying from newborns to four-year-olds.
Unlike the Hillsborough’s preventive program, the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas does not follow up with lead cases based on screening maps.
“For children normally pediatricians routinely screen for lead at their 12 and 20-month visit”, explained epidemiologist Rebecca Bohinc. According to Bohinc, who’s in charge of all reportable lead cases through the County’s Disease Control and Health Protection Division, even if a child lives in a high-risk area that isn’t monitored, pediatricians will normally conduct blood tests.
In Pinellas County, between 2017 and 2018, 23 cases have been confirmed and only two cases of lead poisoning have been traced back to newborns up to the age of four.
Keeton’s recent visits to the Tampa neighborhoods coincide with a recent amendment of the Lead-Safe Housing for Kids Act of 2017 (S.1854). The bill, which excludes lead found in tap water, aims to protect children living in federally assisted housing from lead-based poisoning.
The bipartisan bill, if passed, would require Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to ensure mandated risk assessments for lead-based hazards in low-income housing constructed prior to 1978 before a family moves in.
The Childcare Center on East 21st Ave is neighboring with older houses built pre 1978 that have lead-based paint, as Keeton explained. Three blocks south from the Center, two uninhabited houses showed noticeable paint chips and lead dust on their walls and railing.
“If I were to go up here and touch this area, that’s where the lead is. A family probably lived here, in this condition and moved recently”, she said referring to an uninhabited house on 14th Ave, just a few feet away from the highway traffic of I-4.
Pinellas County, however, has not been nearly as proactive as Hillsborough. Pinellas doesn’t have a counterpart for Keeton’s position or a process for mitigating lead poisoning that resembles Hillsborough’s current program.
Ryan Callihan and Evy Guerra contributed to this story.
SOUTH ST. PETERSBURG—The presence of Hurricane Irma was the cause of stress and panic leading up to its arrival, and the reason for frustration and relief after it left. For the schools stepping in as shelters, this was no different.
After tracking Hurricane Irma through various spaghetti models and varying paths, some schools in St. Petersburg had to prepare to not only close their doors to students during the storm’s arrival but to open them to evacuees as well.
Principal Nicole Wilson of Thurgood Marshall Fundamental and Principal Reuben Hepburn of Gibbs High School knew once Pinellas County Schools closed for students, their next step was to take the appropriate steps to anticipate becoming a shelter.
“I was still in ‘principal mode,’” said Principal Hepburn. “Here we are concerned about student achievement and moving student achievement forward so that our students can get the best possible education from Gibbs High School, and now we have to shift our thinking.”
Principal Hepburn and his administrator tracked the storm. Once the schools closed and the storm still projected to hit Florida, his conference room became “command central” for Gibbs High School’s transition into a shelter.
The whiteboard became an organized chart, Hepburn’s name at the top as EOC commander. People were assigned to their titles and roles.
“We’re going to be a shelter. Our community is going to be looking to us for refuge, a safe haven, to escape this devastating storm,” said Principle Hepburn.
As the storm grew closer and Principal Wilson monitored the storm and followed the district’s instructions on what steps to take to shift from school to shelter, she was hit with a twist.
“It was Friday that I got word that my school was not going to be a shelter because it was in a flood zone. I was being moved to Campbell Park Elementary to be Incident Commander at Campbell Park,” said Wilson. “I got that information Friday evening around 6:30 and that was kind of scary because I don’t know the school.”
Within an hour that evening, Principal Wilson met with Principal Young-Parker, of Campbell Park, to walk the campus for Wilson to come up with the best plan for her and her team on very short notice.
Less than 12 hours later, Campbell Park would open their doors at 6 a.m. to welcome those seeking refuge.
Principal Hepburn and his team opened doors Friday; same time but a day early.
Both principals and their teams organized and managed the crowds in their own ways while still achieving and possessing the same goal to get everyone in as quickly and safely as possible.
At Gibbs, “We had to create a system, almost at like a theme park, where they could form lines,” said Hepburn.
These lines then lead people to registration signs to inform them on which items the shelter allowed and where to go for registration.
The gymnasium and their media center were the two main areas where people would reside because they were convenient entry points.
Hepburn saw these two buildings’ accessibility important to keeping their system intact. Vehicles were able to drive up, load and unload passengers. Hepburn also made sure they had a ramp for those in wheelchairs.
People were also given wristbands in correlation with which tier they were assigned to. The gymnasium was Tier One and the media center were Tier Two.
To add to the impromptu stress at Campbell Park, Principal Wilson was assisted by Campbell Park’s assistant principal with maps of the school to figure out with which rooms would be best for people to stay in since their principal, Young-Parker, has only been at the school since August.
In addition, Principal Wilson points out how delegating roles to her team in a school she was not familiar with was slightly daunting.
“The team that I had that was going to work under me were not my staff employees here on campus,” says Principal Wilson.
Her team was made up of principals and assistant principals from various schools. The only person she worked with on a daily basis was her assistant principal at Thurgood Marshall Elementary.
“I had to assign tasks and responsibilities, like registration, safety, supervision, security,” said Wilson. “Those are things I just had to assign to people without even really knowing them.”
Once they were registered, people were then organized into different sections: single males, single females without children, families, elderly and special needs.
The staff at both locations had their own sections as well.
Since Principal Wilson had to relocate, she and her cafeteria manager had to bring their food and supplies from Thurgood Marshall over to Campbell Park to feed the guests.
Some of the meals had to be served cold at Campbell Park because about an hour into the storm, they lost power. The backup generators they had only kept the lights on.
“For the most part, we tried to give them a heated meal when we could,” says Principal Wilson.
Campbell Park housed about 730 people and Gibbs housed about 1,300, both hitting capacity.
For security, the St. Petersburg Police Department was a presence on both campuses. EMS was also on the scene if anyone needed medical attention. Within the first hour of the storm, Campbell Park Elementary lost power. Gibbs, however, never lost their power.
Despite the panic and stress, both principals see a glimmer of a hope to the experience.
Both responded positively to the overall experience. They didn’t mention having any issues they could not handle.
Principal Hepburn read thankful emails from those who stayed with him in their time of fear and panic, complimenting Hepburn and his steam on their hospitality.
They also gave their teams high praise.
“I worked with a dynamic team. …Phenomenal assistant principals and principals that just stepped up,” said Principal Wilson.
“When you have a collaborative effort of minds that think alike and we’re all trying to achieve the same goal, you get the best result,” said Hepburn.
When Hurricane Irma was on a collision course with the mainland of the United States, Floridians were rushing to their local grocery stores to stock up on food in the chance that the storm would knock out power for an extended period of time.
Instead of relying on non-perishable foods in times of emergency, people can be self-sufficient by eating their own lawns. Urban agriculture is not only vital in times of panic though.
“It’s not just about emergency situations, although that is a consideration,” Sustainable Urban Agriculture Coalition (SUAC) President Bill Bilodeau said. “First of all, our whole food system, on a national scale, is broken. Many of our foods come from 1,500 miles away or more. That involves a lot of environmental impact in terms of transportation.”
An organization in south St. Petersburg that is working in the urban agriculture field is the Local Food Project, which is run by Executive Director Carol Smith, who is also one of the boards of directors at SUAC. The Local Food Project is partnering with Pinellas Technical College’s St. Petersburg campus located on 34th St. S.
Pinellas Technical College had a landscaping program that was shut down in May.The program is getting a makeover and a jump start, led by Smith, who will head the new Urban Agriculture program.
“The estimated date that we’ll start our regular scheduling of classes is February of next year,” Smith said.
“We’ll be running classes mostly in the evening and then on Saturdays. We have a lot of hands-on classes, so we need the daylight, and we can extend the hours in the summer. In addition to that, we’ll be doing activities with the community year-around, and those will gear up around April.”
Bilodeau also plans to be involved in the urban agriculture program at Pinellas Technical College.
“We’re interested in teaching there because of the location – it’s very positive in terms of potential impact,” he explained. “To have a public facility like that as an urban center potentially could have real ramifications in the city and be a hub for anyone who wants to grow.”
Carl Lavender, the Managing Officer of Workforce Innovation and Community Strategy at Pinellas Technical College, worked with Smith at the Local Food Project. That connection helped lead Smith to create the new urban agriculture program.
“We knew [Lavender] because he served on our advisory council for a number of years, so he really understood what we were trying to do with sustainable, local food system development,” Smith said.
Smith would like to run a program that can function on its own and not rely solely on grants.”We’ve been working towards that all along with whatever we do”, said Smith.
The project’s designed to allow self-sustainability and faster growth of opportunities for citizens interested in urban agriculture.
“We’d really like to make it more accessible to have fresh produce in this area. We have five food deserts around us here. This is a high poverty community with low transportation, so to have it right here at their doorstep makes it really it convenient. It shows them that it can be integrated into anything. It’s integrated here at a college campus. It can be into your own yard, your own business, another non-profit’s land – there are so many ways that you can bring the food to the people, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Resilience is a term often used in conjunction with urban agriculture. Recognizing that St. Petersburg is a hurricane-prone city, Smith hopes that the program can capacitate citizens to recover quickly from potential food scarcity.
“One of the top three things that need to happen to help the community is to be resilient,” Smith said. “Food is important; shelter is important. All of these things go together.”
Bilodou is also convinced that crop growth education can have a permanent impact on the community.
“In terms of people becoming more resilient in the face of emergencies – or economic downturn, which is a real possibility – if people are growing their own food, they become much more resilient,” Bilodeau added.
“The benefits are that you know what you’re growing when you grow it. Or, if you buy from a local grower, you can develop a relationship and you can actually go to the garden or farm and see how it’s produced and what kind of chemicals they’re using. We promote organic agriculture across the board for reasons of safety, health, and environmental impact.”
Organizations such as SUAC work to make St. Petersburg a better and healthier city. SUAC was founded several years ago (year?) by Bilodeau and a large group of people in the urban agriculture field. Although many team member’s of the coalition aren’t active, eight board of directors hold monthly meetings at the Enoch Davis Center every first Monday of the month.
“What I’ve found is that people are really drawn to the presentations if the subject matter is very practical in nature and something they can put into practice,” said Bilodeau.
SUAC’s vision is to be a “coalition of diverse yet like-minded people who see the importance of growing healthy food in the City and teaching others how to do it. Our mission is to advocate for healthy food, jobs, and economic development through sustainable urban agriculture,” according to their website, suacstpete.org.
There are more restrictions on urban agriculture than most might think. St. Petersburg is limiting in what Bilodeau and other members of the urban agriculture community can accomplish to distribute food.
“We advocate with the city in terms of trying to move ahead of their urban agriculture ordinances and trying to make them more friendly to growing food here,” Bilodeau explained.
“There have been a lot of restrictions in the past that wasn’t in the interest of urban agriculture. The codes have to be amended continually to make them more liberal in terms of allowing the existence of urban agriculture and activities such as vending food on site at the garden. Right now, that’s an issue, and we’re working on that.”
At the St. Pete Culinary Center, Chef Patrick “PT” Collins was the guest chef at their BBQ cooking class. Chef Collins is an entrepreneur and owner of Deuces BBQ in Midtown, St. Petersburg. As guest chef, he taught the students the importance of cooking as a trade as well as the art of cooking of BBQ. The program is designed to help at-risk youths learn a trade that is in demand as well as assist them in finding a job in the culinary industry. The video covers Chef Collins class as he taught the youths to cook BBQ.
Academy Prep St. Petersburg (APSP) sixth grade students tested the water in Midtown St. Petersburg to check for the presence of lead in the water. They made a few discoveries and wrote a water conservation article in Steam Magazine and broadcasted their reports.
“Lead is severely dangerous. It is dangerous because it can hurt people in many ways. For many adults, lead can cause high blood pressure and memory problems (“Lead Poisoning and Health,” 2016) For children, this can cause behavior disorders, effects on brain development, anemia, and hypertension (“Lead Poisoning and Health,” 2016). Lead can be found in paint and water. It is dangerous when found in the water because people cook and drink the water. Water needs to be clean because that’s the main resource and used to keep people healthy and hydrated.”
The 5000 Role Models of Gibbs High School are providing a biweekly car wash to raise funds for their college tour to Miami, Fla. The program is a dropout prevention, mentoring program that is committed to minority male achievement. The car wash services are available from 12 to 5 p.m. every other Sunday. They had their first car wash on Feb. 5 with the next car wash happening this Sunday.
Coordinator, Javaris Green, hopes they can continue this fundraiser so the students can have opportunities to visit more college campuses. One school on that list is the University of South Florida’s St. Petersburg campus. The date is to be determined, but Green hopes the community will come out to support the young men and help them have a rich college-tour experience.
Partnered with No Limit Detailing, they are offering interior services (cleaning, leather conditioning, carpet shampooing, and wheel and tire care) and exterior services (wash, polish and wax). The charge is $10 per car and $15 per truck. Donations are always welcome. The car wash is located at 534 28th St. South St. Petersburg, FL, 33712. The contact number is 727.648.8540.
Tyna Middleton, the Enoch Davis Center Senior Advisory Council Secretary, and Virginia Scott shared a hug before Scott gave the event history. Scott is the president of the St. Petersburg Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Organization, Inc. She has been part of the organization since this event began 32 years ago.
The Martin Luther King Jr. High School Essay Contest bring students from various high schools to participate, and Scott emphasized how important it is for these students.
“The youth are contributing to the community and society,” Scott said. “These students want to do it; they want to make it good.”
She also said that this is an important event because of the kind of how the general public can act.
“All of the years are about young people beginning to serve,” Scott said. “To become more of an individual in a society where you follow your peers.”
Contribution to society
At the 32nd Annual MLK Essay Contest, Virginia Scott, President of the St. Petersburg Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Organization Inc., spoke to the attendees about the history of the event.
Scott has been involved since the very beginning and enjoys to hear what the students write every year.
“The youth are contributing to the community and society,” Scott said. “These students want to do it; they want to make it good.”
The event is hosted by the Enoch Davis Center and is sponsored by a few other groups such as the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
First speech
Deondrick Harper delivered his speech first. He is in 10th grade at Gibbs High School and was unsure at first.
“It went pretty good,” Harper said. “I was nervous at first, but after I got some of my essay out I felt more comfortable.”
Harper wrote his piece on which Martin Luther King Jr. techniques society can use for peace and justice. He covered recent police brutality and how he thinks we are closer to eliminating racism than we think.
Harper noticed that what he thought was most important about this contest in the community.
“We’re letting people know what is going on in the world, it is the most important win or lose,” Harper said.
Harper was awarded honorable mention at the end of the night and $25.
Life of a hero
Aysiah Pagan, a sophomore at Gibbs High school, presented second. “I was nervous because of stage fright but I think it went well,” she said.
Pagan wrote her essay on how love should be our race, and peace be our religion.
“We’re remembering what MLK did and what he died for, we’re remembering to have love in this world,” Pagan said.
She was awarded third place for her essay and given $75.
First prize
Daniela Pepe, a ninth grader from Gibbs High School, was the third student to present her essay for the MLK High School Essay Contest.
Pepe spoke about how silence is poison to a good cause. She was trying something different.
“I am used to singing at school, but not public speaking, so it’s a new experience,” Pepe said.
Pepe thinks this local essay contest is doing good things.
“Everyone that writes this essay is trying to resolve the conflict,” Pepe said.
Pepe received first place in the essay contest and won $200. She also won two tickets to sit at the annual MLK Leadership Breakfast, Monday.
Tyna Middleton and Virginia Scott share a hug before Scott speaks about the history of the MLK Essay Contest. Middleton is the Enoch Davis Center Senior Advisory Council Secretary, and Scott is President of the St. Petersburg Dr. Martin Luther King Commemorative Org. Inc.
Daniela Pepe, a freshman from Gibbs High School, read her essay at the Annual Martin Luther King Essay Contest, Thursday, Jan. 12.
Aysiah Pagan, a sophomore at Gibbs High school, presented her essay at the 32nd Annual Martin Luther King Essay Contest, Jan. 12.
Deondrick Harper, a sophomore from Gibbs High School, read his essay to the judges and guests at the Enoch Davis Center, for the Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest on Jan. 12.
Virginia Scott, President of the St. Petersburg Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Organization Inc., speaking about the history of the 32nd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Essay contest.
Each slide represents a different political race that will be on the ballot. Follow the flow chart through each ‘Topic’ section. Tally up the stances you agree with (Candidate A or Candidate B). Once you reach ‘Results’, see whether you had ‘Mostly A’s’ or ‘Mostly B’s’ and discover which candidate you match with.
BY MOLLY CURLS Neighborhood News Bureau
ST. PETERSBURG — As the unprecedented presidential election takes the nation by storm, coverage of local politics is suffering.
On Tuesday’s ballot, several races will have profound and immediate effects on St. Petersburg’s Midtown community. This year, Republican incumbent Marco Rubio, who fell out of favor with Florida in the presidential primary, is running against Democratic candidate Patrick Murphy for the U.S. Senate. Incumbent Rep. David Jolly and former Florida Governor Charlie Crist are battling for Florida’s 13th Congressional District. At the local level, Democratic candidate Darryl Rouson and Republican John Houman are campaigning for Florida’s District 19.
Based on a series of interviews with community members, candidates and information on local forums and events, the Neighborhood News Bureau condensed the most discussed issues into three categories: education, the high cost of living, and reform in law enforcement.
Education
The right to a fair and unprejudiced education is not the reality for many children in Midtown, according to community members. Parents are concerned with the disappointing experiences in their children’s education and poor curriculum standards.
“How do we have a say in what is taught in our children’s schools?” Tonya Givens, an audience member at Midtown by Midtown, a discussion forum hosted by the Neighborhood News Bureau, described a disturbingly misleading narrative that has been introduced to her daughter at Campbell Park Elementary. “My daughter came home and was taught that Africans came to America as migrant workers.”
Among the candidates for the U.S. Senate, Rubio has voiced his support of education reform several times in the past, saying that education should be handled at a local level and “if a parent is unhappy with what their child is being taught in school, they can go to that local school board or their state legislature, or their governor and get it changed”.
His opponent, Murphy, who did not respond to emails or calls requesting an interview, states on his campaign website that schools should have “additional support and services” from the government.
Watson L. Haynes, President and CEO of the Pinellas County Urban League, said “children of trauma” is a key term used when discussing obstacles students face as instability at home prevents successful learning. Parents and children experiencing issues such as drug and alcohol abuse, long-term imprisonment, unaddressed mental health problems, and unemployment in their families may affect the children’s development. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, can be detected not just in veterans returning from war but in children who endure one or more of those issues as well.
Jolly discussed the need to create a more accommodating environment for students who find themselves in these sorts of situations.
“Let’s move towards more individualized curriculums, recognizing not every student learns the same way. We can do that in the public school system. For a parent who is trying to save their kid from a failing school, let’s give them choice. Let’s keep our opportunity scholarships in place,” he said at a civic forum held at the Rock of Jesus Missionary Baptist Church on Oct. 13
“Every student is different; every community is different. The responsibility of government is to make sure that the resources are available in the communities that need them most.”
Crist echoes this sentiment and believes the answer lies in investigating failing schools in the area and investing in those schools, providing equal funds to every school in the district.
During the forum at the Rock of Jesus Missionary Baptist Church, Rouson spoke about a situation he found himself in, where he visited a local school and found a young girl in time-out because she “couldn’t think [that] day.” Her mother had been arrested for drugs the night before. “Education must become more creative… more responsive,” he said.
Maria Scruggs, President of the NAACP’s St. Petersburg branch, says that she constantly speaks on behalf of the importance behind quality early childhood education.
“The research clearly supports that when children receive a quality early childhood education, the better prepared they are to enter a public school. Many times it’s too late by the time they’re in first grade,” said Scruggs.
Rouson supports parent involvement and small class sizes, as well as fully funded education from the state. This includes early childhood education programs. In his statements on policy reform, he claims to fight for at-risk children by working with the legislature to increase funding for pre-kindergarten and full-day kindergarten programs for jeopardized children.
Houman’s stance on education remains vague. “Education is the backbone of our society. State and local communities have to work together to improve our educational system,” he said during a phone interview. He has primarily emphasized specialized and higher education, with not much mention of the early fundamental education Midtown is lacking. He supports implementing training grants in manufacturing, healthcare services, IT, and agriculture.
Police Reform
There has been established discomfort surrounding local law enforcement in the area, reflective of the same sentiments felt nationwide. The community has continued to demand amendments and reform throughout the police department.
The main concerns raised by the community are advanced police training to properly handle situations involving citizens with mental health issues; restorations of rights, and accelerating the process of released convicts of non-violent crimes; the cessation of racial profiling; fostering good community relations between police officers and residents; ending private prisons.
When asked about the state of relationships between local law enforcement and the community, Ashley Green, Labor Organizer at SEIU-FL and Movement Organizer with Dream Defenders, said, “The answer is no. The [current] policies do not foster good relationships with the community.”
The U.S. Senate race between Marco Rubio and Patrick Murphy has heated up on the topic of police reform. Their stances vary in multiple degrees.
Republican incumbent Rubio does not support the legalization of drugs in any capacity, and claims that doing so would be a “great mistake.” He also does not encourage the reduction of prison sentences for drug charges and discourages leniency in such situations. Rubio explicitly does not call for the end of privatized prisons.
Brother John Muhammad, president of the Childs Park Neighborhood Association, joined Scruggs and Haynes in the discussion surrounding Midtown and spoke to the current conflict surrounding privatized prisons.
“We have a whole generation of black people that are in prison for minimum mandatory sentences for petty drug crimes,” he said.
Democratic candidate Murphy calls for the automatic restoration of rights for nonviolent ex-felons. He claims to support reintegrating those who have responsibly served their time back into society. This support includes banning barriers on employment applications and credit checks to expand job opportunities to released nonviolent offenders.
Murphy authored the Tracking Reputations Upgrades Societal Trust (TRUST) Act to increase cooperation between police and the communities they serve by measuring community trust in the local police force.
High Cost of Living
The high cost of living in Midtown shows it’s face on many streets on the south side of St. Petersburg. Many can no longer afford increasing rent prices due to gentrification of the community. Access to jobs, healthcare, food sources, and housing have become increasingly difficult in the midst of the community renovations.
One of the largest Community Redevelopment Areas, or CRA’s, in the state of Florida, is sitting on the south side of St. Petersburg, beginning at its approval in 2015. Occupying 4,700 acres of land, including Greater Childs Park, more than twenty neighborhood and business associations, and most of Midtown, the CRA has been highly contested by residents.
CRA’s goals are typically associated with redevelopment of urban areas to promote new business and additional housing projects, various opportunities, and commercial revitalization,
The problem, according to Akile Anai, an audience member at Midtown by Midtown, is “the gentrification and building of Midtown is pushing out the African American community.”
These claims stem from accounts of housing and rental prices being raised as the CRA further develops in the community. Gentrification is the process by which middle and upper-class people take up residence in a traditionally working-class area of a city, changing the character of the city.
“The CRA is a development tool to suppress community,” said Scruggs, describing the lack of coordinated or strategic focus of how one single plan supports the work of the bigger picture: developing Midtown.
Rouson has said in his campaign strategies that he believes small businesses are the real engine of a community. His plan to grow small businesses into flourishing marketplaces includes providing incentives for creating new, good jobs.
“It is so difficult and so challenging [for small businesses to get a loan.]” Crist testifies to the hardship the Midtown community faces in the midst of attempting to produce small businesses and expand local job opportunities. Aside from the CRA, he believes there are alternate solutions.
“I believe that there are things that Washington can do, to free some of that capital up. And from what I hear, here in St. Petersburg, it needs to happen to get more minority owners.”
Republican opponent Jolly does not advocate for an arbitrary hike of minimum wage but believes that a gradual index in doing so is safer for jobs in the long-term. “We need to index it [the minimum wage], create wage growth, but also protect jobs. [And] figure out in a bipartisan way how we do that.”
To find local sites visit votepinellas.com for more information. Polls are open 7:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
