By Daniela Trujillo Lopez
As Lakewood High School worked to strengthen its programs and reconnect with families in South St. Petersburg, parents, alumni and faculty said the school experienced steady academic and community growth this year, while trust among residents varied.
Christopher Mosher, co-director and instructor in the Center for Journalism and Multimedia at Lakewood High School, said the program expanded after several years of rebuilding following COVID disruptions.
“Thriving and growing […] we were on an upswing,” Mosher said.
He said the Academy of Distinction award the school earned last year helped fund student experiences such as field trips, venue access and transportation. He said those opportunities were intended to reward the students whose work contributed to the distinction.
Mosher said the academy emphasized sports broadcasting because many students attended Lakewood High School to play sports. He said the curriculum gave students real opportunities to learn journalism through athletics coverage and multimedia production.
He said the program added a new communications elective this year. Students learned social media management, earned digital certifications and used WordPress to build online content.
Mosher said enrollment increased alongside those changes and that the program encouraged students to apply for more awards through the Florida Scholastic Press Association to build confidence.
While parent involvement remained limited, Mosher said families who visited the classroom reacted positively.
“When families did come in and see what we were doing, they saw the importance of journalism,” he said.
Just three blocks away in Greater Pinellas Point, Lakewood alumnus and local resident Brandee Bolden said she noticed the school’s community presence had expanded compared to when she graduated in 2002. She said she saw the school represented at more community events, including her son’s elementary school fall festival and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Awards Breakfast.
“I recalled a lot of school interactions with other Pinellas County schools only,” Bolden said. “Now I was seeing their presence at other community outings outside of the school system.”
Bolden said she did not believe trust among families had increased.
“I did not feel additional trust,” she said. “I was actually a bit more nervous since the armed student incident a month ago.”
Bolden said she did not have a current connection to programs such as the Center for Journalism and Multimedia because she did not have a child enrolled at the school. She said increased visibility of academic pathways, dual enrollment options and adult learning opportunities could strengthen community confidence.
Inside the school, parents described different experiences.
Krysten Dorsey, whose daughter Alyssa is a sophomore in the Center for Advanced Technologies, said her overall experience “had been ok” this school year. She said she did not encounter issues with staff and believed her expectations were influenced by her own time at the school.
“I thought highly of the school since enrollment,” she said.
Dorsey said the school communicated clearly and consistently. She said her daughter represented Lakewood High School at a Florida A&M University college expo and at John’s Hopkins Middle School.
She said sports also strengthened her daughter’s academic structure by providing study hall time and tutoring.
Dorsey said she did not currently have concerns about academics or safety and noted that Lakewood High School “had one of the highest graduation rates in South St. Pete.” She said her main request involved teachers entering grades more consistently so parents could monitor progress earlier.
The question of whether trust was improving remained unclear. Dorsey said she hoped trust continued to grow. Bolden said it had not improved. Mosher said academy partnerships remained strong, although parent involvement stayed limited.
The Feb. 11 Regular School Board Meeting of Pinellas County addressed the need for stronger communication and more consistent family outreach across South St. Petersburg high schools. Board members said transparency about academic programs and clear public visibility often increased trust, which reflected concerns raised by both residents and parents.
National education research supported those findings.
Joyce Epstein of Johns Hopkins University wrote that meaningful school-family communication increased trust and improved engagement outcomes, especially in schools with specialized academies.
Education researcher Anne T. Henderson found in a widely cited National Education Association report that families were more confident in schools when program pathways were clearly explained and when schools invited consistent involvement from both parents and neighborhood residents.
For families still uncertain, Mosher said Lakewood High School offered opportunities for students who wanted to take advantage of them.
“Our school had a lot to offer for students who wanted to get the most out of high school,” he said. “If a student came here and they wanted to build those connections, this was a fantastic place to do it.”
Mosher said the Academy of Distinction marked the beginning of further growth.
“It proved that we knew what we were doing,” he said. “We were in a great position to keep growing. The distinction was just step one.”
