Category: Education

Cross Country is a popular sport in Parkland and Coral Springs. High school teams are performing well in local and regional competitions. The coaches and student-athletes agree that dedication, discipline, and the right attitude is what propels these teams to winning meets.

The Stoneman Douglas Cross Country program has been very successful over the years. Team members are expected to put in long hours of training and be dedicated to the sport. This year the girl’s team has performed well in all its regular meets and invitational meets.

Emilia Thom, a senior and team captain, recently finished first in a large meet featuring Coral Springs schools. “It takes a lot of dedication and discipline to be a good cross-country runner. I train six days a week. It is something I like to do. It is therapy for the brain,” she said. “The feeling of winning is awesome,” Emilia said. Her goal is to make it to the state championship. Emilia is also in the top 10 percent of her class academically.

Angela Chambers, a coach for the team, believes that dedication is important to winning. “A runner needs to be motivated. We do speed workouts and we train on hills. We also do long distance runs of as much as ten miles. You need to have a good attitude to be a good cross country runner,” she said.

Amanda Taylor, one of the top runners on the Stoneman Douglas team, believes the right mindset is what helps her achieve her goals. “It takes discipline and hard work. We do a lot of speed workouts,” she said.

Karel Klos, a senior and team captain for the Stoneman Douglas boy’s team agrees. “It takes a lot of mental strength and discipline to do well in cross country,” he said.

Each day, the athletes participate in demanding running workouts to improve their time over a 3.1-mile course. They may run ten miles in a single workout, or complete shorter runs at a higher speed.

“It takes mental toughness and a lot of commitment. We do cross fit training and long distance runs,” said Kate Hearn, the coach of the Coral Springs Charter Cross Country team.

Austin Shook, a top runner on the Coral Springs Charter boy’s team said, “We run a lot of miles every day. I do a lot of training on my own. It relaxes me and relieves stress.”

Jodi Medina, the captain of the Coral Springs Charter Girls team, sees a dual side to training. “This is a good way to stay in shape. I have been running all four years of high school. I like being a part of the team,” she said. Medina also plays on the school’s soccer team.

Irwin Goldberg has been a cross-country coach at J.P. Taravella for many years. He is nearly 90 years old and has been coaching cross country for about 65 years. He enjoys being with young people who have an interest in distance running. Goldberg has found that distance runners tend to be high-quality students and are well behaved.

“I love the kids who come out and run cross-country. They are very nice and they are committed to doing better every day. Distance runners don’t fail in school. They are very dedicated to doing well in every area of life. They will go all out to achieve a goal,” Goldberg said.

Michel Normal, the top runner on the J.P. Taravella Boy’s Cross Country team knows the value of hard work., “It takes discipline and hard work to be successful in the cross country. You have to work hard to be successful,” he said.

“It takes commitment and dedication to do well in cross country. These are athletes who want to have better times and accomplish all they can,” Goldberg said.

Brantley Barr has been coaching cross-country for 37 years at Coral Springs High School. He believes it is important to encourage the sport. “I try to develop a lot of young athletes. After a few years of dedicated work, some of the runners will become very successful,” he said.

Tyler Brunton, the captain of the Coral Springs High School Cross Country team, was among teammates who participated in the Coral Springs Championship meet. “Running and being on the team is fun. I have been on the team since my freshman year,” he said.

by Glenn R. Swift

Ponce de Leon was the first European to set foot on the modern-day United States. He discovered La Florida in April 1513 while on an expedition consisting of three ships and 200 men. De Leon’s objective was to look for gold, and the “fountain of youth,” although evidence for the latter does not appear until well after his death. Precisely where de Leon first came ashore is widely disputed, but the most widely accepted location by historians is Melbourne Beach (about 100 miles north of North Palm Beach). De Leon named the peninsula La Florida in recognition of the land’s verdant landscape, and because it was the Easter season, which the Spaniards called Pascua Florida or Festival of Flowers.

At the time of the discovery, there were three Native American tribes living along the coast of southeast Florida: the Ais; the Jaega; and the Tequesta. All three tribes were exclusively hunter-gatherers, relying largely upon fishing, the hunting of manatees and sea turtles, and the gathering of wild berries. Most scholars in the field assert that the three tribes are genetically and linguistically related to the Muskogee group of Native Americans, who dominated the southeastern United States, and were descended from the Native Americans of present-day Mexico. This is in contrast to the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean who are classified as belonging to the Arawak group, and descended from the Native Americans of South America.

Most of what we know about the Ais and the Jaega comes to us from the writings of Jonathan Dickinson, an English Quaker on his way from Jamaica to Philadelphia who was shipwrecked in 1696, along with his family and the other passengers and crew members of the ship. The party was held captive by the Jaega for several days before being handed over to the Ais chief (cacique). Because one of the members of Dickinson’s group spoke Spanish, the group was able to persuade the Jaega and the Ais that they were Spanish and not English. As a result of this good fortune, the group was allowed to travel by small boat and on foot the 230 miles up the coast to Spanish-held St. Augustine. During the journey, the party was subjected to constant harassment and physical abuse with five members of the group succumbing to exposure and starvation.

The Spanish authorities in St. Augustine treated the surviving members of the party well and sent them by canoe to Charles Town (now Charleston, South Carolina), where they were able to find passage to their original destination, Philadelphia.

Ais

The Ais lived along the 156-mile banks of the Indian River Lagoon from present-day Cape Canaveral to Stuart. They were primarily fishermen “who boiled their fish, and ate them from ‘platters’ of palmetto leaf,” according to Dickinson. The Ais cacique, who wielded power over both the Ais and the neighboring Jaega to the south, resided in the tribe’s main settlement of Jece (present-day Vero Beach). The Ais enjoyed friendly relations with the Spanish, but were sworn enemies of the English who Dickinson said they referred to as “Nickaleers.” Estimates vary widely, but most historians place the population of the Ais at the time of European discovery at about 20,000, with 2,000 residing in their main settlement of Jece.

Jaega

The Jaega lived between the St. Lucie and Hillsboro inlets with their main settlement being Jobe, which was located along the banks of the Jupiter Inlet. Like the Ais, their origins are believed by many to date back some 2,000 years. Politically subordinate to the Ais, the Jaega consisted of about 2,000 people at the time of European discovery, and maintained friendly relations with the Spanish. Then again, not every Spaniard at that time fared so well in this neck of the woods. Much of what we know about the Jaega comes from the writings of Hernando de Escalante (1536-1575), who was enslaved and held captive in the region for 17 years before being rescued. (Actually, de Escalante was the “lucky one,” the others in his shipwrecked party were sacrificed.)

Tequesta

The Tequesta lived between what is today Boca Raton and the southern tip of the Florida peninsula, with their main settlement along the banks of Biscayne Bay and the mouth of the Miami River. At times, they also occupied the Florida Keys. Archaeological studies confirm that these first residents of Florida’s Gold Coast date back to the third century BCE during the so-called Formative Stage (“Neo-Indian” Period) of the continent when Florida’s climate had reached current conditions and the sea had risen close to its present-day level. The Tequesta were more or less dominated by the more numerous Calusa of the southwest coast of Florida, but they were closely allied to their immediate neighbors to the north, the Jaega. Estimates as to the number of Tequesta at the time of initial European contact range from 800 to more than 10,000.

Epilogue

Tragically, contact with Europeans had lethal consequences for the “first Floridians.” In fact, by 1760 all had perished, having succumbed to the small pox pandemic that decimated the Native American population of the Americas to a mere one-tenth of its pre-Columbian level.

LOOK WHAT’S AT THE LIBRARY!

by Cynthia MacGregor

Once upon a time—and not that long ago—the library was where you went if you wanted to borrow books or consult reference books. Period. End of statement. But, as the saying goes, that was then and this is now. The library systems in the Tri-country area is a trove of information, materials, educational, and cultural opportunities, and more…and, oh yes, you can still borrow books.

Broward County

The main phone number is 954-357-7444, and the website is broward.org/library. There are 37 library locations throughout the county and a wealth of information, activities, and materials. They offer free special events at the various branches. To find out what’s coming up that might interest you, go to the website and, under “News,” look for the newsletter link. There is also a paper copy of the newsletter available at each of the branches.

If the reason you prefer a paper copy is that you are not too familiar with the computer, you may want to know that their computer classes are popular and they are free. Besides borrowing books, you can borrow CDs and DVDs, and e-books for all popular platforms including Kindle, Nook, and electronic devices—computer, tablet, or smartphone. You can stream movies to your home electronic device, or download music to keep—all for free.

The Creation Station at the main library, 100 South Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, offers state-of-the-art technology including 3D printers and robotics.

Rosetta Stone is a program through which you can learn a Tower of Babel’s worth of languages including Spanish (Latin American or Castillian), English (American or British), French, German, Italian, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Dari (Persian as spoken in Afghanistan), Dutch, Filipino Tagalog, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Irish, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Pashto, Persian Farsi, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Swahili, Swedish, Turkish, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

If it’s learning you’re after but not languages, the Universal Class offers more than 500 areas of study in six-month online courses in such subjects as diverse as accounting, parenting, math, web development, or psychology. You’ll interact one-on-one online with a real teacher.

Also in the area of learning, the library’s e-tutor program can help with homework or studies from kindergarten through pre-college, with a live tutor online…but it’s not just for students. The program also helps with résumé crafting and job searches.

Besides the magazines available to read in the library, you can download the Zinio app and read magazines at home on the electronic device of your choice, through the library.

To learn more, go to the website and/or subscribe to the weekly newsletter, which also lists upcoming special events. To subscribe, send an e-mail to librarymarketing@broward.org

Miami/Dade

Their phone number is 305-375-2665, and their website is mdpls.org. They have 49 branches as of this writing, with a 50th scheduled to open around the time this issue gets published. Two bookmobiles travel throughout the county. To find out when one will be at a stop near you, go to the website, look under “Find a Branch,” and on the left click on “Mobile Library.”

Their offerings are similar to those listed above for Broward: CDs, DVDs, e-books, music, movies, magazines available in print in the branches or digitally online with the Zinio reader, and a very extensive research database.

The educational courses are offered via lynda.com with a wide variety of subjects you can study and train in. They, too, have online tutoring via tutor.com. There is an online encyclopedia, and newspapers galore.

Worth noting in particular, they offer information on available foundation grants and how to apply for them. Another highlight: They have a huge genealogy department through which you can trace your family tree. It is not only Florida based; this service can help you regardless of where your ancestors lived. And of particular note: Unlike most of the services offered here (and in the other tri-county libraries), you do not need a library card to use the genealogy department.

Also on offer at the Miami-Dade libraries: a permanent art collection and rotating art exhibits; and a Florida room that houses documents, books, photos, and periodicals concerning Florida’s history, available for research purposes. Also story times, yoga classes, language classes, and musical performances.

If you wish to borrow books or other circulating materials but are homebound and cannot come to the library, the library will mail your desired materials to you. You can request them by phone or online.

Palm Beach County

The phone number is 561-649-5476, and the website is pbclibrary.org. There are 17 branch libraries and one bookmobile, whose schedule is posted on the web or available on paper at all of the branches.

In common with the other two South Florida library systems there are CDs, DVDs, and e-books, and downloadable music to add to your collection. You can stream TV shows and movies to your electronic device at home or watch on the library’s computers. There are magazines to read in the library or on your electronic device at home, and also newspapers you can read at the library.

If the book you want to borrow isn’t in the PBC library system, you can request an interlibrary loan. Participating libraries stretch all across the country, magnifying your chance of finding what you want.

The library’s monthly calendar of events, called “Happenings,” lists all activities for the month by branch and can be accessed through the website, or you can pick up a paper copy at any branch. There are activities for children, teens, and adults.

Like the two library systems above, the Palm Beach County library also offers computer classes.

What’s available at the library these days? Plenty!

by Aaron Krause

The site where former President George H.W. Bush trained as a torpedo bomber pilot is a short drive away.

For free, folks are welcome to visit the sight — the Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale Museum.

The attraction, located near the Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, features World War II artifacts such as helmets, model aircraft, model ships and a radio calibrator.

You’ll also find the signatures of Bush and Sen. John McCain, who is also a veteran, on a mural depicting military aircraft on their final approach into Naval Air Station Ft. Lauderdale.

Museum director John Bloom said the mural is the museum’s most priceless item.

“It’s irreplaceable,” he said.

“In addition to the mural, visitors can browse nearly 500 models of airplanes and ships and thousands of artifacts and “tens of thousands” of pictures,” Bloom said. Medals are also on display.

In 1942, Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale was constructed on the site of Merle Fogg Field as part of the national defense program. It served as one of 257 air stations during World War II. The naval base is now what might be a familiar destination for you – Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport.

Bloom said Miami International Airport was also a training base for torpedo bombers.

“Florida had tons of training bases,” he said.

The only remaining structure on the former Ft. Lauderdale base is the Link Trainer Building, which housed 6 to 8 Link Trainer flight simulators.

Bloom said visitors to the museum mostly hear about the place by searching Flight 19 on the Internet. That aircraft departed NAS Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 5, 1945. It disappeared into the Bermuda Triangle and was never accounted for.

Every year, on that date, the museum has a ceremony in memory of the 14 airmen who perished. Bloom said a couple hundred people attend each year. The ceremony includes the clinging of a bell located within the museum’s 6,000 square feet.

Bloom said in addition to the mural signed by Bush and McCain, another valuable object is a radio calibrator from World War II. On a recent day, a man entered the museum and gifted it to the facility.

“He just walked in and wanted to give it to us,” Bloom said. “It’s nice because now other people will see it. He didn’t want anything for it, he didn’t want any acknowledgement.”

Visitors will also find a British Enfield rifle, which someone discovered under the sand of a Normandy beach during the 1980s.

A serviceman used the weapon during D-Day. That day occurred on June 6, 1944, when more than 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of French coastline to fight Nazi Germany.

While many are familiar with D-Day, many visitors previously hadn’t heard about the museum, Bloom said.

“Wow, we never knew this was here,” Bloom said, echoing what people often say when they visit.

The museum, run solely by volunteers, has attracted people from as far away as Hong Kong, Brazil, Puerto Rico and England.

One of its more prominent visitors has been the former first President Bush. In 1992, the former commander-in-chief stopped by, signed the mural, and identified the room in which he lived for about three months during his training, in the summer of 1943.

Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale Museum

Hours: 11:30am to 3:30pm. Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The last tour is at 2:30pm

Where: 4000 W. Perimeter Road, Ft. Lauderdale

Cost: Free

For more information or to request a tour on days when volunteers aren’t present, call 954-359-4400. The museum’s website is nasflmuseum.com.