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SRQ DAILY Aug 8, 2014

Friday Weekend Edition

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Friday Weekend Edition

"Who doesn't like nature? It's romantic and they'll never go out of style."

- Allyn Gallup, Allyn Gallup Contemporary Art Gallery
 

[Gallery]  Gallup Goes All-Natural
Philip Lederer, Phil.Lederer@srqme.com

Allyn Gallup invites Sarasota to look at the outside world a little differently with his gallery’s newest exhibit, Drawn From Nature. Featuring landscapes and seascapes from multiple artists in varied styles, from the literal to the highly abstract, Gallup’s latest offering transforms one of the painting world’s most traditional subjects and turns it on its head.

“Who doesn’t like nature?,” said Allyn Gallup, owner and operator of his namesake gallery on his choice to showcase landscapes. “It’s romantic and they’ll never go out of style.”

And if there’s one thing Drawn From Nature has plenty of, it’s style. The more traditional landscapes and seascapes are present, but with a twist. Bill Nichols’ pieces, including First Light, could have been your standard forest shots, but instead the artist places the viewer inside the foliage and among the trees, sending you to a hidden refuge you didn’t know you were missing.

Susan J. Klein’s work stands out with its imaginative color schemes and precision detail. Red and purple trees spread their turquoise canopy over expanses of glowing orange water, invoking a dream-like wonder.

Further blurring the lines between man-made and natural, a handful of cityscapes are on display from artists such as Deborah Brown and Janaki Lennie. Brown’s red and black ground-level view of the Brooklyn sky, complete with cables spanning overhead and a watertower perched on the horizon is a true delight, impresses while Janaki’s depiction of the Houston skyline through the blazing orange heat and haze evokes an understated beauty and calm.

A standout piece and one of the most singular in style has to be Andrew Kuziak’s 18 Holes, an abstract representation with a surprising subject—a golf course. Constructed of countless overlapping and arcing lines and splashes of color, strung across three canvases, what at first appears mystifying or jumbled coalesces into the forms of golfers and country clubs. It’s half-puzzle and completely masterful.

“He’s making art more than merely two dimensional,” said Gallup of Kuziak. “He’s making art that has some depth to it.”

Drawn From Nature will be on display in the Allyn Gallup Contemporary Art Gallery until mid-October. 

[Daily Shop]  Life's Highs and Lows
Erica Brown

Expect to receive the warmest welcome upon walking into Treat Boutique. Nicole Pepe-Dorn, the owner, will greet you with a smile while helping you find exactly what you are looking for in her shop. Necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings and handbags are separated out, making your shopping experience even easier.

Treat also carries Lokai Bracelets, which are growing in popularity by the minute. The bracelets contain one bead filled with mud from the Dead Sea signifying the lowest point in life, one bead filled with water from Mt. Everest signifying the highest point, and the beads that connect them are clear, a metaphor for life’s circular journey where your path is your own to forge. Treat carries bracelets in a plethora of colors and styles sold for various charities as well, with an amount of proceeds going directly to those organizations.

Treat Boutique, 530 S. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota, 941-366-6369 

[Newcomers]  Dave Bharratt, SouthTech Solutions
Erica Brown

Moved From: Clermont, in April of this year My Profession There: Front Desk Supervisor for four years at Westgate Resorts Friday Nights There: Fridays were spent mostly at work.

Why I Moved: I moved to Sarasota because I wanted a change in my career and a change in scenery. Now I Am: Systems Support Specialist at SouthTech. Friday Nights Now: My Fridays are spent mostly with my wife either cooking dinner, going to a movie or visiting the different local shops and restaurants in and around Sarasota. We have several favorite places that we often visit including Drunken Poets, Tandoor, India Palace, Cha Cha Coconuts and Pei Wei on University. 

First Impressions: My first impression of Sarasota was it was an older town with not much to do but as I ventured out and started visiting different areas, I saw that Sarasota is very vibrant and it offers different things whether you’re in an older age group or younger. Biggest Potential Community Mistake: There are some parts of Sarasota that are really beautiful, but if you drive one block down, there are abandoned buildings and places that aren’t well-kept. My Vision: I was given a chance by SouthTech Solutions to work as a Systems Support Specialist, where I am able to utilize my technical skills and grow as an individual. So with that experience I hope to someday be a Senior Systems Engineer. 

[Recognition]  ArtisTree Earns PLANET Safety Award

ArtisTree has announced that it was recently awarded its tenth consecutive Overall Safety Achievement Award from the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET). The award, part of PLANET’s annual Safety Recognition Awards Program, honors those companies with thorough, high-performing safety programs that create and maintain safe work environments in the green industry. It is designed to recognize green industry companies that consistently demonstrate their commitment to safety. 

ArtisTree Landscaping

[Recognition]  Shamsey Receives Florida Board Certification

Attorney John K. Shamsey, a member of the Sarasota-based law firm Fournier, Connolly, Warren & Shamsey, P.A. recently received his board certification in City, County and Local Government Law from The Florida Bar.  Certification is the Florida Bar’s highest level of evaluation of attorneys and Board Certified Florida Bar members are the only Florida attorneys allowed to identify themselves as a “Specialist” or “Expert”. 

Fournier, Connolly, Warren, & Shamsey, P.A.

[Exec Moves]  Canaan and McDonnell Appointed to Board

Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals, Inc., has announced that the company has made two key independent appointments to the company's Board of Directors with the recent election of Ms. Lee M. Canaan and Mr. Edward J. McDonnell. Both Canaan and McDonnell have substantial expertise, experience and knowledge relevant to the company's mission and anticipated needs.  

Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

[Real Estate]  Waterworks Sells $215,000 Property

Historic Waterworks, a Sarasota company managed by Frank W. Howell, sold 1,786 square feet of office space at 1003 North Orange Avenue to a company managed by Christopher Leader and Punit Patel for $215,000.
Howell’s company bought the building from Sarasota County for $279,000 in October 2003 and finished converting it into office condos in 2006. 

Sarasota County Government

[Candidate Letters] 

Editor's Note: SRQ invited all candidates for Sarasota County School Board in Districts 4 and 5 to write about their candidacies in today's edition of SRQ Daily. Responses are below. 

[Candidate]  Shirley Brown, District 4

We have an A-rated school district with outstanding arts and music programs and leading-edge technology in all of our schools, thanks to careful budgeting and exciting community partnerships. I want to continue to build on this; it’s a ‘win-win-win’ for our students, taxpayers and community.

I ran for the school board in 2006 to bring stability and leadership to the school board.  We had six superintendents in as many years and staff morale and public confidence were down.  

During my tenure, the School Board has:

- Appointed and retained Schools Superintendent Lori White, a former graduate, teacher and administrator for Sarasota schools, who has earned numerous accolades from board members and the public for her leadership.

- Saved more than $100 million by using bonds to take advantage of low interest and dropping construction costs.

- Expanded Sarasota County Technical Institute with new programs at its existing Beneva Rd and expects to have a new south county campus In North Port completed by 2016-17.

- Kept painful budget cuts away from the classroom while preserving art and music programs.

As a former legislator, I fully understands the complicated state funding formula for our schools and can spot the shell games sometimes played. I know that outside forces are pulling legislative strings in Tallahassee to divert funds from public schools. As a member of the Florida School Boards Assn. I have frequently pushed for more local control for school districts and I received Master Board certification in 2007. 

 My children, and now my grandchildren, attend Sarasota County public schools. I want to know they are getting an “A” rated education. We need to prepare our students for college or the work force opportunities that will await them when they graduate.

Awards Include: Who’s Who of Women in Politics; Girl's Inc. - She Knows Where She’s Going; National Council of Jewish Women - Women in Power; Florida Arts PAC- Cultural Advocacy Award; Florida Women’s Political Caucus - Outstanding First Term Legislator; Florida Chamber of Commerce Biz Award; Legislator of the Year – Sarasota Classified/Teachers Association; Florida Network on Youth and Family Services; and others.

 

Positions held and Community Involvement: Florida School Boards Assn.; Florida Consortium of School Boards; Sarasota County School Board chair 2009-2010; State Coordinating Council for Early Childhood Services; State Task Force on Juvenile Sex Offenders and their Victims; Sarasota Chamber’s Leadership Sarasota, Class of 1998; Sarasota Newcomers Club – Founding President.

Shirley Brown is a candidate for Sarasota County School Board District 4 

[Candidate]  Helen Wolff, District 4

We only get one shot at educating a child. This fall, Florida Standards, their curriculum and high-stakes testing are being fully implemented, being pilot-tested on the fly. They are 99 percent Common Core.

Private corporations wrote standards and tests with little teacher and public input.  They are not accountable to voters and taxpayers. They are eager to sell to thousands of districts. They hold the copyrights. States and Districts cannot make changes, only additions.

Supporters say that Florida always had standards. Yes, we do need standards, but the  reason for these standards is stimulus money.

Supporters say that national standards are good for students moving to different districts. A worthy goal, but it doesn’t change the fact that the standards are experimental.

In 2010, more than a year before mandated by law, our School Board adopted a new testing system. It’s High-stakes testing, and it ties teacher pay to student test scores. This testing was never intended to be purely “diagnostic.” Naturally, teachers will “teach to the test.”  This is training, not educating. We do need testing, but High-stakes testing increases drop-out rates.

Districts around the country are voicing concerns about the quality, cost and even the constitutionality of Common Core. But Sarasota should ask a more basic question about the nature of education itself.

The mission statement of Common Core is “College and Career Ready to Compete Successfully in the Global Economy.”  The question is: should the goal of education be preparation for a “global economy?”

In America, the ability to support oneself with meaningful work is fundamental, yet it is only one part of becoming a whole person. Crowding out subject matter that truly belongs in education to produce a good worker will not fully develop the individuality of a free person.

Education should not just be about getting into the right line of work or the right college.  It should be about giving individuals the tools to chart their own futures. We should study the stars, plant cells, great works of literature, history, music and art because they tell us who we are, why we are here and our relationship to the world.

Education is not like not programming machines; education is for real hearts and real minds. Ultimately, it should allow children to prosper into well-rounded human beings who can think for themselves. When education focuses on the individuality of each student, no child is common.

Helen Wolff is a candidate for Sarasota County School Board District 4 

[Candidate]  Jane Goodwin, District 5

I am retired from a long business career including IBM and the YMCA and have served on numerous boards involving children. I have a degree in Business Education and Administration from the University of Georgia. I have a daughter who is a teacher at Sarasota High and a granddaughter at Pine View and a grandson at Sarasota Middle School. I have served for the last two years as chair of the school board and have led the district through the recession with numerous cuts to staff and the budget. My campaign issues revolve around the four pillars of:  student achievement, student success, financial accountability and community involvement.

#1 Campaign Issue

Increase our student options for career and technical education in the North Port/Venice area.  We will break ground soon on a new technical school in North Port which will put in place missing educational infrastructure in the area of the county experiencing the most growth. The location of the new school will stimulate business and economic development in an area of the county with a younger population.

#2 Campaign Issue

Reaching our most challenged at-risk students early. New state-mandated standards for testing and graduation criteria will cause struggling students to fall further behind, including failure to   graduate. The lower 25 percent of our current students fall into this category. The school district will need to strengthen relationships with the courts, law enforcement and social workers and others to assist and work with these students and their families. They must stay in school.  We need to provide a quality education for all our students and only by improving the at-risk students will we achieve the "best in the state."

#3 Campaign Issue

Communication. Every four years we have a dialogue about the need for the continued 1-mill referendum which was approved this year. Every four years isn't enough--or even adequate.  We must provide meaningful measures of the performance, accomplishments and struggles to our parents and the community on a regular basis. Community awareness can be accomplished through more positive media, engaging the community and our students on a regular basis. We must choose a new superintendent in three years. I am equipped to make that choice from candidates inside and outside our district.

Jane Goodwin is a candidate for Sarasota County School Board District 5 

[Candidate]  Randy McLendon District 5

Local decision making.  Those would be the three words I would use to sum up the philosophy behind the platform for my campaign for the District 5 school board seat. 

I am opposed to Common Core because its four parts together – nationalized standards, aligned curriculum, high-stakes testing and data mining – are the antithesis of local decision making.  Common Core was put in place by the state and school board without having had an honest-to-goodness public hearing. My opponent in this campaign has stated it is too late to stop Common Core as that “train has already left the station.” I disagree that it is too late.  Fortunately our Florida Legislature and several states which have opted out of Common Core agree that it is certainly not too late to derail this coming train wreck.  This past session the legislature passed a bill giving local school districts more curriculum control and another to limit personal information that can be “mined” from students. More needs to be done, but our local school board working with our state board and legislature–along with a sustained public outcry–can make a difference for the sake of our children’s education. Our local state representatives and our school board need to be on the same page in opposing Common Core. 

I am in favor of increased financial transparency.  One of the best examples of local decision making was the cooperative effort of local business groups, foundations and the school system in having an in-depth analysis made of our school system in 2012.  This MGT Efficiency and Effectiveness Review gave our school district overall very high marks. However, there were still some recommendations made for improvement. One recommendation was for “a budget document that provides information readily understood by the public.” We parents and residents of Sarasota County are the “stock holders,” so to speak, of the largest employer in the county with 4,800 employees serving 41,000 students in 50 schools with an over-$700-million dollar budget.  As such, the public deserves better clarity about the finances.  The better the public understands the finances, the better decisions we can make about how our money is to be spent and what to expect of our school board in overseeing it.

Visit my website at www.randymclendon.net to find out more about Common Core.  I ask you to please consider these issues and vote for me on August 26.

Randy McLendon is a candidate for Sarasota County School Board District 5 



[SRQ BAL MASQUE]  Beneficiary Information: Suncoast Charities for Children
,

One of our SRQ Bal Masqué beneficiaries, Suncoast Charities for Children, specializes in helping children with special needs and has constructed $14 million in facilities for the children they serve. When you purchase your ticket to Bal Masqué, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to a beneficiary of your choice, such as Suncoast Charities for Children. We look forward to seeing you at our Bal Masqué fundraiser gala on October 4th at the Sarasota Opera House from 8pm-midnight. 

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SRQ DAILY is produced by SRQ | The Magazine. Note: The views and opinions expressed in the Saturday Perspectives Edition and in the Letters department of SRQ DAILY are those of the author(s) and do not imply endorsement by SRQ Media. Senior Editor Jacob Ogles edits the Saturday Perspective Edition, Letters and Guest Contributor columns.In the CocoTele department, SRQ DAILY is providing excerpts from news releases as a public service. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by SRQ DAILY. The views expressed by individuals are their own and their appearance in this section does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. For rates on SRQ DAILY banner advertising and sponsored content opportunities, please contact Ashley Ryan Cannon at 941-365-7702 x211 or via email

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