Florida Sentinel Bulletin

Robles Park Village

     Former residents, currents residents and residents in the area are invited to the Robles Park Village Reunion on Saturday, August 24, 2024. The event will be held 2-6 p. m. The event will honor the first African American Cemetery, with a Zion Walk.

      Robles Park Village was built in 1954, and the community wants to respect a new change and a better community. Gratitude is extended to Mayor Jane Castor for allowing the City of Tampa to assist in this event. Security will be on site. The Robles Park Tenant Association Council, led by Reva Ivan, is assisting with planning this event.

     Anyone who would like to donate or learn more about the event, please contact Ms. Ivan at imonreva10@gmail.com.

  We encourage our subscribers who want to continue viewing the Online Color Edition to subscribe to the  FSB Online App. The app can be downloaded to your phone, tablet, or iPad. Just point your phone’s camera at the above QR code that represents your phone type, either Android, or Apple, and register what subscription level you’d like. For subscribers who already have online accounts through the website, please email me your name and email address, so that I can change you over to the app. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me @ tclarkfsb@flsentinel.com

CAMILLA D. BURTON

As Middleton High School closes out the 2023-2024 year and prepares for the new school year, its new principal, appointed in July of 2023, Camilla D. Burton, remains driven to new heights of achievement when speaking of the work that must continue, from improved test scores on this year’s Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST), and End of Course Exams (EOC) in Biology, Geometry, and US History to the school’s 2024 School Grade.

Principal Burton leads with vision, dedication, and a profound commitment to students’ successes. Her goals for the coming year are to increase community involvement (particularly parent engagement), provide intentional professional development for staff, and build students’ capacity to “buy in” to the rewards of earning a high-quality education.

One of the most tangible measures of Ms. Burton’s impact has been the significant improvement in students’ test scores. Principal Burton re-introduced innovative instructional techniques, such as Learning Intentions and Success Criteria where students must state what they will learn each day and how they know they have learned it during every 90-minute class.

“We’ve made great strides this year,” Principal Burton remarked. “It’s a testament to the collective effort of our entire school community. Our students’ progress results from a shared commitment to excellence, and we’re excited to build on this momentum.”

Beyond academic achievements, Principal Burton has strongly emphasized fostering community engagement. She believes a vibrant school environment extends beyond the classroom and involves active participation from parents, local businesses, elected officials, and community leaders. Over the past year, Middleton High School has seen a surge in community involvement, from volunteering opportunities, particularly with AP Exam Administrations, to partnerships that enhance the educational programs, like Elevate and 5,000 Men Strong programs. She emphasizes the importance of her students knowing Middleton C.A.R.E.S. — that every interaction embodies Collective Intelligence, Acceleration, Resilient Resources, Exhaustive Efforts, and Successful Systems.

This year, however, marks a monumental milestone. Middleton will be celebrating its 90th year of existence. Principal Burton is looking for the entire community (alums, young and old) to participate on Saturday, August 10, beginning at 8:00 a. m. at Ferrell Girls Preparatory Academy (the original Middleton High School). Alumni and leaders will parade up 22nd Street to Middleton’s Memorial Wall. (See advertisements in this edition)

Principal Burton believes that starting the year with community engagement will unite young and old, strengthen bonds within the community, and encourage partners to provide the additional resources needed to support the students.

Also, at 10:45 a. m., teachers will report to their classrooms for a “meet and greet” with parents and students before the start of the new school year. Principal Burton stated, “While we hold Open House every year, this year’s events make Open House very special.”

Then, on Monday, August 12 (the first day of school), from 8:00 am to 11:30 a. m., Middleton Alumni will visit classrooms to share tales of tradition and triumphs while being a student at Middleton.

Principal Burton, who has been a science teacher and an administrator in the district for the past 6 years, enjoys family time with her son, a USF student majoring in Architecture, and daughter, who will begin her junior year in the district.

For more information regarding the 90th Anniversary Celebration, email Octavia Coleman at octavia.coleman@hcps.net.

Clemmie Perry

Tiffany Greene

Kaela Crowell

BY MONIQUE STAMPS

Sentinel Staff Writer

The Tampa Bay Area Chapter of Spelman College alumna (NAASC) will honor three dynamic members of the community at Spelman Blue, Back On The Green: Honoring Women in Sports fundraising event.

The   event will be held at Top Golf Tampa on Sunday, September 22, 2024, from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. The fundraiser will raise scholarship funds for Spelman College students and recognize trailblazers in sports in the Tampa Bay Area.

Andrea N. Thompson, C’97, President of the Tampa Bay Area Chapter of NAASC, states, “The National Alumnae Association of Spelman College (NAASC) Tampa Bay Area Chapter is proud to present our Spelman Blue, Back on the Green event in September.

“We are raising funds to continue this tradition by providing scholarships to deserving young women attending Spelman College and from the Tampa Bay Area.  Spelman College is a private, liberal arts, women’s college in Atlanta, Georgia, founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary.”

The Spelman Blue fundraiser events coalesce around areas concerning Black women. Last year’s gala event focused on education, while this year’s event will focus on sports.

The three dynamic women chosen to embody the spirit of Spelman College, NAASC Tampa Bay Area Chapter, and the inspiration of Blanche Armwood.

The Blanche Armwood Legacy Award winner is Clemmie Perry, CEO of Women of Color Golf,

The True Blue Leadership Award winner is Tiffany Greene, ESPN commentator and reporter,

The Rising Star Community Service Award winner is Kaela Crowell, East Bay H.S. Varsity Girls Basketball Coach and Spelman Class of 2021.

    Tickets are $75 and are available on Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spelman-blue-back-on-the-green-golf-tournament-scholarship-fundraiser-tickets-896381058877.

Academically, Spelman is ranked #1 among HBCUs and 54^th in the nation for best national liberal arts colleges in United States. The Princeton Review ranked Spelman among the Best 373 Colleges and Universities in America.

The National Alumnae Association of Spelman College (NAASC) is a 501c3 and the official organization that supports Spelman College, a historically Black college for women, through financial gifts, student recruitment, sisterhood, community service, and recognition of Spelman women.

KEVIN SNEED .. Founding Dean and Senior ASSOCIATE VICE-President of USF Health

      The USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy is moving into its PharmD program into the USF Health Downtown building. On July 30, 2024, Founding Dean and Senior Associate Vice-President of USF Health, Dr. Kevin Sneed led the effort to expand after he secured a $10 million gift from local philanthropists, Jugal, and Manju Taneja.

The Taneja family attended the July 30 ribbon-cutting ceremony, acknowledging the pride they felt seeing their gift impact USF’s pharmacy program.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor was also on hand with USF executives, USF Health, and community leaders, and celebrated the move as pharmacy school increases its physical space, technology, and creative learning trainings.

Cornelius Demps, Esq.

Atty. Cornelius Demps with wife Deidra, and daughters Alexandra and Audra

BY MONIQUE STAMPS

Sentinel Staff Writer

While the Tampa judges tend to get more press, the judicial race in Pasco County can see a Black man in on the bench after the August election, Cornelius Demps, Esq. Demps is running for Sixth Judicial Circuit Judge.

Demps is the only Black male running for a Florida Circuit Court judgeship in the state.

Demps, who is president of the George Edgecomb Bar Association, is a full time attorney in Wesley Chapel FL.

Demps was born in Fort Pierce, the son of the late Rodney Demps, a 1^st lieutenant in the Marine Corps, and Shearon Demps, an adoption specialist.

His father was one of the notable Florida Highwaymen painter, a group of Black artists in Gifford and Fort Pierce that avoided the low pay of working orange groves by selling Florida landscape paintings during the 1950s-1980s.

Although the young Demps originally trained as an engineer, he found his calling in law. He graduated from Stetson Law School with several prestigious awards. He earned his certificate in the Concentration in Advocacy program and focused his studies in corporate and business law studies.

After briefly serving as a law clerk at a Tampa firm, Demps left private practice to be a Senior Assistant State Attorney in the Sixth Judicial Circuit of Florida, where he was assigned to the West Pasco Divisioni.

“I loved being a prosecutor, however, my wife and I were expecting our first baby and needed a more competitive salary.

“I opened my own law, The Demps Law Firm, PLLC, in Wesley Chapel during COVID. The next step is bringing my experience and talent to the bench.”

After being open for a year, Demps was named one of the People to Know in the Law by the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

“Whether I am prosecuting a felony case or solving a business dispute, I want to help people.

“My mentor, Lance Scriven, ESQ., suggested that I focus on judicial races and appointments with my strong experience as a trial attorney and prosecutor. As the George Edgecomb Bar Association president, I also have administrative chops as well as being a strong leader.”

Demps says this is the time, “I can feel this in my bones. I am meant to be  a judge in Pasco County, bringing a complex knowledge and experience base that will serve the people of Pasco County.”

“People want change, and they want diversity on the bench. Local elections are crucial, especially in Florida. We can’t just focus on the national election. We need to support those ideals for local offices as well.”

Demps and his wife Deidra have 2 daughters Alexandra, 6, and Audra, 3.