Florida Sentinel Bulletin

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.

Memorial Park Cemetery

     Memorial Park Cemetery has been waiting a long time! The Friends of Memorial Park Cemetery (FMPC) and other community entities are eager to participate and attend the placement of the Local Historic Land Marker for Memorial Park Cemetery.

      Historic markers are installed by the Hillsborough County Historical Advisory Council. FMPC cordially invites the community to join them along with The Cemetery Society, the Historic Belmont Heights Neighborhood Association, the Hillsborough County Historical Advisory Council, and community leaders for the dedication and unveiling of the Memorial Park Cemetery Historical Marker on Friday, July 19, 2024, at 10:30 a.m.

     This event will be held at the C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. Public Library, 2607 E. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, in Tampa. For more information, please call 813-766-3320.

MYRON A. JACKSON

     Myron Alonzo Jackson, the youngest child of Attorney Harold Andrew Jackson and Jacqueline Haynes Jackson, was born on October 10, 1954, in Tampa, Florida.

      Myron’s educational journey began at Helping Hand Day Nursery and continued at Paul Lawrence Dunbar Elementary School, and St. Peter Claver Catholic School. He graduated from Tampa Catholic High School in 1972 and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA, in 1976.

      After returning to Tampa, Myron worked at the Tampa Urban League and eventually retired as a Community Relations Specialist with the City of Tampa. He also served on the advisory team of the NEA Research Labs cognition and coordination in music across the lifespan at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

      Myron was a dedicated member of St. Peter Claver Catholic Church for 58 years, where he served as an Altar Server and drummer for the choir. His passion for the arts spanned over six decades, encompassing poetry, music, and instrument making, particularly African drums.

     In 1980, Myron and his wife, Natalie, founded Kuumba Dancers and Drummers, a community-based organization dedicated to promoting African cultural heritage. Through this organization, Myron inspired many young poets and touched the lives of thousands of children in the Tampa Bay Area and beyond. He was also a member of the Mujucu Jazz Band of Tampa.

      Myron received several accolades, including the Florida Association of Multicultural Education Trailblazer Award and the Arts Recognition Award from the Arts Council of Hillsborough County. He was honored by the Tampa/Hillsborough Youth Council, and Kuumba Dancers and Drummers received the Weekly Planet’s Best of the Bay/Best Dance Company Award.

     He was preceded in death by his parents. Myron is survived by his wife, Natalie Jackson; their children, Nebulah O. Jackson and Aaliyah K. Jackson; granddaughters, Zenalla P. Forman and Zaleah J. Forman; brother, Harold A. (Mary) Jackson; mother-in-law, Emma L. James of Orlando; brother-in-law, Kenneth A. (Lenora) James of Orlando; sister-in-law, Monica E. James; the Kuumba Dancers and Drummers family, and many other relatives and friends.

     In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Zero Prostate Cancer, a Black men’s prostate cancer initiative, or similar efforts.

  Front side rendering of the New High School in Wimauma

     Hillsborough County Public Schools is seeking input for the name of the district’s new state-of-the-art neighborhood high school, set to open in August 2025.

     The public is invited to submit name recommendations for the new school, which will be located on an 87-acre site at 1712 West Lake Drive, Wimauma. The school, in the fast-growing area of south Hillsborough County, will accommodate nearly 3,500 students. The property will also be home to an elementary and middle school in the future.

     Names for the new high school, in the heart of the Wimauma community, can be submitted at https://bit.ly/HSUUU.

      Name submissions can be sent in from July 8 through August 9. All names submitted will be provided to the Hillsborough County School Board for their consideration.

           The School Board is scheduled to vote on a name at the September 5, board meeting.

      “This high school will be our most innovative project, one that our students will thrive in. The school will serve as the heartbeat of the Wimauma community and meet the evolving needs of our students. I thank the architects for their vision in designing this campus and the construction team for building this beautiful school with the goal of investing in our future – our children,” said Superintendent Van Ayres.

      Names under consideration must follow school board policy 7250. The naming and renaming of all school sites and facilities shall respect all races, cultural, and ethnic differences and values. Furthermore, the School Board prohibits the use of any school or facility name that is in direct violation with its School Board policy 2260 – Nondiscrimination and Access to Equal Educational Opportunity.

      School sites and facilities shall be named for individuals who have rendered outstanding public service to public education, for geographical locations, and for groups and clubs as indicated: Elementary, middle and secondary schools – for U. S. Presidents, school board members, educators, outstanding citizens and geographical locations. An elected official proposed for a school name shall have left public office for a period not less than five years. No candidate for public office shall be considered.

      To stay up to date on the school’s progress, please visit: High School UUU / Homepage (hillsboroughschools.org)