New student success centers being funded by the Education Foundation of Sarasota County starting this August help students at North Port High and Riverview High figure what life path works best for them, whether that means college, the workforce, the military or some other course. “That’s what we’re helping them sort out,” says Jennifer Vigne, executive director of the foundation. “The end goal is to help develop an appreciation of the value of learning and know it’s a continuous process in a lifetime.”

The new centers will be among the most notable steps in a $500,000 investment into the foundation’s College, Career and Life Readiness initiative, an effort to make students aware of their post-secondary options and help them to make choices that best suit their own plans and needs. The new centers could serve as pilot programs for similar efforts at other schools, but, more importantly, they contribute to better informing an education continuum focused on life preparation.

Vigne says the most important lesson may be for students to keep their own outlook flexible in a highly changing environment. “We are not suggesting students just pick Door A for college or Door B for careers,” she says. “It’s a blended approach more to look further in a lifespan.” So don’t just plan to stay on one path and live in one silo the rest of your life, she says.

These centers will be financed and operated by the foundation, but they are also part of more behind-the-scenes realigning of resources within the Sarasota County Schools. Foundation leaders have worked closely with new Sarasota Superintendent of Schools Todd Bowden on his career readiness strategic initiatives. Besides the centers, the foundation has also fully funded a new district position, a director of College, Career and Life Readiness. Suzanne Burke, formerly the associate superintendent for academics for the Austin Independent School District in Texas, has been hired into that role.

The entire effort will also look at the implementation of Florida school standards, see where that curriculum helps with post-high school life readiness and identify where there may be gaps that need to be filled.  

Especially embraced by Floridians as a versatile constituent and nutrient—from floating in the dense salinity of Gulf Coast’s seawater, to cooking with local sea salt as key seasoning, salt remains to be recognized as an essential mineral to everyday life. Siesta Healing is now here to reveal and educate us all on the all-encompassing benefits of salt for our mind, body and spirit. The business opened on Siesta Key just two months ago, introducing the community to alternative healing methods, whether you need to get healthy or stay healthy. Far too many harsh chemicals and man-made products act as resources for healing nowadays—pop a pill here, rub on ointment there. Have we forgotten all the holistic, natural methods at our fingertips?

The concept for Siesta Healing came to fruition after a family member was diagnosed with breast cancer. The family jumped into action and began researching various treatment methods, as well as ways to help manage the pain and effects of surgeries and chemotherapy. After realizing there weren’t any facilities in Sarasota that housed any of the intrinsic arsenal they found from research, they decided to fix that—founding the first full-service wellness center of its kind in our area. Services include massage, acupuncture and Halotherapy in their “salt room”— where the effects of salt caves are recreated for you to relax and breathe the aerosol. This enables the body to holistically break down and expel pollutants/bacteria throughout the respiratory system, reducing lung inflammation, thinning mucus build-up and opening breathing passages—drug-free, non-invasive and no side effects or potential health hazards. They further offer Mild Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in a “hyperbaric chamber”, where air levels are substantially increased in a pressurized tube, which allows lungs to gather more oxygen than would normally be possible. This enables higher levels of pure oxygen carried to the blood, kickstarting the body to better fight bacteria and regenerate stem cells to promote healing.

The moment you walk in, you’ll be warmly greeted with flourishing bonsai trees, bamboo, illuminating salt rock lamps, as well as a book collection of plants, herbal antibiotics, exercise and other educational apothecary materials. Make your way over to the shelved wall featuring Siesta Healing products galore. Weigh down your tote with essential oils, gemstones, candles, incense, herbs, loose-leaf teas, soaps and lotions. Beyond the retail portion, they also offer workshops in their back studio for nutrition, meditation and yoga classes—on ground and on water with SUP opportunities. This is hands-down your new, oceanside relaxation destination. Stay salty friends!  

Photo provided by Siesta Healing

Siesta Healing, 5101 Ocean Blvd., Sarasota, 941-413-0550.

Next weekend’s forecast calls for a 99% chance of wine with a high probability of food coma. Saturday, June 23, the IMG crew will be hosting a Bistro Wine Night Event in the Grille Room. Get ready to be wined and dined with a three-course experience to be remembered.

A Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad initiates the meal with pickled onion, candied pecans and housemade champagne vinaigrette. This comes paired with 2015 “Wiseguy” Sauvignon Blanc from Washington. The main course offers two options—the Black ‘n Blue Filet, a USDA choice tenderloin blackened and topped with creamy local Daikon Farms blue cheese, caramelized onion demi glace and baked creamed pearl onion, served with Pomme Fritte—or the Blackened Salmon, a North Atlantic salmon with a semi-spicy crust and Buerre Rouge, served with seared asparagus and American home fries. Both will come paired with 2016 “Sinister Hand” Red Blend from Washington. Last but certainly not least, Petite Gateau au Chocolat unveils a fondant made of macadamia nut, white chocolate, raspberry and chocolate sauce for dessert. This decadent dish pairs with 2014 “Melee” Grenache from California.

No matter the actual weather turnout next weekend, don’t miss out on the coupling of fine wine tasting and fine dining devouring. Reservations are required and tickets priced at $22/person.

The Grille at IMG Academy Golf Club is a member of Nosh, the SRQ Magazine content marketing program for local restaurants. 

IMG Academy Golf Club Grille, 4350 El Conquistador Pkwy, Bradenton, 941-758-1467.

Paul Grohowski, a twenty-two-year experienced law enforcement veteran, has been named chief of police with the Sarasota County School District effective immediately, pending employment screenings and School Board approval. Grohowski will report to Michael Andreas, the executive director of public safety, and will oversee the school-based police force, which will initially include the chief of police, three police sergeants and 21-24 school resource officers for the 2018-19 school year. A law enforcement executive, Grohowski recently served as the director of public safety and chief of police for the Allan Hancock Joint Community College District Police Department in Santa Maria, CA, where he was responsible for the overall public safety of four college campuses throughout Santa Barbara County; serving more than 22,000 students and staff. Prior to his tenure at Allan Hancock College, Grohowski held the position of chief of police with the Adams State University Police Department and served as an adjunct professor at Trinidad State Junior College, both in Colorado from 2015 – 2016, where he honed his craft in law enforcement training and establishing department polices and standard operating procedures. 

Sarasota County Schools

Manatee Memorial Hospital (MMH) and Manatee Diagnostic Center (MDC) lung programs have been named Screening Centers of Excellence by the Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) for their ongoing commitment to responsible lung cancer screenings. Low dose CT screening for lung cancer carried out safely, efficiently and equitably saves tens of thousands of lives a year. Designated Screening Centers of Excellence are committed to providing clear and current, evidence-based information on candidates who meet criteria for lung cancer screening. They also comply with comprehensive best-practice standards for controlling screening quality, radiation dosage and diagnostic procedures within an experienced, multi-disciplinary setting. The best practices followed are developed by professional bodies, such as the American College of Radiology (ACR), the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (I-ELCAP).  

Manatee Memorial Hospital

Dale Parks of D/Parks Architect has been awarded the AIA Florida Gulf Coast chapter’s 2018 Chapter Honor Award. The AIA Florida Gulf Coast chapter’s Medal of Honor award recognizes an AIA member who has at least 15 years of experience demonstrating the most distinguished service to the chapter, community and the architectural profession. The chapter reported it was very important to the jury deliberations that the winner be someone who excelled in all three of these categories, and that work undertaken by an architect for the betterment of the profession be recognized. In bestowing the award, Parks was lauded as an architect who has volunteered time and talent for the betterment of the community and profession through his service to both AIA Florida and the Chapter, through his many years spent on City of Sarasota Advisory Boards and through his AIA Design Awards. 

D/Parks Architect

The Atlanta Braves are hosting a Spring Training season ticket launch event this Saturday at the George Mullen Activity Center in North Port from 9am until 1pm. This will be the first public opportunity for fans to place a deposit for 2020 Spring Training season tickets. As part of the event, family friendly activities will take place including: music, face painting, hourly giveaways, pictures with life-size bobbleheads and free food. There will also be a free Chipper Jones replica jersey given out to the first 500 deposits placed. The team has also released new renderings of the facility and photographs of the on-going construction. 

Atlanta Braves