I'M JESSICA VAUGHN, CHAIR OF THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD. I WANT TO WELCOME YOU TO HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. WE SERVE MORE THAN 200,000 STUDENTS INCLUDING CHILDREN STARTING WITH OUR EARLY LEARNING PROGRAMS AND CONTINUING WITH ADULTS THROUGH OUR WORKFORCE PROGRAMS. I'M KAREN PEREZ, THE SCHOOL BOARD'S VICE CHAIR. OUR DISTRICT IS THE SEVENTH LARGEST IN AMERICA AND OUR TEAM IS MADE UP OF 24,000 PEOPLE WORKING AT CLOSE TO 250 SITES ACROSS THE COUNTY. (SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH) Lynn Gray: OUR DISTRICT IS DIVERSE AND DEDICATED. OUR BOARD MEETINGS ARE HELD IN OUR BOARD AUDITORIUM ON SELECT TUESDAYS AT 4:00 P.M. THE BEST WAY TO SERVE OUR STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY IS TO INVOLVE YOU, THE PUBLIC, IN WHAT WE DO. Henry "Shake" Washington: YOU ARE WELCOME TO MEET OR E-MAIL ANY OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS AND FOLLOW OUR DISTRICT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS ARE COVERED LIVE BY HILLSBOROUGH SCHOOLS TV ON SPECTRUM 635 AND FRONTIER CHANNEL 32.
MEETINGS ARE ALSO STREAMED LIVE ON OUR WEBSITE AT HILLSBOROUGHSCHOOLS.ORG. CLOSED CAPTIONING IS PROVIDED ON ALL BROADCASTS AND PAST MEETINGS ARE AVAILABLE IN OUR ONLINE ARCHIVE. WE ARE INTERESTED IN WHAT THE PUBLIC HAS TO SAY. WE'LL INCLUDE TIME FOR AUDIENCE COMMENTS BEFORE WE ADDRESS OUR BUSINESS ITEMS. OUR AGENDA AND ANY SUPPORTING MATERIALS CAN BE VIEWED ONLINE IN ADVANCE. THEY ARE POSTED SEVEN DAYS BEFORE EACH MEETING ON OUR WEBSITE AT HILLSBOROUGHSCHOOLS.ORG. OUR VISION IS PREPARING STUDENTS FOR LIFE. AND THAT MEANS ALL STUDENTS EVERY DAY. TODOS LOS ESTUDIANTES, TODOS LOS DIAS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN EDUCATION. WITH YOUR HELP, WE ARE MAKING DECISIONS THAT SHAPE OUR COMMUNITY'S FUTURE. Jessica Vaughn: THE BOARD RECOGNITION MEETING OF MAY 13, 2025, IS NOW CALLED TO ORDER.
MEMBER PEREZ WILL LEAD US IN A MOMENT OF REFLECTION FOLLOWED BY THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. AS WE APPROACH OUR LAST DAYS OF SCHOOL, I WANT TO EXTEND MY HEARTFELT CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS, DEDICATED TEACHERS, SUPPORTED SCHOOLS AND VALUED COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS. YOUR HARD WORK, COMMITMENT AND COLLABORATION HAVE TRULY MADE THE SCHOOL YEAR A SUCCESS. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO. AND HERE IS TO A BRIGHT FUTURE AHEAD FOR ALL MEMBERS OF OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY. LET'S CONTINUE TO STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE AND INSPIRE ONE ANOTHER TOWARDS CONTINUED GROWTH AND ACHIEVEMENT.
PLEASE STAND WITH ME FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. (PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE) Jessica Vaughn: LET THE RECORD REFLECT THAT ALL BOARD MEMBERS ARE PRESENT. AS WE BEGIN THIS EVENING'S RECOGNITION MEETING, PLEASE LET ME QUICKLY REVIEW THE FORMAT FOR OUR RECOGNITION MEETING. PLEASE SILENCE ALL ELECTRONIC DEVICES. AT RECOGNITION MEETINGS, WE RECOGNIZE OUR STUDENTS, TEACHERS, SCHOOLS, COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, AMONG OTHERS BUT WE WILL NOT BE APPROVING ITEMS OF BUSINESS. KEEP IN MIND THAT THE STAFF HAS WORKED HARD TRYING TO KEEP A TIGHT SCHEDULE SO THE MEETING RUNS AND FLOWS SMOOTHLY AND CONCLUDES TIMELY. BOARD MEMBERS, PLEASE KEEP YOUR COMMENTS BRIEF. THE MEETING WILL ADJOURN AFTER THE LAST RECOGNITION. IF ANY OF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PHOTOGRAPH THE STUDENTS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COME UP WHEN CALLED AND THANK YOU FOR TONIGHT -- FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION TONIGHT IN TONIGHT'S RECOGNITION MEETING. BEFORE WE START, THE FORMAL RECOGNITIONS, WE WERE JUST ALERTED THAT HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS RECEIVED THE NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR MUSIC EDUCATION AND SUPPORT.
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOLS HAS BEEN HONORED WITH THE PRESTIGIOUS BEST COMMUNITIES FOR MUSIC EDUCATION DESIGNATION FROM THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MUSIC MERCHANTS FOUNDATION. ONE OF ONLY FIVE SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN FLORIDA TO RECEIVE THIS HONOR. THIS RECOGNITION HIGHLIGHTS HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL'S UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO ENSURING MUSIC EDUCATION REMAINS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE LEARNING AND STUDENT DEVELOPMENT. SO CONGRATULATIONS. I SEE SOME OF OUR MUSIC TEACHERS OUT IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. NOW WE'LL MOVE ON TO A01, RECOGNITION OF STUDENTS REPRESENTING HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE 24-25 HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY KIDS TAG ART AND PRESENTATION OF FUNDS RAISED BY HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR NANCY C. MILAN. NANCY C. MILLAN? I'M JENNIFER CASTRO. I'M THE DEPUTY CHIEF TAX COLLECTOR. NANCY COULD NOT BE HERE TONIGHT. SO I AM PLEASED TO JOIN YOU ALL AND OPEN UP YOUR RECOGNITION CEREMONY. WE ARE EXCITED TO CELEBRATE ANOTHER YEAR OF SUCCESSFUL KIDS TAG ART.
IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE PROGRAM, THIS IS A PROGRAM WHERE STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO IN FIFTH GRADE ABLE TO DESIGN VANITY LICENSE PLATES IN OUR SCHOOLS AND IT'S A VERY NEAT PROGRAM TO RAISE MONEY FOR ART PROGRAMS. SO SINCE THE PROGRAM'S INCEPTION IN 2021, WE HAVE RAISED ALMOST $142,000 FOR ART PROGRAMS IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOLS. AND WE HAVE ENGAGED WITH OVER 6300 FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS. SO THIS IS A REALLY GREAT PROGRAM AND WE'RE VERY PROUD OF IT. THE PROGRAM STARTED WITH ONLY 27 TITLE 1 SCHOOLS AND SINCE THEN WE OPENED IT UP TO ALL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND HAVE 65 PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS THIS YEAR, WHICH IS PHENOMENAL. SO I WANT TO GIVE A HUGE THANK YOU TO LAURA HOBBY AT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR ALL HER HARD WORK. WE COULDN'T DO THIS PROGRAM WITHOUT HER SUPPORT. WE'RE ALSO GRATEFUL FOR OUR OTHER PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE HILLSBOROUGH EDUCATION FOUNDATION, PABLO GONZALEZ AND LAURA GRUSHA HAVE BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING SUPPORT THE PROGRAM AS WELL.
WE ALSO HAVE SOME AMAZING SPONSORS THAT HELP US RAISE THESE FUNDS FOR THIS PROGRAM. DERRICK BROOKS CHARITIES, FLORIDA WEST COAST CREDIT UNION, TAMPA ELECTRIC COMPANY, THE TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING, THE FLORIDA AQUARIUM, GLAZER'S CHILDREN MUSIC, KEITH FECORI AND SIMON BY WAY OF THE ADELE BENNETT MEMORIAL FUND. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST OUR TITLE SPONSOR WHO SUPPORTED THE PROGRAM FROM THE BEGINNING. I HAVE BOB HIDE FROM SUNCOAST CREDIT UNION IF YOU COULD JOIN ME. AND I ALSO WANT TO RECOGNIZE OUR TOP WINNERS. OUR FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS THIS YEAR. THEY COULD NOT ALL BE HERE TONIGHT, BUT WE DO HAVE ONE SPECIAL STUDENT WITH US. SO FIRST -- WHO IS NOT HERE TONIGHT, WE HAVE KENNEDY BROWN WITH CARMEN FERNANDEZ. WE HAVE KENDALL KLEIN FROM COLLINS PK-8 SCHOOL AND HER ART TEACHER IS LISA VARELI AND KENDALL IS ACTUALLY HERE. IF YOU CAN COME ON UP. AND WE ALSO HAVE DECLAN CUNNINGHAM WITH JS ROBINSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
ART TEACHER IS RAY COWEN. SO I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ASK LAURA HOBBY TO JOIN US SO WE CAN HELP ANNOUNCE THE TOTAL DOLLARS RAISED FOR THIS PROGRAM. KENDALL, IF YOU CAN COME ON OVER. SHE'S GOING TO ANNOUNCE ALL THE MONEY WE RAISED. YOU WANT TO COME TO THE MIC? SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO WE'RE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT THIS YEAR WE RAISED... 37,778 DOLLARS AND 66 CENTS. THANK YOU, KENDALL! SO WITH THAT MONEY RAISED, WE ARE ABLE TO GIVE OVER $580 TO EACH OF THE 65 PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS WHICH GOES A LONG WAY FOR ART SUPPLIES AS YOU KNOW. TAT NUMBER IS STILL GROWING. IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO PURCHASE PLATES OR ARTWORK AT HILLSTAXFL.GOV/SHOP SO PLEASE BUY AMAZING ARTWORK AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS AMAZING OPPORTUNITY. Jessica Vaughn: WELL, MANY OF US HAD THE HONOR OF SEEING THOSE AND I ACTUALLY GOT TO JUDGE IT AND IT WAS ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS I EVER HAD TO DO.
THE ART WAS PHENOMENAL SO CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS. GREAT JOB. ALL RIGHT. WE'LL NOW GO ON TO A03, RECOGNITION OF STUDENTS REPRESENTING HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS 2024 BECATTI WEALTH ADVISORS HOLIDAY ART CONTEST. LANCE BECATTI WILL BE HIGHLIGHTING THIS RECOGNITION. WELCOME. BACK AGAIN. FOR 16 YEARS WE'VE HAD THIS WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD AND ALL OF YOU WONDERFUL FOLKS AND MS. LAURA, THANK YOU AS ALWAYS. YOUR TEAM HAS BEEN AMAZING TO ACCOMMODATE WHAT WE TRY TO DO WITH THE KIDS. THIS IS A CARD CONTEST WE'VE MANAGED TO GET TO -- TO CATCH AMONG OTHER ADVISORS AROUND THE COUNTRY NOW TO THE POINT WHERE WE SELECT THE TOP CARDS THAT ARE DONE BY THE KIDS ART. YOU'LL SEE THEM HERE IN A MOMENT. THE ART TEACHERS PRESENT THE ACTIVITY WITH THE KIDS. THE KIDS DESIGN THE ART. THE ART COMES TO US AND WE INVITE EVERYONE FROM THE SHERIFF TO YOU NAME IT TO COME VOTE.
MAKE YOUR VOTES WITH THE KIDS, WHOEVER CAN COME TO THE OFFICE. IT'S THE KID THAT WINS IS THE ONE WE USE FOR OUR COMPANY FOR OUR HOLIDAY CELEBRATION THAT WE SELECT A CARD FOR MY FAMILY AT THE SAME TIME. SO USUALLY THERE IS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF ABOUT 800 OF THESE CARDS GOING OUT FROM THE KIDS TO EVERYBODY. WITH THE EVENT, WE ALSO LIKE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO AWARD THE SCHOOLS SO WE HAVE A FULL SERIES OF AMAZON CARDS THAT WE USED TO DO AN ART SUPPLY COMPANY, BUT THEY'RE NOT COMFORTABLE TO WORK WITH US ANYMORE AND BECAME VERY DIFFICULT FOR THE TEACHERS TO WORK WITH, AND EVERYBODY CAN SPELL AMAZON PRETTY WELL DOT COM. WE FOUND IT EASIER TO GIVE EVERYBODY THE CHANCE TO HAVE THE AMAZON CARDS TO BE ABLE TO BUY THE ART SUPPLIES AND WHAT HAVE YOU. AND WITH THIS BEING YEAR NUMBER 16, I THINK WE WERE BREAKING SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF ABOUT 65,000 OR $70,000 THE SCHOOLS HAVE RECEIVED SO FAR FOR ALL THE THINGS WE'RE DOING.
SO IF WE MAY, I'D LIKE TO START CALLING THE STUDENTS UP FOR THE WORKS WE HAVE DONE AND START SHARING. OUR FIRST WINNER, WE HAVE A VERY SMALL AWARD. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN SEE IT. WHICH WAY SHOULD I TURN IT? WE'LL GO THIS WAY. HOW IS THAT? ALL RIGHT. OUR FIRST PLACE, WE'VE GOT DAN KIM. HERE WE GO. WE MAKE AN AWARD FOR THE STUDENT AS WELL AS THE SCHOOL. THIS IS FOR CAYDEN PAGE FROM YORK INVOCATION. THIRD PLACE WAS FOR THE FAMILY CARD. BEING FROM THE NORTH AND APPRECIATING SNOW AND SNOWGLOBES, THIS IS BRENNA WYCKOPP. AND FOR FOURTH PLACE -- I'M SORRY. ALL RIGHT. LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE HAVE RYLAN RITCHIE FROM ADUM K-8. DO WE HAVE ANY PRINCIPALS OR TEACHERS THAT BELONG TO THESE SCHOOLS? DO WE WANT THE CREW TO COME UP FOR THE PICTURE OR NOT? Jessica Vaughn: THOSE CARDS WERE JUST BEAUTIFUL.
CONGRATULATIONS. NEXT WE HAVE A15, RECOGNITION OF CAMBRIDGE LARGE DISTRICT AWARD OF THE YEAR. DAN MAYORS CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION AND ONE MOMENT -- WELCOME, MR. MYERS. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, HONORABLE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS, BOARD CHAIR VAUGHN, SUPERINTENDENT AYRES AND DISTINGUISHED DISTRICT STAFF. I'M DEEPLY HONORED TO STAND HERE TONIGHT TO CELEBRATE THE OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. SIX YEARS AGO, I WAS PART OF THE TEAM THAT BROUGHT CAMBRIDGE TO HILLSBOROUGH SO IT GIVES ME GREAT JOY TO BE HERE TONIGHT. I HAVE TO CONFESS I HAVE A DEEPER CONNECTION. I GRADUATED FROM USF AND GOT MY FIRST TEACHING JOB AT MIDDLETON WHAT WAS THEN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL. MR. BEST HIRED ME AS MY FIRST JOB. AND SO I HAVE HILLSBOROUGH IN MY HEART AND ALWAYS WILL BE. SO I'M VERY HAPPY TO BE HERE TONIGHT. IT WAS A LONG TIME AGO. THE EARLY '90s. A LONG TIME.
BUT -- WHAT WAS IT? ALWAYS HILLSBOROUGH. YES. TONIGHT HERE I'M ON BEHALF OF CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION. WE'RE VERY PROUD TO RECOGNIZE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AS OUR 24-25 DISTRICT OF THE YEAR. THIS AWARD IS BASED ON THREE CRITERIA. FIRST, DEMONSTRATING A COMMITMENT TO EQUITY IN EDUCATION. TWO, EXPANDING ACCESS TO RIGOROUS COURSES FOR ALL STUDENTS. AND THREE, MAINTAINING OR IMPROVING PERFORMANCE ON CAMBRIDGE EXAMS. AND YOU GUYS HIT THE MARK IN ALL THREE AREAS. AND THE LAST SIX YEARS, THE CAMBRIDGE PROGRAM HAS EXPANDED TO INCLUDE EVERY HIGH SCHOOL IN THE DISTRICT AND SEVERAL MIDDLE SCHOOLS AS WELL. IN FACT, EARLIER TODAY, I COMPLETED MY OFFICIAL VISIT TO YOUR NEWEST SCHOOL, MORGAN HIGH SCHOOL TO BRING THEM ON BOARD AS WELL. LAST YEAR, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY STUDENTS EARNED OVER 14,000 COLLEGE CREDITS THROUGH THE CAMBRIDGE PROGRAM. SO THAT'S QUITE AN ACCOMPLISHMENT. WHAT'S EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE IS THE FACT THAT 249 STUDENTS GOT THE ACE DIPLOMA WHICH QUALIFIES THEM FOR FULL BRIGHT FEATURES -- THE AICE DIPLOMA.
MEANING THE FAMILIES WON'T PAY A DIME IN TUITION FOR THEIR STUDENTS IF THEY STAY HERE AND ATTEND A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY. BEYOND THAT, THIS DISTRICT HAS LED IN THE AREA OF THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AS WELL. ESPECIALLY IN THE AREA OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR YOUR TEACHERS. YOUR TEAM HAS CREATED THE LARGEST CAMBRIDGE PD EVENT IN THE WORLD AND TO PUT THAT IN PERSPECTIVE -- YES, CLAP FOR THAT. WE'RE IN OVER 10,000 SCHOOLS AND 170 COUNTRIES. TO SAY VOW I THE LARGE -- TO SAY YOU HAVE THE LARGEST PD EVENT IN THE WORLD IS A BIG DEAL. I GET CHOKED UP BECAUSE I REALLY DO FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T CALL OUT YOUR ADVANCED PROGRAMS TEAM. JAZHEEALIZE SPRIX LENEGAR-BROWN AND OTHERS WHO HAVE DONE SO MUCH IN OUR WORK HERE. WE WANT TO THANK HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR ALLOWING US TO WITNESS WHAT EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE LOOKS LIKE FIRST-HAND.
ONCE AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS ON OUR DISTRICT OF THE YEAR FOR 24-25. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO BE HERE. Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU. BOARD MEMBERS, DO YOU WANT TO STAND UP AND TAKE A PICTURE? Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS. THANK YOU. WELL, THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THANK YOU TO ALL OUR TEACHERS AND EDUCATORS THAT REALLY TAKE THE HELM AND TEACH THOSE CLASSES AND MAKE SURE OUR STUDENTS ARE SUCCESSFUL IN THOSE. ALL RIGHT. WE'LL KEEP ON ROLLING. SO THE NEXT ONE IS A02, RECOGNITION OF THE COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP WITH RECYCLED TUNES BY THE GASPARILLA MUSIC FOUNDATION TO BUILD A HEALTHY COMMUNITY THROUGH THE ARTS. TRACY AND JOHN, SUPERVISORS OF MUSIC WILL BE HIGHLIGHTING THIS RECOGNITION. HI. GOOD EVENING, HONORABLE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS, BOARD CHAIR VAUGHN, SUPERINTENDENT AYRES AND OUR DISTRICT STAFF. TONIGHT JOHN AND I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE DAVID COX AND TAD DENHAM WITH RECYCLED TUNES AND THE GASPARILLA MUSIC FOUNDATION FOR THEIR INCREDIBLE PARTNERSHIP WITH HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
THEIR COMMITMENT TO MUSIC EDUCATION IS EVIDENT IN THE COUNTLESS INSTRUMENTS THEY REFURBLED AND DONATED TO OUR SCHOOLS. EACH ONE CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO EXPLORE, CREATE, AND GROW THROUGH MUSIC. EVERY TIME I VISIT A CLASSROOM OR GO TO A PERFORMANCE I SPOT THAT BRIGHT ORANGE RECYCLED TUNES STICKER ON AN INSTRUMENT AND IT BRINGS ME SO MUCH JOY. IT'S A VISIBLE REMINDER OF THE IMPACT THIS PARTNERSHIP HAS ON OUR STUDENTS' LIVES. SO WHEN I FIRST VISITED YOUR HEADQUARTERS, I WAS INSPIRED BY YOUR WALL OF FAME LINED WITH GUITARS SIGNED BY LEGENDARY ARTISTS WHO PERFORMED AT YOUR EVENTS. SO IN LIEU OF A TRADITIONAL PLAQUE, WE WANTED TO CONTRIBUTE TO THAT WALL IN OUR OWN WAY WITH A RECYCLED GUITAR SIGNED BY OUR SCHOOL BOARD AS A SMALL TOKEN OF OUR DEEP APPRECIATION FOR ALL YOU DO FOR STUDENTS. JOHN, IF YOU WANT TO SAY A FEW WORDS.
BECAUSE OF OUR RECENT AWARD OF BEING ONE OF THE BEST COMMUNITIES FOR MUSIC EDUCATION, WE HAVE, I'LL SAY, A LOT OF WONDERFUL PROBLEMS BECAUSE SOME OF THE PROGRAMS ARE GROWING BEYOND WHAT THE INSTRUMENT MAKERS COULD EVEN PRODUCE FOR US SOMETIMES. SO THESE GUYS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FILL THAT GAP AND TO BE ABLE TO SEE A KID HAVE THEIR OWN INSTRUMENT RATHER THAN TO SHARE IT OR ANYTHING ELSE. IT'S BEEN -- THESE GUYS ARE JUST PHENOMENAL AND I'VE SEEN THEM TAKE THINGS THAT LOOK LIKE CRUSHED CANS AND THEN TURN THEM INTO REALLY, REALLY WELL WORKING INSTRUMENTS SO THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO FOR US AND FOR THE MUSIC EDUCATION WE HAVE IN OUR COUNTY. THAT GUITAR ROCKS BY THE WAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE'RE GOING TO PUT IT ON OUR WALL AND HANG IT UP THERE WITH PRIDE. MS. CHAIR AND SCHOOL BOARD ERRORS AND SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS, THANK YOU FOR THE RECOGNITION.
I FEEL LIKE IT SHOULD BE US THANKING YOU TO FOR US TO BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN SCHOOLS AND SEE WHY HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY WAS RECOGNIZED BY NAM AS ONE OF THE TOP IN THE STATE. WE SEE IT DAY IN AND DAY OUT INTERACTING WITH THE TEACHERS AND TRACY AND JOHN AND OTHERS IN LEADERSHIP AND WE'RE VERY PROUD TO HAVE BEEN PART OF THAT AND HELPING TO MAKE MUSIC ACCESSIBLE TO ALL KIDS AT ALL LEVELS. YOU MAY KNOW THAT MOST OF OUR PROGRAM STARTED IN 2013. WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS. IN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS THROUGH DISCUSSIONS WITH JOHN SEEVER WE'RE ABLE TO WORK WITH MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS NOW. WE'RE PROUD TO BE ABLE TO EXPAND BECAUSE WE GET A LOT OF -- A BETTER FIT IN THE BAND PROGRAMS AND HIGH SCHOOL. JUST TO SHARE A COUPLE NUMBERS WITH YOU. I HAVE STATS FROM THE LAST FIVE-YEARS.
SO WE HAVE TOUCHED AND PROVIDED MUSIC INSTRUMENTS TO 126 DIFFERENT SCHOOLS OVER THAT TIME FRAME. WE HAVE DONATED OR REPAIRED ALMOST 2800 INSTRUMENTS. WE HAVE TOUCHED -- STUDENTS, ABOUT 44,000 STUDENTS THAT HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO BENEFIT FROM HAVING THOSE INSTRUMENTS AND THE VALUE OF THOSE INSTRUMENTS, EITHER THE MONEY WE SPEND TO REPAIR THEM, THE PARTS WE BOUGHT OR THE VALUE OF THE DONATED INSTRUMENTS HAS BEEN OVER $280,000. WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE COMMUNITY THAT PROVIDES THE INSTRUMENTS FOR US. WITHOUT THAT, WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO CLEAN THEM UP AND PASS THEM ON TO SCHOOLS. I'D LIKE TO THANK A COUPLE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT HELP SUPPORT US. FIRST OF ALL, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY ELEMENTARY AND MUSIC EDUCATORS COUNCIL. IT'S ALWAYS A MOUTHFUL FOR ME. GREAT GROUP OF TEACHERS THAT PARTNER THE US ON QUITE A FEW THINGS INCLUDING INSTRUMENT PETTING ZOOS, INSTRUMENT DRIVES AND RIVER FEST THE PAST WEEKEND BROUGHT OUT EIGHT OR NINE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ROCK BANDS WHICH WAS REALLY WAS A GREAT PART OF THE RIVER FEST FESTIVITIES.
WE'RE ALSO VERY PROUD TO GET SUPPORT FROM SO MANY DIFFERENT GREAT PARTNERS IN THE COMMUNITY FROM SUNCOAST EDUCATION FOUNDATION, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, I'LL LOOK AT THE LIST HERE. COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF TAMPA BAY, THE DUCK WALL FOUNDATION AND SHIRLEYO FOUNDATION ALL HELP SUPPORT US. IF YOU HAVE EVER GONE TO THE GASPARILLA MUSIC FESTIVAL YOU SUPPORT RECYCLED TUNES BECAUSE A PORTION OF EACH TICKET SUPPORTS US AND BENEFITS THE SCHOOL. SO THANK YOU FOR THE RECOGNITION. WE'RE VERY PROUD TO BE A PARTNER WITH THE SCHOOLS. Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU. WILL YOU TAKE A PICTURE? Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU FOR SO MUCH. I KNOW THAT FIRST-HAND AND I'M SURE MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS HAVE ALL SEEN THE IMPACT OF HAVING MORE INSTRUMENTS AND THE ACCESS THAT ALLOWS FOR OUR STUDENTS TO MUSIC EDUCATION. SO THANK YOU AGAIN. NEXT WE HAVE A04, RECOGNITION OF THE 4-H PUBLIC SPEAKING PROGRAM DISTRICT FINALISTS AND CHAMPIONS.