Education

Counties around north central Florida are keeping migrant children learning throughout the summer. The programs are put into place to reduce disruptions migrant children face in their education due to frequent moves.

Charlotte Germain-Aubrey, a biology postdoctoral student, created a camp for middle school girls where they can be exposed to the different STEM fields. A different field of science is covered each day at WiSE Girlz Camp, including biology, chemistry, astronomy, engineering and computer science.

The Alachua County Commission met Tuesday to discuss police presence in schools. Discussions reached a stalemate as Superintendent Owen Roberts did not approve the request for police due to funding limits.

Gainesville High School teacher Tony Malo uses unique teaching and disciplinary methods to prepare students for the workforce and empower them to be self-motivated while learning to collaborate in groups. He believes his experiential learning methods are more effective than teaching for standardized tests.

On Wednesday, Alachua Elementary School, W.W. Irby Elementary School and A.L. Mebane Middle School were awarded $135,000 by Dollar General to fund Fast ForWord, a program designed to improve language and reading competency in students. This is part of a five-year language development initiative to implement the program in all elementary schools in Alachua County.

Gov. Rick Scott awarded a $1,277,312 check to 20 Alachua County schools Tuesday at Stephen Foster Elementary School. The money is part of the Florida School Recognition Program which is giving $124 million to schools statewide.

Community, business, government and education leaders signed a compact aiming to improve educational outcomes and opportunities for students in Alachua County through collaborative efforts. The compact was signed on Monday by 21 people.

The Alachua County School Board voted unanimously Tuesday night to consolidate Waldo Community School with Shell Elementary School. The decision marks the end of a hard fought battle for Waldo to keep its school.

Seventeen inmates in Lake Butler will be the latest class of certified beekeepers from the the Reception and Medical Center's Beekeeping Program. The Florida Department of Corrections and the Florida Department of Agriculture created the re-entry program for inmates who were about to be released.

Students of Eastside High School's Institute of Culinary Arts competed in the National Prostart Invitational in Anaheim, California, hosted by the National Restaurant Association. The team came in sixth place.