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Home "For the pursuit and sharing of academic knowledge."
 The Polk Scholar Society, founded by Francisco J. Alvarez, is a non-profit organization committed to promoting academic learning, aiding Polk County students in their learning, and connecting all Polk County students to resources that benefit them in their journey to personal success in life. This is the website of this Polk County, FL-based organization. This secure website is meant to inform Polk County students about and connect them to the educational and community service opportunities in the community. Through posted links, it also connects them to secure, educational support websites. Discussions on academic material, such as books that students are reading in their free time or for school, or even current local and world events will also be held in the form of blogs. Students can also read interesting facts or other materials of academic interest. Students should visit the links page to find links to extremely useful websites like www.fastweb.com and www.tampabaywatch.org. Remember to tell others about this website! Visit our new link to Florida NEXT student magazine and FACTS.org! Students! The Polk County School Board subscribes to reliable online reference sources such as World Book Encyclopedia, ABC Cleo, and the Gale Institute, that offer a wealth of in-depth information in many topics, from debate to literature and from world history to U.S. government. These reference websites are approved by the Polk School Board and are free to be accesssed by all Polk County students. However, users must log in with the Polk student user name and password for many of these websites. Students may ask their school librarians or media specialists for this information. Visit these reference websites at www.polk-fl.net/. Are you struggling to learn Spanish or would like more practice? Visit our new link to the online Más arriba Spanish workbook, offered FREE to all users thanks to Trent University of Ontario, Canada.
* Estudiantes: ¡Ahorra aquí se encuentran Recursos en español también! El Polk Scholar Society no se olvidó de los muchos jóvenes hispanos y sus familias que residen en el condado Polk.
Note: This is the correct website for the Polk Scholar Society (www.polkscholarsociety.350.com/), not www.polkscholarsociety.350.com/index.htm.
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Week of June 1st to June 6th 2009
Features this Week: ► Editor's Notes and Updates ► Current News, Shout-Outs, and School News ► Clubs to Join and Community Service Opportunities ► Weekly Words, the Weekly Historical Figure, Interesting Facts, and Reflection ► Special Lesson: Ireland (and pictures)
Editor's Notes and Updates: Another year is speeding by. For many the past few months have been tumultuous times. The Polk Scholar Society wishes the best for all Polk County students and hopes the approaching holidays will be a restful comfort for many. Welcome to the website for the Polk Scholar Society. This website was developed to better serve Polk County students because it can contain much more information than our previous version. Students can find links to secure websites related to the Polk County school system, websites that inform students about scholarship, grant, or community service opportunities, reference websites, and websites that inform students about local community service opportunities. Access to all these websites is free. Students can also read interesting bits of information, participate in weekly academic discussions in blogs, look at the website calendar, or view themed photo galleries. This website will also offer monthly "Special Lessons" (see below). Polk County students that visit this site should tell their friends about it. The goal of this site is to promote academic learning, aid Polk County students in their learning, and to connect all Polk County students to resources that benefit them in their journey to personal success in life. We are commited to achieving these goals at the Polk Scholar Society. Students can summit "Shout Outs" and "School News" through emails to the webmasters. These messages can be placed by the webmasters under the appropriate segments below. Students who want to summit such information or make comments, ask questions, and give suggestions about the site can still e-mail the webmasters at polkscholarsociety@ymail.com. Responses to e-mails will be made within a week of the e-mail's submission and select messages will be posted on the website at the webmasters' discretion. Remember that the same rules from the caveat below apply to e-mails. Students can also send in puzzles, like soduko or riddles, but they must also summit the answers with the puzzle (but not in them). Jokes are welcome too. All students who submit some item, question, comment, or suggestion must also include their first name (a nickname is acceptable), grade, and school name in their e-mail (for security, indentification, and demographic information purposes). This website is open to teachers as well. They can summit news bulletins, questions, suggestions, or comments. All teachers who submit some item, question, comment, or suggestion should also include their name and school name in their e-mail. Note that since this website was recently created, some typos may still exist in the text, even after extensive revision by the webmasters. If visitors wish, typos can be reported through an e-mail to polkscholarsociety@ymail.com. Changes will be made as soon as possible. Be sure to look at the links page to find links to extremely useful websites like www.fastweb.com and www.tampabaywatch.org. Remember to tell others about this website! Visit our new link to Florida NEXT student magazine and FACTS.org!
Welcome to the Polk Scholar Society! You are visitor #: 
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Polk Scholar Society Network ► Polk Career Explorer Coming Soon!
Shout-Outs! Want to show school spirit or congratulate a school sports team? Want to congratulate a classmate? Let the webmasters know by e-mail and your submission could appear below. All students who submit some item, question, comment, or suggestion must also include their first name (a nickname is acceptable), grade, and school name in their e-mail (for security, indentification, and demographic information purposes).
~ Wed., 2/25/08, submitted by Haines City IB World School: Congratulations to the Polk Regional Science
Fair winners! Here's a rundown of the
Haines City IB students who won awards; keep
in mind these are all 9th grade students
who competed against 9th, 10th, 11th and
12th grade students from public, charter
and private schools throughout the county.
School News: Want to promote an achievement? Announce a major school event? Let the webmasters know by e-mail and your submission could appear below. All students who submit some item, question, comment, or suggestion must also include their first name (a nickname is acceptable), grade, and school name in their e-mail (for security, indentification, and demographic information purposes).
* Read much more related school news at www.polk-fl.net/news/newsreleases/.
~ Sat., 12/22/08: The Florida Department of Education announced that Polk County’s graduation rate increased three percent, representing the second consecutive year that it increased. Polk’s graduation rate for 2007-2008 is 73.6 percent, up from 70.6 in 2006-2007. Polk’s graduation rate was 68.8 percent in 2005-2006. Polk also decreased its drop-out rate for the third consecutive year. Polk’s drop-out rate in 2007-2008 is 3.8 compared to 4.2 in 2006-2007 and 4.4 percent in 2005-2006. The drop-out rate was 4.8 percent in 2004-2005. The 2007-2008 state graduation rate determined by the Florida Department of Education is 75.4 percent. The state drop-out rate is 2.6 percent. Polk’s increased graduation rate was fueled by improvement in the graduation rate from fourteen of Polk’s traditional high schools. Ridge Community and Mulberry high schools showed the greatest improvement increasing 12.7 and 12.6 percentage points respectively. Auburndale and Bartow improved 9.9 and 8.9 percentage points respectively. Daniel Jenkins Academy maintained its 100 percent graduation rate.
~ Tues., 12/22/08: Fifteen high school seniors were named 2008-2009 Sunshine State Scholars for their excellence in mathematics and science. Individual high schools selected Sunshine State Scholars on factors that included overall grade point average, math and science grade point average and SAT or ACT scores. Scholars took a school district examination testing their mathematics and science knowledge. The 2008-2009 Polk County Sunshine State Scholars are listed by high school:
Reagan Lee of the International Baccalaureate program at Bartow High and Emily Tonjes of Lake Wales High had the highest scores among Polk students. Lee and Tonjes will represent Polk and compete at a regional Sunshine State Scholars test on January 7th at Valencia Community College in Orlando against other seniors from across the state. Lee is a Winter Haven resident and Tonjes resides in Lake Wales.
~ Tues., 12/22/08: Seven Polk middle school students were named PRISM Scholars for their excellence in science and math. The PRISM Scholars are listed according to school with the PRISM category in which they were honored.
PRISM is an acronym for Promoting Regional Improvement in Science and Math. PRISM is a program of the Central Florida Public School Boards Coalition (CFPSBC). PRISM strives to increase student performance and proficiency in higher level math and science curricula in the nine-county region making up the CFPSBC. CFPSBC is made of public school districts in Brevard, Hillsborough, Lake, Manatee, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole and Volusia counties.
~ Wed., 12/10/08: The International Baccalaureate School at Bartow High and Lakeland’s Lois Cowles Harrison Center for the Visual and Performing Arts both made U.S. News & World Report’s 2008 rankings in the magazine’s “America’s Best High Schools” report. The magazine analyzed 21,069 high schools across the United States using school data. The Bartow High IB program was ranked as the nation’s seventh best high school. Nine Florida high schools made the top 100. Other Florida schools in the top 100 were from Miami, Osprey, Melbourne, West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach and Jacksonville. Miami’s Design and Architectural Senior High, ranked fifth nationally, was the only Florida school to rate higher than Bartow IB. After the top 100, 504 more schools nationally received “Silver Medal” status as the next tier of top schools. The Harrison Center, along with eighteen other Florida schools, received Silver Medal status. In ranking high schools, U.S. News and World Report considered state proficiency standards, academic performance of economically disadvantaged students and Advanced Placement and/or International Baccalaureate test data.
~ Tues., 12/9/08: Dr. Bruce Sabin, a science teacher at Haines City High, was one of thirty-four Florida teachers chosen to participate in the Florida Department of Education’s Teacher Quest program during the summer of 2008. Sponsored by the Melbourne, Fla.-based Technological Research and Development Authority, Teacher Quest is a seven-week, paid summer professional development program during which kindergarten to 12th grade teachers work at select science and technology-based businesses in Florida. Teachers bring valuable industry knowledge back to the classroom to make math, science and technology studies more exciting and challenging for students. Click here to read more.
~ Tues., 12/9/08: Twenty-seven Polk schools have received the prestigious Five Star School designation from the Florida Department of Education. The Five Star Award is given to schools for community service and community involvement efforts by including family, volunteers, school advisory councils and business partners. Schools compiled and submitted portfolios documenting and quantifying community service work and activities from the 2007-2008 school year for the Five Star Award. The twenty-seven schools equals the most Polk schools named since the beginning of the Five Star Program in the 1997-1998 school year. Click here to read more.
~ Mon., 11/3/08: Polk Public Schools are offering outdated, surplus textbooks and library books to the public for no charge. The books will be displayed and available on Thursday, November 6th and Friday, November 7th, 8am to 5pm both days at the Jim Miles Professional Development Center, 5204 U.S. Highway 98 South, Lakeland. Call (863)647-4738 for more information.
~ Wed., 10/22/08: Twelve students from high schools in the northeast Polk area were chosen to participate in the Haines City- Northeast Polk County Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Youth Leadership program for the 2008-2009 school year. The Chamber’s Youth Leadership program annually educates an assortment of select11th grade students demonstrating leadership in their schools and communities about the various components that make up a healthy community. The students meet monthly and interview key business and community leaders about careers in areas of education, business, industry, the judicial system, government, media, the arts, and culture. Usually only eight students are chosen to participate each year, but this year there were so many outstanding applicants that the selection committee allow twelve students to join.
Congratulations class of 2008-2009: 1. Francisco Javier Alvarez- Haines City
High School
~ Wed., 10/22/08: The 2008-2009 East Polk District College Fair was held at Ridge Community High School on Tuesday, October 21st, 2008 from 6-9pm. Representatives from various colleges in and outside Florida were there to speak with interested students and parents about applying to each college and the features each school offers. The event was open to all Polk County high school students and their parents for free.
~ Mon., 10/20/08: The public is invited to the All-County Chorus music festival on Tuesday, November 18th, at 7:30pm in Florida Southern College’s Branscomb Auditorium. More than 300 students in grades six through twelve from local schools will perform. There is no admission charge. Florida Southern College is located at 111 Lake Hollingsworth Drive, Lakeland. Chorus conductors will include Boynton Beach High’s Sterling Fredricks, Florida Southern College’s Dr. Carol Krueger and Paige Pilkington of Lakeland’s Tenoroc High. Call (863)647-4729 for more information.
~ Mon., 10/20/08: The public is invited to the Polk Public Schools 7th Annual Tellabration! storytelling event on Tuesday, November 18th, 6 pm at the Jim Miles Professional Development Center at 5204 U.S. Highway 98 South, Lakeland. The Tellabration! event is part of an international program that stimulates the love of reading for children through story telling. Students and a professional storyteller will enchant with their tales at this event. There is no admission charge to attend this event. Call (863)647-4714 for more information.
~ Wed., 9/3/08: The 2008-2009 Polk District College Fair was held at Florida Southern College (FSC) on Tuesday, Sept. 2nd, 2008, from 6-8pm in the Jenkins Field House. Representatives from various colleges in and outside Florida were there to speak with interested students and parents about applying to each college and the features each school offers. The event was open to all Polk County high school students and their parents for free.
~ Tues., 8/19/08: Unfortunately, school is cancelled for Tues., 8/19/08 due to the threat from Tropical Storm Fay. The Polk Scholar Society hopes no danger comes to any student and that school will resume soon.
~ Mon., 8/18/08: First day of school for the 2008-2009 school year!
* The news on this page is obtained from the Polk County Public School System website, the The Ledger, and news submissions from students.
CAVEAT: This website will be reviewed regularly. Obscene, lewd, profane, or otherwise illegal material (in the U.S. state of Florida) is not tolerated on this website and it will be deleted at the webmasters' discretion. Also, this website is not to be used to settle personal disputes with others. Slander and libel are not permitted and will be deleted as well.Disclaimer: Although the creators of the Polk Scholar Society and the webmasters of its website recieve no money for managing the Polk Scholar Society and its website, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the United States of America has yet to legally recognize the Polk Scholar Society as a non-profit, or 501(c), organization. Also, the Polk Scholar Society manages this site. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.
Polk Scholar Society, established February 16th, 2008.
Copyright © 2008 by Francisco J. Alvarez. All rights reserved. No material in this website may be used for or on another website without permission from the owner of the copyright of this website. |