PrincipalJ. Randy Johnson

Assistant PrincipalsMelinda Bogart

Kirstie GabaldonTroy Kasting

Executive SecretarySusan Wyatt

Guidance CounselorsKristin Auman

Jennifer ForneraAngela FuscoMelissa Scott

RegistrarTrevor Abbs

Career SpecialistAngela Hensley

Athletic DirectorGuy HarrisBookkeeperTracey Pitts

Issue 2June 2014

To download a PDF version of this newsletter, go to http://academypublishing.

com/schools/creekside/creekside.php

100 Knights Lane • St. Johns, FL 32259 • (904) 547-7300

Dear Parents, Students, and Friends of Creekside, The close of the school year is upon us and we are “sprinting to the finish.” There is so much to be thankful for as we put a wrap on the 2013-2014 school year. I am honored to announce that eight Creekside students (listed below) have earned the distinction to participate in the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Program! These distinguished students will have the opportunity to choose their top two colleges or universities to begin direct communication with admission officials. National Merit recognition in many ways applauds the efforts of parents and teachers. National Merit Recognition: William J. Beiswenger, Cameron E. Blalock-Bassett, Neil Desai, Abby Hanson, Ashlee D. Jamerson, Logan R. Leonard, Connor E. McLevey and Jackson Vance.Shout-outs Galore: A big shout-out goes to The Athletic Boosters for sponsoring the fourth annual Running of The Knights! Truly, this 5K and Fun Run fundraiser proved to be exactly what we desire Creekside to be: student driven, staff interactive, family and community oriented, and filled with great enthusiasm!! We look forward to you joining us next year. Our inaugural Bozard Bowl – featuring CHS vs Clay, proved successful. We want to acknowledge and give a “shout-out” to Bozard Ford for their valued partnership in education. Bozard Ford’s underwriting of our Spring Football Showcase is a boon to the St. Johns community and especially Creekside High School! Congratulations to CHS Athletics as the Baseball and Softball Teams have garnered tremendous accolades, both making it to the Final Four. At the time of this writing, the baseball team is competing for a shot at the State Championship game. FCAT and EOC reports should arrive the first week of June. Parents you may choose to send a stamped, self-addressed envelope or pick-up your students report at school. In closing, I leave you with a quote from the transcendent Helen Keller: “Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within.”

Let’s be a blessing to others,

Sincerely,RandyJ. Randy Johnson

The vision of Creekside High School is to inspire in all students a passion for lifelong learning, creating educated and caring contributors to the world.

The mission of Creekside High School is to provide

students an opportunity

to achieve academic,

athletic, fine arts, and extra

curricular excellence

within a safe and secure learning

environment. Creekside High

School staff and students will strive to

model and support the six pillars of

Character Counts.

“The Shield”June 2014 • Issue 2

Published Six Times Per YearCreekside High School

St. Johns County School District40 Orange St.

St. Augustine, FL 32084-3633

2

PTSO Update The CHS PTSO is so grateful to the businesses that helped us celebrate teachers and staff at the Teacher/Staff Appreciation Luncheon on May 6. A potato bar with all the toppings, salads, gourmet cupcakes, and tiramisu were all donated. When you visit these businesses, please thank them for supporting Creekside: Wendy’s on Race Track Road, Walmart Neighborhood Market on SR 13, Fruit Cove, and Amaretti Desserts, 14965 Old Saint Augustine Road, Jacksonville. A huge thank you to our CHS volunteers who donated drinks, candy, and crocks of chili. The 2014-2015 PTSO Board has been elected. Congratulations to Mary Bender, President; Kelley Suttles, Vice President; Carolyn Sizemore, Treasurer; Kerri Murphy, Secretary; and Linda Grossman, Membership. Many thanks to Sunita Kaul and Renee Schreck who have served on this year’s Board – their time, expertise, and service to CHS has been greatly appreciated!

Notice Beverly Slough, District 1 representative to the St. Johns County School Board, writes periodic updates for parents and others concerning school district matters. If you would like to receive the updates, please email her at Beverly.Slough@stjohns.k12.fl.us so that she can add you to the distribution.

Dear Creekside High School PTSO, Thank you for your generous donation to our PTO. As a donor, you have helped a school within your community during this transition time. We are very appreciative of your support in seeing us off to a great start! Your PTSO, as well as your administration, have given us a warm welcome to the community!

Sincerely, Patriot Oaks Academy PTO Board

CHS Athletics Orientation: Everything You Need to Know to Play

August 6, 20146:30 PM – 7:30 PM Creekside Athletics will host an informative presentation for all interested student athletes who wish to participate in sports for the 2014-15 school year. All team coaches will be present to answer questions. This is a required meeting for all new students and freshmen athletes and their parents, but all athletes are welcome and encouraged. For more information and to RSVP, please see the Creekside Athletics Website.

Guidance News What an amazing and exciting year for Guidance! We are so proud of our graduating seniors and wish them luck and success as they begin their journeys. We ended the year with some amazing events such as American Youth Character Counts, where we had the pleasure of recognizing exemplary groups of juniors and seniors, Baccalaureate (thank you to Carolyn Johnson for your help in getting this event started and completed!), Senior Awards Night (thank you to Susan Wyatt for your assistance in making the night memorable to students and families), and of course Graduation (thank you Guidance and Administration for your time and effort). A few items to consider as we head into the summer! All students are required to complete an online course in order to meet graduation standards. We encourage students to take a .5 credit course such as Social Media, Peer Counseling, Psychology, Sociology, or Life Management Skills as a way to fulfill their online credit requirement. You can register for these courses online at: www.flvs.net (when choosing a date to start, we recommend using the SJVS calendar which is on the right of the two calendars – this way you have a teacher that is within our county, and we can assist you in the entire process). We also encourage parents and students to familiarize themselves with the Scholars and Merit Designation. Information can be found in the St. Johns County Parent Resource Guide at: http://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/parents/resource/Parent_Resource_Guide_2013-2014.pdf. We hope that you stay active this summer and are ready and prepared for a fresh new year in August! We look forward to seeing you at Orientation (information provided on the CHS homepage). Have a safe and healthy vacation! — CHS Guidance

News From the Clinic As we near the end of the school year, I would like to remind you that your child’s medication should be picked up from the clinic by June 5th. School policy does not allow for medication to remain in the school over the summer. It will be important for you to make arrangements to pick up your child’s medication since medications may not go home with the student. Any medication left in the clinic after June 6th will be discarded according to policy. As you know, medication orders must be completed every school year whether your child remains in the same school or goes to another. If your child has a physical examination during the summer months, this is a good time to get the medication forms completed. Medical forms may be found on the school website under parent section. For your convenience, the clinic will be open beginning August 12th -15th to accept your child’s medication and completed medication forms. New forms are required for all chronic illnesses, including medication authorization forms to be used in the year 2014 – 2015. If you have any questions, please contact the school clinic at 547-7313.

Have a safe and healthy summer! Pat Hardy, RN, BSN

Summer Camps Creekside Athletics offers several athletic summer camps for area youth as well as high school students. Please see the Creekside High School Athletics website for registration and more information:Camp Grade level/Age Dates TimesCHS High School Football Camp Rising 9th – 12th Grades (Limited to CHS Students) June 9 – July 31* 8:00 AM – NoonCHS Strength & Conditioning Camp – Female Athlete Rising 9th – 12th Grades (Limited to CHS Students) June 9 – July 31* 6:30 AM – 8:30 AMCHS High School Soccer Camp (Male) Rising 9th – 12th Grades (Limited to CHS Students) June 9 – July 31* 9:00 AM – NoonCHS Youth Wrestling Camp Ages 5 – 12 June 9 – June 12 9:00 AM – NoonCHS Knights Youth Dance Camp Ages 5 – 12 June 16 – June 19 9:00 AM – NoonCHS Youth Soccer Camp – Boys & Girls Grades 5th – 8th June 23 – June 26 9:00 AM – NoonCHS Girls Lacrosse Camp Grades 1st – 8th July 7 – July 10 9:00 AM – 11:00 AMCHS Youth Volleyball Camp Grades 4th – 8th July 7 – July 10 9:00 AM – NoonCHS Youth Cheer Camp Grades K – 5th July 28 – July 31 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM or

9:00 AM – 2:00 PM*** All camps closed July 14- 17 due to District shut-down** Extended season is offered for Cheer Camp

6th Annual Creekside High School Summer KIDS Cheerleading Camp

With the Creekside Cheerleaders and Coaches!July 28th – 31st 2014–2015 Grades K – 5!

Regular Day 9:00am - 12:30pm = $100/week*new* Extended Day 9:00am - 2:00pm = $120/week

A $50 Deposit before June 4th reserves your spot! Balance Due June 30th.

Contact Laura Clary at Creekside High School904-547-7321 Laura.Clary@stjohns.k12.fl.us

CREEKSIDE ATHLETICS

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Thank you to all students, coaches, staff, parents, volunteers and community members who participated in Creekside’s 4th Annual Running of the Knights 5K, 1 Mile Fun Run, Centipede Team Race, and Festival on May 16. With over 650 people registered, this event was our most successful yet and continues to foster spirit among our school and local community! The proceeds from this event go directly back to our athletic teams, band, and performing arts. We would like to thank our sponsors who have generously supported Creekside High School and Running of the Knights:Grand Sponsor The Law Offices of Beller & BustamanteUltimate Racing, Inc. Tuffy’s Automotive

Presenting Sponsors Crown TrophySt. Johns Pediatric Dentistry Blackstone GrilleLeonard’s Photography Occupational & Rehabilitation Center, Dr. TanAtlas Physical Therapy The Center for Health & Sports Medicine, Dr. Ross Osborne

Official Centipede Team Race Sponsor Avecina MedicalAcademy Sports Test Prep for Success

Official Race Running Store Moe’sJacksonville Running Company The Vivid Agency

Supporting Sponsors Spectrum Signs & GraphicsThe Law Offices of Anne Marie Gennusa The UPS Store in Fruit Cove Panera Bread Daily’s Sign It Quick Creekside High School would like to give a special thanks to the following businesses and organizations for supporting Running of the Knights: Danielle Walker Photography U.S. MarinesKathy Scott, State Farm Insurance Jax Sports NutritionRPM Automotive 110% Play Harder Firehouse Subs on SR 13 Creekside Spirit WearPublix Supermarkets Fun and Fit, LLCBrucci’s in Fruit Cove Premier Designs – Linda NelsonTropical Smoothie in Bartram Walk Silpada Designs – Kathy ZimardoZaxby’s in Bartram Park Thirty-One Gifts – Ginger HandleyPDQ in Bartram Park Mary Kay Cosmetics – Priscilla PulliamU.S. Army Rodan & Fields – Jenny Adams JCP Cares – Meg BalkeIf you are interested in becoming a sponsor for this annual event, please see our website, www.runningoftheknights.com.

Congratulations to Sarah, Schreck, winner of the 2015 Logo Design Contest. Sarah was presented a $500 scholarship and her framed artwork by Leonard’s Photography. This event could not have taken place without the time, dedication, energy and talents of the Running of the Knights planning committee:

Parent Volunteers:• Michelle Clark & Susanna Vance, Co-Chairs• Jennifer Bias, Graphics• Monica Chachra, Event Booths• Stephanie Collins, Volunteer Coordinator,

Entertainment• Anne Marie Gennusa, Sponsorship & CKABC

President• Luke & Phyllis Guthrie, Registration• Heidi Hess, Centipede Chair• Maria Petow, Communications• Melissa Posey, Graphics, Sponsorship• Frances Sanfiorenzo, Sponsorship,

Entertainment• Ashley Schaefer, Event Booths

Staff & Faculty committee members:• Guy Harris• Tina Northcut• Susan Wyatt• Eric Frank

Student committee members:• Hunter Clary• McKayla D’Iangianni A huge thank you also to our announcer James Scribner, the Creekside Knights Athletic Booster Club and the Creekside Band Boosters for their enthusiastic support!

With great thanks and appreciation,Michelle Clark and Susanna VanceCo-Chairs, Running of the Knights

Running of the Knights

CREEKSIDE ATHLETICS

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Article Submitted by: Natalie Liptak National Poetry month is celebrated every April. It is observed as a way to increase appreciation of this form

of literary art. Since 2012, the National English Honor Society has developed a tradition of hosting “Poetry Slams” twice a year. To coincide with this national celebration of poetry, the second Poetry Slam of the school year was held on April 16th. There were 19 students from all grades who took part, including the officers of NEHS. The participants were welcomed to read a poem by any author, or their own original poetry. Works that the students chose ranged from writers like Robert Frost to Maya Angelou.

Poetry Slams provide students with a unique opportunity to share their own poetry with their peers. The original poems that students read varied in style and topic as much as the poetry by established authors. In addition to the poetry reading, there were door prizes and refreshments for the participants and their family members. A live musical interlude by the very talented, Bogdan Koul added a great dimension to the program and Nikita Shah was instrumental in coordinating the evening’s events. NEHS will continue to sponsor Poetry Slams every year and reach out to students who love literature. Featured poets included: Olivia Van Housen, Spencer Kohl, Theresa Giordano, Sam Bradley, Natalie Liptak, Maya Scott, Nila Parvathy, Otto Ohm, Cameron Schaublin, Miranda Harris, Anne-Marie Rementer, Lauren Langley, Ashley Alford, Nigel Greene, Jamie Lendon, Abby Richburg, Nina Sizemore, Alex LaDez, and Shannon Grew. The National English Honor Society is sponsored by Mrs. Kamsler (Room 525) and Ms. Sibley (Room 175).

EMT

SJRstate.edu

• Health Information Technology

• Nursing

• Phlebotomist

• Radiologic Technology

• Respiratory Care and More!

The Emergency Medical Technician program prepares stu-dents for employment at the basic pre-hospital level. Stu-dents will gain the knowledge to treat various medical/trauma conditions with hands-on training and SJR State’s state-of-the-art equipment.

Additional health care programs at SJR State:

ORANGE PARK • PALATKA • ST. AUGUSTINE

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Dreams Come True Club Creekside High School has recently revamped our Dreams Come True Club, thanks to Mrs. Tracey Pitts. The club’s first endeavor this year, was to send the family in the picture on the right on a Disney vacation for some much needed relaxation and family time. The family had to plan this vacation just right to fall in between treatments for the little girl. The family was so grateful they sent us this picture along with a very heartfelt email to Mr. Johnson. If you would like to contribute to the Dreams Come True Club for the 2014-2015 school year, please contact Tracey Pitts at tracey.pitts@stjohns.k12.fl.us or 904-547-7311.

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NHS News The Creekside Chapter of the National Honor Society welcomes over 80 new members for the 2014/2015 school year. Students received their letters of acceptance during the last week of school. There is a formal induction scheduled for August 26th at 6pm in the school’s auditorium.

Here are the officers for the 2014/2015 school year: President: Logan Leonard Vice Presidents: Caroline Kim and Michael SmithSecretary: Katie RaffierTreasurer: Julia FahertyHistorian: Zach Jones

NEW STUDENTS TO CREEKSIDE can transfer their membership from another school by having a letter/email from their previous school sent to Creekside’s NHS Chapter Advisor, Mr. Keefe, stating that they are a member in good standing.

Anyone interested in joining the Creekside Boys’ Cross Country team, please email Coach Frank – Eric.Frank@stjohns.k12.fl.us We will be meeting throughout the summer and are always looking for new team members. Please visit the Boys’ Cross Country website for our conditioning schedule.