Polk County Public Schools
Debbie LoCicero, a school district social worker, was named 2008 Social Worker Of The Year by the Heartland Unit of the National Association of Social Workers. The Heartland Unit is comprised of social workers in Polk, Hardee and Highland counties.
Among her accomplishments is her work with at-risk children at Winter Haven’s Denison Middle. She works with students on issues such as self-image, responsibility and appropriate behavior. She also works with students at 11 other Winter Haven-area schools providing individual counseling, crisis intervention and behavior modification assistance.
She also assisted with the development of the school district’s Parent Engagement Initiative which focuses on efforts to encourage parents to become more involved with their children’s education.
Frank Howes, Polk schools senior director of fine arts, was named 2008 Arts Administrator of the Year by the Florida Network of Arts Administrators. The following is a list of recent honors for the school district’s visual and performing arts programs under Howes’ stewardship:
• The International Music Products Association Foundation named Polk County as one of the best 110 school districts nationally for music education.
• The Florida Alliance for Arts Education (FAAE) chose Polk schools as the 2007 recipient of the School Board of Excellence Award.
• Nine Polk schools won 2007-2008 Florida Department of Education Music Enrollment Awards for effective music curriculum and for their ability to attract, recruit and retain students in music programs.
Carla McMullen, school choice specialist for the Polk Public Schools, was one of two recipients of the first-ever Dr. Carlo Rodriguez Champion of School Award bestowed by several education partners. The award was given out by the State Board of Education, the Florida Public School Choice Consortium and Nova Southeastern University.
The groups sought to recognize individuals demonstrating exceptional commitment to establishing and expanding public school choice. A committee evaluated individual nominations based on the number of school choice options, equitable recruiting and enrolling practices, parent awareness and empowerment strategies and raising awareness of school choice.