August/September Lunch Menu

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Reading assignments for Middle Division and Upper Division students by grades are also posted.
These assignments guide the reader to a better understanding of the works, and serve as a basis for discussion in the first days of class. The assignments must be completed by the first day of school.

The Middle Division Assignments can be downloaded here.

The Upper Division Assignments can be downloaded here.

The lists are also posted in our Community section under Information – Forms.

Academy artists in grades JK through 12 featured their works of art at the annual exhibit. The Art Show Reception was held on Sunday, May 16th from 1pm-3pm. Student artists, families and faculty joined together to view our aspiring artists’ works of art, enjoy refreshments and mingle with the other artists’ and their families.

The 6th Grade Exam Schedule can be downloaded here.

The 7th Grade Exam Schedule can be downloaded here.

The 8th Grade Exam Schedule can be downloaded here.

The Upper Division Exam Schedule can be downloaded here.

All of these schedules are also posted in our Community-Information-Forms section under Exams.

Academy alumnus, Michael Setteducato (Class of ’09), currently a freshman at John’s Hopkins University, has been accepted as a summer intern at the Moffitt Cancer Center. The SPARK internship is a 10-week research study program consisting of 40 hours per week of intensive faculty-led research at Moffitt. Interns design and execute a research project under the guidance of an assigned mentor while gaining hands-on laboratory experience by conducting experiments and collecting and analyzing data in a high-tech environment with access to professional resources. Participants document, report and present their findings. In addition, students have the opportunity to attend weekly seminars exploring the latest developments in cancer research technology, methods and application. Enthusiasm for research as a career, as evidenced by a student’s GPA, extracurricular activities, and written statements, set a candidate apart during the application process. Michael is one out of only 20 students nation-wide selected by a faculty committee to participate in the summer internship program. Michael first began developing and honing his scientific research skills in our Advanced Scientific Research program in high school.

STUDENT NEWS

Students at Academy at the Lakes are seeing their Musical Dreams become Reality.

Shannon O’Donnell and Alexis Setteducato, both Class of 2011, are on their way to seeing their dreams of musical and theatrical success come to fruition. Both girls have been accepted to some of the nation’s most intensive and acclaimed collegiate summer programs for the arts.


Shannon O’ Donnell has been enrolled in many of the arts classes offered at Academy during her middle and high school career. From chorus to drama, dance and musical theory, she has seen her love of performing blossom at Academy. Her true passion for the craft can be seen in her every involvement at Academy; whether performing in the school’s musical, assisting in directing, or even set design. Shannon is currently working in two shows outside of school; “Moby Dick, the Musical”, in which she plays the lead Ishmael and she’s also collaborating on a brand new musical “Coast 2 Coast, Hitsville” with Solerno Theatre. Shannon intends to pursue a Bachelor in Fine Arts in Musical Theatre and ultimately her Masters in Fine Arts in Musical Theatre. Her greatest ambition is to perform on Broadway as well as tour nationally and internationally.

Shannon surely possesses the focus, drive and talent to get there. Her talents have been recognized by two of the country’s top musical theatre programs. The Broadway Theatre Project saw several hundred applicants during 9 live auditions across the United States and accepted Video auditions as well. There were only 200 available apprentice positions for the 2010 Session. Shannon will be one of them! She will have the unique opportunity to study with some of the most accomplished producers, casting directors, directors, and choreographers in the performing arts world. Playbill magazine refers to Broadway Theatre Project as, “The world’s most prestigious musical theatre arts education program for high school and college students.”

Shannon has also been accepted to Indiana University’s Midsummer Theatre Program, a dynamic theatre and drama institute designed especially for young artists. Classes are taught by IU faculty professionals, outstanding teaching assistants, and guest artists. Dozens of talented and dedicated students from around the country come together for two weeks of challenging and rewarding theatrical training and exposure to one of the richest cultural landscapes in the country. Each year they only accept approximately 20 of the nation’s most promising students.

Alexis Setteducato is another talented student who has made the most of the rich arts program at Academy at the Lakes. As a prominent member of the choral program, she recently starred as Maria in Academy’s spring musical, The Sound of Music. During her tenure at Academy she has been enrolled in drama, dance, music history, and music theory courses. Alexis is currently studying to become a classical singer taking private voice lessons, diction coaching, and piano and guitar lessons. Last summer, Alexis attended The Peabody Conservatory’s Summer Vocal Institute at John’s Hopkins University. Her goal is to attend a university with a strong music program where she plans to pursue a Bachelor in Vocal or Opera Performance. Her long term goals consist of obtaining a Master’s degree in Opera Performance, completing an apprenticeship in either Italy or Germany, and joining an opera company.

This summer, Alexis has been accepted to The Boston Conservatory Music Division’s Vocal/Choral Intensive summer voice program which focuses on training high-school students who are serious about singing in classical styles. The two-week program mirrors the Conservatory’s college curriculum, serving as a great introduction to a conservatory education. This summer voice program at The Boston Conservatory is designed to strengthen performance skills, sight-singing and musical skills, enhance vocal technique by working with professional singers and the Boston Conservatory faculty.

Alexis has also been accepted to Eastman School of Music’s Collegiate Vocal Institute at The University of Rochester. This internationally acclaimed program is for students who are seriously considering a career in music. The highly individualized program emphasizes solo performance and is designed for mature students of advanced performance levels who can work well in a focused collegiate type environment. Only students that possess high level musical skills, good organizational skills, and mature personal skills are asked to study with members of Eastman’s Community Music School faculty and members of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Alexis was offered a scholarship to support her attendance this summer.

We are most proud of our outstanding students and of the Academy programs that inspire and nuture their diverse talents.

The End of Year Trip Form can be downloaded here.

The Junior Class Lunch Privileges Permission Form can be downloaded here.

Both Forms are also posted in our Community-Information-Forms section under Permission Forms.

The 29 members of our Senior Class, the Class of 2010, last week passed the $1 million mark in scholarship and grant offers for college! This number does not include loans, and we anticipate that the final number of scholarship and grant dollars will be even larger by the time we reach Commencement on June 6.

This is just one of the many ways that your investment in an Academy experience for your child(ren) brings great value for your family.

I’m sure you all join me in congratulating the Class of 2010 on their accomplishments, and I enthusiastically invite you to send them off into alumni-hood by planning to attend our Commencement ceremony on Sunday, June 6, at 1:00 p.m. in our gymnasium. Our guest speaker will be Dr. Ronald L. Vaughn, President of the University of Tampa.

I look forward to seeing a great turnout from all quarters of our community, as we all share a part in the great success these fine young men and women have achieved. Commencement is rightfully an all-school event!

Sincerely,
Mark Heller
Head of School

“Science Fair was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot,” eighth-grader Colleen Lopez said about the Pasco Regional Science and Engineering Fair at River Ridge High School on Saturday, February 6th.

Colleen was one of seven Academy students who competed in the fair. All seven students placed in the top three slots in their category. Six students won first place and will continue to the state science fair.

Seniors Helen Latimer and Julian Doromal won first place in the teams category of the high school competition with their work, Multilayer Polypeptide Nanofilms. Helen and Julian efficiently and reproducibly generated biological nanofilms, a breakthrough necessary to transform nanotechnology into a marketable commodity. Julian and Helen worked in Dr. Donald Haynie’s laboratory in the USF Physics Department and will continue their work until they leave for college in the fall.

Ninth-grader Alex Stark won first place in the computer category with his project “Tic Tac Toe: Adventures in Decision Making.” Alex programmed an invincible tic tac toe game and demonstrated that his program is infallible compared to its human competitors. Alex earned commendations from both Intel Corporation and the U.S. Army.

In her project Regional Groundwater Study Through Isotopic Analysis, senior Carly Harro analyzed hydrogen and oxygen isotope ratios by mass spectrometry to trace surface and groundwater interconnectivity in the Weeki Wachee Ground Water Basin in Hernando County. Her findings will be utilized by the Southwest Florida Water Management District to study local water shortages. Carly won first place and received commendations from the Association of Women Geoscientists and the American Meteorological Society and also took home the U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize Regional Award and an invitation to enter a special competition.

In the middle school science fair, eighth-grader Shayne Fitzgerald won first place in the Environmental Science category with his project Quick Steam II. Shane utilized steam from an exothermic reaction of calcium oxide with water to turn an alternator. This reaction could be a cheap, readily available energy source to power batteries or run a generator. Shayne hopes to apply his work to powering a car.

Eighth-grader Colleen Lopez won first place in the Botany category for her work on The Effect of Centrifugal Force on Radish Seed Germination. Colleen utilized centrifugal force to mimic the mechanism for producing gravity in space. She hopes her work will be applicable to growing fresh food in space.

Seventh-grader David Gamero earned third place in the Environmental Science category with his work titled Electric Magnets. David calculated the productivity of an electrical generator turning at different speeds and compared single generators to multiple generators. He determined that using multiple generators is more efficient than using one large generator. He hopes to charge the lithium ion battery of a laptop or iPod by placing two generators on either side of a bicycle axle.

The spirit of inventiveness and inquiry is a hallmark of the educational experience at Academy at the Lakes. We are most proud of our students, their teachers, and the special school culture that encourages and supports our future leaders, scientists, and innovators.

Academy at the Lakes, located on Collier Parkway in Land O’Lakes, serves students from the entire North Tampa metropolitan area from PK3 through 12th grade.

Academy at the Lakes students and faculty had another fantastic day of fun on February 11, 2010, as they braved the cold morning and competed in several outdoor activities. This was the coldest House Day in the history of Academy at the Lakes. The event was kicked off with the usual “parade of colors” where members of each house (named after birds of prey) lined up according to height (tallest to smallest), marched and cheered around the back of the Wendlek campus, proudly displaying their newly created banners to show their house and school spirit.

This year’s competitions included the fire drill relay, hop sac relay, tire drag, 3-legged race, ‘Big Pants’ race, balloon pop, shoe match, frisbee zone throw, jump rope , wiffle ball, and a dodge ball tournament, to name a few. Students and faculty had a few quiet and warmer moments indoors during lunch time, followed by indulgence in word search games in ‘buddy reading’ fashion. The afternoon was filled with more friendly competitions and ‘House color-matching’ popsicles for refreshment. The day culminated in the usual House Tug of War, but this year‘s Tug of War was by age groups. Peregrine racked up the most points during the day and won the 2010 bragging rights. They had their ‘photo shoot’ on the hill and took their victory lap around the Wendlek field with much jubilation. Congratulations, Peregrine!! Proudly wave your red flag!!!