Board honors students, CTE teachers and transport staff: MLK essay winners, CTE awards, AgriFest and 'Love the Bus' recognitions

Polk County School Board members honored students, educators and transportation staff on Feb. 25 during a series of special recognitions.

The board recognized winners of the district’s Martin Luther King Jr. essay contest across elementary and high‑school divisions. A video of one second‑grade winner, Jordan Frazier of Citrus Ridge Civics Academy, was shown for the board when the student could not attend in person. Dr. Adrian Anthony, senior director for equity and compliance, introduced the winners and explained the contest theme "I can make a difference — How can I change the world with nonviolence?" Third‑, second‑ and first‑place winners were named across grade bands.

Polk County also celebrated Career and Technical Education month. Leanne Bennett and Jessica Anderson of Career Technical Education introduced six CTE teachers of the year from across pillars such as agriculture (Paxton Evans, Lake Gibson High School), business and marketing, communications and digital video (Rick Jansen, Harrison School of the Arts), industrial manufacturing and engineering (Thomas Hoyne, Fort Meade Senior High School), human services (Jamara Rodriguez), and health sciences (Ivy Thomas). Thirty-six outstanding CTE students of the year were recognized by school and pillar; winners included Soraya Lopez (agriculture, Davenport High School) and Dylan Mock (welding, Travis Technical College dual enrollment).

Assistant director Jessica Anderson also described AgriFest, the district’s fourth‑grade agricultural exploration event run in partnership with Polk County Farm Bureau and University of Florida IFAS. AgriFest will be held March 3–7 and March 10–14 at the Polk County AgriCenter; staff said about 5,000 fourth‑grade students attend across the two weeks, with six stations led by industry partners including Mosaic (phosphate), IFAS extension, Florida citrus producers, Florida Master Gardeners, cattlewomen (beef) and a new conservation/wildlife corridor station involving Florida Fish and Wildlife.

The board recognized four graduates of the district greenhouse program, which supports employees seeking teaching degrees by reimbursing tuition and textbooks; those graduates have since moved into classroom assignments.

Rob Davis, assistant superintendent for support services, presented annual recognitions for Love the Bus Month, spotlighting bus drivers, dispatchers, technicians and support staff. Six individuals were singled out, including Thomas Cummings III (Area 8, first place), Angela Harris (Area 5, tied second), Shamika Davis (dispatcher, tied second), Amanda Gregory (support services analyst, third place), Daniel Trello (Area 7, tied fourth) and Ayanna Flores (tied fourth). The presentation highlighted nominees’ reliability, student relationships and acts of service.

The recognitions were ceremonial; no board votes were required.