By MARK YOUNG | The Bradenton Herald | Published: December 19, 2020 LAKEWOOD RANCH (Tribune News Service) It all started with a chance meeting between Lakewood Ranch High School sophomore Lorenzo Liberti and a Vietnam war veteran. Liberti and his family were volunteering at a local homeless event in January of last year when he got the chance to sit down with the veteran and hear his story. That moment launched a massive charitable effort on his part. It was also a moment that perhaps changed his life forever. After his encounter with the homeless veteran, Liberti said, It clicked in me that why would our heroes be on the side of the road asking and begging for food when in reality they went and served without us ever asking them to. That s a really big thing for me ever since then. It didn t seem right. It didn t seem fair that our heroes are all of sudden forgotten.
Sailing away from port on a Carnival cruise, Lakewood Ranch s Madison Abbacchi, then 14, didn t hit the pool, or the sun deck or even the buffet.
As always, her parents had purchased internet access on the ship so she could check Focus, an online portal that allows students and their parents to access grades, progress reports and attendance.
Madison checked it every day, even on a cruise ship.
Jay Heater: Side of Ranch
Madison, who admits she worries about everything, seemingly had no reason to worry. After all, she had recorded an A in every class since the school system had replaced S for satisfactory with the mark of excellence the A in third grade.
Cynthia Saunders, the superintendent of the School District of Manatee County, has been spending her days focused on how to ensure the safety of the district’s almost 50,000 students while striving to provide an excellent education.
In the week before winter break, which starts Dec. 18, Saunders is focused on how to have schools prepared for more students to be on campus next semester and how to close the achievement gap for students who have fallen behind as a result of the pandemic.
What she might not have expected is that she must wait until Dec. 17 to find out whether the School Board of Manatee County will extend her contract, which expires June 30, 2021.