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Public charter school for underserved migrants to open in August in Mulberry. Operator RCMA to offer bilingual lessons and family services.

Mulberry Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Festival by James Coulter When Maribel Garay learned that her hometown was hosting a Hispanic Heritage Festival, she considered it an opportune moment for her and her church to spread the good word. She and her congregation from Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal in Lakeland set up a booth to pass…

The district continues to receive applications, with a Jan. 31 deadline at midnight for the final applications to be submitted.   Superintendent Jacqueline Byrd announced her retirement in May. Her successor is scheduled to be selected at the April 27 board meeting.  The applicants so far are:  • Wayne Alexander, Ed.D. — Serves as a school principal (PK-8) in “the largest multi-cultural school in Connecticut.” He is also the former Hernando County schools superintendent, serving between 2007 and 2009. He has served as a teacher and administrator for 34 years.   • ...

MULBERRY – Polk County Public Schools now has at least one fatality from COVID-19.  Maria Hernandez, 55, a longtime paraprofessional and secretary in Mulberry schools, died from the virus on Thursday, according to family and friends.  “We are heartbroken about the loss of Maria,” said Michael Young, principal of Mulberry High School, where Hernandez worked in the guidance office. “She was driven by her passion to help our students and families have better futures. Maria excelled at celebrating student accomplishments and encouraging them to stretch themselves beyond their exp...

LAKELAND — Lourdes Villanueva’s phone began ringing even before she had learned about the latest development in the saga of the “Dreamers.” As director of farmworker advocacy for the Redlands Christian Migrant Association in Mulberry, Villanueva has connections with local youths who fit the criteria for a program created under former President Barack Obama that provides protections for those illegally brought to the United States as children. Villanueva has seen Polk County students benefit from the Deferred Action for Children Arrivals (DACA) program, but the opportunity hasn’t exi...