Letter from the Principal
Welcome to the 2nd edition of the Blue Print, SIATech Gainesville’s Quarterly Newsletter. We have several interesting stories in this edition. Be sure to check out our New Alumni Spotlight section.
Wow, we cannot believe that we are almost mid-way through the 2015-2016 school year. I will be meeting with all seniors during the months of January and February to discuss credits, assessment requirements and current G.P.A.’S. All seniors will receive a pacing
guide outlining their final course work and graduation requirements.
Included in the pacing guides will be a projected completion date and graduation deadline.
This is to help the students set realistic goals for completion.
Graduation is June 8, 2016 at The Best Western Gateway Grand. We are moving on and forward at SIATech Gainesville…Get on Board…………
Principal Blue
A Wonderful Surprise
SIATech Gainesville was treated to a “Wonderful” surprise on Tuesday, January 29, 2015. Our very own 2015 Salutatorian Bennie Cooper (pictured) paid us a visit and spoke to the students about his new career in the Air Force and his experiences at SIATech. Airman Cooper, offered valuable tips on how to enlist into the military and why he choose the Air Force. While visiting each class, He also spoke about how SIATech changed his life and his experiences in the military thus far. We are so proud of Bennie and look forward to seeing what the future has in store for him.
Family Night
National School Choice Week was held January 24-30, 2016, in honor of this week, SIATech Gainesville held its annual Family Night open house and dinner on Thursday, January 28, 2016. Everyone was treated to a free spaghetti dinner prepared by the SIATech staff with all of the fixings. Family, friends, community, and board members were all invited to the event. Tors were given by SIATech’s own ambassadors. Each classroom had games and prizes for our quest. Students and their families’ got a chance to meet with staff and enjoy the night. Fun was had by all.
Employee Spotlight: Megan Bertsch, Vivian Covington, and Patsy Ann Dennis
Mrs. Bertsch, also known as “Mrs. B,” is halfway through her first official year as social studies teacher at SIATech Gainesville. She spent time with us last year as a substitute and brought some welcome consistency to the social studies classroom after some substitute turnover. She loves teaching social studies, not only because of her passion for history, but she loves to see the progression of her students as they work toward their goal of finishing high school.
Mrs. Bertsch grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. and moved to Florida for college in 2005. She graduated from the University of Florida in 2010 with her degree in History. After that she attend-ed Santa Fe College’s Educator Preparation institute. She worked as a first grade and kindergarten teacher, but settled on high school because she enjoys teaching the advanced subject matter.
Vivian “Ms. C” Covington is the face of SIATech Gainesville. As the administrative assistant she supports the principal, Christal Blue, as needed. That is a huge task in itself, but her job is so much more than an assistant. She helps handle behavior issues, manages the supplies, and acts as the point of contact for prospective, new, and current students, parents, and visitors. Her busy days are filled with about a thousand other little things that ultimately fall to her. SIATech would not be able to run as efficiently (or even at all!) without her. She has been named Employee of the Year several times in her career.
Vivian grew up in the small town of Starke, Florida, just a short drive from Gainesville. She always knew she would likely work with others because of her great people skills. She even once dreamed of being an airline stewardess!
She has an extremely close-knit family and enjoys spending time with her mom, children, and grandkids. She loves football season and chocolate — especially Butterfingers!
Patsy Ann Dennis is SIATech Gainesville’s oldest and most seasoned employee. She has worked here for eleven years and is the only “original” staff member left. She works as a teaching assistant for our English classroom, but fills in for other teachers in emergencies and floats around the school as needed. SIATech certainly would not be the same without Ms. Dennis. She possesses the indispensable knowledge and wisdom that can only come
with experience.
Patsy is also the cooking queen of SIATech Gainesville. She spoils the employees with her cakes, casseroles, and other treats whenever she can. Obviously she loves to bake in her free time, but she also loves to dance. You might not guess that Patsy was class president in high school! She is the oldest of 12 children.
Alumni Corner
Name: Bennie D. Cooper
Occupation: US Air Force-6 months
What or who at SIATech made a difference for you? SIATech is like a little family. All the faculty and staff are so nice and the technical approach to the studies really helped me focus.
What did you learn while at SIATech that helps you today? A lot of SIATech had to do with computers so I became very tech savvy. This really helped me in my career choice.
