Happy Friday! We hope everyone has enjoyed their spring break and is ready for the final quarter of the 23-24 school year.

It is time to complete our annual SAC survey - https://surveys.stjohns.k12.fl.us/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=llMJ6o2K Thank you in advance for taking a few minutes to complete as we value your feedback.

Recently, teachers have shared the challenges of teaching 7th period with so many students needing to leave class to use the restroom. To help the teachers and students preserve instructional time, we have made a slight adjustment to our bell schedule for 4th quarter. We will be shaving 1 min off of 1st/2nd, 2 mins off of 3rd/4th, and 1 min off of 5th/6th, to increase the passing time before 7th period to 10mins to allow enough time for students to use the restroom before class starts. Students that have a true emergency during 7th period will need to use the restroom in the clinic.

Revised bell schedule for 4th quarter

We have worked hard over the break to make decisions on course petition requests for 24-25 SY. For all petition requests entered by March 10th - If the petition was approved, students can see the new course listed in HAC under course requests. If the petition was denied, an email was sent yesterday from Nease.Registrar@stjohns.k12.fl.us with the reason. There are still many requests that will have to wait until we have May 2024 FAST scores to make a decision. We will be working through new requests once a week for the rest of the school year.

As course tally numbers were reviewed over break to prepare for creating the budget for 24-25 SY, we had to make some decisions.

HITT class had 21 students, so we moved students into weight training or another elective choice.

ASL 1 - too many students so seniors were removed and placed in another elective choice and some juniors who had already completed 2 years of a world language.

Computer Science Discoveries - this course is very simple programming and is used as a math credit. Students not needing the course for their 4th math credit were removed and placed in Foundations of Programming.

Accounting - 12 students signed up for this new course, so students were moved to their next elective choice.

Digital Society - 5 students, so these were moved to AP Computer Science A

Theatre classes - Theatre 1 – 17; Theatre 2 – 12; Theatre 3 – 8; Acting 4 – 7; Total 44 students If we are able to offer these courses, they will be combined into one section. We are working on a teacher and will share soon if we are able to offer.

Dance - Dance 1 – 15; Dance 2 – 12; Dance 3 – 5; Dance 4 – 6; Total = 38 students. These courses will be combined into one section.

LAST CHANCE TO PRE-ORDER YEARBOOKS! Online sales for yearbooks will end on April 1. To guarantee your child has a yearbook, make sure you order before then. After April 1, no purchases can be made until the books come in, and then only a limited number of books will be available, and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. ORDER TODAY!  www.yearbookordercenter.com. Code 15476.

ACT on campus for ALL Juniors - Tuesday, March 26th

The state-funded ACT College Reportable test is an important upcoming assessment for all Juniors on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. As a reminder, the ACT College Reportable test is only for 11^th graders. All 9^th, 10^th, and 12^th graders will be allowed an at-home learning day.

To ensure an optimal testing environment, the district allows flexibility to students on this day. Students who are not participating in the ACT College Reportable test may complete assigned work from home or at school on this day.  Assigned work will be due on Wednesday, March 27^th, the day after the exam.

Junior parents, if you would like your junior to leave school at 1:30pm after the ACT is completed, then the early release form MUST be completed. The form can be printed or students can pick-up a copy in the main office. We will NOT be checking out students through the main office from 1:30pm to 3:50pm.

Seniors, if you need initial or midyear transcripts sent, you will need to turn in your gold envelope to your school counselor. If you never stopped in to CPOD to pick up your gold envelope after you submitted your gold envelope to your counselor, you need to come by CPOD and pick it up. You will need to use this process to get your midyear transcripts sent. The only time you do not need your gold envelope, is when you need final transcripts sent to the college/university you will be attending after high school graduation.  

The presentation from our Financial Aid Night can be accessed using the following link: 

https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:7c92c3fc-4a80-31b5-8b4d-68289ea57010

Thank you to all who joined us virtually

Friday, May 10^th is the last day for seniors who have met all graduation requirements.

MANDATORY Graduation Rehearsal - Thursday, May 16th from 9am to 11am at UNF Arena.

Graduation - Tuesday, May 21st at 6pm at UNF - students will receive 7 graduation tickets.

Graduation Attire

Graduation is a special ceremony where we have an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the enormous amounts of hard work that our students and families have invested into the completion of the K-12 educational journey. To preserve the dignity and decorum that traditionally accompanies graduation ceremonies, we will be requiring that students adhere to the following expectations:

Dress Attire is required.

Girls

• Dress or dress pants
•  Shoes - sandals, flats, or heels

Boys

• Slacks (khakis are acceptable)
• Collared shirt (dress shirt or 3-button)
• Shoes - loafers such as Sperry's and Hey Dude's are acceptable

Items that are not permitted

• Shorts or Jeans
• Tennis Shoes, Combat Boots, or Flip-flops

Things To Consider

•  Belts should accompany dress pants
• Footwear should be comfortable for standing and walking in. Example: If a student is not accustomed to functional movement in heels, they should be avoided.
• Gown must be zipped the entire ceremony.

Graduation Caps

• Students are welcome to decorate their cap with the name of the college/university or military branch that they will be pursuing after graduation
• No other quotes, messages, symbols, or organizations may be represented on the cap. No exceptions will be made.
• All designs must be 2-Dimensional (no pompoms, beads, flowers, figurines, etc.)
• A blank cap will be provided for students who fail to follow the guidelines above

Local Scholarships for Seniors

The Ponte Vedra Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will award a $500 scholarship at our meeting on May 7, 2024, to a deserving college-bound senior graduating from a St. Johns County high school in the spring of 2024. Students meeting the eligibility criteria are invited to apply.

Eligibility criteria consist of the following:

• Student is enrolled in one of the following high schools in St. Johns County, Florida: Bartram Trail High School, Creekside High School, Nease High School, or Ponte Vedra High School.
• Student exhibits good academic achievement and character.
• Student has maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or better (where A is equal to 4.0)      during the entire high school enrollment period.
• Student is a citizen of the United States.

Please note that our scholarship committee must receive the student’s application packet no later than March 31, 2024.

St. Augustine Elks Lodge Educational Trust Fund 2024 Scholarships

The applications in both .pdf and a Fillable Word format. Last year five $1000 Scholarships were awarded to Caroline Hamby, John Klatzkow, Cael Thompson and Celine Taylor from NHS.

This year there will be ten $1,000.00 scholarships available to qualifying seniors in St. Johns County. Applicants must attend or have attended a high school within St. Johns County, be a resident of St. Johns County, and have at least one parent that is a St. Johns County resident. Applications are due back no later than April 1, 2024.

Applicants are selected based on the overall excellence of the student, and include community service, extracurricular activities and financial need, as well as academic achievement. 

INK! has opened the Class of 2024 Senior Scholarship Application. 

• The portal is available at https://apply.ink-stjohns.org
• We are pleased to announce that our number of available scholarships for Class of 2024 continues to grow. We have 20+ scholarships available, with a total value in excess of $50,000.
• Some are need based, some are merit based, and some have specific requirements for majors, high school attended, or university attending.
• On the website, there is a narrative description about each scholarship and its requirements.
•  Application deadline for all scholarships is March 23, 2024. 

Engineering Scholarship

SAME, Society of American Military Engineers Jacksonville Post, is awarding $2000 scholarships to high school students who will be enrolling in an engineering, construction, or architecture related program at a college or university this fall. Applications are due by March 29,2024.

Additional information can be found at our website: https://samejax.org/HS-scholarships

The Brian Bourke Memorial Scholarship Application 2024

The Brian Bourke Scholarship will be awarded to Nease High School Seniors who are graduating in May 2024, have demonstrated good moral character, achieved success in the classroom, and have helped in their community. Brian Bourke was a NYC Police Detective who served the public and helped keep his community safe. After working over 20 years in the NYPD he decided to serve the Nease community as a Parking Lot Attendant and helped keep the students and staff safe as well as greet them with a friendly smile every day and sent them on their way to class with words of encouragement and positivity.

• Essay- 400-500 word essay typed, include the following information:
• Member of school community paragraph- academic achievements (GPA, ACT/SAT score), awards or certifications, clubs, your Nease experiences.
• Member of local community paragraph- volunteer activities, jobs, service projects
• Writing prompt response paragraph- Kindness is contagious. How can you spread encouragement and positivity into the world?
• Application is due by April 12th - Application can be printed here.

Rotary Club of Palm Valley

Every year, we offer a $2,000 scholarship to a Nease student who best exemplifies Service Above Self. The scholarship is in memorial of Jeff Hart - a beloved member of the community who did an enormous amount for the community youth - especially in the area of Rotary Youth Exchange.  The application will close April 15th and we’ll notify the winner of the results no later than May 13th.

Jeff Hart Memorial Service Above Self Scholarship 2024 - docs.google.com

Griffin Moody Scholarship Award Application – 2024

One or more $2500 Griffin Moody Scholarships will be awarded to Nease High School Seniors who are graduating in May 2024, have demonstrated good moral character, achieved success in the classroom, participated in extra-curricular activities (either in school or outside of school), and have applied to attend either a traditional or technical college in the Summer or Fall of 2024. Applications are due by April 5th.

REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICATION:

•  Resume – to include your academic achievements (GPA, ACT/SAT score, any awards or certificates achieved, etc.), and hardships you’ve had to overcome.
•  Have you decided what college you’re attending? What do you intend to major in?
•  Community Service – list all volunteer activities, and total number of service hours achieved.
•  Letter of Reference – at least one letter of reference/recommendation from someone who is familiar with your character and is not related to you.
• Essay – a 400-500 word essay, typed, using the prompt on the application.

Griffin Moody Scholarship Award Application

Monday, March 18^th – Planning Day – No School!

No events

Tuesday, March 19^th - Gold Day – 2, 4, 6, 7

• AWAY: 5pm/7pm – JV/V Softball at Beachside
• HOME: 5:30pm/7:30pm – JV/V Boys’ Lacrosse vs Creekside
• AWAY: 6:30pm – V Boys’ Volleyball at Bartram Trail

Wednesday, March 20^th – Make-up Green Day – 2:50pm dismissal

• AWAY: 5pm – JV Track Meet at Tocoi Creek
• AWAY: 3:30pm – Tennis at Bartram
• AWAY: 5pm – JV Baseball at Beachside
• AWAY: 7pm – JV Boys’ Lacrosse at Fleming Island vs Episcopal
• HOME: 5:30pm – Boys’ Weightlifting vs Tocoi Creek – SR night
• HOME: 6pm – V Baseball vs Ponte Vedra

Thursday, March 21^st – Green Day - 1, 3, 5, 7

• 8am – SAC meeting in PH104
• Marine Science FT
• 5:30pm – IB Pinning Ceremony at stadium ·        
• AWAY: 6pm – JV Baseball at Ponte Vedra
• HOME: 5:30pm/7:30pm – JV/V Boys’ Volleyball vs Ponte Vedra
• AWAY: 5:30pm – JV Softball at Bartram
• AWAY: 6:30pm – V Baseball at Tocoi
• HOME: 6:30pm – V Softball vs Bartram

Friday, March 22^nd – Gold Day – 2, 4, 6, 7 – Report cards available on HAC

• HOME: 6pm – JV Baseball vs Bartram Trail
• AWAY: 6:30pm – V Baseball at Bartram Trail
• AWAY: 6:30pm – V Softball at St Augustine

Saturday, March 23d 

• NJROTC FT – Brian Brawl & Drone Championships at Fleming Island
• AWAY: 2pm – V Boys’ Lacrosse at Bolles vs Maclay

National English Honor Society

Next meeting – March 27th EXCEL B in B102 – Prose and Cons for March.

All members- Please make sure you have filled out the Google form for the Spring Submission. See 3/6 Schoology Update for further due dates.

Spring Submission Option 2024 (google.com)

Seniors – Be on the lookout after Spring Break for the School Pay link for cords. 

To stay up to date on all Prom information, please check out the website: https://neaseprom.weebly.com/

Congratulations to our NJROTC Drill Team for their 10^th consecutive Area 12 Drill Championship win! They will be heading to Pensacola in April to compete at the National Drill Championship. 

St Johns Cultural Council selects recipients of the 2024 Junior ROWITA Fellowship

Each year, the Cultural Council recognizes outstanding St. Johns County high school Seniors through its Junior ROWITA fellowship program.

We are excited to share that this year's Junior ROWITA honorees will receive a $1000 grant to help them continue their education in the arts after graduation.

Our 2024 Junior ROWITA honorees are visual artist Kyra Ellis from Nease and performing artist Gracia Romaine from Tocoi.

Girls Weightlifting

Meet Results

3/2 – AAU ALL-STAR SHOWCASE

Izzy Knight earned 4^th place in Traditional

She matched her school record in the Bench Press (115lbs)

End of Season Awards

Congratulations to the following Girls Weightlifting Team Award Recipients:

Leadership Award – Alexis Landeweer, Mackie Cherry, Haven Boyer

Rookie of the Year – Sophie Hunze

Most Improved – Kadyn Sakamoto

School Records

Snatch – Izzy Knight (101/110), Haven Boyer (139), Mackie Cherry (154), Emma Tolly (183)

Clean & Jerk – Izzy Knight (101)

Bench Press – Izzy Knight (101), Mackie Cherry (154)

Olympic Total – Izzy Knight (101/110), Haven Boyer (139), Mackie Cherry (154), Emma Tolly (183)

Traditional Total – Izzy Knight (101/110), Mackie Cherry (154)

Boys Weightlifting

3/6 - County Championship Results

Congratulations to our Boys Weightlifting team – Olympic Champions at the 2024 St. Johns County Weightlifting Championships!

Sam Lewis – 129lb Olympic and Traditional County Champion

Jack Aberdeen – 183lb Olympic County Champion

Logan Martin – 183lb Traditional County Champion

Joseph Stodel, Jack Rorex, Vinny Larizza, Erald Shehaj, and Clayton Arnold also earned podium spots and medals.

🌟 Gold Level Plus Business Partner Spotlight 🌟

Part of Publix's mission is to be involved as responsible citizens in our communities. For over 90 years, Publix has been a company our schools & communities can count on. Publix is honored to be a part of the Nease family.

Thank you, Publix, for supporting Nease High School.

🌟 Gold Level Plus Business Partner Spotlight 🌟

Oasis Boatyard & Marina has been family-owned and operated since 1999. John & Jodi Spires, the owners, have been part of the Panther Community since 2006. Oasis Boatyard offers a wide variety of marine services, from quick hauls to full refits.

With a combined experience of 30+ years in the industry, you can count on Oasis for all of your boating needs. For more information or questions regarding work, don't hesitate to get in touch with John or Jodi Spires at @904 824-2520

Thank you, Oasis Boat Yard and Marina, for supporting Nease High School since 2006!

www.oasisboatyardandmarina.com

1 904-824-2520

Engineering Scholarship Available

The Society of American Military Engineers Jacksonville Post is awarding $2000 scholarships to high school students who will be enrolling in an engineering, construction, or architecture related program at a college or university this fall. Applications are due by March 29,2024. Additional information can be found at their website: https://samejax.org/HS-scholarships

We have had Stellar Academy of Engineering Students win this scholarship in the past, so we encourage you to apply!

Russell Rowland Engineering Firm Job Opportunities

Seniors in the Engineering Academy, if you’re interested in putting your AutoCAD, Revit, and Inventor drafting skills to work after high school, Russell Rowland is seeking to hire graduates this summer. This structural engineering firm wants to hire full-time employees who are interested in jumping straight into the workforce. If you’re interested, let Mrs. Combs know and she will connect you with their hiring agent.

Digital Design Scholarship

Digital Design students, time to get some free cash for college! Apply for the Leonard’s Studios Leonard R. Tucker Scholarship. This is a $1000 Scholarship for St. Johns County seniors enrolled in Yearbook or an Academy program. Applications for this scholarship are now open and you can apply at www.leonards.com/scholarship. They choose 2-3 students from around the county. The deadline for this scholarship application is April 15th. See the graphic below for more details.

Get an Inside Look at Documentary Filmmaking for Free

Richard Vevers from the Netflix documentary Chasing Coral is coming to the Whitney Lab Auditoriums April 4^th at 7 PM to talk about ocean conservation. He is also know for bringing google maps street view underwater, so it's a great opportunity for filmmakers as well as aspiring scientists. Most well suited to middle and high schoolers, but appropriate for elementary school students as well! We encourage anyone who loves the ocean to come, and bring all their friends! The event is completely free. There is a QR code to sign up on the poster, but I'll also include an event link here: 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sanacora-ocean-forum-registration-814185820707?aff=oddtdtcreator



If you have any questions about the Communications Academy, Stellar Academy of Engineering, or the Academy of Hospitality & Tourism, reach out to Mrs. Combs at jaime.combs@stjohns.k12.fl.us

IB Booster Club meeting on Tuesday, March 26th at 9:45am in the media center classroom.

Next IB Social is on March 28^th during EXCEL.

Registration for next year is complete. Please have your student check HAC to make sure their requests are correct. Please have the student send Mrs. Kennedy an email, if they need for a request to be updated.

IB Pinning is schedule for March 21^st at 5:30 at the Nease stadium. All IB juniors and seniors are required to attend. Arrival for students is 5:00pm. Please your calendars!

Sign Up to help with IB testing: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E4EAFA728ABF94-48560235-nease. If your student is taking the exam, unfortunately, you cannot be in the same exam as your student. We really need help proctoring from our 9^th and 10^th grade families.

IB Seniors

Senior Banquet is May 20^th in the afternoon. Please save the date!

Carolyn Milian – School Librarian Media Specialist

Lorna Patterson – Media Clerk

Media Center phone number – 904-547-8367

Email – carolyn.milian@stjohns.k12.fl.us

COFFEE/HOT CHOCOLATE STATION DONATIONS!

THANK YOU SO MUCH to all our families that have donated so many supplies to keep our student coffee station running! The students absolutely love this little FREE perk we offer in our media center, ESPECIALLY with more chilly days heading our way! We could still use some of the following items if you are willing and able to help donate so we can keep this going for our students.

·        Hot chocolate packets (these are so popular!)

·        Disposable coffee cups

·        Tea bags (for our tea drinkers 😊 )

·        Creamer (individual packs or powdered. No refrigerated creamers please)

·        Sugar (individual small packets)

Thank you so much for anything you can help out with so we can continue this little “perk” for our students.

TEXTBOOKS AND MEDIA FINES – PROM SEASON!! 

Prom season is around the corner and we have MANY students with media fines on their accounts. This week we sent out overdue media notices to all students with fines on their accounts. If your student has any textbook or library fines on his/her media account. PLEASE take care of these as soon as possible, ESPECIALLY JUNIORS & SENIORS! Juniors and Seniors with any fines on their account will NOT be allowed to purchase prom tickets and Seniors will not receive graduation tickets until these fines are satisfied. FRESHMEN! – many of you still have missing library books and/or fines from your middle school. These WILL remain on your account through the years until you take care of them. If your student still has a book that has been charged to his/her account, as soon as they return it to the media center, these fines will be deleted from their account.  If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Get your “Panther Café Ceiling Tile”! This is your chance to IMMORTALIZE yourself in our library!

ALL students have the opportunity to take home one of our café area ceiling tiles, paint and personalize it, then have it placed back into our ceiling for a donation of $20. The money raised from this fundraiser will be used to purchase new computers for our media center and at the same time have our seniors immortalized in our café as these will never be repainted! Please contact me in the media center for more information. 

Follow Nease Athletics on Instagram #NeaseAthletics and X @NeaseAthletics

You can support Nease Athletics by becoming a member of our Booster Club! Everyone is welcome to join. There are five membership levels. All funds will directly support Nease High School athletic programs. All athletes and coaches will benefit from the funding. Show your Panther Pride and sign up here https://neaseathletics.com/gpbc-membership/

Link Below for Apparel purchases:

https://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/florida/pontevedra/nease-high-school

Athletic Clearance

Prior to participating with a Nease High School athletic team, all students are required to complete the athletic clearance process.

Please keep in mind that the FHSAA requires all student athletes to view free NFHS video courses on concussions, heat illness, and sudden cardiac arrest (see instructions below). Signatures on the EL3 form indicate that your athlete has completed these three video courses. The FHSAA also requires that all student athletes have at least a 2.0 unweighted GPA to be eligible for participation.

For step-by-step athletic clearance instructions please visit: https://neaseathletics.com/athletic_clearance/

Athletic Fee/Pay to Participate

The purpose of the Nease Athletic Fee is to help address the costs associated with operating a high school athletic department. Currently the St. Johns County School Board pays each coach’s coaching supplement, and all remaining costs are the responsibility of the athletic department and teams. The athletic fee helps cover the following expenses:

·        Game officials

·        Indoor and Outdoor Athletic Facility maintenance

·        Sports Medicine

·        Security

·        Athletic Leadership Council activities

·        Student-Athlete Letters and Awards

·        FHSAA membership dues and other fees

The 2023-24 fee will be as follows: $75 Per Sport Played

This fee must be paid prior to the student-athlete participating in his/her first contest. Nease Athletics appreciates your attention and compliance regarding payment of this fee. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Nease Athletic Department.

Looking ahead:

The Boys Volleyball Team needs YOU!

We're looking for dedicated volunteers to help us excel both on and off the court. No experience necessary!

We'll train you on:

Stats taking

Score sheet keeping

Time clock operation

Line judging

And much more!

Volunteer hours will be provided for your contributions. This is a fantastic opportunity to gain valuable experience, develop teamwork skills, and be a part of something special.

Reach out to the Volleyball Coach: Roman Pytel rojpytel@gmail.com or stop by a practice after school in the gym.

We look forward to having you!

Go Panthers!

Nease Athletic Ticket Sales will be GoFan this school year.