Tarpon Field Trip Makes a Splash

 

On December 6, 2024, Generations 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade went on a field trip to Tarpon Springs Aquarium and Animal Exhibit. The students took a pink school bus. It was a 35 minute drive and arrived at about 10:15 a.m. Students met up with chaperones and divided into groups. 

"We looked at bunnies, cows, pigs, and turkeys," said Noah DiGregorio. 

Alejandro Valdivia, a fifth-grade student, said he liked seeing the Highland Cows. "They are cute, fluffy, and have horns," he said. 

Baxton Hallamon was calm even when a python was wrapped around his neck for a photo and got near his ear. "I felt like it was trying to eat me," he said, "but I felt better when they took my picture, like it was my pet."

Holding the alligator was fourth-grader Camdyn Fairbank's favorite experience. "I wanted to take it home with me," he said. He loved holding the sharp-toothed reptile. 

The aquarium had even more interesting things to see and do. 

"We fed sharks," said Arianna Munitz, a fifth-grader who had never been to Tarpon's aquarium before, but had fun. Still, she said it was a little stinky. 

The students also saw a scuba diver swimming in a giant fish tank. "It was cool, because she was underwater she pretended to be a pirate driving a ship."

"My favorite part was feeding the animals," fourth-grader Karolis Ivanauskas said. 

The students ate lunch there and had a great time. They even got to visit the gift shop. Then, when they arrived back at school, they still got to have recess!!

Mrs. Hanratty is Having a Great Year

By Jax Shortridge

Mrs. Hanratty teaches middle-school English Language Arts, Civics and Yearbook at Generations Christian Academy. She loves teaching Yearbook, an elective she enjoyed doing in high school. In college, Mrs. Hanratty studied ELA, but it was her high school teacher who inspired her to become an educator.

Her favorite part of teaching is having a special bond with her students, and she loves each one. Her favorite thing to do at home is to go to Tampa Bay Bucaneer’s football games with her family. Mrs. Hanratty has two children, Emma and Grayson. They both go to school at Generations, too.

Mrs. Hanratty’s students love her because she is kind, and she inspires them to be creative.

Mrs. Lenon Puts Her Heart into Her Work

By Baylen Flores and Colin Pergola

Mrs. Lenon is an awesome 4th and 5th grade English Language Arts, Bible and Social Studies teacher at Generations Christian Academy. She also helps with the after-school program. She said she likes GCA because it is a good Christian based school. She enjoys teaching ELA because, she said, “Kids need to learn how to write well,” and she even hopes to inspire students to write books.

Mrs. Lenon wants her students to know how much she cares about them all. Her classes listen and do great work, she said. “Every student has a unique quality,” she said.

Mrs. Lennon's dream job as a kid was to be a meteorologist because she loved science. She ran Track when she was in school. Her favorite subject was social studies, which she now teaches.

It’s no secret, Mrs. Lenon loves spicy food. Her favorite type of food is Cajun and Creole. Her favorite restaurant is Pappadeaux seafood kitchen.

Yes, Mrs. Lenon has a favorite sports team: Alabama Crimson Tide.

Also, her favorite holiday is Christmas. She knows Jesus is real, and she believes in God's word. Her faith makes her an even better teacher. She shines a light in all she does.

STEM Builds Future Engineers

 By Noah Digregorio and Alejandro Valdivia

STEM is an amazing elective at Generations Christian Academy. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. It combines subject areas to give students a chance to explore interests in different types of engineering. Mrs Booth, the middle school science teacher, teaches the class. The students work on engineering projects to learn design and building skills.

Alan Rizkalla, who is in 5th grade, said, “I like STEM because we do a lot of projects and exciting things.’’

Sixth grader Abigail Sarachi said she likes the hands on aspects of the class. "It's fun," she said. 

Some examples of STEM activities are crash testing HotWheels cars with eggs on them and designing bridges out of marshmallows and spaghetti. The class even includes a soda bottle rocket launch. Groups compete to see whose bottle soars the highest and farthest. 

Students in grades 4 through 8 can take STEM. It is a great opportunity to learn new things. If you have an interest in engineering, it’s a fun elective choice.

Mrs. Newman Says Being Kind is Always Right

By Everley Cheek

    Mrs. Newman is one of the best teachers at GCA! This is her ninth year teaching and third year at Generations. Her favorite subject to teach is Bible. Her favorite bible verse is ‘’proverbs 16:24 , “Gracious words are a honeycomb sweet to the soul healing to the bones.’’ 

    There are many things to love about teaching, but Mrs. Newman's favorite thing about teaching is ‘’watching students grow throughout the year and making learning fun.’’

    There is not much free time being a teacher, but when Mrs. Newman does have extra time, she likes to play with her three kids. She loves to go places, and one of her favorites is traveling to Georgia to visit her parents. Mrs. Newman loves all foods, but if she had to pick a food group she would pick, "Italian.’’

    One of my favorite things about Mrs. Newman is how she fills her classroom with kindness posters! I also love that she assigns her class with fun projects! To sum it all up Mrs. Newman is an amazing, positive, fun ,and kind teacher!