'Seussical' is Coming to Countryside High School

The musical, 'The Seussical,' is coming to Countryside High School April 11-13.

Matt Geiger's Former East Lake Mega Mansion Getting a Facelift

A flurry of construction is underway at the 27-acre estate on Keystone Road that former NBA star and Countryside High alum Matt Geiger sold in 2011 for $8 million.

The mysterious buyer who plunked down $8 million in 2011 for former NBA and Countryside High basketball star Matt Geiger's mega-mansion in East Lake is now forking over more money to spruce-up the place. A flurry of construction activity is underway at the 27-acre estate that Geiger had originally listed for $20 million back in 2007.  Crews are building a $400,000 wall around the property, according to Pinellas County records. "It's 10 feet tall and about a mile long," said one worker while climbing a scaffold along the masonry wall Thursday morning. Crews are also adding onto the existing 27,753-square-foot, three-story home that was built in 2002. County records show construction permits have been approved for improvements/additions …

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Zimmermann Talks School Safety on BBC Podcast

The Palm Harbor lawmaker and Countryside High teacher, who recently proposed a change to the locks on classroom doors in the wake of the deadly Sandy Hook shootings, joined an international panel of educators Friday.

State Rep. Carl Zimmermann, a Palm Harbor lawmaker and teacher at Countryside High School who recently called for a change to the locks on classroom doors in the wake of the deadly Sandy Hook shootings, spoke about school safety Friday on a BBC podcast. Zimmermann said a recent Palm Harbor Patch story about his proposed legislation caught the eye of the producers of the British media company's "World Have Your Say" news program and invited him to participate as part of an international panel of teachers. Zimmermann took issue with one of the show's other guests, a teacher from an area of Texas that allows educators with concealed handgun licenses to be armed in schools. Zimmerman said he isn't sure that armed teachers are the answer …

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State Rep. Zimmermann Drafts School Security Bill

Carl Zimmermann, a freshman lawmaker and Countryside High teacher, drafted a bill to keep students and teachers safe during situations like a school shooting. It's one example of how he's using his experience in the classroom in his new role as legislator

A newly elected teacher-turned-Florida legislator is proposing school security measures that could only come from the inside. Carl Zimmermann, State Representative for District 65 and a teacher at Countryside High School, thinks simple changes in Florida classrooms could help save lives during a threatening situation like the recent shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut. Zimmermann is calling for placing locks on the inside of classroom doors and reinforcing them with bullet-proof windows. "In many schools, teachers have to leave the classroom to lock the door, because the doors only lock from the outside," he said. "The recent shootings made everyone aware of this," he said. Zimmermann, a broadcast journalism teacher, said …

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Healthy Snack Machines Coming to Countryside High

Fresh Healthy Vending, a healthy vending machine company, will install six of its machines at the Clearwater school on Friday.

The push to get kids to eat healthier has been going on for years, with changes in school lunch menus and fast food fare plus Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative. This week, one Clearwater school will jump on the trend in a big way, as Countryside High School installs six vending machines that specialize in providing healthy snacks on campus.  Fresh Healthy Vending, a San Diego-based business that claims to be the leading healthy vending machine company in the United States, will install the machines Friday morning. “Improving access to healthy snack and beverage options is a huge step to enhancing the overall health of students and faculty at Countryside High School,” Matt Wicks, a local franchisee of the company, said in a statement…

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Countryside Thespians Help on Honeymoon Island Haunted Trail

Honeymoon Island's 15th annual Halloween in the Park event is set for Oct. 26 and 27. The event features activities and haunted theatrics for children, teens and adults.

Honeymoon Island is the place to be for haunts this weekend. Halloween in the Park, which typically draws 3,000 people, is designed to be a safe trick-or-treating alternative for families with children of all ages. The 15th annual event features concessions, children's games, face-painting, fortune-telling, ghost stories, a dunk tank, a bungee jump trampoline, a scary haunted house, and a spooky trail walk. A haunted trail, a spooky couple-hundred-yards amble through the woods around the picnic area, is set to a Wild West theme. Park officials began constructing props — a saloon, an abandoned gold mine shaft, a bank and a wagon train — in June. It is the "fun" type of scary for older children, according to Peter Krulder, island park …

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Countryside Quarterback Declared Ineligible

Christian Strong, who moved to the area from Canada just prior to the season, is declared ineligible by the FHSAA, putting the Cougars' playoff prospects in jeopardy.

Countryside Cougar quarterback Christian Strong is declared ineligible by the Florida High School Athletic Association, according to a report in the Tampa Bay Times. The decision could force the team to vacate all six games Strong played in, including a pair of conference wins, which would put its playoff hopes in jeopardy. "Our kids are resilient, and they want to play football very, very badly," head coach Jared Davis said following Friday night's win over Clearwater when asked about the situation. "We just want to give them that opportunity and coach 'em up as best we can and be professional about it. Our mantra is to control what we can control." According to the report, Strong, a senior, moved to Clearwater from Canada in the spring …

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Freedom Rider Visits Countryside High on Tuesday

Dr. Ernest 'Rip' Patton, a.k.a Freedom Rider, will visit 12 Pinellas County School from Sept. 18-21.

A man who helped integrate America's public transportation system will spend four days traveling to Pinellas County schools talking to students about his experiences. Freedom Rider Dr. Ernest 'Rip' Patton will talk to students at at least 12 schools throughout the county from Sept. 18 to 21. "In June, funded by the Teaching American History grant, 29 Pinellas County teachers retraced part of the route of the 1961 Freedom Riders, visiting museums and historical sites and meeting with many Riders, attorneys, and journalists," according to a release from Pinellas County Schools. Tuesday, Sept. 18:                                                                                       10 a.m. at Palm Harbor Middle 1 p.m. at Countryside High …

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Countryside Battles Largo for Pinellas County Supremacy

The teams are ranked 1-2 in recent polls, and Friday's game promises to be an entertaining affair.

Two highly ranked Pinellas County football teams meet on the gridiron Friday night, as the top-rated Countryside Cougars take on the second-ranked Largo Packers at Cougar Stadium.  Countryside (2-0) comes into the meeting having not lost a regular season game since October of 2009. The Cougars got by a tough opponent last week in East Lake, but should face an even tougher test this week.  The Packers (2-0) have also enjoyed a recent run of success under head coach Rick Rodriguez, making the playoffs each of the last seven years and boasting another solid team this season.  The fact that both teams hare highly ranked and expected to go deep into the playoffs, combined with the fact that the winner of the game could run the table and go …

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Football Preview: Countryside High's Roll Could Continue

The Cougars will look to extend their 20-0 regular season record this year under head coach Jared Davis.

Since Jared Davis took over Clearwater Countryside High football in 2010, he has quickly taken a strong program to a level of dominance. The Cougars have yet to lose a regular season game under Davis, going 20-0. Despite such a standard, Davis waves off any thought that the past may put too much pressure on his present players. “We don’t really think of it like that,” Davis said. “We just have a recipe for success, and we stick to that and what we have to do to win the next game.” This year, barring injuries, shouldn’t be much different that Davis’ first two seasons at Countryside in that the Cougars should again be strong. Start off with defensive end Mike Love, who racked up 15 sacks last season. He is ranked as a three-star prospect by …

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