NFM High Odyssey of the Mind fund raiser at FOS Saturday

The North Fort Myers High School Odyssey of the Mind team will hold a fund raiser Saturday, March 31, at FOS furniture at Del Prado Boulevard and Pine Island Road from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m..

The event will be a car wash and bake sale.

The team of seven students is trying to raise money to compete in the state competition to be held in Orlando on April 14. They competed in the Regional Competition on March 3 and have advanced to the state.

The owner of FOS has been kind enough to let the team use his parking lot area and organizers are hoping it will be a great event because FOS also will be having its annual tent sale.

Cape High student earns national writing award

Cape Coral High School senior Tyler Goss has earned national recognition in The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards of 2012. This honor is presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.

“We are proud to have Tyler representing Cape Coral High School in this year’s National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards of 2012,” said Matt Mederios, Cape High’s principal, in a prepared statement.. “This is a tremendous honor.”

Tyler was identified by panels of professional writers as the most talented young writer in the nation. Under the direction of his English teacher Sue Propert, Tyler received a silver medal for his memoir titled Squealing Salvation (the Alliance considers the gold and silver medal winners the best writers in the nation.)

This year, 200,000 works of art and writing were submitted for this competition. Only the top 1,500 were recognized at the national level. These students have been invited to attend a ceremony at the world-famous Carnegie Hall in New York City on June 1 and to participate in a number of showcase events at Parsons The New School for Design in New York.

School District website recognized

The Lee County Public School Internet Web site (www.leeschools.net) has received an “A-” by the Sunshine Review. Only 13 of Florida’s 67 school districts earned a grade of “A+” or “A.”

“We’ve worked very hard the past few years to make our Web site as user friendly as possible while still providing as much ‘frequently requested information’ as possible,” said Joe Donzelli, director, Communications & Printing Services in a prepared statement. “We continually look for new ways to make our Web site better, and this honor shows we’re on the right track.”

Sunshine Review is a non-profit organization dedicated to state and local government transparency. The organization collects and shares transparency information and uses criteria to evaluate the content of every state and more than 5,000 local government Web sites. Sunshine Review collaborates with individuals and organizations throughout America in the cause of an informed citizenry and an accountable government.

Over the years the Communications Department staff have worked hard to create a Web site that is not only user friendly but contains as much important and frequently requested information as possible. One example is the Newsroom section, which was created directly from the numerous requests the office receives from reporters. It contains various District publications (e.g. Budget, Enrollment Data Report, 5-Year Capital Outlay Plan, Annual Report, etc.) and has become the “go-to” area for frequently requested data by the media.

Autism awareness Book Fair

To kick off Autism Awareness Month, Eden Autism Services is partnering with Barnes & Noble Booksellers to host a book fair Saturday, March 31, at Coconut Point Mall in Estero. The book fair will feature newly released publications in the area of autism, Asperger’s, ADHD and learning disabilities for teachers and parents as well as book signings.

Eden Autism Services will also receive 10 percent of all sales on Saturday, March 31, and Sunday, April 1, at the Coconut Point Barnes & Noble in Estero and The Barnes & Noble on U.S .41 and Daniels Parkway in Fort Myers when the book fair coupon or coupon code is used. All sales including refreshments purchased at the bookstore’s caf, NOOK e-Readers and accessories will benefit Eden.

When making a purchase in the store, simply present the coupon available or tell the cashier you are with Eden Book Fair. You can also shop online at the Barnes & Noble book fairs website. From March 31 April 4, just go to www.bn.com/bookfairs and click on “Start Shopping Now.” Once your selections have been made, proceed to check-out and enter Eden’s book fair ID #10676856.

Author Donna Malloy will be on hand at the Coconut Point Barnes & Noble on Saturday from 10 a.m. until noon to sign copies of her book “Criss Crow Flying on Sunshine.” This picture book tells an engaging tale about an albino crow who embraces being “different” from the rest.

Lisa Fleming, author of “Cat and Crow: An Amazing Friendship” will sign books at the Coconut Point Barnes & Noble from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Drawn from first-hand accounts, enjoyed by millions on YouTube, and seen on The Oprah Winfrey Show, National Geographic and Animal Planet, the story of Cassie the cat and Moses the crow has captivated the public’s imagination and touched their hearts.

Scholarship donations,

sponsorships sought

One way to show the community that you are proud to be a Cape Coral resident is to be part of the 30th Year “30 for 30” Celebration of the Mayor’s Scholarship Fund. Step up and support the future of our city by serving as a Scholarship Sponsor. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Cape Coral Mayor’s Scholarship Fund.

In September of 1982, a non-partisan, non-political, non-profit organization was formed to raise funds to provide scholarships for deserving Cape Coral students.

In honor of this auspicious 30 year milestone, the Scholarship Fund has set the 2012 goal to provide funding for 30 $1500 scholarships. The Scholarship Fund provides for various levels of Sponsorship Opportunities which range from a $5,000 Title Sponsorship to a $1,500 Silver Scholarship.

And, every contribution toward meeting the 2012 goal, and all sponsorship levels provide individual valuable benefits. The 2012 Scholarships are given to students pursuing higher education from an accredited vocational institute, accredited trade school, or a two-year or four-year college or university.

Treasure! The Exhibition

Treasure! The Exhibition will be featured through May 20 at the Imaginarium.

Treasure-buried treasure, sunken treasure, attic treasure-has an allure that has spawned many a treasure hunt for centuries. Explore the history of treasures and treasure hunting, the technology and tools used, as well as the people and personalities that hunt for treasure-including you!

Discover artifacts of ancient shipwrecks and take the controls of a remote-operated vehicle used to uncover underwater treasures. Relive the Gold Rush and try panning for gold, then experiment with metal detectors or embark on a geocache using GPS navigation for a modern-day treasure hunting experience.

Find Treasure! at the Imaginarium! Call 239-321-7420 or visit: www.imaginariumfortmyers.com

Mentors needed

The Foundation for Lee County Public Schools is in need of mentors to match with high school students who have been awarded the Take Stock in Children Scholar-hip.

The mentor commits to meet with the child during school hours two to four times a month. No tutoring is involved and basic training is provided.

To help out call the Friendship Volunteer Center at 275-4427.

Library ebooks

now available for

Kindle at the LCLS

The Lee County Library System has announced that its eBook collection is now compatible with the world’s bestselling eBook reader, the Amazon Kindle. Patrons can now download popular and classic eBooks to a Kindle device or any mobile device running the free Kindle app, such as iPhone, iPad, Android and more.

To get started, visit the Download Depot at the Lee County Library System’s ebranch at www.lee-county.com/library.

The LCLS Download Depot also offers eBooks and audio books for use on a PC or Mac computer and popular mobile devices such as a Smartphone, MP3 player, and eBook reader like the Barnes & Noble Nook and Sony Reader.

Kindle users can browse the LCLS’s collection of approximately 50,000 bestselling and classic eBooks from a PC or Mac computer, check out titles using a library card, and select “Get for Kindle” to deliver eBooks to their Kindle device or any device running the free Kindle app.

Telephone reference is available at 239-479-INFO (4636).

Children’s Advocacy

The Children’s Advocacy Center, which supports and protects the child victims of abuse through collaborative intervention and comprehensive treatment in a soothing environment needs volunteers.

Opportunities include administrative help in the office, support with special projects and help with fundamentals. Call the Friendship Volunteer Center for additional details at 275-4427.