By LETHIA STEIN AND JANET ZINK
Published March 26, 2004
RIVERVIEW - The case: assisted suicide. The claim: A doctor coerced a patient into an act of euthanasia. The legal team: eight students from Riverview High.
Since November, the students have rehearsed arguments, logging hundreds of hours to prepare for the Florida High School Mock Trial Competition. Last weekend, a panel of legal professionals recognized their work with second-place honors among teams statewide.
The Riverview team finished narrowly behind a school from Tallahassee. Still, they may get a chance to advance to the national competition in Orlando, should an odd-number of states participate. Regardless, Riverview considers runner-up status cause to celebrate.
"It was what we call the toss of the coin," said sponsor Renee Kelly, a social studies teacher at Riverview High. "These kids are so good."
The Riverview High team included seniors Trae Weingardt, Nick Williams, Brittany Meynardie, Jessica Cochrane and Lisa Clarke; juniors David Courtright and Jenni Young; and sophomore Kristi Simpson.
In February, Riverview High won the county competition. They practiced for several hours after school, five days a week, to prepare for the state match. Students plan to begin practicing a new case soon, should a slot to attend nationals open at the last minute.
Medicare, drug costs topic at Democratic Club
SUN CITY CENTER - The Democratic Club of Greater Sun City Center will host a discussion of Medicare and prescription drug costs and availability at an open meeting 1 p.m. April 1 in the Sun City Center Community Center on South Pebble Beach Road.
Speakers include Fred Williams of Orlando, a registered pharmacist for 46 years. He opened his first pharmacy in Dade City when he was 23 and later worked at Rite Aid, Eckerd's and a Veteran's Administration hospital. He is considered an expert in prescription drug plans.
Also on the program is Becky Martin of Manatee County, program coordinator for the Florida Consumer Action Network, a statewide public interest organization working on affordable health care, insurance reform, environmental protection and utility cost and regulation. She currently serves as the Health Care Committee chair for the Manatee County League of Women Voters and on the advisory board of the Florida School of Traditional Midwifery in Gainesville.
For information, call Robert Rubin at 642-8941 or Naomi Arnold at 633-9570.
All the world's on stage at school festival
BRANDON - To study the world, students at Valrico Elementary and Rodgers Middle school need go no farther than school. Both schools held events this week to celebrate the world's cultures.
On Thursday, Valrico Elementary parents and students were invited to an annual Heritage Festival. Each classroom represented a different country. Students prepared displays, cooked food and dressed in traditional garb to teach classmates about their adopted nation.
On Friday, Rodgers Middle School students organized a heritage fair, designed as a trip around the world in one day. Visitors were given passports to enter the gymnasium - to be stamped at each "country" visited. The daylong affair featured music, dance and samples of the cuisine from about 30 countries that the Riverview students studied.
