Thacker joins Kissimmee Utility Authority board
The Kissimmee City Commission has appointed Melissa Thacker to a five-year term on the Kissimmee Utility Authority board of directors.
Thacker, a long-time Kissimmee resident, is a Senior Project Manager at Balfour Beatty and has lived in Kissimmee for the past 30 years. She also serves on the board of directors for the City of Kissimmee’s Planning Advisory Board, The Education Foundation of Osceola County and the ACE Mentor Program of Central Florida.
Thacker will be sworn in at KUA’s October board meeting to fill the seat being vacated by Jeanne Van Meter, who leaves the board after serving since 2011.
Florida Virtual Schools registration open for full time students
Enrollment for Florida Virtual Full Time Public Schools is now open for the 2024-25 school year. The fulltime option provides students in grades K-12 with a learning experience that combines the flexibility of online learning with the structure of a traditional 180-day school calendar Families interested can apply through the Full Time Enrollment page at www. flvs.net/enrollment/full-time through 5 p.m. July 12.
With more than 200 online courses spanning Advanced Placement, electives, Career & Technical Education (CTE), world languages, and NCAA-approved core subjects, Florida Virtual School provides students a level of flexibility. Upon meeting graduation requirements, students receive a State of Florida diploma issued by Florida Virtual School.
Seeking exchange host families for 2024-25 school year
SHARE!, a non-profit educational foundation, is seeking exchange student host families for the 2024-25 school year. Over 110 students still need of a host family.
Area families are already preparing to welcome a new addition in mid-August. These teenage exchange students will arrive from countries around the world to live with their American host families. The local host families and exchange students are participating in the SHARE! High School Exchange Program to learn about each other first hand “If anyone has thought about hosting, now is an excellent time to start,” said SHARE! Director Yvette Coffman. “We have a group of great students, and hope to match all students with host families as soon as possible, so they have time to communicate before the students arrive to begin school.”
The exchange students, between the ages of 15-18 years, will live with host families, attend local high schools, speak English, have their own health insurance and spending money. Host families provide a bed and meals for their exchange student, as well as “friendship, understanding, and a genuine desire to share the American way of life.”
All types of families are eligible to host: those with small children or teens, “empty nest” families or those with no children, retired couples, and single-parent families. Those interested in hosting an exchange student for the upcoming school year can call 1-800-414-3738 or go to sharesouthwest.org/contact.
