Buddy in gentle hands at academy

Just when I think life can’t get any more fun comes this idea from School Board member Thomas Kennedy.

Thomas is one of those board members who like to showcase schools, classrooms, kids, and that kind of thing. 

Long as I’ve known him, he’s helped make the connections between the Big Picture, and its effect on kids and teachers.

---

Thomas also loves dogs. 

“I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the Buddy stories and updates,” he wrote to me recently. “I’d love to bring both of you to see the CRHS Veterinarian Assistant Pathway at the Academy of Health Careers at CRHS. I’ve spoken with the pathway instructor and the school administration, and I would so enjoy giving you both a tour to see the program and Vet students…I’m confident the students would love to meet Buddy, and I thought you might enjoy seeing the program.”

Turns out CRHS agriculture teacher Aimee Owens and veterinarian assistant pathway teacher Annaliese Leazott had this idea and passed it onto Thomas, who passed it to me.

Buddy and I don’t need to be asked twice. Of course, we accepted.

While much of my Chronicle career was spent on local politics, I look back with fondness during my years on the School Board beat. Especially once I started visiting classrooms, seeing how the concepts and programs discussed at the School Board filtered their way down to kids/teachers.

After the state of Florida became ga-ga over standardized test scores and state mandates on local school districts, Citrus was one of the first to emerge from that rubble with a focus on these “pathways” to success that veered from the traditional approach.

All three high schools now have academies: Citrus has the Construction Academy; Lecanto has the International Baccalaureate program; Crystal River has the Health Careers Academy. And, of course, the crown jewel: our public charter school, the Academy of Environmental Sciences.

It’s easy to get frustrated with the politics of education because politicians often don’t see the value of academies. 

How to explain to number-crunchers about high school freshmen who, because they enjoy the company of dogs and cats, find themselves in classrooms where they can learn careers in that very area?

Even though I’d written about the CRHS Health Academy, I didn’t realize until recently they added a veterinarian component.

(Fun fact: Annaliese Leazott's husband Charles is a loyal Just Wright Citrus reader who always correctly identifies the location of my off-the-path photos.)

I’m not going to try and explain the program. Please take a look here for all the info. Every time I’m in the presence of kids and teachers, I know magic is taking place.

All week long, I’d say to Buddy: “Teenagers are going to fawn over you, Buddy. Teenagers!” It didn’t seem to register.

But he did so well with Mrs. Leazott and these kids. He was weighed (a healthy 38 pounds), and had his ears cleaned and toenails trimmed. And he received a lot of lovin’ from future vet techs, including Keira Lee, who’s in today’s photo.

Interesting. While there, I met a student who moved here with her family from Ukraine. We communicated through an online translator that Thomas had on his phone, and the student had on her tablet. She was very sweet, and we all enjoyed that encounter very much.

Here’s a teenage girl, her family fleeing a war we only know about from TV and the internet, now sitting in a classroom learning a profession where she can help animals. 

Man. I forget just how smart our kids are, and just how brilliant our educators are. We have tremendous schools in this county.

Buddy seemed pretty happy with the adventure. He slept all afternoon.

Rest easy this weekend, friends.

Join the discussion on our Facebook page.

Enjoying the blog? Please consider supporting it at Venmo, PayPal, or Patreon.