School board

School accepts proceeds
Southside Elementary Principal Steven Dragon, left, accepted a $2,500 check of the proceeds from the Southside Village Holiday Stroll. He accepted the donation Jan. 13 on behalf of the school’s Parent Teacher Organization and Foundation.

“There are so many ways we can use this to benefit our kids,” Dragon said in a release. “I do not know right now where it will go, but it will have a big impact on our school and kids.”

More than 1,500 members of the Southside Village community came together to celebrate the holiday and give back to Southside Elementary for the Dec. 12 Flamingo Fantasyland-themed Holiday Stroll. Businesses held special hours, gave away prizes and offered refreshments while live performances took place along Hillview Street.

Music teacher honored
For more than 30 years, music teacher Linda Vasilaki has been sharing her love of music with students at Out-of-Door Academy. On Jan. 16 Vasilaki was recognized for her efforts at the 2015 Florida Music Educators Association conference with the Music Education Service Award. A total of 18 educators from Florida were recognized for their years of music education.

ODA Head of School David Mahler congratulated Vasilaki on the achievement in a release.

“You can see the joy for both music and children by observing Linda in her environment,” Mahler said. “The Out-of-Door Academy is extremely proud to have her on our faculty, teaching our children how to enjoy and embrace music. The entire Out-of-Door community congratulates Linda on receiving the 2015 FMEA Music Education Service Award.”

Vasilaki is also the chair of the music department for ODA. She received a Bachelor of Music Education from Michigan State University and a Master of Fine Arts in Performance from the University of Iowa.