Florida Times-Union Articles – Author Shelley Marsh

GYO Greens training the next generation of Junior Gardeners

Posted on October 30, 2014 by writershelleymarsh

by Shelley Marsh for the Florida Times-Union

October 28, 2014

Since its founding more than a year ago, education has been a priority at GYO Greens, an aquaponic farm located on Canal Street in Palm Valley. A number of students from nearby Accotink Academy, Bolles School’s Ponte Vedra Beach campus and Ocean Palms Elementary have visited for field trips or after-school enrichment programs.

Now, the farm — which uses a sustainable farming method that combines traditional aquaculture (raising aquatic animals in tanks: in this case, fish) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment — is offering a Junior Master Gardener certification program for children ages 8-12.

Carolyn Houston, a science curriculum specialist at Bolles who has formal training in biology and a masters degree in education, developed GYO’s education program and will serve as the lead instructor for program. As an international youth gardening program developed by the University Cooperative Extension Network, the program is designed to engage children in “novel, hands-on group and individual learning experiences that provide a love of gardening, develop an appreciation for the environment, and cultivate the mind.”

Earning a certification is achieved by completing eight lessons from the JMG Plant Growth & Development curriculum. The GYO Greens program is registered with Texas A&M University, headquarters for JMG programs.

GYO Greens owner Helga Tan Fellows says they will follow the official curriculum with one slight difference.

“It’s eight modules that the kids have to complete, but in our case we’re asking them to complete nine modules, and module No. 9 is aquaponics,” said Fellows. “So we put a nice twist on the program just to make it a little more unique.”

Students will also be comparing aquaponic farming with traditional methods.

“The planters outside are part of the certification: they will have to do work outside and inside (the greenhouse),” said Fellows. “We will do comparison in between the two systems.”

The Junior Master Gardener program at GYO Greens is beginning this month, with two sessions offered each month on Wednesday evenings and Saturday afternoons. Students can join at any point in the program and complete lessons in any order. A $10 donation is requested to cover materials. To register, contact Helga Tan Fellows at gyogreens@gmail.com.

“Now that the farm is a mature system, we’re ready to start our master gardener program, and we think it’s going to be a lot of fun,” said Fellows. “The kids are going to enjoy it. It’s very simple. Kids don’t need to be here every month. You work at your own pace, complete 9 modules, and then we provide the certificate.”

Ponte Vedra Lacrosse Team Supports Wounded Warrior Project

Posted on October 16, 2014October 16, 2014 by writershelleymarsh

by Shelley Marsh for The Florida Times-Union, October 10, 2014

The Ponte Vedra Patriots have a mission: to honor and support Wounded Warrior Project through lacrosse.

Ten percent of every registration for the lacrosse club is directed toward assisting WWP. Founded in July by Dan “Rhino” McAuliffe and Ed Dacanay, the travel club is one of four teams in the country to play and support the organization, an affiliation that came at the request of Adam Silva, WWP’s chief development officer.

The partnership also serves one of the club’s stated goals: “to provide boys and young men the opportunity to develop positive decision-making and leadership development skills through the examples of wounded service members and the game of lacrosse.”

“We want to make sure that we’re teaching character building,” said program director Gigi Dacanay, whose 10-year-old son started playing the game while in kindergarten. “On the back of their jerseys, they each have a character trait: duty, courage, honor, freedom.”

“As a graduate of the Naval Academy, working with the Wounded Warrior Project is kind of natural because I still have a lot of buddies that are still out there,” said Dacanay, also the club’s head coach. “So it’s kind of good bringing it home to these guys, and explaining to them what Wounded Warrior Project’s all about, what the Patriots are all about: developing that character of the kids as well as developing good lacrosse players.

“Really, we’re concentrating more on developing young men of character, and then lacrosse is kind of secondary. But that kind of all rolls together as building an athlete of good character, and that’s what our program’s all about.”

McAuliffe, who has been coaching lacrosse in Ponte Vedra for 11 years, said his love for the game keeps him working with kids.

“It’s almost as much fun to practice as it is to play lacrosse because everybody has a chance to touch the ball, constantly,” said McAuliffe. “It’s not like baseball where you’re in the outfield, waiting for that ball.”

McAuliffe said practice and games involve and challenge all players at all times.

“We do drills and everybody touches the ball. Everybody’s involved in practice,” he said. “The game is the same thing: the transition, constantly, up and down the field, everybody’s part of it. It’s a great game to pass on to these great kids.”

Another club, the Ponte Vedra Riptide Lacrosse Club was also co-founded by McAuliffe with Patti and Vito Lombrado in 2000. The club is a recreation program that teaches fundamentals and playing to locals. It started with third- to eighth-graders and later added Kindergartners and second-graders.

“I like going to the tournaments and scoring goals and playing in the games,” said Eli Bibler, 12, who has been playing lacrosse since third grade.

Teammate Andrew Sledzik agrees, saying “It’s a fun game. I started playing when I was about five. It’s fun because you always get to play different teams. I love playing it. It gets you in shape when you’re on summer break and just sitting around on the couch. My mom played in high school and college, and I wanted to try it.”

Training starts with the Ponte Vedra Lacrosse Club youth clinic for boys in kindergarten through second grade. Boys and girls can participate in the youth clinics in third through eighth grade, where they learn advanced techniques. The PV Patriots’ boys youth travel program features U9, U11, U13, and U15 age groups during fall/winter, spring, and summer sessions. Rising eighth- and ninth-graders enter the PV Possums system in the summer to allow for a continued, seamless program.

“Ponte Vedra lacrosse is united,” said Dacanay. “We work very closely to make the transition seamless.

“Many of the players will go on to play at local high schools. Ponte Vedra High School is the only public school that makes it to the final four, and we’re a feeder program.”

“One of the main reasons for our success and earning a spot in the 2014 Top 50 Lacrosse Programs in the nation is our excellent feeder program and Coach Rhino’s tireless work,” said Tom West, head coach at PVHS.

Last month while competing in their first tournament as “Patriots,” the U13 team finished in second place and the U11 took third place in the Florida Sunshine State championships in Stuart. In November, the team will participate in the 2014 Veterans Cup Invitational, a benefit for Wounded Warrior Project in Palm Coast, Florida’s largest fall lacrosse tournament.

If you’d like to support the Patriots, contact event coordinator Dana Vitulli at dana@pvpatriotslax.com.

http://members.jacksonville.com/current/mandarin-st-johns/2014-10-10/story/ponte-vedra-lacrosse-team-supports-wounded-warrior

Trash or Treasure?

Posted on August 26, 2014 by writershelleymarsh

by Shelley Marsh, special to The Shorelines
published March 15, 2014

The Fourth Annual Antique Appraisal Showcase took place Saturday, March 8 at the Ponte Vedra Library. Crowds of people brought their family heirlooms or garage sale bargains to be appraised by professionals for a $5 donation to the Friends of the Library. Experts in various fields were on hand providing oral appraisals on individual items including books, coins, fine art, jewelry, dolls and more.

Some individuals were pleasantly surprised to find their items were worth more than they expected. Others were dismayed to learn that items thought to be valuable were actually worthless. Regardless of appraised value, many patrons expressed that these possessions had a sentimental value that was priceless.

Local resident Jane Skelton attended the event because she was interested to learn more about two paintings. One was a watercolor of Saint George Street in Saint Augustine painted by Nan Greacen. Nan Greacen was the daughter of American Impressionist Edmund W. Greacen, who directed the New York City Grand Central School of Art for twenty years. His daughter, Nan, was born in Giverny, France, where the family lived near Claude Monet.

A second painting was found in Mrs. Skelton’s grandmother’s attic in “a dimestore frame.” She suspected the impressionist oil painting might be the work of a well-known artist, and waited patiently to hear the opinion of local art expert Henry Robert

Another patron, Bob Cowhey brought his family heirloom: a large, framed artwork presented to his grandfather by early twentieth-century comic artists of the Chicago Sun Times. Mr. Cowhey’s grandfather was Harry Baker, a journalist in Chicago and New York. The drawing depicted various famous cartoon characters shaking hands with his grandfather, who was seated at his desk at the newspaper office. Each cartoon artist took a turn adding his contribution to the artwork, a compilation of many famous cartoonists. The colors were still bright and eye-catching.

Some of the experts on hand included Ron Chamblin of Chamblin’s Book Mine, Bea Ketchum of Avonlea Antiques & Design Gallery, Bill Hardy, Miriam’s Jewelery, Henry Robert, Dave Workman and Joyce Fleming. Ms Fleming manages “Joyce’s Dolls” in Jacksonville. She reported “we’ve seen quite a few nice, antique dolls today, but not many that people thought were worth 100000 but turned out to be worth 10.”

One participant who declined to give her name emerged from the “rare coins” room smiling: “I found out that my coin is worth a dollar in a Saint Augustine gift shop, but it was fun anyway!”

Growing with the Fishes

Posted on August 26, 2014 by writershelleymarsh

by Shelley Marsh, special to The Shorelines

January 9, 2014

Helga Tan Fellow is participating in the greening of the First Coast by cultivating actual greens — and employing a team of fish as her unofficial sharecroppers.

Her farming method is referred to as aquaponics, where koi and plants form a symbiotic relationship that results in a vegetable harvest.

Six months ago, Fellow was inspired to establish GYO Greens, an aquaponic farm and educational center, because of her passion for promoting environmentally sustainable practices.

“I am a big fan of environmental practices, and I love gardening and education, so this seemed like a good fit,” she said.

Personal Chef Turns Healthy Crusade into Startup Small Business Concept

Posted on August 26, 2014 by writershelleymarsh

by Shelley Marsh, special for The Shorelines

February 15, 2014

Alice Hickox is bringing the benefits of healthy eating to homes in Ponte Vedra, one home-cooked meal at a time. Her personal chef service, Lettuce Do Dinner, launched last month.

Hickox is a serious advocate of better health through nutrition. During Hickox’s sophomore year of high school, her mother was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, and given 30-percent survival odds. Hickox’s father transferred the household grocery shopping and cooking duties to her, and Hickox was off.

Believing she could help her mother through nutrition, Hickox “declared war” on her mother’s cancer. A school term paper topic was fashioned around the idea, and Hickox focused on documenting and preparing healthy meals.

“While most teens would have seen this as a nightmare, I found it to be the part of the day I looked forward to the most, and I credit those years to launching me into a lifelong passion for cooking,” Hickox noted on her website.

Today, Hickox’s mother is into her 70s and Hickox fondly remembers the “A” she received on her sophomore term paper. Her passion for health and cooking continues.

For the complete article, please see The Florida Times-Union online.