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Sarasota News Leader August 2, 2013 Page 67 20 GRADUATE FROM STAR LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM It was standing room only as 20 local high to helping serve my community," said Sam. school students graduated in late July from "I can't think of a single thing that the skills I the STAR Leadership Training program. learned in STAR wouldn't help me with." Family members and community leaders gath- The STAR Leadership Training Program is ered at the offices of the Community Founda- an intensive 75-hour leadership program tion of Sarasota County to celebrate the event, designed for high school students. STAR a news release says. students learn skills such as team building, Among the 20 graduates was Sam Winegar, a communication, problem solving and civic sophomore at Pine View School in Osprey. He engagement. The STAR Leadership class is was elected by his classmates to be the leader offered three times a year — in the spring, of the STAR class' service project, which they summer and fall — the release adds. design and implement themselves, a news reThe graduates of the latest class are as follease notes. lows: Carter Akins, Sarasota Military Acade"I learned that anything you can do makes a my; Skylar Bartolotta, Imagine School; David difference and sometimes a bigger difference than you thought you'd make," said Sam in the Bracciano, Cardinal Mooney High School; Emrelease regarding efforts to raise funds and ily Brown, Cardinal Mooney; Christian Cole, Booker High School; Larry Destine, Suncoast awareness for First Step of Sarasota. Polytechnical High School; Maya Green, North "We are really honored that the students se- Port High School; Maria Hidalgo, Pine View; lected to work with us," added Kelly French Daniel Kemp, Pine View; Paige Levanti, Riverof First Step in the release. view High School; Andrew Marquette, a homeThe class collected almost $900 for the organi- school student; Roberto Mercado, Pine View; zation. "The students said they raised a 'little' Laina Moran, Cardinal Mooney; Jonson Ocean, money. It's a nice surprise," French noted in Booker; Jean Marc Regnier, Cardinal Mooney; the release. Ethan Schmucker, Venice High School; Greg Sam and the other STAR graduates will go on Short, Cardinal Mooney; Alex Sobczak, Carto serve on nonprofit and county boards, the dinal Mooney; Marina Walter, Riverview; and release continues. "I'm really looking forward Samuel Winegar, Pine View. The Community Foundation of Sarasota County has its offices on Fruitville Road in Sarasota. Image courtesy Community Foundation