Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/87353
NEWS BRIEFS Lyna Jimenez-Ruiz has been honored by Gov. Rick Scott for her work at Pine View School. PINE VIEW TEACHER, STUDENT WIN HISPANIC HERITAGE AWARDS As part of a statewide celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Pine View high school teacher Lyna Jimenez- Ruiz and middle school student Mi- chael Hampton were to receive awards in an Oct. 10 ceremony at the Governor's Mansion in Tallahassee, the Sarasota County Schools have announced. Jimenez-Ruiz was to receive an Hispanic Her- itage Excellence in Education Award and a check for $1,500. Fellow Pine View teacher Fran Squires nominated Jimenez-Ruiz for the honor, describing her colleague as an "amaz- ing dynamo" and "a master teacher who is al- ways gracious and positive," according to a school district news release. Jimenez-Ruiz is a mentor to teachers and stu- dents, a technology trainer, a site coordinator for grading systems and testing programs and school coordinator for the district's profes- sional development initiatives, among other duties, at Pine View, a school for intellectually gifted students in grades two-12,. "This National Board-certified teacher has the determination of a prize fighter and the gentle touch of an angel when helping me and the other members of our staff," Squires added on the nomination form. "Her Hispanic roots bring a spirit of family and love to all who know her." Hampton, a sixth-grader who is one of Squires' Advanced Language Arts students, was to be honored as well for being named the Hispanic Heritage Month middle school essay winner. Michael is among three winners, including el- ementary and high school essayists, who will