Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano, as part of Clerk & Comptroller Paula O’ Neill’s Constitutional Officers Essay Contest, announces that his office received essays from middle school students in public, private, parochial, charter, online and home schools. The entries were accepted during the month of March. The entrants, students in Grades 6-8, were asked to answer the question: “How do you, as a middle school student, benefit from taxes your family, friends and neighbors pay?”
A panel of judges, not knowing the age, gender, grade or school of each entrant, chose the essay written by Dominic Fonseca, a student at Thomas E. Weightman Middle School in Wesley Chapel, as the winning submission. Dominic’s essay best communicated his response to the topic question all while meeting the contest criteria of overall essay structure, appearance and readability. A copy of Dominic’s essay is attached.
“Dominic Fonseca is an 8th grader in the gifted program at T.E. Weightman Middle School,” comments Principal Rachel Fowler. “He takes Honors Geometry at Wesley Chapel High School, and he has been accepted into the International Baccalaureate Program at Land O’Lakes High School for next year. He is a native Floridian, and for fun, Dominic plays basketball as part of the Wesley Chapel Athletics Association. We are very proud of Dominic!”
“I am very proud of all the students throughout Pasco County who participated in our third annual essay contest,” states Tax Collector Mike Fasano. “With so many well-written essays to choose from, the judges had a fun but difficult task to perform. Narrowing the choices down to one overall winner was a tough call the panel had to make. However, Dominic Fonseca’s essay stood out as the clear choice among many excellent entries. I would also like to thank Principal Rachel Fowler, Gifted Teacher Freda Abercrombie and Principal Secretary Brittany Stone for their efforts to encourage the participation of their students in our annual contest.”
Dominic Fonseca was awarded a $300 Best Buy gift card at a ceremony held at Weightman Middle School on April 28, 2017. Principal Rachel Fowler was on hand to introduce Tax Collector Mike Fasano as well as Dominic Fonseca during the school’s morning news broadcast (photo attached). All entrants in the contest received a personal letter from Tax Collector Mike Fasano thanking them for their participation in the contest.
The Pasco County Tax Collector’s office plans on participating in the essay contest again in 2018. Students who did not win this year may have the opportunity to enter again during the next school year if they are still in middle school. Additionally, the student essay contest is just one of many community-related events the Pasco County Tax Collector’s Office participates in throughout the year. For more details about next year’s contest or other upcoming promotions and activities coordinated by the tax collector’s office, please do not hesitate to contact Assistant Tax Collector Greg Giordano, at 727-847-8179 or visit www.pascotaxes.com
[Photo Attached – from left to right – Deputy Tax Collector Billy Poulos, Tax Collector Mike Fasano, Dominic Fonseca, Principal Rachel Fowler and Gifted Teacher Freda Abercrombie. Photo Provided by Andy Dunn, Pasco School’s Media Specialist]