Christmas Luncheon 2025

Avon Park, Fla. – Oct. 29, 2025 – South Florida State College (SFSC) will host a Veterans Day remembrance ceremony to honor the men and women who served their country in war and peace. The ceremony will be held Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 10:45 a.m. in the Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts on the Highlands Campus in Avon Park. The public is invited to join SFSC students, staff, faculty, and administration for this annual ceremony.

U.S. Air Force veteran John Eason, vice chair of SFSC’s District Board of Trustees, will deliver the official remarks during the ceremony. He served in Alaska and Mississippi. Eason was appointed to the SFSC District Board of Trustees in 2024 and represents Highlands County. A resident of Wauchula, he has worked for the City of Wauchula for over 20 years and is currently the deputy city manager. Previously, he served as the city’s chief of police for over 10 years. Eason graduated from Avon Park High School and is an alumnus of SFSC, where he earned his associate degree in Criminal Justice. He also holds a bachelor’s degree from Polk State College in Public Administration. He remains involved in the community through his role as past president of the Rotary Club of Hardee County, where he served as an assistant governor for Rotary International District 6890. Eason is also the flight coordinator for the Heartland Rotary Freedom Flight, a member of the Wauchula Lions Club, a member of the AdventHealth Wauchula Foundation Board, and the co-chairman for the Recover Hardee Long-Term Recovery Group.

SFSC student Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Pepin will also be guest speaker at the Veterans Day ceremony. He is currently working toward his Associate in Science in Criminal Justice Technology and plans to work toward a Bachelor of Applied Science in Supervision and Management with a Criminal Justice specialization. He joined the U.S. Army in October 2013 and went on medical retirement after 10 years. He has been a member of the Georgia State Defense Force since May 2023 and serves in Charlie Company with Georgia Forces Assistance Brigade South (GFAB-South). His previous units were 101st Sustainment Brigade, 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary), 143rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary).

The Avon Park High School Show Choir will perform the National Anthem. The Highlands County Sheriff’s Office will present the colors.

To reach the location of the ceremony at the Wildstein Center and parking lots, take Entrance 1, 2, or 3 from College Drive.

For further information about SFSC’s Veterans Day ceremony, contact Michelle Leidel, SFSC dean of applied sciences and technologies, at Leidelm@southflorida.edu or 863-784-7424.

AVON PARK, Fla. – Oct. 27, 2025 – Living Roots: Sacred Land, a visual journey through landscapes of memory, transformation, and sacred belonging by artist Adorable Monique, opens at the Museum of Florida Art and Culture (MOFAC) at South Florida State College on Wednesday, Oct. 29. MOFAC is located at 600 West College Drive on the Highlands Campus and admission is free. MOFAC is open Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Living Roots: Sacred Land closes on Friday, Dec. 12.

Adorable Monique is a multidisciplinary artist and educator based in Naples and Miami whose work spans painting, ceramics, illustration, and murals. Her practice explores the intersections of identity, cultural heritage, and environmental consciousness, blending diverse media to create layered visual narratives. Raised in a richly biodiverse and multicultural environment, she draws inspiration from ancestral wisdom, natural cycles, and the resilience of communities. 

Monique holds formal training in fine arts and art education from National School of Fine Arts in Honduras and later at the National Pedagogical University Francisco Morazán, where she earned a degree in Art Education with a specialization in Visual Arts. Through her work, she seeks to foster connection, healing, and reflection on the profound ties between humanity and the natural world.

Rooted in exploration and reflection, each work arises from an intimate dialogue with the natural world, its luminosity, rhythm, and stillness stirring the senses and awakening a way of seeing beyond the surface, through the lens of the soul.

The Everglades, among the most profound of these encounters, became a catalyst for illumination and renewal, a place where nature reveals its melodies and serene sanctuaries, guiding a return to ancestral roots. Within this connection, consciousness deepens, as caring for the earth becomes an act of reverence and self-healing.

Each composition weaves emotional and ancestral resonance into symbols of being, spirit, and presence, embodied through trees, roots, water, and light. Subtle figures and motifs emerge as echoes of memory and transformation, inviting reflection, encounter, and discovery, open to Florida’s natural world and beyond, where the sacred and the personal converge.

This collection offers the living world a healing channel toward solace, sacredness, and reconnection with our origins. It invites viewers to unearth the roots we all carry, linking us to remembrance, identity, and the sacred ground that sustains life for all.

An Artist Opening Reception is scheduled for 11 a.m. at MOFAC on Wednesday, Oct. 29 where Adorable Monique will present an artist talk. Light refreshments will be served and the public is invited. Attendees can also view the Photography of Heartland Living Magazine on exhibit in the Wildstein Gallery.

MOFAC is seeking volunteers to serve as greeters at the Museum. No art background is required. “Anyone who enjoys the solitude of a museum, the beauty of art, and welcoming visitors is encouraged to apply,” said Cindy Garren, director of cultural programs at SFSC. “We provide training and the opportunity to meet people from the College and the community.” For information about volunteering at MOFAC, email culturalperformances@southflorida.edu.

AVON PARK, Fla. – Oct. 23, 2025 – When Lauren Beasley Foreman graduated from Frostproof High School, becoming a teacher was not necessarily on her radar. However, life may take us on twists and turns, before we hear our calling. And so it was for Foreman. She now teaches business management and administration for ninth through 12 grades at Hardee Senior High School in Wauchula and was recently named the 2026 District Teacher of the Year for Hardee County.

Foreman earned her Associate in Arts from South Florida State College (SFSC) in December 2009 and went on to graduate from SFSC with a Bachelor of Science in Supervision and Management (BAS-SM) in May 2014. In fact, Foreman and her husband, Andrew, were in the first cohort to graduate from the BAS-SM program.

While at Frostproof High School, Foreman was a relatively shy student. She was quiet in the classroom, kept her head down, and unobtrusively slipped through the hallways.  She didn’t like large crowds, so she had a lot of anxiety about going to college. “The thought of going to a large university where classes are 200 plus students just terrified me,” she said. “Because it was a relatively small college and a better option financially, I decided to get my academic life started at SFSC.”

When she graduated from high school, Foreman considered going into law, but changed her mind. “I really didn’t want somebody else’s life in my hands that way — to make the wrong decision and have to deal with that.”

While a student at SFSC, Foreman worked part time at Lake Forest Veterinary Clinic in Avon Park. Although she enjoyed her job, some of the dogs she handled were just as big as she was and it played on her anxiety. So, becoming a veterinarian was off the table.

But Foreman loved history and decided to focus on that subject while working toward her associate degree at SFSC.

Teaching and Business
Early on, Foreman’s mother made an impact on her future career choice. “I never really wanted to be a teacher, but my mom had worked at every school I ever attended, all the way from elementary school to a small private school in Lake Wales to Frostproof High School,” she said. “My mom worked at some of the schools to help with tuition. Growing up, we didn’t have a lot of money, so any way she could help me with my education is what she did.”

Through her jobs, Foreman’s mother became something of a second mom to every student in the school. “I liked how she built relationships with the kids, so that got me started thinking about becoming a teacher,” Foreman said.

After working at the veterinarian’s clinic, Foreman became a substitute teacher in Frostproof. Although she wasn’t 100% sold on teaching at the time, she knew that she wanted to do something meaningful with her life.

Foreman learned about a new program at SFSC – the BAS-SM – and applied to the College. Her interest turned to business. “My dad graduated from a small college in Kansas where he got his bachelor’s degree in business,” she said. “All his life, he worked at local citrus companies. Careerwise, I was still in limbo, but I decided that business was a good place to start. To follow in my dad’s footsteps, I could either start my own business or I could jump into an office somewhere and build my way up. So that was the path I was taking.”

Dr. Tina Adams, lead instructor with SFSC’s BAS-SM program, found Foreman a co-op experience with an insurance company, Heartland Benefits, in Sebring. “I was able to work during the day and leave for my afternoon and evening classes,” Foreman said. “It gave me a taste of business.”

After graduating with her BAS-SM from SFSC in spring 2014, Foreman and her husband moved to Hardee County. Eventually, Foreman wanted to work closer to home, so she applied for a job as a permanent substitute teacher at Hardee Senior High School and was hired in 2015. She taught World History and U.S. History for 10th and 11th graders until she became pregnant with her son, John David. She returned to Hardee Senior High School as a permanent substitute teacher in the Reading Department, where she taught for six years.

In 2022, a position in the Business Department opened at the High School. While working toward her teaching certification through Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Foreman tested for certification in Business as her subject area. “I had my BAS-SM from SFSC, so I was a shoe-in for that teaching position,” she said.

Now, Foreman seems to be in her element teaching in the Business Department. “This will be my 11th year at Hardee Senior High School, and there’s always something new to learn in the Career and Technical Education (CTE) program,” she said. “Not only do I teach the students and help them earn certifications, but I get certified in every one of those programs as well.”

Teacher of the Year

Foreman’s nomination for 2026 District Teacher of the Year for Hardee County came from other teachers at Hardee Senior High School. “In Hardee County, we have one high school, one junior high school, and five elementary schools,” she said. “For each school, the faculty and staff nominate a teacher and an Education Support Professional (ESP), which includes our paraeducators and support staff.”

Once the individual schools have chosen their teacher of the year and ESP of the year, the finalists go through an interview process with the School Board of Hardee County. The former District Teacher of the Year, as well as District employees and people from the community serve on the interview committee. Once finalists are chosen, the District holds an annual gala to unveil the winners.

Foreman believes that she was nominated, because once she moved into her position teaching CTE, it gave her exposure to more students and staff at the High School. “I practically became a second tech person and helped with technical difficulties,” she said. “I got to know more of our faculty and staff, as well as our students around campus.”

Through a grant from The Able Trust, Foreman teaches students technical skills, such as working with a Cricut machine, cutting vinyl, and printing T-shirts. The Able Trust is a Florida-based nonprofit that promotes employment for people with disabilities. “We’ve made T-shirts for high school clubs and for sports teams, and we’ve created awards for their competitions,” she said. “We’ve even made Christmas ornaments for Crews Bank & Trust here in town. By providing items for people at the school and in the community, I’ve gotten to know so many more people and students. I’m teaching students how to create things that they can sell. I teach our students real-world skills that they can use no matter what line of work they go into later on.”

Foreman pointed to a long classroom wall behind her. “All of the certificates on this wall are certifications that my students earned last year,” she said. “So, just over 100 students earned some sort of business industry certification. I offer WordPress website editing, so they get certified in that area. I offer classes in entrepreneurship and small business, so they can become certified entrepreneurs once they leave class. I also teach students how to use QuickBooks, a tool to help a business manage finances.”

According to Foreman, teaching is particularly important in these times, because “students have access to information right at their fingertips, but what they may not have is the ability to understand what is useful, what is harmful, or what is real. Students can watch a YouTube video to figure out how to fix a car. Although such videos are instructive, students don’t get needed social interaction and positive role models.

“Students need someone they can talk to, who will listen to them, who can help them understand the right and wrong of things. Some students might not have the best home life or maybe they’re just in a tough spot. A teacher should be a person they can open up to. It isn’t just about education. It’s about building relationships with young people. If they learn academics, that’s the cherry on top.”

Foreman’s Educational Choices

When Foreman speaks of her own education, she will tell you that she doesn’t regret taking the path she chose. “I have no regrets about not attending a big university like the University of Florida or Florida State University,” she said. “I never once regretted going to SFSC and later continuing on with the BAS-SM program. It was the best fit for me. A lot of the students in that program were from Hardee County and a few from Polk and Highlands counties. Because it was such a small group of students, our classes were hands-on, almost one-on-one. Our instructors sat right there at the table with us. It was a great experience.”

A special memory for Foreman is meeting the man who is now her husband, Andrew Foreman, in the BAS-SM program. Andrew had left the University of Central Florida and returned to Hardee County. After dating for some time, Andrew proposed to Foreman in the parking lot outside Building I on the SFSC Highlands Campus.

Andrew Foreman has also found career success after college. “When we were going through the BAS-SM program, Dr. Adams got him a job in the Loan Department at Crews Bank & Trust [formerly Wauchula State Bank],” Foreman said. “Andrew is now the area president for Polk County, so he oversees the Lakeland and Winter Haven branches.”

A large photo of the Foremans’ BAS-SM graduating cohort can still be seen on the wall in the SFSC Bookstore on the Highlands Campus. In fact, a current teacher at Hardee Senior High School, Dusty Mendoza, graduated from the program with the Foremans.

“We are so proud to have been part of that inaugural class,” Foreman said. “I have great pride in that. If it hadn’t been for SFSC, I wouldn’t have had my career, the best husband in the world, and our son, John David. It’s been an amazing ride. It may not have been the conventional pathway, but life doesn’t always turn out the way you think.”

Oct. 16, 2025 – South Florida State College (SFSC) is proud to announce the grand opening of Art Lab 27, a dynamic creative space at the Lake Placid Center. The lab will have a soft opening on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, during the College’s community celebration, “Celebrating a Century of Learning: 100 Years at the 100 Building,” from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Art Lab 27 will officially open to the public on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, inviting participants of all ages to explore, imagine, and learn through hands-on artistic experiences.

Art Lab 27 is designed to inspire imagination and artistic expression in a relaxed, welcoming environment. Guests can paint pottery, design mosaics, create on canvas, explore rock painting, and experience the thrill of splatter painting while enjoying a space that encourages exploration and creativity.

Art Lab 27 is designed to spark creativity while also encouraging learning. Participants can explore artistic techniques, creative problem-solving, and design concepts as they create their own unique works of art, blending hands-on fun with meaningful skill-building.

A key feature of the new space is the Art Lab Experience, a drop-in open studio where the community can unleash their creativity on their own schedule. No advance registration is required; visitors simply stop by, choose their project, and let their imagination lead the way. The Art Lab Experience is available on Mondays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and visitors are encouraged to check the schedule at southflorida.edu/artlab27 to ensure the College is open. In addition, scheduled workshops will offer guided activities for those who want to dive deeper into specific projects and techniques. These workshops require pre-registration to reserve a spot.

“Art Lab 27 was designed to inspire and educate,” said Tina Gottus, director of Corporate and Community Education at SFSC. “This isn’t just about crafting a project—it’s about understanding artistic techniques, exploring creative problem-solving, and building confidence through hands-on learning. We want every person who walks through our doors to leave not only with something beautiful they’ve created, but also with new skills and a deeper appreciation for the creative process.”

The community is encouraged to check the calendar of events, workshops, and open studio hours at southflorida.edu/artlab27.