This year, Pleasant Valley Elementary School students will have that opportunity. The school is almost finished completion on their outdoor classroom and should be open for teachers to bring their kids out soon after school goes back in session.

PVES Principal Teresa Johnson said that the school was a perfect location for the project.

“We have a lot of courtyard type areas because of the way the wings of the school are built,” said Johnson. “We are an AMSTI (Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative) school so we do a lot of hands on science and math activates, and plus with our 4H (program) we do with our 4th, 5th and 6th graders it just kind of seemed natural that this is what we should be doing.”

The planning for the project started two years ago when the fifth grade math class started to work the numbers.

“They began planning and using it as a math lesson. So they actually got in groups and started building designs of what an outdoor classroom would look like. They researched it, they priced materials and plants and started coming up with total costs. That’s how I knew how much to get together to get this thing going,” said Johnson.

Johnson set a goal of $10,000 that the school and students would have to raise before continuing with the project.

“One we got to that point we started building it,” said Johnson.

The plans included seating for up to an entire grade, fans to keep students cool and plant and animal life. In order to make the plans come to life, a lot of help was needed. Many individuals stepped up to help. According to Johnson, Calhoun County Commissioner Rudy Abbott contributed a pavilion to the classroom.

A couple of weeks ago, the school sent out calls to parents asking for help during a four-hour workday. Johnson said many parents got out and got dirty to help plant and assemble the last parts for the classroom.

“It almost was like it kind of happened on it’s own,” said Johnson.

The outdoor classroom could be utilized just like any other classroom.

“We wanted it to be a true outdoor education facility, so it would be like a classroom that you would feel comfortable taking a class of students out there,” said Johnson.

Johnson said all the teachers at PVES could take advantage of the outdoor classroom.

“We were focused on teaching them environmental education. We wanted to have planting beds. We wanted a place to have art or English and writing activates out there they could. Math, science…all of that,” said Johnson.

With more money or grants, the school would like to continue building onto the outdoor classroom. Johnson said that future plans for the project include making the project self-sustaining by installing water wheels and solar panels. The school would also like to eventually add a greenhouse to the outdoor classroom and eventually have a nature-walking trail to allow students to explore the area.

“(I want students) to have a better understanding of the resources around us and know how they relate to each other and they are all interconnected,” said Johnson.

Bookmark This Post!

Instead of being light and refreshing—what we crave this time of year—many crab cakes are heavy in calories, sodium, and saturated fat. Plus they’re often junked up with caloric and sodium-laden fillers and then deep-fried (a tasty technique, but the caramelizing powers of deep-frying overwhelm the delicate, sweet crab). Often there’s too much sauce, too. Here’s how we put this seasonal treat within nutritional reach. We lightly season sweet, premium crab and use just enough mayonnaise, low-sodium panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), and egg to bind it all together. We don’t add any salt to the mixture, to keep sodium in check. The cakes are cooked in a slick of oil instead of deep-fried. We love a good rémoulade but overhaul the condiment to add a flavor punch without as much sodium. Our version of crab cakes is ideal for the season: a ­vibrant and light dish that pairs perfectly with a crisp salad and glass of wine.

Bookmark This Post!

Every cook, being human, errs, bungles, botches, and screws up in the kitchen once in a while. If you have not “caramelized” fruit in salt rather than sugar, you have not suffered the most embarrassing mistake made by one of our editors. We did not have to look much farther than our staff?and their encounters with readers, friends, and relatives?to compile a list of 25 common, avoidable culinary boo-boos.

The creative cook can often cook her way out of a kitchen error, but the smart cook aims to prevent such creativity from being necessary. Here are 25 ways to be smarter every time.

1. You don’t taste as you go.

2. You don’t read the entire recipe before you start cooking

3. You make unwise substitutions in baking.

4. You boil when you should simmer.

5. You overheat chocolate.

6. You over-soften butter.

7. You overheat low-fat milk products.

8. You don’t know your oven’s quirks and idiosyncrasies

9. You’re too casual about measuring ingredients.

10. You overcrowd the pan.

11. You mishandle egg whites.

12. You turn the food too often.

13. You don’t get the pan hot enough before you add the food.

14. You slice meat with?instead of against?the grain.

15. You underbake cakes and breads.

16. You don’t use a meat thermometer.

17. Meat gets no chance to rest after cooking.

18. You try to rush the cooking of caramelized onions.

19. You overwork lower-fat dough.

20. You neglect the nuts you’re toasting.

21. You don’t shock vegetables when they’ve reached the desired texture.

22. You put all the salt in the marinade or breading.

23. You pop meat straight from the fridge into the oven or onto the grill.

24. You don’t know when to abandon ship and start over.

25. You use inferior ingredients.

Bookmark This Post!

The Jaguars partnered once again with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney to sponsor the Community Leader Award. The award, presented monthly last season, is designed to recognize those Jaguars players making an impact in the Jacksonville community.

Allen was one of four players to receive consideration for their commitment to community involvement.  The other players were running back Maurice Jones-Drew, center Brad Meester and defensive tackle Atiyyah Ellison.  The four players were named monthly winners last season, previously directing $1,000 donations to local non-profit organizations.

Allenspent his rookie season visiting a local juvenile detention center monthly and sometimes several times a month.  The center houses juveniles for crimes that range from weapon charges, assault and drug arrests. Allen also made numerous visits to daniel and has expanded his role in 2010 by making weekly visits to the home to speak to the children.

Jones-Drew established the Maurice Jones-Drew Foundation in 2009 to help youth-focused organizations.  The Pro Bowl running back hosted several events last year and provided support to numerous organizations.  He purchased more than 100 sets of Reebok shoes, gloves and compression shorts for members of the Andrew Jackson High School varsity football team.  In addition, he provided backpacks full of school supplies for more than 200 area children.  The foundation hosted more than 75 children from the Sulzbacher Center’s aftercare program at Toys “R” Us for a special shopping spree.

Meester joined forces with Guardian ad Litem in Jacksonville to create Brad’s Buddies, a program to provide opportunities for abused and neglected children.  Meester and his wife, Jamie, provide a monthly outing for the group with past events such as dinner at Maggiano’s, a shopping spree at Wal-Mart and a visit to the Jacksonville Zoo.

No player was more involved in the community than Ellison in 2009.  Ellison represented the Jaguars at nearly 50 events a year ago.  He visited numerous area elementary schools to read to students and was a strong supporter of Teacher Appreciation Week.  He participated both financially and in person at the 2009 Shop with a Jock event at Wal-Mart where more than 50 area children were treated to a shopping spree.

Bookmark This Post!

WHEN:

Friday, August 20, 2010

9 p.m. – close

WHAT:

The Core, Jacksonville Jaguars and Team Teal have joined forces to fire up fans Downtown before the first preseason home game against the Miami Dolphins.  The seven participating bars in The Core will go teal as they welcome the Jaguars Road Tour Bus Downtown with special appearances by The Roar, Jaxson de Ville and the D-Line throughout The Core. Patrons wearing Jaguars jerseys or showing their teal colors will get the bonus of free cover for showing their spirit for the hometown team.

Win free tickets to the Jaguars.  Each of the participating bars in The Core will have a Jags trivia question.  Patrons will collect questions from the bars and then go online to submit their answers.  Patrons that answer at least three questions correctly will win a pair of tickets to the Atlanta Falcons preseason game on Sept. 2, 2010.  In addition, all patrons that correctly answer three questions will be entered in a raffle to win two club tickets to the Denver Broncos game on September 12, 2010.

Find The Core Jax on Facebook and Twitter for more information.

WHERE:

The Core, Downtown Jacksonville

The Core is comprised of the main arteries of Downtown where nightlife entrepreneurs are creating a new vibe in the epicenter of Jacksonville.  From Bay, Forsyth and Adams Streets to the Jacksonville Landing, the nightlife and entertainment scene is happening in The Core.

Participating nightlife venues in The Core:

•          De Real Ting Cafe, 128 W. Adams St.

•          Dive Bar, 331 E. Bay St.

•          Dos Gatos, 123 E. Forsyth St.

•          LIT Downtown, 11 Ocean St.

•          Mark’s Downtown Club/Lounge, 315 E. Bay St.

•          Maverick’s Rock N’ Honky Tonk, 2 Independent Dr.

•          The Ivy Ultra Bar, 113 E. Bay St.

PARKING:

Parking meters are free after 6 p.m.  Free parking is available in the courthouse parking lot off Bay Street.  Find a downloadable map of parking options and bar locations posted online at downtownjacksonville.org and on Facebook at The Core Jax.

SPECIAL RATES: Take the elevator home at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront and Omni Jacksonville Hotel any Friday, May – August for only $79 (based on availability).

Bookmark This Post!

“We continue to focus on the remaining 4,500 or so tickets. We’re convinced that we’ll sell them and have a blackout-free season. We’re in good position. It would be a shame not to get there. We’re in the final push,” Peyton said.

About 10,000 general-bowl season tickets remain to be sold to guarantee that all Jaguars home games will be shown on local television. The Jaguars have assumed responsibility for about half that amount by having moved those tickets into the “group sales” category. Peyton said the other half of the remaining tickets are “in the hands of the market.”

The Jaguars are a little more than a month out from the start of the regular season, which will begin at home against the Denver Broncos on Sept. 12. The Jaguars have already said the team’s two preseason home games will be shown on local television, with the hope those telecasts will create excitement for the team and spur ticket sales.

“When we started, we thought it would take multiple seasons to be blackout-free. If we can get through this patch, time will solve the problem,” Peyton said.

The mayor initiated the current ticket-sales push last fall when he saw the potential for empty seats being shown on national television in the team’s last home game of the season, against the Indianapolis Colts. The initiative led to a “Team Teal” movement that has allowed the team to generate record-breaking new ticket sales, but sales stalled at the start of June and they remain slow as the Jaguars head toward the start of the preseason.

“Ticket (sales) is the most quantifiable way to measure support for this team,” Peyton said. “If we can take that issue off the table, I think we’ll be in really good shape. I would hope it would build the case for viability in Jacksonville.”

Goodell delivered a frank, tough-love type of message to Jaguars fans on Monday. He challenged the market to demonstrate that last year’s seven blackouts were a fluke by selling out EverBank Field this year.

“He gave it to us as we needed to hear it. I appreciated his candor,” Peyton said of Goodell.

Goodell was asked if he could guarantee the team would stay in Jacksonville if it sold out all of its games. He did not reply with a yes.

“I don’t know that anyone can guarantee that. An owner has that discretion,” Peyton explained.

Given that owner Wayne Weaver has said he will sell the team at some point in the future, Peyton was asked if he believes Jacksonville can attract a buyer that will keep the team in Jacksonville, and if the team is facing a deadline to do so.

“I think we obviously have time. We’re building a case for how this team will support this team over time. This year is one of many years in which we’ll build that case,” Peyton said.

“We are the landlord of a very large building,” he said of the city’s ownership of EverBank Field, “and we are making an effort to keep our anchor team. They create the value. The anchor tenant day after day is the Jaguars.”

Bookmark This Post!

• Type: Tours
• Phone: (904) 665-0064
• E-mail: Jaxhistorical@bellsouth.net
• Website: http://www.jaxhistory.com
• Get directions

The Jacksonville Historical Society strives to foster and promote appreciation of the history of Jacksonville and Northeast Florida by conducting, encouraging and promoting research of local history; maintaining a program of information, promoting the sale or distribution of historical publications, promoting the collection, preservation and presentation of materials pertaining to the history of Jacksonville and Northeast Florida; and, encouraging the preservation and restoration of historic sites and properties.

Bookmark This Post!