Скачать или смотреть Back-to-School, The American Revolution & Upcycled Fashion | 8-8-2025 | WGCU News

In this episode of Southwest Florida in Focus, we explore compelling local stories shaping our community:

Collier Schools Combats Overcrowding: Southwest Florida continues to grow and that has put a strain on some of the schools in areas like Collier County. To help combat this rise in students, the district just cut the ribbon on Bear Creek Elementary. A primary school that will help alleviate the overcrowding in neighboring schools. WGCU’s Julie Perez got a look at the new facility and learned how it will impact the next generation of scholars.

Incoming School Changes to Lee County: Last year, The School District of Lee County was struggling to fill open teaching positions. The county had 235 vacancies, but have since whittled down that number to only 45, meaning there will be a certified schoolteacher in every classroom. WGCU’s Jennifer Crawford sat down with Superintendent Dr. Denise Carlin to learn this goal was achieved and what other changes parents are in store for as kids head back-to-school.

A Special Look at The American Revolution: It has been 250 years since the Battles of Lexington and Concord kicked off the American War for Independence. Most Americans are familiar with the basics of the conflict, but a new documentary film from Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmit will dissect the Revolution like no other before. The six-part feature will debut on WGCU PBS on November 16th, but Co-Director David Schmidt spoke to us about his experience working on the project and what he hopes viewers will learn from it.

Florida During the American Revolution: While most of the focus of The American Revolution is on the original Thirteen Colonies, Florida did play a role in the War for Independence. At the time it was separated into two regions and control over the peninsula was traded back-and-forth between British and Spanish control. However, areas like St. Augustine and Pensacola has major moments that most Americans might not be aware of. This is part of an upcoming book The Revolutionary War: The Florida Campaign. Co-Author Kartik Krishnaiyer stopped by to give us a glimpse into the role the future Sunshine State would play in the battle of The United States and The British.



Getting Fun-ky with Fashion: The Pace Center for Girls serves 150 youths through their day school and reach therapy programs. One of the highlights for the center’s calendar is the annual Fun-ky Fashion Show. Women from all over Southwest Florida were given a challenge to upcycle goods to make high fashion. As WGCU’s Elizabeth Andarge and Amanda Inscore Wittamore found out, that means using paper plates, cola cans and even umbrellas to create unique fashion statements.

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