The Island School kids have been maximizing the time during the last couple of weeks of school, and they’ve been busy, busy, busy.

Above, Miss Maya the dog and her human, Susan Johnson, came to read with the kids. Below, nine little ones attended kindergarten orientation day and sat down with Mrs. Judy Still and Mrs. Melissa Elsberry to get a feel for the classrooms they will be in when fall comes.

Photos courtesy of The Island School

The Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority will hold three meetings next week.

The April Boca Beacon photo contest has come and gone, and it has been announced that Pat Wright is the winner in the “island animals” genre. Her mama and baby ospreys were a pretty incredible sight, and the judges couldn’t resist.

BY JACK SHORT - On Thursday, April 25 incoming president and CEO of Mote Marine Laboratory Dr. Michael Crosby opened the last in a series of five lectures outlining the directives central to the Mote/Boca Grande partnership, a presentation about snook and tarpon stock enhancement.