KEY WEST, FL, March 16, 2023— The College of the Florida Keys invites prospective students, their family members, and the community to learn about CFK Academy at an information event on Thursday, March 30 at 5:30 p.m. at the CFK Academy building on the Key West Campus. Through presentations given in the classrooms of the new building, attendees will learn about the unique learning opportunities provided and the benefits of attending the tuition-free public charter high school. College representatives will answer questions and provide guidance about enrolling. Those interested in attending the event are asked to R.S.V.P. on the CFK Academy webpage at CFK.edu/CFKAcademy. 
CFK Academy, which opens in August, focuses on college and career readiness with curriculum centered on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and Career Technical Education (CTE). Project-based learning experiences provide students with hands-on engagement in the learning process to develop skills, knowledge, and character. CFK Academy students are encouraged to earn college credit—at no cost to the student—through the College’s Dual Enrollment program in classes conveniently located on the same campus as the high school. Motivated students can graduate with their high school diploma as well as an associate degree, certificate, and/or industry certification. 
The application for the 2023- 24 school year can be found on the CFK website at CFK.edu/CFKAcademy. CFK Academy will start with grades nine through 11 in its inaugural year and will add grade 12 in the 2024- 25 school year. ​

NEW ORLEANS, LA, March 13, 2023— A recent graduate of The College of the Florida Keys’ (CFK), Caeley Flowers, was recognized for her research on black grouper at the World Aquaculture Society’s “Aquaculture America 2023” conference in New Orleans, LA, February 23-26. She was the only undergraduate to receive a Best Student Abstract Travel Award from the American Fisheries Society (AFS), Fish Culture Section (FCS), for her presentation on research conducted in the capstone experience of the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Marine Resource Management program. Flowers’ presentation was titled “From Guts to Glory: Recirculating Aquaculture of Black Grouper Myceteroperca bonaci at The College of the Florida Keys.” 

Flowers graduated CFK with a B.S. in Marine Resource Management (’22), an Associate in Science in Marine Environmental Technology (’20), and college credit certificates in Professional Research Diving (’20) as well as Tropical Ornamental Mariculture Technician (’22). She is now employed at CFK as the STEM Coordinator. 

Flowers’ research on black grouper is part of an ongoing project at CFK’s Southernmost Marine Aquaculture Research and Training (SMART) Center. The goal of the SMART Center is to conduct undergraduate research as a training tool while providing students professional experience through internships and research assistantships—all while helping to restore the marine environment back to historic levels. The “Guts to Glory” project centers on using grouper gonads discarded in the fishing industry to perform in-vitro fertilization to breed the species. Grouper is commercially valuable as a food source, but aquaculture of the species is difficult. 

FCS recognizes excellence in student research by offering "best abstract travel awards" to student members for AFS Annual Meetings and Aquaculture America conferences. To be eligible, a student must be a current member of the Fish Culture Section and should be giving an oral or poster presentation relevant to fish culture at the conference. 
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The American Fisheries Society, the world’s oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to the fisheries sciences started in 1870 as the American Fish Culturists’ Association. The Society’s fish culture-related concerns are now represented by the Fish Culture Section, formed in 1974 as one of the Society’s first fisheries discipline-oriented units. The Section represents those directly involved in fish culture and those involved in allied fields such as nutrition, physiology, toxicology, drug development, genetics and breeding, bioengineering and system design, economics, fisheries management and ecology, and everything in between. ​

​February 22, 2023—The College of the Florida Keys (CFK) invites prospective students to learn more about the various academic and career training opportunities available at CFK through its “Future Student” virtual event on Wednesday, March 8 at 5:30 p.m. 
 
Topics to be covered at the information session: 

• Academic and career training programs, including bachelor’s degrees in business, hospitality, marine science, and nursing 
• Guaranteed transfer to Florida universities with an Associate in arts degree 
• Paying for college: cost comparisons, financial aid, scholarships, payment plans 
• Steps to become a CFK student 

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Attendees will receive a code to waive the $30 application fee. Registration for the event is required. Visit the College’s website at CFK.edu/futurestudents to learn more and to register. For more information or to schedule a personal information session, contact Marissa Owens, CFK Director of Recruitment, at recruiter@cfk.edu or call 305-809-3207. 
  

​The College of the Florida Keys’ student ceramics club, Mud-Pi, invites the community to its annual Mud-Pi Dinner on Thursday, December 1 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at CFK’s Ceramics Studio on the Key West Campus. As per tradition, attendees of the fund-raiser will select their own student-crafted ceramic bowl to eat from and take home as a souvenir. Students in CFK’s culinary program are catering the event with three multicultural food stations serving Cajun, Texan, and Mexican cuisines. A mocktail bar, staffed by students in the hospitality program, will serve creative beverages special for the event. Attendees will enjoy live demonstrations and be able to purchase art through a silent auction and ceramics sale. Admission is $50 at the door.  
 
The funds raised will be used to purchase materials and equipment that allow Mud-Pi to continue to beautify and enrich the community. For more than 20 years, the students of Mud-Pi have created dozens of ornate ceramic wall murals and fountains that grace many locations in the Keys and provide the College’s Key West Campus with its signature aesthetic.  The department also hosts young students, elementary through high school grades, as well as special needs groups to introduce them to the fine art of pottery.   
 
For more information about this year’s Mud-Pi event, contact CFK’s Artist in Residence John Bradford at John.Bradford@cfk.edu or 305-809-3132. 
 
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The College of the Florida Keys will hold Fast Track to Spring events on Wednesday, November 30 to help prospective students quickly get on a pathway toward their academic and career training goals this upcoming spring semester, which begins January 6. Fast Track to Spring services will be available between 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. at the Key West Campus and Upper Keys Center in Key Largo. Future students and their families will connect with CFK staff to receive essential information about degree and certificate options as well as financial aid and payment plans. Personalized guidance through the application process will also be provided. New students who participate in Fast Track to Spring will have their application fee waived, a savings of $30, and receive a $100 Kick-Starter Scholarship. New student applications are due December 12. 
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Prospective students are encouraged to bring the following items, if available, with them to Fast Track to Spring to expedite the admissions process: 
 

• Sealed official transcripts (college and high school) 
• Two forms of proof of Florida residency (such as a Florida driver’s license and Florida vehicle registration) 
• Official test scores (SAT, ACT, and/or PERT) 

For more information about the opportunities available at CFK, visit the College’s website at cfk.edu/FutureStudents or contact Marissa Owens, CFK Director of Recruitment, at recruiter@cfk.edu or call 305-809-3207. 

The College of the Florida Keys (CFK) invites all to its eighth annual Community Day on Saturday, November 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on the Key West Campus. The free, family-friendly event will feature a full slate of attractions—including CFK academic showcases, interactive exhibits, live performances, a bounce house and other children's activities, arts and crafts, vendors, music, food and drinks, and free T-shirts. As tradition, CFK President Dr. Jonathan Gueverra will lead a salute to veterans and military service members. 
 
CFK’s Community Day is supported by sponsors Waste Management, Thornton Construction, Centennial Bank, Lisa Ferringo Group- Coldwell Bank Schmitt Real Estate, Essential Net, First Horizon Bank, Florida Keys Media, the Keys Citizen, and the Key West Weekly. For more information about Community Day, call CFK at 305-296-9081. ​