Dr. Seuss exhibit visits Bonita Springs

Dr. Seuss, the creator of the popular children's rhyming books, wasn't actually a doctor and he did much more than write books with stylistically unique characters.

Theodor Seuss Geisel was a creative genius who produced movies, painted and created art that were ahead of his time and is still affecting the world years after his death in 1991.

Because few people know little more than Dr. Seuss' the “Cat In The Hat” and “Green Eggs and Ham,” the Art League of Bonita Springs will be hosting a rare glimpse into the artistic life of the American icon.

“We are thrilled because his work made a difference in so many lives. We wanted to bring something unique to the Bonita Springs community,” said Susan Bridges, the Art League’s executive director.

Throughout the month of September the Art League will honor Seuss' by displaying “The Art of Dr. Seuss: A Retrospective,” a traveling art exhibit about his life and creations.

“There are many of us who continue to read Dr. Seuss but to look at his writing and see that he is a very cutting edge person for the timeline in which was was working,” said Bridges, who arranged to have the exhibit after hearing about it from a friend who saw it in Atlanta.

The exhibit will include pieces of art like three dimensional sculptures of animals that Seuss came up with after working on his father’s farm.

“He was no doctor but his dad wanted him to be so he just named himself doctor but really that shows the kind of man he was and people can see that in this exhibit,” Bridges said.

The Art League is planning several events from public openings to programs that kids can participate in that bring the rhyming books to life.

William Dreyer, the exhibits curator, will give lectures for adults about Seuss’ life and his ability to work in advertising, motion pictures and animated television specials such as “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.”

“I think that whether you are old or young everybody has read Dr. Seuss and he just has a very broad appeal,” said Joni Leohnis, the Art League’s spokesperson. “We wanted a family event style exhibit and we got that with this because there is so many things that people can enjoy.”

While visiting the Seussian collection parents can bring their children during four afternoons of readings in which kids will receive a free Dr. Seuss book.

“It will make them smile. Some of the characters are really great and the images they have sent us are just fabulous,” Leohnis said.

The exhibit is different from the other viewings the Art League usually has because it’s unique for summer time.

“This is a multi-generational experience and it’s about the work of what this person did throughout their life. Rarely do people see everything an artist does, they see it in pieces,” said Bridges. “Everybody should come out, they are going to see how that whole creative process just continued to evolve and how he evolved as an artist.”

Drama and Dance program add new dimension to curriculum

Bonita Springs Elementary has started out the school year with a new pair of shoes walking around the campus.

Jamie Pisci is the new drama and dance teacher who is putting a spring in students’ steps by offering ballet, jazz, yoga and plays that are sure to get the community involved in a new way.

“I think we have a lot of potential because these kids are great. They love it and I’m so happy they love it,” said Pisci, 25, who is currently living in Cape Coral but looking for a place in Bonita Springs. “The principal is giving me all the creative freedom to run the program and that will help.”

Creativity in dance and the arts comes naturally to Pisci who has always done productions and danced for 20 years.

“It’s in me to do this and I love the kids,” said Pisci, whose favorite dance is modern and contemporary.

She also taught at a school in Fort Myers but took the new position in Bonita Springs because of its potential.

And, that potential for dance and her students was obvious on Pisci’s face during her first beginner’s ballet class with her first and second graders.

“They take a little time to get dressed so we didn’t have much time to do ballet but they will get better,” Pisci said.

She got certified to teach kindergarten through sixth grade at the University of Nebraska and claimed her place in the dancing program by having a minor in dance as well.

“Here at Bonita Springs Elementary we have always been interested in the arts and every month we do some kind of performance,” said principal David Short. “But now we can do even more with Mrs. Pisci.”

The program is the result of 12 years of working to develop a program that would allow kids to be artistically creative.

“Drama and dance get kids right out in front of the audience and opens a whole new world for them,” said Short, whose school was granted the program themed “Dance and Drama” by the school board. “She is doing a great job and she has a lot of support from the school.”

Support is going to go a long way for Pisci and Short who admit that the community’s help is imperative for the program to get off to a good start.

“Doing productions can get a bit expensive but we are looking for donations of any sort really,” Short said.

Pisci is working to take every grade level through a different experience including reading, writing plays and learning about the technical side of the stage.

“I’m working to produce a puppetry unit with the third graders and students from FGCU to come and help out with it,” she said.

In an effort to expand the kids understanding of dance and drama, Pisci is going to contact the city and possibly use the amphitheater at Riverside Park for one of her productions.

“I’m working on four performances for this year. Two will be done with the music teacher and two by me in April. We will be doing lots of rehearsal until then,” Pisci said.

The kids at Bonita Springs Elementary are buzzing with excitement about the new program and Short is confident Pisci is just the person to make the program successful.

“She has the support of the school, the parents and the kids are very excited about it,” Short said. “Drama and dance builds confidence and that’s what we we want for our students.”

Diabetes education crucial for disease control

Diabetes is a growing epidemic that the Lee Diabetes Center is working to prevent and control for those patients whose lives depend on it in Bonita Springs.

The Bonita Community Health Center is the staging area for the three-day educational program next week about diabetes medications, exercise plans, possible complications and training on blood glucose meters.

“We are here to provide education for people who have diabetes and sometimes some people have pre-diabetes but it's about educating them that they aren't alone,” said Rowe Hudson, a certified diabetes educator.

That feeling of being the only one with diabetes is common after patients are diagnosed but Hudson is using the sessions to remind everyone that diabetes is treatable.

“I would tell you that 95 percent of the care for diabetes is done by the patient at home because there is only so much a doctor or nurse can do but by doing the day-to-day preventative measures then you don't have to worry about the complications associated with diabetes,” said Hudson who is coordinating the event for the Lee Memorial Health Systems.

The center decided to offer the program in Bonita Springs to address patients who would normally have to drive down to Naples or up to Fort Myers for the classes.

Complications from diabetes can range from eye problems that lead to blindness, kidney failure, nerve problems or even heart attacks but, Hudson said, those are preventable and it’s nothing patients should worry about.

“We do our sessions as lectures mostly and people are able to ask what they want as we go. But I'll tell you that there are some that come on the first day angry because they feel there is no hope,” said Hudson, who is a registered dietitian and has been with the diabetes center for more than a year.

“By the third day they are happy and understanding that they aren't necessarily going to have complications and that through the class they have met a network of people they can call.”

The classes require pre-registration but are covered by most insurance plans and Medicare. Individual appointments after the three-day sessions are complete are also available with a certified diabetes educator.

“We require patients to being in a doctor's referral and encourage everyone to bring a family member because two heads are better than one,” Hudson said. “We cover a lot of information so we definitely want patients to have family there to help absorb it all.”

During the session, patients will also be able to keep the blood glucose meter that they can later use to control their diabetes.

“It's a class to teach people how to control their disease and come together as a close knit group,” Hudson said. “Just register with us and we will get you back on track and in control of patients' diabetes.”

Design firm's name keeps goal in mind

Climbing the K2 Himalayan Mountain is a goal that Jenny Carter wanted to keep right in front of her as she opened her first award-winning architecture and interior design firm.

She named the company K2 Design Group because of her love of skiing and the idea that climbing a large mountain like K2 is similar to opening and sustaining a successful business.

“I love to travel. I have been all over the world and sometimes you have to keep a goal in front of you to keep you motivated and saying K2 all the time, I figured that I would eventually get there,” said Carter, who is president and owner of the company that specializes in residential and commercial projects in the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, the Bahamas and Panama.

The last 14 years have proven that Carter has what it takes to climb her own version of K2 and expand the business to include a second design studio in Bonita Springs.

“This expansion feels like a natural evolution. Anytime we create ways to serve our clients, we are moving in the right direction,” said Carter, who has two daughters whose names begin with the letter “K.”

But moving a company in the right direction takes experience, which Carter picked up after receiving a bachelor's degree in architecture in Montreal, where she owned and operated a Canadian architecture and design firm.

“In our field, we are such a service-oriented business that being where the client is is very important,” said Carter, who grew up in Fort Myers. “The growth is moving north so we are going north and wanted to be able to properly serve them.”

The new 3,850-square-foot office space, located on Old 41, will serve as K2’s Lee County headquarters, design studio and showroom.

“The showroom space will show our clients some of the furniture lines, kitchen cabinets and some of the specialty finishes we supply,” said vice president Stuart Jones. “The design studio lets us serve our clients who want to build from when they have a piece of dirt until they are ready to walk in and move in which includes furniture and everything.”

K2 Design Group’s new space will include several world-class artists’ paintings in the showroom and gallery.

“We have an influx of residents that are moving in and a lot of people are buying their third or even fourth home to retire and in one place they can get it all so they aren’t having to go to multiple places and the end product is more streamlined,” Jones said.

In an effort to make the building process seamless, the group will also offer kitchen cabinets and Italian furniture exclusively for Bonita Springs.

“We are doing a lot of work in Lee county and as high as Charlotte County. The work just keeps going up so we are following it,” Carter said. “I haven’t finished climbing K2 but we are working on getting there.”