Traditional July 4th fireworks will be launched in Boca Raton, West Boca, Delray Beach and Deerfield Beach. The schedule is as follows.

FAU - Fabulous Fourth from 6-9:30 p.m. Family Activities start at 6 p.m. and the Florida Wind Symphony will perform at 7:30 p.m. Fireworks go off at 9 p.m.

Sunset Cove Amphitheater - An opening ceremony at 6:30 p.m. with music hits from the 40's to the present. At 9 p.m. the twenty-five minute fireworks extravaganza will be synchronized to patriotic music.

AIA and Atlantic in Delray - The annual sand sculpting contest is from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. on the beach with live music from 2:30 - 8 p.m. Fireworks start at 9 p.m. on the beach.

Hillsborough and AIA in Deerfield Beach - An oceanfront concert by Jay and the Americans is at 7:30 p.m. and The Mad Bomber fireworks begin at 9 p.m.

Rain is in the forecast but should hopefully clear by the 9 p.m. start time. Bring a blanket and your favorite drink and enjoy the show. Have a safe and happy 4th!

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Starting in August when the new school year begins, Spanish River Community High School will begin enforcing a new school dress code. Students violating the dress code policy will be required to change clothes. Students with continuous or flagrant violations of the dress policy are subject to detentions or suspension. The dress code is as follows:

• No visible underwear on either boys or girls at any time or the lack of it.
• Head covers are out- includes any form of hat, scarf, do rags, stocking, bandanas or towels.
• Girls may not wear low exposing tops or shirts exposing any cleavage or midriffs. Midriffs must fall below the waistline rather than just meeting the top of the garment.
• Students must not wear tube or strapless, halter, spaghetti straps or any tank tops. Carrying a sweater on top or wearing a jacket over it is not adequate.
• Tops must be high enough to eliminate any exposure of cleavage and long enough to prevent any exposure of midriff.
• Many students know what they are wearing is inappropriate. If we see parts of the body exposed as a result of midriff tops or low cut tops, students will be required to change.
• Girls must wear shirts that have sleeves. If they choose to wear a sleeveless shirt when the weather is warm, the shirt must have a collar.
• Short shorts and short skirts have no place in school. They must be just above the knee.

This new dress code represents a significant departure from existing policies. Female students can only wear sleeveless shirts if they have a collar and tank tops are prohibited. I support our educators and believe that a dress code is warranted. The sleeveless shirt policy, however, is possibly sexist, rather strict given South Florida's hot weather, and one that will surely be controversial when school returns.

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The Boca bashing continues. On Thursday, June 26th Steven Colbert had Congressman Robert Wexler as a guest on The Colbert Report. Colbert noted that Congressman Wexler's district is comprised of Boca Raton and that it was therefore safe to say that no one from the district was awake watching the show at its 10:30 p.m. airtime. Colbert further unsuccessfully attempted to coerce the Congressman into saying that people in the district look like lizards.

While we certainly have our share of elderly residents and I enjoy a joke as much as the next person, the problem is that the ageism stereotype has become accepted nationwide. People who do not know that Boca has a vibrant multigenerational community just assume because of the publicity that it is composed of old retirees.

In fact, Boca Raton is a wonderful community made up of all ages, races, religions and ethnicities. It would be nice if instead of using the old person characterization, the media would recognize Boca for what it actually is - a suburban South Florida community that is a great place to live in.

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The news that an 18 year old boy was stabbed in the back by a 17 year old at a party in Timbercreek is shocking. The fact that it happened in suburban Boca Raton highlights the fact that this summer is not starting well for teens.

The bad economy this year has rippled down to the teen group. Teens searching for jobs are finding that the pickings are very slim. Businesses are not hiring at all or are hiring at reduced hours. In addition, many parents can no longer afford the luxury of paying for their children to attend daytime or out of town summer programs. The end result is a volatile mix of too many teens with nothing to do.

The summer has just started and the problems will only worsen unless action is taken quickly. Parents need to organize and be aware of their children's activities. The stabbing occurred at 1 a.m. and not much good happens when teenagers are out at late hours. Parents need to take responsibility for their children.

City officials also need to address the issue. City officials should examine existing summer programs and determine how they can keep kids busy and out of trouble. More programming may be needed and should be added immediately.

This stabbing is a wake up call and is the time for everyone to take action to avoid future problems. It will be a hot summer in the city if this issue is not resolved.

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No more teachers, no more rules. . . . . . . Palm Beach County public schools ended Friday, June 6th and it is time to play. Homework, tutors and extra-curricular activities are on hold until fall and it is time to enjoy South Florida. Even though it's an understatement to stay it is a little warm, this is an ideal time to be a tourist in your own town. Her are some suggestions for things to do.

1. Go to the beach. It is so easy to forget that we have the magnificent ocean right in our backyard. Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy swimming and the scenery.

2. Visit a water park. There are both public (Coconut Cove) and private water parks nearby and they are especially fun for the younger set.

3. Check out the local museums. Lunch at Mizner Park and a trip to the Boca Museum are always a good way to fill a day.

4. Engage in your sport of choice. Public golf and tennis courts have greater availability. Rent a sailboat at the Delray beach. Visit a local gym or just do laps in the nearest swimming pool.

5. Hit your favorite restaurants. Catch the summer specials and chat up the host so that you can get in when winter comes.

Whatever you decide to do, enjoy the lazy days of summer.

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If you love the organic items at Whole Foods and the prepared meals at Fresh Market, rush over to the new Publix Greenwise market located right behind Town Center Mall. Designed by Publix to apparently compete in the organic and prepared foods categories, Greenwise is poised to be a huge success.

As you walk in, you enter the produce area, a veritable cornucopia. There are organic and nonorganic fruits and vegetables in all shades of the rainbow and all permutations from heirloom to downright exotic. The prices are higher than Publix but still reasonable for the offerings.

A trip to the back of the store reveals a fish and sushi counter. With the loss of Kings Market, fresh fish at non usurious rates is a welcome addition to Boca. The adjacent meat and poultry is offered for sale in the traditional butcher case. There are a variety of prepared dishes in the case that just need to be popped into the oven for a gourmet dinner.

Next there is a wine area that could be a free standing wine store. A corresponding cheese area with ongoing free samples butts up to the bread and bakery areas. Everything looks magnificent and is artfully displayed down to the chocolate fountain near the dipped bananas, marshmallows and pretzels.

The offerings are rounded out with already cooked items, individually prepared pasta and pizza and a gelato bar. The store is well thought out with a grab and go area in the front, tables indoors and out for dining, and even special flower holders for your shopping cart.

In addition to all the specialty areas, there are center aisles with regular and organic items that are found in a normal Publix. The Greenwise team has really thought of everything, making it a true one stop shopping venue. It remains to be seen how parking will be once people learn about the market, but for now rush over to take advantage of this new phenomenon.

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The students in Ms. Oyer's social studies classes at Boca Raton Middle School continue to show that they have learned the true meaning of civic involvement. As you may recall, Ms. Oyer's classes actively participated in the effort to fight the cancellation of the television show "Jericho" by writing protest letters to CBS and bringing in spare change to help purchase advertisements in Variety.

Not content with stopping there, Ms. Oyer and the students learned of a program where DVD's of "Jericho" are sent to troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Staten Island Program For Our Homefront purchased and shipped 100 DVD's of "Jericho" season one last year. Ms. Oyer's students raised $440.27 which will buy 20 DVD's of "Jericho" season two for the soldiers and Ms. Oyer contributed to make it 21 DVDs. Currently, the program has raised enough to purchase 67 DVD's, making Ms. Oyer's classes a major contributor.

Many of the students have friends and family who either were or are in the military. The students all stressed that they want the servicemen and women to have something to entertain them. As noted by Ashley Cope, "My uncle is thinking of going to war and I want to support people like I would support my uncle." Billy Tobener concurred noting that his uncle was in Iraq and said "it was boring and there was nothing to watch on television." Julian Parks summed it up by stating that he "wanted the troops to not just think about war."

The students raised the money through a variety of means, including enlisting their parents assistance and picking up spare change found on the school floors. Bobby Kron raised the most money and said he did chores to raise his contribution.

The DVD's donated by Ms. Oyer's classes will be sent as soon as the second season is released in mid-June. They will contain a personal message for the troops noting that the DVD's were purchased by the students and will provide address information for the soldiers to respond to.

As the school year is winding to a close, it is clear that these students have learned valuable lessons in civics and philanthropy that will create a lasting legacy. Their donations, which coincide with Memorial Day, highlight for all of us the need to support our troops and be active participants in the local, national and global level. If you would like more information about the DVD donations or the students involvement with "Jericho" go to http://www.jerichorangers4ourtroops.com/ or http://www.Jericho4kids.com .

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Now that primary season is concluding, South Florida is back on the political radar. John McCain, the Republican nominee, and Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama, the Democratic contenders, are all campaigning in South Florida.

Hillary Clinton started her visit with stops at two bastions of staunch supporters, Century Village, Boca Raton and Sunrise Lakes. She completed her swoop through with an evening program open to the public at the University of Miami. John McCain appeared at a private fundraiser in Ft. Lauderdale and held a town hall style meeting in Miami. Barak Obama is starting his visit with a town hall style meeting at Congregation B'nai Torah in Boca Raton and an evening fundraiser at the Diplomat Hotel. He is concluding with a rally open to the public at Bank Atlantic Center.

The appearance of the candidates is a welcome opportunity for South Floridians to learn more about their positions. Because of the Florida legislator's decision to move up the primary, South Floridians never had the chance to see the Democratic contenders. Seeing the candidates in person is a more complete view than just catching the sound bites or the reviews from the nightly talking heads.

The town hall style meetings have afforded South Floridians the chance to question candidates on issues that matter both locally, nationally and globally. Even if you do not get a chance to see the candidates in person, there is more complete news coverage of their speeches providing everyone with a fuller picture of the individuals running for President.

Once again, it appears that Florida will be a pivotal state in the presidential election. This will probably be the first of many visits by the candidates. Now is a great opportunity to listen to the candidates and hear what they have to say on issues that matter to you. Let's all take advantage of being in the political driver's seat and enjoy being in the positive political spotlight for a change.

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1. Enjoy every minute of your graduation festivities. Live in the moment. There are very few opportunities in life for closure, which makes graduation a unique experience. Enjoy this chance to savor completing a significant task. Do not focus on what is coming next; there will be plenty of opportunities for that later.

2. Resolve to respect the principles of karma. Even if you think the Golden Rule is trite, remember that your actions lead to reactions that could adversely affect you later. Try not to do anything spiteful, malicious or inadvertently stupid as what goes around does eventually come back around.

3. Do not smoke. If you do smoke, quit immediately. There is no question that smoking is one of the most harmful things you can do to your body.

4. Even if you think you are invincible, take care of yourself. Watch your weight and try and exercise. Try not to do anything that has irreversible deleterious effects.

5. Register to vote. Be part of the civic process and go willingly when called for jury duty. Serving on a jury is a great honor and one that you may actually find that you enjoy. Be an active member of whatever community you live in wherever you live.

6. Always remember to give back. Serve as a volunteer or donate money to your favorite cause. You will receive much more than you give once you discover the benefits of helping others.

7. Remember that no one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes, including you. Do not beat yourself up over the past and instead learn from it and move forward. Forgive others for their errors.

Congratulations to you and your family on this wonderful occasion! Now go party - SAFELY.

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Mother's Day is this Sunday, May 11th and brunch is an ideal way to start the day. Pick your favorite spot or enjoy brunch at one of the following establishments.

Carmen's Top of the Bridge - Open from 11:00 until 3:00 in the Bridge Hotel this is Boca's most picturesque spot for a traditional Sunday brunch. While enjoying views of Lake Boca Raton, you can gorge on the buffet which includes shrimp, oysters, omelets, antipasto, a carving station and deserts. The price is $36.95 per person and includes a champagne cocktail or mimosa.

Max's Grill - Check out the street life in Mizner Park and enjoy the brunch menu from 11:30 until 3:00. Max's serves the regular lunch menu and supplements it with a la carte items such as smoked salmon, omelets, quiche, french toast, corned beef hash and crab benedict. Max's describes itself as a modern American bistro and is well situated for post brunch window shopping.

Abe and Louie's - As befits this well known steak house, several of its Sunday brunch selections include the house specialty. Steak and eggs and even steak benedict are offered. Rounding out the a la carte menu are the tradition omelets, pancakes and french toast. Served from 11:30 through 3:30, lunch items including salads and steaks are also available.

Grand Lux Cafe - Conveniently located in the Town Center Mall this restaurant offers a weekend breakfast from 11:00 until 2:00. The menu features omelets, egg dishes, pancakes, french toast and waffles. Try the fried chicken and waffles for a southern breakfast option.

If you prefer a traditional breakfast restaurant, check out Tom Sawyer's or First Watch. Bagel Works, Toojays and Flakowitz are great for bagels and lox as well as eggs. Alternatively, breakfast in bed is always a welcome treat. Whatever choice you make, take the time to tell your mother how much she means to you and have a Happy Mother's Day.

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