His father, Glen, thought Curren needed help with his footwork, so he enrolled him in the Drake School of Irish Dance. It worked better than Griffin could have imagined.
Curren, a high school junior, is the starting free safety for Sarasota High's football team, and he and five other dancers will go to Glasgow, Scotland, for the World Championship of Irish Dancing competition from March 28 to April 4.
The trip will cost between $2,500 and $3,000 per dancer, including lodging and airfare, so the dancers are hosting a fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at Carrabba's Italian Grill.
Curren said dancing has improved his footwork tremendously, kept him in shape and taught him to "explode," an asset for any dancer or football player. He admitted that football teammates "make me dance on St. Paddy's, but I have a reputation for being a really hard hitter."
The dedication to sports and academics leaves Curren little time for a social life. He maintains a 3.8 grade-point average while taking calculus and physics, as well as attending football workouts in the off-season for two hours a day and practicing Irish dance.
Last week, he put football workouts on hold to prepare for the dance competition.
Dancing is "exhausting, because I give it everything I have for three minutes," he said.
Curren will be joined in Scotland by Chrissy Deacy, 18, who has been home-schooled for two years. This is the fourth time she has qualified for the World Championship competition.
Though a seasoned pro, Deacy admits that she still gets nervous before competing.
"All of my teachers are great, especially Karl, and my family has been so supportive," she said.
Karl Drake, who owns 12 Irish dance schools, including the local Drake School of Irish Dance, trained in Dublin and New York. He won the Eastern Regional Irish Dance Championship and placed fifth in the World Irish Dance Championship in Ireland.
The youngest qualifiers are Delaney O'Shea, 13, and Carolyn Ward, 14. Both live in Fort Myers and travel to Sarasota for lessons and classes with Drake.
Delaney is by no means the least experienced dancer. This will be her fourth time competing in the World Championship.
"My grandmother got me this 'Lord of the Dance' video when I was 5; I just got hooked," she said.
Home-schooled student Clare Roca, 14, will make her first trip abroad. She attended the World Competition last year in Philadelphia, Pa.
Joey Roca, 15, has danced for only three years, but he competed last year with his sister at nationals. This is his first time competing in the World Championship. The Rocas travel from their home in Port Charlotte to Drake Studio to practice three times a week.
Workshop offers insight about reading to children
Women listened carefully as each page was turned, hearing stories about the Big Apple and runaway bunnies.
Nearly 30 child care providers, preschool teachers and librarians attended the Teaching Character Education with Picture Books workshop Feb. 23 at the Frances T. Bourne Jacaranda Library to learn new techniques for reading to children.
Finger plays, crafts, songs and role playing were all used to accompany storytelling. Participants were divided into groups to find out what books best demonstrated the values of caring, sharing, respect, kindness, cooperation and bullying.
"They saw the oppression he had and they wanted to make him feel better," said Lisa Toscano Allen, Early Learning Coalition of Polk County program coordinator, to describe the book "Farmer Duck."
"Kids can be anything and can relate to anyone," said Alisa Mitchell, Born to Read outreach coordinator. "We can take animals to all grades, and anyone can be a mouse."
Participants took turns choosing their favorite books and discussing character traits that would appeal to children.
"Walk as proudly as you can, and the world will look up to you," were the words a grandmother used to give her short and abnormal feeling granddaughter confidence.
North Port Youth Librarian Janet Hansen saw "Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon" as a book that would be great for young children who need reinforcement in themselves.
"I thinks some of these books are real life-changers for some children," she said.
The training, sponsored by the Early Learning Coalition of Sarasota County, The Windsor of Venice and Sarasota County, was meant to enhance the experience of reading to children.
"It made people think about how picture books are not just important for the entertainment value, but for the words and message," said Barbara Zier, a preschool director at Venice Nokomis United Methodist Church. "The picture story is the perfect way to present it because it's the gentler way."
รข€" Kharli Rose, correspondent
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