Principal

Mrs. Wasylkiw graduated from E.J. King High School in Sasebo, Japan. She attended the University of South Florida, earning her Bachelor's degree in Social Science Education, a Master’s in Social Science Education with a specialization in archaeology, and a Master's in Educational Leadership.

Mrs. Wasylkiw began her career as a Social Studies educator at East Bay High School in 2005. She was a charter member of the teaching staff at Lennard High School and served as Student Government Sponsor. She previously held the titles of Department Chair and Assistant Principal at East Bay High School and Assistant Principal of Magnet Curriculum at Jefferson High School. Mrs. Wasylkiw was proudly appointed to Assistant Principal for Curriculum at Sumner High School in 2021.  In July of 2023 Mrs. Wasylkiw was appointed Principal of Jule F. Sumner High School.

Mrs. Wasylkiw enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, traveling, and reading. Mrs. Wasylkiw believes that student involvement, building relationships, and collaboration build a strong foundation to support student learning.

Email: christine.wasylkiw@hcps.net

Assistant Principal for Curriculum APC

Mrs. Candace Culpepper is a Florida native who has called the Tampa Bay area home for the past 25 years.  She has a Bachelor's degree in biology from the University of South Florida.   She received her Master's degree from National Louis University in Educational Leadership.  Mrs. Culpepper began her career at Hillsborough County Public Schools in 2004 as a science teacher and track & field coach at Tampa Bay Technical High School.  

Mrs. Culpepper was appointed as an administrator at Durant High School in 2014.  She later became the Assistant Principal for Administration (APA) at Durant High School.  Mrs. Culpepper joined the Sumner High School administration team as the Assistant Principal for Administration in November of 2022 and in August of 2023 was named Assistant Principal for Curriculum. 

Mrs. Culpepper is married and has five children.  She enjoys traveling with her family and watching movies in her free time.

Phone: 813-378-8626

Assistant Principal for Administration APA

Ron Buffano has lived in the Tampa Bay area for over 35 years.  He graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor's degree in marketing, and then earned his Education Leadership degree from Arkansas State University in 2011.

In 2007, Mr. Buffano started his educational career teaching business classes and coaching wrestling, varsity football, and flag football.  In 2014, Mr. Buffano started his administrative career at Tampa Bay Technical High School, where he spent four years as an Assistant Principal for Student Affairs.  For six years, Mr. Buffano was the Assistant Principal for Administration (APA) at Brandon High School.  In August of 2023, Mr. Buffano joined the administrative team at Jule F. Sumner High School as the Assistant Principal for Administration.

Mr. Buffano is married and has two beautiful girls.  He loves working out, sports and spending time with his family.

Phone: 813-378-8626

Assistant Principal Student Affairs- Alpha A-C

Mrs. LaRosa is a third-generation teacher. She has a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, a Master of Science in Reading, and a Specialists Degree in Educational Leadership.  She began her teaching career in elementary school and has progressed through all grade levels, teaching ELA, Reading and AVID.  Mrs. LaRosa spent three years as the AVID Coordinator at Shields Middle School, where she led the district's largest middle school program at the time.  She also taught Peer Counseling, which was know as Ladies Quest, at Shields. This was an all-female program that conducted service initiatives within the school and Ruskin community.  Mrs. LaRosa supported the Tech Trek Science initiative, a scholarship initiative that provided scholarships for girls for STEM summer camps and the first Latinos in Action Class.

Mrs. LaRosa worked as a Student Success Coach at Eisenhower Middle School, where she was also a member of the SAC Committee, the Family and Community Engagement Ambassador, and the CCEIS lead.  She most recently worked as a District Resource Teacher for the K-12 Academics department, where she oversaw a grant to implement the 7 Mindsets Character Education program in six high-needs schools. In July 2023 Mrs. LaRosa was appointed Assistant Principal for Student Affairs at Sumner High School.  Mrs. LaRosa enjoys baseball, traveling and spending time at the beach with her family.

Phone: 813-378-8626 ext. 271

Assistant Principal Student Affairs - Alpha D-G

Mrs.Tasci-Hart earned her graduate degree in English and French at the Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany. She earned her second graduate degree in Educational Leadership at the University of South Florida.

She studied French and Portuguese at the “Universites de Lettres” in Orleans, France. She taught English and French at the Goethe Gymnasium in Bochum, French at the Dionne Warwick Institute in East Orange (New Jersey) and taught French and German at the Mater Academy in Hialeah Gardens before joining Hillsborough County Schools.

She served as a teacher, a Department Chair and an ART at Chamberlain High School before joining the administrative team at Lennard High School as an Assistant Principal. In 2019 she joined the Franklin Middle School team as an Assistant Principal for Curriculum. Mrs. Tasci joined Sumner High School as an administator for Student Affairs in 2020.

Phone: (813) 378-8626 ext. 235  

Assistant Principal for Student Affairs - Alpha H-Me

Mr. Livesay is a proud product of Hillsborough Country Schools attending Apollo Beach Elementary, Eisenhower Middle School, and East Bay High School. He pursued secondary education in Social Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University, graduating at the top of his class. After college, Mr. Livesay taught English in Jászberény, Hungary. Mr. Livesay then returned to the states to live his dream at his alma mater, teaching Social Studies at East Bay High School. Mr. Livesay has taught AP Government, U.S. History, Economics, and the History of the Holocaust. 

Mr. Livesay is a firm believer that student involvement, aligned with student leadership, is the cornerstone of developing a young person’s character. During his time at East Bay, Mr. Livesay was the Student Government Sponsor, Junior Class Sponsor, and Tennis coach. He also supported the Prom and Homecoming Coordinator.Mr. Livesay obtained his Master's Degree from the University of South Florida in Educational Leadership where he served his last year at East Bay HS in the Student Affairs Office and as the PBIS coordinator, supporting all students in Tier One focusing on positive behavior. 

In July 2024, Mr. Livesay was appointed Assistant Principal at Sumner High School. Mr. Livesay enjoys Orange Theory workouts, the beach, and his supportive family.

Phone 813-378-8626 ext. 285

Assistant Principal for Student Affairs - Alpha Mi-R

Jimmy Calixte, aka Mr. C, began his teaching career teaching Social Studies in Miami-Dade County in 2007. He served as the Dean of Students at Southshore Charter Academy from 2017 to 2019 before advancing to Assistant Principal at Giunta Middle School. Mr. Calixte later was appointed Assistant Principal at Palmetto High School. 

Mr. Calixte holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida in Tampa and a Master's Degree from Nova Southeastern University. He is also a proud member of Phi Beta Sigma Chapter Sigma Xi Sigma. Mr. Calixte's favorite quote is from Frederick Douglas: “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”

Phone 813-378-8626 ext. 236

Assistant Principal for Student Affairs - Alpha S-Z

Mrs. Morehouse is an Apollo Beach native who attended Apollo Beach Elementary, Eisenhower Middle School, and East Bay High School. She pursued an Elementary Education degree at the University of Central Florida. After college, Mrs. Morehouse began her career at her Alma Mater, East Bay High School teaching Reading for five years. During these five years, she also was a tennis coach, Freshman and Sophomore class sponsor and ended her last three years as the Senior class sponsor. Mrs. Morehouse earned her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Saint Leo University during her time as the Senior sponsor. Finally, she landed at Jule. F. Sumner High School as an ESE/English teacher during the 2023-2024 school year. In July of 2024 she was appointed Assistant Principal for Student Affairs at Sumner High School.

Mrs. Morehouse enjoys her family, three dogs and spending as much time on the beach or punk rock/country concerts with family and friends.

Phone 813-378-8626 ext. 237