RECOGNITION OF STUDENTS - STATE SCIENCE FAIR — For 56 years Volusia County Schools Science Department has hosted the Tomoka Regional Science and Engineering Fair. From this competition, judges from our local universities, engineering firms and environmental agencies selected 14 projects to compete at the Florida State Science and Engineering Fair. The Florida State and Science and Engineering Fair is the largest middle-school and high-school precollegiate science and engineering competition in the world. Only the high-school International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) is larger. VCS had five students who placed at the state competition, with one of those placing first in their division.
Volusia County Schools, along with FUTURES Foundation for Volusia County Schools, honored two principals and two support staff individuals at the end of the 2023-24 school year. They named Jacquese Copeland, principal at Southwestern Middle School in DeLand, as the Secondary Principal of the Year, and Angela Polite, principal of Champion Elementary School in Daytona Beach, as the Elementary Principal of the Year.
The two other honorees were Robin Nestok, cafeteria manager at Citrus Grove Elementary in DeLand, as the School-Based Support Staff Member of the Year, and Karen Tubb, DeLand Transportation Terminal’s office specialist, as the Non-School-Based Support Staff Member of the Year.
Teens ages 13-19 are able to design a limited-edition teen library card for the Volusia County Public Library. Teens can take their markers, colored pencils or crayons to help the Volusia County Library staff put art on this limited-edition library card. Entry forms will be available starting July 1 in all Volusia County Library branches or online at https://www.volusialibrary.org.
The entry deadline is 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 31. All entry forms must be signed by a parent or legal guardian if the teen is under 18. A teen may submit up to five entries, and artwork must be original, previously unpublished and free of copyright restrictions.
For more information, refer to the website address above. The public will vote for their favorite design between Tuesday, Sept. 3, and Friday, Sept. 13, with the winner being announced Wednesday, Oct. 9.
The Superintendent’s Summer Home Run Reading Challenge started June 1 and will extend through Wednesday, July 31, which has been announced by the superintendent and the Daytona Tortuga Baseball Program. A student needs to read 750 minutes or more to earn tickets to a Tortuga game that will be played Sunday, Sept. 8, and for other prizes from the sponsors. Students must log their minutes on Beanstack through VES Vportal.
To be eligible for prizes, students must read more than 750 minutes and have no more than one flagged entry on Beanstack. The sponsors include Volusia County Schools, Daytona Beach Tortugas, Daytona Lagoon, Cold Stone Creamery and Little Caesars.
There are also Mid-Summer at the Library Traveling Zoo Tales. The two on the west side of the county will be at the Deltona Regional Library at 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 3, featuring the book Bedhead Ted by Scott SanGiacomo, and at the DeLand Regional Library at 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 24, featuring the book Secondhand Dogs by Carolyn Crimi.
Through the efforts of The Daytona Beach News-Journal, on June 2, the USA Today High School Sports Awards were made to the outstanding athletes of Volusia and Flagler counties. The most outstanding award going to a West Volusia athlete was presented to senior Nyrania Barr-Miller of University High School in Orange City. She received the Kayne Finley Courage Award sponsored by Halifax Health. The other outstanding honor went to DeLand High School, which received the Gary Yeoman Ford Best Sideline Cheer Award.
West Volusia athletes who were selected for their outstanding athletic ability are senior Javon Ross of DeLand High, who earned Offensive Football Player of the Year, sponsored by John’s Appliance; senior Emma Van Deusen of DeLand High, as the Girls Volleyball Player of the Year; and junior Kylie Neira of DeLand High, as the Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
Pine Ridge High School
Pine Ridge High School in Deltona has announced the time schedule for its summer athletic conditioning program. Football is 8-11 a.m. Monday-Thursday; girls basketball is 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday and Wednesday; volleyball is 2:30-4:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; softball is 4-5 p.m.Tuesday and Thursday; baseball is 5-7 p.m. Monday and Wednesday; and boys basketball is 6-9 p.m. Monday and Wednesday.
Stetson University Athletics
The Stetson University Men’s Soccer Camp for boys and girls ages 5-13 is Monday-Friday, July 8-12. Go to www.stetsonmenssoccercamps.totalcamps.com for more information.
Registration is now open for the Stetson volleyball summer camps. The college prep camp is Thursday-Saturday, July 11-13, and the youth camp is Monday and Tuesday, July 15 and 16. Email ydeng@stetson.edu for more information.
Stetson’s women’s tennis coach Travis Sandlant has been named Coach of the Year for the ASUN Conference. At the same time, Alanna DiFrancesco and Zali Morris were named to the Second Team All-ASUN.
College honors
Tyler Michalak, of DeLand, has been named to the President’s List for the spring 2024 semester at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia.
Ryan Keeling and Sienna Peele, both of DeLand, have been named to the dean’s honor roll for the spring 2024 semester at the University of Mississippi. Keeling is majoring in political science, and Peele is majoring in allied health studies.
Sara Foster, of DeLand, and Bailey Machardy and Marisol Valdes, both of DeBary, have been named to the dean’s list for the spring 2024 semester at the University of Maryland Global Campus.
India Sapp, of DeLand, a senior in the College of Health Professions, has been named to the President’s List for the spring 2024 semester at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia.
Ricardo Jaimes, of DeLeon Springs, has been named to the dean’s list for the spring 2024 semester at Andrew College in Cuthbert, Georgia.
New York Institute of Technology, in Old Westbury, welcomes incoming students for the fall 2024 semester, including Brandon Johnson of DeLand, who plans to major in computer science.
