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School Way Café will serve five days’ worth of meals for Thanksgiving week. Families may pick up meals 5:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19. Meals will be bundled with five breakfasts and five lunches.
This special curbside service is for all Volusia County children, including students enrolled in the traditional classroom/brick-and-mortar option.
The regular curbside meal service will not be held Nov. 24 (students will be on Thanksgiving holiday that week).
Registration for Thanksgiving-week meals is required no later than Friday, Nov. 13. Click here to register for meals at https://forms.gle/vpSfR5vVS2P5iiJj7.
All children age 18 and younger are eligible and do not need to be enrolled at one of the pickup sites. Parents must show their ID when picking up meals, as well as a form of ID for each child requesting meals. Current student ID cards or birth certificates are acceptable.
The following schools are pickup sites: Citrus Grove Elementary in DeLand; DeBary Elementary; DeLand Middle; Discovery Elementary, Galaxy Middle and Heritage Middle, all in Deltona; McInnis Elementary in DeLeon Springs; Osteen Elementary; Pierson Elementary; River Springs Middle in Orange City; and Volusia Pines Elementary in Lake Helen.
The DeLand Area Chamber of Commerce Education Committee selected Volusia Pines Elementary School in Lake Helen to receive the Danny Gainin School of Excellence Award for the month of October. The Education Committee based its selection on academic gain, wellness participation and volunteer activities performed by the students and staff.
The award was presented to Principal Julie Cusack-Gordon and Assistant Principal Carol Sullo on Oct. 27.
The National Association for College Admission Counseling will present its last College and Career Expo Zoom Session Meet-Up 2-10 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8. This session is free, and students and parents can sign up at virtualcollegefairs.org.
Students can select from more than 600 colleges and universities to find the best college fit, get tips on paying for college, and much more.
The first grading period for the 2020-21 school year ended Monday, Nov. 2.
Grades on the Parent Portal will be listed Monday, Nov. 9, while report-card distribution will be Friday, Nov. 13.
There will also be no school for students and staff Wednesday, Nov. 11, so that all can observe Veterans Day.
DeBary Elementary School
The School Advisory Council at DeBary Elementary School will meet at 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, in the art room.
George Marks Elementary School
The School Advisory Council at George Marks Elementary School in DeLand will meet at 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, in the media center.
McInnis Elementary School
The School Advisory Council at McInnis Elementary School in DeLeon Springs will meet at 7 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 12. This meeting is virtual.
DeLand High School
The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery will not be administered at DeLand High School this year. If you are interested in taking the ASVAB, contact one of the local recruiters. The phone numbers for these are as follows: Air Force 386-453-0075; Army 386-235-0766; Coast Guard 407-352-3897; Marine Corps 386-512-3798; and Navy 407-312-0132.
DeLand High School Athletics
Junior Anna Monette will be representing DeLand High School at the FHSAA Swimming State Championships in the 100-yard butterfly. She turned in a time of 57.33 at the regional meet and qualified 14th in the state. The state meet will be Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Aquatic Center at Sailfish Splash Waterpark in Stuart. At the district meet, Monette won the 100-yard butterfly with a clocking of 57.1.
Competing at the regional meet but not advancing was the girls’ 200-yard medley relay team and the girls’ 200-yard free relay team, while the boys’ squad competed in the 200 free relay and the 400 free relay.
At the FHSAA district meet at Lake Brantley High School, and at the regional meet, the DeLand girls’ and boys’ teams were second overall, with Monette winning the 100 butterfly and taking seventh in the 100 free, while Zack Frierson won the 100 free.
The DeLand High boys’ cross-country team placed second in the district meet 4 points behind University High, 52-56, while the girls’ team was third. This qualifies both teams to compete in the regional meet Saturday, Nov. 7, in Lake City.
James Galloway was third, with Ethan Myrick in fifth, followed by Elijah Morrow, Hunter Wilson and Caleb Roberts.
Sydney Neira was ninth overall for the girls, while Jenna Baumann, Madison Mandell, Alexandra Trenholm and Karli Walker completed the scoring for the Lady Bulldogs.
The DeLand High bowling teams were represented at the state championships in Orlando earlier this week. Brady Bierwagen qualified as an individual bowler by rolling a 644 series. The girls’ team took second in the district tournament, sending them to the state meet competing for the state team title.
The Lady Bulldog squad was led by Grace Libby-Lashomb with a 575 series. Completing the DeLand team were Alisyn Sprague, Aaliyah Alexander, Samantha Parsons and Melia Marino.
The DeLand High volleyball team faced nationally ranked Lyman, with the right to advance to the regional championship in the state elimination process. The DeLand team was stopped by Lyman, 25-15, 25-20, 25-21.
The DeLand High sports calendar becomes rather thin, with bowling, swimming and volleyball ending, while athletes wait for the start of the winter-sports schedule featuring boys’ and girls’ basketball, boys’ and girls’ soccer, wrestling and girls’ weightlifting.
The calendar for the upcoming week for the Bulldog athletes includes the Bulldog football team traveling to Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, for its final regular-season game.
Saturday, Nov. 7 – The boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams will be at Alligator Park in Lake City to qualify for the state meet. Anna Monette will be swimming in the state championships in Stuart.
Tuesday, Nov. 10 – The girls’ basketball team will be participating in a preseason tournament at Atlantic High School, with the second day of action being Thursday, Nov. 12.
The boys’ soccer team will travel to Mainland for a 3:45 p.m. game. The girls’ soccer team will be at Mainland for a 4 p.m. match.
Thursday, Nov. 12 – The Lady Bulldog soccer players host St. Joseph Academy at 6 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 13 – The Bulldog soccer teams go to Pine Ridge for a varsity game at 7 p.m. and the junior-varsity game at 5 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 14 – The Lady Bulldog soccer team will be at Flagler Palm Coast at 10 a.m.
Pine Ridge High School
Pine Ridge High School in Deltona welcomes Amy Bauchle as an office specialist, Ismarie Garcia Alicea as a language-arts teacher, and Rose Roman as a reading teacher.
Pine Ridge would like to thank its business partner Texas Roadhouse for the donation of free meal coupons to be used for weekly administration-staff recognitions. The recipients are Julie Marquez, Yasmin Ramos and Stephanie Tsompanidis.
The School Advisory Council will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, in the media center.
There will be a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) workshop for students and parents at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, in the school’s auditorium. For information about FAFSA, go to www.studentaid.gov.
Underclassmen photo retakes will be Wednesday, Nov. 18.
The Pine Ridge volleyball team participated in the semiregional round of the state playoff system against Ocala Vanguard. Vanguard ended the Lady Panthers’ charge for the state title, 25-13, 25-18, 25-18.
The Pine Ridge cross-country teams participated in the district meet at New Smyrna Beach. Neither team qualified for the regional meet, but Joshua Anderson took second in the meet, while William Steinebach was ninth and Hunter Kemp was 12th, qualifying them as individuals at the regional meet in Lake City Saturday, Nov. 7.
University High School
University High School in Orange City was represented at the FHSAA State Golf Championships in Howey-in-the Hills by Bryce Werblo. He tied for 22nd, with a two-day total of 154.
The Titan boys’ cross-country team won the FHSAA district title by outscoring DeLand, 52-56, while Spruce Creek was third with 76. Sophomore Royce Eggert took second overall with a time of 17:07.56 to lead the University squad to the regional meet at Lake City Nov. 7.
Filling out the qualifying team were Justin Martinez, Benjamin Bradley, William Lockrem and Caleb Elkind.
West Volusia high-school football
Only one West Volusia high-school football team came away from this past week with a victory. Taylor Middle-High in Pierson topped Umatilla, 41-16, while DeLand was stopped, 31-7, by St. Thomas Aquinas. Orange City University was outscored by Seminole, 33-6, and Deltona Trinity Christian was shut out by Orangewood, 35-0.
This week is the final week of the regular season, with DeLand playing against Seabreeze in Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium Friday, Nov. 6, while, on the same night, Deltona goes to Lake Mary, Lake Howell comes to Orange City University, and Deltona Trinity Christian goes to Pierson to face Taylor. All games are at 7 p.m.
Stetson University
Stetson University’s Virtual Homecoming is this weekend Friday-Sunday. For more information, visit stetson.edu/homecoming.
Stetson University Athletics
Stetson University women’s basketball senior forward Day’Neshia Banks has been selected for the ASUN Preseason All-Conference Team. She was a unanimous selection by the league’s head coaches, and this is her second year making this honorary squad.
The Lady Hatters basketball team was selected to finish fourth in the coaches’ poll, while finishing sixth in the preseason media poll. They were behind Florida Gulf Coast, Liberty and North Florida in the coaches’ poll, while heading Jacksonville, North Alabama, Lipscomb, Kennesaw State and newcomer Bellarmine.
— Send school news to Tony Tussing via email: at flacoach43@hotmail.com.