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The Winter Holiday for Volusia County Schools is nearing completion, with students returning to the classroom or to the virtual programs Tuesday, Jan. 5.
The second grading period of the fall semester ends Friday, Jan. 22. Grades will appear on the Parent Portal on Friday, Jan. 29, while report cards will be distributed Friday, Feb. 5. The third grading period begins Tuesday, Jan. 26.
Volusia County public schools will be closed Monday, Jan. 18, to observe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Students will also have Monday, Jan. 25, off, while teachers will be in school for a Teacher Duty Day.
Students wishing to participate in Volusia County high-school Career and Technical Education (CTE) career academies next school year need to apply by Friday, Jan. 29. Students apply online using the 2021-22 Academy Application at (https:// vscedu.org/cte/cteprograms-carerr-academies).
Families should complete a career-academy application for each academy of choice, even if the academies are at the same school. In-zone students have priority to career academies. Out-of-zone students’ access to CTE career academies is based on available capacity of the particular school and program.
All 10 Volusia County high schools have a variety of CTE programs in addition to the career academies. Families should contact their high school for more information.
Variances may be required for students to attend CTE programs in out-of-zone schools.
The career academies being offered in West Volusia for the 2021-22 school year are Communication and Engineering at DeLand High School; Food and Agricultural Science, Digital Media Enterprises and Health Services at Deltona High School; Advanced Manufacturing and Health Care at Pine Ridge High School in Deltona; and Finance, Biomedical Sciences and Gaming and Simulation at University High School in Orange City.
All the high schools have showcases offering information about their different academies. Due to COVID-19, some of these showcases will be virtual and some in-person.
Showcases in West Volusia include DeLand High School’s Bulldog Palooza at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11; Pine Ridge’s “Prospective Panther Preview” 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14, on campus and online; Pierson Taylor Middle-High School’s showcase at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14; and Orange City University High’s Virtual University High School Sneak Peek Showcase 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12.
Deltona High’s College and Career Showcase took place prior to the Winter Holiday.
Volusia County Schools has initiated the process for adopting new instructional materials (textbooks) and is seeking public review and input on the instructional materials under consideration. This year, items being considered are English Language Arts (ELA) materials for kindergarten through 12th grade.
The public can access the potential instructional materials online or see them at three public meetings scheduled for Tuesday-Thursday, Jan. 5-7. The website is www. vcsedu.org/imlms/instructional-materials.
The public meetings will be the following:
1-4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5, at Shapiro Blue, 1500 Lexington Ave. in DeLand. Please park in front of the building;
4-6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 6, at University High School, 1000 W. Rhode Island Ave. in Orange City. Please park in front of the main office; the lecture hall is off the front entrance; and
4-6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 7, at Mainland High School, 1255 W. International Speedway Blvd. in Daytona Beach. Please enter the auditorium lobby off the front parking lot.
Seniors who are high-achieving and community-minded may now apply for the Medallion of Excellence presented by The Daytona Beach News- Journal. Seniors must apply online through Google Docs, with the link https://forms.gle/6uvfLfkXYeXRfdhp8. The application deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12.
Orange City Elementary School
On the last day of school prior to the Winter Holiday, Orange City Elementary School had a Jingle Jam Holiday Parade, in which decorated cars drove around the school grounds.
DeLand High School
The National Renaissance Student of the Month is DeLand High School senior Olivia Camacho. The program is sponsored by Jostens. Camacho organized a Virtual Growl for Homecoming, since many of the Homecoming activities were canceled because of COVID-19. She is a four-year Renaissance member, and is currently the president.
DeLand High students had their artwork recognized recently at Daytona State College and One Daytona. At the Daytona State College High School Art Exhibit, DeLand students with artwork on display were Marley Canada, Emily Dye, Kenly Laughridge, Jasmine Martinez, Marissa Vergare and Brody Worden.
Gallery 500 in One Daytona’s exhibit selected 20 artworks from all the area high schools, with Marley Canada, Summer Rank and Isabella Gonzalez representing DeLand High.
DeLand High School Athletics
Early this year, the DeLand High School Bulldog football team lost to St. Thomas Aquinas, a nationally ranked team that went on to win the 2020 FHSAA state championship over Orlando Edgewater High School.
The Lady Bulldog basketball team was stopped prior to the Winter Holiday by Oviedo, 53-16, and St. Augustine Nease, 66-24. In the Oviedo game, Jiya Hastings and Georgia Lee each scored 6 points.
The Bulldog boys’ basketball team defeated Deltona, 63-51, with Kariden Hardrick scoring 29 points, and having eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. Noah Van Bibber and Welsey Snipes each added 10 points.
The Bulldogs were topped by Spruce Creek, 63-55, with Hardrick scoring 24 points and Van Bibber adding 12. The DeLand squad was also stopped by Bishop Moore in the Bulldog Holiday Tournament, 55-49.
The Bulldog soccer team ended the fall segment of its season with a win, two losses and a tie, to move their season mark to 8-2-1. They defeated Deltona, 5-0; tied Taylor 0-0; and lost to Spruce Creek, 4-1, and New Smyrna Beach, 4-1. The team has scored 45 goals, and allowed only 15.
Cesar Beltran has scored 21 goals with four assists, while Adam Hill has eight goals and eight assists, followed by Jake Zielinski with four goals and eight assists, and Diego Tate with five goals and seven assists.
Ryan Bierwagen is the goalkeeper and has a 1.65 goals-against average with three shutouts.
The JV team at Winter Holiday is 4-1-3 on the season, tying Spruce Creek and New Smyrna Beach.
All the Bulldog winter sports teams will be inactive until the start of school in the new year.
Pine Ridge High School
Johnathan Dipinto, a senior at Pine Ridge High School in Deltona, has been nominated to both the U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Naval Academy by U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz.
The most recent Administrative Staff Members of the Week at Pine Ridge are Stephanie Tsompanidis, Meredith Baden, Sherrie Behanna and Maribel Hettrick.
Pine Ridge has also announced the Teachers of the Quarter: Julie Marquez, English; Loren Conlan, science; Naii Colon, reading; Christina Marrero, CTE; Rosemary Mayr, math; Judy Williamson, social studies; Denise Sage, ESE; and Megan Freeland, electives.
Pine Ridge has welcomed Edward Miranda, school guardian; Colleen Casey, payroll/SEMS clerk; and Joy Kuhaneck-Baughman, behavioral specialist, to the school staff.
Nineteen student performers in Pine Ridge’s Troupe 5532 competed in the Florida State Thespians Regional Festival. All 19 scored an excellent rating, a superior rating or both. Those gaining a superior rating were Lauren Jackson, Kaley Arbogast, Morgan Davis, Brandon Jackson, Vanessa Villegas, Edmarly Ariol, Christina Weathers, Lariza Guerra, Jenaya Knuckles, Erica Warriner, Brianna White, Cristina Martinez and Owen Arnold, with L. Jackson, Arbogast, M. Davis and B. Jackson gaining perfect scores. Those with an excellent rating were Briahna Fowler, Abigail Davis, Martinez, Weathers, Aysha Lugo Ubior, B. Jackson, Ariol, Warriner, M. Davis, Arbogast, Villegas, L. Jackson, Knuckles, Kyra Sullivan, J’yla Rey, Guerra and Holland Merritt. The group is instructed by Christina Goodin.
Stetson University
Jeff Ulmer, vice president for development and alumni engagement at Stetson University, will be retiring as of Jan. 8, 2021. Amy Gipson, associate vice president for development strategy and communications, became the interim vice president for development and alumni engagement on Dec. 15.
Stetson University and American University of Antigua College of Medicine (AUA) are partnering to offer undergraduate students an expedited pathway to medical school. Under the terms of the agreement, Stetson graduates are eligible for advanced admissions priority, an expedited application review and grants/ scholarships for those who attend AUA for their medical education. Students will need to meet certain academic thresholds during their Stetson education for eligibility. This is the second expedited pathway provided to Stetson students interested in attending medical school, with the other being with Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine through its Early Acceptance Program with select colleges.
Stetson University Athletics
The Stetson University Lady Hatters basketball team defeated Florida Memorial, 75-52, and narrowly lost to the University of Alabama-Birmingham, 49-44. In the Florida Memorial game, Yazz Wazeerud-Din scored 13, Tippy Robertson added 12, and Jamiya Turner and Day’Neshia Banks each scored 10, with Banks grabbing 10 rebounds with two blocked shots.
In the UAB game, Turner scored 13 and Shamari Tyson scored 12. The Lady Hatters held UAB 23 points below their scoring average.
The Lady Hatters return to action Jan. 2 and 3 with games each day at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, with both games being played at 1 p.m.
The Hatter men’s basketball team had a game with Florida College postponed, and defeated Florida Atlantic, 78-69, and Carver College of Atlanta, 95- 51. In the FAU game, Rob Perry had 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists, with Christiaan Jones dropping in 17 and Mahamadou Diawara scoring 12 with eight rebounds and two blocked shots.
In the win over Carver, Chase Johnston scored 19 and had three steals, Josh Smith notched 14 points and had seven rebounds, Diawara scored 13, Joel Kabimba 12, Jones 11, and Perry 11 with 10 assists.
The men return to action Jan. 1 and 2 hosting North Florida, with the first game at 7 p.m. Jan. 1, followed the next day by a 5 p.m. game.
College honors
Bradley Sisk, of DeBary, and Emma Garcia, of DeLand, have been named to the dean’s list at Berry College in Rome, Georgia.
Michaela Davy, of DeBary, has been named to the dean’s list at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.
Kylianne Philip, of DeLand, earned a 4.0 during the fall semester at Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia, thereby gaining a place on the President’s List.
— Send school news to Tony Tussing via email: at flacoach43@hotmail.com.
