Volusia County Schools has named the district’s 2020-21 Outstanding School Volunteers Award-winners, as well as the Mentor of the Year. Each school had the opportunity to nominate volunteers in the categories of youth, adult, senior and mentor.
Two of these awards went to West Volusia volunteers. YOUTH VOLUNTEER — Above, Volusia County School Board Vice Chair Jamie Haynes, left, and Deltona Middle School Principal Kim Feltner, right, congratulate Deltona High senior Scarlett Rocha for being selected Outstanding School Volunteer of the Year in the youth category. PHOTOS COURTESY VOLUSIA COUNTY SCHOOLS
The Outstanding School Volunteer in the youth category is Scarlett Rocha, who is a senior at Deltona High School. For four years, Rocha has regularly volunteered at Deltona Middle School. She also served as a member of the Parent Teacher Student Association and is on the School Advisory Council. Rocha also served as vice president of the Health Services Academy at Deltona High. She plans to become a doctor. SENIOR VOLUNTEER — Citrus Grove Elementary School teacher Patricia Hutchinson congratulates Outstanding School Volunteer of the Year in the senior category Robert Whitaker. PHOTO COURTESY VOLUSIA COUNTY SCHOOLS
The Outstanding School Volunteer in the senior category is Robert Whitaker, who has volunteered at Citrus Grove Elementary School in DeLand for the past four years. Whitaker is a retired VCS teacher and helps weekly in the classrooms, administers oral reading fluency tests and much more. He helps students feel excited to learn. MAINLAND — Mainland High School Principal Dr. Joseph Castelli, right, congratulates Volusia County Schools Mentor of the Year Terrance Anthony, left, and Outstanding School Volunteer of the Year in the adult category, Trisha Scheuerman.
The other two award-winners came from Mainland High School in Daytona Beach. Trisha Scheuerman was selected as the Outstanding School Volunteer in the adult category, while teacher/coach Terrance Anthony was named as the Mentor of the Year. This was the first time the Mentor of the Year Award has been presented.
FUTURES Foundation for Volusia County Schools has received a $30,000 grant from Duke Energy Foundation to create powerful communities in Volusia County through teacher classroom mini-grants and Volusia County Schools’ Project IBIS (Investing Biomes in Science) at Rose Bay in Port Orange.
FUTURES Foundation is one of 23 organizations in Florida to collectively receive $653,000 in grants from Duke Energy Foundation.
From June 1 through Sept. 15, Volusia County public-school teachers may apply through FUTURES Foundation’s portal at www.FindItFundItFlorida.com/Volusia for energy-related and STEM mini-grants to be funded through this grant. Selected mini-grants will be funded in October for the 2021-22 school year.
FHSAA Boys Weightlifting State Championships
Students from University High School in Orange City, DeLand High School, Deltona High School and Taylor Middle-High School in Pierson participated in the recent FHSAA Boys Weightlifting State Championships.
University High was the most successful, having six lifters place in the top 10 in the Class 3-A division. These six lifters helped the Titans earn second place in the state with 18 points, 6 points behind Fleming Island and 2 points ahead of cross-county rival Spruce Creek.
Justin Irizarry placed first in the state in the 129-pound division with a total of 490 pounds lifted in the two different events: the bench press and the clean and jerk.
Cole Leasure placed second in the 183-pound division with a total of 565 pounds lifted, while Nolin Senez was third in the 219-pound division with a total of 625 pounds.
Jordan Carter was fifth, as was Izaiah Marquez, in the unlimited and 199-pound divisions, respectively, with totals of 620 and 585 pounds.
Chandler Powers was 10th in the 154-pound division with a total of 490 pounds lifted.
Taylor Middle-High competed in the 1-A division, and found Jarel Medina taking third in the state in the 139-pound division with a 425-pound total, and Daven Cade finishing ninth in the 169-pound division while lifting a 485-pound total. Steven Aguirre placed 13th in the 119-pound division.
Jeremiah Birch of DeLand High competed in the 238-pound division, taking 10th in the state, with a 605-pound total for the two lifts.
Competing in the 2-A classification, Deltona High had two lifters represented at state: Matthew Jackson finished 11th in the 139-pound division, and Gavin Simmons took 14th in the 199-pound division.
DeLand High School
DeLand High School graduation is just short of a month away at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 3, at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, with seniors needing to be there by 6:15 p.m.
From May 3 through May 28, graduation tickets and parking passes will be on sale through the Activities Office. Graduation tickets cost $3 apiece, while parking passes cost $5.
Senior exams will be taken May 17-21. Senior locker clean-out takes place during the same time period, which is also Senior Spirit Week.
DeLand High School athletics
The DeLand High School Lady Bulldog flag football team closed out its regular season with a 9-3 mark. Quarterback Amari Jackson completed 70 percent of her passes, while Julia Cunha-Comin completed 50.7 percent. Cunha-Comin threw for 722 yards, while Jackson’s passes covered 689 yards.
In the rushing category, Cunha-Comin ran for 748 yards and seven touchdowns. The team collected 1,192 yards running for a 6.3 average per carry, while scoring 13 touchdowns.
On defense, Sage Dawson pulled 63 flags, with six of these being for a loss, while she pulled in seven interceptions and seven pass breakups. Elena Olazar had 24 flag pulls, 11 for a loss, five sacks and one pass breakup. Alicia Olazar had 13 flag pulls, with five being for a loss, two sacks, five interceptions and four pass breakups.
Those track athletes who qualified for the FHSAA Track and Field State Championships will compete May 7-8 at the University of North Florida.
Stetson University
Retired South African judge and prominent human-rights lawyer Edwin Cameron will deliver the commencement address at Stetson University College of Law and will receive an honorary Juris Doctor degree.
To honor Bernie McCabe, who graduated from Stetson University in 1969 and received his Juris Doctor degree from Stetson College of Law in 1972, his classmates have established the Bernie McCabe Prosecution Clinic Scholarship. This scholarship will provide tuition assistance to a student participating in the Prosecution Clinic at Stetson College of Law.
Stetson University athletics
The Stetson University Clay Target Team took part in the Scholastic Clay Target Southeastern Invitational in Jacksonville, finishing third overall after two days of competition.
The Stetson women’s basketball team has added three players to its roster for the 2021-22 season: Avanna Dublin, a graduate transfer from Northeastern University; Mali Morgan-Elliott, a transfer from The University of Toledo; and Haley Stinebrickner, a Canadian freshman.
The Stetson baseball team faces North Florida in Jacksonville Friday-Sunday, May 7-9, at 6:05 p.m., 2:05 p.m. and 1:05 p.m., respectively. The Hats then play host to the Florida Gators at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 11, on Melching Field.
The baseball team next travels to Kennesaw State for games against Liberty and Kennesaw State May 14-16.
College honors
Emily Oostwouder, of DeBary, was recently initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society, at the University of North Florida.
The following West Volusians participated in graduation April 30 at Tallahassee Community College: Samantha Ann Schneider of Deltona, Ta’jiria Howard of Lake Helen, Tyler Garrett of Deltona, Lora Smith of Deltona, and Chloe Zalloum of DeBary.
— Send school news to Tony Tussing via email: at flacoach43@hotmail.com.
