FUTURES Foundation for Volusia County Schools has presented the Superintendent’s Most Creative Mini-Grant Award to Dorothy Featherston of South Daytona Elementary School for her project “Beauty and the Reef.” She was presented a $250 check for her creativity, while having her grant request completely funded by Rue & Ziffra.
Nine additional projects (and the teachers who created them) were recognized for their creativity, four of them at West Volusia schools:
Sue Connell, “Connell’s Cute Cooking Coconuts,” DeLand High School; Christopher Cramer, “Let it Gogh,” Southwestern Middle in DeLand; Beth Vanderkooi, “Full Steam Ahead,” Timbercrest Elementary in Deltona; and Kayleen Hernandez-Garay and Tamra McLellan, “Math & Architecture for Fifth-Graders,” Discovery Elementary in Deltona.
The public is invited to visit www.FindItFundItFlorida.com/Volusia to read some more about these creative, innovative projects.
Lyonia Environmental Center is offering home-schooled children in first through ninth grades a special learning experience 10 a.m.-noon Wednesday, Dec. 14. The center is at 2150 Eustace Ave. in Deltona.
There is an $8 fee per child, and registration is required by calling 386-789-7207, ext. 21026.
Program details can be found at www.volusia.org/lecprograms.
The YMCA and Camp Winona are offering Winter Break Camp Care Dec. 19-23 and 29-30. Go to https://www.vfymca.org/programs/120100?locations=27 for more information.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, through its athletic department, hosted Food Brings Hope’s Kidzone, Teenzone, FBHonors and Change the Code students at a men’s basketball game against Flagler College. This made it possible for students to experience a live college basketball game. As students entered the gym, they were greeted by the Embry-Riddle women’s softball and volleyball teams.
Food Brings Hope partnered with Jersey Mike’s, in the Daytona Beach Tanger Outlets, to prepare meals for the students. More than 300 students, sponsors, volunteers and administrators watched the game.
The second grading period ends at the end of the day Friday, Dec. 16.
Winter Holiday for Volusia County public schools begins Monday, Dec. 19, with students returning to class Tuesday, Jan. 3.
School in DeLand, receives a donation of 54 T-shirts in various sizes and colors from the
Persimmon Hollow Woman’s Club. The shirts will be used for student emergencies when a change of clothes is needed. From left are Principal Ahr and Woman’s Club committee
members Sandy Coffman and Marianne Mooney.
Enterprise Elementary School
Enterprise Elementary School, through Aspire Athletics, will be offering a before- and after-school sports and coaching program after the Winter Holiday. This program is for second- through fifth-graders. Flyers have been sent home.
Visit www.aspireathleticsusa.com for more information.
Freedom Elementary School
The PTA at Freedom Elementary School in DeLand will offer Winter Wonderland 9-11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 10. The cost is $2 per student, each of whom must be accompanied by an adult.
Manatee Cove Elementary School
Manatee Cove Elementary School in Orange City will observe “Holiday Spirit Week” Dec. 12-16. Monday, Dec. 12, is “Holiday Socks Day,” followed on Tuesday, Dec. 13, with “Wear a Holiday Hat, Headband or Bow.” Wednesday, Dec. 14, is “House Colors or Manatee Shirt,” Thursday, Dec. 15, is “Holiday Sweater, Shirt or
Vest,” and Friday, Dec. 16, finishes the week with “Polar Express Day,” with students wearing holiday pajamas (appropriate coverage).
Southwestern Middle School
From 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 14, Southwestern Middle School in DeLand will have Winter Wonderland, where participants can drive through to receive gifts of learning in all subjects. Families are asked to enter through the bus loop and remain in their vehicles during their visit. RSVP flyers went out and need to be returned by Dec. 9.
DeLand High School Athletics
The DeLand High School Bulldog basketball team opened its 2022-23 season with a win and a loss. The Bulldogs were topped by Father Lopez, 55-38, but they defeated Bridge to Independence High School, 53-46.
The Lady Bulldog basketball team was stopped by Mount Dora Christian, 42-25; by Winter Park, 59-27; and by Flagler Palm Coast, 60-23.
The Lady Bulldog volleyball team finished the season with a 19-9 record and the District 7A-2 title. The teams were led by head coach Rhea Simon, who was assisted by Madison Rogers.
The team roster, according to MaxPreps, included Ella Ruckman, Elisa Stoltzfus, Deanna Disinger, Emily Lamb, Suzette Salas, Erynn Gotsch, Ella Pringle, Alison Bierwagen, Cora Hamilton, Emma Van Deusen, Victoria Stoltzfus, Makayla Senez and Hannah Garcia.
Also according to MaxPreps, the following were stat leaders for the Lady Bulldogs: Pringle with 3.1 kills per set; Hamilton with a 0.296 hitting percentage; Hamilton with 73 blocks; Pringle with 4.6 digs per set; Bierwagen with 33 serving aces; V. Stoltzfus with 0.4 aces per set; Pringle with 343 digs; Bierwagen with 511 assists; Pringle with 231 kills; and Senez with 396 receptions.
Kissimmee Osceola eliminated the DeLand football team from the state playoffs, 30-28. Osceola defeated Treasure Coast, 10-7, and then in the next round defeated Vero Beach, 31-7, to move into the Final Four with Lakeland, Venice and Buchholz.
The Bulldog sports calendar has the wrestling team at Osceola Friday and Saturday, Dec. 9 and 10, while on Friday, Dec. 9, the boys’ basketball team greets Spruce Creek at 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., and the girls’ soccer team plays host to Father Lopez at 6 p.m.
On Monday, Dec. 12, the boys’ soccer team greets Spruce Creek at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., and the girls’ soccer team travels to Flagler Palm Coast to compete at 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
On Tuesday, Dec. 13, the boys’ soccer teams go to Pierson Taylor and play at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. That same day, the Lady Bulldogs soccer team competes at Spruce Creek at 6 p.m.
On Wednesday, Dec. 14, the junior-varsity wrestling squad holds a quad meet in the Bulldog gym at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. The Bulldog boys’ basketball team plays at Oviedo at 5:30 p.m. that same day. Also, that day, the girls’ weightlifting team competes in the Five Star JV Tournament at Flagler Palm Coast, with the time to be determined.
On Thursday, Dec. 15, the boys’ soccer teams are at Sanford Seminole at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., and the girls’ soccer teams play at Lake Brantley at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. The Five Star Varsity Girls’ Weightlifting Tournament takes place at Flagler Palm Coast.
Stetson University
Stetson University has announced that Yiorgos Bakamitsos, Ph.D., has been named dean and professor of marketing in the School of Business Administration.
Stetson University Athletics
The Stetson University women’s basketball team competed in the University Nevada Las Vegas Holiday Tournament. The Lady Hats were topped by Louisiana Tech, 73-50, with Khamya McNeal scoring 12 points with six rebounds, and Alyssa Hargrove adding 10 points. They were also topped by the University of California San Diego, 50-48. Jaelyn Talley scored 17 points and had eight rebounds, while Hargrove scored 11 points. The Lady Hats played a third game in the tournament, but results were not available at the time of this writing.
Talley was named the ASUN Freshman of the Week.
The Stetson football team, in their final game of the season, defeated Presbyterian, 42-21, with the Hatters collecting 438 yards of offense. They finished the season at 4-6, 2-5.
The Stetson men’s basketball team has added two players for next year’s team: Finley Sheridan of Newman School in New York, who is 6 feet 9 inches tall, and Alex Doyle of DME in Daytona Beach, who is 6 feet 8 inches.
The Stetson baseball team has added six signees for the 2023-24 season: Kyle Jones, outfielder from Georgia; Logan Hughes, infielder from DeLand and grandson of Wayne Struble; Nelphie Lopez, infielder from New York; Carlos Jacome, infielder from South Florida; Matthew Heyl, pitcher from Clermont; and Gabriel Cruz, pitcher from Sunny Isles Beach.
On Sunday, Jan. 15, Stetson women’s soccer will be hosting an ID camp, which will be coordinated by head coach Chris Bergmann and assistant coach Lucas Zicher. Players need to be ages 13-21. The cost is $150. Stetson not only uses the camp as a recruiting tool, but to aid in the development of players at the Division I level. For more information, go to stetsonwomenssoccercamps.totalcamps.com/shop/EVENT.
The Stetson winter-sports calendar has the men’s basketball team hosting Webber at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10. The women’s basketball team will compete at Tennessee State at 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11.
Then the men’s team hosts Charleston at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 14, and they play host to UNC Greensboro at 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 15.
The Lady Hatter Classic Tournament will take place Sunday and Monday, Dec. 18 and 19.
— Send school news to Tony Tussing via email: at flacoach43@hotmail.com.
