The bands from DeLand High, Deltona High, Pine Ridge High in Deltona and University High in Orange City went to the State Music Performance Assessment (MPA) and claimed state honors. These West Volusia bands had distinguished themselves at the District MPA in March, earning straight superior ratings.
The registration window has opened for the Extended Day Enrichment and Before the Bell programs (EDEP/BTB). Go to www.vcsedu.org for more information.
Elementary EDEP afternoon sites in West Volusia are Citrus Grove in DeLand, Enterprise, Forest Lake in Deltona, Freedom in DeLand, McInnis in DeLeon Springs, Pierson, Pride in Deltona and Woodward Avenue in DeLand.
The Elementary EDEP morning and afternoon sites in West Volusia are Blue Lake in DeLand, Deltona Lakes, Discovery in Deltona, Enterprise, Friendship in Deltona, George Marks in DeLand, Manatee Cove in Orange City, Osteen, Spirit in Deltona, Timbercrest in Deltona and Volusia Pines in Lake Helen.
Middle-school BTB morning sites only are at DeLand Middle, Deltona Middle, Galaxy in Deltona, Heritage in Deltona, River Springs in Orange City and Southwestern in DeLand.
Pride Elementary School
Pride Elementary School in Deltona has announced what state-mandated testing will take place and when. The school requests that your child be in attendance on these dates and be on time to school, which starts at 7:50 a.m.
On Monday, May 8, kindergarten and first and second grade will be tested on reading, while Tuesday, May 9, and Wednesday, May 10, fifth-graders will be tested in science, followed by fourth-graders being tested on reading Thursday, May 11, and third-graders in math on Friday, May 12.
Volusia Pines Elementary School
Volusia Pines Elementary School in Lake Helen is hosting a Career Day Fair beginning at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, May 25, for fourth- and fifth-grade students. If you’d like to represent your profession, call Sarah Smith, school guidance counselor, at 386-575-4125, ext. 41397, or email her at sasmith2@volusia.k12.fl.us.
Presenters would need to arrive at the school by 8:15 a.m. to set up any kind of display they wish to share. Blank display boards will be provided if needed.
River Springs Middle School
Under the direction of Michele Brown, ESE school counselor, a Spelling Bee was created for the Multi and Modified VE program at River Springs Middle School in Orange City. It was a great experience for all involved.
Southwestern Middle School
Nico Baroni, a student at Southwestern Middle School in DeLand, won the Florida Instructional Materials Center for the Visually Impaired – Florida Regional Braille Challenge. This is the seventh time Nico has won the challenge, going back to when he was 5 years old at Deltona Lakes Elementary. He has competed twice in the nationals.
DeLand High School
DeLand High School Band Camp has been announced for this summer. The entire band will be in camp July 31-Aug. 4, percussion, guard and leadership will be July 24-25, and the same group and new members will be July 26-27.
DeLand High School Athletics
PHOTO COURTESY TONY TUSSING
Seth Policke, a DeLand High School senior soccer player, has signed to continue his education and soccer career at Warner University in Lake Wales. He is a three-year letter-winner for the Bulldogs.
As a junior, Policke tied for the most goals during the season and was the recipient of the Golden Boot Award. He was named to the East Coast All-Star Classic squad this year.
He is the son of Peter and Leticia Policke, and the younger brother of Asa and Esther.
The foursome of Roger Bismore, Michael Schrier, Mason McCain and Jackson Schrier, representing Brown & Brown Insurance, took first place in the annual DHS Bulldog Football Golf Tournament played on the course at LPGA. The tournament offers special thanks to the DeLand Eatery, which served pulled-pork sandwiches on the course, and to FLAUNT Electric Bicycles for being the Hole in One sponsor.
The Gold sponsors were Boulevard Tire Center, Agua Pools and Berner’s Auction, while the Silver sponsors were Duke Energy, FACEit Skin Spa!, R J Carter Plumbing Inc., Kaiser Buick and GMC Trucks, ICI Homes, attorney Michael Nordman, Allied Time USA, CollinsBuilt Pools, Daniel Hickey’s Tree Service, C & R Roofing and Della Parola.
The Bronze sponsors were Mainstreet Community Bank, Crystal Tractor & Equipment, Ed Senez Roofing Specialists, Ed Senez Aluminum, Blue Ox Site Development, Stor-It Self Storage, McBride Land Services, OB’s Restaurant & Lounge, Aluminum Plus, Gulledge Roofing, Volusia Mulch & Stone and KDT Electrical Contracting.
The DeLand High School Bulldog football team will have two games this spring during spring practice. The Green and Gold Scrimmage Game will be at 7 p.m. Friday, May 12, at the Sperling Sports Complex, off of Marsh Road. The Spring Jamboree will take place at 6 p.m. Friday, May 19, in Spec Martin Memorial Stadium, with DeLand facing Ocala Forest in the first period, Forest meeting Lake Mary in the second period of play, and DeLand taking on Lake Mary in the final period.
The DeLand High baseball team was stopped by Spruce Creek in the semifinals of the Five Star Conference Tournament, 1-0, with Chris Caruso doubling. The team bounced back with a 5-4 win over Orange City University, with Anthony Ruocco and Ethan Scheffer doubling. The game went nine innings, and DeLand scored in the top of the ninth for the win, after University knotted the score at 4-4 in the bottom of the seventh.
The Lady Bulldog flag-football team was stopped by Flagler Palm Coast, 6-0, in FHSAA district play.
The beach-volleyball team outscored Lake Mary Prep, 5-0.
The softball team of DeLand High outdistanced Deltona Trinity Christian Academy, 7-1, with Teagan Squires getting a triple, while Winnie Meahl had two doubles and Emily Fantone one double.
DeLand High graduate Amberleigh Sauer, now a track athlete at Embry-Riddle, claimed first place in the Peach Belt Conference Championship in the hammer throw with a toss of 159 feet, 10 inches. The senior athlete took second in the shot put with a 39-foot-0.5-inch effort, and sixth in the discus at 116 feet, 3 inches.
FHSAA District Track Meet
Both Deltona High School and Pine Ridge High of Deltona competed in the 3A-District 6 track meet at East River High School in Orlando. Pine Ridge had Elijah Thompson advancing to the FHSAA regional meet in the 100 meters, with a time of 11.38, and in the 200 meters at 22.77, along with the 4X100 relay, which was fourth.
Scoring points in the district meet was Pine Ridge’s Tahji Williams in the high jump and the 4X400 and 4X800.
Deltona High’s Lowell Cummings placed fifth in the 1,600.
Deltona Trinity Christian took fifth for the boys and fourth for the girls at the 1A-District 6 track meet at Father Lopez. Diego Alvarez won the 110 high hurdles at 19.54, while taking second in the 400 hurdles at 64.41, advancing to regional by being in the top four.
Also advancing for the boys were the 4X400 relay at 4:05.08, Jaden Rodriguez in the 110 hurdles at 20.24, and Quincy Lee in the high jump at 4 feet, 9 inches. Also scoring points for the boys’ squad were Kristofer Medeiros, Rodriguez, Gabriel Ponce-Arce, Adrian Ponce-Arce, Adrian Lopez, Jahquavious Linton and Nathanael Stites.
The Trinity girls’ squad found Raylynn Adcock advancing in the 100 hurdles at 17:85, the 400 hurdles at 1:17.13, and the long jump at 15 feet, 1 inch. Joining her at the regionals will be Emma Stites in the javelin at 87 feet, 3 inches. Others scoring points were the 4X100 relay team, Kate Chivington, Emilee McMillan, Malia Marrow and Emma Stites.
DeLand Lightning Bolts Track Club
The DeLand Lightning Bolts Track Club had its annual home meet on the DeLand High School track. The 7- to 8-year-old boys took first out of 16 teams, while the 14-year-olds were second; the 9-year-olds, 10-year-olds and the 17- to 18-year-olds gained third.
Scoring first-place finishes among the boys at the meet were Caedence Lantigua in the 6-and-under group in the javelin, Levi Johnson in the 800 for 7- to 8-year-olds, Jacob Kinnan in the 10-year-olds’ 800, Amir Allen in the 80 hurdles for 12-year-olds, Harrison Brumley in the 15- to 16-year-old discus, and Kheron Duprat in the 17- to 18-year-old high jump and triple jump.
The 4X100 relays also took first for the 7- to 8-year-olds, with Alan Allen, Tysin Willacy, Chance Thomas and Cornelius Dunn Jr. doing the running.
For the girls’ squad, the 7- to 8-year-olds were first, and the 11-year-olds were second, overall. Firsts were scored by Delise Johnson in the 7- to 8-year olds’ 800, Sydnee Simpson in the shot put for 7- and 8-year-olds, and Haedyn Bennett in the javelin for the same group.
Stetson University
The Stetson University College of Law invited elder veterans to the St. Pete campus for assistance in creating a simple will and other important documents. This was free and the first time since COVID-19. This is known as the Wills for Warriors Program for U.S. military veterans over age 60 and for their spouses.
Stetson University has selected Benjamin Barros as the next dean for the College of Law. He comes from The University of Toledo College of Law, where he has served as dean since 2015.
Stetson University Athletics
Stetson University Hatter baseball topped Central Arkansas, 4-3, with Landon Moran, Christian Pregent and Daniel Labrador homering. In the second game with Central Arkansas, Stetson won, 12-3, with Labrador hitting another one out of the park. The Hats lost to UCF, 7-6, with UCF scoring two in the bottom of the eighth and ninth innings for the win.
The Lady Hatter tennis team lost to North Florida in the finals of the ASUN tournament.
The beach-volleyball team topped Central Arkansas, 5-0, in the first round of the ASUN tournament, then in the second round, defeated North Alabama, 3-2, to move into the semifinals of the tourney.
Carolina Ferraris and Anete Namike were named as the ASUN Pair of the Year in beach volleyball, while also being named to the First Team All-Conference, as were Shae Henson and Karin Zolnercikova. Tori Clement was named to the All-Freshman Team, while Henson was named to the All-Academic Team, with a 3.66 GPA in health sciences.
The lacrosse team lost to Queens, 16-12, with Kaitlin Pani scoring six goals, and to Coastal Carolina, 20-11, with Jordyn Humphrey and Pani each scoring four goals.
The Lady Hatter softball team lost to No. 5 nationally ranked FSU, 7-2. They also lost to FGCU, 4-2 and 4-3, with Evette Morgan and Marissa Baxter hitting home runs.
The Stetson softball team greets North Alabama at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Saturday, May 6, followed by a 1 p.m. game Sunday, May 7.
The baseball team meets JU in Conrad Park at 6:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 12 and 13, and at 1 p.m. Sunday, May 14.
— Send school news to Tony Tussing via email: at flacoach43@hotmail.com.
