Volusia County Schools will begin French Immersion Programs at two elementary schools, with one of those being on the west side of the county. Citrus Grove Elementary School in DeLand will be one, while Spruce Creek Elementary in Port Orange is the other.
These programs are the first offerings of this kind in Volusia County. This opportunity for our youngest French learners will have teachers speak exclusively in French, which will lead the students to full proficiency by high-school graduation.
The ribbon-cutting for these two programs was Oct. 20 at each school.
All students who attend these schools, kindergarten through fifth grade, take French classes during their special rotations. This program will support a continuum of language learning that feeds into the International Baccalaureate French programs offered at Spruce Creek and DeLand high schools.
Bridgette Gordon, a DeLand High graduate, has been named the head women’s basketball coach at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. The Volusia County Florida A&M University (FAMU) Alumni Chapter had a reception for her Oct. 18 at the Chisholm Community Center in DeLand.
Gordon is a Hall of Famer at DeLand High School, the University of Tennessee and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, along with many other honors. At one time, she was an assistant coach at Stetson University.
Daytona State College has announced that spring registration for dual enrollment for 2024 will be open Thursday, Nov. 2, through Friday, Dec. 1.
Students must apply, earn qualifying placement scores and submit their registration form by the deadline to be eligible. Your school may have an earlier deadline to obtain the required signature on your registration form.
New students to the program can begin during the fall or spring semester. Go to DaytonaState.edu/DE for information, or email dualenrollment@daytonastate.edu.
A student qualifies by being in grades six-12, and having completed at least one high-school course, and having met placement and cumulative unweighted high-school GPA requirements. College credit programs are a 3.0, while vocational programs are 2.0. Programs that a student is eligible for include associate of arts degree (AA), associate of science (AS) certificates and degrees, vocational certificates and bachelor’s degrees.
A student should discuss the options with their school’s guidance counselor, complete a DSC admissions application, and join an information session for more details.
All Volusia County schools are always looking for volunteers. To start the process, go to vcsedu.org and click on community/volunteers. All volunteer applications expire June 30 of each year, and you must reapply yearly.
West Volusia high-school football
On Oct. 13, four West Volusia schools lost, while one gained a win, and one did not play. The winner was Orange City University, who stopped Spruce Creek, 22-12. Pierson Taylor did not have a game. DeLand lost to Sanford in a shootout, 49-42, while Deltona was outrun by Mainland, 65-0. Deltona Pine Ridge lost to Seabreeze, 45-41, and Deltona Trinity Christian lost to Winter Park Trinity Prep, 13-7.
The games on the slate for Friday, Oct. 27, the next-to-last Friday for the regular season, have DeLand hosting New Smyrna Beach, Deltona at Pine Ridge, Pierson Taylor greeting Port Orange Atlantic, and Orange City University playing host to Lyman. Deltona Trinity has completed its season. All games are at 7 p.m.
Deltona Lakes Elementary School
Deltona Lakes Elementary School thanks all those who contributed in donating more than 700 pounds of candy for the school’s first-ever Trunk or Treat evening.
Galaxy Middle School
On Saturday, Nov. 4, Galaxy Middle School in Deltona will host its Turkey Run 3K Fundraiser. Individuals must register prior to the run. The cost is $10 for individual runners and $35 for family runners up to four participants.
There will be food trucks, prizes and family fun. The gates open at 8:30 a.m., with the race beginning at 9 a.m., and the event ends at 11:30 a.m.
To register, visit https://forms.office.com/r/2ZQ7nhmwFm. You can pay online at https://volusia.focusschoolsoftware.com/focus/community.
DeLand High School
At 8 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, admissions representatives from Daytona State College will be on the DeLand High School campus. Students need to sign up at the guidance office to have an appointment.
The DeLand High FFA is proud to announce that Mya Coates took third place in intermediate swine showmanship at the American Royal in Kansas City.
DeLand High has announced its fourth College and Career Fair that will take place 9:30-11:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, in the cafe. This is for the Class of 2024 and is a time to learn about schools, to get questions answered, and to have the opportunity to meet potential employers.
Taylor Middle-High School
Taylor Middle-High School in Pierson will have a Movie Night and Trunk or Treat at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31. The movie, Coco, will be in the auditorium, and the Trunk or Treat begins at 7:30 p.m. in the parking lot. Pizza tickets cost $2 on a pre-sale basis, while other refreshments will be available for purchase.
University High School
Those students at University High School in Orange City wishing to apply for Excellence in Orange must do so by Friday, Dec. 15. The deadline to meet all the criteria is Monday, April 1. A student must have completed at least 10 honors, AP, AICE or dual-enrollment classes, must have at least a 3.5 overall GPA, must have completed and documented at least 75 hours of community service, and must have at least an 1170 on the SAT or 25 on the ACT. Applications are available in Mrs. Marracino’s office.
High-school cross-country
DeLand High and Deltona High cross-country teams traveled to Jacksonville to compete in the New World Fall Spectacular, which had three different levels. The Deltona boys ran in the Open Division, with Carlos Cerrud winning that race at 17:03, while the DeLand boys participated in the Elite Division with freshman Connor York leading the way at 16:52.
The Lady Bulldogs were in the Open Division, with Addison Leonard pacing the DeLand team with a 21:43 clocking.
DeLand High School Athletics
The DeLand High School Lady Bulldog girls’ golf team brought back another trophy, as they won the Five Star Conference title by 29 strokes, with a team total of 318. Second went to Seabreeze, followed by Spruce Creek, New Smyrna Beach, University and Mainland.
The DeLand team was led by McKenzie Coody, with a 2 over par 74, Madison Dusenberry 78, Evie Cohen 82 and Sydney Fosnow 85.
The Bulldog boys’ golf team tied for third in the Volusia/Flagler Championship, which was won by Spruce Creek. University was seventh, Pine Ridge eighth and Deltona Trinity 12th.
The Bulldog squad was led by Isak Coveney with 72, which tied him for seventh overall.
The DeLand High swimmers found the boys claiming first in the Five Star Conference meet, while the Lady Bulldogs were third.
The bowlers found the boys topping Atlantic, 7-0, Mainland 5-2 and Flagler Palm Coast 7-0, while losing to Seabreeze, 5-2.
The volleyball team shut out Seminole, 3-0, and University, 3-0.
In the DeLand High football game with Deltona, DeLand set two new school records. The first was that TJ Moore threw seven touchdown passes, while the 70 points scored by DeLand broke a former record.
The fall sports calendar for the DeLand Bulldogs thins out as they are drawing to a close with FHSAA district play. On Saturday, Oct. 28, the cross-country team will be at the Five Star Conference Title run, and Monday, Oct. 30, the boys’ golf team will compete in the Region 1 tournament, trying to qualify for the state match.
Stetson University Athletics
The most recent outing for the Stetson University Hatter football team found Stetson defeating Presbyterian, 28-24. Their next outing will be at noon Saturday, Oct. 28, at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.
The Stetson volleyball team lost to FGCU, 3-0, defeated North Alabama, 3-1, with Anabelle Standish recording 19 kills, four blocks and five aces, and then lost to Lipscomb, 3-1.
The men’s soccer team outscored Queens, 3-0, with Luis Lara getting two goals, which led him to being selected as the ASUN Offensive Player of the Week. The Hats then were stopped by Embry-Riddle, 4-1, with Lara getting the lone Hatter goal.
The women’s soccer team knotted things at 0 with Austin Peay and then defeated Eastern Kentucky, 1-0, with Alexa LaBasso scoring the lone goal.
The cross-country team traveled to South Carolina-Upstate, where the men finished 12th out of 32 teams and the women were 15th. Collin Brooks led the way around the 8K course for the Stetson men with a clocking of 25:48.4, while Blair Durda led the women on the 5K course with Stetson’s best time of 18:02.9.
Stetson has announced that former right-handed pitcher Mitchell Jordan will be inducted into the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame on Sunday, Nov. 19.
Eduardo Jimenez, the director of operations for the Stetson men’s soccer team, has been called up to be an assistant coach for the Puerto Rico National Team.
On Friday, Oct. 27, the Lady Hatter soccer team opens play in the ASUN Conference Tournament in DeLand, while Saturday, Oct. 28, the men’s soccer team plays at Bellarmine at 7 p.m. The cross-country teams are in Nashville for the ASUN Championships.
Sunday, Oct. 29, has the volleyball team at Central Arkansas, while the men’s golf team is at the Charleston Southern Invitational. On Monday, Oct. 30, the women’s golf team is at the Mercer Invitational.
On Friday, Nov. 3, the volleyball team plays host to Queens at 6 p.m., followed by a match with Kennesaw State at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, which is the last regular-season home match.
College honors
University of Arkansas – Little Rock student-athlete Christian Bernabe of Deltona has been named to the 2022-23 Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
Nicole Bennett, of DeLand, and Kevin Gomez Diaz, of DeBary, graduated with a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic’s Florida Campus in Port Orange on Sept. 22.
— Send school news to Tony Tussing via email: at flacoach43@hotmail.com.
