In the month of January, Volusia County Schools will host two Choice Fairs. The purpose of the fairs is to give elementary- and middle-school students knowledge about what is offered on the next level of education. This is a time to learn about the many academic and extracurricular activities each school has to offer, while seeing school performances and art exhibits. Families who attend a school Choice Fair will receive priority placement based on capacity for the 2024-25 school year.

The two fairs will be eastside and westside. The Westside Choice Fair will be 5:30-7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 20, at The Center at Deltona, 1640 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd. The Eastside Choice Fair will take place 5:30-7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 22, at the Daytona State College News-Journal Center, 221 N. Beach St. in Daytona Beach.

For more information, call 386-734-7190, ext. 20645.

FBH Community (Food Brings Hope), an organization dedicated to improving food security in Central Florida, was recently awarded a $400,000 grant from the Florida Blue Foundation to expand efforts in providing healthy fruits and vegetables along with regular health education, services and information to hardworking families in Volusia County. Florida Blue Foundation is committed to addressing food insecurity as a way to improve overall health and well-being.

Adding information about the Standard Response Protocol, another term is “lockdown,” which deals with locks, lights and out of sight. Students are trained to move away from sight, maintain silence and not open the door. Adults and staff are trained to recover students from the hallway, and, if possible, lock the classroom door, turn out the lights, move away from sight, maintain silence, not open the door, and prepare to evade or defend.

Blue Lake Elementary School

Blue Lake Elementary School in DeLand has partnered with ProXR Pickleball to make sure that students have the pickleball paddles needed to play this popular sport in physical education.

Southwestern Middle School

Spectrum News 13 recently highlighted Linda Bowers, who teaches math at Southwestern Middle School in DeLand, for her efforts to help students learn their math skills. She teaches math by creating dances, songs and games to make learning fun.

Deltona High School

On Veterans Day, the Deltona High School JROTC Color Guard presented the colors at the Orlando Magic basketball game while the national anthem was played.

DeLand High School Athletics

The DeLand High School Bulldog football team made it to the semifinals of the FHSAA Football

Championships. Their season drew to a close at Venice, where the Bulldogs lost to the home team, 51-21. The week before, the Bulldogs shut down Treasure Coast, 37-6, to move into the final four for the 4S Division. They closed out the season with an 11-3 mark.

Venice played Lakeland for the championship after defeating Gainesville Buchholz, 21-20. Mainland also earned the right to play in the state championship in the 3S Division by defeating Ocala Vanguard, 34-12.

The Bulldog boys soccer team held Pine Ridge scoreless with a 4-0 victory, but lost to Sanford, 2-1, with Isaiah Harper scoring the DeLand goal.

The Lady Bulldog soccer team also defeated Pine Ridge, 2-0, and lost to Winter Park Trinity Prep, 2-1.

The DeLand girls basketball team opened the 2023 season with four wins. They topped Pine Ridge, 64-19, Atlantic, 69-34, Seabreeze, 71-23, and Calvary Christian, 47-34.

The Bulldog boys basketball team opened 2023 with a loss to Hagerty, 69-51.

The DeLand High boys golf team honored its players recently. Isak Coveney was named Player of the Year, while Logan Levon earned a four-year letter, and Brock Williams was selected for the Leadership Award.

The players on the team this year are Trinden Treichel, Taylor Birnie, Hagen Stanger, Carter Davis, Stanton Bonk, Levon, Coveney, Williams, Jaxson Van Horn, Aiden Keeley and Dominic Kandrac. Matthew Eddins is the coach for the team.

The Lady Bulldog weightlifting team picked up its third win in four matches. In the most recent match, they defeated Atlantic, Father Lopez and Mainland. The team won both the Olympic and Traditional competition.

Those winning individual honors in the match were Payton Mathis (2), Elena Cruz (2), Hollee Brady (2) and Katyah Ross. Those earning second place were Katherin Rodriguez (2), Paige Underwood (2), Bayleigh Couch, Emelina Nasah, Mattie Washington, Charity Rank, Ross and Nazaria Milfort.

The Bulldog winter sports calendar sends the wrestling team on Friday, Dec. 15, to the Lyman Christmas Tournament, which runs through Saturday, Dec. 16. The boys soccer team greets Taylor at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. that same day.

On Monday, Dec. 18, the girls basketball team meets Umatilla in the Bulldog gym at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Then on Tuesday, Dec. 19, the team plays at Lyman at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 20, has the boys basketball team competing at Lake Brantley at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. That same day, the girls basketball team plays in the Umatilla Christmas Tournament.

Stetson University

The House Next Door has presented Patrick Coggins, Ph.D., of Stetson University the 2023 Cecil Paul and Maria Jones Community Hero Award.

Stetson University will host its first International Chamber Music Festival in July 2024. The festival will attract young artists and educators from around the world for master classes, concerts and more. The two-week summer festival will bring middle- and high-school students to train with Stetson School of Music faculty and educators from Cornell, Harvard and other top universities.

Alachua Conservation Trust, in collaboration with Volusia County and Stetson University, has been awarded $25 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in support of the “Lake to Lagoon” conservation program in Volusia, Lake and Flagler counties.

Stetson University Athletics

The Stetson University men’s basketball team did something they had not been able to do in 20 games — defeat the University of Central Florida. The Hats traveled to Orlando and topped the Knights, 85-82, with Jalen Blackmon scoring 26 points, while Stephan Swenson added 19 points, along with nine assists. Treyton Thompson scored 12 points, paired with eight rebounds.

The Hatters also defeated Coastal Georgia, 94-49, with Blackmon scoring 32 points and Aubin Gateretse scoring 13 points, while pulling down 17 rebounds. Swenson added 12 points, with six assists.

The Lady Hatters basketball team downed Webber International, 83-37, with freshman Anna Kunzwiler scoring 14 points; Jordan Peete and Skylar Treadwell 12 points; and Jaelyn Talley, Promise Keshi and Sophia Fontaine 10 points.

The team lost to Dayton, 75-54, with Jamiya Turner scoring 20 points. The team also lost to Tennessee Tech, 65-59, with Khamya McNeal scoring 15 points.

On Sunday, Dec. 17, the Lady Hatters will play host to Morgan State at 2 p.m., with the men playing at Nebraska – Omaha at 1 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 19, the women play at North Carolina A&T at 11 a.m., while the men go to Florida International University at 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 20, has the women hosting Valparaiso at 11, and the men compete at Cincinnati on Friday, Dec. 22.

College honors

Katarina Blazetic, a resident of DeLand and graduate of DeLand High School, is one of 67 Baldwin Wallace University fall sports student-athletes to be named to the 2023 Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference team. Baldwin Wallace University is in Berea, Ohio.

— Send school news to Tony Tussing via email: at flacoach43@hotmail.com.