The County of Volusia will Celebrate Volusia at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach 2-5:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6. The free event features a community expo, family activities, an art exhibit and a live concert by Pablo Cruise 4:30-5:30 p.m.
There will also be a Touch-A-Truck experience with a firetruck, HazMat 15 truck, Jet Ski, Sheriff’s boat, beach truck and more. The event will have caricature and face-painting artists, a Sirius XM celebrity DJ and a captivating storytime.
For more details, visit www.celebratevolusia.com.
If you are heading to a Volusia County scholastic athletic event, plan ahead, as you are only allowed one permitted bag per person. This bag needs to be a clear bag no larger than 12 inches by 12 inches by 6 inches. You may have a clutch bag no larger than 6.5 inches by 4.5 inches, or a plastic bag that is 1 gallon, resealable and clear.
Not permitted are backpacks, large purses, camera bags, drawstring bags, oversized tote bags, diaper bags, binocular cases, mesh bags, or tinted, colored or patterned plastic bags.
The Volusia County Library System has much to offer kids and teens. Come by and check out the huge collection of books, movies, and more. Find titles with the Accelerated Reader Bookfinder app. There are also games to be played, and you can compete in trivia or find a spot to study and relax.
Last week, this column listed half of the board of directors for FUTURES Foundation for Volusia County Schools. Here is the other half: John Guthrie of Halifax Health, Dr. Bette Heins of Stetson University, Michelle Lee of Duke Energy, Robert E. Ludlow Jr. of Truist, Dr. Donald May of Daytona State College, Tom Pokorny of Edgeset Marketing, Austin Quinn of NASCAR, Doug Reece of Wells Fargo Bank, Barbara Reid, Esq., of Wright & Casey P.A., Bobby Thigpen of Jon Hall Chevrolet/Ritchey Automotive, and Linda Webster of Florida Power & Light Co.
It is time to plan ahead, as the next day off from school for students will be Monday, Oct. 14, which will be a Teacher Duty Day. It also marks the end of the first grading period.
Grades can be seen on the Parent Portal on Wednesday, Oct. 16.
Pine Ridge High School
The Class of 1999 at Pine Ridge High School in Deltona will be observing its 25th reunion in October. The Homecoming game will be at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11, with an area set aside for the reunion class. On Saturday, Oct. 12, the reunion Class of 1999 will have a gathering 7-10 p.m. at Feelgood Farms Winery and Vineyard in Osteen.
Get in touch with Lena Hines or Debra Schreiber for more information and reservations.
West Volusia high-school football
Sept. 13 found Orange City University High School moving to 4-0, as they defeated Deltona, 46-7, while DeLand downed Appling County from Georgia, 38-7, to move to 3-1.
Pierson Taylor Middle-High lost to First Academy-Leesburg, 28-29, moving to 1-2 on the season. Deltona Trinity Christian Academy lost to Cornerstone Charter Academy, 9-6, to move to 1-4, while Pine Ridge in Deltona lost to Hagerty of Oviedo, 49-14. Pine Ridge is still looking for its first win of the season against three losses.
Friday, Sept. 27, has the DeLand squad hosting Spruce Creek, Deltona greeting Rockledge, Taylor going to Halifax Academy in Daytona Beach, and University meeting Flagler Palm Coast on their home field. Pine Ridge and Deltona Trinity have the week off. All games are at 7 p.m.
West Volusia cross-country
Several high-school and middle-school teams recently traveled to Port Orange to participate in the Savannah & David Mohney Memorial Invitational at Spruce Creek High School.
The DeLand Bulldog boys squad placed third out of 11 schools, competing on the varsity level, while the Lady Bulldogs were eighth. Deltona, University and Taylor competed, but did not have a team score. DeLand’s boys were led by Connor York at 17:47.6, while Sydney Bordeaux led the DeLand girls with a 23:10.5 clocking.
Deltona’s top running boy was Renn Telles at 18:16.8, and University was led by Aasen Watson at 19:51.
The Taylor girls were led by Ashley Fuentes at 24:07.6, while the University girls were led by Dayanara Suarez Delgado at 24:18.7.
The middle-school race had the boys and girls combined in one race, with Ivy Hawn Charter School of the Arts in Lake Helen claiming first, while DeLand Middle was ninth.
The top runners for girls in West Volusia schools were Whinnie Tibbetts of Ivy Hawn at 16:31.6 for the 2.1-mile course, and Kaitlyn Bench, who led DeLand Middle at 20:09.8.
The boys division found Galaxy Middle School in Deltona, led by Jaylen Sowen at 14:46.1, taking third overall, while Ivy Hawn’s runner, Mack Fabish, took sixth at 15:45.0. The top runner from Taylor was Colton Lane at 17:25.9.
The invitational also had a JV division; the University girls took eighth, and Pine Ridge had runners but not a complete team.
The DeLand boys took seventh, while Pine Ridge was 13th. Sophia Horrell was the front-runner for University at 29:39.2, and Jackie Kemp ran 27:17.0 for Pine Ridge.
The boys from DeLand were led by Marco Acuna at 21:03.8, with Ethan Cooper leading Pine Ridge at 23:00.9. Walker Galarza led Taylor’s JV at 22:52.4, and Bayron Martinez led Deltona’s JV at 20:02.5.
Volleyball
The DeLand High School volleyball team won two regular-season games and won two in the Sunsetter Tournament. The DeLand ladies stopped Timber Creek, 3-0, (25-16, 25-22, 25-8) and topped Spruce Creek, 3-0, (25-20, 25-20, 25-17). In the tournament, they met Timber Creek, again winning, 2-1, (25-20, 20-25, 15-12) and then beat Beachside, 2-0, (25-14, 25-19).
According to MaxPrep on Sept. 13, the DeLand High team leaders were Alison Bierwagen in kills per set at 3.8, and in hitting percentage at 9.327. Erynn Gotsch leads in total blocks at 16, while Taylor Fonseca leads with 5.7 digs per set, and Victoria Stoltzfus collected 20 service aces and 0.6 aces per set.
The Stetson University Lady Hatters volleyball team lost to South Carolina, 3-1, (18-25, 11-25, 25-19, 15-25), with Leilani Vitale collecting 10 kills, eight blocks and an ace, while Lauren Della had eight kills and two blocks.
The Lady Hatters then were topped by Wake Forest, 3-0, (12-25, 19-25, 10-25), followed by FIU stopping the Hats, 3-0, (27-29, 19-25, 23-25). Anabelle Standish had eight kills, two blocks and an ace.
DeLand High School Athletics
The DeLand High School Bulldog swim teams stopped New Smyrna Beach, with the girls winning, 118-51, and the boys, 128-42. In that meet with the Barracudas, Piper Jemison won two individual events for DeLand, while Jaidyn Lott won one. For the Bulldog boys, Timothy Dobyns, Massimo Brunacci, Toma Vedder and Gavin Thomas each won two individual events.
The DeLand squads also traveled to Port Orange to participate in the 11-team Spruce Creek Record-Breaker Invitational. DeLand took first with 858 points, while Olympia High in Orlando was second with 699 points.
The DeLand boys golf team is 3-0, with wins over Seabreeze, Pine Ridge and University. Several matches were canceled due to rain.
The Bulldogs are led by senior Stanton Bonk, with juniors Hagen Stanger, Taylor Birnie and Trenden Treichel also playing well. Freshmen Cooper Smith and Caleb Williams round out the scorers to date, while Jaxson Van Horn and Billy Donathan are pushing to collect points.
The Bulldog sports calendar has the volleyball team competing in the Pink Blast Tournament Friday and Saturday, Sept. 27 and 28, while on Sept. 28, the Bulldog cross-country teams go to the Bartram Trail Invitational at 7:15 a.m. in the Jacksonville area.
Monday, Sept. 30, sends the bowling teams to University for a 3:45 p.m. match, while on Tuesday, Oct. 1, the volleyball team plays at New Smyrna Beach at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., followed by the bowlers hosting Atlantic at 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2.
Also on Oct. 2, the girls golf team goes to Seabreeze at 3:30 p.m., the boys golf team is at Flagler Palm Coast at 3:30 p.m., and the swimmers host Father Lopez at 4 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 3, has the volleyball team hosting Ocala Forest at 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. in the Bulldog gym, while the JV football team greets Mainland at 6 p.m. at the Sperling Sports Complex.
Stetson University
For many years, a new performing arts center has been a dream at Stetson University. Stetson is currently conducting a feasibility study designed to gauge the community interest and possible financial support for this facility. Through this study, the university hopes to gather insights from our community to determine the best path forward for realizing this long-held dream.
Stetson University Athletics
The Stetson University Hatter men’s soccer team knotted the score at 1 with the University of Alabama – Birmingham, with Afonso Conde getting the Stetson goal. The team then knotted the score again at 1 with North Carolina State, with Joao Freitas scoring for the Hats.
The Stetson women soccer players stopped The Citadel, 5-1, with Stella Comana, Sawyer Reynolds, Payton Quinones, Annika Seem and Ava Kooker scoring goals. They then lost a game to USF, 2-0.
The football team went on the road and lost to Furman, 48-7.
The Stetson men’s golf team took fourth out of 15 teams at the 2024 Golfweek Fall Challenge at Pawleys Island, South Carolina. The Hats had a three-round total of 855, trailing Arkansas State at 829, Wright State at 841 and Austin Peay at 847. Gaspar Glaudas tied for eighth, with a three-round score of 211 at 5 under, while Mans Boje tied for 11th at 212.
Football linebacker Kyle Elphick recorded against Warner 14 tackles (seven solo), three sacks and a pass breakup. His three sacks ties a Stetson record for one game.
Stetson University Athletics has expanded its sponsorship with Watson Realty for signage and marketing initiatives at Hatter football, volleyball, basketball and baseball games.
On Saturday, Sept. 28, the Stetson rowers play host at the Stetson Scramble at 7 a.m., and the men’s soccer team greets Florida Gulf Coast at 7 p.m.
On Sunday, Sept. 29, the volleyball team plays host to Queens at 1 p.m., with the women soccer players going to Eastern Kentucky at 1 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 30, sends the women golfers to the FIU Tournament at 8:30 a.m., and on Thursday, Oct. 3, the Lady Hatter soccer team plays host to West Georgia at 7 p.m.
College honors
Cassandra Smith, of New Smyrna Beach, graduated in August 2024 from the College of Health Professions at Pacific University in Oregon, with a doctor of psychology degree.
