Volusia County Schools’ registration for kindergarten opened March 11. Parents can register online at k12.vcsedu.org/enroll. The age requirement is that a student must be 5 years old on or before Sept. 1, 2025.
A reminder that Volusia County Schools and AdventHealth will be providing free physicals for VCS students Wednesday-Saturday, April 2-5, at the Daytona International Speedway Midway Suites. Students must register in advance at VCSSportsPhysicals.com.
Sports physicals are for Volusia County public-school students only, which includes student-athletes, ROTC, band members and firefighting-academy students.
For additional information, email vcssportsphysicals@groups.volusia.k12.fl.us.
FUTURES Foundation for Volusia County Schools will celebrate its “Ruby” Anniversary at its annual Caribbean FUTURES Party at 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 25, at the Henderson Center on the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University campus in Daytona Beach. Become a sponsor or reserve your seat by visiting the FUTURES website.
The event is sponsored by Brown and Brown, while the signature event sponsors are Cici and Hyatt Brown. Superintendent Sponsors are Bethune-Cookman University and Foundation Risk Partners.
Another reminder that the deadline for the DeLeon Springs Community Association Inc. Merit Scholarship is Monday, March 31. This is a scholarship for residents of DeLeon Springs who are seniors enrolled in a DeLeon Springs-area home, private or public school.
For criteria and more information, go to www.deleonspringscommunityassociation.com and look under the “Info” tab.
Ivy Hawn Charter School
The track team of Ivy Hawn Charter School of the Arts in Lake Helen competed in the Mount Dora Middle School Championships. Kyleigh Morales took first place for the Lake Helen school in the high jump with a 4-foot-2-inch effort.
Those taking seconds included Amir Allen in the 200, Rafael Fernandez in the triple jump, and Alice Acuna in the girls’ triple jump, with third-place finishes being recorded by Brison Horine in the shot put and Tyler Dalquest in the javelin. Those scoring points but not in the top three were Allen, Acuna, Morales, Fernandez, Horine, Sophia LeFils and Lillian LeFils.
Southwestern Middle School
Southwestern Middle School in DeLand named Jennifer Raynor as the February Teacher of the Month. Raynor is a science teacher, who constantly offers hands-on science labs for her students.
DeLand High School
The DeLand High School Bulldogs congratulate Michelle Morgante on being named Teacher of the Year in math.
The Bulldog AP Environmental Science students volunteered to do the judging of the Woodward Avenue Elementary Science Fair.
The daughter of DeLand High grad RJ Simpson, Sarai Simpson, who graduated from Sanford Seminole and is now a student at Iowa Western Community College, placed second in the shot put with a throw of 49 feet, 3 inches at the NJCAA National Indoor Track and Field Championships. She also placed fifth in the weight throw at 52 feet, 10.50 inches at the same meet.
Pine Ridge High School
Pine Ridge High School in Deltona tied for second with Seabreeze High School in Daytona Beach for having the second-highest reduction in chronic absenteeism for the second quarter. Their reduction percentage was 12 percent, which earned them a $250 award from AdventHealth.
Pine Ridge congratulates Carey Davis on being named the CTE Teacher of the Year.
Taylor Middle-High School
Taylor Middle-High School in Pierson took first place during the second quarter for having the highest reduction in chronic absenteeism with a 17-percent reduction. This earned the school a $500 award from AdventHealth.
Daytona State College
Daytona State College math professors are offering free math SAT or PSAT prep sessions 10-11:30 a.m. every Saturday from March 29 through April 26 on the college’s main campus in Daytona Beach.
Students must register by contacting Erika Blanken at Erika.Blanken@daytonastate.edu or 386-506-3919.
High-school track
The four high schools in West Volusia with track teams competed at Spruce Creek High School in the 11th annual George Janan Memorial Track Meet. The boys division of the meet was won by Seminole, followed by Mainland and Spruce Creek, while DeLand was fourth, Deltona Pine Ridge ninth, and Deltona and Orange City University tied for 10th.
The girls division was won by Spruce Creek, with Seminole and Menendez taking second and third, respectively. DeLand was seventh, Deltona ninth and Deltona Pine Ridge 10th, with Orange City University not scoring any points.
The DeLand boys found Hiram Cook winning the 200 at 22.76, while James Johnson won the 3200 at 10:21.00, with the foursome of Owen York, Adrian Isaac, Owen Smith and Connor York winning the 4X100 weight person relay at 48.48.
Seconds were earned by Cook in the 400, and O. York in the discus and javelin. Thirds were gained by Nalin Rogers in the 110 high hurdles, and C. York in the javelin.
Those scoring points but not gaining a medal in the top three places were Johnny Grubbs, Michael Mandell, C. York, Cook, Chico Apakama, Kaveon Jackson, Xavier Caraballo, O. York, Smith, Matthew Pica and Logan Blades.
The DeLand girls had Kylie Neira winning the pole vault at 11 feet, 1.75 inches. Emily Lamb won the javelin with a 121-foot throw. Anna Vandell took second in the high jump. Sierra West was second in the shot put.
The 4X800 relay took third, with Kadence Bell, Sydney Bordeaux, Addison Leonard and Justice Lott running. Keylani Cates took third in the discus.
Those Lady Bulldogs scoring points but not medaling were Leonard, Aaliyah Torres, Rylie Barrow, Hailey Kinnan and West.
The Deltona girls saw Shania Joe winning the 400 at 59.44, while taking second in the 200. The team of Joe, Kelsey Assent, Alaysia Eckford and Haleigh Petit Do placed second in the 4X400 relay, with Eckford, Ariella Andre, Petit Do and Mia Fernandez placing third in the 4X100 relay. Those scoring points without medaling were Andre and Eckford.
The boys squad did not medal, but scoring points were Lowell Cummings, Renn Telles, Aiden DeGraff, Jamar Lewis, Jaden Ware, Allen Baldwin, Malik Tourkzi, Aaron Brantley, Emanuel Clark and De’Shaun Joseph.
The Pine Ridge Panther boys had Ethan White winning the long jump with a 21-foot-6.75-inch leap. Dwight Freeman, White, Quintin Grant, Ruben Smith, Douglas Jett, Recolon Jumpp, Ethan Pham, Joseph Svajko and Marcqus-Hans Nama scored points outside of the top three.
Serenity Gorham, Mia Savius, Sumaiya Thompson and Ja’leah Coffy scored points for the Lady Panthers.
The Orange City University boys had points earned by Jermane Hayes, Luis Roman and Jayden Pastrana.
Weightlifting
The DeLand High School Bulldog boys weightlifting team played host for the JV and Varsity Five Star Conference Championships. In the Varsity Division, Spruce Creek won the meet in the Olympic lifts, while Orange City University was third, Deltona Pine Ridge fourth, DeLand sixth, Deltona 10th and Pierson Taylor 11th.
In the traditional lifts, Spruce Creek claimed the title, while Orange City University was second, DeLand fifth, Deltona Pine Ridge seventh, Deltona ninth and Pierson Taylor 10th.
Wyatt Dunne was the only champion for DeLand, as he won the first-place lift in the 183-pound class. Jaxson Van Horn earned a third, while Xavier Caraballo had two fourth-place finishes.
Also scoring points for the Bulldogs were Aidan Keeley, Tyler Boyer, Rishi Patel, Jonathan Baker, Ryan Hurd, Lukas Gibbs, Fard Williams, Erik Copeland, Moe Knio and Luke Patterson.
In the JV tournament, Adam Gamenthaler took a first and a third, while Rain Chen gained a second and a third, with Tyson Lowe earning a third and Korion Ross lifting two thirds.
DeLand High School Athletics
The DeLand High School Lady Bulldog softball team stopped Pierson Taylor, 14-1, with Laila Flemming doubling. Emma Launer also doubled and collected three RBIs, while going three for three at the plate.
They then went down to defeat by Ocala Forest, 11-5, with Payton Mathis doubling, and De-Niya Padgett doubling and earning three RBIs.
The Bulldog baseball team hit a hard spot, dropping three games to Cardinal Newman, 11-1, Winter Springs, 10-1, and Spruce Creek, 6-2.
Stetson University basketball
Cameron Thomas of Stetson University has been selected as the ASUN Conference Newcomer of the Year. She averaged 17.2 points per game, which is the second-highest in the ASUN. She had 142 rebounds for the season.
The men lost in the first round of the ASUN tournament to Central Arkansas, 77-72, with Jordan Wood scoring 25 points with two steals, and Mehki Ellison adding 10 points. The team finished the year with an 8-24 season mark and a 6-12 conference mark.
The Lady Hatters lost to Eastern Kentucky, 77-60, in the ASUN tourney, with Cameron Thomas scoring 15 points, Tyra Myers scoring 12 points, and Quentarra Mitchell dropping 10 points, with five rebounds and one block. The team was 16-15 for the full season, while going 10-8 in the ASUN.
Stetson University baseball/softball
Six of the teams playing in the ASUN conference currently are ranked in the top 100 in the NCAA D-1 Softball RPI (Rating Percentage Index), which figures the strength of schedule and current win/loss record. North Alabama is 32nd, Eastern Kentucky is 52nd, North Florida 57th, Stetson 69th, Austin Peay 74th and Jacksonville 91st.
The Stetson softball team beat UMBC, 11-1, with Kami Eppley and Emily Santana hitting home runs. The team then won two against South Carolina Upstate, 7-2 and 9-6, with Santana doubling in the first game and Riley Venn doubling in the second game.
They then stopped Bryant, 7-6, with Addison Foster hitting a double and a triple. Nadia English hit a triple, and Devon Weller hit a double.
The baseball team started out with a win over Mount St. Mary’s, 5-4, with Lorenzo Meola hitting a homer and a double. The team then beat BYU, 6-5, with Meola doubling and homering, while Landon Russell and Jordan Taylor had triples. The team then lost to BYU, 10-2, with Juan De La Cruz doubling.
Then in a doubleheader, Stetson lost to BYU in Utah, 5-4 and 7-5. In the first loss, Salvador Alvarez tripled, with Taylor and Nelphie Lopez doubling. In the second game, Taylor homered.
On Friday, March 21, the baseball team plays at JU at 7 p.m., Saturday, March 22, at 7 p.m., and again Sunday, March 23, at 1 p.m. This will be followed by a trip to Miami at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 26, and to West Georgia Friday-Sunday, March 28-30.
The softball team plays host to FGCU Saturday, March 22, for a doubleheader at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., and again on Sunday, March 23, at 1 p.m. The team travels to FSU for a game at 3 p.m. Wednesday, March 26.
Saturday, March 22, Stetson sponsors Alumni Day at the Yankees Spring Training game at 1 p.m. on Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.
Other Stetson University sports
Robbie Champa, a member of the Stetson University cross-country team, set a school record in the 800 by running a 1:56.64. The team has also signed Parker Armstrong of Winter Park High School to compete as a Hatter starting in the fall of 2025.
The lacrosse team defeated Longwood, 9-8, with Samantha King, Kathleen Nichols, Kaitlin Pani and Miya Scanlan each collecting two goals. The team then lost to Liberty, 22-4, with Scanland getting two goals.
The beach-volleyball team downed two nationally ranked teams, No. 14 FIU, 4-1, and No. 19 North Florida, 3-2. They followed with two more wins in Fort Myers over RV South Carolina, 3-2, and FGCU, 3-2.
The women’s tennis team stopped Howard, 6-1, with the men beating St. Bonaventure, 7-0, and Eastern Illinois, 7-0.
The men’s golf team placed second in the Daytona Beach Intercollegiate, which Troy won, with UCF taking third among 15 teams. Simon Engman and Maverick Conaway tied for ninth for Stetson.
The sports calendar has the women’s tennis team facing Eastern Kentucky at 10 a.m. Friday, March 21, while the men play the same university at 2 p.m. The beach-volleyball team greets Erskine at 9:15 a.m. and FSU at 2 p.m.
Saturday, March 22, has the lacrosse team at JU at noon, with the beach-volleyball team facing Palm Beach Atlantic at 8 a.m. and FAU at 10:30 a.m.
Sunday, March 23, the men’s and women’s tennis teams greet Queens, with the women playing at 10 a.m. and the men at 2 p.m.
The male golfers travel to North Carolina to play NC Wilmington at 10 a.m. Monday, March 24, and on Wednesday, March 26, the women’s tennis team competes at North Alabama at 10 a.m.
