In the next photo, with Judge Evan McCleary, far left, Lakely, with her parents by her side, won Grand Champion Prospect Steer with her Black Angus steer named McKinley. She also won Junior Showmanship in the Prospect Steer division. Lakely registered to be a junior member of the American Angus Association to grow her knowledge of her Angus steer project, as well as be able to show and participate in Angus events.
Lyonia Environmental Center, at 2150 Eustace Ave. in Deltona, will be offering nature adventure during weekly camps this summer. The camps will run 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, beginning Wednesday, June 4, through Wednesday, Aug. 6, and feature nature hikes, live-animal encounters, science experiments, arts and crafts, and games.
The camps offered and costs are: Slither and Crawl – June 9-13, ages 6-8, $100; Imaginarium Camp – ages 7-9, June 16-20, $100; Ocean Waves Camp – June 23-27, ages 7-9, $100; If You Had Wings Camp – ages 7-12, June 4-6, $25 a day; Shark Frenzy – ages 7-12, Aug. 4-6, $25 per day; Florida’s Past, Present and Future Camp – July 7-11, ages 10-12; $125, includes field trips; Radical Reptiles Camp – July 14-18, ages 10-12, $125, includes field trips; Full STEAM Ahead Camp – July 21-25, ages 10-12, $125, includes field trip; and Invented by Animals Camp – Aug. 12-15, ages 12-15, $125, includes field trip.
To register online, go to www.LyoniaPreserve.com, call 386-789-7207, ext. 21026, for information, or go email ssmith@volusia.org. Children should bring a morning snack, lunch and water in a refillable container. An afternoon snack will be provided.
If you are or have someone graduating from preschool, kindergarten, eighth grade, high school or college, here’s some interesting news: Nine Volusia County Public Library branches will offer free green-screen graduation photos. Graduates are invited to bring along their caps and gowns for this very special photo shoot. An email address is required, so library staff can email the final photo.
Green-screen photography is a process that replaces a solid green background behind the subject with a new background, using software images. During this photo opportunity, staff will pose graduates in front of a green screen and will let them choose from a variety of thematic backgrounds. Please note that wearing some shades of green may interact with the library’s green-screen technology. In the event that this occurs, staff may have alternative caps and gowns on hand to ensure all graduates have a seamless experience (and for graduates who may not own a cap and gown, call ahead to see what may be available at participating branches).
Photos are offered at: DeBary Public Library, 200 N. Charles R. Beall Blvd. (386-668-3835) 4:30-6 p.m. Tuesday, May 13, and 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, May 17; DeLand Regional Library, 130 E. Howry Ave. (386-822-6430) 4-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 7, 1-3 p.m. Friday, May 9, and Saturday, May 10, and 4-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 14; Deltona Regional Library, 2150 Eustace Ave. (386-789-7207) 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, May 3, noon-2 p.m. Sunday, May 4, 3-5 p.m. Monday, May 5, and 10 a.m.-noon Wednesday, May 7; Orange City Public Library, 148 Albertus Way (386-775-5270) 2-4 p.m. Friday, May 16.
For more information, go to volusialibrarylocal.com.
DeLand’s Got Talent is now open for auditions at www.DeLandsGotTalent.org. If you are 8 years old or older and live in West Volusia, it is time for you to shine.
All acts are welcome, from singers to dancers to magicians, comedians, and everything between. Submit your audition video by Friday, May 9. The top 25 will perform at a live audition Sunday, June 1, at the Wayne G. Sanborn Activity Center in DeLand. Those top 10 will move on to the Grand Finale at the Athens Theatre in DeLand.
Volusia County Schools
Volusia County Schools is introducing VFlex+, which is a new flexible learning option. It offers homeschooled students a part-time program with full-time experience without the full-time commitment. Learn about the online learning opportunities for the 2025-26 school year by going to www.vcsedu.org/academics/online-learning-opportunities. A student can take up to six courses, get academic counseling and support, and stay on track for a high-school diploma.
The Volusia County Council for Exceptional Children had its annual banquet at the Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach. Seven people were honored during the banquet. Those from West Volusia were ESE Administrator of the Year Dr. Jennie Hughes from University High School in Orange City, ESE Rookie Teacher of the Year Daisy Cordine from Timbercrest Elementary School in Deltona, and ESE Teacher of the Year Clarybel Colon-Ortiz, also from Timbercrest.
Blue Lake Elementary School
Blue Lake Elementary in DeLand congratulates Carolyn Dunn on being nominated as the school’s ESE Paraprofessional of the Year.
The school also congratulates its Volusia County Science Expo winners Harper Angelo, Sophia Moreno, Elijah Brett and Sophia Labady.
Deltona Lakes Elementary School
Deltona Lakes ESE teacher Daisy Santiago was honored for her work by Spectrum News 13 as its latest A+ Teacher.
Friendship Elementary School
Deltona’s Friendship Elementary fifth-graders graduated from the DARE American International Program. These students spent 10 weeks learning about making good choices, supporting one another and building confidence.
Starke Elementary School
Starke’s next School Advisory Council and PTA meeting will be at 4:15 p.m. Thursday, April 24.
DeLand Middle School
The DeLand Middle School intermediate band gained a superior rating from the Florida Bandmasters Association. The band was presented with the Harry E. Grant Memorial Award.
DeLand Middle’s next School Advisory Council meeting will be at 5:15 p.m. Monday, April 28, in the media center.
River Springs Middle School
Tickets have gone on sale for the eighth-grade River Springs Middle School Dance, “Putting on the Ritz.” The dance is Saturday, May 17, in the school’s gym in Orange City. Tickets are sold online through the Parent Portal for River Springs. The deadline for purchasing a ticket is Friday, May 9, and the cost is $30.
Middle-school basketball is underway, with the River Springs squads (boys and girls) playing at home Thursday, April 17, against DeLand Middle, with the first game starting at 3:30 p.m. The teams will travel to Southwestern Tuesday, April 22, with games starting at 5:30 p.m., and then to Heritage Middle Thursday, April 24, at 5:30 p.m.
Southwestern Middle School
The March Teacher of the Month at Southwestern in DeLand is P.E. teacher Matthew Litwiniec.
In the opening basketball game, the Tigers were nipped by Heritage Middle, 24-23. On Thursday, April 17, the teams go to DeLand Middle, followed by a trip to Heritage Middle in Deltona Tuesday, April 22. First games start at 5:30 p.m.
DeLand High School
The Bulldog family congratulates Brandon Cechowski, who received the Marine Option NROTC Scholarship. This scholarship awards the winning student full tuition to a college of his or her choosing, so long as it partakes in their ROTC program. Cechowski has been accepted to and plans to attend Penn State. The scholarship was presented by Capt. Juan Movilladiago and Sgt. Jorge Bautista.
Taylor Middle-High School
Victoria Sanches, the president of the Taylor chapter of Future Business Leaders of America, won the “Better Business Through Education” Scholarship at the state convention.
University High School
The color guard and drill team at the Orange City school took first place in the Female Unarmed Squad competition.
Boys Weightlifting Regionals
DeLand High’s Wyatt Dunne took third in traditional competition and fourth in Olympic and will be heading to state in both categories in the 183-pound division.
University High’s Peyton McKenzie placed third in traditional and seventh in Olympics in the 238-pound division, while Travis Caldwell was fourth and fifth, respectively, in the unlimited division. Ethan Hemke took third in the Olympic lifts, while seventh in the traditional lifts. All three should be picked up for the state meet.
Also scoring regional points were Liam Valle, Gavin Garner and Magnum Rojas for the University Titans.
Pine Ridge found Billy Faulk placing second in both types of lifts and will advance to state. Rylan Shroyer took second in traditional and fifth in Olympic and will advance in the traditional competition.
Deltona’s Thomas Berrios took seventh and eighth in the two competitions, while Josiah Dejesus picked up another seventh.
Taylor High found Isaac Garcia finishing fourth and sixth, while Tre Gaines earned a fourth, both having a shot of being picked up for the state meet.
Florida Relays
Both DeLand and Orange City University high schools had athletes compete in the selective Florida Relays at the University of Florida. Only the top 36 high-school athletes are chosen, which makes for some of the best high-school, college and professional athletes competing.
For DeLand, Kylie Neira took second in the pole vault with a 12-foot-11.50-inch jump, which was less than 4 inches out of first and a foot ahead of third place. Anna Vandell, high jumper for the Bulldogs, took seventh at 5 feet, 1.25 inches, while Connor York hurled the javelin 165 feet, 7 inches, for eighth place.
Hannah Judge, representing University High, ran an 11:16.53 in the 3200 for seventh place.
DeLand High School Athletics
The Lady Bulldog flag-football team inched past Deltona, 26-25, then beat Atlantic, 30-7. The team then lost to Spruce Creek, 40-7, but came back with a 6-0 win over New Smyrna Beach.
The baseball team lost to New Smyrna Beach, 3-1, beat Flagler Palm Coast in the eighth inning, 9-8, and stopped University, 11-3.
The softball team lost to Orlando Innovation, 10-1, to Ocala Forest, 13-0, and to Seminole, 11-0.
In tennis, the boys squad beat Pine Ridge, 7-0, while the girls won 5-2.
The beach-volleyball team defeated Seminole, 4-1, Spruce Creek, 3-2, Creekside, 3-2, and Atlantic, 5-0, while losing to Hagerty, 5-0, and Ponte Vedra, 4-1.
Stetson University baseball/softball
The Stetson University baseball team announces that Ty Van Dyke has been ranked 49th among starting pitchers by DIBaseball.com, and that Jonathan Gonzalez has been ranked 59th among relievers.
The team beat West Georgia, 11-6, with Juan De La Cruz hitting a home run and a triple to account for five RBIs. The team then beat West Georgia, 11-2, with Isaiah Barkett and Jordan Taylor doubling. The Hats then lost to UCF in the fifth inning, 2-0, with the game being called due to lightning.
The squad beat Queens, 7-1, with Lorenzo Meola hitting a homer and triple for three RBIs, while Evan Griffis also homered. The team then went 10 innings to beat Queens, 1-0.
Saturday, April 19, has the team at Queens at 1 p.m., at FSU at 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, and at North Florida Friday-Sunday, April 25-27, with games being at 6:30 p.m., 3 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.
The Lady Hatter softball team beat Queens, 6-2, with Addison Foster, Kami Eppley, Amber Chumley and Devon Weller each hitting a double. The team lost to North Florida, 8-4 and 10-2.
Friday, April 18, sends the team to FGCU at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., and again at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 19. The squad goes to UCF at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, and then to Jacksonville University at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 26, and at 1 p.m. Sunday, April 27.
Stetson University Athletics
The Stetson University men’s cross-country team has signed Nicholas Zamora from Indian Rocks, Jonathan Pena from Westminster Academy, Troy Britton from Fort Myers, and Cory Clayton from Orlando Timber Creek.
Phalatphon Viboonviriyasakul, a member of the Stetson golf team, has been selected to compete in the PGA Works Collegiate Championship, recognized as the most culturally significant championship in college golf. The event will take place Monday-Wednesday, May 5-7, at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin. The individual competition is open to all minority student-athletes competing at the Division I, II, III, NAIA and HJCAA levels, as well as eligible students enrolled in one of the PGA of America’s PGA Golf Management university programs.
The lacrosse team lost to Kennesaw State, 17-14, with Samantha King, Anya Lucia Phillips and Katie Kornacki each getting three goals. The team defeated San Diego State, 15-13, with King and Kaitlin Pani getting four goals each, with Kathleen Nichols adding three. The team lost to Coastal Carolina, 14-7.
The beach-volleyball team beat Central Arkansas, 4-1, and Eastern Kentucky, 5-0, while losing to No. 11 Long Beach, 3-2, and No. 6 Cal Poly, 4-1.
The men’s tennis team beat Lipscomb, 5-2, while the Stetson women won, 4-3.
The Lady Hatter golf team traveled to North Carolina to compete in the Ironwood Invitational, in which they were fifth out of 16 teams. Tulane took first, with Boston University taking second. Stetson’s Julieta Oviedo and Isaki Sakashita tied for 17th.
Friday, April 18, has the rowing teams at the SIRA Regatta in Tennessee. Saturday, April 19, the lacrosse team competes at Lindenwood, and the beach-volleyball players host UCF. Tuesday, April 22, sends the men golfers to the ASUN tournament. Wednesday, April 23, the lacrosse team competes at UCF at 6 p.m.
