Community Bulletin

NFL coach comes home

Mike Kruczek has been appointed head varsity football coach at Trinity Preparatory School, replacing Drew Nemec, who remains at the school as assistant athletic director. Coach Kruczek was an All-American quarterback at Boston College, played for five years in the National Football League and coached at Florida State University for two years under Bobby Bowden and the University of Central Florida for 19 years as quarterback coach, offensive coordinator and head coach. Kruczek also served as the offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL.

Valentine Tree raises money

Gulf States Credit Union once again joins forces with Maitland Public Library, this time to bring the dream of a Tween / Teen Reading Area to life for Maitland Public Library patrons. Last year, Gulf States Credit Union matched funds raised in the 2012 Valentine Tree to bring four computers and software for the toddler/preschooler and youth area of the library. The promotion this year, called the 2013 Valentine Tree, is an annual event, and lasts all of February. Donations are gladly accepted at the Circulation Desk of Maitland Public Library and are tax deductible.

Player of the week

After leading the Bearcats to a pair of victories and holding pace atop the Presidents’ Athletic Conference standings, Saint Vincent junior guard Isaac Turner has earned PAC men’s basketball Player of the Week honors. A native of Winter Park and a graduate of Winter Park High School, Turner averaged 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals as SVC went 2-0 in a pair of league games in the last week of January.

Higher learners

Alexander St. Laurent of Winter Park, a member of the class of 2013 at Washington and Lee University, has earned dean’s list status for the recently ended Fall 2012 term. Dean’s list status at Washington and Lee represents a term grade-average of at least 3.4 on a 4.0 scale.

Noah Piard, a resident of Winter Park, was among more than 80 from Tennessee Wesleyan College in Athens, Tenn., to be included in the NHonors list for the Fall 2012 semester.

Blake Habicht of Maitland was among more than 1,900 students from Wake Forest University who made the Fall 2012 Dean’s List.

Winter Park resident Ellen Kimbrough, graduated with a bachelor of social work degree from James Madison University during the December 2012 commencement exercises.

One big food truck

With one in five children in America not knowing when they will eat their next meal, Winn-Dixie presented a check to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida on Jan. 30 representing 34,830 pounds of food for communities they serve. The combined donation by the grocer, its customers and vendors is enough to feed more than 29,000 Central Florida neighbors in need through the Winn-Dixie Hunger Relief program.

Corridor cleanup

Construction continues along the center divide of Fairbanks Avenue in Winter Park, with a water lift station installed underneath the road at the end of January.

Arena Bowl comes to O-town

The Arena Football League’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to award ArenaBowl XXVI to Orlando. The ArenaBowl is the AFL’s annual Championship game pitting the winner of the American Conference versus the winner of the National Conference and will air live on CBS. ArenaBowl XXVI will be held at The Amway Center in Orlando Aug. 17 at 1 p.m.

Laughter and lemonade

Finding the funny when life is no laughing matter … “Laughing in the Face of Lemons” is a humorous, tongue-in-cheek book written by Maitland author Pam Ruben, founder of Peppery Press, with sponsorship from Vitas Innovative Hospice. As the book “unpeels,” Ruben regales the trials and tribulations of being a mother, daughter and wife.