Education Bulletin

Local teachers selected for conference

Middle school teachers Dawn Dunham of Maitland Middle School in Maitland; Debra LaFountaine of Celebration School in Celebration; Tatiana McKinney of Trinity Prep in Winter Park; and Kelly Cotton, a high school teacher at Celebration High School in Celebration, are among 60 social studies educators from across the nation selected to attend C-SPAN Classroom's 2016 Educators' Conference in July. The conference provides middle school educators (July 11-12) and high school educators (July 14-15) with the opportunity to explore C-SPAN’s programs and C-SPAN Classroom’s free primary source materials. Attendees discover how to incorporate these resources into their curriculums and create engaged learning experiences for students.

CenterState Bank contributes to Step Up For Students

CenterState Bank, a Florida-based community bank, recently announced a $2,500 contribution to the Step Up For Students Scholarship Program. This is the fourth consecutive year that CenterState Bank has partnered with Step Up For Students, a nonprofit organization that helps administer the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program. The scholarships are funded by corporations that receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for their contribution. Step Up For Students awarded nearly 78,000 scholarships to low-income students for the 2015-16 school year, with tuition scholarships valued up to $5,677 per student. More than 1,600 private schools participated in the scholarship program statewide. Scholars could also choose a $500 scholarship to offset the cost of transportation to an out-of-county public school.

Renowned summer STEM program coming to local elementary school

Camp Invention, the nation’s premier summer enrichment day camp program, supported by the United States Patent and Trademark Office and a product of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, is coming to Audubon Park Elementary the week of July 11. For students entering grades one through six, Camp Invention is a weeklong adventure that will turn the summer from ordinary to extraordinary through hands-on problem solving, using science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Camp Invention provides an opportunity for inventive young minds to exercise their creativity and use their imagination in ways they don’t normally get to in the classroom. Program participants do not realize they are learning and developing new skills as they build prototypes, take things apart, explore different types of technology and so much more.

Maitland resident receives law degree

Mercer University conferred bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees to nearly 2,000 students representing all 12 schools and colleges at five ceremonies during May in Macon, Atlanta and Savannah. Among them was Maitland resident Kathryn Dunnam, who received a Juris Doctor degree from the Walter F. George School of Law. Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The university enrolls more than 8,600 students in 12 schools and colleges.

Local residents make dean’s list

Madeline Doten of Maitland and Allison Powell of Winter Park were among the Furman University students that were included on the dean's list for the 2016 spring semester. Furman's dean's list is composed of full-time undergraduate students who earn a grade point average of 3.4 or higher on a four-point system.

Winter Parker on William & Mary dean’s list

Winter Park resident William Perren Vasquez was recently named to the dean's list at the College of William & Mary for the spring 2016 semester: In order to achieve dean's list status, a full-time degree seeking undergraduate student must take at least 12 credit hours and earn a 3.6 quality point average during the semester. William & Mary is the second oldest institution of higher learning in the United States.

Clark earns environmental studies degree

Morgan Everette Clark of Winter Park was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree from Connecticut College at the 98th commencement ceremony on May 22. Clark majored in environmental studies. The 433 members of Connecticut College's Class of 2016 were addressed by President Katherine Bergeron; New York Times investigative journalist and three-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Rukmini Callimachi; and senior class speaker Mia Haas-Goldberg, an international relations and history double major.

Rouse named to dean’s honor roll at Midwestern State

Midwestern State University recognized 1,046 honor students for the spring 2016 semester. The president's honor roll included 353 students, the provost's honor roll included 302 students and the dean's honor roll included 391 students, including Maitland resident Dominique J. Rouse. A student who completes a semester schedule of at least 12 semester hours in one semester with a grade point average of 3.50 to 3.74 and no grade lower than C will be included on the dean's honor roll.

Bright and Reiman recognized for academic achievement

More than 3,400 Baylor University students were named to the dean's academic honor roll for the 2016 spring semester, including Maitland resident Hamilton K. Bright and Winter Park resident Stephen Jack Reiman. To be named to the dean's list, a student must be an undergraduate with a minimum grade-point average of 3.7, while enrolled in a minimum of 12 semester hours. A private Christian university and a nationally ranked liberal arts institution, Baylor is classified as a research university.

Janos takes home two college degrees

Baylor University conferred degrees on more than 2500 graduates during spring commencement exercises May 13 and 14 in the Ferrell Center on the Baylor campus. Winter Park resident Alexander Steven Janos received two degrees: a bachelor of business administration degree and a master of accountancy degree.

Lyden earns degree from Furman University

Furman University awarded 598 undergraduate and master's degrees and presented its top academic honors during graduation exercises Saturday, May 7. Among the students who walked at graduation was Winter Park resident Hannah Lyden.

Rivera receives psychology degree

Maria Rivera of Winter Park has graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis. Rivera earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology and was one of about 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students who received their diplomas May 22, at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Marquette University is a Catholic, Jesuit university that draws its more than 11,500 students from all 50 states and more than 75 different countries.