Class Notes 06.04.15

+ Schools earn Applause Awards

The Dr. Phillips Center Florida Hospital School of Arts & Wellness will recognize the 2014-15 recipients of its annual Applause Awards with 21 schools from six Central Florida counties. Four schools in the West Orange Times & Observer’s coverage area are among the recipients.

The Dr. Phillips Center Florida Hospital School of Arts & Wellness Applause Awards celebrates the achievements of area high school teachers and students involved in musical theater. The awards ceremony is at 6 p.m. June 7 at the Walt Disney Theater of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Dr. Phillips Center Box Office at (844) 513-2014 or by visiting drphillipscenter.org.

Schools register to have their musical theater production reviewed by a qualified team of adjudicators who provide directors with valuable feedback. During the spring of each review period the Dr. Phillips Center hosts an awards showcase to recognize the outstanding achievements of high school musical theater productions and students. Modeled after the Tony Awards, the showcase features outstanding performances from participating high schools. 

The 2014-15 Applause Award recipients and their musicals include:

• Outstanding Ensemble — Dr. Phillips High, “The Drowsy Chaperone” (Broadway); and West Orange High, “Peter Pan”

• Outstanding Orchestra — Dr. Phillips, “The Drowsy Chaperone” (Broadway)

• Outstanding Technical Achievement — Montverde Academy, “Beauty and the Beast,” and West Orange, “Peter Pan”

• Outstanding Male Performer in a Leading Role — Jake Labrador, Montverde Academy, as Gaston in “Beauty and the Beast”

• Outstanding Female Performer in a Leading Role — Kendall Meyer, West Orange, as Peter Pan in “Peter Pan”

• Outstanding Male Performer in a Supporting Role — Juan Valeriano, Dr. Phillips, as Aldolpho in “The Drowsy Chaperone” (West End); Alexander LaPlante, Montverde Academy, as Lumiere in “Beauty and the Beast,” and Isaiah Rothstein, West Orange, as Smee in “Peter Pan”

• Outstanding Female Performer in a Supporting Role — Maddy Montz, Dr. Phillips, as Kitty in “The Drowsy Chaperone” (Broadway)

• Outstanding Dancer — Kassidy Weideman, West Orange, “Peter Pan”

• Honorable Mention Performance — Juan Ayala, Dr. Phillips, as Gangster 2 in “The Drowsy Chaperone” (Broadway); Gabriel Sementari, Montverde Academy, as Baker & Flatware in “Beauty and the Beast,” and Dove Haas, Windermere Prep, as Crystal in “Little Shop of Horrors”

• Outstanding Director — Benjamin D. Rush, West Orange, “Peter Pan”

• Outstanding Musical Director — Nicole Nasrallah, Dr. Phillips, “The Drowsy Chaperone”

• Outstanding Choreography — Emily Cordell, Dr. Phillips, “The Drowsy Chaperone,” and Tara Whitman, West Orange, “Peter Pan”

• Outstanding Stage Management — Nick Composto and Harry Vaughn, Montverde Academy, “Beauty and the Beast,” and Alex Crosby, West Orange, “Peter Pan”

• Outstanding Overall Design — Kenneth Rush, West Orange, “Peter Pan”

• Outstanding Set Design — Gary Castler, Montverde Academy, “Beauty and the Beast,” and Benjamin D. Rush, West Orange, “Peter Pan”

• Outstanding Lighting Design — Kathy Wiebe LaPlante Montverde Academy, “Beauty and the Beast,” and Benjamin D. Rush, West Orange, “Peter Pan”

• Outstanding Costume Design — Liz Hale and Tramaine Gray, Dr. Phillips, “The Drowsy Chaperone,” and Kenneth Rush, West Orange, “Peter Pan.”

+ Register children for Head Start

Open enrollment continues for the Orange County Head Start program, a free, comprehensive early childhood development program for children ages 3 to 5. In West Orange County, Head Start is offered at Maxey Elementary School, 1100 E. Maple St., Winter Garden.

Head Start services include a nationally recognized curriculum, field trips and activities, extended hours, speech and hearing screenings, individualized teaching, disability services, parent engagement, family development, health services, meals and snacks, a full-day full-year program and Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten.

Parents must make an appointment and take these items to registration: child’s original birth certificate or passport, proof of household income for the past 12 months, proof of residency and parent’s or guardian’s photo identification.

For more information, call Kathy Millsap at (407) 254-1979.

+ Students finish college careers

Elise Randee Marielle Clyburn, of Winter Garden, received her master’s degree in arts from Shorter University in Rome, Georgia.

Nancy Davis, of Windermere, graduated with an MBA from Nichols College, in Dudley, Massachusetts.

Sarah Farris and William Ziegler, both of Orlando, have graduated from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Farris received her master’s degree in education, and Ziegler earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.

Tori Brown, of Windermere, graduated from Brenau University with a bachelor’s degree. Brenau is in Gainesville, Georgia.

Blair Raleigh Ray and Chelsea Kaori Uranaka, both of Windermere, graduated from Clemson University, in Clemson, South Carolina. Ray earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing, and Uranaka earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

Giana Emanuele, of Gotha, received a bachelor’s degree in fashion merchandising from Marist College. Marist is a liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York.

Marcus LeAndre Isom, of Winter Garden, earned a bachelor’s degree in government with a minor in business and a concentration in political thought from Wofford College. He is the son of Laquanda Carter, of Winter Garden. Wofford is in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

+ Area students earn honors, awards

Spencer T. Peterson, a home-schooled student in Winter Garden, has earned a National Merit University of Utah Scholarship. He plans to major in biomedical engineering.

Wofford College senior Marcus L. Isom II was recognized during Honors Day ceremonies when he received the Eric L. Marshall 2007 AMS Legacy Award. The award is given to a black senior who emulates Marshall in leadership, sincerity, pure servant’s heart, trustworthiness, honesty, citizenship and love for humankind. Isom, of Winter Garden and the son of Laquanda Carter, is majoring in government and business. Wofford is in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Katia Berger, of Windermere, was recognized for a prize-winning submission to the 2015 Randolph-Macon Academy Literary Magazine Competition. She won first prize in the poetry category. She is the daughter of Robert and Kathryn Berger, of Windermere.

Nikki Bhavsar, of Windermere, was initiated into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Bhavsar is pursuing a degree in political science at Florida State University.

+ West Orange-area students shine

Justin Carter Butler, of Ocoee, was named to the dean’s list for the fall and spring semesters at Florida State University, finishing his freshman year with a 3.717 GPA. He is studying in the theater program. He is the son of Julie Jackson Butler and the late Drew Butler, of Ocoee; and the grandson of Joyce and Larry McWilliams, of Winter Garden, and the late Charles and Carolyn Butler, of Ocoee.

Allison Couch, of Winter Garden, was named to the dean’s list for the fall and spring semesters at Florida State University, finishing her freshman year with a 3.76 GPA. She is an ICT major and is involved in the WVFS 89.7 FM radio station and the last word, an independent media outlet.

Haile-Montana Di Tieri, of Winter Garden, and Tedi Knaak, of Orlando, were named to the dean’s list at Belmont University for the spring semester. Belmont is located in Nashville.

Angerene Mitchell-Matthews, of Winter Garden, was named to the Graceland University president’s list for the spring semester. Graceland is in Lamoni, Iowa.

+ YMCA receives $25,000 grant  

The YMCA of Central Florida Teen Achievers, a program focused on inspiring teens from low-income communities to pursue post-secondary degrees and certifications, has received a $25,000 grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation to help prepare youth for higher education and future employment opportunities.

 “We truly appreciate the Bank of America Charitable Foundation for their donation to the YMCA Teen Achievers program,” said Mina Ford, Y Teen Achievers executive director. “With their support, we will not only be able to reach more Central Florida students, many of whom will be first-generation college students, but we will also be able to expose them to career opportunities in the banking industry and highlight the importance of financial literacy.”

The program is currently available at eight schools, including West Orange High School.

The award, part of Bank of America’s Workforce Development and Education initiative, is one of 11 grants issued this year to Central Florida nonprofits to help connect the unemployed, underemployed, homeless, youth and individuals with disabilities to training and employment opportunities.

Launched in 1999, the YMCA Teen Achievers Program is a college preparatory and career awareness program, designed to increase college enrollment among disadvantaged youth. It pairs minority high school youth with successful adult achievers who, through volunteer service, serve as mentors and role models providing educational, cultural and career guidance. The program also offers mentoring and tutoring sessions on weekday afternoons with adult volunteer leaders — including Bank of America employees — to explore and learn about various career fields and opportunities.