Class Notes 06.11.15

+ Whispering Oak celebrates volunteers

Whispering Oak Elementary School celebrated its ADDitions volunteers with a breakfast to thank them for their dedication to the students and school. To date, volunteers have recorded more than 8,000 hours. Those attending included Dr. PatriciaRamsey, Teena Moore-Jenkins, TiffanyStanley, JimHancock, JulieGato, RachelNorris, MargrettGuagliardo, CritinaEllenburg, AngelAndersson, Jaya Verma, NancyDiSalvo, JaneMoore, JenSchrupp, DeeRochon, JenniferMiracle, HaiaMarchani, LisaBarron, LisaCoultoff, DawnViber, JackieFrame, NicoleBerrios, AlaisSalvador, RuthCampbell, BettyRaz and ShaunePoole.

+ OCPS grads receive diplomas and degrees

Nearly 30 graduating seniors from seven Orange County Public Schools have walked across the stage with not only a high school diploma but also an associate’s degree. Orange County Public Schools offers dual enrollment as an acceleration program that allows eligible high-school students to pursue postsecondary coursework at Valencia College while simultaneously earning credit toward high school completion.

Students in the Dual-Enrollment program have the opportunity to enroll in a combination of Advanced Placement courses, which can earn college credit if they pass their exams, and Valencia College courses.

In West Orange County, four students achieved this: Sabrina Loftus, of Ocoee High; and Melody Berlin, Nikita Meyer and Mark Nechayev, all of West Orange High.

+ American Legion recognizes students

The Tommie C. Sanders American Legion Memorial Post 109, in Ocoee, presented fifth-graders at local schools the legion’s School Award Medal for having developed qualities such as courage, honor, leadership, patriotism, scholarship and service. The medal is the highest honor awarded American youth by the American Legion.

Recognition was given to the following:

• Citrus Elementary — Jordan El Ouadi and Olivia Eden; honorable mention went to Alex Figueroa and Bailey Kearns.

• Ocoee Elementary — Anthony Nieves and Kayla Martinek; honorable mention went to Nicholas Clinton and Areni Zendejas.

• Spring Lake Elementary — Ulises Flores and Anandi Downing; honorable mention went to Alex Molina and Ashleigh Owens.

• Thornebrooke Elementary — Ryan Furey and Katelyn Semien; honorable mention went to Cayden Kimball and Juliet Brown.

• Westbrooke Elementary — Evan King and Taylor Zellner; honorable mention went to Sean Lewis and Adrianna Loper.

+ 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 TediKnaak, 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.

Alex Ramos, a Dr. Phillips High School graduate, was accepted into the United States Military Academy at West Point.

U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster attended an acceptance presentation at the school. Present at the ceremony were Ramos’ parents, Carlos and Dolores Ramos; DP Principal Suzanne Knight; guidance counselor Matthew Ireland; and many friends, teachers and coaches. 

As Florida’s 10th District representative, Webster has the privilege of nominating a limited number of young people to the service academies each year. The honor of attending a service academy comes with an obligation and commitment to serve in the military for a minimum of five years upon graduation. 

Earlier this year, Webster congratulated two of his other nominees who were also accepted into West Point: Pierre Groenewald, from Dr. Phillips High School, and Soumya Sreerama, from Olympia High School.

+ Montverde NJHS receives award

Montverde Academy’s middle-school National Junior Honor Society, under the direction of Sara Stelle-Parets, sixth-grade teacher and NJHS adviser, was presented the Outstanding Compassion in a Kids Food Drive Award for 2014 from the Buses n’ Backpacks organization.

The annual philanthropic honor was presented this year to the MVA middle-school NJHS for the foods raised in the 2014 Spring Cereal Drive and the 2014 Fall PB&J Drive. It is estimated that students collected food for nearly 7,000 individual meals for area students in need. The award was accepted by NJHS Vice President Bailey Bates and member Jacob Lewin at the recent 2015 Clermont Pig on the Pond event. 

NJHS will continue its altruistic work with both the Spring Cereal Drive and Fall PB&J Drive.

Students at Holy Family Catholic School shared joy with underprivileged children by making and sending Happy Dolls.

Holy Family and Happy Doll, a nonprofit organization, worked together to send dolls all over the world. Students “adopting” Happy Dolls received a customization kit complete with a blank cloth doll and markers for decorating. Their dolls came to life when students added a face and clothing and, in some cases, an inspirational message. 

Each doll has a tracking number, so students at Holy Family will be able to track where in the world it was sent. Participating students included CJ Goodyear, Simon Cooper, JJ Galloway, Grace King, Taylor Stephens, Christina Daccache and Valeria Quintero.

Students at Lake Whitney Elementary participated in the Bonnie Farms Third-Grade Cabbage Growing contest, and this year’s school winner is Isabelle Baruch, of Winter Garden, the daughter of Tiffany and Daniel Padgett. Her cabbage weighed 13.25 pounds. Isabelle is now entered in the statewide contest and could win a $1,000 college scholarship. Patricia Whiffen is the science teacher.