School News


– compiled by Lauren Salinero – 


Lake Whitney Elementary

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(Front, l. to r.) Jacob Tudge, Julie Reeth, (middle, l. to r.) Luke Swanson, Benjamin Cramer, John Ghanem, (back, l. to r.) Nathan Tudge and Lake Whitney Elementary teacher Stephen Wisdom of the LWES Math Club compete in the MathLeague.org contest. Not pictured: Andrew Brown and Nick Lucas.

Lake Whitney Elementary’s Math Club finished a strong fourth out of 15 schools in the MathLeague.org contest held at Seminole Science Charter School. Fifth-graders Benjamin Cramer and Luke Swanson earned first place and fourth place, respectively, in the individual competition out of 54 children from the same grade. Nick Lucas took third in the individual competition of the third-graders. Other participants included Andrew Brown, John Ghanem, Julie Reeth, and Jacob and Nathan Tudge. The children were led by LWES teacher Stephen Wisdom. Mathleague.org offers a number of services focused on enhancing the quality and quantity of competitive mathematical opportunities available to students. Several sets of elementary tests are released each year and are administered at local and state contests. The league’s philosophy includes a belief that math contests should be a learning experience, and, to that end, students should be exposed to brand-new problems at every contest, be allowed to keep their test questions and completed answer sheets, and be given solutions to all problems at the conclusion of the contest.


Sand Lake Elementary

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(L. to r.) Katherine Lawler, Victoria Harman, Valorie Provenzano, Judy Bransford, Ellen Kaak, Heather Wilson and Donna Roberts from Sand Lake Elementary take the Polar Plunge at Aquatica, SeaWorld’s Waterpark to benefit the Special Olympics.

Staff members from Sand Lake Elementary braved Aquatica, SeaWorld’s Waterpark’s frigid waters to raise money for the Special Olympics during its Polar Plunge. Aquatica is usually warm and tropical, but once each year the wave pool is chilled down to support this great cause. As the rest of the rides are heated, participants and spectators enjoyed the park for the rest of the day. The school contributed more than $2,000 to the team’s efforts. Participating staff members were Judy Bransford, Victoria Harman, Ellen Kaak, Katherine Lawler, Valorie Provenzano, Donna Roberts and Heather Wilson.


 

SunRidge Middle

031716sn04(L. to r.) Natalie Gordon, Zachary Seavey, Paige Collins, Amelia Van Wettering, Max Fairchild, Gabriel Castellanos and Director Stephanie Sadritter of SunRidge Middle perform in the all-county guitar event at Winter Park High.

Six SunRidge Middle students participated in the all-county guitar event of the All-County Concert Series. Gabriel Castellanos, Paige Collins, Max Fairchild, Natalie Gordon, Zachary Seavey and Amelia Van Wettering represented their school with distinction during the all-day rehearsal and concert held at Winter Park High.


Olympia High

031716sn05Willowwood resident and Olympia High history teacher David Lovely is named a Daughters of the American Revolution 2016 Outstanding Teacher of American History.

The Daughters of the American Revolution designated Olympia High history teacher David Lovely of Willowwood as a 2016 outstanding teacher of American history. He was recommended for the distinction by Nick Zambri, assistant principal, and Chris Conrad, social studies department chairwoman. Mr. Zambri praised Mr. Lovely’s love of history and his desire to make history important and relevant to his students. Mrs. Conrad also lauded his teaching techniques. Mr. Lovely has taught at OHS since 2006. His classes have included U.S. history, sociology and anthropology.


 

 

 

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Olympia High seniors (l. to r.) Alexander Esperanza, Deesha Desai, Samantha Sexton and Ayshna Desai are finalists in the 2016 competition for National Merit scholarships.

Guy Swenson, principal of Olympia High, announced that the school has four finalists in the 2016 National Merit scholarships competition. One finalist in a school is an achievement, but to have four is truly noteworthy. The OHS family, as well as the entire Orange County Public Schools community, commends the tremendous efforts put forth by seniors Ayshna and Deesha Desai, Alexander Esperanza and Samantha Sexton.


Et Al

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Samson and Vanessa Crawford attend Holy Family Catholic School’s masquerade-themed fundraising auction.

Holy Family Catholic School held its 19th annual fundraising auction at Rosen Shingle Creek to benefit the addition of a STEM — Science, Technology, Engineering and Math — lab at the school. The remodeling of the science room will allow more hands-on experience and incorporate cutting-edge technology with new smart boards and other high-tech equipment. Attendees of the masquerade-themed event had the opportunity to bid on more than 300 items, including international vacations, sports memorabilia, class art, dining certificates and more. The night’s proceeds exceeded its fundraising goal.

“We are grateful to our parents, parishioners and families who came to help support our school and to help offset the cost of our new science STEM lab to be installed by next year,” said Sister Dorothy Sayers, principal.


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Premier Academy students (l. to r.) Wyatt Brown, Darius Patel, Giovanni Fernandez, Thea Ruggieri, Charlotte Beucher, Saniya Ahmad, Hudson Allen and J. Luca Capone create air balloons in their pre-K4 class.

During transportation week, Premier Academy’s pre-K4 students learned about different modes of transportation. One of the most exciting lessons was about transportation by air. The children, including Saniya Ahmad, Hudson Allen, Charlotte Beucher, Wyatt Brown, J. Luca Capone, Giovanni Fernandez, Darius Patel and Thea Ruggieri, even made their own air balloons.


Several Orange County Public Schools middle and high school students were recognized as Mayor’s Youth Humanitarians by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and the City of Orlando Mayor’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission during a special ceremony at Epcot World Showplace Pavilion. For 17 years, the City of Orlando Mayor’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission has bestowed the Mayor’s Youth Humanitarian Award on outstanding community youth who exemplify the ideals embraced by Dr. King. Recipients from Southwest-area schools included Mia Marie Vazquez, Bridgewater Middle; Raven Bond, Chain of Lakes Middle; Paige Bryant, Gotha Middle; Brittany Hart, Ocoee Middle; Max Fishman, Southwest Middle; Tyler Jones, SunRidge Middle; Riya Naik, Windy Ridge School; Kaylah Riley, Dr. Phillips High; Ashley Shaw, Ocoee High; Naja Torrance, Olympia High; and Kristen McKenney, West Orange High.


 

031716sn09David Goldstein, DMD, (back, second from right), of Simply Kids Dentistry visits Christ The King Lutheran PreSchool to teach the children about the importance of brushing and flossing their teeth.

 The children of Christ The King Lutheran PreSchool received a special visitor to their classroom. David Goldstein, DMD, of Simply Kids Dentistry explained the importance of dental care to the students, including brushing and flossing their teeth.


 

031716sn10(L. to r.) Nora Goote, Tristan AndersonWestlake, Brooklyn Wolfe and Nathan Collins of Cranium Academy complete a jump-rope challenge as part of American Heart Association’s Jump Rope for Heart education and fundraising event.

Cranium Academy’s elementary students jumped at the opportunity to participate in Jump Rope For Heart, a jump-rope challenge with other heart-healthy activities. The youngsters learned to improve their health while also raising more than $5,000 for the American Heart Association, surpassing all of their goals.


Although we try to ensure that all information presented above is the most current, correct and dependable available, we do rely on others for the source of our news. Therefore, the Southwest Orlando Bulletin and Kearney Publishing Corp. cannot be held responsible for the validity of the information presented here, nor does mentioning it constitute an endorsement. School News is welcome and may be mailed to P.O. Box 851, Windermere, FL  34786; or emailed to Lauren@kearneypublishing.com. ?