Windy Hill Middle finalist captures Rookie Teacher of the Year honors

Laura Fagan, an eighth grade social studies teacher from Windy Hill Middle School, took the title of 2015 Rookie Teacher of the Year for Lake County Schools at last month’s Award Ceremony at Lake-Sumter State College.

“I want to share this recognition with you all,” Fagan said to her fellow Rookie Teacher of the Year nominees. “This award could be justified going home with any one of you, and I believe that is something to celebrate.”

The two other finalists for the annual award were Cynthia Murray, a kindergarten teacher at Eustis Heights Elementary, and Lindsey Massaro, a band teacher at Umatilla Middle. The Rookie Teachers of the Year Celebration was hosted by the Educational Foundation of Lake County and presented by Ernie Morris Enterprises and HON.

The finalists were selected based upon a panel of judges’ review of their application. To be eligible for the award, teachers must have three years of experience or less. The final selection was announced after another panel of judges conducted on-site interviews and observed the three finalists in the classroom.

“It is an honor to have Mrs. Fagan recognized as the Rookie Teacher of the Year,” said Amy Cockcroft, Principal at Windy Hill Middle. “She has an amazing ability to bring her content to life, while getting her students to reach high standards and all while having fun.”

Fagan is in her second year teaching at Windy Hill Middle. She believes, “If asked, students would say my class is fun. But, I would argue that it is something else. What my students don’t know is that there is a difference between fun and novelty. The novelty of the history is what makes it fun and exciting. I am thrilled to find my students captivated by history.”

Nominees for Rookie Teacher of the Year from each school were recognized at the event, including:

• Carissa Kase, Astatula Elementary
• Kelly Messer, Beverly Shores Elementary
• Gregory Chavis, Carver Middle
• Heather Fern, Clermont Elementary
• Howard Gowan, Clermont Middle
• Joseph E. Davidson, Cypress Ridge Elementary
• Christopher Eck, East Ridge High
• Tanci Levit, East Ridge Middle
• Angela Kirkpatrick, Eustis Elementary
• Cynthia Murray, Eustis Heights Elementary
• Nicole Marie Austin, Eustis High
• Rebecca Collins, Eustis Middle
• Jeanne Villegas, Fruitland Park Elementary
• Dana Colangelo, Grassy Lake Elementary
• Cari Urankar, Gray Middle
• Micaella Glenn, Groveland Elementary
• Jordan Bombard, Lake Hills
• Charles P. Durante, Lake Technical Center
• Courtney Welch, Leesburg Elementary
• Nicole DeLuca, Leesburg High
• Kacy Wolfe, Lost Lake Elementary
• Jodi Cousins, Mascotte Charter Elementary
• Luis Robles, Minneola Charter Elementary
• Ben Bullock, Mount Dora High
• Logan Steuben, Mount Dora Middle
• Christina Fulton, Oak Park Middle
• Patricia Franklin, Pine Ridge Elementary
• Stephanie Fishel, Rimes Early Learning Center
• Kathleen Chestnut, Round Lake Charter Elementary
• John Joseph Ardizone, Sawgrass Bay Elementary
• Amanda Gibson, Seminole Seminoles Elementary
• Eric Calabrese, South Lake High
• Christina Faryna, Spring Creek Charter
• Cortney Smathers, Tavares Elementary
• Nikki Sauerbrey, Tavares High
• Victoria Warnet, Tavares Middle
• Wendy Charles, Treadway Elementary
• Dongmi Donnini, Triangle Elementary
• Ashlee Raczkowski, Umatilla Elementary
• Jennifer Rausch, Umatilla High
• Lindsey Massaro, Umatilla Middle
• Lisa Deffenbaugh, Villages Elementary
• Laura Fagan, Windy Hill Middle

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Round Lake Elem. teacher selected as Lake County Schools’ Teacher of the Year

An evening to celebrate the outstanding teachers of Lake County and an opportunity to congratulate the newest Teacher of the Year brought hundreds of guests to Lake Receptions in Mount Dora.

The Teacher of the Year Celebration, presented by the Educational Foundation of Lake County, recognized 47 teachers from schools in Lake County that were nominated by their peers to represent their respective schools. From the nominees, a panel of six judges graded the teachers’ applications to narrow the list to three finalists: Keith Hyndshaw from Leesburg High, Tiffany Scott from Mount Dora Middle and Rachel Adams from Round Lake Elementary Conversion Charter. Three judges conducted a site interview with the finalists before arriving at the final choice.

The celebration included a host of speakers, including Jerry Miller from Duke Energy and Lake County School Board Members Rosanne Brandeburg, Kyleen Fischer and Debbie Stivender. The emcee for the evening was State Sen. Alan Hays. The keynote speaker for the event was Dorina Sackman, 2014 State of Florida Teacher of the Year.

As anticipation grew for the final selection to be announced, Lake County Schools Superintendent Dr. Susan Moxley and 2013-2014 Teacher of the Year Noris Aguayo from Groveland Elementary and Academic Services helped set the stage with inspirational messages to teachers. Dr. Moxley opened the envelope to reveal Adams’ selection. Shortly after the announcement, Kimberly Jarvis, Principal of Groveland Elementary, transferred the Teacher of the Year Trophy to Linda Bartberger, Principal at Round Lake Elementary.

Adams has five years of teaching experience, including the last year as the fourth grade teacher at Round Lake Elementary Conversion Charter.

The other Teachers of the Year recognized at the event include:

• Matt Burris, Astatula Elementary
• Karen Zachar, Beverly Shores Elementary
• Linda Wright, Carver Middle
• Jennifer Lykins, Clermont Elementary
• Nethia McConnell, Clermont Middle
• Stacey M. Taylor, Cypress Ridge Elementary
• Betty Howard, East Ridge High
• Cheryl Manganiello, East Ridge Middle
• Kristy Beach, Eustis Elementary
• Damian Bardoni, Eustis Heights Elementary
• Jessica Dawn Mariany, Eustis High
• Roberta Schneck, Eustis Middle
• Ellen Miller, Fruitland Park Elementary
• James Neiford, Grassy Lake Elementary
• Chelsey Gismonde, Gray Middle
• Amy Tarquine, Groveland Elementary
• John Wall, Humanities and Fine Arts Charter
• Carolyn Mendez, Lake County Virtual School
• Gina M. Hay, Lake Hills School
• Stephanie Dunlap, Lake Minneola High
• Beth L. Thornton, Lake Technical Center
• Jessica Hunter, Leesburg Elementary
• Sue Reid, Lost Lake Elementary
• Wendi Newman, Mascotte Charter Elementary
• Natalie Dyer, Minneola Charter Elementary
• Billye Kozlowski, Mount Dora High
• Andrea Smith, Oak Park Middle
• Kristin O’Hara, Pine Ridge Elementary
• Theresa Daugherty, Rimes Early Learning & Literacy Center
• Imali Kent, Sawgrass Bay Elementary
• Edwin Anderson, Seminole Springs Elementary
• Jennifer Hurley, Sorrento Elementary
• John Hebert, South Lake High
• Kelly Ferrie, Spring Creek Elementary Charter
• Terri Reynolds, Tavares Elementary
• Debbie Ziebart, Tavares High
• Thomas Valenta, Tavares Middle
• JulieAnn Feezor, Treadway Elementary
• Whitney Frazier, Triangle Elementary
• Wendy Clark, Umatilla Elementary
• Jaime Adkins, Umatilla High
• Kerry McLaughlin, Umatilla Middle
• Tatyana Baty, Villages Elementary
• Laura Lindsay-Zahn, Windy Hill Middle

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Kindergartners at Pine Ridge Elementary reach for the stars during space week

Kindergarteners at Pine Ridge Elementary went “to infinity and beyond” to explore the galaxy during their space week at the beginning of February.

Kelly Billon, a space marketing representative for Boeing, helped jump start this exciting week by being a special guest speaker. Billon has had the opportunity to participate in speaking engagements at NASA and has hosted question-and-answer sessions for young learners wanting to know more about space.

She was able to put on a fantastic presentation for the kindergarteners which included captivating space imagery that was taken by NASA, information about the International Space Station (ISS) and what its purpose is, and facts about the new technology and advancements that NASA and the ISS are making.

“Ms. Billon’s enthusiasm and passion for space travel helped to spark student curiosity and provided them with many key details about space,” said Brittany Bohres, Kindergarten Teacher at Pine Ridge Elementary. “The Pine Ridge Elementary School’s kindergarten grade level had a blast soaring to new heights within our cooperative space week and with our spectacular guest speaker.”

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Honor society students at Pine Ridge Elem. donate gifts

National Elementary Honor Society (NEHS) students at Pine Ridge Elementary collected toys this past week for families in need.

The students collected and wrapped more than 100 gifts. The students are doing their very best to help support the local community and their peers at Pine Ridge Elementary. So far this year this group of students has served veterans refreshments after their performance and collected gifts for underprivileged children. They plan to do a pet food drive for local animal shelters as well as collect items for the children at Arnold Palmer.

“We are very proud of what the students have accomplished so far to service our community and school,” said Sarah Kummet, NEHS adviser at Pine Ridge Elementary.

The NEHS is a student organization designed to recognize outstanding elementary students who demonstrate excellence in scholarship and responsibility. Chapters of NEHS work to develop leadership and promote service to the school and community for their members.

If there is anyone that would like to help with donations for future projects, contact Kummet at Kummets@lake.k12.fl.us.

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Sponsors sought for annual STEM Bowl competition for Lake County students

The Academic Services Unit at Lake County Schools is seeking sponsors for the Fourth Annual STEM Bowl on Feb. 12-14.

The winning fifth grade team for the 2012 STEM Bowl team was from Fruitland Park Elementary.

Lake County Schools’ STEM Bowl has earned accolades from the community and School District leadership for raising the bar of Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) knowledge in elementary school students. The STEM Bowl will be hosted at Lake Receptions in Mount Dora as the facility adequately accommodates the hundreds of family members, community supporters and school staff that attend to cheer on their favorite elementary school team.

The success of STEM Bowl is due to the partnership from sponsors. Sponsors help to fund trophies and participation awards for the teams, snacks for participants and facility rental. Businesses, organizations or individuals that are interested in sponsoring the Fourth Annual STEM Bowl are encouraged to contact Andrea Steenken, Program Specialist for Academic Services, at (352) 253-6872.

Students from two dozen Lake County elementary schools will participate in a friendly academic competition at Lake County Schools’ Fourth Annual STEM Bowl scheduled for Feb 12-14. On Feb. 12, third graders will compete and on the next day fourth grade teams will enter the STEM Bowl. Fifth graders will close the three days of competition on Feb. 14. Each competition will be held from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.

One of the primary purposes of the STEM Bowl competition is to foster collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving in elementary school students. Teams are given five minutes to solve a problem and each team receives 10 questions. If a team solves the problem in the first minute they get 10 points. If the team solves the problem in the second minute it is worth seven points, and each minute that passes fewer points are available. The students also participate in a culminating design task, in which students apply mathematical and scientific principles.

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Ed. Foundation announces individual school teachers of the year

Forty-seven of the best teachers in Lake County have been named Teacher of the Year for their individual schools.

Over the next month they will be preparing a comprehensive packet designed by the Florida Department of Education. This packet will be scored by six judges and the three teachers with the highest scores will be named finalists.

A new team of judges from out of county will make site observations and conduct interviews to select the 2015 Lake County Teacher of the Year. The winner will be announced on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014, at the Teacher of the Year Celebration at Lake Receptions, located at 4425 N. Highway 19A in Mount Dora.

Please join the Educational Foundation of Lake County in congratulating the following nominees.

•   Matt Burris, Astatula Elementary
•   Karen Zachar, Beverly Shores Elementary
•   Linda Wright, Carver Middle
•   Jennifer Lykins, Clermont Elementary
•   Nethia McConnell, Clermont Middle
•   Stacey M. Taylor, Cypress Ridge Elementary
•   Betty Howard, East Ridge High
•   Cheryl Manganiello, East Ridge Middle
•   Kristy Beach, Eustis Elementary
•   Damian Bardoni, Eustis Heights Elementary
•   Jessica Dawn Mariany, Eustis High
•   Roberta Schneck, Eustis Middle
•   Ellen Miller, Fruitland Park Elementary
•   James Neiford, Grassy Lake Elementary
•   Chelsey Gismonde, Gray Middle School
•   Amy Tarquine, Groveland Elementary
•   John Wall, Humanities of Fine Arts Charter
•   Gina M. Hay, Lake Hills
•   Stephanie Dunlap, Lake Minneola High
•   Beth L. Thornton, Lake Technical Center
•   Carolyn Mendez, Lake County Virtual
•   Jessica Hunter, Leesburg Elementary
•   Keith Hyndshaw, Leesburg High
•   Sue Reid, Lost Lake Elementary
•   Wendi Newman, Mascotte Charter Elementary
•   Natalie Dyer, Minneola Charter Elementary
•   Billye Kozlowski, Mount Dora High
•   Tiffany Scott, Mount Dora Middle
•   Andrea Smith, Oak Park Middle
•   Kristin O’Hara, Pine Ridge Elementary
•   Theresa Daugherty, Rimes Early Learning Center
•   Rachael Adams, Round Lake Charter Elementary
•   Imali Kent, Sawgrass Bay Elementary
•   Edwin Anderson, Seminole Springs Elementary
•   Jennifer Hurley, Sorrento Elementary
•   John Hebert, South Lake High
•   Kelly Ferrie, Spring Creek Charter
•   Terri Reynolds, Tavares Elementary
•   Debbie Ziebart, Tavares High
•   Thomas Valenta, Tavares Middle
•   JulieAnn Feezor, Treadway Elementary
•   Whitney Frazier, Triangle Elementary
•   Wendy Clark, Umatilla Elementary
•   Jaime Adkins, Umatilla High
•   Kerry McLaughlin, Umatilla Middle
•   Tatyana Baty, Villages Elementary
•   Laurie Lindsay-Zahn, Windy Hill Middle

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Pine Ridge Elem. celebrates its 10th birthday

Hundreds of teachers, parents, students and community members came together on Nov. 15 to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the opening of Pine Ridge Elementary School, located at 10245 County Road 561, Clermont.

Each with their personal teddy bear in tow, students, parents and faculty all celebrated this special day as they do every birthday year at Pine Ridge; with their annual Teddy Bear Picnic.

The tradition of the picnic was initialed by the school’s original Principal, Cindy Kinat. The tradition has held true for 10 years, allowing parents to come and have a picnic lunch with their children on the grounds of the campus. The school mascot is a bear, hence the teddy bears.

“Miss Kinat loved the idea of incorporating the teddy bears because she was intrigued with their being named after President Teddy Roosevelt,” said Jennifer Stelly, a teacher at Pine Ridge Elementary.

The school’s birthday has brought about many nostalgic and sentimental thoughts for many of its original 24 staff members. Many have had their own children grow-up and come through Pine Ridge Elementary. Others transferred over from the sister school to Pine Ridge, Lost Lake, with Kinat.

“I am so proud of our school — as an administrator and as a mom,” said Stephanie Mayuski, Principal at Pine Ridge Elementary. “I value the education you have given my personal children and my Pine Ridge Elementary children. Great things happen here every day!”

The following are some sentiments from a few of the original 24 staff members at Pine Ridge Elementary:

“The last 10 years have been an adventure and I am so blessed to have been part of the past and look forward to the future. Pine Ridge is my heart and I will always be a Bear,” said Amy Lowry, Teacher

Teacher Tammy Cripe added, “It is a very unique and wonderful place to be and work. When Miss Kinat hired me I told her this would be my second home and it is. I sincerely enjoy working with such a great group of people including coworkers, parents, students and school supporters.”

Teacher Rhina McManus said, “We have learned from each other and are getting old together. We have been thru happy times and sad times. That’s a family to me. Happy Birthday Pine Ridge! And many more….”

Former Pine Ridge Elementary principal Amy Cockcroft said, “Pine Ridge is an outstanding school where everyone comes together as a family to make sure all students achieve. High expectations for learning are set while providing fun, engaging academic activities. They have wonderful traditions that students will remember for a lifetime.”

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Nine elementary schools impacted by School Board decision to reinstate some courtesy bus routes

* A previous version of this release misidentified one school as meeting the
requirements as approved by the Board.

A Lake County School Board decision to reinstate School District-provided transportation to some elementary school students within the 2-mile Parent Responsibility Zone (PRZ) will affect nine schools.

The School Board approved a measure at its meeting on Sept. 9 to restore bus service for about 360 elementary students who are choosing to walk to school and must cross a six-lane roadway or a roadway with a posted speed limit of greater than 55 mph. Transportation services will be available on Monday, Sept. 16, for students in the following affected areas:

BEVERLY SHORES ELEMENTARY — Students residing west of U.S. Highway 441/27. Four bus stops added to routes at: Tally Box Road & Woodland Park neighborhood; Tally Box Road & Car Lot; Simmons Street & Tuskegee Street; and Griffin Road & Pamela Street. More info: 352-728-2561.

FRUITLAND PARK ELEMENTARY — Students residing east of U.S. Highway 27. Two bus stops added to routes at: Skycrest Boulevard and Grays Airport Road; and Register Road and Water Oaks Drive. More info: 352-728-2561.

LOST LAKE ELEMENTARY — Students residing west of U.S. Highway 27. Four bus stops added to routes at: Roper Boulevard and Pinyon Drive; Roper Boulevard and Copperleaf Way; Roper Boulevard and Caspian Lane; and Roper Boulevard and Foxglove Drive. More info: 352-536-8089.

PINE RIDGE ELEMENTARY — Students residing east of County Road 561. Ten bus stops added to routes at: Lake Clair Place and CR 561; Summit Lake Lane and CR 561; Lake Hill Drive and CR 561; Lakeshore Drive and Crescent Bay Boulevard; Log House Road at Windscape neighborhood; Oswalt Road and Regal Drive; Oswalt Road and Pineloch Loop; Lakeshore Drive and Cherith Lane; Lakeshore Drive and Beverly Drive. More info: 352-429-2095.

SEMINOLE SPRINGS ELEMENTARY — Students residing south of State Road 44. One stop added to State Road 44. More info: 352-589-9993 or 352-357-3697.

TAVARES ELEMENTARY — Students residing north of U.S. Highway 441. Four bus stops added to routes at: Palm Way at Azalea; New Hampshire Avenue and First Street; Orange Avenue and Nelson Street; and Ann Rou Road at Etowah Park Boulevard. More info: 352-253-6853.

TRIANGLE ELEMENTARY — Students residing north of U.S. Highway 441. Three bus stops added to routes at: East Crooked Lake Road and East Lake Crooked Boulevard; Old Mount Dora Road and Colfax Street; Old Mount Dora Road and Lake Louise Drive. More info: 352-589-9993 or 352-357-3697.

UMATILLA ELEMENTARY — Students residing in northeast quadrant of PRZ east of State Road 19. Two bus stops added to routes at: Baker Road and Roger Giles Road; and Fletcher Road and Glendale Avenue. More info: 352-589-9993 or 352-357-3697.

VILLAGES ELEMENTARY — Students residing north of U.S. Highway 441/27. Two stops added to routes at: Griffin Avenue; and Highway 25 at Quarters Apartments. More info: 352-728-2561.

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5-star Lake schools shine bright for community involvement

Lake County Schools nearly doubled its number of schools designated as Five Star Schools by the Florida Department of Education for 2013 as Carman Cullen-Batt, Executive Director of the Educational Foundation of Lake County, presented the 13 recipients at the Aug. 26 meeting of the Lake County School Board.

Easily eclipsing last year’s mark of seven Five-Star winners, school administrators from 13 schools were on hand to receive the prestigious Five Star Award, which honors schools that have excelled with community involvement:

• Carver Middle, Principal Mollie Cunningham
• Clermont Elementary, Principal Cleamstine Caple
• Fruitland Park Elementary, Principal Dr. Melissa DeJarlais
• Grassy Lake Elementary, Principal Doreathe Cole
• Groveland Elementary, Principal Kimberly Sneed Jarvis
• Lost Lake Elementary, Principal Rhonda Hunt
• Pine Ridge Elementary, Principal Stephanie Mayuski
• Sawgrass Bay Elementary, Principal Dr. Julio Valle
• Seminole Springs Elementary, Principal Leah Fischer
• Sorrento Elementary, Principal Susan Pegram
• Tavares Elementary, Principal Letizia Haugabrook
• Treadway Elementary, Principal Dr. Rhonda Boone
• Triangle Elementary, Principal Kathy Billar

The Five Star School Award was created by the Commissioner of Education’s Community Involvement Council and is presented annually to those schools that have shown evidence of exemplary community involvement. In order to earn Five Star School recognition, a school must show documentation that it has achieved 100 percent of the established criteria in the categories of:

• A school must have double the number of volunteer hours compared to the number of students enrolled;
• Achieve 100 percent of the criteria in each of the five categories of Business Partnerships, Family Involvement, Volunteers, Student Community Service and School Advisory Councils, as defined by the Florida Department of Education;
• Have a school grade of “C” or above; and
• Also have a portfolio that documents the achievement of each criterion.

“Congratulations to all of our schools for receiving this award and we appreciate all your efforts,” said Dr. Susan Moxley, Superintendent of Lake County Schools.

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School District, Educational Foundation introduce online academic program to help with homework and test prep

Lake County Schools, in cooperation with the Educational Foundation of Lake County, is excited to offer students, parents and teachers access to a new online academic resource, InSync Education.

Parents and students can get started using the online resource by logging onto www.insyncedu.com/insync/lake and confirming the district code of “lake.”

The new program features more than 1,200 academic activities aligned with Common Core State Standards in language arts, math, science and social studies. Additionally, college and career readiness resources are available for grades 9-12. These resources offer students career cluster overviews, college preparation and selection activities, financial literacy, workplace readiness, citizenship, and life skills. Search resources by: grade level (K-12) or by subject area. Resources can be viewed or listened to in English (K-12), Spanish (K-12) and Haitian Creole (K-5).

“Many students are familiar with online content, which means with the resources provided by InSync Education learning can continue at home and in a way our students are familiar with,” said Dr. Susan Moxley. Superintendent of Lake County Schools. “More importantly, this new academic resource will help parents become more involved in their child’s learning.”

InSync Education is a great tool for:

• Homework help
• Mastering difficult subject areas
• Test preparation
• Learning important life skills
• After school and summer school
• Writing good reports
• Getting more involved in your child’s academic success

The Lake County School Board approved the purchase of InSync Education at its meeting on May 14. Half of the total $30,000 cost is being funded by the Educational Foundation of Lake County. The online database of academic resources and activities is many other Central Florida school districts including, Hillsborough, Osceola, Polk and Seminole counties.

“The Foundation Board voted unanimously to fund this project,” said Scott Blankenship, President of the Educational Foundation of Lake County. “It complements our work in the areas of parental involvement, increased graduation rates, and college, career and workplace readiness.”

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