SCHOOL DISTRICT OF VOLUSIA COUNTY
2008-09 SUCCESSES

• Volusia's 2009 graduates garnered over $26,900,000 in scholarships.
  
  
• Out of 16,000 school districts Volusia County ranks 17th in the nation for the number of National Board Certified teachers.
  
  
• Lisa Bynum, agriculture teacher at Heritage Middle, is the middle school agri-science level winner of the Florida Agriculture in the Classroom's 2009 Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Award.
  
  
• Hinson Middle School was selected to participate in Florida Power & Light's Solar School Pilot program. The system will generate emissions-free electricity and provide students with a hands-on tool to learn how solar power works.
  
  
• Vincent Riera, Campbell Middle student, wib first place in the 2009 Florida State Elks Association Americanism Essay contest.
  
  
• Ray Grimard, Seabreeze High teacher, and Don Brunning, Atlantic High teacher, worked for months to produce a PBS kid's show, which debuted on the local PBS Channel 15 in February and will be aired nationally on all PBS affiliate stations. They co-wrote the scripts, co-wrote and performed the music, built the sets and props, and co-produced and co-directed the pilot episode that was filmed at WDSC Channel 15 studio at Daytona State College. Students from both high schools were incorporated into the show. The show's mission is to empower PBS's youngest viewers (grades K - 5) to be good custodians of earth as they learn the importance of keeping our planet clean and healthy.
  
  
• Volusia County received the highest ranking for Department of Juvenile Justice education programs by the state of Florida.
  
  
• Ashley Townsend, Seabreeze High student, was presented the Yes I Can! Award from the Council for Exceptional Children for her outstanding achievement in the arts.
  
  
• Nick Martir and Bryan Walsh, Deltona High students, won first place in a national filmmaking contest, Young Minds/Digital Times, for their freeform short film.
  
  
• Linda Knowles, Starke Elementary teacher, won a national contest designed to honor innovative teachers sponsored by Northpoint Horizons, educational materials publisher.
  
  
• Several students had their art work adjudicated and selected as exemplary in the Florida State Fair High School All-State Art Exposition: New Smyrna Beach High - Jessa Andre, Carly Broadway, Corrin Curtis, Rachael Hoffman, Jessica Mitchell, Kelsey Moskovits, Ashley Powell and Courtney Rumbaut; Seabreeze High - Brianna Agnelakis; and Spruce Creek High - Alex Hottenstein and Roscoe Peacock IV. Ms. Powell and Mr. Peacock were also awarded $1,000 scholarships.
  
  
• Diane Martin-Morgan, school social services manager, was named the "Administrator of the Year" by the Florida Association of School Social Workers for her outstanding advocacy and innovative contributions to the advancement of social work.
  
  
• Stephanie Skaggs, New Smyrna Beach High student, had her ceramic work adjudicated into the 12th Annual National K-12 Ceramics Exhibition.
  
  
• Andrew Coates and Andrew Mattox, Spruce Creek High students and members of the Academy of Finance, won first place as a team in the Stock Market Game.
  
  
• Marisa Kometas, Silver Sands Middle student, won first place in the state for her short story in the Daughters of the American Revolution writing competition.
  
  
• The Scholastic Reading Counts Enterprise Edition was launched providing more than 40,000 quizzes to elementary, middle and high schools for the first time.
  
  
• Ted Petrucciani, Hinson Middle School principal, was named "Outstanding Principal of the Year" by the Florida PTA for his support and involvement in the PTA.
  
  
• Jason Caros, social studies specialist, received the Mel Miller Outstanding Social Studies Supervisor award from the National Social Studies Supervisors Association for his excellent history of leadership to colleagues and the social studies profession.
  
  
• The SAFARI Montage video-on-demand system was implemented in all schools and district departments for the integration of video into the curriculum content areas.
  
  
• Judy Hauser, a senior volunteer at Freedom Elementary, received the Florida Outstanding School Volunteer Award.
  
  
• A new professional development school partnership was established between Timbercrest Elementary and the University of Central Florida.
  
  
• Joan Doyle, teacher/diagnostician, received the Rhoda Work School Clinician of the Year Award from the Florida Association of Speech-Language Pathologies and Audiologist.
  
  
• Becky Pittard, Pine Trail Elementary teacher, was selected as a Florida state-level finalist for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching program.