Chelsea Nelson, theatre director at Sunridge Middle School, has a flair for the dramatic that extends beyond the stage.
The Orange Peal is a publication by OCPS employees and for OCPS employees. It launched in April 1974 as a newsletter for all OCPS employees “from principals to custodians.” With a name encompassing the symbols of the orange and the school bell, the Orange Peal was intended for “the good news of this school system [to be] ‘rung out,’” - in other words, to peal.
EDITOR: Lauren Roth
DESIGNER: Kimberly Boulnois
CONTRIBUTORS: Lisa Bourne
Andy Orrell
Frank Weber
Samantha Weiss
ADVERTISING: Adrienne Noel
Rodney Green
OCPS Employees’ Amazing
What did people do before they came to work for OCPS? It makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Well, our colleagues have led some incredibly diverse and interesting lives!
Take Kimen Allen, for instance. Now a beloved STEAM teacher at Blankner School, Kimen spent seven years training dolphins and other marine mammals at SeaWorld and Discovery Cove.
“It was a childhood dream come true,” said Kimen, who earned her Zoology degree from Louisiana State University. One of her most memorable moments was witnessing her first killer whale birth. “It was actually in the middle of my bridal shower!” Kimen said. “Everyone left the shower (all dressed up) to go into work. I will never forget watching the birth, and the baby killer whale swimming up for his first breath.”
Kimen left animal training for education to spend holidays and summer vacations with her children. And just like her former animal pupils, Kimen said kids and teachers thrive on positive reinforcement. “It may not be sardines, but I work with a fabulous group of women that all respond well to coffee and chocolate!”
One of the biggest transferable skills? “The trainers at SeaWorld spend hours building their relationships and bonds with the animals. As an elementary teacher, I do exactly the same thing,” she said.
Valorie Provenzano has been with OCPS for 26 years, first as a teacher and now as a diagnostic specialist. But throughout college and while teaching she was also a professional clown!
“It was a job that brought me a lot of joy and it made me a better teacher.”
Valorie’s entertainment skills added a touch of magic to her teaching. “During COVID I did a magic show virtually for the whole grade level.”
Amazing Past Lives
by Samantha Weiss
Patrick Hernan, a first-grade teacher at Avalon Elementary, has spent over 20 years as a public address announcer. He has worked some of the biggest sporting events in the world. “Since I was seven years old, I wanted to be a radio play-by-play announcer and work in sports,” Patrick shared. His passion took him from the campus radio station at UCF to the NBA Finals, the World Cup and even the 2021 Super Bowl!
Super Bowl LV was played in Tampa, and Hernan got to work with Alan Roach, the public address voice of the NFL. “He patted me on the back in the first quarter,” Hernan said. Roach then said, “‘You are doing a great job!’ It meant a lot coming from someone of his high regard!” Hernan added.
Before joining OCPS 12 years ago, Nancy Conover, a Senior Board Specialist in School Board Services, lived as a resident missionary in St. Petersburg, Russia, where she taught elementary and middle school English in public schools from 1995 to 1996. She was also crowned Mrs. Orlando International 2000 and won multiple state titles during the Mrs. Florida International Pageant in 2000, including Most Photogenic, Most Admired and Mrs. Congeniality.
Her experience in professional modeling and pageantry honed her communication and public speaking skills.
His experience in sports announcing has translated to his OCPS role. “My skills working in sports allow me to be very comfortable hosting the Friday morning announcements at Avalon,” Patrick explained. “I also enjoy when students come out to events that I’m working and get so excited seeing me outside the classroom. They want to take pictures with me!”
“I learned the importance of being a polished professional and how to represent with intelligence and sincerity,” she said. “These characteristics, plus a sincere smile, can transcend all cultures and backgrounds and play an important role in career success.”
After 12 years in the modeling industry, Nancy sought a more fulfilling path. “Life is so much more than what we see in advertising,” she explained. “The reality of an intelligent mind and beauty of the heart and spirit is most important and never fades.”
Patricia DeNoon, Dr. Phillips High’s testing coordinator, has an adventurous past of her own. “Before working for OCPS, I worked as a Zookeeper for Disney’s Discovery Island and Animal Kingdom,” she said. “At Discovery Island, I trained birds and performed public educational programs. At Animal Kingdom, I was a night keeper, performing random tasks to keep the wildlife safe after hours.”
One particularly vivid experience involved a hippopotamus. “They were training it to allow a vet to check out its mouth. So, I stuck my hand in its mouth for practice!”
Middle School, has a flair for the dramatic that extends beyond the stage.
She was once a character performer at Cocktails & Screams, a year-round Halloween bar. “I would dress like different horror characters like Ursula, zombies, vampires.”
And at an ‘80s and ‘90s themed arcade bar, she played into nostalgia and dressed up like Ms. Frizzle, everyone’s favorite teacher from The Magic School Bus.
OCPS middle school teacher turned Graphic Design Manager Lindsey Luxa has got some stories! Before she was designing graphics and logos for our schools, she worked on television shows at Nickelodeon and then as the Art Director and Unit Manager for the show ‘Trading Spaces!’ For the past 20 years, she has been running her own business designing couture invitations for clients all over the world, including many celebrities and pro athletes!
Now imagine waking up to the comforting aroma of freshly baked bread. Valerie Day, a Read2Succeed tutor at Maxey Elementary, once crafted exquisite breads for the prestigious restaurants at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Rising before dawn, she baked for the MICHELIN Star restaurant Victoria & Albert’s, the renowned Narcoossee’s and the elegant Citricos.
Judy Lindquist at Andover Elementary was a professional figure skater! “I grew up in Boston, competed throughout my teens in the 1970s, and turned pro, teaching and coaching for 10 years before becoming a teacher.” After moving to Florida, she earned her teaching degree at UCF and has been with OCPS for 31 years. “I LOVE every minute of it!”
It’s pretty clear: everyone at OCPS has a story. And it’s not just about the cool things they’ve done; it’s how they’re bringing all those experiences to the table, helping our students learn and grow
School Library Media Month
In April OCPS is celebrating School Library Media Month.
Carole Boston Weatherford’s book, Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library, is the true story of Arturo Schomburg, a Afro-Puerto Rican law clerk and his passion to collect books, music, letters and art from Africa and the African diaspora. His work focused a spotlight on the achievements of people of African descent through the ages. A century after the Harlem Renaissance, his outstanding collection, known as the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, has become a beacon to scholars all over the world.
The Let’s Read OCPS challenge is wrapping up April 30. Use the OCPS Sora app to find this title and many other eBooks, audiobooks, and magazines. Then log your minutes for the challenge in Beanstack on Launch or the mobile app.
If you are an instructional or administrative employee, you can access thousands of popular eBooks, audiobooks, and magazines for free with Sora! (OCPS hopes to add access for all other employees in the future).
It is easy to find the perfect book or article to read.
1 - Log into launch.ocps.net
2 - Open the Library Research Tools folder
3 - Open the Sora reading app
4 - Pick an eBook, audiobook or magazine and enjoy!
Deans sometimes have to deal with some pretty unfunny stuff. So it’s always good when an interaction results in some levity. Here’s one from a middle school dean:
“We had a student who continually broke his laptop and always blamed someone else. The student did not know the name of the latest person (or any of the others) who broke his laptop, so we brought all males individually from the latest incident’s class period into the office for a positive identification.
No positive identification occurred until I told the student ‘Ok, this is the last person from the class.’ The student immediately said that the next student would be the one. What the student did not know is that school leadership had already figured out that he had been breaking his own laptop so he wouldn’t have to do the classwork.
I told the student that I would be going to get the guilty student from class later.
Later that day, I went and got the student from class and told him that the guilty person was walking to my office. He hadn’t figured out yet that it was really him.
So on the way, I asked him some questions about the laptop-breaker:
‘Does the person have brown hair?’ He answered ‘Yes.’
‘Does the student have brown eyes?’ - ‘Yes!’
‘Is the student about your height?’ - ‘Yes.’
‘Does the student have freckles?’ - ‘Yes. Wait. That’s me!’
I said ‘I got you! Now go to my office and call your dad.’
Priceless.”
Jay Knight Dean, Legacy Middle School
Submit your A Funny Thing Happened to orangepeal@ocps.net. If your submission is selected, you will receive an exclusive Orange Peal prize package.
Carlos Maffuz
Cleans
Up with Custodial Services
By Andy Orrell
Carlos Maffuz’s move into leadership of Custodial Services is the classic story of the right person in the right place at the right time.
Before 2022, Custodial Services was called Central Support Services. And it was in charge of hiring all custodians throughout the district. The department also managed payroll, training and coordination.
Although great work was being accomplished, a lot of time was spent on administrative responsibilities.
Enter Carlos.
An eleven-year custodial veteran, Carlos started as an area manager before being promoted to senior manager. Knowing that he was the right person to help oversee the change needed for his team, Carlos was promoted to director in 2022.
His first order of business was to return hiring, scheduling and evaluations to the principals at all elementary, middle and K-8 schools. That gave those schools, which have small custodial staffs, more ownership of the day-to-day management of their team.
“It was a massive undertaking to implement such a change to Custodial Services,” Maffuz said. “But the effort was worth it knowing that my team and I now have more time to contribute to the future of OCPS students by giving them a clean environment.”
Maffuz and his team, who are part of Facilities Services, set standards and provide training for more than 1,250 custodians districtwide. “The way I see it is that every time a student graduates we’ve played a part in their achievement,” he said.
Maffuz finds the secret to the success of this new model is the continuous communication between custodians, custodial department leadership and school administration.
“The new model really prioritizes the idea of customer service,” Carlos continued. “Providing a clean environment to students is customer service. Helping the administrator who is struggling with the operation of the school is customer service. Ensuring that schools have their products on time is customer service. Returning a call on time is customer service.”
Reflecting the success he’s had as director of custodial services, Carlos was the Facilities Division’s first honoree for District Administrator of the Year.
“It feels good to be recognized this way, especially since it’s the first time this award was given,” said Carlos. “However, I think it is a reflection of the work that not only I do, but also the work of my entire team, especially all the custodians who are in the field working every day.”
Upcoming Virtual Retirement Services Department Workshops via Catalog and Zoom:
APRIL 2025
April 2, 5-6 p.m.: New Employee Retirement Plan Choice
April 9, 5-6:30 p.m.: Using the FRS to Plan Your Retirement
April 16, 5-6:30 p.m.: Nearing Retirement in the FRS
April 23, 5-6:30 p.m.: Understanding the FRS Investment Plan
April 30, 5-7 p.m.: Planning for Your Retirement
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Send the answers to these three questions to orangepeal@ocps.net. One winner will be drawn from among the correct responses to win an Orange Peal prize package.
Before 2022, which department hired all OCPS custodians?
Will You Be the Winner?
Name at least two OCPS employees whose former jobs were tied to athletics. _________________________________
From which school did Dr. Armbruster ‘steal’ Grammy-finalist music instructor Bernie Hendricks, Jr. when he opened Ocoee High School? _________________________________
Congratulations to March trivia winner: Rachel Boccio Paraprofessional, ESE Support, Zellwood
Best of Social Media
In each issue, the Orange Peal will recognize one top social media post on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). Want us to consider your school or department’s post? Send a link to orangepeal@ocps.net for consideration.
Oak Ridge High Class of 2026
Drop-off at Princeton Elementary comes with a side of adorable! This heartwarming Facebook post featuring the parade of pups waiting in cars while their kids head to school gives us warm fuzzies!
Major Payne’s reign of cell phone confiscation is legendary at Oak Ridge High! This hilarious reel from the Class of 2026 shows what happens when you don’t follow the cell phone policy. 185,000+ views can’t be wrong!
By Samantha
Way to go, Rosemont Elementary! Their awesome post about their kickball triumph over Keene’s Crossing, complete with enthusiastic cheerleaders, had us cheering right along with them. Talk about school spirit!
Support Zellwood Elementary
Weiss
Rosemont Elementary
Elementary
Submit your photos of what’s going on “Around OCPS” to orangepeal@ocps.net. Your school or department may be featured in a future issue!
Bon Mardi Gras!
The Hillcrest Hero Foundation at Hillcrest Foreign Language Academy sponsored a Mardi Gras Celebration, with Dr. Meredith Leftakis, Principal Leader, Ms. Bethany Chappetta, Principal and Hilly, the school mascot, leading the parade behind the 2nd Line Band. The entire school celebrated with a parade, masks, beads, French signs and cultural activities for Mardi Gras and Carnival around the world, plus King’s Cake! LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULER!
Magnolia is Abloom
Transition students at Magnolia School work at Bill Frederick Park three days a week. They also have a large garden that they created and take care of two days a week at school. Exceptional Education Teacher T. Dufour helps them learn to use landscaping tools and grow their own food. The harvest even becomes part of the school bistro, where students create healthy meals from the garden.
Best PHOTOS
By Frank Weber
MORE THAN FAIR
Students and parents had the opportunity to visit with almost 100 colleges and businesses at the Parent Academy Spring College and Career Fair at OTC - West Campus. Those included AdventHealth, Appalachian State University, Bethune-Cookman University, Flagler College, Florida Atlantic University, Florida State University, James Madison University, Liberty University, Miami University, New York University, Orange Technical College, Purdue University, Samford University, Savannah College of Art and Design, Seminole State College, Stetson University, The University of Alabama, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, Ole Miss (University of Mississippi), University of North Florida, University of South Florida, Valencia College, and Vanderbilt University!
JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED!
Dr. Mike Armbruster, deputy superintendent over teaching and learning, hugs Grammy-nominated music educator Bernie Hendricks, Jr. of Ocoee High School. Armbruster was confirming that he was right to ‘steal’ Hendricks away from Dr. Bridget Williams, deputy superintendent over executive services, when she was principal at Robinswood Middle. That allowed Hendricks to build Ocoee’s music program from the ground up.
Hendricks was a finalist for the Grammys’ 2025 Music Educator Award! This award from the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum honors educators from across the country who have made a significant and lasting contribution to music education.
“HIVE” FIVE TO THE
REGIONAL SPELLING BEE WINNERS!
The top three finishers in the OCPS-sponsored Regional Spelling Bee will travel to Washington, D.C., in May to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The bee went eight rounds and included students correctly spelling words including “kanji,” a Japanese form of writing, and ended when a student misspelled “rebarbative,” an adjective that means irritating.
L-R Louis Avetis, Discovery Middle School
Aiden Westover, Odyssey Middle School
Diego Gallegos, Lakemont Elementary School
HAVING A BALL!
EA Sports hosted Windermere High School student Michael “Bunk” Puleo for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour at EA Orlando, where the Madden NFL video game is made. Michael was scanned in and had some fun in the conference room ball pit! We think OCPS needs one of these!
Michael is the Fall 2024 Madden 25 PlayVS Eastern Region Champion representing Windermere Esports and Windermere High.
In the ball pit are, from left: Michael’s friend Devin DiCastro, Michael’s mom, Erin Puleo, and Michael.
