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TEACHERS OF THE YEAR PAGES 13-20

Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

VOLUME 11, NO. 49

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

Unsung heroes The Observer’s awards, were chosen by last year’s Standing O honorees.

BRIAN MCMILLAN EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Who deserves a Standing O this year? What are the criteria?

A few years ago we decided to let those answers rest entirely in the hands of last year’s winners. It has become a December tradition to contact the current Standing O’s and ask them to select someone else. It’s a gesture of goodwill, lending the spotlight to someone else in the community.

But I have to admit, I tried to talk one person out of her choice. Lynette Shott was a Standing O in January 2020. She was on the executive team for Flagler Schools at the time and has since retired and moved out of state, but I reached her by phone to ask for her choice for 2021. She chose Joe Rizzo, the executive director of the Flagler County Education Foundation.

“I love Joe, he’s great,” I said, “but I just did a whole cover story about him, and I wouldn’t want to do a repeat. Anyone else come to mind?”

I figured Shott would cave under such intense pressure.

Not so.

“I wish you would reconsider that,” she wrote in an email.

“The Standing O’s are growing into a solid annual platform of impactful people. Outside of other stories, it carries a value.

Please let me know.”

Well, I couldn’t say no to that.

The unsung-hero sentiment represents what the Palm Coast Observer is all about: inspiring the community by writing about your neighbors.

You probably don’t know everyone in these pages yet, but hopefully if you see them in the grocery store, you’ll remember them and say hello. This is their time to shine.

Richard and Helene Davis and Kristine Aguirre Page 3

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BRIAN MCMILLAN EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Day Two of Flagler County COVID-19 vaccinations finished by lunch time on Tuesday, Jan. 5, with a tone of celebration for the 265 who got their shots, as well as frustration for those who tried to

Patty Mercer Page 6

0 2 0 O’s STANDING 2 R OU Robert Page 4 Tarczewski

Sue Bickings

Joe Rizzo

Maria Ruiz

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Michael Struble Page 9

Richard Page 9 Hamilton

Annie Page 10 Buchanan

Lovie Haley

Vaccine slots fill up fast 265 were vaccinated on Jan. 5; no available appointments remain in Flagler.

Stephanie Ear Page 3

get an appointment but couldn’t due to an overwhelmed phone system and online scramble for time slots.

“It’s been wild,” said Bob Snyder, Flagler’s health officer for the Florida Department of Health.

“But it’s been a meaningful experience, very positive. … I wish we could get everyone who wants it now, but we have a limited quantity.”

The 265 vaccinations brought the total to 806, after 541 (mostly health care workers) were vaccinated on Jan. 2, at the Flagler

County Fairgrounds.

Flagler has been given 1,700 Moderna vaccine doses by the state, so about 900 remain, but they’re spoken for: Available vaccination appointments in Flagler are booked through Monday already. The DOH will learn on Friday how many more doses will be coming our way.

“It’s frustrating for us not knowing, but it’s not our fault, and it’s not the state’s fault, either,” Emergency Management Chief Jonathan Lord said. “It’s just that the vaccine [doses] don’t

exist.”

A new waiting list — and a statewide system — are in the works and could be available soon.

Some were also frustrated that non-Flagler residents apparently got vaccinated here. But federal guidelines don’t require you to get vaccinated near where you live. That means Flagler residents can also find an appointment in another city if they want to. Regional sites in Florida will also open soon, Lord said.

Locally, the EOC’s call center staff of five was overloaded with calls on Jan. 4.

Lord said he was personally answering calls and emails until 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 4. He started

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“It takes a lot of bricks off your shoulders, and it gives you a lot of relief and happiness. It’s what we’ve all been waiting for.”

BOB SNYDER, health officer

again at 6 a.m. Jan. 5.

The DOH had 75 people working at the fairgrounds on Jan. 5, divided into four stations to administer the vaccine. They were supported logistically by the county.

Those who got the vaccine were “thrilled” and “comforted,” Snyder said. “It takes a lot of bricks off your shoulders, and it gives you a lot of relief and happiness.”

PALM COAST OBSERVER

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PalmCoastObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

City Council approves Lakeview Estates 3-2 — with restrictions The council approved the city planning board version, rather than the developer’s version.

JONATHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR

A proposed 268-home development on the former Matanzas Woods Golf Course property got the Palm Coast City Council’s goahead in a split 3-2 vote the night of Jan. 5, but the approval also places limitations on the developer in order to protect existing residents’ views.

The council,rather than approving the Lakeview Estates proposal as Matanzas GC Palm Coast LLC developer Alexander Ustilovsky had submitted it, opted instead to approve a variation favored by the city’s staff and the Planning and Land Development Regulation Board, which sought broader buffers between the existing homes and the proposed new ones on several parcels of the 280-acre, 10-tract property.

A central sticking point in the city’s negotiations with the developer had concerned what the city code calls “view protection

zones,” buffers designed to protect the views of residents who live in a golf course community.

The code doesn’t specify the dimensions of the required zones. And Michael Chiumento, the attorney representing Ustilovsky, noted that the section of code that requires them refers to fairway views, while the Matanzas Woods Golf Course hasn’t had anything that looks like a fairway for years. The course closed in 2007.

“This section that they are applying to tracts 1 or 3 is not real clear,” Chiumento said. “It applies to a golf course, but this is not a golf course and never will be. ....

There’s no fairway; there’s woods.”

On tract 1, the developer’s proposal included 200- to 250-footwide buffers, while the planning board wanted 400; on tract 3, the developer had proposed singlefamily homes separated from existing houses with a 100-foot view protection zone, while the planning board wanted the entire

tract left uninhabited for view protection.

Some residents who spoke during the meeting’s public comment period were unimpressed by a video simulation presented by Chiumento that showed an animated flyover of the proposed community next to the existing one.

“Smaller lots, houses jammed together — it doesn’t look right; it doesn’t belong here,” resident Perry Mitrano said. “It’s a bad project.”

Resident Diana Minotti said that when she drives into the existing community on Lakeview Drive, “I feel like I’m coming into a neighborhood, a community. ...

Now, we’re not going to see that beautiful pasture; we’re going to see houses. Little houses.”

She questioned the need for new homes, since there’s residential development occurring elsewhere in Palm Coast.

“I bought into a golf course community, and I think it needs to remain that way, and I don’t think there is a need for all that housing,” she said.

Before settling on a solution, the

Image courtesy of the city of Palm Coast

Public meetings to get feedback on Regional Racquet Center proposal The city of Palm Coast’s Parks and Recreation Department will host three public meetings to gather input on the Regional Racquet Center proposal at the site of the Palm Coast Tennis Center.

Due to COVID-19 and to best ensure staff collects feedback from all stakeholders, the meetings have been organized into three dates at the Community Center located at 305 Palm Coast Parkway. Residents should attend the meeting based on which the desired feedback is outlined below. Visitors and employees entering the Community Center must be medically screened and wear a mask in all common areas and where six feet of distance cannot be maintained.  Wednesday, Jan. 13, at 5 p.m. – Tennis programs input  Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 5 p.m. – Pickleball programs input  Wednesday, Jan. 27, at 5 p.m. – Facility input Located at 1290 Belle Terre Parkway, the existing Tennis Center opened for public play in November 2007, with 10 lighted courts and what was intended to be a temporary Welcome Center.

Open play, league tournaments, lessons and summer camps have remained popular for 13 years.

More recently, growing numbers of residents have been engaging pickleball. Parks & Recreation set up temporary courts at Holland Park and Belle Terre Parks. Hundreds of dedicated pickleball players have given the city input expressing the desire for more permanent options in the community.

To best meet the needs and recommendations from not only tennis and pickleball players, but also from families who are looking for newer outdoor recreation alternatives, the city council is reviewing the proposed plans of the new center.

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The developer’s proposal for tract 1 of the property is at left, while the planning board’s preferred version — the one the City Council decided to approve — it at right.

council repeatedly deadlocked.

After presentations about the history of the property and the development proposal, and public comments by area residents who largely opposed the development as a threat to their views and property values, Councilman Victor Barbosa made the first official motion of the night, proposing the council approve city staff’s preferred version of the development. No one seconded.

Then, Barbosa suggested that the council table the matter and revisit it later. But questions raised by residents about the project had already been answered at the meeting by city staff or by Chiumento, Mayor Milissa Holland pointed out.

Councilman Nick Klufas motioned to approve the development as Ustilovsky had proposed it.

No one else on the council supported that, either.

Councilman Ed Danko motioned to approve the Planning Board’s favored proposal. Again, no one seconded — at least, not yet.

“Well, we’ve exhausted all other options except for one,” Holland said, referring to the option to deny the proposed development altogether. “Is there a motion?”

City attorney Bill Reischmann stepped in with a warning: “[If] you expect me to defend that if there’s a court challenge, I’m going to need to specify ... the legal grounds” for the denial, he said.

The decision before the council was quasi-judicial. The council can’t, under Florida law, baselessly deny a developer permission to build on his own land. It would have to provide a legally justifiable reason.

Holland handed over her gavel to the vice mayor and seconded Danko’s motion to approve the planning board’s version of the Lakeview project.

This time, it passed 3-2, with Danko, Holland and Klufas voting in favor, and Barbosa and Councilman Eddie Branquinho voting against.

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Whispering Meadows Ranch provides equine therapy

WHY WE NOMINATED WHISPERING MEADOWS RANCH

“The guests are provided with opportunites to plant gardens, ride and groom horses, take pictures, and walk-in-the-woods experiences.”

RICHARD and POLLY CONKLING

Richard and Helen Davis and Kristine Aguirre, along with nearly 40 others, volunteer their time at the ranch.

BRENT WORONOFF CONTRIBUTING WRITER

There’s no sign on the road for Whispering Meadows Ranch, so if you miss the number on the mailbox you might drive right past, not knowing that this is where miracles happen.

Helene and Richard Davis opened Whispering Meadows Ranch with their daughter Kristine Aguirre 13 years ago. The five-acre ranch off John Anderson Highway is a 100% volunteerbased nonprofit that provides equine therapy for children and adults with special needs.

Helene, Kristine and an army of nearly 40 volunteers introduce horsemanship to kids with a wide-range of disabilities from behavioral issues such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and brain injuries.

The ranch is a Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International center. Helene and Kristine first learned about PATH International when they volunteered at Marion Therapeutic Riding Association, in Ocala.

“We just went over there one day,” Helene said. “We fell in love

Photo by Brent Woronoff

Richard and Helene Davis, who own Whispering Meadows Ranch, and their daughter Kristine Aguirre, the ranch’s programs director.

with just the whole concept of working with these kids and how the horses empower them and how it helps them in every single part of their body.”

Kristine said: “It was just breathtaking to see what they were doing over there and realizing that we had nothing like it in this county or adjoining counties to serve this community.”

They enrolled in a two-year program to become certified instructors. They had to volunteer while learning about disabilities as well as the horses and equipment and becoming profi-

cient at riding.

Once they were certified, Helene and Richard decided to transform their five acres of undeveloped property into the ranch.

“This was all covered with trees,” Helene said, sweeping her arm toward the property. “Someone donated a horse to us. We had no place to put it, so my husband got the tractor out, cleared a little bit of area, put some fencing up, and shortly after another horse came and then another horse, so he kept on working, expanding.”

They now have four horses and

a pony, a riding arena and interactive trails with chalk boards, magnetic boards and various games.

“As soon as the word got out, it spread like wildfire,” Helene said.

“We had somebody donate the labor for the ramp and somebody else donate the lumber, so we could help people in wheel chairs get on the horse.”

Everyone who works at the ranch is a volunteer, including Helene, Kristine and Richard. All money goes back into the ranch.

Children are scheduled once a week with no more than three to a session. They ride for 30

minutes and they interact with their horse for an additional 15 minutes, building a relationship.

They learn horse grooming.

“Every session incorporates a riding skill and a life skill,” Kristine said. “A life skill might be just following instructions. We may have a pattern where they have three stops, so they’re going to practice walking and whoaing and steering their horse, and their life skill will be following the pattern. ...

“One of the biggest things we see is when the kids come here they may be shy and some of them are very sad or withdrawn, and after one or two visits they’re opening up and they’re sharing.”

Helene said they have seen non-verbal children speak their first words — giving their horse the command to “walk on.” And she said they have seen children take their first steps.

Helene, who is 73, had a window treatment business in Bunnell for 27 years. She finally closed it five years ago.

“We didn’t sell it, we just walked out the door. I loved my job, I loved my customers, but this was where my heart was,” she said.

“My parents retired, and this is their way of giving back to the community that has been good to them,” Kristine said. “We’ve been very blessed with this program.

Everyone who comes here says this place is different, because we do it for love. We love everyone who comes here.”

Stephanie Ear helps manage DOH’s contact tracing in schools Ear, the health department’s school health coordinator, helps manage the health department’s contact JONATHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR

In a normal school year, Florida Department of Health-Flagler Nursing Specialist Stephanie Ear helps manage student vaccination efforts, makes sure children are checked for conditions like scoliosis, teaches school staff how to administer emergency medications and helps ensure school clinics are running smoothly.

But this year, she’s been tasked with managing the health department’s effort to keep COVID-19 from spreading through the school system.

“Now, everything is about COVID,” she said.

Ear, who began working for the health department in 2013, coordinates the department’s contact with school staff and parents on COVID-19. She’s often the one who calls parents to tell them their child has been exposed to the virus and must quarantine.

“Of all our employees, Stephanie interacts with other organi-

WHY I NOMINATED STEPHANIE EAR

“It is an amazing amount of work, and she is always pleasant and willing to take a minute to educate.”

BONNIE WELTER, nursing director, Florida Department of Health-Flagler

zations — in this case, the school district and our largest partner — more than anyone else in our health department,” DOH-Flagler Health Officer Bob Snyder said. “The role she plays and benefit she makes to two organizations — us and the school system, and community at large — is beyond words.”

Any positive case involving a school-age child results in a message to Ear, who manages a contact-tracing effort.

“One case takes a lot of time,” she said. “A lot of parents — with

Stephanie Ear.

the shock of hearing that, they’re angry.”

She’s had to get used to being yelled at on the phone.

“I just let them vent and scream and yell, and then most of the time they call me back and apologize, and they’re like, ‘You caught me off guard,’” she said. “I find that if you give them a little time … that they kind of calm down.”

The angriest parents are often the ones whose children’s sports activities must end because of a quarantine. But they do

Photo by Jonathan Simmons

comply, she said.

Knowing who should quarantine can be tricky. In younger grades, if one student is infected, that might mean the entire class should quarantine, because young children have trouble with social distancing.

In older grades, contact tracing means talking to teachers and staff members about who a child has been in close contact with. (“Close contact” is defined as being within 6 feet for at least 15 minutes.)

It’s toughest when an infected student has been taking a bus or is in a class with a substitute teacher, since bus drivers can’t always know where the kids are sitting, and subs often don’t know them well enough to remember who was sitting where or interacting with whom.

“If [staff members] don’t know or are not sure, I’ll have to quarantine the whole class, because I’d rather be safe,” Ear said.

Calling parents can take much of the evening — sometimes ending as late as 10 p.m. when they’re hard to reach — and the work can continue seven days a week.

Not reaching a parent might mean that a child who was exposed to the virus ends up at school the next morning and must immediately be moved to the school clinic before they expose — and potentially infect — other children or staff members.

But by reaching the right people at the right time, Ear can help protect others from getting sick.

“A friend of mine asked me, ‘Do you like your job?’ You know what? I love my job,” Ear said.

“This part of my job is very challenging, but it’s also very fulfilling. Yes, it’s stressful, but it’s making a difference. It helps other people; it’s not about me. And if I can just be an extra hand to help out parents or staff or teachers, that is fulfilling to me.”

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PALM COAST OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

ExploreConnect Play with Parks & Recreation

Featured

STANDING O

Cpl. Robert Tarczewski and K-9 Odin foster community support, sniff out suspects Tarczewski and Odin hold outreach demonstrations as well as catch criminals.

JONATHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR

Mayor’s 90/90 Challenge now through April 3. Join the challenge at palmcoastconnect.com!

Three to See

Ruck with Jared at Waterfront Park

Friday, Jan. 8

Morning Blast Tennis with the Mayor at Palm Coast Tennis Center

Monday, Jan. 11

Walk with the Mayor and a Director at Waterfront Park

Wednesday, Jan. 13

For more information and to register, visit palmcoastgov.com/recreation

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Your Voice Your Future! Take the Citizen Survey now through Jan. 31 at palmcoastconnect.com

When it comes to doing outreach to local kids, Cpl. Robert Tarczewski’s partner makes things easy: A member of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s K-9 unit, Tarczewski is paired with Odin, a 3-year-old German shepherd.

“Being part of the K-9 unit has me going to a lot of community events ... to show what they do, allow kids and adults to pet and interact with the dog,” Tarczewski said. “As soon as the dog comes out, it’s like a magnet: Everybody walks in, kids are smiling, they’re telling me about their dog. ... It’s something that we have in common, a love for dogs and pets.”

Tarczewski began working for the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office 10 years ago as a road patrol deputy and then a SWAT deputy, and moved to the K-9 Unit seven years ago.

“Not only does Cpl. Tarczewski do a great job in serving the community, but he has also taken on the added task of training our newest K-9 team, Deputy Towns and K-9 Keanu,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “He is a fantastic K-9 handler and trainer, and we are glad to have him on our team.”

Born on Long Island, Tarczewski grew up in Flagler County and was hired at the FCSO after graduating from law enforcement academy.

“It was always something I wanted to do growing up,” he said.

Tarczewski didn’t have dogs in the house as a child, but his 1-year-old daughter is growing up around police dogs. In addition to Odin, the family cares for two retired FCSO K-9s: 12-year-old Repo and 10-year-old Tag. “They have no problem rolling over on their back and letting kids give them belly scratches and pet them,” Tarczewski said.

On the job, Odin has two major tasks — human odor tracking and narcotics detection — and is typically deployed a couple of times a day. Drug detection makes up about half of Odin’s deployments, with the rest being article search, building searches and tracking.

“Apprehension” — when the dog catches a suspect — is a smaller part of the job. Most suspects surrender when they see the K-9.

“Their nose is their number one tool in the tool box,” Tarczewski said. “They probably do the work of about 10 to 15 deputies if you’re searching for something, whether it’s a key ring lost in the grass or a suspect. It really speeds up the process.”

Keeping the dog sharp means training for one or two hours daily, plus unit training with the other K-9s on Tuesday. The FCSO has four dual-purpose K-9s like Odin, plus a detection dog and a trailing bloodhound.

This summer, Odin was deployed on a stolen car that crashed into the woods, and helped catch two juvenile sus-

Photo by Jonathan Simmons

Cpl. Robert Tarczewski and K-9 Odin

pects. Tarczewski and Odin started at the car and worked their way along a path until Odin “alerted” to the human odor.

Sometimes, Tarczewski and Odin are called out to help the Florida Highway Patrol with narcotics detection; earlier this year, they helped the U.S. Marshals Service search for a kidnapping suspect in Putnam County.

“To see all that hard work in the training scenario unfold and do well on the deployment side, it’s like your kid doing well at school or coming home with an award,” Tarczewski said.

Outreach demonstrations are about once a week, helping to bolster a positive image of the Sheriff’s Office in the community.

“I’ll bump into people at Lowe’s or Walmart and they’ll ask how the dogs are doing,” Tarczewski said. “If I could retire in the K-9 Unit, that’s my plan — best job in the agency.”

WHY I NOMINATED CPL. ROBERT TARCZEWSKI

“He has dedicated himself to serving his community through his selfless effort of outreach.”

JON WELKER, commander, Flagler County Sheriff’s Office

PALM COAST OBSERVER

PalmCoastObserver.com

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JONATHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR

In the more than 10 years since Sue Bickings began working with homeless people through The Sheltering Tree — Flagler County’s only cold-weather shelter — much has changed: The program has broadened and relocated, and, this year, COVID-19 has created new stresses for its guests.

“There’s an awful lot of people who are not able to pay their rent; they’re not able to pay their utilities,” Bickings said. “Helping people with rent right now, that is the widespread need in this community.”

Although The Sheltering Tree is best known for providing people with a warm place to stay for the night when the weather is expected to dip below 40 degrees, it also distributes food on Tuesdays, connects people to jobs and other area resources, and provides limited rent and utility assistance in coordination with the county’s Human Services Department.

Combined, those services reach a broader swath of the community than the people who show up on cold nights because they don’t have a home, or the one they have doesn’t have heat; last year, the highest number of guests in one night was 19.

The nonprofit can often move quickly to help people who’ve received utility shutoff notices, Bickings said. Evictions are tougher – though The Sheltering Tree was recently able to help a woman with two disabled children keep her apartment and find a new job, said Martin Collins, vice chairman of The Sheltering Tree’s board.

“Two years ago, we put a very big emphasis on helping the nearly homeless, to save them from becoming homeless — and that can be the difference of a utility bill,” he said.

Bickings began volunteering for The Sheltering Tree when it was formed at the First United Methodist Church in Bunnell in 2008.

After she retired from her position as a school counselor, she began devoting more time to the nonprofit in 2016.

“I’ve always been a servant: I served when I worked in the school district — I served at Buddy Taylor, and I served at Bunnell Elementary School — and felt that I had a mission there at both of those schools,” she said. “So when that mission in my life ended, I saw one at my church.

“I am a servant,” she added,

Photo by Jonathan Simmons

The Sheltering Tree shelter coordinators Martin Collins, Elaine Lajoie and Sue Bickings

“because God has led me to this work where I see Jesus every day.”

Alongside The Sheltering Tree founder Carla Traister, Bickings helped open an office for The Sheltering Tree. After the program moved to the Church on the Rock, on U.S. 1, the county and local municipalities began to contribute funding.

When the air begins to chill, Bickings checks the Bunnell forecast hourly at weather.gov to see if she’ll need to open the shelter.

It takes time, so not reacting early enough to a weather shift could mean not being able to open.

“I believe that you should grow where you’re planted, and I was planted at the Methodist Church in Bunnell,” Bickings said. “It just gradually developed into heart for people who struggle. A lot of peo-

ple struggle, but they hide it and you don’t see it. ... But when you talk to somebody who’s homeless, it’s out there: It’s out there in the way they dress, the way they act. You know, people in houses have problems. They hide them. They look fine. But if you live on the street, maybe your problems show on the outside, and people reject you for that. And I don’t think that’s fair.”

Since COVID-19, the suffering she’s seen in the community is different.

“The families are people who’ve never asked for help before ... and now they find themselves with a loss of a job, with a little bit of unemployment that does not pay their mortgage, and they’re just dazed.”

Keeping the shelter open dur-

BUY • SELL • TRADE

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

WHY I NOMINATED SUE BICKINGS

Sue Bickings helps bring people in from the cold As head of the cold weather shelter, Bickings helps provide a warm place to spend the night and connects people to other services.

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“She continues to strive to serve those in need even during the challenges of COVID-19. She has spent the last decade in service to sheltering the homeless and hurting during the cold weather months.”

JAMES BELLINO, pastor, Church on the Rock

ing the pandemic has necessitated new procedures to protect guests and volunteers — of which The Sheltering Tree has a shortage, particularly of people who can spend a full night at the shelter.

“Overnighters are our largest need,” Bickings said. “We must have overnighters in order to operate.” The overnight shift is typically 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. “We are praying that we will not have to shut down due to COVID, so we’re doing our best with safety precautions, and it’s been a very unusual year,” Bickings said.

To volunteer, call 386-4373258, Ext. 105, or send an email to flaglershelteringtree@yahoo.com.

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PALM COAST

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Observer

Patty Mercer, behind the scenes at the hospital Volunteering gives Mercer purpose. ‘When you volunteer, you feel like you’re really contributing,’ she says.

BRENT WORONOFF CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A lot of the volunteer work Patty Mercer does for AdventHealth Palm Coast is behind the scenes.

It’s important work: corporate compliance paperwork, taxes, licenses, filing annual reports.

But because of the pandemic she hasn’t been able to volunteer at the hospital since mid-March.

“I just really miss that we’re not able to be there,” she said. “One day a week was my duty day at the visitors’ information desk. I was greeting people and talking to people and helping them. You know, it really gave me a purpose.”

Needing a sense of purpose is what impelled Mercer to join the hospital’s volunteer auxiliary about 15 years ago.

PATH TO PALM COAST

A Colorado native, she retired at age 50 in 2003 and moved to Halifax Plantation a year later with her husband, Michael.

“We got the opportunity to retire early,” she said. “We were DINKs — double income, no kids. My brother-in-law lives in Palm Coast, so we had come down to visit him a few times.”

They moved in June 2004, and it didn’t take long for them to have

WHY I NOMINATED PATTY MERCER

With more than 13,000 hours of volunteering since 2005, Patty Mercer is “a great help.”

MARGE SISTI

second thoughts.

“That was the beginning of that horrendous hurricane season,” she said. “I thought, ‘What have I done?’ I left all my friends, all my family, a job that I absolutely loved. It was quite the adjustment.”

Mercer had worked in water rights management and administration for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

“My job took me all over the state,” she said. “In remote places we went on horseback, we went on ATVs, we went on hikes.”

Adjusting to a life of leisure in Florida wasn’t so easy. One day, while trying to find a doctor, she went to the hospital and spoke to a couple of volunteers. Shortly thereafter she joined the auxiliary, at first doing administration work in the office and then volunteering at the nurse’s station, the ER and the information desk.

“I’m really more of a people person,” she said. “So I started venturing out to other departments.”

After less than a year a couple of auxiliary board members invited her to join the board. She served two terms as second vice president in which one of her duties was keeping track of volunteer hours which gave her a chance to

get to know all of the 200-plus volunteers. In 2010-11, she served as board president. She is currently a board member at-large.

When she was the board president she delegated many duties that the president always did to other board members.

“People like to have something.

They like to have a purpose. They like to take ownership with what they’re involved in,” she said.

But most of the day-to-day volunteer work – support in the ER, nurse’s stations, same-day surgery, the information desk, the gift shop, courtesy cart drivers – are currently on hold.

“I’ve been thinking, when can we go back and volunteer?” Mercer said. “I’ve been waiting, waiting, waiting. When you volunteer, you feel like you’re really contributing to the community, making a difference. Somebody walks in the front door and they’re freaking out because a family member has just got taken to ER. You talk to them, find out what’s going on, you walk them down the hall to ER, make sure you hand them off to someone who can take care of them, calm them.

“You’re worth something when you feel like you’re contributing,” she said. “What you’re doing is worthwhile.”

Courtesy photo

Patty Mercer, a volunteer with AdventHealth Palm Coast auxiliary, holds her 2011 Volunteer of the Year award from Flagler Volunteer Services.

VOLUNTEERING AWARD

Mercer was given the 2011 Volunteer of the Year award from Flagler Volunteer Services. The inscription to the plaque says this: “By demonstrating the values that we stand for, your everyday work, you have become a true leader in our organization. You have taken it upon yourself to lead the way with great tact and dependability. You stand out, you motivate others to perform at their best leading the entire team toward ultimate success. Thanks for pointing us the right direction.”

Joe Rizzo helps students overcome any obstacle ‘How do we get better?

By learning from people,’ Joe Rizzo says.

BRIAN MCMILLAN EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Hours before the interview for this story was scheduled to take place at the Government Services Building, Joe Rizzo got a text message. A student had arrived at an elementary school that morning in slippers; the student didn’t own a pair of shoes that fit.

Rizzo, as executive director for the Flagler County Education Foundation, dropped everything and contacted his team.

This was an emergency.

This was why the Ed Foundation exists: to give students the

tools they need to succeed.

Within 30 minutes, Operations and Database Specialist Shelley Wheeler had gone to the store, bought a pair of shoes and a jacket — “I figured if he was just wearing slippers, he probably didn’t have a jacket, either,” she said — and arrived at the school to make the delivery.

“Identifying the problems and solving them is one thing my team does best,” said Rizzo, praising Wheeler and his two other staff members: Assistant Director Rebecca Bower and Student Services Coordinator Christy Butler.

To make any organization succeed, he said, “You’ve got to find people who are better than you.

How do we get better? By learning from people.”

Rizzo was nominated for a Standing O this year by Lynette

Shott, the recently retired Flagler Schools executive team member.

“Joe is a passionate and dedicated advocate for the entire Flagler community,” she wrote in an email to the Palm Coast Observer. “His roots go deep here, as he graduated from FPC and has raised his family here. He looks for ways to assist the people of Flagler County tirelessly.”

Among Rizzo’s contributions, Shott said, are organizing distribution of food for hurricane relief, coordinating the graduations at the Daytona International Speedway in 2020, helping to find housing for a homeless student, and building partnerships with the business community to provide resources for Classroom to Careers programs.

“He never sees any barrier as impossible to surmount,” Shott said.

WHY I NOMINATED JOE RIZZO

“Joe is passionate and dedicated. He looks for ways to assist the people of Flagler County tirelessly.”

Photo by Brian McMillan

Joe Rizzo has increased the reach and the financial stability of the Ed Foundation since 2017.

LYNETTE SHOTT

In response to the pandemic, Rizzo and the Ed Foundation have raised $35,000 to help provide masks and other equipment for students and classrooms.

Volunteer Executive Committee President David Alfin praised Rizzo for continuing with fundraising despite the obstacles presented by the pandemic. The foundation had an endowment of $1.4 million in February 2017, when Rizzo came on board, and now it’s at $2.6 million. Rizzo has been the fiscal conservative who made it happen.

“We’ve been tempted to spend today at the expense of tomorrow, but you have stayed the course,” he said to Rizzo during the interview.

Why does he do it?

Rizzo had a successful career in the restaurant business, but he felt like he was “constantly chasing that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.” He was often working till 9 or 10 p.m.

Thanks to the encouragement of then-Superintendent Jacob Oliva, Rizzo took the job as executive director at the Ed Foundation, which necessitated a lifestyle change: smaller house, fewer toys. But, more time with his own children and wife.

He’s happier now, and he knows when he wakes up every day that he’s making an impact in students’ lives.

“Instead of chasing that dollar, I found something that I was passionate about,” he said.

“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.”

Friedrich Hayek “Road to Serfdom,” 1944

Publisher / John Walsh, jwalsh@palmcoastobserver.com Executive Editor / Brian McMillan, bmcmillan@ palmcoastobserver.com News Editor / Jonathan Simmons, jonathan@ palmcoastobserver.com Page Designers / Hailey McMillan, Jennifer Edwards Advertising Manager / Jaclyn Centofanti, jaclyn@palmcoastobserver.com Senior Account Manager / Susan Moore, susan@ palmcoastobserver.com Senior Account Manager Hallie Hydrick, hallie@ palmcoastobserver.com Front Desk Associate / Bonnie Hamilton, bonnie@ palmcoastobserver.com Operations Manager / Maureen Walsh, maureen@ palmcoastobserver.com Circulation Manager / David Brooks, david@horizonroad.com

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STANDING O

How does your neighbor know so much?

Maria Ruiz helps her students feel loved from a distance Ruiz began her teaching career at age 34.

BRIAN MCMILLAN EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Maria Ruiz has 21 children. Two are her own and the other 19, she says, are her students.

A third-grade teacher at Belle Terre Elementary School, Ruiz came to the profession late compared with many of her colleagues, who might have started right after college. Ruiz, now 35, began last year, which was a full decade after she completed her college degree.

She spent some time in voluntary pre-kindergarten and was hired as a full-time teacher just four days before school began in 2019.

As a result, she often felt behind and put in long hours to make up for it. She felt like she had something to prove.

“I worked crazy hours,” she said, “up till 2 a.m., cutting out laminated things and making new worksheets for them.”

Ruiz made herself available for students’ phone calls in the evenings and would often get questions at dinner time from students stuck on math problems.

But she didn’t stop there. She also went to a child’s birthday party over the summer. She goes to their sporting events.

“They are really my extended family,” Ruiz said. “I think I know some of them better than their parents do.”

And at least one parent took notice last year. Samantha Whitfield, who nominated her as a Standing O, said Ruiz “changed our lives during quarantine. …

She truly demonstrated unconditional love for our kids.”

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When the school district announced that the conclusion of the 2019-2020 school year would happen via Zoom, Ruiz contacted each student regularly.

“She allowed the kids to show their classmates their homes and pets to create a closeness we all desired,” Whitfield said.

“She cried with them when they were uncertain if they would ever return back to school. She showed compassion like I have never experienced.”

Parents also appreciated Ruiz’s daily checklists for the students, to make sure everyone knew how to keep up during the quarantine.

“I thought about the parents who were at home doing what I was doing — working,” she said.

“There was no stop button.”

Ruiz remembered teaching a class on Zoom while her own two children were on Zoom calls with their classes. It was hectic and

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WHY I NOMINATED MARIA RUIZ

“She truly demonstrated unconditional love for our kids.”

SAMANTHA WHITFIELD

Photo by Brian McMillan

stressful, and she knew it was the same for the families of her students. The remote learning environment is not ideal for most students, it seems.

“Are they going to hit every standard?” she said. “Probably not, but are they going to know they were loved? Yes.”

Maria Ruiz is often at school by 7:30 a.m. and doesn’t leave till dinner time.

A CHANCE TO SHINE

Ruiz said the teachers in surrounding classrooms have supported her as she gets used to her new career. She also mentioned Belle Terre Principal Jessica DeFord, technology trainer Stacy Anderson and then-VPK coordinator Abra Seay, who encouraged her.

Ruiz said she felt some anxiety about entering the workforce after spending so many years home with her own children, but Seay told her, “You did the right thing,” Ruiz recalled. Ruiz added of Seay: “She took a chance on me, and the rest is history.”

“These kids mean everything to me — they really, genuinely do.”

‘CRAZY ORGANIZED’ Affixed to the front of teacher Maria Ruiz’s desk in her third-grade classroom is a sign that says, “Does your desk look like this?”

Underneath the words is a diagram showing each student what should be in the desk, where it should be placed, and what color it should be.

Stacked neatly on the right: a cursive notebook (green), a social studies folder (yellow) and a science folder (red).

“I’m crazy organized,” she said, and she keeps her students organized, too.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

STANDING O WHY I NOMINATED MICHAEL STRUBLE

Michael Struble is a chiropractor who listens Struble is also a family man. ‘Family is my hobby,’ he said.

BRENT WORONOFF CONTRIBUTING WRITER

How can you tell that Michael Struble believes in his job?

Because the Palm Coast chiropractor goes to see a chiropractor himself.

When he employs the side posture technique while working on his patients at his practice in the West Point Plaza, 4883 Palm Coast Parkway NW, Unit 4, he can sometimes knock his own vertebrae out of alignment.

“It can be a pretty good push with your shoulders and back to move a person’s pelvis,” Struble said in a recent interview with the Palm Coast Observer. “Then I’ll feel it in my back and have to go get adjusted.” (He sees a friend in Ormond Beach, Dr. Peter Wakeman.)

One of his patients is Scott Mac-

Donald, an employee of the city of Palm Coast, who was one of last year’s Standing O’s. MacDonald said Struble deserves recognition because of the way he goes out of his way to serve others in his office.

“His patients always come first,” said MacDonald, who has seen many chiropractors in the past 14 years. “Michael listens intently. He will change his schedule to accommodate his patients that cannot arrive at normal business hours.”

Struble, who started his practice in Palm Coast in 2004 with another doctor before starting his own office in 2010, works with his wife, Betty, who is the receptionist. He also coached soccer for 12 years for his children’s teams. He has two sons, Caleb and Byron.

“Family is my hobby,” he said.

When Struble was a child, his father was superintendent of parks and recreation in DeLand, and Struble became a lifeguard.

That experience, along with his interest in science, led him to a degree in medicine. Growing up, Struble also went to a chiroprac-

“His patients always come first.”

tor, Dr. Robert Poss, in DeLand.

“There was no major injury,” Struble recalled. “I just woke up one day with a sore back, and he was able to help me.”

SCOTT MacDONALD

SERVING SKEPTICS

Struble likes contributing to people’s healthy lifestyles.

It’s satisfying to have a patient — someone who might be skeptical about chiropractors — come into his office in pain and walk out feeling better.

“A lot of times you get stubborn patients who don’t want to be here — their wife made them come,” Struble said. “Those are the ones who are fun because they almost don’t like you to begin with but when they get better, they are the ones who turn around and tell everybody about you. You feel like you’re accomplishing your goal of helping people.”

To help someone with back pain or other issues, Struble first identifies where there is inflammation around the spine, using a nervoscope, which detects heat.

Photo by Brian McMillan

Michael Struble has owned his practice, 4883 Palm Coast Parkway NW, Unit 4, at since 2010.

He then isolates the joint that is causing trouble.

LISTEN FIRST

What happens when someone cracks his or her own neck?

“There are seven vertebrae in your neck,” Struble said. “A lot of times people are doing that because a vertebra isn’t working well, but your’e gross-manipulating all the vertebrae. You’ll feel relief for 20 minutes because nerves feel movement faster than they feel pain, so you’re just distracting your brain.”

The cracking sound during an adjustment is similar to what happens if you crack your knuckles: Nitrogen is being released from the facet capsule at the joint. Then the inflammation can be relieved.

Struble’s first goal is to listen.

He doesn’t want to have a patient make return visits any more than is necessary.

“I’d rather see 100 patients doing well than see one patient 100 times,” he said. “If I take care of them, they’ll let their friends know.”

Richard Hamilton helps protect Flagler scenery and road safety NEWS EDITOR

Richard Hamilton has served on boards as varied as the Flagler Auditorium Governing Board and the county’s Environmentally Sensitive Land Acquisition Committee, and now represents Scenic A1A Pride on the Community Traffic Safety team.

But while his volunteer involvements have been broad, he’s strategic about how he uses his energy.

“My strength was always in planning, problem solving — financial, of course, that was my career,” said Hamilton, who retired as the senior executive of finance and operating for ITT. “There’s a lot of opportunities around in Flagler to volunteer. ... Some organizations have a lot of help; I would be tripping over

WHY I NOMINATED RICHARD HAMILTON

“While he has only been active with the [Community Traffic Safety Team] for a short time, he has had a great impact.”

ADAM MENGEL, county growth management director,

turesque natural environment that had drawn him to Flagler.

“It’s one of the few counties in Florida, maybe on all of the East Coast, where we have this still slightly rural character, where the beachfront isn’t developed with high rises,” he said. “I like cycling, I like kayaking, so the environmental aspect of it — the trails that we have and the land that’s already been set aside, whether it’s beachfront or Bings Landing or out west at Haw Creek — I felt like that was a particularly attractive asset for Flagler County.”

Environmentally Sensitive Land Acquisition Committee members are appointed by the Flagler County Commission.

Hamilton served four terms on the LAC, from 2008 to 2020, helping coordinate the acquisition of the beachfront Bay Drive Park and of the tidal flats near Bings Landing, the county-owned park on the Intracoastal where Hamilton sometimes launches his kayak.

“We have so much public access

... all along between Marineland and Flagler Beach, so I’m proud that we’ve been able to preserve that,” he said.

An avid cyclist who tries to ride daily, even if only for a few miles, Hamilton gets a view of the roads and multiuse paths that noncyclists might miss.

A member of the Scenic A1A Pride committee, he represents the committee on the Flagler County Traffic Safety Team, where he works alongside representatives of local government bodies, the Florida Department of Transportation and law enforcement to improve safety along State Road A1A. Heading into the new year, Hamilton is not slowing down: He’d like to help set up a countywide arts council that would work in coordination with local historical organizations.

As is, he estimates that his volunteering takes 10 to 20 hours a week.

“It keeps me young,” he said.

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other people. Others, I felt I could contribute to.”

Hamilton, born and raised in Scotland, worked for ITT in New York and bought a vacation home in Flagler County in 1988, after he visited the area with colleagues and was impressed by its unspoiled natural spaces. He moved to the county full time in 2002 after his retirement.

Hamilton started his volunteer work with cultural efforts, serving on the Florida International Festival’s Board of Directors from 2006 to 2010 and on the Flagler Auditorium’s Governing Board from 2007 to 2020.

He served several terms as the Auditorium Governing Board president or treasurer, helping bring in an architect for the auditorium’s renovation and create a masterplan for the auditorium’s transition to a new Flagler Schools administration in 2020.

Hamilton soon also began working to help preserve the pic-

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

STANDING O

Annie Buchanan lifts the spirits of everyone around her Buchanan was third in the state each of her last two seasons in girls weightlifting.

BRIAN MCMILLAN EXECUTIVE EDITOR

There are times when you simply have to believe.

As a junior, Annie Buchanan is one of Florida’s top female weightlifters, but despite her training and her technique, to lift her maximum weight in a competition she needs her mind to be in the right place, too.

Referring to herself and her teammates at Flagler Palm Coast High School during competitions, Buchanan said, “We sometimes start to second-guess ourselves. … We think a lot about the weight.”

But then other teammates lend emotional support, convincing each other that they will succeed. They replace “Maybe I can lift this” with “This is going to be light.”

“Your teammates are a really big help in making you believe you can do a weight,” Buchanan said.

“We’re always shouting at each other [at competitions].”

Those relationships are forged during hours of practices and conditioning and traveling to meets.

“It’s a really fun sport to bond

with another set of girls and guys,” she said. “We push each other. … After weightlifting, we hang out in the car and jam out to music and talk. We eat together and bond.”

In her freshman and sophomore years, Buchanan finished third in the state in the 199-pound weight class; last year she bench-pressed 225 pounds and clean-and-jerked 175. She is hopeful that she can win a state championship in her junior or senior season — or both. (Her junior season started recently.)

Buchanan comes from a strong family: Her sister, Lexi, was a state champion as a sophomore, and then Lexi finished second in her junior and senior years in the unlimited weight division.

“I’m aiming for my own state championship so I can brag about it to her,” Buchanan said with a smile. Her brothers also are FPC alumni, one of whom is pictured in a sports collage in a hallway at FPC, with a weight lifted over his head in a competition.

Coach Duane Hagstrom said that when Annie Buchanan was a freshman, she had a difficult time maintaining confidence. “If she missed a lift, it was all over for her,” he said. “Now, she has confidence and is focused.”

But Buchanan isn’t just a standout because of her weightlifting. She is also on the lacrosse team, where she is preparing to be the team’s top goalie next year as

WHY I NOMINATED ANNIE BUCHANAN

“Everything she does, she does with enthusiasm, with sportsmanship.

She’s a leader.”

STEVE DeAUGUSTINO, FPC athletics director

Annie Buchanan is also a key contributor for the Student Government Association.

a senior. She also is on the executive board for Student Government Association and attends many other high school sporting events at FPC to help the sports medicine staff support other athletes. She often gets home at 9 or 10 p.m.

“She is a great kid in and out of the weight room,” Hagstrom said. “She’s involved in just about everything there is to do here at the school.”

Athletics Director Steve DeAugustino is also impressed with Buchanan’s involvement throughout the school. He said many athletes struggle with setting goals because they aim too high at first. Buchanan has learned to improve her lifts in small increments, five pounds at a time, to reach the highest level of her sport.

Buchanan isn’t just in it for herself, either. She wants others

Photo by Brian McMillan

to have what she has.

“With SGA, you’re creating another family,” she said, adding that she’s grown close to adviser Evana Fretterd. “If I’m not recruiting for weightlifting, I’m recruiting for SGA. Being involved is such a great thing because you’re being a Bulldog — you’re showing your school spirit and having fun. You make new friends as you go.”

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

STANDING O

Lovie Haley, Matanzas softball player and ‘somebody we trust’ ‘She made sure she met that goal that she set for herself,’ Lovie’s mother said. ‘It came from a place from within.’ BRIAN MCMILLAN EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Lovie Haley always finishes all her homework.

Always. “I can’t sleep at night if I haven’t done the homework,� she said in a recent interview with the Palm Coast Observer. “If I didn’t finish, I would feel bad about myself because I know I can do it.�

That inner drive has led Haley to an impressive resume, grade point average and, most recently, a scholarship to play softball at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

According to her mother, Vicky, Haley has known since she was about 10 years old that she wanted to play college softball. She learned what it would take as far as grades and softball skills, and she went for it, taking extra pitching and hitting lessons for years, working long hours on the field. “If she didn’t want to, she could jump off that path,� Vicky said, “but she made sure she met that goal that she set for herself.

It came from a place from within.

Nobody can make you do that.�

Haley is the Standing O athlete from Matanzas High School this year because of her excellence on the field as well as her character off it.

MHS Athletics Director Zach Rigney called Haley “a model student-athlete.� Coach Sabrina Manhart said Haley also has great school spirit and leads visitors on enthusiastic tours.

Among Haley’s high school accomplishments are her 4.9 grade point average and her role as president of the National Honor Society. She is on track to graduate in 2021 with both a diploma from MHS and an associate degree from Daytona State college. She also earned a presidential scholarship and a Woman of Excellence Award from ERAU. But it doesn’t stop there. She has volunteered with Feed Flagler and Palm Coast Little League.

She has racked up more than 400 volunteer hours without counting the weekly work she has put into the social media account for the Florida Fast Pitch Forum.

If that weren’t enough, she also has a part-time job at Dunkin’ Donuts to help pay for college. “She’s always busy,� Vicky said. “I do things back-to-back-toback,� Haley added. She credits her mother for managing her schedule and helping her carve out time for family and friends. “She’s my mom-ager,� Haley said.

But perhaps the person most responsible for helping her bridge

WHERE DOES THE NAME LOVIE COME FROM?

WHY I NOMINATED LOVIE HALEY

“She has great character, is involved in clubs/ activities outside of softball and is a model studentathlete.�

ZACH RIGNEY, Matanzas athletics director

Courtesy photo

Lovie Haley, with ERAU coaches Bianka Bell and Kelsi Dunne

the gap to ERAU is Manhart, who is beginning her third year as Matanzas’ coach.

Manhart met Haley at a tournament when Haley was in middle school. “She came right up and introduced herself to me, which was pretty impressive for a kid so young,� Manhart recalled. “She’s got that unique name that makes her stand out, and it’s so impressive that she can back it up.�

Vicky Haley and her husband first had three boys, and when they found out there were having a girl, they decided to come up with the “most girly name� they could. They found the name Lovie in their family history dating back to the 1700s and also saw that a New England Patriots football coach was named Lovie Smith.

Girly and sportsy?

Perfect. “We thought Lovie would fit that bill,� Vicky Haley said.

Manhart said Haley’s versatility will serve her well on the college field. Haley played seven positions out of nine in her freshman year and is a pitcher on travel teams. “I can move her anywhere on the field,â€? Manhart said. “One game she had to move from first to second base, and we didn’t skip a beat — she was diving for balls and making plays. ‌ She’s somebody we trust.â€?

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YOUR NEIGHBORS TEACHERS OF THE YEAR

An influence that can’t be This year, Flagler Schools teachers faced more than their share of obstacles as we navigated the challenges of the pandemic together.

We salute and honor their dedication.

PAGES 14-20 Teachers selected by Flagler Schools

JACKIE RICKS

NATASHA WALSH

RANDI FASNACHT

MARK FETZ

TINA MCNALLY

LYNN TAILLON

LORI VON DIEZELSKI

ARIEN STRIPLIN

KHADY HARMON

KALI HURRY

CARYN TAYLOR

14

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

WADSWORTH ELEMENTARY

TEACHERS OF THE YEAR

RYMFIRE ELEMENTARY

Caryn Taylor JONATHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR

F

or Rymfire Elementary School Teacher of the Year Caryn Taylor, some of the best moments in teaching are when the kids get excited about a science experiment or a virtual field trip, or ask to hear just one more chapter of a novel.

“These are things that inspire me to be creative and to continuously look for new ways to challenge my students,” Taylor wrote in her Teacher of the Year application statement.

Taylor taught in North Carolina and Tennessee before she moved to Florida in 2006 and was hired at Rymfire, where she now teaches sixth grade.

She uses advanced texts to help her students gain language arts skills, and has created activities in a “Math Carnival Night” and “Math Lego Night” to encourage their budding math abilities.

“Even in grade six, she is able to develop lovers of reading,” Rymfire Elementary Principal LaShakia Moore wrote in a letter of reference for Taylor’s Teacher of the Year application. “She is always conducting read-alouds in her class, and you can often find her students begging for her to read one more chapter of the novel.”

In 2018-2019, Moore not-

‘To be able to build the self-worth and confidence of my students, and make them life-long learners, gives me affirmation that I am making a difference,’ Taylor wrote.

Photo courtesy of Flagler Schools

ed, 80% of Taylor’s students showed learning gains in English language arts, and 100% showed gains in math.

During the pandemic, Taylor has made sure remote-learning students aren’t left out of collaborative learning opportunities.

“Students often work in groups or with partners, which gives them opportunities to explain their thinking and demonstrate understanding,” Taylor wrote.

“By focusing on these educational shifts, I am challenging my students to develop lifelong reading and math skills which will lead to a successful future.”

Kali Hurry Hurry uses community projects to build her third-graders’ problem-solving skills.

JONATHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR

W

adsworth teacher Kali Hurry’s classroom runs like clockwork, Flagler Schools Student Supports and Discipline Coordinator John Fanelli wrote in a letter of reference for Hurry’s Teacher of the Year application.

“She loves to incorporate oneof-a-kind lessons into her students’ education, as they are powerful experiences that she hopes will stay with and influence them for a lifetime,” Fanelli wrote.

And, he added, her standardized test scores are consistently in the top 10 across the district.

Hurry teaches students in the Dreams program, which gathers together highly motivated student who are generally at or above grade level. She began her teaching career in 2013 at Wadsworth, where she currently teaches third

grade and serves as the thirdgrade gifted program coordinator.

Hurry’s students read abovegrade-level articles to enhance their comprehension skills and take part in community- and project-based learning to build problem-solving skills.

She’s also helped orchestrate community projects, Fanelli noted, such as “Skip the Straw” — in which Hurry’s grade level convinced restaurants in Flagler Beach to lower their reliance on single-use plastics.

“Kali models an impressive balance of being a reflective practitioner and a lifelong learner,” Wadsworth Principal Anna Crawford wrote in a letter of reference for Hurry.

Hurry serves as a representative on the Wadsworth Tech Team, and her tech skills have been helpful during COVID-19 as she’s shifted students into remote learning and helped train staff members on virtual best practices.

Buddy Taylor Middle School teacher Laura Hibbard’s son and daughter have both studied with Hurry, whom they refer to as “school Mom.” “I have watched both of my children excel in her presence, not because the grade was the focus, but because they couldn’t wait to see what Mrs. Hurry had waiting around the corner,” Hibbard wrote. “Fellow teachers and administrators choose to recognize a teacher for this award, but this year, you’ve chosen one that parents would vote for again and again.”

Photo courtesy of Flagler Schools

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TEACHERS OF THE YEAR BUNNELL ELEMENTARY

Jackie Ricks ‘I will continue to look at the whole child rather than what is written on paper, for I know that this is truly the heart of teaching,’ Ricks wrote.

JONATHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR

W

PalmCoastObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

hen they arrive in Bunnell Elementary School Teacher of the Year Jackie Ricks’ class, 70% of students are at least one grade level behind, and 20% are two grade levels behind.

By the end of the year, 70% are meeting expectations.

Ricks, who teaches ESOL and ESE students alongside general education students, has spent her teaching career at the elementary school she attended as a girl.

“As a student of Flagler County Schools, it has always been a reminiscent feeling teaching at BES, my elementary school. I feel like I never left!” Ricks wrote in a biographical summary as part of her Teacher of the Year application packet.

Ricks, a native Floridian and a graduate of the elementary education bachelor’s’ program at UCF and the reading master’s program at Grand Canyon University, also has a degree in Exceptional Student Education and holds endorsements in ESOL and ASD, and is working on her gifted endorsement.

She has taught at Bunnell Elementary School since 2005.

“The many helpful and talented teachers at BES have helped me fill my ‘bag of tricks’ and become the strong and dedicated teacher I am today,” she wrote. “While educating the youth of tomorrow is a pressing and important aspect of teaching, I have always focused much of my attention to making connections with all of the diverse students in my classroom.

I will continue to look at the whole child rather than what is written on paper, for I know that this is truly the heart of teaching.”

To help students improve their reading skills, Ricks uses writing.

“Research has shown that if students write daily within all subject areas, there will be evidence of significant improvement in their reading ability,” she wrote. “Every morning, my students respond to a journal entry. Afterwards, we review the topic as a whole class. ... I believe if a student can write it, they can also read it.”

When Ricks noticed that her kindergarten students wished

BELLE TERRE ELEMENTARY

Natasha Walsh ‘Natasha is one of the most organized and efficient teachers I have ever worked with,’ Principal Katrina Feola wrote.

Jackie Ricks JONATHAN SIMMONS

for the kinds of after-school activity options available to older students, Ricks helped form a club — the BES Cheer Pups, which has been remade into the BES Rhythmic Dance Pups since the pandemic began — specifically for students in kindergarten through third grade.

The club, which Ricks has now coached for five years, quickly became popular.

“We accept 30 students and have over 60 students sign up before 9:10 am the day after sending home permission forms,” Ricks wrote.

In a letter of reference for Ricks’ Teacher of the Year application, Bunnell Elementary School Assistant Principal Cari Hankerd wrote that Ricks fosters a positive, respectful environment among students and uses instructional methods that focus on collaboration.

“Her positivity and welcoming spirit can not be overstated,” Hankerd wrote.

Hankerd wrote of a day when a challenging student was in Hankerd’s office, and Hankerd told the boy that they’d need to sort out his situation quickly because she had an appointment coming up to interview a new potential teacher.

She asked the student for his thoughts on what she should look for in a teacher candidate. “Someone like Ms. Ricks!” the boy said.

“I found his answer particular endearing, as Ms. Ricks had been this student’s teacher several years ago,” Hankerd wrote.

In a letter of reference for Ricks, Lindsay Achins wrote that when Ricks was Achins’ daughter’s second-grade teacher last year, Ricks smoothly transitioned the students into virtual learning.

“In a time of chaos and fear, Mrs. Ricks was the glue that held our class together,” Achins wrote. “We knew we could make it through anything with her as our teacher.”

Ricks wrote that the nomination for Teacher of the Year will inspire her to do even more.

“Having the opportunity to be recognized for this title has given me a newfound strength to continue to push forward in effectively educating our youth and creating small scholars who will one day become our future leaders,” she wrote.

“She teaches students to be kind and empathetic because she is that role model. No one is left out, and no one goes unseen. Jackie has had students purposely chosen for her class because of this quality.”

MARLENE VAZQUEZ, ESOL program specialist

NEWS EDITOR

F

ourth-grade teacher Natasha Walsh, Belle Terre Elementary School’s Teacher of the Year, brings creativity and technical savvy to her instruction, colleagues and parents said.

“I have personally witnessed this creativity firsthand, while my daughter was a student in her classroom,” Alma Bevacqua wrote in a letter of reference for Walsh. “I can recall a time that my daughter was having trouble with a mathematical concept. Not only was Ms. Walsh patient, but she used specific music lyrics to help her and the other students work their way through a challenging concept.”

When COVID-19 led the district to transition students into homebased instruction, Walsh delivered all of her students’ belongings from the classroom to their homes, and included a care pack-

Natasha Walsh

age for each, Bevacqua added.

Several years before, Walsh worked with fellow Belle Terre Elementary School teachers to create a school-based food pantry that provided food, warm winter clothes and Thanksgiving turkeys to dozens of families.

Although that club is no longer active, Walsh wrote in a statement as part of her Teacher of the Year application, she hopes to start a new one.

Walsh teaches all subjects, but particularly prides herself on her ability to help students understand tricky math concepts. Students often enter her classroom wary of math, but she sees that as an opportunity.

“Although every year it breaks my heart when I hear students say they’re not good at math, I have learned to love that moment,” Walsh wrote in a statement submitted as part of her Teacher of the Year application. “I have grown to accept those words because I

know that I have changed past students’ feelings, and I will continue to work with my students to show them that they can actually become amazing mathematicians.”

Walsh, herself a graduate of Flagler Palm Coast High School, began teaching at Belle Terre Elementary School in 2012, after teaching one school year at Wadsworth Elementary School.

“Natasha is one of the most organized and efficient teachers I have ever worked with,” Belle Terre Elementary School Assistant Principal Katrina Feola wrote in a letter of reference for Walsh. “She uses her advanced skills with platforms such as Google to streamline not only her own work but her entire team and school wide for anyone who would like to use her templates.”

Walsh holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from University of Central Florida and state endorsements in reading and ESOL instruction.

“I have had many teachers, and when I look back, the one thing that always stands out to me are the teachers who made learning fun, enjoyable and memorable,” Walsh wrote in a statement.

“Those same teachers also took the time to make me feel like I was important and cared for. I want to be that teacher for my students, I know my students will learn many things during their time with me, but I hope what they remember most is how I made them feel.”

OLD KINGS ELEMENTARY

Arien Striplin Striplin helps her kindergarten students grow by forming lasting relationships.

JONATHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR

O

ften, Arien Striplin’s students do their best learning when they don’t realize they’re learning at all. That’s the thing about teaching kindergartners: The lessons that are the most fun are often also the stickiest.

“Many times, my students do not even know they are learning and, as a result, the growth from the beginning of the year to the end is incredible,” Striplin, Old Kings Elementary School’s Teacher of the Year, wrote in her Teacher of the Year application statement.

“They come into the classroom not knowing their letters, sounds, and how to write their names. They leave the classroom at the end of the year reading and writing paragraphs.”

Striplin first began teaching in New York, then moved to the Flagler Schools system in 2004, teaching at Belle Terre Elementary and Bunnell Elementary, and, for a year, at a school in Maryland before she was hired at Old Kings Elementary in 2015.

Photo courtesy of Flagler Schools

At Old Kings, Striplin serves on the school’s leadership team, mentoring fellow teachers and reviewing curriculum resources, and also tutors students before and after school, wrote Old Kings Elementary School Principal Katie Crooke.

“She consistently has the ability to connect and communicate a student-centered approach that fosters creativity, support, enthusiasm and growth,” Crooke wrote.

Tyler Gonce first met Striplin in 2003, when Striplin went by the last name Baker. It was Striplin’s first day as a teacher. It was Gonce’s first day of kindergarten.

After her mother and grandmother coaxed her into the classroom, Gonce recalled in a letter of reference for Striplin, everything seemed fine until it was time for mom and grandma to leave — then, the tears started flowing “Ms. Baker came to my rescue to comfort me and made me feel safe and secure as my family left,” Gonce wrote. “... Before I knew it, Ms. Baker had turned kindergarten

into something I loved.”

By 2018, Gonce was a sophomore in college studying elementary education. And, 15 years after the first day of kindergarten, she found herself back in Striplin’s class — this time earning her field hours by watching Striplin work.

“It is because of her that I decided to pursue my true passion of becoming an elementary school teacher, maybe even a kindergarten teacher like her,” Gonce wrote.

Erin Andrews, a fourth-grade teacher at Old Kings Elementary, knows Striplin as both a fellow teacher and as a parent those son was in Striplin’s class this past year.

“He grew confident with every new skill she taught him, coming home singing rhymes for all of his sight words and using hand gestures to remember his math skills,” Andrews wrote in a letter of reference for Striplin’s Teacher of the Year application. “... My adventurous and spirited wild child loved school and he loved his teacher. When we knew that school would not be resuming as normal after spring break, my heart hurt for my son. ... Despite the hurdles presented during the remainder of the school year, Mrs. Striplin made the transition seamless. ... Even being remote, Mrs. Striplin continued to grow a precious and remarkable relationship.”

All students deserve support, encouragement, structure and a positive role model, Striplin wrote.

“If students are given this, they will be successful learners throughout their schooling, and you will see them grow into responsible, independent adults,” she wrote.

PALM COAST OBSERVER

PalmCoastObserver.com

TEACHERS OF THE YEAR

Lori Scarpa von Diezelski INDIAN TRAILS MIDDLE

‘Sometimes, I see what is not there at the moment, but could be,’ she wrote about struggling students.

JONATHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR

I

ndian Trails Middle School Teacher of the Year Lori Scarpa von Diezelski is inspired by building lasting connections with students — the kind that leads students, years later, to say, “Thank you for not giving up on me.”

“I like to believe that this feeling of empowerment and success comes from weeks of encouragement, listening and being at their side through failures and what seems like fatal road blocks,” von Diezelski wrote in her Teacher of the Year application statement.

“In reality, inspiration leads to success by building the will to push forward.”

Von Diezelski’s commitment to struggling students has drawn the attention of her peers and supervisors.

“She goes above and beyond,” ITMS Principal Paul Peacock wrote in a letter of reference for von Diezelski’s Teacher of the Year application. “Recently, she arranged for a scholar to receive a bicycle so that he was able to get to school on time. There are

countless stories where she has seen a need and has stepped up to meet it.”

Peacock gave another example: When the school decided it needed something more restorative than a “detention room,” and the right person to help lead it, colleagues thought of von Diezelski.

“The scholars that come to her room learn to trust her, and many become leaders,” he wrote.

Von Diezelski began her career as middle school French and English teacher in New York in 1990 before moving to Flagler in 1998.

When classes went online because of the pandemic, she helped make sure students didn’t fall behind.

ITMS teacher teacher Dana Hausen said, “She has become the go-to person for any student who is academically behind. ...

She finds ways to connect with these students in ways others simply cannot. ... Her impact on struggling students is profound.”

Photo courtesy of Flagler Schools

|

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

17

Randi Fasnacht

BUDDY TAYLOR MIDDLE

When things changed because of COVID-19, Fasnacht saw an opportunity.

JONATHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR

A

s a school counselor, Buddy Taylor Middle School Teacher of the Year Randi Fasnacht’s job requires making connections with students.

COVID-19 upended the usual processes. But she saw that as an opportunity.

“COVID has made it so much more difficult to connect face-toface,” she wrote in her Teacher of the Year application statement.

“We don’t get close. ... When I was first introduced to Schoology, Flipgrid and Zoom, I found a way to reach students in the middle of a pandemic. ... My way of connecting has expanded immensely.

Now I can reach the students who would never say a word, but they are awesome at sharing through Schoology, email and Zoom.”

Still, the sudden change has been tricky. It can be difficult for a school counselor to know quite how they’re impacting a student even without the complications of remote access. Now, she is counseling a group of incoming online-learning students she has not met in person, who are themselves dealing with the difficulties of learning online.

“Our remote learners are the students who are struggling the

Photo courtesy of Flagler Schools

Randi Fasnacht

most,” she wrote.

Fasnacht began her career as a sixth-grade teacher in Minnesota in 1987. She was the Teacher of the Year for Bunnell Elementary School in Flagler, in 2015.

“I find the most inspiration when I look at the resiliency of not only my students, but also when I look at the resiliency of the teachers, administration and staff I work with,” Fasnacht wrote.

Buddy Taylor Middle School Principal Cara Cronk wrote in a letter that Fasnacht is always seeking out learning opportunities, such as the webinar she recently attended on helping teens deal with anxiety and stress.

“She has been educating and providing guidance and compassion to everyone she encounters for her entire career,” Cronk wrote. “She counsels students on their academic struggles, but also goes deeper to find the root of the issue and works with the student and teachers to come up with a plan of action. As Randi works to resolve student issues, she creates meaningful relationships with each person.”

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

Tina McNally

TEACHERS OF THE YEAR MATANZAS HIGH

Photo courtesy of Flagler Schools

JONATHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR

Khady Harmon

S

ometimes, Matanzas High School Teacher of the Year Khady Harmon’s chemistry students ask her why she’s torturing them.

“As a chemistry teacher, I am aware that my class is often the first exposure to true critical thinking skills and mathematical applications,” Harmon wrote in her Teacher of the Year application statement. “Although rather comical, the ‘torture’ reference acknowledges the rigor associated with the subject of chemistry. Just as a culinary chef strives to present his best curated meal, I aspire to deliver lessons that are intellectually stimulating, pragmatic that will foster lifetime applications.”

In 2019, 61.1% of Harmon’s AP

FLAGLER PALM COAST HIGH

A teacher of chemistry and French, Harmon strives to create intellectually stimulating lessons that foster lifetime applications.

A science and math teacher, McNally uses innovative hands-on lessons.

chemistry students passed the notoriously tricky AP chemistry exam with three (out of five) or above — much higher than the state average of 48.1% or the global average of 54.4%.

Harmon, who immigrated to the U.S. from Senegal and became the first woman in her family to earn a college degree, teaches French as well as chemistry.

She focuses on crossover skills, teaching her chemistry students note-taking, organization, independent study skills and expository writing skills.

In her French language classes, Harmon helps students recognize the bevy of loan words hat have come into English from French — so that they can integrate words like “cuisine” and “expatriate” into their everyday vocabulary, a skill that will also help them on standardized tests like the SAT. Sometimes, her former students come back to tell her how glad they are that they’d taken her class in high school.

“They sometimes remind me of the most trivial lessons as their most meaningful moments,” Harmon wrote in her Teacher of the Year application statement. “...

I take great pride in my student success as a harvest of modeling hard work, patience, diligence and the importance of cultivating solid work ethics.”

that grab the students’ attention.

She is exceptionally creative and builds activities from scratch.”

Each year, science and math teacher McNally wrote in her Teacher of the Year application statement, she is driven to find what she refers to as each student’s “it” — the factor that helps them engage in learning.

Early in her teaching career, McNally been challenged by a student’s behavior, but knew that the boy had a great relationship with one of the school’s deans.

The dean, noting that the student expressed himself through fashion, suggested that McNally try complimenting the boy’s shoes.

She did, and the compliment led to a connection.

“I learned the importance of appreciating student individuality,” McNally wrote. “It’s not always as easy as noticing shoes, but finding the ‘it’ is such a rewarding experience for both me and the student.”

McNally starts every unit with a guided reading exercise to help improve students’ reading skills.

Her biology students’ 20182019 school year end-of-course exam scores showed steep gains in their reading abilities, prompting a student to send McNally a thank-you email.

“I never imagined that I would not only get a 4 on an EOC but score in the top 27% in the state,” the student wrote. “Thank you so much for the notes and for listening to me when no one else would.”

JONATHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR

T

ina McNally likes hands-on exercises: she’s had students calculate average speed by tracking live superworms and learn the difference between physical and chemical changes by making s’mores over Bunsen burners.

Bowling with golf balls facilitated a lesson on Newton’s laws.

“In 30 years of education, I have only seen only a handful of teachers with a combination of skill sets that she possesses,” the late James Russell, FPC’s principal until his death in December, wrote in his letter of reference for McNally’s Teacher of the Year application. “... Because she knows her students well, she designs activities

Photo courtesy of Flagler Schools

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HOME INSURANCE NON-RENEWAL?

ResidentialSales sales ••Residential LET US SELL YOUR HOME! andListings listings and Call or stop by to learn about our reduced commission offer.

• New • New Construction Construction PINE LAKES LEHIGH WOODS • Property Adorable 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 car garage house with • Property Management rear covered lanai and clean as a whistle! Interior freshly Management painted, upgraded stainless appliances, tiled tub/shower • Commercial combo in both bathrooms and new landscaping! Open concept, split floor plan with island in kitchen. Inside Sales and • Commercial Sales laundry room, sprinkler system and more. Close to US Leasing 1 for easy commuting. and Leasing

386-445-1000 386-445-1000

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NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT APPRECIATION DAY JANUARY 9, 2021 Sheriff Rick Staly

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EST. 1981

PALM COAST OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

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PalmCoastObserver.com

PALM COAST OBSERVER

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PalmCoastObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

TEACHERS OF THE YEAR

Mark Fetz Fetz, who’s practiced at connecting with students over a virtual platform, is now helping colleagues do so as well.

JONATHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR

M

ark Fetz, Teacher of the Year for the online learning platform iFlagler, doesn’t have the opportunity to make connections with students in a physical classroom. But he’s become adept at doing so in a virtual one — and, as classes shifted online because of COVID-19, he’s helped colleagues do the same.

With iFlagler’s sudden expansion because of the pandemic, Flagler Schools Executive Director of Teaching and Learning Diane Dyer wrote in a letter of reference for Fetz’s Teacher of the Year application, she’d worried about how the district could quickly train its teachers in virtual instruction.

“I needed his help as a virtual veteran, and knew I could count on him,” she wrote. “ ... He has become a true leader in iFlagler.”

Dyer noted that Fetz often has a heavier course load than colleagues, not infrequently teaching seven classes at a time.

“He has not once ever complained or asked for relief,” she wrote. “He just dives in.”

Whenever Dyer has noticed that a student in his class is struggling, and she’s asked Fetz about it, “he knows the complete back-

When I think back on 2020, the word I think of is GRATITUDE. I am grateful for the families we had the opportunity to help.

I am grateful for the knowledge we have gained another year in business.

I am grateful for the relationships that were built because of this business.

One of the things I am most grateful for is this group of people right here! Combined we have over 100 years of real estate experience! We’re passionate professionals who are consistently striving to help each other and to be better and that’s what I love most! In case you can’t tell, we also like to have a ton of fun!

I absolutely love the picture above and cannot wait to see this group grow and watch all of the lives that we will change together.

2021 is going to be filled with INTENTION and even more gratitude. Here’s to a year filled with productive days and delicious coffee to get you through them!

Photo courtesy of Flagler Schools

iFLAGLER story of what is happening with the student and his entire family that is having an impact on the child’s performance in class,” Dyer wrote.

Fetz, born in Michigan, earned a degree in business computer information systems from Western Michigan University before realizing that he liked working with kids more than computers, and attended Flagler College to earn a degree in secondary education social sciences.

He started teaching fulltime in 2011 at Flagler Palm Coast High School before shifting the next year to iFlagler, teaching social studies and English.

He has a magnet near his desk with a Chinese proverb on it: “Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself,” it says.

FLAGLER TECHNICAL COLLEGE

Want to learn more about joining our team?

Call me today! What are you waiting for?

Lynn Taillon

-Megan

Taillon, the student services manager at FTC, helps students reach their goals.

Megan Farrell, REALTOR

TheMeganFarrellTeam.com We know the market. We know the process. We’re here for you.

386-597-3545

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20

JONATHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR

A

s the student services manager, Flagler Technical College Teacher of the Year Lynn Taillon’s impact isn’t made through classroom lectures, which she rarely gives, but though community outreach and one-on-one counseling of students who are approaching milestones in their life — going back to school to get a GED they didn’t earn as a youth,

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Photo courtesy of Flagler Schools

choosing or changing a career, or deciding to invest in new skills to advance the work they’re already doing.

“If I help a student become excited and peaceful with their next course of action, then I have been successful,” Taillon wrote.

Taillon, who holds a bachelor’s in education for Emory University and a master’s in adult education from the University of Phoenix, began her career as a technical curriculum development instructor before moving to Florida in 2019 beginning her work at FTC. Her tech skills quickly came in handy: When classes went online for COVID-19, Taillon created a training manual for students and teachers, writing it within a week and then conducting a teacher training session.

She developed a learning management system for the college’s electrical apprentice program, and co-taught it for the first few weeks.

And when Taillon learned that the college was looking for ways to deliver instruction to Health Science program students who would ordinarily do hospital rotations but could not because of the pandemic, she helped develop a new program for the class and cotaught it.

“What others considered an obstacle and disappointment, Lynn showed us how to embrace,” FTC Health Science Program Facilitator Dawn Lord wrote in a letter of reference for Taillon’s Teacher of the Year application.

CLASSIFIEDS

Thursday, January 7, 2021

The Palm Coast Observer reserves the right to classify and edit copy, or to reject or cancel an advertisement at any time. Corrections after first insertion only. *All ads are subject to the approval of the Publisher. *It is the responsibility of the party placing any ad for publication in The Palm Coast Observer to meet all applicable legal requirements in connection with the ad such as compliance with town codes in first obtaining an occupational license for business, permitted home occupation, or residential rental property.

WASHING MACHINE, Frigidaire Gallery, high capacity, Ormond Beach $195 386-405-6566.

WOODEN DESK, 5’x28”, 5 drawers, keyboard shelf, excellent condition $200 386-585-4891.

Autos For Sale

2017 DODGE Grand Caravan 10” lowered floor, ramp & tie downs $32,995 727-492-1630.

Furnishings

ENTERTAINMENT CENTER, $200. Couch w/3 chairs $100. Coffee table, 2 end tables, & sofa table $200. oak desk w/bookcase, $200. (732) 241-1247.

Garage/Moving/Estate Sales

4 BEDROOM, 2 bath, 2 car garage, 1 year lease $1,500/month. Call Mike Smith, Palm Coast Flagler Beach Realty 386-503-8104.

Need to make some room?

This week’s Sudoku answers

Use Observer Classifieds to sell your items quickly

TIRED OF COMING HOME TO A MESSY HOUSE? NEED YOUR ROOMS/CLOSETS ORGANIZED? I WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER SO YOU CAN ENJOY YOUR DAY!

386-447-9723

Adult Care Services

SENIORS

Small to Large - ANY Detailed Job is Available!

I CARE about you!

Private room available, private pay, includes meals and laundry in Palm Coast.

Now Offering Room & Area Rug Carpet Cleaning!

Free Estimates All Supplies Furnished 10% OFF 1st Cleaning Residential/Commercial Licensed References available

386-868-8594

©2021 NEA, Inc.

This week’s Crossword answers

Call: 386-569-6151

35 POINT Pleasant Drive, 1/8 & 1/9/21, 8am-1pm, patio furniture, gas and electric pressure washers, camping equipment, extension ladder, beach furniture, lawn wagon, electric weedeater and much more!

ELIZABETH JONES Cleaning Service now offering room and area rug carpet cleaning. 386-569-6151.

Lost & Found

Cleaning

Carpet/Tile

Want Some Mad Money?

Sell Your Item for Free! $200 or less classifieds.palmcoastobserver.com

REWARD! LOST senior tan Chihuahua, L Section, Matanzas. Microchip. Taking medicines and almost deaf. Skittish. Do not chase. If sighted call 386-597-4799.

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PART-TIME CLEANER wanted for janitorial duties in building/facility. Applicant must have at least 25 years cleaner experience. Hours are Monday Friday, 3-6 hours daily. Pay rate $16/$19 per hour.

For information or to apply, contact Mr. Barge, tbarge49@gmail.com.

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TWIN XL Electric Bed Twin XL Electric Bed w/ removable side rails + extras $199 (386) 447-8737.

Puzzle Two Solution: “There’s a lot of integrity with musicians; you really still aspire to ... be the best version of yourself you can be.”

– Sheryl Crow

2 160

STAINED GLASS one beautiful 44x48 "stained glass framed, call Bill $200 (386) 246-8683.

SINCE 2003

Homes For Rent

59

MICROWAVE OVEN, black, digital 900 watt 0.9 cubic ft. Bella, asking $40 386-676-7401.

CLEANING SERVICES

LV94

FAX MACHINE $19, Space Program Memorabilia $9, new apartment items $7 305-216-8533.

ELIZABETH JONES

551 161

DINING ROOM table w/4 chairs & extension leaf, exceptional condition $90/BO 386-445-4722.

Puzzle One Solution: “Survival can be summed up in three words -- never give up. That’s the heart of it really. Just keep trying.” Bear Grylls

86

CAR SPEAKERS JBL 6"x9" 210W New in box $50 (386) 283-4367.

0BR/1BA BUNNELL Studio Apt, Perfect for single adult. Tiled floor. Kitchen with plenty of cabinets.

Newer fridge. Tile floors. Vertical blinds. Wall a/c / heat unit. Close to shopping and 10 miles to beach.

Pics on request. $700 (386) 235-8680.

This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers

0 160

BANDSAW CRAFTSMAN 10" bandsaw, nice call Bill $50 386-246-8683.

Cleaning

35

AMAZON NEBULIZER, new $25, 1 Quart 25% food grade hydrogen peroxide $40 386-445-0057.

Duplexes For Rent

6 160

Items Under $200 For Sale

LV9729

INFO & RATES: 386-447-9723 • Fax: 386-447-9963 • EMAIL: pcoclassifieds@palmcoastobserver.com • ONLINE: classifieds.palmcoastobserver.com HOURS: Mon.-Fri. 9am-5pm • DEADLINES: Classifieds - Monday at Noon • Service Directory - Friday at 3pm • PAYMENT: Cash, Check or Credit Card

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PALM COAST OBSERVER

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PalmCoastObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

AUTO SERVICE

DOORS

LV9731

BUSINESS DIRECTORY INSURANCE

Medicare Plan Options

Serving Palm Coast for over 20 years

Helping You Select the Medicare Plan That is Right For You! HMO • PPO • SUPPLEMENTS PART D • DENTAL 347781

OR OST NO C ATION IG L OB

LICENSE # FC11803 / # GAR13041803

348203

CERTIFIED COLLISION REPAIR SHOP 410 N. Railroad Ave, Bunnell, FL 32110 BARBER

348207

Independent Licensed Agent

386.931.3414

Deanna.Kershner@yahoo.com

ios

LAWN CARE

D o or s s ge a

A

Ga tkin r

d Stu

Deanna Kershner

Voted Best Around 5 Years in a Row

No Appointment Necessary

PROPERTY PRESERVATION

Lawn Care 217-622-2667

Zones: PC OCTOBER Mon.-Fri.2019 8-5 • PROOF Saturday 9-1 Contact:

386.446.1566

Approved as shown / No Changes or Corrections Need to see a Revised Proof

Approved with Changes / This is my Final Proof

Client Signature

Date

Owner Dominic DiGirolamo

Size: TH Designer: Chase Created: 00/00/00

REVISED DATE

Palm Coast LICENSED AND FULLY INSURED

10/3/19

This ad is property of Money Pages and may not be reproduced in any other publication.

348185 If a SIGNED APPROVED PROOF has not been received by 9/25/19, the ad will be printed as shown.

336409

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Small Business Retirement Plans

BLINDS/WINDOW TREATMENTS BUDGET BLINDS

Helping to set up retirement plans for the self-employed and for small business owners

SIMPLE, SEP, IRAs and 401(k)s (386) 210-9500 gmiddleton@wealthcrest.com

Call now for your free in-home consultation!

Get Get 30% OFF 30% OFF

Securities products offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a Broker/Dealer. Member FINRA/ SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through WealthCrest Financial Services, LLC is not a subsidiary or control affiliate of Cambridge.

386-446-1191 386-446-1191 BudgetBlinds.com BudgetBlinds.com BUDGET BLINDS BUDGET BLINDS ofofPalm Coast Palm Coast

Blinds • Shutters • Shades Drapes • Home Automation

348920

PLEASE SIGN YOUR PROOF AND COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:

“God Bless You”

WE CHOMP HIGH PRICES!

CELL: 904-540-5522 Email: marty.lewis@moneypages.com

WealthCrest

Jody Watkins www.jsalawncare.com info@jsalawncare.com 386-270-5155 Palm Coast, FL 32164 348192

17 Old Kings Road North Palm Coast, FL 32137

Marty Lewis

347782

Please review this ad carefully. Specify corrections and/or changes here and fax back to Money Pages within 2 Days of the REVISED DATE. There is no charge to correct typographical errors or to make revisions to your initial proof. A charge of $60 PER PROOF will apply beginning with your 3rd Proof.

Financial Services, LLC

85 Avenue de la Mer, Suite 706, Palm Coast, FL 32137

348204

HEALTH

PAINTING

Titanium Painters

CONCRETE

PAVERSTRAVERTINEANDMORE.COM

DIGITAL OFFER

Visa/MC/Amex/Discover

WE PAINT HOUSES, POOL DECKS, DRIVEWAYS & DOCKS

A DIGITAL OFFER WILL BE INCLUDED ON THE MONEY PAGES APP

We seal cracks & holes

IF APPLICABLE.

See your Multimedia Specialist for more details.

386-445-6198 Serving Flagler County Since 1987

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386-437-0041

Free Estimates Licensed & Insured

PLUMBING

www.moneypages.com

348205

Errors missed by you on this proof will not release you from any liabilities to Money Pages. Color is not guaranteed.

NEW CONCRETE OR CONCRETE REPAIR

CALL for a Quote CALL & forAsk a About Quote Money & Ask Saving About Money Discounts!

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Concrete • Pavers • Travertine Fire Pits • and More

CALL TODAY FOR A FREE PERSONALIZED INSURANCE QUOTE.

FC 10796

Central Plaza Florida Retina Winn-Dixie Shopping - Route 100Center www.aciaonline.com Phone 386-439-9254 www.aciaonline.com

Phone 386-439-9254 www.aciaonline.com Phone 386-439-9254

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TERRY’S PLUMBING For All Your Plumbing Needs

Serving Flagler County for over 30 years

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Advertise your business in The Observer Business Directory Call 386-447-9723 to advertise

Fast, Reliable Service Licensed • Insured Master Plumber CFC1426001

2 Generations Family Owned & Operated

YOUR CONNECTION PROOF O.K. BY:___________________________ PROOF O.K. BY:___________________________

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY • SUBMIT CORRECTIONS ONLINE

O.K. WITH CORRECTIONS BY:________________________ O.K. WITH CORRECTIONS BY:________________________

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PF-SPAD0414151522 (100%) PF-SPAD0414151522 ADVERTISER: ALL COUNTIES INSURANCE(100%) A PROOF CREATED AT: 4/20/2016 9:35:47 AM

to selling your service with success.

ADVERTISER: ALL PF701 COUNTIES INSURANCE A SALES PERSON: SALES3X3.75 PERSON: PF701 SIZE:

PROOF CREATED 4/20/2016 9:35:47 AM NEXT RUN DATE: AT: 04/21/16 NEXT RUN DATE: 04/21/16 PROOF DUE: 04/22/16 13:59:55

SIZE: 3X3.75 SPEC PUBLICATION: PUBLICATION: SPEC

PROOF DUE: 04/22/16 13:59:55

For more information, call 386-447-9723 or visit classifieds.palmcoastobserver.com

348210

348191

sdcminc@gmail.com 5054 N. Ocean Shore Blvd. Palm Coast

Auto • HomeInsurance • Condo • Motorcycle • Flood • Renters All Counties Agency All Counties Insurance Agency RV • Boat • Commercial Auto • Property & Traffic School 99 Old Kings Rd. S. Suite 3 & Traffic School Winn-Dixie Shopping Plaza - Route 100

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Licensed & Insured

INSURANCE

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

POOLS

RETAIL

ROOFING Building Customers For Life!

Four Seasons Pools LLC

EZ Roofing Inc.

386-503-7731

Of Flagler County

One Month Free Pool Service

348188

ROOFING

POWER WASHING

Rick's Power Washing

A1

Shingle | Tile | Metal | Flat | Re-Roof Structural Repair | Skylights

846-4580 348187

CBC ROOFING COMPANY

110 Person you stan for 112 Sunburn balm 113 Tennis match units 114 Attach with a knot 116 Japanese noodle 119 Free period?

121 “Pretend I’m not here” ... and a hint to the two extra letters in each starred clue 124 Hated thing 125 Hunt like a leopard 126 Informal units for chili 127 Sunbeam 128 Reputation, in slang 129 Quaint bathroom sign 130 One may be cut from a cereal container

348195

27 years experience

Team Up With Classifieds • 386-447-9723

SELF-DENIAL by Parker Higgins and Ross Trudeau; Edited by David Steinberg

348196

ee Experts LL r T A C

Proper pruning and removal of trees Safely working over houses is our specialty

386.677.9265 State Licensed | Insured CCC1328252 | CBC1254280

TREES

348212

CGC049971, CCC330417, CPC048249

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5 Like some unusual pets 6 Ctrl-Alt-___ 7 INDICATORS OF SHOUTING ________________________ O.K. WITH CORRECTIONS BY:________________________ IN TEXTS 8 Attentive SUBMIT CORRECTIONS ONLINE 9 “Thar be the shore!”

10 Former quarterback Steve 11 It’s the limit, they say 12 Murad or Comaneci S PROOF CREATED AT: 3/26/2020 4:30:29 PM 13 Ecstasy’s opposite NEXT RUN DATE: 04/01/20 14 Losses of water or gas 15 They may be blocked online PROOF DUE: 03/31/20 07:59:55 16 Alabama starting point for AVER civil rights marches ©2021 Universal Uclick 17 One-night stand, e.g.

ACROSS 27 Old nutritional fig.

78 Spanish hero 58 Video game sample 18 Song such as “My Girl” 1 Packed (down) 28 Pen sound?

80 Purr-fect pet?

59 Run really fast 22 Rodents in forests 7 Soothes 29 Prefix with “directional” 60 Disco ___ (“The Simp83 Major work 24 Atomic cores 12 “The Lion King” role for sons” character) 30 The “D” in DJ 84 Swirling water 28 Popular “near beer” Beyonce 61 Canines, but not felines 32 *Theme present 86 “Believe” singer 31 Mope 16 Calif. airport that has fog 35 Half-___ (coffee order) 62 Lavish love (on) 87 *Romeo’s friend 33 Lily variety delays 64 Artist Magritte 38 ___ of personality 92 Cherry brandy 34 “The Simpsons” neighbor 19 Glacier-hiking tool 65 “Code Switch” network 40 Cookie with creme 94 Touch lightly 35 NYSE listings 20 “Alas and ___!”

67 Board presentation VIP 41 Ruby, e.g.

95 Before, once 36 Adderall target, briefly 21 Remained respectable, 68 *Firmest lights 42 Norse war god 96 D.C. paper 37 One may twirl torches as a tweet 70 *Amexes used by some 44 Perrins’ partner 97 Ruckus 39 Text that may discuss yoga 23 *Cement made with Native Americans 45 Fellow 98 Speak with a croak 43 Leonard who wrote “I Am 2.5% copper 74 ___ of iniquity 47 Official orders 101 “RuPaul’s ___ Race” Spock” 25 Help out, slangily 51 *Painfully meshy chaps, 75 Shoulder assistance org.? 103 H.S. equivalency test 46 To this point 26 Split-screen TikTok 76 Avian chatterbox perhaps 104 *They circle a games 48 Airport carousel sight function 77 “Garfield” dog 57 Shoe designer Jimmy giant 49 Reusable bags

2-01 (100%)

Locally Owned and Operated 20+ years

fivestar386@gmail.com • www.fivestarroofingSVC.com

“Specialist In Hard to Find Leaks”

THE TO DO LIST EXPERT

712 South Oceanshore Blvd.

Flagler Beach, Florida 32136

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL ROOFING

Roof Leaking?

KASTLE K EEPERS HANDYMAN SERVICES

CROSSWORD

386.931.4614

info@sckroofing.com • SCKRoofing.com

348211

348193

CALL BRIAN 386-385-8504

REMODELING/HOME IMPROVEMENT

Licensed & Insured

• State Certified Roofing & State Certified General Contracting.

• Pres. Brian Mullen building locally in Flagler County since 1976 • Licensed, Bonded & Insured

Arborist

Rick Crouse, owner Licensed and Insured

Office: 386-264-6281 Cell: 904-669-7743

Classified Ads Bring Results • 386-447-9723

50 Fashionable NYC neighborhood 52 “I’m kind of impressed” 53 One into crosswords and “Star Trek,” maybe 54 Plumbers’ vehicles 55 Anger 56 Ahi, for one 61 Merchant 63 End of an ___ 66 Vietnamese comfort food 68 India’s capital territory 69 A pop 70 Error in tihs clue 71 “Get ___” (Chadwick Boseman film) 72 Like some potatoes 73 Black ___ spider 74 Tarot set 76 Bon ___ (witticism) 79 One pursuing tax dodgers 81 “A line around your thoughts,” per Klimt 82 Crowns worn with sashes 85 “Egad!”

87 More discriminating 88 Small squabble 89 Making missteps 90 Librarian’s advice 91 Nonverbal approval 93 Bank offerings, for short 99 Surgical stitch 100 Abolition target for Angela Davis 102 Stop saying “I’m with the band”?

104 Range of awareness 105 Massey of old films (A LION anagram) 106 Emphatic denial 107 ___ fatale 108 Lieu 109 Abbr. on a cereal container 111 Eco-conscious Seuss character 115 Alternatives to watercolors 117 Ernie’s roommate 118 Paintballs, e.g.

120 Cannabis ingredient (Abbr.)

121 Photo file format 122 Snatch 123 Mind reader’s claim, briefly

CELEBRITY CIPHER

By Luis Campos Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present.

Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

“TFECVCNB RNL SX TFWWXH FJ VL YDEXX MKEHT -- LXCXE AVCX FJ. YDNY’T YDX DXNEY KI VY EXNBBG. ZFTY UXXJ YEGVLA.” – SXNE AEGBBT “JYVEV’C U HKJ KO FPJVAEFJM DFJY SZCFBFUPC; MKZ EVUHHM CJFHH UCRFEV JK ... TV JYV TVCJ XVECFKP KO MKZECVHO MKZ BUP TV.”

– CYVEMH BEKD Puzzle Two Clue:S equals M

• Roof Replacement and Insurance Experts • Estimates and Inspections • High Wind shingles / All types of roofing

Call Rick

PF-0000987082-01

LICENSED & INSURED

"Quality You Can Count On"

Houses · Driveways · Pool Enclosures Siding · Concrete Licensed/Insured & Reliable

TOILET REPAIRS SCREENS DRYER VENT CLEANING REPAIR CLOGGED DRAIN

LIC#CCC1331086

Insurance Inspections Available Reliable Prompt Service

Puzzle One Clue M equals W

347783

Please view Testimonial Videos on Website www.PoolServiceSpecialists.com | Pool Contractor License #CPC1457288

PRESSURE CLEANING INTERIOR/EXTERIOR PAINTING CEILING FANS LIGHT & SINK FIXTURES

348189

• New Roofs • Replacements • Repairs • FREE Estimates • FREE Roof Inspections & Minor Repairs

Prices Starting as low as $90 per month

(386)

386-328-5359

Residential Roofing Specialist

(Upon becoming a monthly customer)

386-585-5160

LV9731

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

© 2021 NEA, Inc.

SUDOKU

Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.

©2021 Andrews McMeel Syndicate

01-07-21

24

PALM COAST OBSERVER

|

PalmCoastObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

GOING THE EXTRA MILE

HAPPY NEW YEAR! BEST SELECTION OF NEW FORD CARS & TRUCKS

$5000 OVER KELLEY BLUE BOOK FOR YOUR TRADE-IN* FORD CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED

QUALITY PRE-OWNED

2018 Ford Focus Titanium Hatch $13,900

2014 MINI Cooper S Hardtop 2 Door $11,900

2018 Ford Fusion SE FWD $14,900

2019 Dodge Grand Caravan GT Wagon $18,900

2016 Ford Escape FWD 4dr Titanium $17,700

2019 Dodge Journey Crossroad FWD $19,900

2017 Ford C-Max Hybrid Titanium $18,900

2015 BMW X1 RWD 4dr sDrive28i $15,977

2017 For Explorer XLT FWD $22,900

2015 Lincoln MKZ 4dr Sdn FWD $19,900

2019 Ford Edge SEL FWD $26,900

2018 RAM 1500 Express 4x2 Quad Cab 6’4 Box $27,900

2020 Ford Mustang Eco Boost Premium Convertible $33,900

2019 Lincoln MKC Reserve FWD $32,900

2019 Ford F-150 Lariat 4WD Super Crew 5.5 Box $45,900

2019 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport 4X4 $38,900

ALIGNMENT

TIRES

OIL CHANGE

Four Wheel Alignment $69.95 High-Tech Computer Alignment.

TIRE SALE, LOWEST PRICES IN TOWN.

SEMI-SYNTHETIC OIL CHANGE, $39.95 +TAX, Up to 5 quarts of semi-synthetic oil.

One coupon per customer, per household. Not valid on all makes and models subject to inspection. See dealer for details. Valid only at Palm Coast Ford. Plus tax and fees. Offer expires 1/31/21.

One coupon per customer, per household. Not valid on all makes and models subject to inspection. See dealer for details. Valid only at Palm Coast Ford. Plus tax and fees. Offer expires 1/31/21.

One coupon per customer, per household. Not valid on all makes and models subject to inspection. See dealer for details. Valid only at Palm Coast Ford. Plus tax and environmental fees. Offer expires 1/31/21.

348578-1

GOING THE EXTRA MILE TO EARN 100% CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

GOING THE EXTRA MILE WITH LIFETIME WARRANTY AND OIL CHANGES

Your hometown dealer | 1150 Palm Coast Pkwy. SW | www.PalmCoastFord.com | 386-447-3380 *(c) 2020 by Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc. (12/1/2020-12/31/2020) Edition for 32137 for Fair condition. Vehicle valuations are approximations and may vary from vehicle to vehicle. Actual valuations will vary based upon market conditions, specifications, vehicle condition or other particular circumstances pertinent to this particular vehicle or the transaction or the parties to the transaction. Kelley Blue Book assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions.