02.13.20 West Orange Times & Observer

W E ST O RA N G E T I M E S &

Observer Winter Garden, Ocoee, Oakland

IN THIS ISSUE: Observer

Health Matters FEBRUARY 2020

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. VOLUME 87, NO. 7

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020

The power of love Author Laura Duksta visited Keene’s Crossing Elementary. PAGE 14.

SCIENCE OF

LOVE SEE PAGE 3

Forever family

Ocoee tightens rules regarding commercial vehicle parking

The Fragas now are a happy family of three after entering into an open adoption with their infant son’s birth mother.

City leaders also approved ordinances related to collecting fines for traffic and red-light violations.

STORY ON PAGE 4.

ERIC GUTIERREZ STAFF WRITER

Ocoee city leaders have approved stricter rules relating to parking commercial vehicles on public streets.

City commissioners voted unanimously during the Feb. 4 commission meeting for an ordinance that amends the city code to prevent commercial vehicles from parking on any public street or road right-ofSEE OCOEE PAGE 4

YOUR TOWN Amy Quesinberry

New S.R. 429 ramps set for construction Additional ramps south of the State Road 429/ County Road 535 interchange are coming this year.

TIM FREED MANAGING EDITOR

Drivers trying to head through one of Winter Garden’s busiest interchanges should have a smoother commute later this year.

The Central Florida Expressway Authority will start a project this PRSRT STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID WINTER GARDEN, FL PERMIT NO. 81

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month to improve traffic flow at the State Road 429/County Road 535 interchange — building new ramps to and from Stoneybrook West Parkway. Construction, which will take place nearly a mile south of the interchange, will include a new exit ramp from southbound State Road 429 to Stoneybrook and an entrance ramp from Stoneybrook to northbound State Road 429.

SEE RAMPS PAGE 5

FEELING THE LOVE

David and Heather Fraga are embracing parenthood with the arrival of Grayden David, named after his father, grandfather and great-grandfather.

A LOVELY DAY TO RACE Runners got their cardio in at the For the Love of Chocolate 5K in Hamlin. SEE PAGE 9.

OCOEE HIGH SCHOOL SEEKS VOLUNTEERS Ocoee High School was recently selected by the Orange County School Board for a landscaping and mulch upgrade. To complete this project, the school is asking to have 60 volunteers ready to assist from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 15, at 1925 Ocoee Crown Point Parkway. Community service hours will be granted to students who volunteer, and students that encourage their parents to volunteer and sign up in Additions will receive double hours.

If you have any questions or want sign up, contact sheddrick.gurley@ ocps.net.

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YOUR CALENDAR

THURSDAY, FEB. 13

GALENTINE’S DAY 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, at the Winter Garden Library, 805 E. Plant St. Galentine’s Day is a time for honoring female friendships — and breakfast foods. Celebrate with an evening of waffles, mock mimosas and crafts. (407) 835-7323.

PLANT CLINIC 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, at the Winter Garden Library, 805 E. Plant St. Bring your plants, get your soil pH tested and ask questions. Master gardener volunteers from the UF/IFAS Orange County Extension Office will be available to answer your gardening questions. (407) 835-7323.

FINANCING AVAILABLE

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020

WEST ORANGE REPUBLICAN WOMEN FEDERATED MEETING 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, at the West Orange Country Club, 3300 West Orange Country Club Drive, Winter Garden. Guest Trevor Loudon, author, filmmaker and public speaker, will talk on the topic “Enemies Within: The Church.”

Donations can be made to the Edgewood Children’s Ranch in the form of fresh or canned fruit. Buffet lunch is $25. RSVP at rebeccatmellen@gmail.com or (407) 230-5968.

FRIDAY, FEB. 14

CHOCOLATEY CRAWL 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14, in downtown Winter Garden.

Hosted by Winter Garden Food Tours, the event begins at 119 S. Lakeview Ave. Guests will receive a passport and can take their time exploring treats from Rosallie Le French Café, David Ramirez, Scoops, Way Chocolate and Winter Garden Food Tours. Cost is $35. Tickets available at peachskyproductions.com.

LITTLE CUPID’S CARNIVAL 10 a.m. to noon Friday, Feb. 14, at the Jessie Brock Community Center, 310 N. Dillard St., Winter Garden. A special sweetheart-filled morning for children ages 3 to 5 with arts and crafts, fun games, face painting and more. Free. (407) 656-4155.

SERENADE UNDER THE STARS 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14, at the Centennial Plaza Gazebo in downtown Winter Garden.

Enjoy live music performed by the Forget Me Not duo and celebrate Valentine’s Day with romantic live music under the stars. (407) 656-4111.

SUNDAY, FEB. 16

ELKS LODGE LOW COUNTRY BOIL Doors open at 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16, at the Winter Garden Elks Lodge 2165, 700 Ninth St. Food (shrimp, corn and sausage) will be served starting at 2 p.m., and the Daytona 500 will begin at 2:30. All-you-can-drink for certain beers from 1 to 5 p.m. for $12 and a Bloody Mary Bar for $4. (407) 656-2165.

MONDAY, FEB. 17

ASK A LAWYER 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 17, at the West Oaks Library, 1821 E. Silver Star Road, Ocoee. The Orange County Bar Association will provide an open forum for individuals to speak with a panel of attorneys to get insight and guidance on consumer and insurance law.

(407) 835-7323.

GROCERY STORE TOUR 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 17, at a local grocery store to be announced. Do you know which foods are the healthiest choices? Do you know what to look for on a food label? Join an Orlando Health dietitian for a grocery store tour to learn how to navigate the aisles and make the healthiest choices for the family. Space is limited; RSVP required at (407) 4073046.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 19

CUISINE CORNER: MOFONGO 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, at the Winter Garden Library, 805 E. Plant St. Yamira Lee Johnson, head chef and founder of Breaking Bread with Mira, will demonstrate how to make

delicious mofongo. Space is limited. Registration required at (407) 835-7323.

GENEALOGY RESEARCH PROJECT: FROM START TO FINISH 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, at the West Oaks Library, 1821 E. Silver Star Road, Ocoee.

Learn how to organize information at the beginning of your genealogy research project in order to help you develop and implement an effective research plan. (407) 835-7323.

SLEEP AND YOUR HEALTH 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, at Orlando Health — Health Central, 10000 W. Colonial Drive, Ocoee. Do you find yourself tired and lacking the energy and zest for life you once had? Discover why and how you can incorporate simple tips to improve sleep and ultimately your overall quality of life. Free program presented by Orlando Health UF Health Cancer Center.

Register at (321) 841-5056 or cancersupportcommunity@ orlandohealth.com.

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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

12403 West Colonial Dr • Winter Garden, FL 34787

AN EXPERT TEAM FOR

STATE-OF-THE-HEART CARE. Caring for your heart is serious business. That’s why at Orlando Health – Health Central Hospital, you’ll have an entire team of experts working together for your best possible heart health. Trust the award-winning team, and show your heart some love.

OrlandoHealth.com/HealthCentralHospital

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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

Selling love, sympathies and apologies for 50 years AMY QUESINBERRY COMMUNITY EDITOR

I

t’s the week of Valentine’s Day, and the phone is ringing nonstop, customers are passing one another coming in or going out, and the online orders constantly are updating.

This is a familiar routine every February for flower shop owner Rilla Tomyn and her employees, which includes her sister, Libby Tomyn, and Meribeth Jackson.

“There’s Christmas, which lasts a month; there’s Mother’s Day, which lasts about a week but it’s intense; but it’s Valentine’s Day that takes the cake,” Rilla Tomyn said. “It’s the one that’s fast and furious.”

Rilla Tomyn owns Betty J’s Florist, a community staple in downtown Ocoee for 50 years — always with the same name, same address and same phone number.

There are local residents who have been buying Betty J’s flowers since the shop opened in the corner storefront at Bluford Avenue and McKey Street.

“There are a lot of people who wouldn’t go anywhere else,” Rilla Tomyn said. “They know they’re going to get the best possible product. They’re going to get tissue paper and a box.”

Jackson added, “And nine times out of 10, we know their name.”

“We’ve been through it all with some of these people — the births, the deaths, the weddings, the funerals,” Libby Tomyn said.

THE REAL BETTY J

Betty J’s Florist has been selling flowers to West Orange County residents for five decades from the same shop in downtown Ocoee.

Amy Quesinberry

Betty J’s Florist has been gearing up for Valentine’s Day: Libby Tomyn, owner Rilla Tomyn and Meribeth Jackson.

BETTY J’S FLORIST 6 S. Bluford Ave., Ocoee PHONE: (407) 656-3526 WEBSITE: myorlandoflorist. com HOURS: 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays

Rilla Tomyn and her aunt, Elizabeth Longcoy, bought the flower business in 2003 from Betty Jean Brimer, the original owner, when she retired.

Brimer was a seamstress before becoming a florist, and Rilla Tomyn remembers Brimer making clothes for her as a child in the pattern and clothing store in the same storefront.

When Longcoy died in 2004, Rilla Tomyn was left to continue the floral legacy.

“I worked beside Betty Brimer for about a month to learn whatever I could learn in a month,” she said. “I didn’t know a tulip from a rose … when I took over. I went out and hired a designer. We had no flowers. We had two major people die that weekend, and the funerals were going to be that Sunday. We literally took 65 orders to be ready on Sunday.”

that fresh product and moving it out. … People love different. They want to come in and see something different.”

This is an ever-changing industry, Libby Tomyn said, and they are quick to change with it.

“Flowers are always evolving the way they are grown, … the way they’re bred, the way they’re cut, where they come from,” she said.

Rilla Tomyn said global warming has altered blooming patterns — amaryllis once bloomed at Christmastime, but they now bloom later. Christmas cacti aren’t blooming when they are supposed to, either.

Availability depends, too, on what’s going on in the rest of the world. Wildfires and flooding affect growing, shipping and, ultimately, deliveries.

SERVING THE COMMUNITY

HARD ON BUSINESS

Rilla Tomyn estimates at least 750 bouquets will be arranged and delivered this week.

“Every possible countertop is filled with flowers,” Jackson said.

Customers line up at the gift shop at Health Central – Orlando Health, in Ocoee, too. Libby Tomyn has operated that shop for 10 years and has been looking for the right space to open another one.

Rilla Tomyn always is looking for the highest-quality product.

She said the best roses come from Ecuador and she won’t use roses from anywhere else. A great deal of her flowers come from California, Michigan and Canada.

“We get flowers every day; we have a great turnout of flowers,” she said. “We’re constantly getting

Betty J’s has had its share of ups and downs through the decades, and that includes a downtown Ocoee project that had Bluford Avenue closed for about a year. They battled mountains of dirt outside their front door, had access to their store blocked and tried to run a business at an intersection that was completely torn up for three months.

“I thought it would never be over, and there was no way to get through it except to be positive,” Rilla Tomyn said. “It was a deep, dark time. There was definitely fewer customers and fewer sales. … It wasn’t just us. It hurt everybody.”

“You had to try to be excited about what’s on the other end of it, and Ocoee, hopefully, will be a

place where there will be a lot of foot traffic,” Libby Tomyn added.

Without a drive-by presence, Betty J’s turned to Facebook to give construction updates and remind folks they were still open. When Bluford reopened, one man walked into the store and ordered flowers at the counter — simply because he could.

OUTSIDE THE BOX

Rilla Tomyn wants people to think of Betty J’s as more than a place to order flowers.

She introduced a Wine and Design social time last fall, and groups can get together to design centerpieces as they sip beverages and snack on light bites. Twohour blocks can be arranged by calling the shop and reserving the space.

“It starts at about $50, but they’re going to be taking out of here a fresh flower arrangement that’s worth more than

that,” Libby Tomyn said.

“And it’s just fun,” Jackson added.

There are plans for a year-round Christmas shop in one room of the business. It will have a section devoted entirely to the holiday, plus another seasonal area that will sell home decor and garden items.

Betty J’s also operates a parttime gift shop at Sonata West, in Winter Garden, selling clothing, jewelry, greeting cards, personal care items and more.

Rilla Tomyn wants to assure her customers that no matter what other projects Betty J’s takes on, the floral shop isn’t going anywhere. She intends to remain right where she is in downtown Ocoee.

“We have no plans to leave Ocoee,” she said.

“This is our home. This is where we belong.”

Courtesy

A customer created this sign depicing Rilla Tomyn conquering the broken street.

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020

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NEWS BRIEFS ‘Ask Orange County’ feature now available on Amazon’s Alexa Amazon Alexa users in Orange County now can get connected to local government services with the help of their virtual assistant.

The “Ask Orange County Government” app/skill is now available through Amazon’s Alexa. The new feature is an extension of the county’s 311 service, which helps residents connect with local government services. Orange County now is the first Florida county to incorporate the virtual assistant.

Residents interested in using the “Ask Orange County” feature through Alexa can activate it by stating to the virtual assistant, “Alexa, enable the Orange County Government Skill.” Once enabled, users can begin asking Orange County government-related questions with the phrase, “Alexa, Ask Orange County.” Users can ask Alexa thousands of different questions and receive informative responses, and the county plans to continue adding more knowledge to the virtual assistant in the future.

Oakland named a Tree City USA For the 17th year, the town of Oakland has been named a 2019 Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation in honor of its commitment to effective urban forest management.

Oakland achieved Tree City USA recognition by meeting the program’s four requirements: a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation. The town far exceeds these standards and also requires developers to replace trees during construction.

In 2019, staff oversaw the installation of more than 300 trees throughout town, including live oaks along West Hull Avenue.

Winter Garden ready to roll out the love Whether you already have your Valentine’s Day plans nailed down or are in search of something fun to do, the city of Winter Garden is offering some fun ways to celebrate.

Local artist Rudy Drapiza will begin creating a custom, themed Valentine’s Day mural at the corner of South Boyd and West Plant streets on Friday, Feb. 14. Upon completion, visitors to downtown Winter Garden will be able to take Instagram-worthy photos with the mural.

Nashville-based husbandand-wife duo Forget Me Not also will perform a serenade under the stars featuring love songs. The performance takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Centennial Plaza gazebo in downtown Winter Garden.

You also can take a horsedrawn “Cinderella” carriage tour. Reservations can be made by visiting soulhavenranch.com/events.

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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

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OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020

Fragas welcome new baby AMY QUESINBERRY COMMUNITY EDITOR

D

avid and Heather Fraga are still in awe of the tremendous gift they received in December after a long year of uncertainty.

This life-changing gift arrived four days before Christmas — measuring 19 inches and weighing nearly 7 pounds. They gave him two strong family names: Grayden David.

The Fragas announced their desire to enter into an open adoption last year in a story in the West Orange Times & Observer, and the response was immediate. The power of social media played a role, too, as the story was shared dozens of times by their family, friends and a community wanting to help them get their wish to become parents.

The first night the story was posted, Heather Fraga received the Facebook message that would change their lives forever. It was from a 38-year-old pregnant woman who had seen the story online and had some questions for the Fragas: What were they like? What were their hopes for an open adoption? Will their adoption plan match the one she envisioned?

“We talked about what we thought an open adoption looked like,” Heather Fraga said. “We texted till 3 in the morning. The next morning at 8 a.m., she messaged us and said she had three very important questions that she needed answered.

“One of them was what kind of parents did we think we were going to be,” she said. “Were we going to be strict or helicopter parents?

At this point we had been through so many failed adoptions, and we told her the truth, and if it worked out then (the baby) was meant to be ours. We told her David was a police officer and … he wouldn’t get away with much.

Amy Quesinberry

“And she asked us to be his parents. We cried over nachos and guacamole.”

— Heather Fraga

“The next question was how did we feel about having a baby of mixed race?” she said.

The birth mother is white, and the birth father is from the Dominican Republic.

“David is part Cuban, and me being Caucasian, we felt we were well equipped,” Heather Fraga said. “The line that got her was, ‘We would have to learn how to navigate that together, but make no mistake, I’ll be a mama bear.’

“The last question was how we planned to raise him religiously,” she said. “We shared about our church, Lakeside Church, and what we believed in and we wanted to have him grow up knowing who God was.”

A few days later, the couple took the birth mother to Azteca for a birthday dinner. The Fragas gave

her a bracelet, and said she had something for them.

It was all of her unborn son’s sonograms and a plaque with the words, “Love grows here.”

“And she asked us to be his parents,” Heather Fraga said.

“We cried over nachos and guacamole.”

Thus, the journey began for the mother who wanted the best for her child and the couple who wanted a child to love.

The birth mother was 14 weeks pregnant, so the Fragas were able to attend many of the doctor appointments with her throughout her pregnancy.

After months of sonograms and doctor visits and a bout with gestational diabetes, the time was nearing for the birth. The due date was Dec. 19, but Baby Fraga kept everyone waiting two more days.

On Dec. 21, the birth mother, Heather and David Fraga, nurses and doctors all were together in the delivery room for Grayden David’s debut. He was a healthy baby boy.

“He was placed on her chest,” Heather Fraga said. “She kissed

his forehead and said, ‘OK, hand him to his mommy and daddy.’”

The last seven weeks have been amazing, the Fragas said. Christmas was magical, and one of the first people to hold Grayden was Santa Claus.

The transition to parenthood has been challenging, but it’s an experience the Fragas are grateful for.

“It was hard (at first) just because there was no sleep, but it was still amazing,” Heather Fraga said. “It was amazing to bring our son home. It was amazing to introduce him to all his families. … We had such a big hand in raising our nieces and nephews that we thought, ‘We’ve got this.’ And we do, but we just didn’t know what all it would entail.”

Grayden is busy, too, charming his parents and other family members.

“He’s the cutest baby ever in the morning when he wakes up,” Heather Fraga said. “The stretches and the noises and the little faces. … We’re starting to smile, holding our head up, we push up during tummy time, and he follows our voices, and when we read books, he loves to look at the books.”

David Fraga said before Grayden was born, he and Heather recorded themselves reading a book. The recording was given to the birth mother, who played their voices next to her belly every night.

Their story is such a success that both the Fragas and the birth mother have fielded questions about self-matching and open adoption.

“Communication is key,” Heather Fraga said. “And it was God’s plan.”

When Grayden is older, the new parents plan to tell him about his adoption story.

“That’s why open adoption is such a beautiful story,” Heather Fraga said. “We will get to tell him his story, and his birth mom will, too.”

Ocoee takes vote on new parking rules CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

way, with the exception of loading purposes or other uses permitted by the land development code.

The ordinance defines commercial vehicles as any truck or vehicle with a tandem rear axle or gross vehicle weight of more than 10,000 pounds or has a length more than 21 feet or height more than 10 feet; buses, taxicabs, shuttle vans, limousines or vans used to transport passengers for a fee; vehicles with external modifications designed to be used for lifting objects or persons above the vehicle height; and step vans, flatbeds, stake bed trucks, wreckers, farm equipment, dump trucks and earth-moving equipment.

“We had a large rash of commercial vehicles, we’re talking (about) cargo vehicles and larger ... parking on public streets everywhere,” Ocoee Police Chief Charlie Brown said. “They might park it on a public street but not in their neighborhood. They go to leave it in someone else’s neighborhood. … (We’ve had) continued complaints by the citizens about commercial vehicles.”

The commissioners agreed the city should discourage com-

mercial vehicle parking on public roads and have a more effective mechanism for collecting unpaid fines.

“We have problems with the trucks,” Mayor Rusty Johnson said. “Trucks are parking everywhere around the city in places where (they shouldn’t be). …

There has got to be some kind of way to put a stop to this. … If you work for a company, they’ve got to have somewhere for you to park that truck.”

“I’ve seen tractor-trailers literally parked in front of a house, and that’s problematic,” Commissioner Larry Brinson said. “It’s problematic, because when you look at public safety, our first responders need to get down those roads, and it’s hard for them to get down the roads already with regular cars parking there. … We should show some type of consideration for special situations, but those folks (can) come to the city and maybe we can work it out; however, as a general rule, we must make sure that parking makes sense in Ocoee as a whole.”

Prior to the vote, resident Victoria Laney appeared before the commission to express her concerns over prohibiting com-

mercial vehicles from parking on public roads. She also proposed that the city should create its own designated parking area for commercial vehicles within cityowned property that is not currently in use.

“I’d like the city to take a piece of property that they already own that we haven’t developed yet and make a commercial truck parking lot,” Laney said. “The trucks would park there by permit. The city could charge for the permit, and that would give all the trucks a place to park that’s safe.”

In addition to prohibiting commercial vehicles from parking on public roads or rights-of-way, the ordinance also amends city code to allow the Ocoee Police Department to notify Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles of individuals who have three or more outstanding traffic violations. The tax collector may not issue a license plate or revalidation stickers to any individual with three or more outstanding parking violations until those violations have been paid.

The ordinance was proposed by the Ocoee Police Department.

“It gives us the ability to make sure we collect the fines,” Brown

said. “In the past, if we wrote a citation, we’d have nothing (to ensure collection) except for compliance. Individuals could comply or not comply. … We had no mechanism in place to ensure we would get compliance, so we put … a normal recovery process in place by either immobilizing the vehicle — which we don’t have a process for that — or turning their information over to the state so that they can’t renew their license plates. That’s a normal practice in most areas.”

The commission also approved an ordinance related to the collection of unpaid red-light violation notices or uniform traffic citations. The ordinance amends the city code to allow the clerk to notify the DHSMV of individuals who have unpaid red-light notices of violation. The tax collector may not issue a license plate to or renew the tags of an individual with unpaid red-light violations until the fines are collected. There currently are $71,587 of unpaid notices of violation; however, only unpaid notices of violation that take place after this ordinance’s passing will be attempted to be collected. The police department also proposed this ordinance.

WEST ORANGE TIMES &

Observer “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.”

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The State Road 429/County Road 535 interchange is extremely busy, especially during the morning and evening commutes, said Kathy Putnam, public information officer for the Central Florida Expressway Authority.

“If you think about all that traffic coming southbound, and they get out at that County Road (535) — or Winter Garden Vineland Road — exit, a good bit of that traffic is going to turn right or left to go to either the Winter Garden Village or to the developments in the area, but a lot of that traffic is going essentially straight on Stoneybrook West Parkway so they can get out to Windermere and beyond,” Putnam said. “Conversely, in the morning time, you’ve got a lot of traffic coming from Windermere and beyond traveling on Stonebrook West Parkway all the way up to the 535 interchange, where they then

get to northbound State Road 429.

“What these new ramps will allow is for any of the traffic wanting to go west out to Windermere — or even west of there — they will be able to bypass the 429/535 interchange and get right off on Stoneybrook West Parkway,” she said. “It will really relieve the backup congestion at the ramps at the State Road 429 and County Road 535 interchange.”

Auxiliary lanes will be built, as well, between the new ramps south of the interchange and the existing ramps at County Road 535 and State Road 429, Putnam said.

Brian Hutchings, senior communications specialist for the Central Florida Expressway Authority, noted the new ramps will be using All-Electronic Tolling. Drivers will not be able to use exact change to pay the tolls, he said.

Putnam said construction should involve some lane closures at late night or early morning on State Road 429 and Stoneybrook West Parkway.

The $10.8 million project should be finished in eight months, Putnam said.

Courtesy

Construction on the project is scheduled to start later this month.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020

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Town lowers speed on Oakland Avenue The slower speed makes the road a consistent 35 mph from S.R. 50 to the Winter Garden city limits.

AMY QUESINBERRY COMMUNITY EDITOR

Drivers, keep an eye on your speedometer when you’re on the west end of Oakland Avenue — the speed limit has been lowered from 45 mph to 35 mph effective Monday, Feb. 10.

To help people get used to the new speed limit, the Oakland Police Department has set up a message board on the west end of Oakland Avenue.

At the request of the town of Oakland, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners approved lowering the speed limit from 45 to 35 between West Colonial Drive and the city limits of Winter Garden.

“We hope that bringing awareness will make our roads safer for residents and visitors,” Chief John Peek said.

Before the change, the speed limit was 35 mph on the eastern portion of Oakland Avenue — also called County Road 438 — and 45 on the west side. Because it’s a county road, the town could not authorize the change.

Current and future development in the 45-mph corridor dictated the change, Public Works Director Mike Parker said.

Pulte Homes, which is building the new Longleaf at Oakland community on the west end of Oakland Avenue, indicated a desire to add an upgraded pedes-

Amy Quesinberry

A message board is reminding drivers of the new speed limit change.

trian walkway across the road to connect to the West Orange Trail. To do so, a speed study was required — the results of the study, conducted by Traffic & Mobility Consultants, indicated the speed needed to be lowered.

Two residential developments under construction have entrances on Oakland Avenue, which is a two-lane, undivided road. Hull Island at Oakland is developing 110 single-family homes, and Longleaf will have 185 single-family homes and 350 multi-family units.

Town Manager Steve Koontz said Orange County is responsible for changing the speed limit signs and is in the process of doing so.

The town is coordinating the construction of the pedestrian crossing. Permitting for the crosswalk has been a longer process because there are three entities involved — the county owns

the road and the trail, the town owns the right-of-way and the state of Florida owns surrounding property.

“The main goal is safety at the pedestrian crossing,” Koontz said.

“Once the pedestrian crossing has been constructed, there will also be additional safety markings and signage. The lowered speed limit will also allow safer ingress and egress for the new neighborhoods that are being built along Oakland Avenue.”

He said feedback has been positive from residents.

Mayor Kathy Stark said she has received positive response, as well.

“After the appropriate research, it makes sense to lower the speed limit along this section of Oakland Avenue, and it will be consistent with the rest of the roadway,” Stark said. “This provides safety in a growing area.”

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Ramps planned

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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

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OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020

Big Apple eats N.Y. Bagel — Deli & Diner will take the space that once housed Eggs & Oats in downtown Winter Garden.

ERIC GUTIERREZ

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STAFF WRITER

A new eatery in downtown Winter Garden will offer residents the chance to take a few bites out of the Big Apple.

N.Y. Bagel — Deli & Diner will be opening up in downtown Winter Garden at 126 W. Plant St. The grand opening of Winter Garden’s newest deli is planned for this spring, and a soft opening will be coming sooner. The restaurant is co-owned by father-daughter duo Lonny and Kayla McDougal.

“We’re bringing a New York concept down to (Winter Garden),” Lonny McDougal said. “You’ll go home full from one of our sandwiches. That’s one of the things that we’re doing; pretty much anything and everything that’s big in New York is coming here.”

Like the name entails, N.Y. Bagel — Deli & Diner will serve up an array of iconic eats from New York City, and much of the products sold will be brought straight from the Big Apple. From signature deli sandwiches like a pastrami on rye to breakfast favorites like Jersey Taylor Ham or lox and bagels, N.Y. Bagel — Deli & Diner aims to offer something to please any palate.

Customer experience also will be a key aspect of N.Y. Bagel — Deli & Diner — the restaurant will be

IF YOU GO N.Y. BAGEL — DELI & DINER 126 W. Plant St., Winter Garden Phone: (407) 712-0770 Website: nybageldeli.com Hours: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily THREE TO TRY Lonny’s N.Y.C. Pastrami: Hand-made pastrami served on authentic New York rye bread with spicy brown mustard.

Bronx Bomber: Choice of bread with hot roast beef, pepper jack cheese and grilled onion.

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Nova Lox: Bagel with cream cheese, sliced red onion and capers.

Courtesy photo

adding to its menu with input from guests, Lonny McDougal said.

“We’re bringing a lot from New York,” Lonny McDougal said. “A simple thing that you can’t find anywhere — for 25 years I’ve been looking — in Florida is a bacon, egg and cheese or a ham, egg and cheese sandwich on a bagel or on a roll in the morning. You can’t find it here — I haven’t been able to find it anywhere. It’s a simple thing, but you can’t find it in Florida and we’re bringing that. That’s a big deal to us.

“This is just the beginning,” Lonny McDougal added. “From here, we’re going to build on the menu. … What Winter Garden wants is what they’ll get.”

In addition to the sandwiches, the restaurant also will offer more than 25 different flavors of New York-style bagels that customers can buy as a single bagel, half dozen or dozen. An assortment of spreads and different flavors of cream cheese also will be sold to complement the bagels. For those with a sweet tooth, N.Y. Bagel — Deli & Diner also will serve Italian pastries. “(The bagels) are hand-rolled and then cooked up in New York,” Lonny McDougal said. “Then, they’re actually put in a frozen truck, brought down and we complete them … and cook them here so they’re fresh every day. It’s a big variety (of flavors).”

Lonny McDougal said they decided to bring the deli to Winter Garden because of the demand from local residents. He has another restaurant location for N.Y. Bagel & Deli in Orlando, and said many Winter Gardeners would travel to that spot to get their fix of New York City cuisine.

“We’re coming to Winter Garden because the people of Winter Garden actually invited us,” Lonny McDougal said, adding that he opened the Orlando location in November and has already seen customers from Winter Garden.

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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020

7

The Dance Collective prances into Winter Garden A husband-and-wife duo with a passion for the performing arts runs the new dance studio.

ERIC GUTIERREZ STAFF WRITER

Hannah and J.J. Tiemeyer have always wanted to open up their own dance studio — and they can proudly say they’re well on their way to living out that dream.

The Tiemeyers are a husbandand-wife team who run The Dance Collective — a studio that operates out of Windermere Preparatory School. But that’s only a temporary location, as the couple has their permanent studio space under construction in Winter Garden at 14041 W. Colonial Drive. They expect it to open in the spring.

“We’ll be operating out of what used to be a thrift store in the Aldi shopping center,” J.J. Tiemeyer said. “We have a targeted opening date of March or April coming up.”

The Tiemeyers met in college at Wright State University and bonded over their shared passion for the performing arts. Hannah Tiemeyer has been dancing since she was a toddler and has been teaching since she was a teen. She majored in dance in college and taught dance classes through Disney Performing Arts. For the first time in her dance career, she’ll be running a studio of her own. J.J. Tiemeyer was an acting major in college, and although he loves dance and took some classes, that

art form is more Hannah’s forte.

“I think even from early on in our relationship, we had a shared appreciation and love of dance,” J.J. Tiemeyer said. “It just kind of became something that we thought we’d be interested in doing early on in our relationship … this dream of opening a dance studio.”

“I started teaching when I was 14 years old and … never stopped,” Hannah Tiemeyer said. “I taught through college, and once (we) moved down here to the Orlando area from Ohio, I taught at local studios around here. … I’ve always taught for other people and now it’s a time to teach for me.”

The Dance Collective serves students ages 18 months to 18 years. Classes are organized by experience, and individuals of all skill levels are welcome to join.

Once the Tiemeyers move into their new studio in Winter Garden, they’ll begin offering adult classes, as well.

“We teach ballet, tap, jazz, musical theater, lyrical, contemporary (and) we have a parents and me class called ‘Me and My Shadow,’ for (children ages) 18 months to three-and-a-half years,” Hannah Tiemeyer said. “We offer combo classes for younger kids, like a ballet and tap combo class. … Hip hop is something else we offer (as well as) traditional dance styles for basically all ages.”

Courtesy

J.J. and Hannah Tiemeyer are thrilled about The Dance Collective soon getting a permanent studio space.

They even plan on expanding their offerings to encompass other kinds of the performing arts.

“We’re going to try to offer improv comedy classes, improv

“I think even from early on in our relationship, we had a shared appreciation and love of dance.”

— J.J. Tiemeyer

acting classes, acting coaching (and) vocal coaching,” J.J. Tiemeyer said. “We both really love musical theater as an art form, so we’re definitely going to be trying … to bring those offerings into the fold.”

Inclusivity is an important principle of The Dance Collective. The studio also offers dance classes that are tailored to individuals with physical or mental hurdles.

“I was recently certified in something called ‘rhythm works integrative dance,’ and it’s a program designed for kids and adults with autism, Down syndrome, sensory processing disorder and other related learning differences and physical differences,” Hannah Tiemeyer said. “It’s very inclusive … and that’s important to us at the studio, is to be inclusive. It helps to modify the brain, essentially, through dance and rhythm.”

Their professional careers brought the Tiemeyers to the area in 2011 when they got jobs at Walt Disney World Resort, and they’ve fallen in love with the smalltown feel and culture of creativity in Winter Garden and the West Orange area ever since. J.J. Tiemeyer said they knew Winter Garden was the right place to open The Dance Collective.

“The reputation of the area really (drew us),” he said. “We frequent the Winter Garden area and really fell in love with everything it had to offer. … The inclusive, creative nature of the way that the city is sort of recreating itself … drew us to Winter Garden.”

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Roaring revelry Art Deco ’20s is the theme of the upcoming gala that benefits the Winter Garden Art Association and SoBo Art Gallery.

ERIC GUTIERREZ STAFF WRITER

The Winter Garden Art Association’s upcoming gala is looking to bring guests back to the roaring ’20s.

The sixth annual fundraising gala presented by the association and SoBo Art Gallery, is set for 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21, at the pavilion at downtown Winter Garden at 104 S. Lakeview Ave. Gala guests will be roaring into the ’20s with this year’s art deco ’20s theme. Creative ’20s or cocktail attire is encouraged for

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those who wish to attend. Guests can expect to enjoy food, beverages, live entertainment, an auction and mingling with other fellow art appreciators.

“You’ll have everything from gangster zoot suits to flapper dresses,” said Phil Self, executive director of both the Winter Garden Art Association and SoBo Art Gallery. “We don’t want to make that a requirement, so some people can just come in wearing cocktail attire and it’s really nice.

We’re not going to turn anybody away.”

The Winter Garden Art Association’s annual gala plays a vital role when it comes to funding much of the activities hosted at the SoBo Art Gallery. Gallery exhibitions, opening receptions and workshops — as well as creative arts and wellness programs held at SoBo — all benefit from the annual gala, which is the association and SoBo Art Gallery’s largest fundraising event each year.

The gala also serves as a means to give thanks to the association and SoBo volunteers, supporters and city officials who make the gallery a prime destination for local artists and art lovers, Self said.

“It is really the city’s chance to have a big event to celebrate the arts, but we are definitely dependent on the gala,” Self said. “This is a chance for the community to really support the arts in a beautiful setting. … It’s been growing each year, and each year our association has more fun with it, so the ideas of a creative community continue to blossom and grow.”

IF YOU GO WINTER GARDEN ART ASSOCIATION/ SOBO ART GALLERY PRESENTS SIXTH ANNUAL FUNDRAISING GALA WHEN: 6 to 10 p.m., Friday, Feb. 21.

WHERE: Winter Garden Pavilion, 104 S. Lakeview Ave. COST: $100 per ticket, Sponsorship starting at $600 TICKETS: wgart. org/2020-gala

This year’s annual gala will transform the Winter Garden Pavilion into an elegant gathering space complete with art deco ’20s accents and decor to match this year’s theme. In addition to the visual art on display with the decor, this year’s gala also will include some performance art.

Actors from the Horizon West Theater Company will be clad in ’20s attire and will mingle amidst the crowd. Throughout the evening, these actors will be breaking out into songs and scenes for guests to enjoy.

“This immersive idea is different than what we’ve done in the past where (the live entertainment) was more on the stage,” Self said.

The way guests will be fed at the gala also will be different. Rather than using a single caterer to feed

folks at this year’s event, the gala will be featuring food from different local restaurants, so guests can have a taste of Winter Garden’s culinary offerings.

“This time, we’re going to be featuring several restaurants from here in the area that are going to be doing tastings,” Self said. “There will be more interesting food items, and it kind of gives more of that cocktail party approach. … It’s our chance to say thanks to (supporters), so that’s why we put so much work into the decorations, the entertainment and the food. We want it to be a really glamorous night here in Winter Garden for the people of Winter Garden. It’s a chance to dress up and have ... a fun night right here in town.”

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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020

9

Chocolate fuels chilly 5K

R

esidents and running enthusiasts braved the cold weather and warmed up with some cardio at the For the Love of Chocolate 5K Saturday, Feb. 8, near Cinépolis in Hamlin.

After the Valentine’s Day-themed race, runners enjoyed chocolate fondue and cheered on their children during the kids runs.

Debbie Torres and Wendy Falkenhan loved the chocolate bar medals.

— TIM FREED

Jana and Jason Shelfer and their dog, Tater, crossed the finish line together.

See more photos at OrangeObserver.com

Alyssa Kotcamp was the first female runner to finish the 5K.

Right: Kristina and Peyton Buhrman, 3, made some special memories together.

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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

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OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020

WEST ORANGE OBITUARY Facebook.com/wotimes

Stephen Dennis Craft, age 78, of Farragut, Tennessee, formerly of Winter Garden, Florida, and Detroit, Michigan, went to be with the Lord Friday afternoon, Jan. 24, at his home surrounded by his family.

Dennis loved the Lord with all his heart and had a strong desire to serve Him. He was a member of Farragut Church of Christ and was very active in Vacation Bible School and Heaven’s Pantry.

Dennis graduated from Pershing High School, Detroit, Michigan, in 1959. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and remained extremely patriotic his entire life. Dennis was a retired estimator and operator from Hatley Pest Control in Winter Garden, Florida. After retirement, he worked at Orlando Auto Auction in Ocoee, Florida, and drove many exotic cars.

He was a former member and deacon of Highland Church of Christ in Detroit. Dennis was an avid golfer, bowler, pool player,

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Patricia Jeanette Hoff, 84, died Friday, Feb. 7, 2020. Woodlawn Funeral Home, Gotha.

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Randall Ralph Kobernat, 74, died Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. BaldwinFairchild Funeral Home, Winter Garden.

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grill master and gardener who raised orchids and was a huge baseball fan.

He loved people and loved music, having a song to play for every situation. He was an avid reader and was self-taught in many fields of expertise. Dennis earned many awards along the way. He was patient, kind, hardworking and extremely devoted to his family.

Dennis was preceded in death by his parents, Donald Craft and Jewell Thomas Craft Blonde; and sister, Sheila Craft.

He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Maida Craft; daughters, Sheila Parham, and husband, Johnny, and Lisa Craft; beloved grandson, Jacob Parham and beloved wife, Maxey, all of Farragut.

Special thanks to Tom and Lorraine Galloway, Kevin and Heather Hines, Lindsay and Rony Pizzaro and several nieces and nephews, lifetime friend John Tomaszewski and his wife, Helen, friends, family, Farragut Church of Christ friends, as well as his medical

Mary Grace Bratton Rankl, 77, died Monday, Feb. 10. DeGusipe Funeral Home, Ocoee.

Norma Jean Shoultz, 74, died Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020. BaldwinFairchild Funeral Home, Winter Garden.

Sara Jo Smith, 78, died Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020. Baldwin-Fairchild Funeral Home, Winter Garden.

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Delcie Timson, 87, died Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. Collison Carey Hand Funeral Home, Winter Garden.

Cheryl A. Urena-Clark, 61, died Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. Winter Oak Funeral Home, Winter Garden.

Edward Williams, 89, died Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. Winter Oak Funeral Home, Winter Garden.

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The family received friends Thursday, Jan. 30, at Click Funeral Home Farragut Chapel with a service following. Family and friends gathered Friday at East Tennessee Veterans Cemetery, Knoxville, with full military honors conferred by the U.S. Navy and the East Tennessee Veterans Honor Guard.

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THESE OLD TIMES

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11

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020

FROM THE WINTER GARDEN HERITAGE FOUNDATION

THROWBACK THURSDAY Feb. 5, 1954 Instead of waiting years for the house of your dreams to go on the market, Winter Garden Lumber Co. Inc. offered a home-planning department to help customers become homeowners sooner rather than later.

The lumber company advertised its experience in home-building and offered “many pamphlets and booklets” of ideas to save customers time and money.

65 years ago

The City Commission refused to favor a plea by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Co. to throw out an ordinance holding the speed of trains through the city to 15 mph and insist on proper flagging of trains at crossings in the city.

50 years ago

40 years ago

Eagle Scout candidates in Troop 210 presented their projects to the city of Winter Garden. Larry Walker built a gazebo at Newton Park, and Brian Huttel completed a landscaping project at the park playground.

Hoyle Pounds, of Winter Garden, founder of Pounds Motor Co., was inducted into the Florida Agriculture Hall of Fame for his patent for rubber tractor tires.

FROM THE ARCHIVES This scan came from a 1968 Orlando Sentinel newspaper article titled “Ding Dong, Three School Bells Ring No More,” which gave the history of West Orange County’s small wooden schools. The Oakland Elementary School for African American children appears here. Constructed in 1925, it stood at the west end of Hull Avenue. It closed in 1968 but served later as a Head Start Center. Some of the students educated here became teachers: Charles Bing was director of music at Florida A&M University; Ruby Benton Lee taught in Killarney and Orlando; Edna Jones was a teacher at Orlando’s Holden Street School; Wilbur Postell and Ernestine Brown taught in New York; and Martha Walton taught in Atlanta.

The mission of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation is to preserve the heritage and architecture of Winter Garden while creating new cultural experiences. The Foundation also preserves the material culture of West Orange County, using it to educate the area’s youth on the community’s rich history.

30 years ago

The 17-foot, 32-year-old statue, known as Big Mama, Big Lady and The Tire Lady, has a new paint job. Don and Stella Collins bought the former Griffith Tire Inc. and renamed it Don’s Tire and Car Care. The purchase included the popular Winter Garden icon.

OF CLOTHES by Gary Larson; CROSSWORD CHANGE Edited by David Steinberg

©2020 Universal Uclick

ACROSS

29 Stays fresh 30 Writer Zola 1 Tibetan monks 33 Frenchie portrayer in 6 Number after sette 10 Where to enjoy s’more “Grease” 35 Guevara in a beret 14 Pleased 38 Sharp Italian cheese 18 Word after secret or 41 Large blue areas on talent globes 19 Races, as an engine 42 Tree cover 20 Nike competitor 46 Attire for night owls?

21 ___-Roman wrestling 22 Attire for grocery shop- 50 “Shape of You” singer Ed 52 Sky blue pers?

53 Likely outcome 24 Attire for people with 56 Skirt style the sniffles?

57 Certain tire 26 Aspiring D.A.’s track 59 Mos. and mos.

27 Start quarreling

60 Some A.L. batters 61 What’s left?

62 Kind of set with metal parts 64 Hip sorts 66 Mahomes’ scores (Abbr.)

67 Attire for stoners?

71 Gray stuff from a volcano 74 Screwdriver type 76 Aye, for one 79 Reach, like a goal 82 Stud site 83 Wong of “Always Be My Maybe”

20 years ago

Palm Cottage Gardens, the house and remaining 6 acres of the Nehrling-Nally-Bochiardy property in Gotha, is on its way to being listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The family, friends and loved ones of Oakland resident Hersey Lee Mack celebrated 110 Quite 113 Store that usually has discounts 117 Attire for polite people?

119 Attire for candy makers?

122 Towels off 123 Stick-to-itiveness 124 Had another birthday 125 Trunk with a chest 126 Untrustworthy dudes 127 Roost females 128 Apple variety 129 Fixes, as a female dog

his retirement from Westside Tech with a surprise dinner and “roasting.” Big Mack was the head crew leader at the educational institution for 12-andone-half years.

54 Work area with tools 55 Speck of land 58 Actress Lindsay 61 Softens 63 Hippie’s dye brand 64 Longhorn’s mouthful 65 React to a happy or sad ending 68 Indian butter 69 Pile 70 Big name in jewelry 71 Type of valve in the heart 72 Subway handles 73 San Francisco Chronicle’s DOWN owner 1 Genie’s home 74 Attire for Mafia dons?

2 Petri dish filler 75 Whoppers 3 Trifling 77 Rests in a recliner 4 Small tattoo joint?

5 Cook vegetables, in a way 78 Wiener schnitzel meat 79 They’re often pressed 6 Middle Earth menace for cash 7 Wonderland drink 8 “The Mandalorian” rating 80 You, biblically 81 Tattle 9 ___ buco 83 View in northern Italy 10 Plants in a dry place 84 They were born before 11 Steers clear of Virgos 12 Mr. Television 85 To recap 13 Launch site 88 Pro ___ (proportionally) 14 Attire for golfers?

89 Smallest amount 15 Spring 90 Proctor’s call 16 Takes steps 93 Stop and Do Not Enter 17 Windows forerunner 95 Kind of saxophone 21 Stefani or Verdon 98 Kingdom 23 Spin, like a baton 99 Comic Short 25 Little bit 103 Aromatherapist’s 28 Add sequins to, say substances 31 Roller-coaster feature 104 Lab work 32 Atlanta university 86 ___ Nevada (mountain 106 Heat channels 34 Musical Mama range) 107 Porch with steps 35 Bordeaux red 87 Hawaiian, e.g., for a 108 Italian money, once 36 One may be occupational party 109 Zealous 37 Practice pieces 88 Insect spray 111 Winter Palace ruler until 91 Turkic person or tongue 39 Love, to Octavia 1917 40 Darkroom images (Abbr.)

92 Singer Etheridge 112 Old Serbian auto 43 Opera solo 94 Attire for miners?

114 Dr. Zhivago’s love 44 Fiery Facebook post 96 Successfully pitch 115 Online crafts store 45 Joint name that starts 97 Celebrity twosome 116 General ___ chicken with a silent letter 100 Take for granted 117 Atlanta-based health org.

101 Chi-Town winter setting 47 Country singer Church 118 “Yuck!”

48 Vanquished 102 Places to do poses 120 Word hidden in “hedge 49 Sin city 105 Patches up maze” 51 Middle ___ (Jordan’s 108 “E pluribus unum” 121 Suffix for lemon region) language

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.

“R CDZRBRFDVM HJBF FN YDLNYC JB JVKPX, CRYDLF J ZRVX JBC OFJYF XM NHB YDVRWRNB.” – YNKDYF GJFFRBONB

“FPDNVIGJC ... G NVC JCSU XVU IMVI G LGFZ GI VX IMF OJXI GOAJTIVCI XDRBFNI ZMGNM ZF VX V AFJASF NVC RF FCYVYFP GC.”

– VRF SGCNJSC Puzzle Two Clue: B equals J

The West Orange Junior Service League held its annual installation of officers.

Mrs. Stanley Roper, outgoing president, was the installing officer. New officers for the coming year are Mrs. Ted Van Deventer, president; Mrs. Larry Joe Walker, vice president; Mrs. Steve Holland, treasurer; and Mrs. W.G. Hall, recording secretary.

Puzzle One Clue: W equals G

WEST ORANG E HISTO RY

OrangeObserver.com

©2020 NEA, Inc.

SUDOKU

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

©2020 Andrews McMeel Syndicate

02-13-20

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

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OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020

Donuts with Dad at Tildenville Elementary Tildenville Elementary School invites all of its dads for a light breakfast with the students from 8:15 to 8:45 a.m. Monday, Feb 24 in the media center. For more information about the annual PTA Donuts with Dads event, contact the PTA Facebook page at facebook.com/TildenvilleElementarySchoolPTA.

OCPS offering mental, emotional health classes The Florida Department of Education approved Rule 6A-1.094121, F.A.C., which requires that students in grades six through 12 receive a minimum of five hours of mental and emotional health instruction every year, beginning in the 2019-2020 school year.

To comply with this requirement, Orange County Public Schools has designated five days in which students will receive one hour of instruction from a classroom teacher. The remaining dates are: Feb. 20, 25 and 27.

The state-mandated curriculum components include: n Recognition of signs and symptoms of mental health disorders n Prevention of mental health disorders n Mental health awareness and assistance n How to reduce the stigma around mental health disorders n Awareness of resources, including local school and community resources n The process for accessing treatment n Strategies to develop healthy coping techniques n Strategies to support a peer, friend or family member with a mental health disorder n Prevention of suicide n Prevention of the abuse of and addiction to alcohol, nicotine and drugs Students will not be graded on this material.

INFLUENCER OF THE WEEK

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DANIELA PATINO

RENAISSANCE CHARTER SCHOOL AT CROWN POINT Daniela Patino exemplifies the passion, the professionalism and the love for students that Renaissance Charter School at Crown Point is so proud to boast. She makes the curriculum come to life for the children, creating interactive games and activities to pique her students’ interest. As a result, they become active and engaged in current events and are eager to share ideas.

What do you love most about your school?

What I love most about working at my school is my seventh grade team!

It’s the best feeling to be able to work along such great teachers. There are so many teachers here who show up every day to do what they love and it’s great to see that passion shine through.

What’s your favorite part of your role?

My favorite part about teaching civics is its relevance in our society.

I love getting to teach my students ways to become active citizens in their communities. I think it is so important that students get to learn about the vision our founding fathers had for this nation and what needs to be done in order to preserve that.

What motivates you and pushes you to do your best?

Honestly, the thing that motivates me and pushes me forward are my students! Some days are rough, but seeing them come into my classroom

REPORT CARD ROLE: Seventh-grade civics teacher TIME AT SCHOOL: Patino started at Crown Point in November of 2018, but this is her fourth year with CSUSA.

with smiles on their faces at least shows me that I can really make an impact on their lives daily. To see them actively participating and getting into lessons is the best feeling. I love watching them grow throughout the year.

What’s the nicest thing a student or faculty member has done for you?

I think that being chosen for this feature was probably the biggest acknowledgment that I’ve gotten, and I could not be more humbled. I am a sucker for the little things and really just love everyday small acts of kindness! Any chance we get to celebrate the hard work we put in as teachers is so refreshing.

If you could take a vacation anywhere, where would you go?

Oh gosh, I have a whole bucket list of places that I would love to visit.

I think it would probably be a tie between Bali and Dubai! But really, how can one choose?! I love being outdoors and I love the beach, but it would also be so neat to witness the United Arab Emirates and all its wonder. I took my first international trip two years ago when I went to

Antalya and Istanbul, Turkey. This past winter break, I went to London!

What do you like to do in your free time?

In my free time, I’m pretty low-key.

I love to hang out with my husband and my two cats. I do love to be outside and I really find peace at the beach. I am trying to take more time to travel and see new parts of the world.

If you could meet anyone, from present day or throughout history, who would it be?

I think if I could go back and meet anyone from the past, I would love to meet Maya Angelou. I love poetry and I think her work is so inspirational and made such an impact on society.

— TIM FREED

NOMINATE YOUR INFLUENCER

Do you have an “unsung hero” at your school? If so, please nominate him or her for our Influencer of the Week feature. Nominations can be sent via email to contact@orangeobserver.com.

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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020

OBSERVER SCHOOL ZONE

Dance fever

Elijah Devose and Raya Randall got dressed up to attend the Sweet Sadie’s Dance at West Orange High School.

Hanging out with good friends made West Orange High’s Sweet Sadie’s Dance even more fun.

W

Ben Boucher, Gavin Goldwire and Dylan Diyaljee were ready to have some fun at the Sweet Sadie’s Dance at West Orange.

est Orange High School’s gymnasium was transformed into a lively dance hall for the Sweet Sadie’s Dance Saturday, Feb. 8. The gym was rich with pulsing lights and music, high-top tables were set up around the perimeter of the dance floor, and dozens of balloons created a fun atmosphere. In the hall, tables were set up with a variety of candies and other sweet treats.

— AMY QUESINBERRY

Friends had a great time at the WOHS Sweet Sadie’s Dance: Josie Wilson, Amanda St. George, Mikayla Jankowski, Autumn Hyatt, Makenzie Rees, Jackie Ball and Macie Carpenter.

Relationships healthy?

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020

OBSERVER SCHOOL ZONE

Keene’s students feel the love BAPTIST

First Baptist Church Pastor Tim Grosshans 125 E. Plant St, Winter Garden (407) 656-2352 Sundays: 8:30 a.m. Traditional 9:45 AM Bible Study 11:00 AM Contemporary Wednesdays: 6 p.m.- Awana

EPISCOPAL

Children’s author and speaker Laura Duksta recently visited Keene’s Crossing Elementary.

Church of the Messiah 241 N. Main St., Winter Garden Services: 8, 9:30, & 11 a.m., 7 p.m.

ChurchoftheMessiah.com

ABOUT LAURA DUKSTA

DANIELLE HENDRIX ASSOCIATE EDITOR

From a young age, author and speaker Laura Duksta dreamed of being First United Methodist able to travel the world and spread 2nd Campus: Church the message of love.

Foundation Worship Standing under the outdoor pavil125 N. Lakeview Ave., Foundation Academy Danielle Hendrix ion at Keene’s Crossing Elementary Winter Garden Duksta is a children’s author, School Tuesday, Feb. 4, Duksta was High School (407) 656-1135 speaker and visionary who conliving her dream as she spoke to stu15304 Tilden Rd., Services: 9 and 11:15 a.m. siders herself an ambassador dents about how their biggest chalWinter Garden fumcwg.org of love and enjoys speaking to lenges could become their biggest (407) 730-1867 people about how their chalblessings.

Sundays: 9:45 a.m. All Ages lenges can turn into blessings.

The children’s author, speaker and UNITED CHURCH FoundationWorship.com Her first book, “I Love You More,” visionary spent the day at Keene’s OF CHRIST is a New York Times bestseller.

Crossing while she was in town for Windermere Union Church Since then, she also was written the Mount Dora Art Festival. She Starke Lake Baptist Church 10710 Park Ridge-Gotha Rd., “You Are a Gift to the World” and read her first children’s book, “I Love STARKE LAKE BAPTIST Pastor Jeff Pritchard your 19 Services or Events GLICAN METHODIST NON-DENOMINATIONAL YouAdvertise Windermere “I’ll Hug You More.”

More” — published years ago CHURCH FIRST UNITED METHODIST PURPOSE CHURCH OLANDO PO Box 520 611 W Ave., on page weekly. To purchase Duksta’s books, LICAN COMMUNITY — to students as this they sat with atten(407) 876-2112 PO Box 520, 611 W Ave, Ocoee CHURCH 13640 W. Colonial Dr., Ste 110, OWSHIP CHURCH Ocoee Pastor Jeff Pritchard read her blog, learn about her tion fixated on the story.

125Adult N. LakeviewWorship: Ave Winter Garden 9 a.m.

Winter Garden r The Rev. Canon Tim Trombitas (407) 656-2351 Service Times 9:00 AM and 11:15 AM 407-654-9661 • Prayer 9:30AM, programs and more, visit lauBut she also shared more than a (407) 656-2351 This page appears weekly in the East Plant St, Winter Garden Sunday School: 10Fellowship a.m. 9:45AM, Service 10:05 AM www.starkelakebaptist.org Phone – 407-656-1135 raduksta.com. book.

She told them about losing DAY SERVICE 10:00 AM StarkeLakeBaptist.org West Orange Times & Observer and Web:WindermereUnion.org fumcwg.org s at: Theacf.net her hair due to alopecia areata at age CHURCH OF GOD online at OrangeObserver.com.

OCOEE CHURCH OF GOD 11 and wearing wigs for years afterUNITED CHURCH OF PTIST Pastor Thomas Odom ward before realizing her power was ter enrichment efforts.

CHRIST NON-DENOMINATIONAL CHURCH OF GOD To advertise in the Church Directory 1105 N. Lakewood Avenue, Ocoee LAH BAPTIST WINDERMERE UNION CHURCH in being herself.

She realized that she “I’m really impressed by her abil407-656-8011of God Casey Butner Ocoee Church Purpose Church Orlando call 407-656-2121 or email 10710 Park Ridge-Gotha Rd. wanted to take what she learned and ity to bring these thoughts to our eulah Rd, Winter Garden Windermere, FL 34786 13640 W Colonial Dr. Ste 110, Pastor Thomas Odom AdvertiseNow@OrangeObserver.com EPISCOPAL 56-3342 | BeulahBaptistWG.org empower others. children at a level that they can 407-876-2112 Worship times: Winter Garden CHURCH OF THE MESSIAH DAY BIBLE STUDY 9:30AMN. Lakewood 1105 Ave.,Ocoee 9:00am Adult Sunday School Her school program is called understand,” Drone said. “I think it’s 241 N. Main, Winter Garden DAY SERVICE 11:00AM (407) 654-9661 10:00am Worship (407) 656-8011 “Empowering YOU to Shine!” and extremely important because we live Services: 8, 9:30, & 11am, 7pm NESDAY SERVICE 6:00PM www.windermereunion.org Sunday Service: 10:05 a.m. www.churchofthemessiah.com encourages children to show kind- in a society where we’re becoming T BAPTIST CHURCH Sunday Brazilian Service: 7 p.m. ness, be resilient, love others and more disconnected from interacting Plant St., Winter Garden connect with others. And while one on one, interacting personally Saturday Service: 6 p.m.

56-2352 Duksta said she didn’t realize at first with each other … so having them DAYS 8:30 am Traditional purposechurchorlando.org m Bible Study that she would become an “ambas- listen to a (presentation) on how to am Contemporary sador of love” through children’s show kindness face to face with peoNESDAYS - 6pm - Awana MIKE YOAKUM books, the message reaches so many ple is extremely important.”

Tim Grosshans PASTOR because of them.

Duksta finds joy in visiting schools fbcwg.org ampus: P: 407.656.1520 “What’s happening and what I all over the country and giving stuNDATION WORSHIP C: 407.758.3570 love is that I get the message to young dents and staff the tools to empower DAYS 9:45 am - All Ages MYOAKUM407@AOL.COM children and I also get the message themselves and others. dation Academy High School to the parents and the grandparTilden Rd., Winter Garden “I can tell by their questions and FoundationWorship.com ents, the teachers and the preach- when they come up to me after — 30-1867 ers, of how truly loved we are,” she they want to thank me for the presaid. “What I found is that I want to sentation, they want to share that reach as many young people as I can I’m beautiful — they’re making a 1333 EAST CROWN POINT RD. get out to and share that our big- decision based on kindness,” Duksta OCOEE, FL 34761 gest challenges can set us back, but said. “That’s when I know I’ve gotthey can be the things that end up ten through to them.”

ORDER YOUR empowering us and moving us forDrone said the school was pleased CUSTOM MADE • Custom Furniture, Farm Tables, ward. (I want them) to know those to give students the opportunity to challenging times that they’re going hear Duksta’s message, adding that Barn Doors, and More CHRISTMAS through will often turn around and it drives home the point that it’s • Repaired, Refinished and GIFTS NOW! become things that will propel them important to love others and treat Repurposed Wood Furniture life toward who they’re meant to them with kindness and respect — Check out the custom • Gently Used Furniture and New &inUsed be and what they’re meant to do.” the way they would like to be treated. ade silent auction items Household Items Duksta reached out to the school’s “I think that they’re able to see the Follow us at https://www.facebook.com/groups/MatthewsHopeChest/ hat will be available at media specialist, Jennifer Drone, impact on themselves and they’re the Garden Party on Visit our Workshop Location at 611 Business Park Blvd. #101, Winter Garden about bringing her presentation to able to see the impact of their actions November 9!!

407.905.9500 • 8am-4pm Mon - Fri • 8am-3pm Saturday Keene’s Crossing a few weeks ago. on others, and hopefully it will start Drone loved the idea and said it a greater movement of kindness complemented the school’s charac- around the school,” Drone said.

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FEBRUARY 13, 2020

HIGH

SPORTS

1

CFCA sophomore Riley Kugel continues to grow his game on the basketball court. Page 16.

FROM UNDERDOG TO

5 WOLVERINE

The Dr. Phillips girls wrestling team continues to dominate on the mat, as the Panthers stormed their way to their fourth straight Metro championship Saturday, Feb. 8. Jessica Corredor (100), Juliana Diaz (117), Zamora St. Cyr (140), Jennifer Charles (147), Skyy Gowan (184) and Aalilyah Hyacinthe (220) each took first place in their respective weight classes. Corredor also won the Outstanding Wrestler Award and became the first fourtime women’s Metro champion.

SPORTS EDITOR

2

3

4

Despite falling to First AcademyLeesburg 56-52 in boys basketball action Thursday, Feb. 6, Legacy Charter’s Jacob Worley had a solid outing as he picked up 21 points (14 of which came off of a 6-of14 night from three-point land), eight assists and four total rebounds.

5

In a battle of rivals on the soccer field, the Windermere Wolverines girls soccer team came out on top in its 4-0 win over West Orange (8-7) in the Class 7A, District 5 semifinals Tuesday, Feb. 4. The Wolverines (14-2-2) were led by Victoria Gonzales, who scored two goals.

Kira Skretteberg added a goal and an assist in the winning effort.

Student-athletes across a range of sports signed their National Letters of Intent during ceremonies earlier this month.

TROY HERRING

The CFCA Eagles boys basketball team capped off senior night in style with a 62-57 win over Seffner Christian Friday, Feb. 7.

In the win, Nicolas Silva had his best game of his senior season as he exploded for 35 points for the Eagles. The win was a nice bounce back for CFCA (18-7) after the Eagles dropped a game at Santa Fe Catholic.

In Windermere High School boys basketball’s narrow 83-78 overtime defeat at the hands of Apopka Friday, Feb. 7, junior guard E.J. Yorke went off for 27 points for the Wolverines (17-8). Windermere will start off the Class 7A, District 6 tournament with a bye.

Schools celebrate National Signing Day

TROY HERRING SPORTS EDITOR

T

he old saying of, “All good things come to those who wait,” is something Derrick Bumpers understands well.

Since his first year in coaching back in 2008, Bumpers has traveled the path of high school coaches before him — serving a variety of roles at different schools and building up his resume to prepare him for the end goal of becoming a head coach.

Now, in 2020, Bumpers’ patience has paid of in full. The Alabama native recently was named the new head coach of the Windermere High School football program.

“I’m super excited — it’s something that I’ve been envisioning and pursuing for a while now,” Bumpers said. “It’s been more than a blessing to receive this opportunity — it’s beyond what I expected.”

The news comes a few months after former Wolverines head coach — and current assistant athletic director — Fred Priest retired from coaching back in November.

A lot went into Bumpers’ decision on making the move from South Walton High School, where he served as a multi-role assistant coach for three seasons. A big facSEE BUMPERS PAGE 16

Derrick Bumpers has been named the new head football coach at Windermere High School after a threeseason stint at South Walton High School.

For local student-athletes, Wednesday, Feb. 5, was a day of celebration and relief, as high schoolers around the area signed their National Letters of Intent with the colleges of their choice.

Over at the gym on the campus of Ocoee High School, the Knights’ football program celebrated three of its own — Esdras Feneluc (CulverStockton College), Kelton Law (Bethune-Cookman University) and Nick Wright (Heidelberg University) — among family and friends. Earlier in the day Karleigh Curtis signed her NLOI to play softball at St. Petersburg College.

For Wright, the moment was an achievement he had been looking forward to since he first checked out his future home up in Ohio. He recalled the campus’ home-like feel, and how he enjoyed the colder weather of the Midwest.

“I feel really good that somebody took a chance to invite me into their home, and (that they’d) feel like I’d be a good piece of the puzzle that they’re missing,” Wright said. “I just want to be the best player that I can be.”

Law and Feneluc both agreed with Wright on just how much stress had been lifted from their shoulders with the afternoon’s event. It’s a grueling process, and for the most part it’s not fun, Law said.

It was all about the opportunity to play at a college that felt familiar to him, Law said.

“I felt like it was family,” he said. “Plus, it’s closer to home, so my mom can see me play, but the first time I visited it just felt like home.”

Finding a place to play at the next level is one thing, but it’s only the beginning, said Knights head football coach Aaron Sheppard during a short speech.

Excelling at the collegiate level isn’t easy — something that Feneluc, Law and Wright all understand.

“I’m just excited to learn new things — the major I’ll be majoring in, the football experience and my first college game,” Feneluc said. “I just have to stay in the books, stay in the film room and work in the weight room — just dominate every time.”

SEE ATHLETES PAGE 16

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020

Athletes sign their NLOI

SPONSORED BY MARK’S FLOORS

Riley Kugel A combo guard on the CFCA boys basketball team, Riley Kugel has seen tremendous growth since his freshman season last year. After winning a state title as a freshman, Kugel is hoping to help lead his team to back-to-back championships.

When did you first get into basketball?

When I was about 6 or 7, my mom signed me up for a local YMCA team — like Junior Magic — and I have just been playing ever since. And also watching my brother — since he is older than me — made me want to play the game more.

What has kept you in the sport for this long?

Just my love for it — I just love basketball. It’s my main hobby that I do every day, and I just love to play the sport.

What has been the biggest change between your freshman and sophomore years?

Coming from last year (I was) looking up to all the seniors who I was playing behind — trying to earn my spot over.

They taught me a lot, like how to push through and fight, and coming into this year I have a way bigger role than last year.

What was it like — as a new guy — to come into the program last season and help CFCA win its first basketball state title?

It meant a lot to me coming in and winning a state championship my freshman year with teammates that I liked being around — they’re cool friends. So winning it with them meant a lot to me.

What’s the most challenging part of playing combo guard? Your favorite part?

The most challenging part is probably since you’re the One, so you basically have to know everybody’s position and every play that you run — you basically orchestrate the whole team. The most fun part is just being able to get my teammates open and being able to get them the open shots they need.

THE BASICS

SCHOOL: CFCA GRADE: Sophomore AGE: 16 SPORT: Basketball POSITION: PG/SG

What are some of the best words of advice you’ve been given about basketball?

Just push through. Times get hard, and you may not like it, but you just have to fight to be successful and get what you want.

Coming into this season, did you have any goals in mind that you were hoping to achieve?

Win states — that’s my primary goal.

As a leader on the team who also is a sophomore, does that add extra stress on you?

A little bit, especially because I’m still young. But not really, because I know even if I do bad, my teammates got my back — they’re still there for me, so I’m all right.

What’s the most challenging thing about playing basketball in general?

If we lose, everybody starts getting mad at themselves and other people, so we just have to battle through it and push through all the stress that we have for the game.

Do you have a favorite player that you like watching?

Chris Paul, definitely.

His IQ for the game is through the roof — he knows where everybody is at the right time, he finds his open teammates and gets them good shots. He is a playmaker.

— TROY HERRING

Photo by Troy Herring

Ocoee High School celebrated four athletes who signed their NLOI. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

TITANS’ TIME TO SHINE

At Olympia High School — two hours after Ocoee’s signing event — eight signees were recognized.

That included athletic director Kevin McElveen’s daughter, Emma, who signed her National Letter of Intent to play volleyball at the University of South Carolina Upstate.

Over the last four years at Olympia, Emma McElveen has

ONLINE

See more the list of West Orange signees at OrangeObserver.com

Bumpers takes over at WHS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

tor was how new the Windermere program is.

The upcoming 2020 season will be the fourth year of Wolverines football, and over the last three seasons, the program has won only three games — the Wolverines went 0-10 in their first season. That said, this felt like a chance to go into a program and really make a difference, Bumpers said.

“I feel like when I looked at the opportunity it was a good fit, because a lot of the foundation had really just been established — I think Coach Priest tried to do what he could do with the youth league and with the kids, and I think there is an opportunity to build on that,” Bumpers said. “It felt like a fresh challenge that I actually wanted to pursue. I wanted to be in a position where I could see myself grow and actually build something.”

AN UNDERDOG STORY

If anyone knows what it’s like to hit hard times and be the underdog, it’s Bumpers.

After graduating from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with his degree in health promotion/fitness

Athlete of the Week sponsored by:

broken records and established herself as a top talent.

“I am so grateful — it’s such a surreal feeling,” Emma McElveen said. “I’ve been working at this since seventh or eighth grade, and my dream was to always play Division I in college and now it’s happening — I just can’t believe it.”

While Emma McElveen travels up to South Carolina, Christina Jeffers will be heading a bit farther north as she hopes to

leadership, Bumpers became a personal trainer and started his own business. Then, the economy tanked.

Personal training is a luxury, and the economic recession hit Bumpers hard.

“Things really went downhill for me,” Bumpers said. “I lost my business, house and went through some financial crises and it was just a bad time. Once I realized, ‘Hey I can actually learn from this,’ I pulled myself up back together by the bootstraps and started going out and exercising at the local high school while I was in Atlanta.”

At that time, Bumpers felt like a failure, but there was something positive in store for him, he said.

He got to know a few of the athletes at the school — they were the only ones who understood him, he said. He would help them with weights and teach them what he knew.

“They held me accountable and gave me new life,” he said. “I knew my purpose had changed, and I got my first job as a substitute teacher and in that position I was able to impact a lot of kids. That was a gift I didn’t know I had — everywhere I’d go, kids would gravitate to me.”

With a new purpose, Bumpers

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The school only has around 1,400 students total, but that’s something that appealed to Jeffers.

“For me, the biggest thing was how the campus is small, and how the class sizes are small and it makes it a lot easier to get to know everyone on campus, whether they’re an athlete or not,” she said. “And in the classroom you get to know your professor more, because it’s a small class size.”

Of the school’s eight signees, only kicker Colby Kintner represented the football program, as he signed with The Citadel.

Located in Charleston, South Carolina, the school is well known for its tradition and structure as a military college, and it’s exactly what Kintner was looking for, he said.

“They do plan on bringing me in as a freshman starter, so I’m really looking forward to going into a program like that,” Kintner said. “Just being able to play with that team and learning a lot of the core values that that school has (will be great).”

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decided to go into coaching. In 2008, he took on a “jack of all trades” role at Tri-Cities High School in Georgia, where he was a defensive-line coach and strength and conditioning coach.

From there, Bumpers found his calling as he jumped from jobs at Greenville High School (Georgia), Foley High School (Alabama) and Northview High School (Alabama) before landing at South Walton High School up in the Panhandle. There, he served as an assistant head coach, assistant athletic director, co-defensive coordinator and strength and conditioning coach for his three years at the school.

The years he’s put into the sport are a testament to what a simple game can do for a person.

Regardless of wins and losses, football is about learning to overcome obstacles — whether that’s on the field or in life.

“All of those things that I’ve learned — the failures, the successes, the brotherhood, the determination, the adversity of it — I’ve been able to put that into a mixing bowl and serve it up to young people,” Bumpers said. “At some point you’re going to face life, and when you do, you can look at what you went through to get to where you are (now).”

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Warriors and Lions win district championships A busy week of action was capped off by big wins for some local schools.

TROY HERRING SPORTS EDITOR

It was a productive week for local schools on the court and out on the soccer field, as West Orange High and Foundation Academy picked up district titles over the weekend.

The Foundation Academy Lions took home district titles in boys soccer and girls basketball, while the Warriors snuck by East Ridge to win the boys district title in soccer.

The following is a quick recap of some of the week’s action.

WEST ORANGE BOYS SOCCER HOLDS ON LATE IN 3-2 VICTORY OVER EAST RIDGE

A hard-fought game ended in West Orange High’s favor, as the Warriors used a three-goal first half to will themselves to a 3-2 win over East Ridge in the Class 7A, District 5 championship game.

Right out of the gate, the Knights (16-3-1) seemed to be in a solid groove by winning possession and getting shots on goal, but then West Orange junior midfielder Marco Perez struck a from distance when his free kick from a mile out took a funny bounce in front of the East Ridge goalie to give the Warriors (11-1-3) the lead with 22:27 left to play in the first half.

Just as the Warriors had gotten comfortable, the Knights struck right back when Juan Ramos col-

lected a rebound and blasted a ball into the back of the net to knot the game up at 1-1 with 19:10 left in the half.

Over the next 19 minutes, both teams would battle back and forth until West Orange senior defensive midfielder Amin Ferreira took over the game and broke through the Knights’ backline on two separate occasions — the first of which was a header that came off a free kick with 7:11 left in the half and the second coming with just 1:19 remaining — to give the Warriors a 3-1 lead going into the break.

After halftime, the Warriors and Knights continued an exchange of blows, but it was East Ridge what finally found the back of the net when Randie Hernandez scored off of the corner kick to bring the Knights to within a goal with 22:58 left in the game. The Warriors held off the Knights’ late, frantic rally to pick up the 3-2 win.

The Warriors — having clinched a spot in the postseason — will take on Lakewood Ranch in the FHSAA 7A Region semifinals Wednesday, Feb. 12.

FOUNDATION ACADEMY GIRLS BASKETBALL CLAIMS DISTRICT CROWN IN 42-35 WIN

When it came down to crunch time, the Foundation Academy girls basketball team had all of the answers, as the Lions (14-4) held on late to beat Real Life Christian Academy 42-35 to win the Class 2A, District 10 championship Thursday, Feb. 6.

The district title was the first for the program since 2015, said head

Below: Zoe Sedo is lifted onto her teammate’s shoulders as they celebrate their win over Real Life Christian Academy.

Photos by Troy Herring

OTHER SCORES Class 2A, District 6 boys soccer: Foundation Academy 3, All Saints Academy 1

coach Deborah Pennick.

“This is a whole new regime — this is a foundational building year for us,” Pennick said. “Our aspiration for this year was to really make a good run at the district and we were blessed to win, and now it’s to make a good showing in regionals.”

Foundation Academy came into Thursday night’s game following a 49-18 semifinal win over Central Florida Christian Academy the previous Monday. While that was a blowout victory for the Lions, the championship game would stay tight throughout with the Lions holding only a single-digit cushion between themselves and the Raptors (15-7).

Through the first half, the Lions’ largest lead was only seven points, which was eventually chipped down to three points with just over four minutes left in the game.

Over the remaining four minutes, chaos ensued as the Lions and

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Left: The West Orange High boys soccer team will host Lakewood Ranch on Wednesday after press time.

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Raptors fell into foul trouble and saw multiple turnovers. But thanks to the shooting prowess of eighth grade guard Zoe Sedo — who hit back-to-back threes — the Lions were able to ultimately pull away for the win. Sedo finished with 14 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Sedo wasn’t alone in her strong performance, as eighth grade guard Chelsea Bryant had 14 points, four rebounds and three steals. Eighth

grade guard Aliyah Perry added nine points, and sophomore forward Landry Wolverton racked up a whopping 15 rebounds for the Lions. Sedo, Bryant and Perry were named to the All-District tournament team, while Bryant was also named the tournament’s MVP. The Lions will host Victory Christian in their first-round game of the FHSAA Class 2A State playoffs Thursday, Feb. 13.

– Robert Pattinson

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Thursday, February 13, 2020

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