W E ST O RA N G E T I M E S &
GOBBLE GOBBLE
Observer Winter Garden, Ocoee, Oakland
The Observer staff wishes you a safe and happy Thanksgiving!
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VOLUME 86, NO. 47
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2019
Helping ranch hands West Orange gets new preschools
West Orange saddled up Nov. 22 for Edgewood Children’s Ranch’s 37th Country Round-Up Dinner and Auction. 9.
Lookin’ Sharp(ie)
The Goddard School is now open on Avalon Road, with Kiddie Academy to open next summer in Hamlin. DANIELLE HENDRIX ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Ocoee resident and artist Robert Perry drew custom designs on his car with the classic permanent marker to transform it into a gallery on wheels. SEE PAGE 4.
With Winter Garden constantly being named one of the top places to live, it makes the city a popular option for families moving to the area to settle in. Along with this demographic and population growth is the need for more preschools, day cares and early childhood development and education centers. SEE PRESCHOOL PAGE 6
YOUR TOWN QUALIFYING OPENS FOR OAKLAND
Eric Gutierrez
Using Sharpie marker, Robert Perry freehand drew custom, abstract designs on his car to showcase his work.
SPORTS
County task force drafts housing plan The 10-year plan aims to create more affordable housing options and accommodate growth. TIM FREED MANAGING EDITOR
QUEENS ON THE COURT PRSRT STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID WINTER GARDEN, FL PERMIT NO. 81
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The WOHS girls basketball team is ready to compete. SEE PAGE 21.
A plan is taking shape that would create more affordable housing in Orange County over the next decade. SEE HOUSING PAGE 4
IN TIMES OF WAR ... West Orange High theater performed ‘Lilies on the Land.’ SEE PAGE 19.
Two seats will appear on the town of Oakland municipal ballot March 17 — those of Vice Mayor Mike Satterfield and Commissioner Sal Ramos. To qualify by signature card, candidates have until 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6. They must obtain 100 petition signatures from registered voters in the town. To qualify by fee, candidates must pay a $100 fee during the qualifying period of 8 a.m. Monday, Dec. 9., to 3 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12. For information, call (407) 656-1117.
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YOUR CALENDAR
THURSDAY, NOV. 28
WALK/RUN SWEET POTATO MASH 5K 7 a.m. registration, 8 a.m. 5K Thursday, Nov. 28, at Chapin Station Park, 501 Crown Point Cross Road, Winter Garden. Enjoy a 3.1-mile walk or run on the down-and-back course along West Orange Trail. Each participant will receive a finisher medal, and top participants will receive awards. Medals will be given also to participants dressing in Thanksgiving costume, especially sweet potatoes. Entrance fee is $25 for adults; the kids run is free. To register, go to sweetpotato5k.com/e/1.
SATURDAY, NOV. 30
SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, at businesses in downtown Winter Garden. Kick off the holiday shopping season at local
shops and enjoy retail sales, raffle drawings and live music at the Centennial Plaza Gazebo, 101 W. Plant St., with Teddy Henderson at 11 a.m. and Mud Rooster at 3:30 p.m. cwgdn.com or (407) 656-4111. WINTER GARDEN HOLIDAY FARMERS MARKET 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, at the downtown pavilion, 104 S. Lakeview Ave. Winter Garden. Shop for gift-related handcrafted items at special guest vendors. There will be Christmas and fun shaped cookies and other treats. (407) 656-4111.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 4
FIRST-YEAR POTION CLASS 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4, at the Winter Garden Library, 805 E. Plant St. First-year wizards, it’s time to practice potion-making skills. Create a chocolate wand and magic potion. Space is limited. Registration required at (407) 835-7323.
THURSDAY, DEC. 5
HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE CRAWL 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, at nine boutiques in downtown Winter Garden: Adjectives
FINANCING AVAILABLE
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2019
Market, The Boutique on Plant, Cambridge Home Ideas, Doxology, Driftwood Market, Kitlife, Shoo Shoo Baby, Victor Russell Etc. and Wildflower Beauty by Jessica. Enjoy an evening of shopping, sales, sips and snacks. Visit each retailer for an entry into the $200 Visa gift card raffle. Drawing will be at 8:15 p.m. at the gazebo in the plaza. PLANT CLINIC 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, at the Winter Garden Library, 805 E. Plant St. Take your plants, get your soil pH tested and ask questions of master gardener volunteers from the UF/IFAS Orange County Extension Office. (407) 835-7323. RETIRED EDUCATORS TO MEET 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, at College Park United Methodist Church, 644 W. Princeton St., Orlando. The program is a “Holiday Selection of Songs and Music” presented by students from Brookshire Elementary and Boone High schools. Anyone who has worked in education is invited. ocrea-fl.org or (407) 843-6909.
FRIDAY, DEC. 6
32ND ANNUAL LIGHT-UP WINTER GARDEN 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, in downtown Winter Garden. Sponsored by Duke Energy, the West Orange Ministerial Association and the city of Winter Garden. Join us in welcoming the season with this annual event. Enjoy live entertainment, vendors, shopping and children’s activities. Ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. and the street lighting will take place at 6:15 p.m. recinfo@ cwgdn.com. EVENING WITH SANTA 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, at the Ocoee Lakeshore Center, 125 N. Lakeshore Drive. Free pizza dinner and visits with Santa. Preregistration is required, and space is limited to 50 children. Contact Adrian at (407) 9053180 or adorsey@ocoee.org.
SATURDAY, DEC. 7
HOLIDAY SHOWCASE: ACCORDION CRAZE 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at the West Oaks Library, 1821 E. Silver Star Road, Ocoee. Get in the holiday spirit with this lively showcase of holiday music by the Central Florida Accordion Club. cfaccordionclub.com.
HOLIDAY TREE LIGHTING 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at Ocoee Lakeshore Center, 125 N. Lakeshore Drive. Enjoy a tree lighting, photos with Santa, a gingerbread house contest, Santa’s village, Kid Zone with rides and games, entertainment, arts and crafts and special guests of the city of Ocoee. (407) 905-3180 or ocoee.org. LEGO BLOCK PARTY 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Winter Garden Library, 805 E. Plant St. Is there anything you can’t build with LEGO? LEGO bricks will be provided but cannot go home with participants. (407) 835-7323.
MONDAY, DEC. 9
CENTRAL FLORIDA RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY MEETING 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9, at the Central Florida Railroad Museum, 101 S. Boyd St. Winter Garden. Videographer Danny Harmon presents “Coverage of Recent Florida Trains.” Free. (407) 656-0559.
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VanderLey leads transportation talk Orange County District 1 Commissioner Betsy VanderLey spoke about transportation and what a proposed penny sales-tax increase could mean for West Orange. DANIELLE HENDRIX ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Ariana Estrada and Liam Baker tried to feed hay to the sheep. Right: Joslyn Hui socialized Joseph, a ball python.
West Orange High’s FFA chapter had a blast hosting its fall festival.
FFA hosts fall fun G
oats, pigs, chickens and more awaited guests at the West Orange High FFA chapter’s fall festival Saturday, Nov. 23. More than 30 FFA students — as well as parents and program advisers — helped make the festival possible by serving snacks and drinks, educating attendees about the various animals, taking people for tractor rides and playing games with children. Other activities included face painting, music and photo opportunities. All proceeds benefitted the FFA chapter. — DANIELLE HENDRIX
Adrianna Loper was the designated tractor driver for the wagon rides. Right: West Orange FFA adviser and agriscience teacher Kristy Lightbody snuggled with her piglet, Pepsi.
ONLINE See more photos at
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As Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings rallies for a potential one-cent sales-tax increase, the question of how it could have an impact on the status of transportation in West Orange County has been brought up. It was a hot topic during the West Orange Chamber of Commerce’s transportation conversation meeting, held Friday, Nov. 15. Orange County District 1 Commissioner Betsy VanderLey was the spotlight speaker and shared information about the current status of transportation — as well as future needs — in West Orange. With the growth that comes with development in Horizon West and in West Orange County as a whole, there is both a disconnect between building houses and infrastructure to support them, as well as between building infrastructure and having sufficient funding to do so. “The growth is undeniable,” VanderLey said. “You all need to understand that when those people come, they bring their cars and drive on our roads, and they bring their kids and put them in our schools. What we collect in Orange County right now in terms of transportation impact fees, on average, is about $20 million a year. That gets assigned to zones, so if all $20 million gets collected by development in District 1, all $20 million is allocated to that district to be spent there. That does not travel throughout the county.” VanderLey added that the county also collects around $30 million per year in gas tax, making the total funds available for traffic problems locally — outside of ad valorem, state and federal funds — $50 million. However, she said, it costs about $12 million per lane mile of a four-lane divided road. “That means somewhere in Orange County, I get four miles of road,” she said. “That’s inadequate to the needs that we have with the population shift that we’re seeing.” Additionally, she said, when looking at future needs for transportation, public transit must be part of the conversation. If there is to be a conversation as a community about workforce housing, there also needs to be one about workforce transportation. VanderLey told attendees that they will be hearing over the next few months from the county about the need to fund the shortfall for LYNX and SunRail, which the penny sales-tax increase would help
with. However, she said, her main concern is that the county has not yet defined what that shortfall looks like. “I don’t think anybody here can argue with the need,” she said. “I think the concern is … we haven’t entirely defined what that shortfall is. … If the mayor is successful in passing his penny sales tax, that’s about $600 million a year and he’s proposing, last I heard, in the neighborhood of 25 years. That’s a lot of coin. “Until somebody can define for me what the shortfall is in terms of LYNX, in terms of our infrastructure, in terms of future plans for SunRail, I can’t be supportive of a penny for 30 years because I don’t know where we’d spend it all,” she added. “It’s not to say that we don’t have a need, it’s just that, ‘Is this the right amount of money and right period of authorization to address the need?’ I don’t think anybody here can say, ‘We don’t have a transportation problem, why are we even talking about this?’” This would be a charter sales tax — meaning the county wouldn’t necessarily have to share the funds with its municipalities — but many West Orange leaders believe that in order for it to pass, the county will need support from those very municipalities. Although finding a solution for the transportation problem, finding the balance between mass transit and infrastructure and how to fund it all currently are the mysteries surrounding the topic of transportation, VanderLey told attendees that whatever is done must address the needs of the community in a way that is defendable and noble. “We have to make sure we’re not disadvantaging the very people we’re trying to help by not carefully looking at what that number, what that shortfall, looks like and where it needs to be leveraged,” she said. “It’s the cost of doing business as a community that we provide the infrastructure for people to get where they need to go.”
“It’s not to say that we don’t have a need, it’s just that, ‘Is this the right amount of money and right period of authorization to address the need?’ I don’t think anybody here can say, ‘We don’t have a transportation problem, why are we even talking about this?’” — Betsy VanderLey
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WEST ORANGE TIMES &
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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.” Friedrich Hayek
“Road to Serfdom,” 1944
ERIC GUTIERREZ
President and CEO / Matt Walsh, mwalsh@yourobserver.com Editor and Publisher / Michael Eng, meng@OrangeObserver.com
STAFF WRITER
R
obert Perry’s car turns heads wherever he drives. There isn’t anything particularly exotic about his ride; he drives a 2007 Nissan Altima. The thing about Perry’s that catches the attention of so many people is the paint job of elaborate patterns he freehand drew using a Sharpie marker. “People go crazy,” Perry said. “People really react strongly when they see the car. They always turn their heads, and they always say stuff like, ‘You drew on that? You drew that?’ … If I’m in the car, or if I’m not in the car (but) near it, I’ll just see how they react and they think it’s so amazing. Most people haven’t seen anything like this.” Perry, 32, is a lifelong artist of multiple mediums who practices multiple forms of expression. He draws, paints and also creates 3D art. He also expresses himself through dance, singing and rapping. His earliest days of creating art revolved around illustrating cartoons, he said. “I could draw some realistic faces and stuff like that, but I used to draw cartoons a lot,” Perry said. “I would draw cartoon animals (and) everything you would see in cartoons. I could draw a cartoon bear or cartoon people with different colors … and that was like my style. I started doing unique cartoons that I would create that were my own characters. That’s what I did for years when I started
Eric Gutierrez
Ocoee resident Robert Perry turned his car into a canvas on wheels.
originally. That’s my foundation for art. “Now I just do these abstract drawings or designs,” Perry said of his style today. “I’ll just draw a design that has just a bunch of lines in it. … I do abstract designs with paint and colors. There’s not even a form or anything; it’s mainly (abstract lines). That’s the main thing I do now.” When it comes to his car, Perry said he was inspired to personalize it with his own illustrations after he stumbled across the idea online about four years ago. He was researching different mediums and discovered the practice of drawing on a car. Prior to drawing on his own car, he drew a custom design on part of a small fishing boat, he said. “I saw it on another car,” he said. “It had just black and white designs that had spikes and zigzags. I thought that it looked so cool on that car. It didn’t look like … anything I’d ever seen, so I wanted to try it. “I drew on a boat one time,” he later added. “I responded to an ad on the internet for designing
Housing for All CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
The county’s Housing for All task force concluded its final meeting Nov. 15, which culminated in a draft 10-year action plan to address housing affordability and supply. Orange County seeks to do this through the plan by “removing regulatory barriers, creating new financial resources, targeting areas of access and opportunity, and engaging the community and industry,” according to the the Orange County Government website. According to a summary posted by Orange County, over the next decade the plan aims to preserve and create 30,300 affordable and attainable housing units — 35% of the total number of units projected to be developed in Orange County. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings spoke about the plan and what Orange County hopes it accomplishes at a press conference Nov. 15. “We are committed here in Orange County to change the direction of accessible housing, because everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to live and raise a family,” Demings said. The plan recommends removing regulatory barriers to affordable housing by expanding the types of housing being built, modifying code and policies to increase
housing development opportunities, and establishing “zoning incentive areas” in exchange for affordable and attainable housing units in specific areas. “Part of the plan is to introduce into our housing market a different type of housing that has a lower price point — that is something that can occur as we change our land-use plans, our comprehensive plans and even the architecture of the homes themselves,” Demings said. Orange County hopes to add more financial resources by creating a housing trust fund, initiating a study to evaluate the feasibility of a linkage fee for the region and providing nonprofit developers with access to low-interest loans for affordable housing construction. “There’s a recommendation in this report to create a land trust with funds that could be used to do various things to help stabilize rent costs or assist individuals who are chronically rent stressed,” Demings said. “I fully intend to go to our corporate community and ask them to support — in a financial way — that fund. Because we are just receiving the draft report today, we still have to work out the mechanics of how that will actually work in this community.” In regard to targeting areas of access and opportunity, the county is considering housing develop-
a boat. I only worked on it for a few hours. I worked on it for like six hours total, and it was just the side of a fishing boat, and this guy paid me some money to do it. That was the only other (vehicle) I really drew a design on. … I covered it with different things and some stars (with) some words on it, too.” Although he discovered drawing on a car as an art form four years ago, he never got to practice that medium on someone else’s car. So, he decided to draw on his own car last year. It took him about a year to completely cover his car with his designs. Since he started, he’s had to redraw and touch up a few spots on his car, because some of the designs have faded over time. He’s added a layer of paint to some parts of the design to make it more resistant to fading, he said. “This is actually the first car that I’ve done where I drew on the whole thing,” Perry said. “I didn’t have any help with the whole thing. … At this point, from the design of the car (to drawing on it), it took about a year to do in my free time (working on it) part-time.” In addition to a way to express
10-YEAR FUNDING The Housing for All Action Plan targets federal and state financial resources and proposes to establish a dedicated, locally controlled affordable housing fund. FEDERAL n $15 million — HOME (Home Investment Partnership Program), a grant to implement local housing strategies designed to increase homeownership and affordable housing opportunities n $25 million — CDBG (Community Development Block Grant), a grant that provides resources to address unique community development needs n $1.5 million — ESG (Emergency Solutions Grant), a grant for rapid re-housing, emergency shelter and related services
ment incentives in areas close to transit and jobs, along with promoting county-owned land and potentially acquiring more land for future construction. Engagement — the last of four recommendations — would involve partnering with stakeholders to increase awareness of housing priorities and solutions. Demings launched the Housing for All task force back in April in an effort to solve the area’s perceived affordable housing crisis. The task force was led by co-chairs Allan Keen and Terry Prather and
himself, the drawings on his car also act as a means to showcase Perry’s artwork. His car not only gets him from place to place but also serves as his mobile art gallery. Perry is originally from High Point, North Carolina, and he moved to Ocoee about four months ago. He decided to move to the area to pursue an art career in the form of a clothing and design company. He even has a brand name for the company; he calls it Vita Luna 100 Clothing & Design. “I created the shop, and I’ve made some individualized pieces of clothing — some shirts and sweatshirts — but I just launched the website for an actual web store … a few weeks ago,” he said. “I’m just now getting some printed T-shirts, too.” Perry still is working on getting more products on the Vita Luna 100 website and also working on refining the website itself. In addition to shirts and sweatshirts, his clothing company also offers custom accessories such as bracelets and snapbacks.
Managing Editor / Tim Freed, tfreed@OrangeObserver.com Design Editor / Jessica Eng, jeng@OrangeObserver.com Community Editor / Amy Quesinberry, amyq@OrangeObserver.com Sports Editor /Troy Herring, therring@OrangeObserver.com Associate Editor / Danielle Hendrix, dhendrix@OrangeObserver.com Staff Writer / Eric Gutierrez, egutierrez@OrangeObserver.com Multimedia Advertising Executives / Ann Carpenter, acarpenter@OrangeObserver.com Cyndi Gustafson, advertising@OrangeObserver.com Terri Hope, thope@OrangeObserver.com Creative Services Lindsay Cannizzaro, lcannizzaro@OrangeObserver.com Advertising Operations Manager / Allison Brunelle, abrunelle@OrangeObserver.com Office Coordinator / Accounting Ashley McWilliams, amcwilliams@OrangeObserver.com
CONTACT US
The West Orange Times & Observer is published once weekly, on Thursdays. The paper can be found in many commercial locations throughout West Orange County and at our office. If you wish to subscribe, visit our website, OrangeObserver.com, call (407) 656-2121 or visit our office, 661 Garden Commerce Parkway, Suite 180, Winter Garden.
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STATE n $28 million — SHIP (State Housing Initiative Partnership Program), funding for local housing initiatives allocated through an annual state budgeting process
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LOCAL n $160 million (new) — Housing Trust Fund, a dedicated fund for affordable housing n $3.5 million (new) — Affordable Housing Revolving Loan Fund, replenishing funding source for nonprofit developers n $4 million — County-Owned Land, publicly owned land available to nonprofit developers of affordable housing
WEST ORANGE TIMES
For more information about the Housing for All Action Plan, visit ocfl.net/HousingForAll.
included 36 members from the community “In Orange County we have over 110,000 households that are cost burdened, with the average cost of homes at $290,000 and average rent for apartments between $1,200 and $1,500 a month,” Demings said. “We don’t have a housing crisis in Orange County — we have a housing affordability crisis. The body has studied the issue for the past eight months along with the tools and strategies that can move the needle on this crisis.”
We want to hear from you. Let us know about your events, celebrations and achievements. To contact us, send your information via email to Michael Eng, meng@ OrangeObserver.com.
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Preschool plans CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
West Orange-area families now have two new options for their children, with the recent opening of The Goddard School and Kiddie Academy under construction in Hamlin. KIDDIE ACADEMY
For those who live in or close to Hamlin, Kiddie Academy will be
EXPLORE YOUR OPTIONS KIDDIE ACADEMY 15806 Shaddock Drive, Winter Garden (407) 777-7110 Email: wintergarden@kiddieacademy.net Facebook: facebook.com/Kiddieacademyofwintergarden Kiddie Academy is under construction and expected to open in June 2020. Call for more information about enrolling or employment. THE GODDARD SCHOOL 2007 Avalon Road, Winter Garden (407) 777-2791 Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday to Friday Website: goddardschool.com/ Winter-GardenFL Facebook: facebook.com/ GoddardSchoolWinterGardenFL The Goddard School is now open and enrolling children. Call for more information.
opening its doors to children from ages 6 weeks through 12 years old by June 2020. Located at 15806 Shaddock Drive, the new children’s academy is now under construction following a Nov. 6 groundbreaking ceremony. Winter Garden residents Bill and Linda Collins are the owners of Kiddie Academy’s newest location, and their daughter, Ashley Collins, will serve as the director. “Kiddie Academy is an early childhood development (program) based on learning skills they’ll use in everyday life structure,” Ashley Collins said. “It really focuses on not just their learning, it’s about the ‘why’ and what’s the purpose of what they learn. It’s really imperative that they know why they’re learning these skills and what they will be used for.” Having grown up in Winter Garden as one of five children, Ashley Collins knows that the growing community is more family-friendly than ever before. It’s part of the reason why her parents wanted to become business owners and help shape young minds. “The housing-to-children ratio is incredible, and they really wanted to get their hands into helping the future minds of tomorrow develop in this amazing community,” Ashley Collins said. “Winter Garden is so home based, and although it’s growing and booming, it really centers on such a family community.” She added that this project has been in the works for about three years now, and it likely will not be the only Kiddie Academy location
Courtesy photo
Kiddie Academy hosted its groundbreaking on Nov. 6. From left: Kevin Merideth, Craig Pincince, Grant Gary, Erich Maschhoff, Vanessa Siefcak, Linda Collins, Bill Collins, Mark Allen and Ashley Collins.
her parents open. The capacity for this location is set at 225 children. Kiddie Academy uses its Life Essentials philosophy, which focuses on elements fundamental to a child’s growth – character education, STEM-infused technology, and health and fitness experiences. With seven different learning programs categorized by age group, Kiddie Academy focuses on empowering at each age level. “Our academy is based off life essential skills and really focuses on their development,” Ashley Collins said. “You can give children workbooks and tell them to memorize and do this, but we have found children want to know why they’re doing something, and to be able to teach this and have them understand why they’re doing, it can really build success for them later on.” Although the school will not open until summertime, Ashley Collins said early enrollment is now open. Updates on enrollment
and the school’s construction will be posted on its Facebook page. “Seeing the structure itself is amazing, but for me personally, watching my parents’ dream become a reality and watching them (become) business owners and get involved with children and their future (is exciting),” Ashley Collins said. THE GODDARD SCHOOL
Located off Avalon Road near its intersection with Tilden Road, The Goddard School officially opened Monday, Nov. 4, and is now enrolling. Another national brand, The Goddard School was founded in 1988 by Anthony A. Martino in order to deliver a high-quality, play-based learning program to families. Today, The Goddard School has more than 65,000 students in more than 500 locations across 37 states. The school uses what it callesthe F.L.EX. Learning Program to provide a well-rounded learn-
ing experience to children while in a safe, nurturing environment. The idea is for children to learn through play, with customized lesson plans developed based on children’s interests and developmental needs. The F.L.EX. Learning Program is designed with core values in mind such as play and exploration, student empowerment, 21st-century skills, STEAM and literacy, individualization, outdoor time, research and diverse programming. Pam King, onsite owner of the newest location in Winter Garden, previously owned a franchise of The Goddard School in Alpharetta, Georgia, and has owned and operated several of them over the last two decades. After her family moved to Winter Garden six years ago, she and her husband, Shawn, saw there was a need in Winter Garden for a high-quality early childhood education program that provides a play-based learning experience.
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The Rev. Dr. Larry Mininger has served as a leader, mentor and teacher at Lake Sherwood Orthodox Presbyterian Church, in West Orlando.
Lake Sherwood OPC pastor retires after 48 years The Rev. Dr. Larry Mininger may have retired, but his work serving Christ isn’t finished. ERIC GUTIERREZ STAFF WRITER
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Now located at 1067 S. Clarke Road, Ocoee FL 34761 Office hours M-F by appointment Accepting new patients
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General Dermatology & General Skin Examinations
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2019
n
When the Rev. Dr. Larry Mininger first arrived to Lake Sherwood Orthodox Presbyterian Church, it was surrounded by — as he described it — a jungle. “There was no road leading to it at all — it was between orange groves,” Mininger said of the land around the church. “There was a dirt road leading up this pathway to this plot of land. … There were no pews (in the church). There was no air conditioning, and I said, ‘We’re going to the jungle.’ “Balboa Drive was built while I was here,” he added. “In fact, we had sort of a contest — a prayer contest — to see whether the Lord would help the east side of Balboa to be paved, or the west side. The west side team won. It got paved first, but it took a long time.” It was Aug. 1, 1971, when he first arrived. He would then go on to dedicating the next 48 years of his life ministering at Lake Sherwood Orthodox Presbyterian Church. In that time, he’s served in myriad roles such as a Sunday school teacher, youth and vacation Bible school director and choir member. He’s also officiated countless weddings, baptisms, leadership trainings, neighborhood outreach efforts, ordinations and funerals. Under his ministry, the church also planted daughter churches in St. Cloud and Oviedo. After many years of serving the church and his flock faithfully, and with so many accomplishments under his belt, Mininger retired from his role as pastor on this year’s anniversary of his initial arrival to the church — making this chapter of his life come full circle. He’s been designated as Pastor Emeritus of Lake Sherwood Orthodox Prebyterian Church. “My main focus is to preach the Bible — making it clear to people and then try to love God’s people and encourage them through the scriptures,” Mininger said. “I’ve had a lot of weddings and a lot of funerals in my day.” Originally from Souderton, Pennsylvania, Mininger, 75, now calls the city of Ocoee his home. He grew up in a strong Christian community and felt
an inner calling to serve God when he was a teenager. “I was raised in a good, Biblebelieving church, so I learned about the Bible quite a bit when I was a kid,” Mininger said. “I went to a Bible camp … (and) I prayed to the Lord in my camp bunkhouse … and it right away came to me as I finished praying that I was also called to ministry. It was an inner feeling. In the practice (to be) a pastor, we call that an ‘inner call.’” Mininger’s educational pursuits followed his faith. His degrees include a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bob Jones University, a master’s degree in theology and a master’s degree of divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary, as well as a doctorate degree of ministry from Reformed Theological Seminary. But he wasn’t just a student and a preacher of the gospel — he’s also been a long-time teacher and mentor to many others in their walk of faith. Over the years, Mininger has influenced many seminary students, interns and associate pastors. Those individuals now minister in other Orthodox Presbyterian churches, in the Presbyterian Church in America and in other denominations. In addition to being a mentor, Mininger served as an adjunct professor of practical theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando. He’s also dedicated 30 years of leadership to the Southland Student Conference, serving as the organization’s director of the middle school Bible camp in the Gainesville area. Mininger served the Orthodox Presbyterian Church at the national level as well. He was elected as moderator of the 66th General Assembly of the church, and on two separate occasions he’s represented the Orthodox Presbyterian Church as a Fraternal Delegate to the Presbyterian Church in America’s General Assembly. Although his time leading Lake Sherwood Orthodox Presbyterian Church is at an end, his life of serving God is far from over. He continues to foster the minds of future Christian leaders and other servants of God through his role as part-time campus pastor at Reformation Bible College in Sanford.
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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER
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BAPTIST
First Baptist Church Pastor Tim Grosshans 125 E. Rant 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 2nd Campus: Foundation Worship Foundation Academy High School 15304 Tilden Rd., Winter Garden (407) 730-1867 Sundays: 9:45 a.m. All Ages FoundationWorship.com Starke Lake Baptist Church Pastor Jeff Pritchard PO Box 520 611 W Ave., Ocoee (407) 656-2351 StarkeLakeBaptist.org
CHURCH OF GOD
OrangeObserver.com
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2019
Ocoee Church of God Pastor Thomas Odom 1105 N. Lakewood Ave.,Ocoee (407) 656-8011
EPISCOPAL
Church of the Messiah 241 N. Main St., Winter Garden Services: 8, 9:30, & 11 a.m., 7 p.m. ChurchftheMessiah.com
Eric Gutierrez
Poke Hana owner Hoi Nguyen and restaurant partner Aiy Saysavanh are excited for the second Poke Hana location to open.
Aloha! Poke Hana comes to Horizon West
METHODIST
First United Methodist Church 125 N. Lakeview Ave., Winter Garden (407) 656-1135 Services: 9 and 11:15 a.m. fumcwg.org
The location marks the second in the Orlando area for the Hawaiian restaurant.
UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
Windermere Union Church 10710 Park Ridge-Gotha Rd., Windermere (407) 876-2112 Adult Worship: 9 a.m. Sunday School: 10 a.m. WindermereUnion.org
THREE TO TRY
ERIC GUTIERREZ STAFF WRITER
A taste of Hawaii is coming to the Windermere area. Poke Hana is slated to open up in the Windermere Village shopping center at 5845 Winter Garden Vineland Road, Suite 150, in early 2020. As the name suggests, the restaurant specializes in poke bowls, which is a dish consisting of raw, marinated fish served over rice and an array of vegetables and other toppings. Guests can choose from a selection of signature poke bowls or build their own custom poke bowl with whatever toppings they want. “In Hawaii, basically, that (is) their staple food,” owner Hoi Nguyen said. “Every tourist that came over there and every local (living there), they’re always eating poke. I saw the tourists eating so much poke (in Hawaii) I thought, ‘It’s got to work back home.’” The Orlando-based restaurant also specializes in serving Hawaiian cuisine, as well as acai bowls and crispy rice tacos. “What sets us apart from almost every other poke restaurant is we serve Hawaiian food,” Nguyen said. “We don’t just serve poke. We have the rice plates, we have hula chicken, Spam musubi, we have kalua pork, we do garlic shrimp and something that’s new that we offer … is our rice tacos. They’re made from a crispy rice paper shell.”
NON-DENOMINATIONAL Purpose Church Orlando 13640 W Colonial Dr. Ste 110, Winter Garden (407) 876-2112 Adult Worship: 9 a.m. Sunday School: 10 a.m. WindermereUnion.org
Community Partners wanted!
Looking for local Businesses, Churchs, Clubs, Schools, Civic Groups, or Group of Friends. Help underprivileged families in our community at our
COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS CARNIVAL WITH SANTA
n Maui Wowie poke bowl: Marinated ahi tuna in Maui sauce with fried onions, edamame, seaweed salad and cucumbers. n Garlic shrimp: Shell-on fried shrimp with garlic butter sauce. n Hula Chicken rice plate: Grilled marinated chicken with sweet sauce
A trip to Hawaii with his wife a few years ago is what inspired Nguyen to open Poke Hana. While he was there, he frequently dined on the local cuisine and fell in love with eating poke bowls along the way. “I think I spent the whole time out there eating Hawaiian food and poke, and I was so obsessed with it, I was like, ‘We need something like this back home,’” Nguyen said. “What makes our poke so different is that we actually source our ingredients from Hawaii,” Nguyen later added. “The salt and the seaweed, we get it imported from Hawaii because those are probably two of the main ingredients that people skip out on and don’t add to their poke.” Nguyen said that the original location of Poke Hana in the Mills 50 area of Orlando has been open for a year, and he opened the restaurant with the help of some business partners and family members. He added that he chose to open the second location for his restaurant in the Windermere area because of its demographic of individuals who crave healthy options for their meals and the lack of poke restaurants in the area.
Saturday, December 14 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM Sign up for a 10’x10’ Booth Area with a Christmas Twist. Booth must have an Old Time Carnival Game or Activity geared to a child 12 or younger with small prizes
INDIAN RESTAURANT
Games for Kids Window Shopping Visit with Santa Elves to help to make Christmas Lists Parents can return later to “shop”
352 -241-9884 gururestaurantcatering.com
Save $5.00
on any purchase of $35.00 and up
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OPEN MON - SAT 4 P.M. SUN CLOSED DELIVERY AVAILABLE VIA
We also need assistance with Food and Music!
Make a Difference.
If you are interested in hosting a booth, helping in another way, or donating toward the event, please call 407.905.9500 or email info@MatthewsHopeMinistries.org Trials Include: • Alzheimer’s Disease • Memory Loss • Migraine • Pediatric Migraine • Low Testosterone • Osteoarthritis • GERD
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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER
OrangeObserver.com
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2019
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Pam Gould, and Nick and Stina D’Uva Left: Renee and Jeffrey Funk, Heather Oles, and Dianna and Franck Desboyaux
Boot-scootin’
BOOGIE Buddy Pittman emceed the event. Left: The ranchers performed a great rendition of “Stand By Me.”
P
laid shirts and cowboy hats filled the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center Friday, Nov. 22, as attendees trotted into the Edgewood Children’s Ranch’s Western-style dinner and auction fundraiser. Now in its 37th year, the annual Edgewood Children’s Ranch event raises funds that go directly toward operating the ranch. Guests enjoyed live and silent auctions, dinner, drinks and even a special performance from the ranchers themselves.
Festival of Trees Festival of Trees CHRISTMAS TREE AUCTION
Debra and Dr. Scott Posgai
ONLINE
— DANIELLE HENDRIX
See more photos at
CHRISTMAS TREE AUCTION
OrangeObserver.com
Accepting New Patients
Steven J. Sober, DMD
General Family Dentistry www.stevensoberdmd.com
Lemus Art painted a beautiful underwater scene in just a couple of hours.
Hours: M-Th 8-5, F 8-12
Serving the West Orange & East Lake County Area Residents for 33 years!
Windtree Professional Center
KFC Starbucks
13330 W. Colonial Dr, Suite 120 Winter Garden, FL 34787
407-877-6666
We offer individualized care in a relaxed unhurried environment. Our focus has always been on the quality of your dental treatment to insure the best possible outcome for the long term. Network provider for Delta Dental, MetLife, CIGNA, Aetna, BC/BS, Florida Combined Life, Humana, United Healthcare, & Dentemax PPO’s. Financing offered through Care Credit. Most major Insurances Accepted.
321023-1
Dillard St.
50/Colonial Dr
Daniels Rd.
Located in the Windtree Professional Center (Behind KFC)
December 2nd - 4th
Come view our Decorated Trees in the lobby, patio, and 2nd floor. We will have decorated Christmas trees of all sizes and themes.
December 2nd - 4th
Come view our Decorated Trees in the lobby, patio, and 2nd floor. We will have decorated Christmas trees of all sizes and themes.
Christmas Tree Auction December 5th | 4:00pm-6:00pm
Enjoy cocktails and light appetizers while we listen to Christmas music All proceeds to go to Seniors First.
Bruce Young, CFP®, CRPC® Financial Advisor Bruce Young, CFP®, CRPC®
Enjoy cocktails and light appetizers while we listen to Christmas music
December 2nd - 4th
AllDecorated proceedsTrees to gointo Seniors First.and 2nd floor. Come view our the lobby, patio, We will have decorated Christmas trees of all sizes and themes.
Christmas Tree Auction December 5th I 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Visit us Inspired Living Ocoee Comeat view our Decorated Trees in the lobby,
www.edwardjones.com
Inspired Living at Ocoee
Member SIPC
inspiredliving.care (407) 890-0648 patio, and 2nd floor. We will have decorated Christmas trees of inspiredliving.care
Visit us
(407) 890-0648
ALF# 12906
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ALF #12906
1061 Tomyn Blvd, Ocoee, FL 34761
inspiredliving.care Virtual Tours and More!
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www.edwardjones.com Financial Advisor 17301 Pagonia Road Ste 100 Member SIPC all sizes Ocoee, and themes. All proceeds go to Seniors First. 1061 Tomyn Boulevard, FL 34761 Virtual Tours and More! Clermont, FL 34711 17301 Pagonia Road Ste 100 407-654-4915 Clermont, FL 34711 ALF# 12906 1061 Tomyn Boulevard, Ocoee, FL 34761 Virtual Tours and More! Inspired Living at Ocoee Visit us 407-654-4915 321035-1
MKT-9811A-A MKT-9811A-A
Christmas Tree Auction December 5th | 4:00pm-6:00pm
WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER
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OrangeObserver.com
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2019
Services Offered
Wills/Advance Directives Estates Corporation/LLC Commercial Transactions Landlord/Tenant
Real Estate: Contracts, Closings, Short Sales, Deed in Lieu And Other Matters
CALL 407-656-5521 321009-1
425 S. Dillard St. Winter Garden, FL 34787 I BlairJohnsonLaw.com
REAL ESTATE
Proudly serving West Orange for over 40 years.
Park Place at Winter Garden townhouse sells for $603,486
A
townhouse in the Park Place at Winter Garden
topped all Winter Garden
Happy Birthday Kelly
residential real-estate
11/27/1969 - 11/23/2000
to 15. The townhouse at
transactions from Nov. 9 149 S. Park Ave., Unit 3D,
Kelly Wise-Henry
Winter Garden, 34787,
WE MISS YOU SO MUCH!
sold Nov. 10, for $603,486.
It’s hard to believe it has been 19 years since Heaven received a beautiful angel named Kelly. You came into our life on Thanksgiving Day and you went to Heaven on Thanksgiving Day also. We laid you to rest on your 31st birthday and life hasn’t been the same since.
Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, three-andone-half baths and 2,938 square feet of living area.
Our lives were crushed, but your legacy lives on in your sons, Austin and Brandon! You have been blessed with five grandchildren. Brantley and Gunnar are seven years old now and Avery is five. They still live in upstate New York! You have two beautiful granddaughters just like you. Kynslee is four years old now and Hadley is one! They still live in Florida. Your grandchildren will grow up to know they have a wonderful and special Grandma in Heaven watching over them and their family.
is $205.41. HORIZON WEST HAMLIN RESERVE
The home at 15337 Shonan Gold Drive, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Nov. 12, for $389,990. Built in 2017, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,964 square feet. Price per square foot is $198.57. K. HOVNANIAN WINDING BAY PRESERVE 322575-1
Love, Your Family & Friends
The price per square foot
The townhouse at 10545 Spring Arbor Lane, Winter Garden,
SNAPSHOT Total Sales: 77 High Sale Price: $7.8 million Low Sale Price: $122,000
34787, sold Nov. 9, for $389,119. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 1,881 square feet. The price per square foot is $206.87. LAKE SAWYER SOUTH
The home at 7935 Jailene Drive, Windermere, 34786, sold Nov. 15, for $425,500. Built in 2012, it has four bedrooms, three-andone-half baths and 2,922 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $145.62. The home at 13223 Roskin Lane, Windermere, 34786, sold Nov. 12, for $385,000. Built in 2007, it has four bedrooms, three-andone-half baths and 2,745 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $140.26. The home at 13213 Jervey St., Windermere, 34786, sold Nov. 15, for $372,000. Built in 2007, it has four bedrooms, three-andone-half baths and 2,628 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $141.55. The home at 7512 Tattant Blvd., Windermere, 34786, sold Nov. 14, for $323,000. Built in 2009, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,875 square feet. The price per square foot is $172.27.
Honor your loved ones in love and remembrance this holiday season You and your loved ones are invited to join Woodlawn Memorial Park and Funeral Home’s
20th Annual Holiday Rememberance Service Friday, December 6, 2019 at 7:00 PM Woodlawn Memorial Park 400 Woodlawn Cemetery Rd. Gotha, Fl 34734
Holiday Remembrance Tree I Carolers Candle-Light Service I Refreshments
407-293-1361 WoodlawnMemorialParkGotha.com
We Proudly Support
Please bring an unwrapped toy so a child can have a special holiday season
322588-1
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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER
OrangeObserver.com
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11
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2019
CITY OF OCOEE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS ELEMENT (CIE) UPDATE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AMENDMENT CPA-2019-005
LAKES OF WINDERMERE
The home at 12641 Arley Drive, Windermere, 34786, sold Nov. 12, for $305,000. Built in 2004, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,926 square feet. The price per square foot is $158.36. LATHAM PARK NORTH
PROVIDENCE
The home at 13430 Swansea Ave., Windermere, 34786, sold Nov. 12, for $450,000. Built in 2004, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,813 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $159.97.
The home at 8907 Frodsham Way, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Nov. 15, for $390,000. Built in 2017, it has four bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths and 2,689 square feet. The price per square foot is $145.04.
SUMMERPORT
ORCHARD HILLS
WATERLEIGH
The home at 14340 Magnolia Ridge Loop, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Nov. 13, for $590,000. Built in 2014, it has six bedrooms, four-and-onehalf baths and 4,963 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $118.88.
The home at 14026 Bluebird Park Road, Windermere, 34786, sold Nov. 13, for $475,000. Built in 2005, it has four bedrooms, four baths and 2,806 square feet. The price per square foot is $169.28. The home at 10234 Merrymeeting Bay Drive, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Nov. 12, for $513,680. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 2,350 square feet. The price per square foot is $218.59.
The LOCAL PLANNING AGENCY will hold a public hearing on the proposed amendment on TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2019, at 6:30 pm or as soon thereafter as practical. The public hearing will be held in the City Hall Commission Chambers located at 150 North Lakeshore Drive, Ocoee. Interested parties may appear at the public hearing and be heard with respect to the proposed actions above. The complete case file may be inspected at the Ocoee Development Services Department/Planning Division located at 150 North Lakeshore Drive, Ocoee, Florida between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except legal holidays. The Local Planning Agency may continue this public hearing to other dates and times, as it deems necessary. Any interested party shall be advised of the dates, times, and places of any continuation of these or continued public hearings shall be announced during the hearing and no further notices regarding these matters will be published. You are advised that any person who desires to appeal any decision made at the public hearings will need a record of the proceedings and for this purpose may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made which includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is based. Persons with disabilities needing assistance to participate in any of these proceedings should contact the City Clerk’s Office 48 hours in advance of the meeting at 407-905-3105. 322829-1
Zillow.com
The home at 17314 Bal Harbour Drive, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Nov. 15, for $521,000. The kitchen features quartz, a large island, gray 42-inch raised panel cabinetry with undermount lighting, tile backsplash and an upgraded gourmet appliance package.
NOTICE IS HEREBY given that the City of Ocoee Planning & Zoning Commission, acting as the Local Planning Agency, will consider a proposed amendment to the City of Ocoee Comprehensive Plan for the purpose of updating the Capital Improvements Element.
SEE REAL ESTATE ON PAGE 13
S O N ATA W E ST I N D E P E N D E N T L I V I N G
Happy Thanksgiving! At SONATA WEST, we know this holiday season is a great time to be thankful for the things that really matter. We encourage you to enjoy your friendships, maintain an active lifestyle, take care of your wellness, and indulge in the amenities your home at Sonata West has to offer.
Call Now to Schedule a Private Tour!
407.853.8479
420 ROPER ROAD, WINTER GARDEN, FL 34787 ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY LICENSE #13099
321219-1
SONATAWEST.COM
12
WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER
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OrangeObserver.com
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2019
MEDICARE MEMBERS
HURRY!
The Annual Enrollment Period Deadline to Switch Medicare Advantage Plans is
December 7th
Attend a seminar & receive A PUBLIX GIFT CARD with no obligation to enroll! Limit 2 per person, per household Oct. 1st through Dec. 7th, 2019
TOP REASONS TO JOIN ✓ Prescription Drug Benefits ✓ Comprehensive Dental, including deep cleanings on most plans ✓ Vision, Hearing and SilverSneakers®
✓ Transportation Benefit and more!
110 $75 $2,220
.00 REFUNDED .00 .00 PER YEAR!
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UP TO
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back to YOU each month!
each month in Over-the-Counter Health Care items
TOTAL SAVINGS
PER MEMBER
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PERKINS 989 W Orange Blossom Trail Apopka, FL 32712 Dec. 2 11:30 am & 2:00 pm
LILLY’S ON THE LAKE 848 W Osceola St Clermont, FL 34711 Dec. 2 - 3:00 pm
EVENT BIZ. BANQUET HALL 1200 Oakley Seaver Dr Suite 111/112 Clermont, FL 34711 Dec. 6 - 11:00 am
RED LOBSTER 4010 West Vine Street Kissimmee, FL 34741 Dec. 5 - 11:30 am & 2:00 pm APPLEBEE’S 2060 E Osceola Pkwy Kissimmee, FL 34743 Dec. 4 - 9:30 am
Freedom Members Receive:
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LOGAN’S ROADHOUSE #342 5925 W Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy Kissimmee, FL 34746 Dec. 2 - 11:30 am BJ’S RESTAURANT 2421 W Osceola Pkwy Kissimmee, FL 34741 Nov. 30 & Dec. 7 - 9:30 am
APPLEBEE’S 2503 S Kirkman Rd Orlando, FL 32811 Dec. 7 - 9:30 am APPLEBEE’S 2823 S Orange Ave Orlando, FL 32806 Dec. 7 - 9:30 am IHOP #360139 1345 Lee Road Orlando, FL 32810 Dec. 2 - 11:30 am & 2:00 pm
LOGAN’S ROADHOUSE #348 3060 West Sandlake Road Orlando, FL 32819 Dec. 5 - 11:30 am & 2:00 pm VILLAGE INN 3130 Daniels Rd Winter Garden, FL 34787 Dec. 5 - 2:00 pm
1-866-587-7606*
TTY 711
www.freedomhealth.com
*Please call between Oct. 1st and Dec. 7th 2019
Freedom Health, Inc. is an HMO with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in Freedom Health, Inc. depends on contract renewal. For accommodation of persons with special needs at meetings call 1-888-796-0946 (TTY: 711). Freedom Health, Inc. complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. Freedom Health, Inc. cumple con las leyes federales de derechos civiles aplicables y no discrimina por motivos de raza, color, nacionalidad, edad, discapacidad o sexo. Freedom Health, Inc. konfòm ak lwa sou dwa sivil Federal ki aplikab yo e li pa fè diskriminasyon sou baz ras, koulè, peyi orijin, laj, enfimite oswa sèks. Español (Spanish): ATENCIÓN: Si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1-800-401-2740 (TTY: 711). Kreyòl Ayisyen (French Creole): ATANSYON: Si w pale Kreyòl Ayisyen, gen sèvis èd pou lang ki disponib gratis pou ou. Rele 1-800-401-2740 (TTY: 711). From October 1 to March 31, we are open 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST. From April 1 to September 30, we are open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST. H5427_20NPSR_HURRY_B_M
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CALL NOW - SPACE IS LIMITED
WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER
OCOEE
The home at 9317 Holliston Creek Place, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Nov. 14, for $367,500. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, two-andone-half baths and 1,892 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $194.24.
ARDEN PARK NORTH
The home at 2913 Foxtail Bend, Ocoee, 34761, sold Nov. 15, for $420,000. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, twoand-one-half baths and 2,447 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $171.64.
The home at 9960 Pallid Hickory Way, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Nov. 14, for $336,557. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, two-andone-half baths and 1,892 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $177.88.
The home at 1741 Lake Sims Parkway, Ocoee, 34761, sold Nov. 14, for $401,254. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths and 2,911 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $137.84.
WINDING BAY
The home at 1826 Lake Sims Parkway, Ocoee, 34761, sold Nov. 14, for $375,000. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths and 2,911 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $128.82.
The home at 16078 Micelli Drive, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Nov. 9, for $330,490. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 2,156 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $153.29.
13
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2019
MIKE YOAKUM Pastor P: 407.656.1520 C: 407.758.3570 MYOAKUM407@AOL.COM
baths and 4,153 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $90.30. MEADOW RIDGE
The home at 395 Douglas Edward Drive, Ocoee, 34761, sold Nov. 14, for $485,000. Built in 2011, it has four bedrooms, three-and-two-half baths and 3,148 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $154.07.
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SEE REAL ESTATE ON PAGE 14
“thE stonE thE buiLdErs rEjECtEd is now thE CornErstonE.” –Psalms 118:22
BORDEAUX
OAKLAND
The condo at 1990 Erving Circle, No. 107, Ocoee, 34761, sold Nov. 12, for $122,00. Built in 2001, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,031 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $118.33.
OAKLAND TRAILS
The home at 1921 White Feather Loop, Oakland, 34787, sold Nov. 14, for $333,000. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 2,183 square feet. The price per square foot is $152.54.
BRENTWOOD HEIGHTS
The home at 608 Ridgefield Ave., Ocoee, 34761, sold Nov. 12, for $165,000. Built in 1963, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,100 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $150.
WINTERS LANDING
The home at 415 Macchi Ave., Oakland, 34787, sold Nov. 15, for $523,000. Built in 2006, it has four bedrooms, threeand-one-half baths and 3,423 square feet. The price per square foot is $152.79.
HUNTINGTON POINTE
The home at 175 Hopewell Drive, Ocoee, 34761, sold Nov. 13, for $375,000. Built in 2010, it has five bedrooms, four
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2019
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The home at 2141 Ancient Oak Drive, Ocoee, 34761, sold Nov. 12, for $275,000. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,665 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $165.17. SPRING LAKE RESERVE
The home at 1845 Cascade Falls Way, Ocoee, 34761, sold Nov. 12, for $310,000. Built in 2016, it has four bedrooms, two-andone-half baths and 2,325 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $133.33. WENTWORTH
The townhouse at 1784 Fritwell Court, Ocoee, 34761, sold Nov. 15, for $188,900. Built in 2004, it has three bedrooms, two-andone-half baths and 1,233 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $153.20.
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The home at 259 Carisbrooke St., Ocoee, 34761, sold Nov. 13, for $359,000. Built in 1991, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 2,570 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $139.69.
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The home at 14546 Sunbridge Circle, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Nov. 13, for $530,000. Built in 2019, it has five bedrooms, four baths and 4,443 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $119.29.
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The home at 354 Spring Leap Circle, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Nov. 13, for $315,000. Built in 2005, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 2,132 square feet
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The home at 395 Douglas Edward Drive, Ocoee, 34761, sold Nov. 14, for $485,000. It features an open gourmet kitchen full of upgrades, including granite tops, 42-inch cabinetry, SS appliances, double ovens, two islands and storage.
of living area. The price per square foot is $147.75. ISLAND POINTE
The home at 1034 Sadie Lane, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Nov. 15, for $330,000. Built in 2002, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 2,230 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $147.98. ORANGE COVE
The home at 747 Citrus Cove Drive, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Nov. 13, for $266,000. Built in 1999, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 1,990 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $133.67. OVERSTREET CRATE
The home at 104 W. Story Road, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Nov. 13, for $125,000. Built in 1952, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 784 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $159.44.
PARK PLACE AT WINTER GARDEN
The townhouse at 149 S. Park Ave., Unit 3D, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Nov. 10, for $603,486. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, three-andone-half baths and 2,938 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $205.41. The townhouse at 145 S. Park Ave., Unit 4B, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Nov. 12, for $590,672. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths and 2,432 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $242.88. WATERSIDE
The home at 17314 Bal Harbour Drive, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Nov. 15, for $521,000. Built in 2018, it has five bedrooms, three baths and 3,261 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $159.77.
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LOCATION, LOCATION...ONLY MINUTES TO DOWNTOWN ORLANDO OR WINTER PARK!!! LOCATED IN A MUCH DESIRED LOCATION!!! NO HOA!!! STEP INSIDE AND BE AMAZED OF THE CONDITION OF THIS ONE OWNER PAMPERED HOME!!! FEATURES INCLUDE LIVING ROOM, DINING ROOM, EAT-IN KITCHEN, FAMILY ROOM, TWO BEDROOMS AND 2 BATHS!!! THIS HOME COMES COMPLETE WITH FURNITURE, ALL APPLIANCES STAY INCLUDING WASHER & DRYER!!! ALSO FEATURED IS THE AIR CONDITIONED FLORIDA ROOM OVER LOOKING THE LARGE IN GROUND POOL (27X19) FENCED LANDSCAPED YARD!!! THIS IS A GREAT BUY FOR FIRST TIME HOME BUYER’S OR IF YOU WANT TO DOWN SIZE... RELAX AND ENJOY YOUR OWN POOL!!! MAKE YOUR APPOINTMENT TODAY!!!
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mail your photo to Community Editor Amy Quesinberry at AmyQ@orangeobserver.com. You can also mail or drop off the photo: Observer Media Group, 661 Garden Commerce Parkway, Suite 180, Winter Garden, FL 34787. Emailed photos should be at least 200 dpi. Include the names of everyone in the photo, where it was taken and a phone number where the editor can reach you.
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3 BEDROOM/2 BATH, DON’T PASS THIS BUY!!! ***NO HOA***NEW AIR CONDITIONING UNIT WAS INSTALLED 2/20/19***ROOF IS 12 YEARS OLD*** APPLIANCES APPROX. 6 YEARS OLD...Step inside to this home, WOOD flooring throughout the home except for kitchen and master bath are tile. Guest bath has been remodeled with laminate, wainscoting and new sink with cabinet. The kitchen features GRANITE countertops, wood cabinets, walk-in pantry. Go through the sliding glass doors to the covered, screened and tile flooring patio (11x18) with ceiling fans, privacy fenced back yard, complete with storage shed, above ground pool. The back yard also features a deck that is covered, plus the yard is large enough for a boat!!! Back into the house this home features the guest bath centered around the 2 guest bedrooms. The master bedroom is adjoined by master bath that features tub and separate shower.Landscaped yard, 2 car garage, this beauty is located in Winter Garden minutes from downtown!!! Asking Only $250,000
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Renee Adams visited Santorini, Greece, and took a copy of the West Orange Times & Observer.
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2019
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EVERETT LESLIE “LEE” FARNSWORTH III DIED TUESDAY, NOV. 19, 2019.
Everett Leslie Farnsworth III — Feb. 10, 1946 to Nov. 19, 2019. Everett Leslie Farnsworth III (aka “Lee”), son of Everett Leslie Farnsworth Jr., former Winter Garden commissioner for whom the city pool is named, and Mary Tilden Farnsworth, daughter of Clarence Tilden and Irene Thoren Tilden, died at his home in Winter Garden Tuesday, Nov. 19, at the age of 73. He worked for 15 years at Wallace Enterprises, doing custom molding with polyurethane plastics, after which he worked for his mother in the grove until he retired from that in 1986. Even though he only attended two years at Orlando Junior College, he is known for his love
and knowledge of history: local, American and worldwide military history. (The teachers in junior high and high school let him teach the class about the Civil War!) He is survived by his wife, Helen Montgomery Farnsworth; his brother, Richard Tilden Farnsworth; his sister-in-law, Susan Graham Farnsworth; his brotherin-law, David Mathews; his nephew, Douglas Farnsworth Mathews, Douglas’s wife, Kathryn, their two
daughters, Mary Tilden Mathews and Tyler Mae Mathews; his brother-in-law, Robert Colyer Montgomery, his nephews, Robert Colyer Montgomery Jr. and Jonathan Christopher Montgomery, their mother, Marilyn Reed Wood, and their wives, Carla and Dawn respectively, as well as Robert Jr. and Carla’s children, Colyer Frances Montgomery, Stacie Hecht, Jason Hecht, his wife, Jacqueline, and children, Colt and Aubrey Hazel, and Jonathan and Dawn’s children, Colin, Patricia and Lane. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 29, at the Church of the Messiah in Winter Garden. The service will be held at the same church at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, followed by interment at Winter Garden Cemetery, followed by a reception at the church. He will be greatly missed.
Susan Story
I LOVE WEST ORANGE
The West Orange Times and Observer is hosting this weekly contest, and winners will have their photograph featured and receive a $20 prize. To enter, email your photo, along with your name, city and a caption, to amyq@ orangeobserver. com; put “I Love West Orange” in the subject line. Please include your mailing address to receive your prize.
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OBSERVER
SCHOOL ZONE NOVEMBER 28, 2019
LIFT YOUR VOICE AND REJOICE
school started this year, with the songs being incorporated into lessons. The students auditioned in mid-September and were chosen in early October. Students like junior Andres Del Castillo and sophomore Kindahl Hartsock can’t wait to take the stage at Epcot. “We as a choir really enjoy Candlelight — it’s a great experience for us to get up on stage and really sing in front of other people,” Del Castillo said. “We just really enjoy it — we enjoy the late nights at Disney and feeling like true actors backstage with the Disney company.” “I think it’s a very good opportunity for us to show ourselves off as a choir,” Hartsock said. THEIR TIME TO SHINE
Courtesy photo
The Candlelight Processional at Epcot brings the holiday season to life through song with some help from local high schools.
High schools in West and Southwest Orange County will participate in the Candlelight Processional at Epcot throughout the holiday season. TIM FREED MANAGING EDITOR
A
Disney tradition continues — and high schools in West and Southwest Orange County are bringing it to life. A dazzling display of singing amidst candles and holiday cheer returns as Epcot hosts its Candlelight Processional from Friday, Nov. 29, through Monday, Dec. 30, at the America Gardens Theatre in the United States area of the World Showcase. For local high-school chorus programs chosen to join the performance, it’s the culmination of weeks of hard work — staying after school to rehearse and committing holiday songs to memory. The event presents the story
of Christmas through a celebrity narrator, alongside a choir of 300 singers and 50-piece orchestra. It’s a spectacle to behold — and a special moment for high schoolers to be a part of. WE THREE SINGS
Windermere High School has been open for only three years, but this year marks the third in a row that the Wolverines have been chosen to participate in the event’s honor choir — a group of designated singers that anchor the entire choir and provide a balanced range of voices. Linda Boot, director of choral activities at Windermere High, said that she’s bringing 73 students to participate this year. The students from Windermere High will be performing at 5 p.m. Dec.
9 and 13, as well as 6:45 and 8:15 p.m. Dec. 25. Boot said she’s proud to see her students get named once again to the honor choir — only about 18 schools were chosen for that seat in the Central Florida area this year, she said. “We’re really excited to participate,” Boot said. “We’re hoping that we’re starting something that’s going to be a longtime tradition for the Windermere Wolverines.” That excitement over the event is stronger than ever despite this being Boot’s 30th year participating in the event — she spent 27 years at Apopka High School teaching chorus before helping start Windermere High. Boot said the students began preparing for the event as soon as
This year’s Candlelight Processional at Epcot is a special one for Ocoee High School — to Chorus Director Samuel Carlton’s knowledge, it’s the first time the school has ever participated in the event. “I did talk to our principal, Ms. (Laura) Beusse, and she said she believed this is the first time that the school is going,” Carlton said. “We’re really excited — the kids have worked incredibly hard,” he said. “I think this is one of the most challenging things that they’ve ever attempted for the chorus program. I’m really pleased with the work that they put in and the effort and the time and the dedication for all of the after-school rehearsals, because it’s a lot.” Starting his second year teaching at Ocoee High School, Carlton knew he wanted to get his Ocoee Knights onto the America Gardens Theatre stage for the holiday event. Preparation and rehearsals started early in the year as the chorus students rolled up their sleeves and got to work memorizing a setlist of holiday music. Students stayed after school four days a week for hourlong rehearsals. That was on top of singing much of the music during class for lessons. It was all worth it, though, as Ocoee High sent its video audition to Disney in mid-September and heard back about a month later that it was chosen. Disney will welcome around 30 Ocoee High School students to the America Gardens Theatre stage to perform at 6:45 and 8:15 p.m. Dec. 3. “I tell the kids all the time, ‘I can’t want it more than you guys,’ and they wanted it — they showed that they wanted it,” Carlton said. “I am overwhelmed with how proud I am.” Sophomore T’Nya Dawson said it’s amazing to see all of the rehearsing and hard work pay off. “We’re just really happy to go perform for Disney,” Dawson said. “I think it’s really cool that we can go out with a choir and all sing together. ... At the beginning we didn’t know the music, so you’re kind of down because, ‘Hey I don’t know how to do this or do that’ or “How is this going to sound?’ Then you have the tracks, and when everybody comes together and sings the piece it just sounds so amazing and you feel so accomplished.”
ORANGE COUNTY PARTICIPANTS n Apopka High School n Bishop Moore High School n Boone High School n Central Florida Community Arts n Colonial High School n Cypress Creek High School n Dr. Phillips High School n Edgewater High School n Evans High School n Florida Hospital Church n Forest Lake Seventh-day Adventist Church n Freedom High School (Orange) n Garden Community Choir n Jones High School n Lake Nona High School n Ocoee High School n Olympia High School n Remnant Christian Church n Timber Creek High School n Trinity Preparatory School n University High School (Orange) n Wekiva High School n West Orange High School n Windermere High School n Winter Park High School
IF YOU GO WHEN: Performances are at 5, 6:45 and 8:15 p.m. every night from Friday, Nov. 29, through Monday, Dec. 30. WHERE: America Gardens Theatre at Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort, 200 Epcot Center Drive, Orlando For more information and a list of celebrity narrators, visit bit. ly/34g6Wz0.
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2019
West Orange student presents at GenWOW event Congratulations to West Orange High School senior Allison Adler, who presented a letter she wrote to her future self on the Letters to my Future/Younger self panel at GenWow. Nearly 650 teen girls and 200 professional women joined together for the second annual OCPS Generation WOW event. The program exposes students to positive role models.
Observer seeking book donations Observer Media Group’s Reading Reindeer literacy program is kicking off its 22nd year of collecting new books to be given to needy children at Christmastime. New books for children from infancy through middle school are being accepted for this annual project. They are distributed to multiple organizations throughout West Orange County. Reading Reindeer was started in West Orange County in 1998. Community support has enabled Reading Reindeer to bring new books to close to 63,500 children. Through cash donations, this program also provides a new copy of Dr. Seuss’ ABCs to the parents of all babies born at Health Central Hospital throughout the year — approximately 700 births annually. The community is invited to join the effort to improve literacy levels in West Orange County. Checks payable to Reading Reindeer also can be mailed to the Observer Media Group office at 661 Garden Commerce Parkway, Suite 180, Winter Garden, Florida 34787. New books can be dropped off at the following locations: Garden Theatre, Rotary Club of Winter Garden, Roper YMCA, West Orange Chamber of Commerce, Winter Garden Library, Foundation Academy campuses, Ocoee City Hall and Windermere Prep. Email contact@orangeobserver.com.
INFLUENCER OF THE WEEK
KRISTIN ABEL LAKE WHITNEY ELEMENTARY As the reading coach, instructional coach and a dean at Lake Whitney Elementary School, Kristin Abel wears many hats. Abel was recently named Lake Whitney’s Teacher of the Year, and Principal Elizabeth Prince said Abel is representative of the dedicated and high level of professionalism that Lake Whitney Elementary School teachers and staff share. School Clerk Karen Hewett added that Abel is kind, considerate and an all-around team player, and that Lake Whitney Elementary School is lucky to have her on its team.
What do you love most about your school? I love the hard-working staff and the amazing students. What’s your favorite part of your job? My favorite part of my job is working in small groups with students and working with teachers to encourage them to keep making a difference with our students. What made you want to take on this job? Mrs. Prince, our principal — she is an amazing leader and I wanted to work with her. What motivates you and pushes you to do your best? I am motivated by the teachers I work with — they continue to push me to be the best coach and dean I can be.
REPORT CARD ROLE: Reading coach/ instructional coach/dean SCHOOL: Lake Whitney Elementary TIME AT THE SCHOOL: Four years
What’s the nicest thing a student or faculty member has done for you? There are so many! A very special one was when I was voted Teacher of the Year — that was such an honor. What is the coolest place you have visited and why? I have visited Trinidad to attend a close friend’s wedding. We went to the wedding over Thanksgiving break, and in Trinidad, they don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. So when we were there, the entire area we were visiting was already decorated for Christmas! If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why? I would want the ability to be a very fast worker — super speed at getting my work done in a fast way! Do you have any pets? What kind, and what are their names? I have a golden retriever named Annie. She is a therapy dog and volunteers at Orlando Health and Orlando International Airport.
If you could see any musician, band or artist live, who would it be? I would want to see James Taylor. He has been a favorite of mine since I was in high school. I love his music. What is the best advice you’ve been given, or your favorite mantra or quote to live by? My favorite quote is, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” That is a quote by Aristotle. What are some of your favorite things to do in your free time? I enjoy taking walks with my dog and my husband. I also like reading children’s books and swimming in my pool — when it is warm! — DANIELLE HENDRIX
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, NOVEMBER 28, 2019
OBSERVER SCHOOL ZONE
‘We are land girls’
Gina DiGiovanni was excited to take the stage.
Kevin Mercier was a convincing farmer in “Lillies on the Land.”
S
tories of the forgotten Women’s Land Army of World War II were center stage Tuesday, Nov. 19, at the West Orange High theater as the school’s drama students presented “Lilies on the Land.” The production was a historical-narrative play that tells first-hand accounts of members of the Women’s Land Army in Britain. The WLA was a British civilian organization created during World War II that recruited women to work in agriculture to replace the men who were called to war.
Katie Ennis was perfect in the role of Peggy.
— ERIC GUTIERREZ
Peyton Brown loved portraying Poppy.
We’re Not Asking You to Give Up Pie. .COM
Because what is Thanksgiving without a little pumpkin?
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ORLANDO WINDERMERE APOPKA NOW WITH 3 (407) 217-2927 (407) 801-7775 (407) 294-1560 CALL TODAY! C A L L T O D A Y ! F O R F R E E C O N S U LT A T I O N C O N V E N I E N T AFTER SCHOOL APPOINTMENTS C O N V E N I E N T L O C AT I O N S
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2019
Otter art T here may not be snow in Florida, but Water Spring Elementary students and parents painted scenic winter wonderlands during the school’s canvas-painting spirit night Friday, Nov. 15. Super Awesome Cool Pottery staff taught children some painting techniques as they created their version of a scene inspired by Lydia Maria Child’s poem, “Over the River and Through the Woods to Grandfather’s House We Go.”
— DANIELLE HENDRIX
Fabiana Neves helped her son, Nicholas, with his technique.
Reese Wochholz painted alongside her grandmother, Debby.
Skylar Richards was proud of her painting. Emmett Stanley loved painting his own work of art. Super Awesome Cool Pottery staff shared artistic tips, tricks and ideas with young artists.
Celebrating 22 Years! 2019 Book Donations Supporting children in our community
Now thru December 1st
Historic Downtown Winter Garden
HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE CRAWL
NEW BOOKS PLEASE FOR AGES NEW BORN TO 17 YEARS
2019 BOOK DROP OFF LOCATIONS Garden Theatre 160 W Plant St
WINTER GARDEN
Observer Media Group 661 Garden Commerce Pkwy, Ste 180
Join us for a fabulous evening of shopping, sips and snacks!
Childrens Lighthouse Learning Centers
West Orange Chamber of Commerce 12184 W Colonial Dr
Foundation Academy Lower School -125 E Plant St Upper School - 15304 Tilden Rd Bridgewater Middle School
OCOEE
Enter to win a $200 gift card that will be raffled off that evening! West Orlando Baptist Church 1006 E Crown Point Rd
Make shopping a fun holiday experience by enjoying special sale offers
Winter Garden Library 805 E Plant St
First Baptist Church of Winter Garden 125 E Rant St
Rotary Club of Winter Garden
ADJECTIVES MARKET • THE BOUTIQUE ON PLANT • CAMBRIDGE HOME IDEAS • DOXOLOGY DRIFTWOOD MARKET • KITLIFE • SHOO SHOO BABY • VICTOR RUSSELL ETC. • WILDFLOWER BEAUTY BY JESSICA
Roper YMCA 100 Windermere Rd
City of Ocoee 150 N Lakeshore Dr
and complimentary sips and snacks in the festive wonderland of
Ocoee Police Department 646 Ocoee Commerce Pkwy
WINDERMERE
DOWNTOWN WINTER GARDEN!
Windermere Prep 6189 Winter Garden Vineland Rd
Windermere Library 5300 Main St
Sunset Park Elementary
ORLANDO
DR. PHILLIPS Dr Phillips YMCA 7000 Dr Phillips Blvd
The First Academy 2667 Bruton Blvd
Call for more details 407-656-2121 www.OrangeObserver.com
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NOVEMBER 28, 2019
SPORTS
West Orange High junior Mike McCalister hopes to take his game to another level on the court. Page 22.
2019-2020 BASKETBALL BREAKDOWN
CFCA
Troy Herring
Ajalon Gillard, Paris Pickett and Camryn Siemer are among the core of players looking to take West Orange to the next level.
WARRIORS’ WILL It’s a new year, new coach and basically new team for the West Orange High girls basketball team, which has its sights on a playoff run. TROY HERRING | SPORTS EDITOR
T
he West Orange High School girls basketball team finishes off a practice with some five-
on-five action.In the middle of it all is first-year head coach Brian Rizo, who shouts instructions as the ball rotates around the court.
It’s Wednesday, Nov. 20, and it’s the last practice before the Warriors tip off in the first regularseason game against Olympia the following night. “It’s one of those things that I’ve been thinking about for a long time, and now that it’s here, I’m just ready,” Rizo said. “I’ve been very anxious and excited to just get this season started. We had a really good test this past weekend in our preseason, so I know that there is a lot of exciting things that we are going to be able to do.”
That sense of eagerness to get the season started is shared amongst the girls at West Orange — including sophomore guard Ajalon “AJ” Gillard, who is going into her second season with the Warriors. “I’m very confident in my team,” Gillard said. “I just feel like we have been getting to know each other more and have become family. I just love being with these people, so I’m very confident that SEE BASKETBALL PAGE 22
EAGLES BOYS HEAD COACH: Andrew Gustafson 2018-19 RECORD: 21-10 QUICK HIT: Last year, CFCA won its first state title, but this year’s squad is almost a new team. The Eagles lost their core of talented players, and others will have to step in and fill those shoes. There’s also a change at head coach, as former assistant Andrew Gustafson takes over after Jonathan McClintock stepped down. Gustafson will be relying on returners such as Jajuan Preaster and newcomers such as the 6-foot-10 Imanuel Zorgvol to push the Eagles back to the playoffs. EAGLES GIRLS HEAD COACH: Ashley Minor 2018-19 RECORD: 0-17 QUICK HIT: Last season, the Eagles didn’t see a win, but that’s to be expected after the girls basketball program was revived at CFCA for the first time in years. Head coach Ashley Minor is now in her second year and is hoping to develop talent and pick up her first win as the head of the program.
THE FIRST ACADEMY
ROYALS BOYS HEAD COACH: Chris Mayberry 2018-19 RECORD: 15-13 QUICK HIT: TFA loses a lot of size down low — Koby Morgan (6foot-7) graduated and Jeremiah Bannister (6-foot-6) transferred — but head coach Chris Mayberry has talent coming back from last year’s district runner-up Royals team. Players such as senior shooting guard Alex Shields and senior guard Kam Summers will be among a team loaded with upperclassmen. ROYALS GIRLS HEAD COACH: Tierra Brown 2018-19 RECORD: 11-10 QUICK HIT: Head coach Tierra Brown goes into the season down her best player in Nyla Harris — who transferred to Lake Highland Prep — alongside some other key players. The Royals will miss Harris’ 20.3 points per game, but so far, ShaRiya Davis has popped up as a new leader — having picked up 18 points and four rebounds in the Royals’ opening game against Lake Nona Tuesday, Nov. 19.
FOUNDATION ACADEMY
LIONS BOYS HEAD COACH: Dejon Everson 2018-19 RECORD: 4-22 QUICK HIT: The 2018-19 season was a tough one for Foundation. The Lions only managed to pick up four wins. Luckily for head coach Jonathan Richardson, he will have leading scorer Danny Stutsman (13.9 PPG) back. LIONS GIRLS HEAD COACH: Deborah Pennick 2018-19 RECORD: 2-10 QUICK HIT: Last season, Foundation only won two games, but for then first-year head coach Deborah Pennick, it was a victory of sorts. The Lions failed to get a single win during the 2017-18 season. Important players returning for the Lions include eighthgrader Chelsey Bryant — who as a seventh-grader led the team in points (11.4 PPG) — and sophomore Jenelle Courtney, who led the team in rebounds (5.7 RPG). CONTINUED ON PAGE 22
SPORTS SPOTLIGHT
WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER
|
OrangeObserver.com
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2019
Basketball season starts
SPONSORED BY MARK’S FLOORS
Mike McCalister
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21
we are going to play our best tomorrow, and if we play as ourselves, then we are going to execute.” The word “family” gets thrown around a lot when you talk to the girls on the team, and there is a reason for that. Since taking over during the summer — following the departure of coach Shrell Chamberlain — Rizo has stressed the importance of family and playing as a cohesive unit. It’s an understandable approach, because his arrival brought about a change in culture for a team loaded with generally young, inexperienced talent. Coming into a program that lost its coach and five players — four of whom were seniors, including Morgan Beacham and Sarah Placide — he knew it was important to build trust. “Basketball — just like anything relationship-wise — is all based on trust,” Rizo said. “They didn’t necessarily know what I was going to do or why I was doing what I was doing. “Just like anything, people don’t like change, and so as I started implementing change … they want to ask questions or they want to resist what is happening,” he said. “But now, as we are going along and they’re believing and trusting me and trusting the system, they’re seeing how the team has actually become better.” It’s tough to get a true feel of how a team will be based on preseason alone, but for the Warriors, the offense clicked as they hit an average of 70 points per game. If the Warriors can keep that rate up during the regular season, it will be an impressive feat. They lost four of their top five scorers from last year’s 23-5 team that won the district title and made it to the playoffs. “We lost a lot of firepower, so the tone that I have kind of set for the team is that we are still good enough,” Rizo said. “Essentially, I’m playing with four bench players who were on the team last year, but they didn’t see the floor a ton because of the senior leadership. I’m basically taking this group that didn’t see the floor — didn’t have their opportunity yet to be on the big stage — and putting them on that stage, and just preparing them mentally and physically to take over.” But the progress so far has been impressive, and it all starts with a trio of girls Rizo believes will be the driving force. Gillard and senior guard Camryn Siemer will trade time at the point, while sophomore
Since transferring to the school after his freshman year, junior Mike McCalister has established himself as a force at small forward/guard for the West Orange High basketball team. This year, McCalister was also named one of the team’s co-captains going into the season.
When did you first get into basketball? When I was young I just started training, and then the first two years in middle school I got cut. Then, in eighth grade, I finally made the team, and I just started working from there. What’s your favorite thing about playing at West Orange? Just the hype, fans cheering, my teammates — they’re like brothers to me — and just the campus in general. What is your favorite part about playing basketball? Getting my teammates involved, and getting the fans involved, because once we get them involved it’s like a whole different level on the court. What is the most challenging part about playing basketball? Fighting adversity. Say we go on a run, and then they go on a run and then everyone is down. Picking them back up is always a challenge we have to face. What are the most fun, and most difficult, aspects of playing at small forward and guard? Most fun would be being able to do everything on the court — rebound, bring the ball up, shoot and everything. The most challenging would be rebounding, for sure. Going up against big guys — 6-foot-8, 6-foot-9 dudes.
THE BASICS
SCHOOL: West Orange High SPORT: Basketball POSITION: Small forward, guard GRADE: Junior AGE: 17
hard because he (head coach Eric Jones) had me play up, and I mean, I just took it in and ran with it. What are the best words of advice you’ve been given about basketball? Never give up, and do what you gotta do. Coming into the season, do you have any goals set for yourself? Get myself known more, and then during a game get five points a quarter — that’s 20 points a game — and then at least get a double-double with rebounds. As far as the team goes, do you have any expectations of how the season goes? Make it far and deep in playoffs. If we get to states, I’ll take it — if we make it far into states, I’ll take it. For you, what is the end goal when it comes to basketball? Making it far — getting to the NBA. And if I can’t do that, then help younger kids and be a role model to them. After a game, if you could have your ideal meal, what would it be? I like hibachi, or I’ll get myself a milkshake and a burger — I’d be fine with that.
Is there a highlight moment that stands out to you during your highschool career so far? Last year I worked my butt off and made varsity, and then I started my whole sophomore year.
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you want to go? Bora Bora, because all the pictures I have seen, it’s just beautiful — the water, the beach and the communities.
What was that first year of varsity like for you? It wasn’t that
— TROY HERRING
Minneola Location 301 E. Washington St. Unit F
Minneola, FL 34715 (352) 394-0303
www.marksfloorsonline.com
Follow us on
Have our Mobile Showroom come to you!
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* Carpet * Tile * Hardwood * Vinyl * Laminate
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EAGLES BOYS HEAD COACH: Matt Post 2018-19 RECORD: 11-14 QUICK HIT: First-year head coach Matt Post takes over a program that will be missing some of its biggest players from last year. Brothers Nathaniel and Nicholas Rodriguez — who were the team’s top-two scorers and led in other categories — are gone, meaning someone will have to step up to fill those spots. EAGLES GIRLS HEAD COACH: Blessing Freeman 2018-19 RECORD: 11-4 QUICK HIT: Head coach Blessing Freeman saw her side hit its stride during an 11-4 season last year. A big part of that success came on the shoulders of Tya Freeman, who dominated opposing defenses by averaging 23.2 points per game. This year, the Eagles will be without Freeman’s sharpshooting abilities, but some young talent will look to make this year as special as the last.
OCOEE
KNIGHTS BOYS HEAD COACH: John “Sarge” Siers 2018-19 RECORD: 16-12 QUICK HIT: Last year, the Knights had a respectable 1612 season — which ended with a loss in the opening round of the playoffs. This year could be better, as Ocoee returns the core of its best talent. Guys such as Alston Andrews and David Green — who just signed on with Division 1 programs — will be back to the court, alongside a team comprised of all juniors and seniors.
Paris Pickett — who last year was second in points (9.5) and first in rebounds (177) — will play a big role down in the post. As a point guard, and as one of the team’s two seniors, Siemer also will play a vital leadership role for Rizo in this new season. The new role is a bit of a change for Siemer, but there’s no added stress whatsoever, she said. “I know my team,” Siemer said. “I know no matter win or lose, I know we tried our best, no matter what happens. We share the ball a lot, and if somebody is on it, we make sure they get the ball, and if somebody is missing, we’ll say, ‘OK, next half you got
When “That will I’m ready to help. never happen to There’s never a good time an accident to happen. But me”forwhen happens. it does, you can count on
C Martin Ins and Fin Svcs Inc Craig A Martin, Agent 13330 W Colonial Drive Winter Garden, FL 34787 Bus: 407-656-1040 Se habla Español
Winter Garden Location
LEGACY CHARTER
When “That will never happen to me” happens.
Athlete of the Week sponsored by:
731 S. Dillard St. Unit 101/103 Winter Garden, FL 34787 (407) 410-8998
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21
Now Hiring Licensed Insurance Professionals
1101204.1
KNIGHTS GIRLS HEAD COACH: Lauren Ashley 2018-19 RECORD: 5-17 QUICK HIT: Former West Orange High assistant Lauren Ashley was named the Knights’ head coach earlier this year, and you can bet she is ready to get things started. Ashley takes over a program that has struggled a bit over the last few years — going 5-17 last season — but that doesn’t means the Knights won’t see progress this season.
WEST ORANGE
WARRIORS BOYS HEAD COACH: Eric Jones 2018-19 RECORD: 6-20 QUICK HIT: Last season ended with a seven-game losing streak for West Orange, so this year the Warriors will look to right the ship — though they will be without their top talent. Darrell Harding, Jamarcus Clark and Nigel Brown — the team’s top three scorers — are gone, meaning head coach Eric Jones will look to players such as junior Mike McCalister to step up and get the Warriors back above .500 for the first time since 2017-18. WARRIORS GIRLS HEAD COACH: Brian Rizo 2018-19 RECORD: 23-5 QUICK HIT: At 23-5, the West Orange girls team had one of the best seasons of any team in the area. The Warriors won a district title before going on to make the regional semifinal. This year, however, the Warriors will be without four of their five leading scorers — all of whom graduated — but there’s good news for firstyear head coach Brian Rizo, as he has a talented young group of players to work with. Led by girls like Paris Pickett — who finished second in scoring (9.5 PPG) last year — and guards Camryn Siemer and Ajalon Gillard, the talent is there to have another big season.
it, we’re going to make sure you get the ball’ — we make sure everybody gets a point, at least.” That kind of mentality from his players is something Rizo likes to hear, because with the right kind of attitude, this year’s team is going to do some big things. “A lot of people don’t necessarily expect a lot from us because we are young,” Rizo said. “But I think we are going to surprise a lot of teams this year. I think we are going to accomplish some great things as a team, and I’m just excited to get started.”
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me to be there quickly so you can get your life back to normal. I’m ready toAhelp. GET TO BETTER STATE™. There’s never a good time for an acciCALL ME TODAY. dent to happen. But when it does, you can count on me to be there quickly so you can get your life back to normal. GET TO A BETTER STATE™. CALL ME TODAY.
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22
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407-905-7898 WWW.MAGUIREROADSTORAGE.COM
407-654-3037 WWW.STONEYBROOKWESTSTORAGE.COM
IN OCOEE
MAGUIREROADSTORAGE@CFL.RR.COM
IN WINTER GARDEN
STONEYBROOKWESTSS@GMAIL.COM
SPORTS SPOTLIGHT
WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER
|
OrangeObserver.com
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2019
Basketball season starts
SPONSORED BY MARK’S FLOORS
Mike McCalister
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21
we are going to play our best tomorrow, and if we play as ourselves, then we are going to execute.” The word “family” gets thrown around a lot when you talk to the girls on the team, and there is a reason for that. Since taking over during the summer — following the departure of coach Shrell Chamberlain — Rizo has stressed the importance of family and playing as a cohesive unit. It’s an understandable approach, because his arrival brought about a change in culture for a team loaded with generally young, inexperienced talent. Coming into a program that lost its coach and five players — four of whom were seniors, including Morgan Beacham and Sarah Placide — he knew it was important to build trust. “Basketball — just like anything relationship-wise — is all based on trust,” Rizo said. “They didn’t necessarily know what I was going to do or why I was doing what I was doing. “Just like anything, people don’t like change, and so as I started implementing change … they want to ask questions or they want to resist what is happening,” he said. “But now, as we are going along and they’re believing and trusting me and trusting the system, they’re seeing how the team has actually become better.” It’s tough to get a true feel of how a team will be based on preseason alone, but for the Warriors, the offense clicked as they hit an average of 70 points per game. If the Warriors can keep that rate up during the regular season, it will be an impressive feat. They lost four of their top five scorers from last year’s 23-5 team that won the district title and made it to the playoffs. “We lost a lot of firepower, so the tone that I have kind of set for the team is that we are still good enough,” Rizo said. “Essentially, I’m playing with four bench players who were on the team last year, but they didn’t see the floor a ton because of the senior leadership. I’m basically taking this group that didn’t see the floor — didn’t have their opportunity yet to be on the big stage — and putting them on that stage, and just preparing them mentally and physically to take over.” But the progress so far has been impressive, and it all starts with a trio of girls Rizo believes will be the driving force. Gillard and senior guard Camryn Siemer will trade time at the point, while sophomore
Since transferring to the school after his freshman year, junior Mike McCalister has established himself as a force at small forward/guard for the West Orange High basketball team. This year, McCalister was also named one of the team’s co-captains going into the season.
When did you first get into basketball? When I was young I just started training, and then the first two years in middle school I got cut. Then, in eighth grade, I finally made the team, and I just started working from there. What’s your favorite thing about playing at West Orange? Just the hype, fans cheering, my teammates — they’re like brothers to me — and just the campus in general. What is your favorite part about playing basketball? Getting my teammates involved, and getting the fans involved, because once we get them involved it’s like a whole different level on the court. What is the most challenging part about playing basketball? Fighting adversity. Say we go on a run, and then they go on a run and then everyone is down. Picking them back up is always a challenge we have to face. What are the most fun, and most difficult, aspects of playing at small forward and guard? Most fun would be being able to do everything on the court — rebound, bring the ball up, shoot and everything. The most challenging would be rebounding, for sure. Going up against big guys — 6-foot-8, 6-foot-9 dudes.
THE BASICS
SCHOOL: West Orange High SPORT: Basketball POSITION: Small forward, guard GRADE: Junior AGE: 17
hard because he (head coach Eric Jones) had me play up, and I mean, I just took it in and ran with it. What are the best words of advice you’ve been given about basketball? Never give up, and do what you gotta do. Coming into the season, do you have any goals set for yourself? Get myself known more, and then during a game get five points a quarter — that’s 20 points a game — and then at least get a double-double with rebounds. As far as the team goes, do you have any expectations of how the season goes? Make it far and deep in playoffs. If we get to states, I’ll take it — if we make it far into states, I’ll take it. For you, what is the end goal when it comes to basketball? Making it far — getting to the NBA. And if I can’t do that, then help younger kids and be a role model to them. After a game, if you could have your ideal meal, what would it be? I like hibachi, or I’ll get myself a milkshake and a burger — I’d be fine with that.
Is there a highlight moment that stands out to you during your highschool career so far? Last year I worked my butt off and made varsity, and then I started my whole sophomore year.
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you want to go? Bora Bora, because all the pictures I have seen, it’s just beautiful — the water, the beach and the communities.
What was that first year of varsity like for you? It wasn’t that
— TROY HERRING
Minneola Location 301 E. Washington St. Unit F
Minneola, FL 34715 (352) 394-0303
www.marksfloorsonline.com
Follow us on
Have our Mobile Showroom come to you!
321060-1
3985 Hwy 19A Mount Dora, FL 32757 (352) 385-0303
321065-1
C Martin Ins and Fin Svcs Inc Craig A Martin, Agent 14416 Shoreside Way, Ste 140 Winter Garden, FL 34787 Bus: 407-656-1040 Se habla Español!
* Carpet * Tile * Hardwood * Vinyl * Laminate
Mount Dora Location
EAGLES BOYS HEAD COACH: Matt Post 2018-19 RECORD: 11-14 QUICK HIT: First-year head coach Matt Post takes over a program that will be missing some of its biggest players from last year. Brothers Nathaniel and Nicholas Rodriguez — who were the team’s top-two scorers and led in other categories — are gone, meaning someone will have to step up to fill those spots. EAGLES GIRLS HEAD COACH: Blessing Freeman 2018-19 RECORD: 11-4 QUICK HIT: Head coach Blessing Freeman saw her side hit its stride during an 11-4 season last year. A big part of that success came on the shoulders of Tya Freeman, who dominated opposing defenses by averaging 23.2 points per game. This year, the Eagles will be without Freeman’s sharpshooting abilities, but some young talent will look to make this year as special as the last.
OCOEE
KNIGHTS BOYS HEAD COACH: John “Sarge” Siers 2018-19 RECORD: 16-12 QUICK HIT: Last year, the Knights had a respectable 1612 season — which ended with a loss in the opening round of the playoffs. This year could be better, as Ocoee returns the core of its best talent. Guys such as Alston Andrews and David Green — who just signed on with Division 1 programs — will be back to the court, alongside a team comprised of all juniors and seniors.
Paris Pickett — who last year was second in points (9.5) and first in rebounds (177) — will play a big role down in the post. As a point guard, and as one of the team’s two seniors, Siemer also will play a vital leadership role for Rizo in this new season. The new role is a bit of a change for Siemer, but there’s no added stress whatsoever, she said. “I know my team,” Siemer said. “I know no matter win or lose, I know we tried our best, no matter what happens. We share the ball a lot, and if somebody is on it, we make sure they get the ball, and if somebody is missing, we’ll say, ‘OK, next half you got
When “That will I’m ready to help. never happen to There’s never a good time an accident to happen. But me”forwhen happens. it does, you can count on
C Martin Ins and Fin Svcs Inc Craig A Martin, Agent 13330 W Colonial Drive Winter Garden, FL 34787 Bus: 407-656-1040 Se habla Español
Winter Garden Location
LEGACY CHARTER
When “That will never happen to me” happens.
Athlete of the Week sponsored by:
731 S. Dillard St. Unit 101/103 Winter Garden, FL 34787 (407) 410-8998
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21
Now Hiring Licensed Insurance Professionals
1101204.1
KNIGHTS GIRLS HEAD COACH: Lauren Ashley 2018-19 RECORD: 5-17 QUICK HIT: Former West Orange High assistant Lauren Ashley was named the Knights’ head coach earlier this year, and you can bet she is ready to get things started. Ashley takes over a program that has struggled a bit over the last few years — going 5-17 last season — but that doesn’t means the Knights won’t see progress this season.
WEST ORANGE
WARRIORS BOYS HEAD COACH: Eric Jones 2018-19 RECORD: 6-20 QUICK HIT: Last season ended with a seven-game losing streak for West Orange, so this year the Warriors will look to right the ship — though they will be without their top talent. Darrell Harding, Jamarcus Clark and Nigel Brown — the team’s top three scorers — are gone, meaning head coach Eric Jones will look to players such as junior Mike McCalister to step up and get the Warriors back above .500 for the first time since 2017-18. WARRIORS GIRLS HEAD COACH: Brian Rizo 2018-19 RECORD: 23-5 QUICK HIT: At 23-5, the West Orange girls team had one of the best seasons of any team in the area. The Warriors won a district title before going on to make the regional semifinal. This year, however, the Warriors will be without four of their five leading scorers — all of whom graduated — but there’s good news for firstyear head coach Brian Rizo, as he has a talented young group of players to work with. Led by girls like Paris Pickett — who finished second in scoring (9.5 PPG) last year — and guards Camryn Siemer and Ajalon Gillard, the talent is there to have another big season.
it, we’re going to make sure you get the ball’ — we make sure everybody gets a point, at least.” That kind of mentality from his players is something Rizo likes to hear, because with the right kind of attitude, this year’s team is going to do some big things. “A lot of people don’t necessarily expect a lot from us because we are young,” Rizo said. “But I think we are going to surprise a lot of teams this year. I think we are going to accomplish some great things as a team, and I’m just excited to get started.”
NEED SPACE?
CALL NOW!
me to be there quickly so you can get your life back to normal. I’m ready toAhelp. GET TO BETTER STATE™. There’s never a good time for an acciCALL ME TODAY. dent to happen. But when it does, you can count on me to be there quickly so you can get your life back to normal. GET TO A BETTER STATE™. CALL ME TODAY.
State Farm, Home Office, Bloomington, IL
LOCALLY OWNED SELF STORAGE “LIVE LOCAL, STORE LOCAL”
321032-1 XNSP17973
22
Maguire Road Storage
Stoneybrook West Storage
407-905-7898 WWW.MAGUIREROADSTORAGE.COM
407-654-3037 WWW.STONEYBROOKWESTSTORAGE.COM
IN OCOEE
MAGUIREROADSTORAGE@CFL.RR.COM
IN WINTER GARDEN
STONEYBROOKWESTSS@GMAIL.COM
WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER
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Horizon West 12U cheer team earns spot at nationals The team took home first place in the Southeast regional and now will compete in nationals Dec. 14 at Silver Spurs Arena. TROY HERRING SPORTS EDITOR
At the Southeast regional cheer competition, everything that could go right for the Horizon West Wolverines 12U cheer team did. After two-and-a-half minutes of dance, stunts and cheers, the team walked away overcome by emotion. The girls knew how big of a moment they had just had. “They came off the floor crying because they were so happy,” head coach Theresa Hayes said. “Their stunts went up, they didn’t drop anything, and they were on time.” By the time everything was said and done, the squad sat there on the gym floor at Seminole High School and waited for the awards to be announced. Then, the Wolverines heard the news they had been hoping for — they had won first-place overall. “Everybody was just losing their minds,” Hayes said. “They were excited and happy.” Following the event, there was also a dance-off amongst the cheer dads, as well. And you know who took home first place? A cheer dad from Horizon West — making the Wolverines two-fortwo on trophies for the day. And not only had the Wolverines won first place — which came with a trophy as big as some of the
Courtesy photo
The 12U cheer team celebrated after their big win at the Southeast regional.
girls — but by finishing top three, they also sealed up a place at nationals in Kissimmee at Silver Spurs Arena Dec. 14. The win was impressive, and it’s a real highlight when you consider how young the program is and how inexperienced many
of the girls were coming into the cheer season. Hayes first got to work with her girls just four weeks prior to the start of the Wolverines’ football season — which began back on Aug. 31 — and things were a bit rough, to say the least.
“I’m so proud of them, and I just want to get them all of those experiences and amazing memories that I had from cheerleading.”
She and the other coaches had to work on everything from basic cheering to stunts. It was a process that required time and patience, Hayes said. “Most of them never cheered before — they didn’t even know the first thing about cheerleading, and now here they are tossing their teammates in the air with no problem,” Hayes said. “After a couple of weeks of practice I go, ‘Look at the person next to, you and tell me what their name is, and they didn’t even know each other’s names. And I go, ‘Girls, that’s all going to change — by the time we go through all of these practices, it’s going to feel like you’ve always had these girls in your life.’ “They’ve all connected and formed this bond,” she said. “It’s just been tremendous to watch them grow — it’s the best part.” The growth since the start of the season can easily be seen, but that didn’t mean there weren’t butterflies going into the regional. For most of the girls on the team, this was their first big cheer event, so they weren’t sure how things would go. As we know now, things went perfectly, but that regional win was just a step toward something bigger — which will take a bit more practicing, thanks in part to some early obstacles that have popped up for the Wolverines. “We lost a couple of girls because they’re out of town and couldn’t even compete, and with me having the flu this week, we
— Head coach Theresa Hayes
haven’t been able to practice once,” Hayes said. “In cheer, it happens — it’s to be expected that you have to have a backup plan.” Hayes said that the squad will be upping its practice time starting this week to prepare for nationals. But while it’s a time to hunker down and get serious, it’s not lost on her that this upcoming competition is more than just competing — it’s about building a sisterhood and giving these girls moments they’ll remember for the rest of their lives. “I think this is absolutely where I should be with cheerleading,” Hayes said. “Taking these girls — who had never done it before — and bringing them to competition is the best feeling in the whole world. I’m so proud of them, and I just want to get them all of those experiences and amazing memories that I had from cheerleading.”
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PREP FOOTBALL RECAP
24
Photos by Troy Herring
Danny Stutsman fell to the ground to try to make a catch.
Ethan Terrell (#52) chases after Victory Christian’s Keyshawn Covington.
Foundation Academy’s season comes to an end TROY HERRING SPORTS EDITOR
T
he walk over to the end zone for the post-game meeting after Foundation Academy’s 35-0 loss to Victory Christian was a long one for Lions players and coaches Friday night. Nothing seemed to go the Lions’ way, but despite the loss in the Class 2A, Region 2 final to a familiar team Friday, Nov. 22, head coach Brad Lord had nothing but good things to say to his guys. After all, the Lions had finished with a school record in wins, had beat The First Academy for the first time in school history and made it to their first-ever region final. “I know you’re down right now, but tomorrow, wake up and be happy,” said Lord, whose Lions are now 1-10 against the Storm. “You guys had a great season at 9-3 — and we had a lot of injuries. “Listen, that team is the best football team we have ever played,” he said. “I’m telling you I have been in all the battles at Foundation, and that is the best Victory team we have ever played. You’re a really good team that got beat by a better team.” But in this game, nothing seemed to go right for the Lions (9-3), and that’s mainly because Victory Christian (10-1) was just that dominate. Running back Cornelius Shaw dominated on the ground, as he ran for 188 yards and two touchdowns, while quarterback Jeremiah Byrd added on three touchdowns and 131 rushing yards. The Lions’ usual offensive weapons in quarterback Henry Austad and Danny Stutsman were all but shut out — in Stutsman’s case, he had no catches on the night. The Victory Christian defense was dominant all night, as the Storm sacked Austad on six separate occasions — four of which were by Dytreyveon Riley. “We ran into a buzzsaw,” Lord said. “We had some opportunities in the beginning that we didn’t take advantage of. We’re banged up … and that team out-
Travis Hutchinson, center, and Michael Lemieux-Bott, left, combined to make this tackle.
classed us in every aspect of the game. It’s not that we played bad — it’s that they played great.” The game started out with a bang from the Storm, as Shaw exploded for a 49-yard touchdown with 9:19 left in the first quarter. The extra point pushed the Storm’s lead to 7-0 by the time people had gotten comfortable in their seats. Not three minutes later, Shaw would once again punch Foundation’s defense in the mouth, this time with a 53-yard touchdown run. Joel McGrath would slip on the ensuing extra point, holding the score at 13-0. The Lions would get their first shot at decent field position on the following drive, when Dharius Seth Daniels returned the ball up to the 50, but it would all be for not after a holding
call brought it back. Foundation’s drive would fizzle out quickly after that. The best drive of the night would come later in the second quarter, when the Lions managed to finally get into the S t o r m ’s red zone. After
Left: Terrence Mosley fought hard for yards. Right: Lake Ellis ran past the Lakeland Christian defense. Photos by Nate Marrero
Michael Lemieux-Bott recovered a fumble, the Lions drove deep into Storm territory. Following a big third down conversion at the 15-yard line, Stutsman ran out of the wildcat for what seemed to be a Lions’ touchdown, but the score was called back due to an illegal motion. The proceeding 28-yard field goal — which came after a sack of Austad — was missed by Mykal Chan with 6:21 left in the first half. Over the next six minutes and 21 seconds, the Storm added on two more touchdowns — one on a 32-yard touchdown from Byrd to Preston Smith and a 35-yard run from Byrd — to go into the half up 27-0. The Storm’s final touchdown of the night — a 31-yard run by Byrd — came halfway through the third quarter and would induce a running clock. The score would hold up until the end. It’s a tough ending, but there is a ton to take away from this season, Lord said. And a big part of the year’s success came because of the team’s seniors, whom Lord praised in the post-game speech — alongside the other coaches and parents. “I want to thank each and every one of you (seniors), and I hope you learned as much from us as we did from you,” Lord said. “I love you guys, you stuck together and you fought injuries all year.” THE FIRST ACADEMY LOSES TO LAKELAND CHRISTIAN
The First Academy’s final drive of the game fell just short, as the Royals lost to the Lakeland Christian Vikings 28-24 in the regional finals Friday, Nov. 22. Down 10-0 late in the second quarter, the Royals (6-6) scored their first points of the game on a 20-yard touchdown run from Lake Ellis. TFA would go into halftime down 10-6. On the first play of the second half, Idris Williams ran 61 yards for a touchdown to extend the Vikings’ (10-1) lead to 17-6. Then Sean Johnson Jr. took over and the Royals’ offense got rolling. After already converting
once on fourth down earlier in the drive, TFA decided to try its luck once again on fourthand-2 from Lakeland Christian’s 6-yard line. The gamble would pay off, as Terrence Mosley ran 6 yards for a touchdown. Mosley would score once again on the two-point conversion to trim the deficit to 17-14 with 2:31 left in the third quarter. Following a crucial stop by the TFA defense, the Royals got the ball back at their 2-yard line with 24.4 seconds left in the quarter. The offense kept the momentum going as moved the ball near midfield after being pinned deep in its own territory to start the drive. Then on third and long, Johnson scrambled 47 yards to give the Royals their first lead of the game at 20-17 with 7:55 left in the game. Then, after TFA was seemingly in control, Lakeland Christian ran the ball right down the field and retook the lead 24-20 on a 5-yard touchdown run from Dejandre Hudson. After getting the ball back at its own 20 with 6:10 left in the game, TFA managed to replicate the same success it had on its previous two drives. With 3:10 left in the game, the Royals once again found themselves having to go for it on fourth down and once again found a way to convert as Johnson scrambled for a first down. After a penalty — facing thirdand-16 with under a minute left in the game — Johnson had a chance to hit Ellis for a first down inside the Vikings’ 15-yard line, but they were unable to connect. On the following play, Johnson threw an interception, which sealed the game for Lakeland Christian. Despite the loss, TFA head coach Leroy Kinard was proud of the way his team fought back from being down by double digits at two separate points in the game. “I knew that that’s what they had in them,” Kinard said. “I knew that they weren’t going to quit — that wasn’t in the equation.”
WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER
THESE OLD TIMES
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2019
FROM THE WINTER GARDEN HERITAGE FOUNDATION
THROWBACK THURSDAY The Winter Garden Times Nov. 29, 1968 With the holidays right around the corner, the Winter Garden Inn expected that not everyone wanted to spend all of Thanksgiving working in the kitchen. The hotel, on Highway 50, promised “superb food for the family” for $2.45 for the buffet service or table service for 20 cents more.
85 years ago
A large number of winter visitors have gone out on Lake Apopka from the Oakland dock, and large strings of bass have been reported.
50 years ago
It’s that time of year when orange groves must be protected from frosts. Old methods such as smudge pots and old tires still are used to save the new fruit on the trees.
45 years ago
35 years ago
The West Orange Debutante Ball was held at the Bay Hill Country Club. Those presented were Robin Barber, Geegee Britt, Kelly Broughton, Connie Cobia, Lyn Faust, Susan Galbraith, Kristin Garrison, Susan Grant, Leigh Anne Hargrove, Rena Heckman, Laura Marshall, Mandy Maxey, Jennifer Maynes, Mary Beth McCabe, Wendy Myers, Sally Osburn, Amy Quesinberry, Alpha Sanders, Lynn Smith, Jamie Weir and Stephanie Walls.
FROM THE ARCHIVES Students from Winter Garden’s First Baptist kindergarten prepare for the holidays with what appears to be a bag of popcorn ready to be strung into garland. This photograph from 1979 shows Justin Rees, left, April Sauls, Jamie Dummett, Ronnie Peavy, Christopher Youngblood and Rebekah Shelton.
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
Estelle Tyson, of Winter Garden, an independent sales director for Mary Kay Cosmetics, was awarded one of the company’s most sought-after prizes: the free use of a pink Buick Century.
THE SEASONING by ALAN OLSCHWANG; CROSSWORD ’TIS Edited by David Steinberg
©2019 Universal Uclick
ACROSS
1 Big party 5 “Perhaps” 9 Large sum of money, briefly 12 Cascades peak in California 18 El Prado contents 19 Rescue 20 Pro ___ work 21 Victorian game room 22 Horse coat pattern 23 Peeved state 24 Most populous Hawaiian island 25 Nut in some Hershey’s
bars 26 Rat race victims 28 Behaved appropriately (see letters 9-12) 30 Con’s way out (letters 3-7) 32 Daisy’s “The Rise of Skywalker” role 33 Cloistered woman 34 Cheer syllable 35 Significant period 36 Bank staff 38 Like many Valentine’s Day gifts, in two ways 40 Comparatively cagey 42 Bagel relative
43 Ripped 45 2000s sitcom centered around a third-born child (letters 7-10) 53 Unappetizing fare 56 Heavenly sphere 57 Israeli ring dance 58 Gun, as an engine 59 Encountered coincidentally 61 Throat problem, informally 64 Delete 67 “SNL” alum Cheri 68 “Could you show me that?” (letters 2-6)
20 years ago
OCPS Superintendent Dennis Smith wrote a letter to the editor praising the Winter Garden community for responding to the needs of Dillard Street Elementary School following an act of vandalism that occurred over the weekend. 100 Make forcefully, as a point 103 Tanning lotion spec 105 British rocker Brian 106 Army bed 107 Great anger 108 Many concert attendees (letters 5-9) 111 Hospital section (letters 5-8) 116 Scrutinized 117 Devours 118 One of three in some cakes 119 “___ Lisa” 120 Travel by tram 121 Hit that’s less common than a home run 122 ___ Christian Andersen 123 Glorifying poems 124 Approaching 125 Picks up on 126 Key rarely pressed by itself 127 In ___ (existing) 128 Makes a boo-boo
10 years ago
Windermere resident Jakob Karr was among the top 12 contestants after this week’s episode of the TV show “So You Think You Can Dance.” Karr made it all the way to the runner-up spot.
44 Rep. Ilhan 46 Property developer’s buy 47 Holey shoe 48 Pronoun in hymns 49 Arizona native 50 Crowds 51 Anti-flood embankments 52 Extremely 53 Produce producer 54 National Hispanic Heritage Month honoree 55 “Almost ready!” 60 Petty peeve 61 ___ Speedy (photocopying store) 62 Disapproval sound 63 High-___ monitor 65 Summer hrs. in Orlando 66 Dejected 69 Penne ___ vodka 70 Asian flatbread 71 Many a TikTok user 74 Kick out 77 Opposite of paleo80 Deacon, for one 81 Kindled DOWN 1 Their pay comes from cuts 84 “Cobra ___” (YouTube TV series) 2 Act of waking 85 Hero follower? 3 Carb-loaded 86 “Oh! Of course!” 4 Temporary tattoo dye 87 Chemically related 5 Bond distributor compounds 6 Meditation chant 88 Madagascar critter 7 Spanish warning 89 “Hogwash!” 8 Still 90 Supports 9 Castle defense 94 More down-and-out 10 Whisper from one who’s 95 Being tracked, in a way hiding 96 Lists of enrollees 11 No longer a whisper 72 Sort of sole 97 Double foursomes 12 Stretch across 73 Not fooled by 98 1957 Jimmy Dorsey hit 13 In fine fettle 75 Merry adventures 99 Cholesterol reducer 14 Baby carriers? 76 Course selections? 15 “Citizen Kane” actor Everett 101 “Queen of Soul” Franklin 78 Alphabetically first three16 Shoe part under the laces 102 Describing drudgery letter compass dir. 103 Film segments 17 Burning with passion 79 Bruins’ sch. 104 “Can’t I?” 20 Italian tenor Andrea 81 Director Ang 109 Shuffles and Nanos 27 Wagnerian work 82 ___ buco 110 “20,000 Leagues Under 28 Starting squad 83 One of the Midwest’s the Sea” writer 29 Raw bar appetizer Quad Cities (letters 10-13) 31 Con Edison service (Abbr.) 112 Org. that delivers 91 Poker hand fee 113 Moscow ___ (cocktail) 37 Actress Jodi ___ O’Keefe 92 “___ wisely!” 114 Hairy primates 38 Indian address 93 Mister, in Mexico 115 It’s pitched in the woods 39 Unionize? 97 “Do the Right Thing” 119 “Calvin and Hobbes” bully 41 Aztec or Inca actor Davis 42 Flapper’s coiffure
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.
“TM’A ZFOFU MPP FHUYJ MP TZOPYOF JPEU NTCA TZ LTOTZL VHKN. HZC MWF RPUF WHZCA-PZ MWF FSDFUTFZKFA HUF, MWF VFMMFU.”
– APYFTY RPPZ IUJF
“LIIEKPF FXWSKSZRI KNP’S JVXP KP ZN -- KS’N NVOISAKPF TI WXI SWZFAS, WPR KP SZXP, TI SIWUA VZX UAKERXIP.” – MVCUI JXVSAIXN Puzzle Two Clue: M equals J
The Rev. and Mrs. Reynold Lemp, joined in marriage Nov. 5, have returned from their wedding cruise and are making their home in Winter Garden. He is the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, and she is the former Mary Ann Wise.
Puzzle One Clue: D equals P
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the experiences are, the better.” – Soleil Moon Frye
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Thursday, November 28, 2019
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Instruction Time: 9 am – 2 pm
MEET THE TEACHER
DAILY LEARNING CURRICULUM THROUGH HANDS ON ACTIVITIES SKILLS LEARNED Practical Life Cognitive Motor Language Sensorial
SUBJECTS TAUGHT Science Geography Math Music Art
THIS SATURDAY November 30th, 10 am - 1 2 pm
For additional information or to schedule your preschool tour, contact Megan@MatthewsHopeMinistries.org or call (407) 905.9500
Each child has personalized academic goals based on overall social, emotional and spiritual growth.
DCF Lic. #C09OR1096
322676-1
28
611 Business Park Blvd., Winter Garden, FL 34787 (407) 905.9500 I matthewshopeministries.org
facebook.com/MatthewsHopeMinistries