SO U T H W E ST O RA N G E
Observer Happy 4th! Windermere, Horizon West, Dr. Phillips
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 7, NO. 39
FREE
THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2022
You’ll see them on TV
YOUR TOWN DANCERS QUALIFY FOR NATIONALS Kathryn Austin, director of the Centre for Dance & the Performing Arts, has one of the largest highland dance schools in the southeastern region and has trained students for 32 years. During the pandemic, the Royal Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing, suspended all competitive events throughout the world for more than 18 months, and teachers resorted to virtual platforms. Despite the pandemic, Austin’s students were successful at last year’s Citrus Class Competition Series in Ponte Vedra, the nation’s first competitive event after the COVID lockdown. The first regional championship in two years was held last month in Savannah, Georgia, and Austin boasts three qualifiers for the National Championships in July. Allison Williams, Natasha du Toit and Alyse Duppenthaler will travel to Madison, Wisconsin, for the ScotDance USA Championships featuring the top 90 Scottish dancers in the nation.
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Gymnastics USA’s boys team is the best in the state. The goal? The Olympics. SEE PAGE 1B.
SPIRIT OF AMERICA
HORIZON’S HEROES The Horizon West Veterans group ensures local heroes living in the community receive the recognition they deserve and the assistance they and their families need. STORY ON PAGE 5A.
Family, friends remember Peter Abatiello
Courtesy photos
Horizon West veteran Philip Irvin Trover served in the U.S. Army and trained as both an infantryman and mortarman. He died Feb. 18, 2022, of lung disease, but he never smoked. His family believes the condition was an effect of Agent Orange, with which he came in contact during the Vietnam War.
The popular West Orange High School teacher retired in 2018. He died June 19, 2022. SEE PAGES 8-9A. PRSRT STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID WINTER GARDEN, FL PERMIT NO. 81
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Postal Customer
FOUNDATION’S FASTEST FOURSOME Foundation Academy’s 4x100 boys relay team broke the school record three times in 2021-22. SEE PAGE 1B.
City OKs rezoning for east W.G. The Winter Garden City Commission’s approvals were the final step in the annexation process for east Winter Garden. SEE PAGE 2A.