HAINES CITY — Clewiston FFA students Kendall, Hunter, Savana, and Aliza represented the Clewiston FFA Chapter at the Middle School Tool ID Contest at the Florida FFA Leadership Training Center on Dec. 5.

CLEWISTON — The Clewiston High School Lady Tiger varsity basketball team capped off an undefeated streak in December by winning their first game in 2020 over FAU High School 37-34 on Jan. 3.

The win improves Clewiston’s record to 6-1 this year, their best start since 2017.

Throughout their winning streak the Lady Tigers collected victories over Moore Haven, First Baptist Academy, Glades Central and Lake Placid.

Their one loss came to the Okeechobee Lady Brahmans on Nov. 21. Much like Clewiston, Okeechobee is off to a great start this year, with the Lady Brahmans sitting at an 11-4 record at the end of 2019.

Clewiston senior Alaysha Johnson currently leads the Lady Tigers in scoring, with 129 points in six games played. She’s followed by fellow senior Samoria Curry, who has 55 points so far this season.
Senior Alexis Perez has been a force to be reckoned with on defense for the Lady Tigers. Perez leads the team with 16 steals and 37 rebounds.

Clewiston closed out 2019 with a dominating 49-32 road win over Lake Placid.

The Lady Tigers jumped out early on Lake Placid, taking a 17-6 lead after the first quarter. Lake Placid was able to rally in the third quarter, outscoring Clewiston 15-9, to make the score 31-29 and pull within seven points.

But any hope of a comeback was quickly quashed by the Lady Tigers, who put up 18 points in the fourth quarter while holding Lake Placid to just nine.

Johnson led the Lady Tigers on offense, scoring 25 points, followed by junior Marissa Trimble who put up eight points on Lake Placid.

The Lady Tigers have played Moore Haven twice this year, and Johnson scored a combined 47 points in those games.

It’s clear that if Johnson gets rolling early, the Lady Tigers are a hard team to beat. During their loss to Okeechobee, the Lady Brahmans were able to hold Johnson to just eight points. It was the only time Alaysha had been held under double digits in a game this year.

It should be interesting to see how teams decide to play the Lady Tigers as the season continues. If a defense focuses on shutting down Johnson, that may open up opportunities for other Lady Tigers.

The Lady Tiger’s season continues with two upcoming road games. Clewiston will be on the road to face Neumann on Jan. 10 and again on Jan. 13 to play Sebring.

Clewiston’s next home game will be a rematch against Lake Placid at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 14.

Westside Elementary School will hold the following events during January

Friday, Jan. 10 — Tropicana Speech Contest at 9 a.m.; Pop with a Cop; and IReady Growth Celebration

Tuesday, Jan. 14 — Report Card issued

Friday, Jan. 17 — Early Release Day at 11:15 a.m.

Monday, Jan. 20 — No school in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Tuesday, Jan. 21 — District Tropicana Speech Contest at 6 p.m. at LaBelle High School

Thursday, Jan. 23 — Book Fair held from Jan. 23 through Jan. 31

Friday, Jan. 24 — Snack Shack open, Dress Down for $1, and 100th day of school

Monday, Jan. 27 — Book Fair all week and Literacy Week

Thursday, Jan. 30 — Leadership Luncheon

Friday, Jan. 31 — January Birthday Luncheon and Clubs Day

OKEECHOBEE — Members of the Okeechobee County Education Association (OCEA) make the trip to Tallahassee Monday, Jan. 13, to attend a rally for public education being held by the Florida Education Association. Educators attending the rally are hoping to make clear to state lawmakers the importance of investing in public education.

The FEA has called for higher pay for teachers in Florida. According to the National Education Association’s annual report on teacher salaries, Florida currently has the 46th lowest average teacher salary in the United States. This despite Florida’s economy ranking as the fourth highest in the country, according to data gathered by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis acknowledged that teacher pay in Florida has lagged behind other states and has called for a minimum teacher salary of $47,500. According to the National Education Association, currently the average teacher salary in Florida is just under $38,000 per year.

“We thank the governor for opening a dialogue on salaries and for acknowledging that our teachers are woefully underpaid,” said FEA President Fedrick Ingram following the announcement. “Raising minimum starting pay is a beginning. We still hope to hear about what Gov. DeSantis plans to do to retain experienced teachers who have devoted years to their students, and about how his administration will provide fair, competitive pay for all the people essential to our schools — bus drivers, paraprofessionals, food-service workers, office staff, custodial personnel and others.”

One sticking point between Gov. DeSantis and the FEA has been the announcement of a new bonus program to replace the current Best and Brightest program.

Under Gov. DeSantis’s new proposal, schools would be placed into three tiers based on their performance. Schools would be placed in tier one if they earn 85 percent or greater of the total possible points or gain six or more points in their A-F school grading calculation, in tier two if they gain three to five points in their A-F school grading calculation or tier three if they gain one to two points in their A-F school grading calculation. Teachers at Title I schools in tier one would receive a bonus of up to $7,500, teachers at schools in tier two would receive a bonus of up to $3,500 and teachers in schools at tier three would receive a bonus of up to $500.

Teachers at non-Title I schools would receive bonuses of up to $3,700, $1,750 and $500 based on their respective tier.

Florida legislators have attempted to lure teachers to the state with various bonus programs for well over a decade now. In 2006, then-Gov. Jeb Bush rolled out the “Effectiveness Compensation” program, which tied teacher’s salary bonuses directly to standardized tests. In 2007 that program was tweaked and rebranded as the “Special Teachers Are Rewarded” (STAR) program. Instead of solely tying a teacher’s bonus to students performance on the FCAT, the program also relied on principal evaluations and student learning gains.
It took only a year for STAR to be scrapped and be replaced by a new incentive plan called the “Merit Award Program” (MAP), which was a modified version of the STAR program that gave a little more control over the performance plans to school districts. MAP ran until 2012 and didn’t have a successor until the Best and Brightest program was signed into law in 2015.

“Educators don’t want another bonus scheme, especially not one built on the back of a flawed school grading system,” said Mr. Ingram. “Bonuses don’t help you qualify for a mortgage; they can’t be counted on from year to year. We know that all too well here in Florida, where adjusting the current bonus plan is almost an annual event. Teachers and all school employees should be paid fair, competitive salaries.”

Ahead of the planned rally, the FEA held a “Fund Our Future” bus tour that made more than 50 stops in more than 30 counties between Oct. 18 and Nov. 23 in 2019.

The tour made a stop at Okeechobee High School on Nov. 13, where FEA Treasurer Carole Gauronskas and Vice President Andrew Spar spoke to OHS students to hear their concerns and ask what they improvements they would make to the public school system.

“It doesn’t matter if you have a ‘R’ or a ‘D’ following your name on your voter registration,” said Mrs. Gauronskas. “As an educator, we all want the same thing, full resources for our kids to be successful, and compensation for all educators in our public schools.”

Some common complaints were raised by the students in attendance, such as the need for a new high school in Okeechobee and the high number of tests. Students also voiced their support of the school’s career and technical education programs.

“A lot of the ability to offer programs like that is driven by funding,” said Mr. Spar. “Whether or not the school district can get the teachers for those programs or whether they can afford the materials they need. And a lot of those funding decisions are made in Washington and Tallahassee.”

New school hours
Students should arrive by 7:50 a.m. Instructional time is 8 a.m. to 2:35 p.m. There will be NO supervision before 7:30 a.m. Breakfast will be served from 7:30 to 7:50 a.m. only.
Dismissal is at 2:35 p.m.
Bus times and migrant Pre-K will remain the same.

Dates to remember
• Now through Jan. 24 Magnet open enrollment continues
• Jan. 14 – Sixth grade ELA diagnostics, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
• Jan. 15 – Sixth grade report cards go home, sixth grade ELA diagnostics, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., PTO 4:30 to 5 p.m. SAC 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Chick-Fil-A from 4:30 to 7 p.m.
• Jan. 17 – Sixth grade awards ceremony, 8:30 to 9 a.m.
• Jan. 20 – Holiday, no school
• Jan. 21 – Sixth grade math diagnostics from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., tutoring begins for third through sixth grade students
• Jan. 22 – Sixth grade math diagnostics from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., tutoring for third through sixth grade students
• Jan. 23 – Fourth through sixth grade science fair projects are due, tutoring for third through sixth grade students
• Jan. 24 – Last day to apply to magnet school and choice program
Clubs
• Every Monday: Student Council meets from 2:30 to 3:15 p.m. Art Club meets 2:30 from 3:30 p.m. and Garden Club meets from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
• Every Tuesday and Thursday tutoring is from 2:30 to 4 p.m.
• Every Friday: sixth grade study hall is from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Follow Gove Elementary on Twitter twitter.com/Gove or visit the website: goves.palmbeachschools.org

Clubs
Mondays
• Student Council from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
• Garden Club from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
• Art Club from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
• Tutoring for third through sixth grades from 2:45 to 4:15 p.m.

Tuesdays
• Tutoring will start on Jan. 21 for third through sixth grades from 2:45 to 4:15 p.m.

Wednesdays
• Tutoring for third through sixth grades from 2:45 to 4:15 p.m.

Thursdays
Tutoring for third through sixth grades from 2:45 to 4:15 p.m.

Fridays
Sixth Grade Study Hall from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

OKEECHOBEE — The Okeechobee High School Brahman varsity basketball team kicked off 2020 the same way they ended 2019, by winning big games.

Brahman coach Demetre Riles secured his 100th career win and the Brahmans have now won 12 back-to-back games.

The Brahmans got their coach his 100th win by beating Fort Pierce Central 62-45 on Jan. 8. Senior Malcolm Kelly led the team in scoring with 14 points followed by De’nitrik Whittaker who had 12. Malcolm also led the team in assists with seven.

Following that win, Okeechobee had a rematch with the lone team to defeat them this year, the Treasure Coast Titans.

The Titans defeated the Brahmans 55-50 on Dec. 3, the first game of the regular season for both teams.

Okeechobee’s defensive play in that first game wasn’t consistent enough to get the win, but throughout the rest of the season that side of the ball has become a strength for the Brahmans.

After the loss Okeechobee went on to win 11 straight games, while Treasure Coast stumbled out to a 7-6 record. So despite how the season started, it was clear these were now two teams headed in very different directions.

The Okeechobee defense, a liability in the first match-up, turned into a strength in the second. The Brahmans completely dominated the Titans in Okeechobee on Jan. 10, winning 50-20.

The Titan offense was kept in the single digits in every quarter by a tenacious and energetic Okeechobee defense. By halftime the Brahmans were leading 19-8, and even that lead felt insurmountable for the Titans.

Junior Alessio Dehart led the team in scoring with 13 points followed by De’nitrik Whittaker with 11. Malcolm Kelly led with 12 rebounds and played a huge role in helping set up his teammates for successes. Often Malcolm would come down with the offensive rebound, circle out to the perimeter and hit a teammate, usually Dehart, under the basket for an easy layup.

The energy level the Brahmans played with on the court was infectious, and brought the capacity crowd at OHS to their feet multiple times throughout the night.

Up next the Brahmans have a district foe coming to town. The Port St. Lucie Jaguars are currently 6-8 but have the number two seed in Okeechobee’s district. The game could be a preview of this year’s district championship, which Okeechobee is looking to win back-to-back for the first time in school history. Jensen Beach, who the Brahmans defeated last year in the district championship, appeared to have taken a step back this year and currently have a 6-10 record. Okeechobee and Jensen Beach will face each other on Jan. 31.

The Brahmans host Port St. Lucie at 7 p.m. on Jan. 17.

BELLE GLADE — BRIDGES of Belle Glade will be convening its Early Childhood Leadership Collaborative at its regular monthly meeting, set for 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 21, at Belle Glade Elementary School — and the community’s invited. Members will get together to discuss the new push the organization is jumping in on for 2020 and to strategize about how to get it done.

The Community Partners of South Florida group, made up of educational stakeholders throughout Palm Beach County, has BRIDGES offices in both Belle Glade and Pahokee and is undertaking an initiative for 2020 designed to recognize or reward parents who try their best to help ensure their children do not miss out on education by failing to attend school or ditching classes.

BRIDGES of Belle Glade’s outreach coordinator, Colin Walkes, explained: “We’re working on a collaborative, it’s called the Early Childhood Leadership Collaborative, and there are many stakeholders throughout the community who are part of the collaborative, such as the Palm Beach County School District, Belle Glade Elementary — the target school for the attendance initiative that we’re having through our ECLC — and also at the table are the Health Care District of Palm Beach County, the Early Childhood Learning Coalition, several childcare centers, Head Start and many others as well.”

He said the project will address this because statistical studies have shown that getting parents more closely involved in their kids’ education is proven to help them achieve better academic records and thus more success in life.

And what better way to encourage that than by holding up successful parents as an example for others? That’s the thought behind the initative.

“So we want to recognize parents of children who are receiving perfect attendance, in the hope that they’ll inspire other parents to make sure they’re getting their children ready and on time for school,” Mr. Walkes said.

“The ECLC is doing several initiatives, attendance roundups at Belle Glade Elementary, our target school, and working closely with the principal to recognize the parents and reaching out to local media.

“We know that when parents are recognized, it gives them a feeling of accomplishment, of satisfaction,” he continued, “and so we hope that this is an effort that can spur attendance being increased at our school.”

He said names of these parents who are recognized will be sent to local media so they will see their pictures in the newspaper and hear their names on local radio stations.

As for the meeting next Monday, Mr. Walkes said, “There will also be parents present as well. These are monthly meetings that we have. I think this is our fourth or fifth year of taking on challenges within our target schools.”

In the 2018-19 academic year, he said, “we did a tool kit surrounding trying to decrease the ‘summer slides.’ That’s when, of course, during the summer months children are not academically engaged, so we created a summer kit for parents to have so they can work with their kids on certain academic skills during the summer so we won’t have that ‘slide’ when they come back to school.”

“This year we’re tackling attendance,” Mr. Walkes continued. “So every year there’s a different initiative that comes out of the ECLC. We encourage the community to attend because parents are the key to a child’s success in school.”

For those interested in learning more about their projects, the BRIDGES office in Belle Glade is at 33 W. Avenue A., 33430, and their phone number is 561-992-8210. In Pahokee, it has an office at the Community Health Center, 170 S. Barfield Highway, Suite 102, Pahokee 33476. Their phone number is 561-924-9224.

Mr. Walkes also said, “The initiatives are born out of gathering of statistical data and also working with the principal, administration and parents. They’re the ones that identify the area of need.

“Once parents are involved in the child’s education, the likelihood of the child being successful in academics increases tremendously. So we encourage input.”

OKEECHOBEE — Everglades Elementary School would like to congratulate its Leaders of the Week for the week of Jan. 13. They are, in no particular order: Larqavia Williams, Vianey Ruiz Espinoza (not pictured), Riley Gainer, Jer’maria Bradley, Caitlyn Miller (not pictured), Carlee Washbish Garcia, Moliyah Smith, Samuel Crispim, Kadence Stone, Wilasia Hendrieth, Skyanne Kimbro, Emily Soriano Feliz, Brayden Rodgers, Patricia Entry (not pictured), Joab Herrera, Tyisha Williams, Nicholas Prieto, Sophia Mercurio, Joseph Ricci, Julanie Jaimes, Allison Marin-Flores, Emily Schneider, Josue Mejia, Jose Luviano-Ramirez, Kijani Colon, Fortino Hernandez (not pictured), Wyatt Murphy, Eva Sanchez, Shelbyn Willis, Jamya Tarbox, and James Evans.

OKEECHOBEE — The Okeechobee High School Brahmans varsity soccer team held their senior night during their home game against the Martin County Tigers on Jan. 16.

The Brahmans defeated the Tigers 3-0 in what is their last home game of the season.

Ruben Martinez scored the first goal for Okeechobee and assisted Connor Rucks for the second goal. Connor also assisted Antonio Vega-Hernandez on the third goal.

Both Ruben and Connor are freshmen in their first year with the program.

“Connor cut his guy and made a good pass to Antonio standing on the second post,” said coach Lonnie Sears on the third goal. “It’s an example of stuff that we ask them to do, just look up and pay attention to what is going on around you. For our freshmen, it was huge. It’s very exciting to see those guys doing what they’re doing.”

After the game, the team recognized seven seniors who will be leaving the program after this year. The seniors are Oscar Longoria, Kevin Aguirre-Garcia, Daniel Tagle, Luis Ceron, Irvin Luviano, Antonio Vega-Hernandez and Adolfo Ponce De Leon.

Antonio and Adolfo are both four-year lettermen with the program and team captains.

“We had a struggle this year,” explained Sears. “All of our seniors know what’s expected here. We don’t have many bad seasons like this, in fact I don’t think we ever have. For them to go through this all year and help the underclassmen learn, it’s been huge. They could’ve just folded up and went to play club, but they stayed with us.”

Sears is hopeful that Antonio and Adolfo will get the opportunity to continue playing soccer in college after high school.

The Brahmans will close out their season on the road next week when they travel to face Royal Palm Beach on Jan. 21 and Osceola on Jan. 24.

OKEECHOBEE — The Okeechobee High School Lady Brahmans basketball team split a series of two games this week, beating Suncoast and losing a contentious game to Jensen Beach.
Okeechobee dominated Suncoast on Jan. 13 at home, winning 70-32. Senior Alkeecia Clayton had a huge game for the Lady Brahmans, leading the team with 29 points on the night. Defensively, sophomore Jasmine Shanks played a big role in limiting the Suncoast offense.

“We had a huge 35 point quarter with a running clock against Suncoast,” said Okeechobee coach Jovanny Torres. “Alkeecia led the way, hitting five-three pointers and finishing the quarter with 19. Jasmine Shanks was tasked with a very hard job to keep the ball out of their playmakers’ hands and she did just that. She takes pride in her defense and doesn’t show up on the stat sheet much but she was a big part of that run also. Keeping the ball out of their best players’ hands forced others to try and make plays and we just kept stealing the ball and scoring.”

“Semaj Jasper has been huge for us as well,” continued Torres. “My starting center Angelina Venters went down with a concussion and Semaj has stepped in and dominated the paint. Adryauna Baker also had 20 points in that Suncoast game. She gets to the rim whenever she wants and her shot is starting to come now also, so it’s getting harder to guard her.”
The Lady Brahmans struggled when they faced a tough, physical Jensen Beach team on Jan. 16. Jensen held a significant height advantage over Okeechobee, and used that to box out the Lady Brahmans on multiple rebounds all game. Okeechobee kept things close before ultimately falling 72-57.

Even with the loss, the Lady Brahmans are on a remarkable run this year. They currently have a 14-5 record and hold the No. 2 seed in their district.

“I’m definitely proud of these girls,” said Torres on the success his team has had this year. “This season has been a full 360 turnaround. Our chemistry has grown a lot because at the end of the season last year, I kept them together and we played in some travel basketball circuits and went to some college team camps at the University of Central Florida and Florida SouthWestern. We played a lot of top-notch teams and have seen a lot of different defenses and offensive sets. They worked their butts off this year conditioning and lifting weights. They bought in to the hard work ethic and it’s paying off. That’s been the secret to our success. The chemistry has grown, and their work ethic.”

Next the Lady Brahmans have back-to-back road games against DeSoto County and Glades Day on Jan. 23 and 24. After that they’ll host a home game against South Fork on Jan. 27.

“I told the girls to trust me,” concluded Torres. “There were days I worked them so hard they were wanting to give up, but they thank me for it now. They’re always saying, ‘Coach, we see why you did that now, these teams can’t hang with us, they’re already tired and we just getting started.’ I loved hearing that.”

CLEWISTON — Congratulations to the students who made the honor roll at Clewiston Christian School for this term and to those who were most improved.

Kindergarten
A Honor Roll
Jeancarlo Aguila, Rut Garcia, Evelyn Herndon, Isla Hilliard, Kaelyn Miller, Maddex Palladino, Waylon Rives, Sienna Smith, Makinly Spooner, Mason Story and Kinsleigh Vargas.

A/B Honor Roll
Sofia Arguelles, Zoey Brahaman, Nahomy Fernandez, Austin Jackman, Allison Requena and Triston Steller.

First Grade
A Honor Roll
Reese Beck, Sebastian Ehrenhauser, Sophia Espinosa, Levi Garrett, Kolton Kettner, Havana Kurtz, Jenson Moss, Myla Rives and Boone Sergent.

A/B Honor Roll
Penelope Cisneros, Cormac Duffy, Case Hammock, Jensen Harn, Kingston Hill, Alexia Longoria and Trent Thompson.

Most improved was Jensen Harn.

Second Grade
A Honor Roll
Jovan Drummond, Kinley Garcia, Case Herring and Branson Jackman.

A/B Honor Roll
Brantley Alston, Dagim Assefa, Malena Garcia, Brinley Harris, Janelle Howell, Karson Kline, Annalise Persaud and Rainer Robbings.

Most improved was Annalise Persaud.

Third Grade
A Honor Roll
Piper Beck, Zaihaley Capeda and Katherine Pitts.

A/B Honor Roll
Brayden Casique, Daniel Garrett, Aundres Gonzalez, Austin Jones, Jillian Mathis, Gabriella Planitario, Alexis Pridgen, Kali Runkles, Mikaela Vallejo and Trent Whitehurst.

Most improved was Cheyenne Jackman.

Fourth Grade
A Honor Roll
Chloe Branaman, Ruby Keith, Hendrix Kurtz, Gisela Martinez, Collin Paige, Bristol Rives, Brooklyn Sergent and Jeshua Tongco.

A/B Honor Roll
Quanteria Arnold, Alain Forteza, Aniyah Gonzalez, Aylee Harn, Lydia Lee, Natalye Perez, Wildes Redish, Lailah Simon and Sophia Valdez.

Most improved was Chloe Branaman.

Fifth Grade
A Honor Roll
Annabeth Paige, Ansley Story and Riley Suttong.

A/B Honor Roll
Nathan Assefa, Aubrey J’Lyne Billie, Brittney Casique, Cohen Espinosa and Isabella Planitario.

Sixth Grade
A Honor Roll
Wyat Keen, Kadence McMasters, Graysen Redish, Dallas Vallejo, Kaden Langston, Yara Ramadan, Izabella Vallejo and Jace Vallejo.

A/B Honor Roll
Briza Forteza, Angel Luis Lopez, Emily-Victoria Walker, Trey Davis, Kamyrin Herring, Leyla Lazo, Andres Marrero, Caleb Messer, Haden Patel and Kamila Vallejo.

Most improved was Alexis Henry.

CLEWISTON — Westside Elementary School would like to congratulates its A and A/B honor roll students for the second nine weeks.

Kindergarten
A Honor Roll
Alyson Aldana, Ky-Mani Foster, Genesis Galo, Dejayveon Gray, Preston Haley, Kiyah Howard, Jafet Bonilla, Liam Tamez, Emily Martinez-Lopez, Kaci Melton, Abigail Miles, Nallana Mireles, Antonio Muniz, Oscar Orosco, Jesus Ortega, Leticia Perez, Nessly Reyes, McKinlee Riggs, Armonei Scruggs, Leigha Simpson, Emmanuel Valadez, Mylah Waldon, and Jordan Watson.

A/B Honor Roll
Mason Mata, Freddy Hernandez, TaVarus Holmes, Sebastian Lopez, Karymar Madera, Thomas Smith, Armando Vasquez, Jacob Diaz, Benito Hernandez, Jesse Summers, Zane Kesler, and Jaliyah Sims.

First Grade
A Honor Roll
Charlie Barnes, Aubrilee Bustos, Michael Calderon Mena, Danna Cerda, Dash Diaz, Erin Fahie, Mariela Francisco Marroquin, Dominic Garza, Stephen Henry, Juan Hernandez, Santiago Hijar Carrillo, Raddley Holmes, Jah’Daviun Johnson, Lillian Kesler, Damiyah Luc, Kasen Melton, Gabriella Miles, Jade Moreno Garcia, Regina Parra, Aubree Penuel, Avery Phillips, Madison Poulson, Gregory Ramirez, Jaime Rangel, Tianna Rembert, Rosario Roman, Amorah Sparrow, Aracelis Stoker Acevedo, Jocelynn Sweet, and Samyr Walker.

A/B Honor Roll
Brian Arias, Melvin Bonilla, Kaylin Bussott, Miriam Cruz, Beyonka Desir, Alexia Dotson, Evelyn Galindo, Adela Garcia Calzada, Giovanny Gonzalez, Gabriel Gutierrez, Ashlynn Hagan, Gael Lopez, Terrence McIntyre, Matthew Peaden, Israel Reyes, Dylan Reyes, Cristabella Rivera, Sophia Rodriguez, Ja’Borien Sims, Khyler Stoudmire, Jeremiah Tamez, and Cristiano Velasco Felipe.

Second Grade
A Honor Roll
Matthew Aldana, Aliyah Carrillo Velasquez, Emily Centeno, Dario Escoto, Josslyn Estrada, Yanci Flores, Ziona Lugo, Michael Padilla, Aliyah Perez, and Alekzandria Rodriguez.

A/B Honor Roll
Jesus Campuzano, Marley Del Toro-Rodriguez, Emely Flores, Cali Gaskins, Kamarria Gray, Avery Hernandez, Cody Horne, Orlando Mata, Aliyah Matos, Michael Nieves, Antonella Parra Turcios, Alizon Perez, Jason Ramirez, Marco Reyna, Miranda Salmeron, Mercedes Sanabria, Anastasia Toye, Jonathan Vargas, Katherine Vazquez, and Markevious Waters.

Third Grade
A Honor Roll
Teagan Barnes, Juan Bonilla, Alissa Casola, Aileen Cruz, Emma Davis, Cody Gutierrez, Matthew Haley, Arianna Henry, Rosa Hernandez, Isabella Ilagan, Nicholas Love, Janelle Perez, Moses Pope, Lissette Reyna, Yadriel Snow, Lilee Sutterfield, and Carlyssa Waters.

A/B Honor Roll
Michael Bussott, Dariana Castro, Isaiah Chapa, Yolanda Corning, Josue Garcia, Jennifer Garcia, Frankie Hernandez, Robyn Hollant, Robert Holmes, Jacob Jimenez, Milajah Johnson, Isaiah Lara, Maricela Lopez, MJ Mata, Bryson Sanchez, Xzaivan Sewell, Jazlynn Valdez, Jake Velasquez, and Zion Wormley.

Fourth Grade
A Honor Roll
Francisco Carmona, Alvin Carranza-Mendez, Brailey Cook, Valeria Figueroa Rico, Shaunice Henry, Dennis Rojas, Amirah Sparrow, Kennedy Sweet, Giselle Torres, Juanita Velasquez, and Prayze Williams.

A/B Honor Roll
Mohammad Ali, Johniyah Blackman, Abigail Casola, Nevaeh Crumb, Martin Estrada, Alexander Garcia, Maya Garcia, Antonio Givens, Jasmin Granados, Takiyah Houze, Chloe Hughes, Angelita Izaguirre, Shelyn Jimenez, Nicolas Lara, Caden Lowman, Sophiya Luna, Maliyah Mosley, Justin Molde, Emiliano Parra-Turcios, Naomi Perez, Mary Jane Ramirez, Julisa Rodriguez, Mark Sutterfield, Andrea Torres, and Aidan Vassell.

Fifth Grade
A Honor Roll
Trevor Brown, Izaiah Kirk, Diego Lopez Torres, Xavier Palatolon, Cileen Perez, and Ashnely Pinero.

A/B Honor Roll
Sebastian Aragus, Raquel Beraza, Zion Braithwaite, Kayla Centeno, Owen Cristiansen, Richard Exhilhomme, Chace Felton, Artravis Givens, Janessa Gutierrez, Jayden Hernandez, Alex Landaverde, Caleb Maltimore, Tyler Merrill, Yunior Napoles, Elyonna Padillo, Eliezer Pelaez, Jayden Perez, Cristian Perez-Perez, Mathew Pilon, Edwin Ponce-Ruiz, Nathaly Reyes, Jayleanna Rico, Yarel Valadez, and Kamari Williams.

CLEWISTON — Clewiston High School was fortunate to have Artha Jonassaint, a current Harvard student and Okeechobee High alumna, give a presentation to their students last week.

Miss Jonassaint graduated from Okeechobee high school in 2018, was the 2018-2019 Florida Future Farmers of America (FFA) President, and began attending Harvard in the Fall of 2019. In her presentation she shared with students the benefits of attending Harvard and discussed Harvard’s Academic programs, campus and dorm life, financial aid, etc. She was very generous with her time answering all of the students’ questions after her presentation.

In her presentation, Miss Jonassaint went on to discuss the importance of students’ college essays conveying their passions. She also emphasized the importance of good grades and test scores, as well as taking advantage of and learning from leadership opportunities. She also recommended to the students that they focus their extra time on a club, organization, or a cause they care about and do something special with or for that organization.

Students said they came away from the presentation knowing a great deal more about Harvard and about ways to help improve their chances of being accepted into the most prestigious universities in the nation.

Clewiston High School freshmen, Jalyn Porth and Maria Tady, said that they came away feeling like attending Harvard was a goal that they could attain because Miss Jonassaint graduated from a local high school not very different from CHS.

Clewiston High School administration, staff, and its students were very appreciative to Miss Jonassaint and to Harvard University for the time and effort spent educating their students on the wonderful possibilities available to them.

CLEWISTON — Eastside Elementary congratulates their second nine weeks honor roll students for the 2019/2020 school year.

A Honor Roll
Kindergarten: Gabriella Casola, Yanelis Chairez, Jazzelle Choquette, Aria Despiau, Messi Garcia, Roselyn Gomez-Garcia, Magdelina Hayes, Zer’Maj Hooper, Jordan Howard, Kaveah Johnson, Jaione Kitchens, Kaitlynn Layport, Davionna Love, Brady McCarthy, Michael McDonald, Brenda Mendez, Jaxon Mills, Joensil Morales, Eliza Ortes-Dominguez, Jeremiah Pagan, Osmani Perez, Limber Ramirez Morales, Kendall Richardson, Keisy Rodriguez-Soto, Kevin Ruiz, Julian Solorzano, Lekevius Spear, La’Ricka Tarver and Nathaly Yanes-Manzanares

First grade: Jaime Addison, Jyron Askew, Blake Ball, McKenna Balon, Shane Bishop, John Diaz, Madelin Diaz Martinez, Gerald Dixon, Evelyn Espinoza, Harlen Etzweiler, Jesus Garcia Ruiz, Khayley Golden, Ann’Aleah Gonzales, Daniel Granados, Mackenzie Grimes, Sa’Jah Hamin, Marah Hardy, Joseph Jackson, Ashlynn Livingood, David Love, Bryson Molina, Tyree Moody, Zynasiah Murphy, Robert Pollard, Yoana Ramirez Velasqueez, Joaquin Roquett and Cor’Mello Ward

Second grade: Breanna Ball, Izabella Cardenas, Isabelle Carmona, Mia Diaz, Brian Flores, Alexander Gomez, Arturo Gomez, Tikara Hall, Julian Hernandez, Isandra Hurtado, Khalif Jones, Princeton McCray, Karrson McNeil, Isabella Parodi-Castro, Lilliana Rangel, Alexavier Roman, Adleigh Sullivan, Janii Swint, Yazlynn Velez and Waylon Zeh

Third grade: Juan Cordova, Jon Cordova, Carolina Garcia, Brantley Garrett, Enrique Leon, Elijah Massey, David Matul-Danis, Gustavo Ramirez, Christopher Santacruz, Gavin Smith, Gonzalo Valtierra and Kinsli Williams

Fourth grade: Shaila Alverez, Tristan Betancourt, Bella Byrd, Yesenia Esparza, Xavier Hernandez, Chanel Hunter, Kristian Johnson, Aviana Johnson, Joshua Llossas, Brayden McNeil, Murad Ramadan, Cesar Solis, Cor’Dell Ward and Raquel Williams

Fifth grade: Jacob Alvarez, Isaiah Cardenas, Christopher Dookram, Farhan Emran, Loraibi Galvez, Jackson Mann and Enrique Puentes

A/B Honor Roll
Kindergarten: Jadiel Antonio, Kamoryn Damms, Aston Dizon, Nalayna Fleming, Tiffany Franklin, Kemyrion Jackson, Mia Norwood, Jaylen Ortiz, Noelle Ramirez, Dez Reyna, Keisy Rodriguez-Soto, Azaria Saunders, Kavien Watson and Kaliahna Weston

First grade: Marsella Acevedo, Anthony Adams, Timothy Alvin, Josselyn Cruz, Tanya Espinoza, Galilea Hernandez, Mindy Loving, Byron Martinez, Marvin Mendez Aragon, Cattleya Mendez Rivera, Skyasia Moody, Ayrianna Moorer, Jeremiah Murphy, Sky Pedraja, Angel Perez, Jasmin Ramzahuer, Ian Rodriguez Mendez, Evelio Torres, Giuliana Vigoa and Alexavier Zavala

Second grade: Diego Bonilla, Angel Borrell, Gerienna Dixon, Reylit Garcia, Nicole Gomez, Iyannie Grase, David Hernandez, Tavaris Holland, Tiana Maldonado, Rachel Maya-Pitre, Zamirah McDonald, Lillie Miranda, Jazmen Ortiz, Edwin Perez-Martinez, Emmanuel Ramirez, Xavi Ramirez, Civic Rios and Amy Ulloa

Third grade: Ro’Daisjah Adderley, Jaden Blue, Aubrey Burgis, Fariha Emran, John Hall, Jaden Harripaul, Easton Henry, Alexander Hernandez, Ta’Nija Lyons, Victor Mauricio-Martinez, Jordan McCray, Erlin Ramirez, Ayani Rios, Johnquavius Rivers, Carmelo Saunders, Jamar Sawyer, Ayannie Thomas, Jordan Valdez, Angelo Verona, Cor’Mani Ward, Szhani Wheeler and Aaron Zetino

Fourth grade: Axel Antonio, Jaleeyah Brown, Derrian Bryant, Mark Chamberlain, Samuel Contreras, Zaira Derr, Liomar Echevarria, Alexander Flores, Eduardo Garcia, Obday Garcia, Obdy Garcia, Daniel Hannam, Princess Johnson, Angeles Leon, Leo Madrigal, Rocco Mann, Arion Martin, Maddiel Martinez, Yulien Reyes, Ezdri Sanchez and De’Andra Taylor

Fifth grade: Janelle Castro, Neftali Euceda, Priscila Gomez, Jeanette Hernandez, Angie Jasso, Leylani Leon, Esmeralda Lopez, Christopher Martinez-Nuevo, Nathan Medrano, Kadence Mergott, Jacob Porth, Mustafa Ramadan, Marayah Reyes, Emily Sanchez and Larryounna Willis

PORT ST. LUCIE — Some Pahokee First Tech Challenge robotics students participated as a new team in competition on Saturday, Jan. 11.

OKEECHOBEE — The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services performed kitchen inspections at the 4,000 schools that participate in the national school lunch program. While nearly a hundred schools in the state had two or more unsatisfactory health inspections, all 10 schools in the Okeechobee school district passed their inspections.

Supervisor of Food Services Lisa Bell was recognized by the Okeechobee County School Board for the food service department’s performance at its Jan. 21 meeting.

“The past five years have been fun, challenging and humbling,” said Mrs. Bell. “Mostly it has been a time of growth for myself and the department. A few years ago I had taken on the stress that came with not being the department that was profitable and not being where the district wanted us to be. But when our department started to feel some success and realized they could make a difference, that made all the difference. That entire group of people have gotten on board. And it’s these kind of things that let those people know that they are important, what they do is important and their hard work matters.”

The food service department has had a remarkable turnaround in recent years. A few years ago the school board was having to fund food service out of the general fund because the department was operating at a deficit. However, last year the department had improved to running a nearly $800,000 surplus. A big portion of that financial turnaround is due to the work and suggestions of food service employees and managers. Employees suggested menu changes and a variety of expense-cutting measures.

The department as a whole was recognized by the Okeechobee County School Board for their work near the end of 2019.

Lisa Bell gave credit to her staff for their work in making sure taxpayers money wasn’t wasted.

“The biggest part of our budget hit is our labor and inventory,” explained Mrs. Bell. “So one of the big focuses we had in the last year was our inventory. We had a plan that was very strict on what the ending inventory should be, and six of our schools met that goal. The community eligibility provision made a dramatic impact on our bottom line. But $365,000 of that surplus had nothing to do with that provision. It had everything to do with what this group and the rest of their staff does day in and day out. And I just want to say we appreciate the school district and school board for supporting us when we were a sinking ship. Now we’re on course and we plan to stay there.”

SOUTH BAY — Approximately 39 participants competed in the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Oratorical Contest at Rosenwald Elementary School on Jan. 14, with a standing room only audience! The event is historically sponsored by the City of South Bay, Dr. Esther Berry, and Rosenwald Elementary School during the month of January, to honor Dr. King, and was also videotaped. The program is streamlined on the PBC District’s website.

Entertainment was provided by the I.O.C.G. Youth Ministries and Rosenwald Elementary School’s Drumline students.

Students from seven Glades schools participated. The topics for speeches were divided into 4 categories:
• Grades K-2: Why is it important to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?
• Grades 3-5: The importance of Peace and Equality.
• Grades 6-8: What is the meaning of a “Beloved Community”?
• Grades 9-12: (Segregation Today) What if Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. didn’t initiate change?

Kindergarten through second grade winners
• First place winner was Khalia Thomas in the first grade at Pioneer Park Elementary School.
• Second place winner was Dwaine Dowdell in the first grade at Gladeview Elementary School.
• Third place winner was Bella Cidoine in the second grade at Belle Glade Elementary School.

Third through fifth grade winners
• First place winner was Mariah Charles in the fifth grade at Rosenwald Elementary School.
• Second place winner was Aubrey Vital in the fourth grade at Belle Glade Elementary School.
• Third place winner Precious Vickers in the fifth grade at Pioneer Park Elementary.

Sixth through eighth grade winners
• First place winner was Jada Lovely in the eighth grade at Lake Shore Middle School.
• Second place winner was Romeo Brown in the eighth grade at Lake Shore Middle School.
• Third place winner was Anthony Jean-Jacques in the seventh grade at Lake Shore Middle School.

Ninth through 12th grade winners
• First place winner was Jermaine Lovely in the 10th grade at Glades Central Community High School.
• Second place winner was Mya Rodriguez in the ninth grade at Glades Central Community High School.
• Third place winner was Joshua Hopson in the ninth grade at Pahokee Middle High School.

The winners from each category will be given a financial reward by the City of South Bay.

Sandra Lusunariz, Program Coordinator, would like to thank everyone who made this extraordinary event possible.

CLEWISTON — Central Elementary School’s top two fourth and fifth grade Tropicana Speech class winners competed on Tuesday, Jan. 14, to make it to the Hendry County Competition. Central’s top three school winners will advance to the county competition on Tuesday, Jan. 21. Pictured are the fourth and fifth grade class winners.

Tropicanna Speech Contest first place winner was Marcos Rubio, second place winner, Kaylee Sanchez, third place winner, Veana Lewis and Honorable Mention Garique Allen.

Karen DeSantiago received the award for Most Creative. Cody Linder received Best Composition award and Braelyn Worth received Most Informative award.

CLEWISTON — Clewiston’s Central Elementary School congratulates their honor roll students for second nine weeks of the 2019/2020 school year.

A Honor Roll
Kindergarten: Scarlett Barrios, Josiah Brinkley, Oscar Chacon, Carter Combass, Treasure Doctor, Mario Galeano, Kate Gonzalez, Sofia Granados, Analaura Guerra, Analauren Guerra, Sophia Huggins, Gabriel Jarvis, Ashlee Jimenez Fernandez, Dottie Kane, Jimena Lara, Alijah Mckenzie, Kevin Melian, Logan Minikwu, Serenity Moya, Justice Pearson, Adam Ryder, Daniella Salinas, Leah Shelton, Mateo Soto-Mendoza, Trinity Sulzer, Sophia Thompson, Lucas Vallejo and Alicia Villagomez

First grade: Julio Aleman, Marcos Alvarez, Juan Aranda, Aly’saundra Arguelles, William Ballard, Aubrey Cleveland, Aiden Combass, Ian De Santiago, Athen Delgado, Jordan Dwyer, David Edmonds, Jeremiah Escobar, Raphael Garcia, Omar Garcia-Aguilar, Sofia Granados, Timothy Mcbride, Luiz Pike, Makayla Ritchie, Alexandro Rodriguez, Pricilla Rubio, Alexa Trevino, Mario Velazquez, Nevaeh Womack and Sa’niyah Wright

Second grade: Oliver Aguilar, Graceyn Alford, Anita Arreguin, Olivia Atkinson, Sherlyn Benigno, Ayden Camanos, Emely Chavez, Emma Diaz Mackay, Mckenzie Lansford, Tramaine Lawson, Mia Nunez Centeno, Giancarlo Perez and Blair Stone

Third grade: Chloe Alarcon, Brody Barnes, Selene Dawson, Angela DeSantiago, Yoselin Febles, Alejandro Garcia, Zayden Greenlee, Kristen Guevara-Martinez, Jaxon Hernandez, Allison Iglesias, Miriam Magana-Perez, Lus Mazariegos-Perez, Mariah Paige, Jessica Ruiz-Monjaraz, Gabriel Soto and Caiden Vazquez

Fourth grade: Clayton Alston, Julieanna Aragus, Bailey Berner, Kahdarion Carter, Makiyah Davis, Khloe Dowell, Lily Edmonds, Brian Garcia, Nayeli Garcia-Ambrosio, Azusena Gaspar-Enriquez, Alyssa Gonzalez, Johnathan Gonzalez, Jerome Griffin, Olivia Guasp, Francisco Guerra, Aahensiia Howard, Emilio Lara, Veana Lewis, Cody Linder, Adonis Martinez, Hayly Melian, Samuel Negrete, Lily Nesbitt, Amanda Prevatt, Anileigh Quinones, Raniyah Wilkerson

Fifth grade: Garique Allen, Sasha Allred, Mischa Best, Malaya Calloway, Juan Cruz-Martinez, Karen De Santiago, Alan Garcia-Aguilar, Madison Garrett, Sherman Gibson, Jaydee Grimaldo, Lluvia Guillen-Mena, Jacob Herring, Ka’mora Hill, Alanysse Holmes, Deaisha Hudson, Dalton Mcilwain, Julio Molina, Jacquelin Morales, Annabelle Padgett, Jordan Reyes, Lauren Shelton, Hannah Soto and Ryder Williams

A/B Honor Roll
Kindergarten: Jaxson De La Torre, Tavaris Dixon, Brian Dobson, Amy Dominguez, Aaron Garcia, Amber Garcia, Cornelius Hudson, Ayva Humphries, Julia Huntley, Liam Jarvis, Alana Johnson, Isabella Moreno, Samantha Olvera, Alberto Ornelas, Christian Ortega, Blake Pavey, Ariana Perez, Adel Perry, Gianna Prado, Xavier Rentas, Karim Rios, Ava Rivera, Calie Rivera, Nayahli Rodriguez, Yureli Ruiz Monjaraz, Vicente Sanchez, Alberto Valdez, Mia Valdez, Araceli Villagomez, Emma Watson and Paizley Williams

First grade: Juan Aranda, Kimberly Arellano, Easton Berner, Payton Bolix, Runett Bovell, Ariana Byers, Kah’nira Carter, Jocelyn Contreras, Avree Delgado, Juan Desantiago, Brody Dyess, Javier Fernandez, Cristal Florencio-Rosales, Charleigh Flynn, Aria Hall, D’zayvian Ingram, Roxani Lopez, Evolet Martinez, David Mcclaskey, Axel Mendez, Mailen Morales, Izack Moreno, Daniela Navarro, Jaidan Navarro, Alyssa Nunez, Leah Ortega, Benjamin Pearson, Ariclem Perez, Antonio Ponce-Galvan, Edward Rico, Hazelie Rivera, Angelo Ruiz, Melanie Salinas, David Santos, D’yauntae Shaw, Darryon Skinner, Alexander Trevino, Isabelys Valles, Ka’mari Walker And Lennox White

Second grade: Alexander Alvarez, Lupita Aranda, Olivia Atkinson, Edierlys Cabo, Kevin Calderius, Yitzel Contreras, Jade Crawford, Emma Garcia, Rosibel Gaspar-Enriguez, Caylie Herring, Vamahri Hunter, Jace Ifill, Caiden Jackson, India Johnson, Melissa Lopez, Gabriella Maldonado, Katie Negrete, Carla-Lee Ortiz, Lizandi Ramirez-Rafael, Valeria Ramos, Talon Rock-Blissett, Da’onna Ross, Arthur Rowell, Luciano Sanchez, Tryston Sandoval, Thailyn Smith, Tobe Smith, A’mya Tafoya, Andry Tomas-Perez, Kaylee Villalobos, George Wood and Kaylee Yebba

Third grade: Braden Allison, Kane Atkinson, Layla Benjamin, Kayla Carranza, Kaidyn Coleman, Zy’ire Cooksey, Amaro Coring, Miguel Desantiago, Karlee Foligno, Solange Garcia, Milena Gonzalez, Braylin Herrera, Jesse Herrera, Lamarrian Humphrey, Jesus Hurtado, Bearic Johnson, Eloy Moreno, Gabriela Olmos-Ramirez, Laila Perez, Miranda Rafael-Pedro, Angel Reyes, Hayden Ritchie, Izayah Rivera, Jasyanna Rodriguez, De’ana Roundtree, Mason Vallejo, Obed Vanegas And Ayden Zambrana

Fourth grade: William Cruz, Aniyah Figueroa, Kaleb Ford, Brian Garcia, Mario Garcia-Martinez, Jazzlynn Gonzalez, Alexander Grajales-Angeles, Yoselyn Gregorio, Baylie Harrelson, Monserrat Hernandez, Robert Holmes, Julian Huntley, Lily Jarvis, Esmeralda Juarez-Rosales, William Mato, Justin Morales, Luis Moya, Natalie Munoz, Nailea Paniagua, Larissa Perez, Mayra Raya, Rigoberto Rendon-Gonzalez, Neska Rock-Blissett, Cassandra Rodriguez, Yucelli Rodriguez, Luis Rosales-Trinidad, Jordyn Sims, Eric Sonck, Adriana Tomas, Noe Tomas-Rubio, Marlon Vilela, Olivia Williams and Kalaya Willingham

Fifth grade: Rusvel Aceituno, Joana Aviles, Zariah Bonilla, Salia Brathwaite, Anthony Cabo, Jessica Castellanos, Pedro Castro-Gonzalez, Brock Crawford, Jose Cruz, Kymani Davis, Zhaire Davis, M Yaneli DeSantiago, Yessica Domingo, Jonathan Dominguez, Kendry Gonazlez, Xavier Gonzalez, Alanysse Holmes, Salvador Mendoza, Curtis Mixon, Ahmad Moore, Edward Neary, Josilyn Paniagua, Karolina Paniagua, Edgar Pedro, Adriel Perez, Michaela Porter, Niaomi Rico, Tristen Ritchie, Mariah Rosa, Jayden Rudd, Bennie Villatoro, Corey White, Aysia Willis and Braelyn Worth

LABELLE — At the Hendry County Courthouse last week, the young, beloved, and presumed innocent, Goldilocks was indicted on charges breaking and entering, theft, and criminal mischief. Papa Bear was brought to the witness stand as he described the what happened to a jury comprised of Upthegrove Elementary Students, during the educational mock trial.

Hendry County Judge Darrell R. Hill welcomed the boisterous young students into his court room, as he pointed out the various positions: court clerk, juror, bailiff, interpreter, prosecutor, and defense attorney. The students chose which area they wanted to represent, and excitedly gathered around the court staff and volunteers. The judge made sure to repeat that this was just a mock trial, and that it was all pretend, held in the interest of teaching the students about the way a courtroom works.

The mock trial began with students making their opening statements, as they went on to call both Goldilocks and Papa Bear to the witness stand.

Some children exclaimed, “She’s guilty!” as they seemed to have already made up their minds before all of the evidence had been presented.

“Remember, in our country, you’re always presumed innocent until proven guilty,” said Judge Hill.

The students were quite passionate and dedicated to their parts, asking questions and even issuing objections, as prosecutors and defense attorneys.

Closing statements were issued, and the jury handed down their verdict. Goldilocks was unanimously found guilty, as they children watched in excitement as their classmate-turned-bailiff handcuff the poor girl.