Special to the Lake Okeechobee News/CES

Central Elementary would like to congratulate its Students of the Week for the week of Nov. 15. They are: Aizlee Delacruz, Aiden Frontino, Melody Rojas Chavez, Carmelo Merritt, Danielle Shires, Aaron Queen, Juan Rivera-Torres, Brian Riddle, Ryan Torres, Chloi Scott, Carson Durrance, Aliyana Hernandez, Angel Candida, Bobbi-Lee Bales, Kierstin Spencer, Kay Shireman, Jayden Moreno, Ryleigh Chavez, Isabella Burdick, Isaias Salas-Ceja, Evan Schaeffer, Camila J. Berumen, Dakota Babineau, Shanice Snell, and Aubrey Moore.

OKEECHOBEE — At their meeting held on Nov. 20 the Okeechobee County School Board swore in three members who were elected this year. Jill Holcomb and Joe Arnold were re-elected during the primaries while Melisa Jahner was elected in November, replacing Dixie Ball representing district three.

The trio were swore in by Judge William Hendry who spoke briefly before the ceremony and gave the three members advice about the hard decisions they would be making throughout their time on the board. Judge Hendry told the story of how the Okeechobee County School Board in 1933 faced the tough choice of closing school for that year after a hurricane destroyed and damaged much of the school buildings.

From left to right school board members Jill Holcomb, Melisa Jahner and Joe Arnold are swore in before the board’s meeting on Nov. 20. Photo by Richard Marion.

“I just wanted to point out that decisions aren’t always simple,” said Judge Hendry. “That had to be a heart wrenching decision to make for them, to close all the schools in the county. As board members you’re going to face tough decisions like that and some of you I’m sure already have.”

The board reorganized and elected their chairperson and vice chairperson. Jill Holcomb was chosen to continue in her duties as chairperson while Amanda Riedel was chosen as vice chairperson, replacing Dixie Ball.

The school board also ratified a new contract for instructional staff for the 2018-19 school year. The Okeechobee County Education Association (OCEA), the bargaining unit representing teachers in Okeechobee, had already ratified the agreement on their end in a Nov. 8 vote. OCEA members voted 210 for and 25 against. All school board members approved of the new contract.

In the new agreement all instructional employees will receive a $200 cost of living adjustment, while employees with an effective evaluation will receive an additional $800 totaling $1,000. Highly effective employees receive a $200 cost of living adjustment and a $1,200 increase.

The school board also adopted a policy regarding religious expression in school as required by Florida statute 1002.206.

The policy now states the Okeechobee County School District may not prevent school personnel from participating in religious activities on school grounds that are initiated by students and at reasonable times before or after the school day. The activities must be voluntary and cannot conflict with the normal responsibility and assignments of the personnel.

The Okeechobee County School Board also recognized Elizabeth Stanley who is retiring after 37 years of service to the district. During her time as a teacher Mrs. Stanley taught at every elementary school in Okeechobee. Photo by Richard Marion.

North Elementary School would like to congratulate its Students of the Week for the week of Nov. 26. They are: Peyton Whitford, Brooke Douglas, Jalisianah Tyson, Jackie Rediker, Kayden Villegas, Carolyn Busbin, Liam McKuhen, Ava PAdgett, Conner Stinson, Khalani Burgess , Gabriel Salas, Toni Chilel-Lopez, Kiera Osteen, Clinton Billie, Kevin Ramirez-Chavez, Kaleb Davis, Kylar Koedam, Gracie Stein, Kael Vaughan, Savannah Skubish, Jenessa Arana, and Dario Vasquez.

South Elementary School would like to congratulate its Students of the Week for the week of Nov. 16. They are: Embree Rose, Delane’o Pryor, Kason Prescott, Khloe Voss, Alexis Alvarado, Kyree Smith, Luke Streelman, Trinity Sheffield, Genesis Martinez, Jordyn Wilburn, Chase Hardman, Shaun Morgan, Mason Staton, Derrick Williams, Blaze Hegedus, Karla Paz, Anne Aerony, Noah Langdale, Jeremiah Gomez, Payton Wilburn, Luis Ceron, John Immerfall, Noah Lee, Gianna Gaucin, Rachel Thompson, Santiago Urvina, Oseana Huidobro, and Brianna Brown.

Osceola Middle School recognized its Students of the Week on Nov. 30, as well as celebrating National Computer Security Day. The students, who posed with their chromebooks, in no particular order  are: Trey Holmes, Maxx Belemonti, Kain Joles, Alexis Hernandez-Maldonado, Jayce Markham, Brett Shockley, Channing Delagall, Alyssa Bottari, Alison Denton, Ketelynn Terry, Rachel Hogenkamp, and Samantha Carlson.

OKEECHOBEE — Okeechobee Christian Academy was placed on lock down on Wednesday, Dec. 5, after school officials spotted a suspicious person stumbling around the parking lot and looking into the windows of the classrooms. According to the arrest report, Officer Jason J. Gavern was dispatched to the school, and upon arrival was greeted by Brian King who had reportedly observed a white male wearing blue jeans, a baseball cap, a gray hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses walking around the parking lot while visibly intoxicated. Mr. King said the man walked between the church and the classrooms, and the school had been placed on lock down.

Sgt. Skip Eddings and Officer Gavern located the suspect on the property and identified him as Danny Ray Austin. Mr. Austin could not explain his reason for being on the property, and his speech was slurred. He was also reportedly belligerent and disoriented and refused to leave the property when asked to do so. At that time, the school was taken out of lock down, and students and teachers were beginning to notice what was happening.

After reportedly asking him to leave a final time and being refused, Officer Gavern placed Mr. Austin under arrest for disorderly conduct. Bond was set at $500.

FORT PIERCE — Indian River State College (IRSC) will have two commencement ceremonies for its fall 2018 graduates on Wednesday, Dec. 12, at the Havert L. Fenn Center at 2000 Virginia Ave. in Fort Pierce. The ceremonies will recognize more than 2,000 students who have earned their bachelor’s degree or associate degree during the 2018 summer i, summer ii and fall semesters. This marks the third year in a row that IRSC has offered two fall commencement ceremonies to accommodate a graduate population that exceeds 2,000 students. (IRSC will hold its traditional spring commencement ceremony in May.)

The fall commencement ceremony for Associate Degree (A.A., A.S. and A.A.S.) recipients takes place at 10 a.m. The ceremony for bachelor’s degree (B.A. and B.A.S.) students begins at 2 p.m. To date for the 2018–19 academic year, 1,585 students have earned an associate degree and 443 have earned a bachelor’s degree.

“Thousands of Treasure Coast residents realize that a college education is one of the best investments they can make and are increasingly attracted to IRSC,” said Dr. Edwin R. Massey, IRSC president. “We are so proud of what our students have accomplished, and we are confident that the skills and education they obtained here at Indian River will provide the foundation they need to be successful in their career and in life.”

Presenting the fall commencement address will be Jay “Hal” Roberts, Jr., Treasure Coast regional president of CenterState Bank. Since 1988, Mr. Roberts has served as the president or CEO of eight different financial institutions, and he was instrumental in the foundation of three Treasure Coast banks: Harbor Federal Savings & Loan, Port St. Lucie National Bank and Harbor Community Bank. In addition to developing and running numerous local banks, he has overseen major strategic planning endeavors, managed billions in commercial real estate loans, and navigated significant mergers between organizations. As CenterState’s Treasure Coast regional president, he directly oversees five community presidents.

Okeechobee residents who earned associate in arts degrees included: Zayon Alderman, Edgar G. Ayala, Bethany Jean BatesErika Rae BeyelLois Justine Billie, Cynthia Ann Blanco, Kailin Aliandra Brown, Kerstin Elise Brown, Ariel Burgos , Karina Campos , Yesenia Joanne Castillo, Garrett Bonson Causey, Merydian Ashlynn Causier, Karla Chavez , Alexander Bruce Clifford, Joanimae Darlene Comer, Audrey Madison Craig, Kyndra Michelle Crews, Corbin Ashley Davis, Wyatt Austin Deihl, Kylee Nicole Field, Emma Rianne Flowers, Gwendylan Gayle Furiato, Emmanuel Gaona, Berenice Garcia, Sara Marie Garcia , Pamela Chantal Gunsolus, Rebecca Lynn Hancock, Megan Riley Hargraves, Brooke Evelyn Hazy, Mary Ann Hernandez, April Jane Hogenkamp, Shaun M. Hood , Alyssa Brianne Howard, Casey Michael Hurst, Sarah Rose Jansen , Elena Danielle Jimenez, Corrie Lynn Jones , Regina Lynn Jones , Shelby Lynn Kirton, Alexis Blaze Lightsey, Viviana Martinez , Guadalupe Estrella Medrano, Anastasiya Medvedeva, Patrick Brody Milliken, Jakayla Lache Moore, Michael Gregory Muros, Alexandra Garcia Navarrete, Priscilla Ochoa, Shelby Lynn Pearce, Ricky Manuel Perez, Amber Lee Quates , Chase Maclane Quesinberry, Jacqueline Raya, Cristian Rios , Julissa Rivera, Aimee Renee Rumbaugh, Mariana Oneil Salgado, Shiann Marie Sampson, Julisa Maria Sanchez, Sarah Gayle Seger , Daniel Dane Shelley, Kathy Louise Simmons, Mikki Grace Smith , Marisol Anai Solis, Elizabeth Solorzano, Sara Elizabeth Stip, Cory Alan Surls, Nicholas A. Sweet , Catlen Braid Tommie, Elisabeth Torres , Jessica Torres, Kelly Renea Vasquez, Daylin Renee Walker, Barbara Watson, Yvonne Christine Wilbur, Codi Cheri Woods , Pedro Alejandro Zapata and Tyffani Leighann Zeller.

Okeechobee County residents who earned associate in science/associate in applied science degrees include: Michael Rey Bravo, Wesley Burroughs , Asuncion Erica Esquivel, Naraly Garcia , Brian Guerrero , Alexander Christian Hernandez, Vicki Lynn Juarez, Zila Landaverde, Matthew Alan Lanning, Melissa Murphy, Priscilla Erika Orozco, Alanna Michelle Padilla, Sarah V. Payne, Taylor Sandlin Poiter, Jacqueline Raya, Tyler W. Rhodes, Hope Alyssa Sufficool, Patricia Ann Szymczyk and Andrew Michael Young.

Okeechobee County residents who earned bachelor of science/bachelor of applied science degrees are: Mariah Jacoba Anuez, Richard Aspden, Tabitha Lynn Berdie, Emily Ann Berggren, Caleb Brent Bockoras, Tracy Maxine Boswell. Shelby Brady, Leslie Hidalgo Cendejas, Taylor Nicole Davis, Logan Baylee Evans, Carla Maria Garcia, Marializbeth Gonzalez, Katherine Aleese Harris, Inez Harvey, Sh-Nia Keandrea Henderson, Casey Michael Hurst, Reina Caballero Jaimez, Jaymee Devonne Johnson, Tiffany Danielle Johnson, Krista R. Loschiavo, Sheri Mercer, Janette Montoya, Teagan Mullins, Nettira P. Ridley and Maria Kristina Ruiz.

OKEECHOBEE — At their monthly meeting on Dec. 11 the Okeechobee County School Board set the date for a workshop to discuss moving back the start time for Okeechobee High School. The workshop is scheduled to take place on Jan. 14 at 5 p.m. in the school board’s regular meeting room.

Moving the start time for the high school was discussed during the board’s meeting back on June 19, which is when school board members initially decided to delay making a final decision until 2019.

During that June meeting, school board chairperson Jill Holcomb explained her rationale for not wanting to make the change without more information.

“I do think high school starts too early, but I don’t want it to start too late as well,” said Ms. Holcomb at the June meeting. “I want to be able to move it without impacting after school activities or jobs.”

The domino effect that comes with changing school start times, from earlier start times for elementary students to possibly affecting athletics and after school jobs held by high school students, along with the community’s 50/50 vote in a survey about the issue published by the school district, caused the board to be wary of instituting any drastic changes for the 2018-19 school year.

The issue of high school start times has been making the rounds at school boards across the country in recent years due in part to studies which have shown that later start times were beneficial to high school students.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), during puberty, adolescents become sleepy later at night and need to sleep later in the morning as a result in shifts in their circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm is the internal body clock that regulates biological processes in a 24 hour cycle. It helps ensure certain body functions work in harmony with our sleep wake cycle, including body temperature and hormone secretion like melatonin which is key to helping us sleep.

School districts that have made the change are already seeing improvements in their students. On Dec. 12 researchers at the University of Washington published findings in the journal “Science Advances” which show that after school officials in Seattle pushed back their high school start times students increased their total nightly sleep from six hours and 50 minutes to seven hours and 24 minutes and the district saw an improvement in grades as well as a reduction in tardiness and absences.

The school board also recognized students from Okeechobee who participated in the Heartland Honor Choir at the South Florida State College Performing Arts Center on Oct. 30.

Students who performed in the Heartland Honor Choir on Oct. 30 at South Florida State College were recognized at the Okeechobee County School Board’s monthly meeting on Dec. 11. Lake Okeechobee News/Richard Marion

The choir featured students from DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry and Highlands counties.

Okeechobee superintendent Ken Kenworthy reached out to OHS science teacher Wendy Reister and English teacher Jim Leidy to see if they would like the opportunity to bring together a group of students to make the trip to Avon Park and perform in the concert.

“This was the first year that we got to participate,” Ms. Reister explained to the school board,“ and it was really fun for the kids. They learned a lot. In their preparation they had to learn a song in Swahili, a song in Italian, a song in Russian, and they had to learn to speak with an Irish brogue. It was really awesome to watch them come together and it was great to see kids from all the different counties perform.”

Brahmans Florinda Xandrea E. Cea and Zachary Reister each auditioned for and were awarded solo performances in the concert.

“We had some stars there and it was really cool to see them shine,” continued Ms. Reister.

“We’re so small compared to all the other counties, so that was a really great thing to see.”

Schools that participated in the Food for Families food drive before Thanksgiving were recognized by the school board for their contribution. South Elementary donated 775 pounds of food, Seminole Elementary donated 1,691 pounds, Osceola Middle School donated 821 pounds, Okeechobee Freshman Campus donated 264 pounds, North Elementary donated 664 pounds, Everglades Elementary donated 1,189 pounds and Central Elementary led the way with 2,014 pounds donated.

Okeechobee County schools donated over 6,000 pounds of food to the Food for Families food drive before Thanksgiving. Lake Okeechobee News/Richard Marion.

Seminole Elementary was recognized as a tier-one model school by Florida’s Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) Project. Lake Okeechobee News/Richard Marion

OKEECHOBEE  – South Elementary School would like to congratulate its students of the week for the week of Dec. 10. They are: Miranda Parada-Medoza, Jocelyn Garcia, Makenzi Lassiter, Wilfredo Sanchez, Willie Jones, Leland Vickers, Martin Sanchez, Jacob Garcia, Chase Hardman, Logan May, Abigail Kars, Devin Diehl, Bryson Sheffield, Madai Almaza, Giselle Arechiga, Wyatt Syples, Haylee Ricker, Gabriel Vasquez, Kaylee Ramsey, Victoria Vargas, Kaitlyn Douglas, Reese Stokes, Vanessa Luna Serrano, Naveah Shaddon, Jordan Gabor, and Megan Murphy.

OKEECHOBEE — When Okeechobee High School band director Clint LaFlam took over the reins of the OHS Brahmans Band in 2007 it consisted of only around 60 members. Now, 11 years later, the OHS band boasts over 200 members and consistently qualifies year in and year out for the Florida state marching band championships.

This year the Brahmans Band placed 11th in the 5A classification, the largest in the state, in the hyper-competitive Florida Marching Band Championship on Nov. 17.

The OHS Brahman Band marches down Main Street in Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Special to the Lake Okeechobee News.

“It’s a tough competition,” said Mr. LaFlam of the marching band championship, “but when you have the best of the best showing up you have to expect that. It was a great show, our best performance of the year. The kids pushed really hard and it was just great.”

Despite the big stage and the obvious pressure that comes with performing at a high level, Mr. LaFlam says his students didn’t really show many signs of being nervous.

The day after the state championship, the Brahmans Band made the trip to the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World to march down Main Street and represent Okeechobee in Mickey Mouse’s 90th birthday celebration. Only two other bands marched that day in Disney, both from Ohio. And the massive size of the Brahman Band program was on display to the 60,000 in attendance at the Magic Kingdom that day as Okeechobee dwarfed the other two marching bands. Even both of the two Ohio marching bands combined wouldn’t have topped Okeechobee’s numbers.

The OHS Brahman Band shortly after marching through Frontierland in Disney World. Special to the Lake Okeechobee News.

Okeechobee has the largest band in the Lake Okeechobee area, by far, and the third largest if you include the Treasure Coast. Mr. LaFlam says the key that has made that growth possible is his philosophy to treat the band program in the same way as a sports program, including recruiting promising musicians from the burgeoning middle school band programs at Osceola and Yearling.

“I schedule everything at least a year in advance,” said Mr. LaFlam. “For example right now I already have all my rehearsals and performances planned out for next fall. That’s the difference between a team and a program. If you just have a team, that’s a year-to-year thing.

If you’re running a program you have to have a plan for the next five to six years. You have to think about what happens when you lose someone, who’s coming in to replace them?”

That’s where the recruiting part comes in,” continued Mr. LaFlam. “A lot of these kids in the middle school bands have never been a part of a team or an organization as big and as busy as we are at the high school. So starting with the kids who join the band in sixth grade we let them know that this is something you can continue with all the way until you graduate high school, we want to make sure they get involved as much as possible. We just prepare them for the mindset we have at OHS.”

While this philosophy had made the Brahmans Band successful in competitions and overall more competitive in the marching band circuit, more student involvement in the arts could also be beneficial academically.

According to a profile of college-bound seniors complied by the non-profit The College Board, students in music performance groups scored 57 points higher on the critical reading portion of their SATs, 43 points higher on math and 58 points higher on writing than students with no arts participation.

Still, the enthusiasm around the band program does have one drawback.

“One thing I don’t know is what I’m gonna do with all these kids coming in wanting to join band and we don’t have enough uniforms and instruments,” said Mr. LaFlam. “That’s one thing I don’t know. I’m crossing my fingers that maybe somebody wins the lottery and can donate some to the kids.”

Mr. LaFlam and the band boosters aren’t only crossing their fingers, though. Students in the program work hard to raise money to help cover travel costs for their competitions as well as instrument and uniform repairs with a variety of fundraisers throughout the year, such as the band’s annual cheesecake sale and the ‘Holiday Stroll in the Park’ where local businesses can purchase and design an oversized Christmas card that is displayed in Flager Park in downtown Okeechobee for the month of December.

After Christmas Break the OHS Brahmans Band will be right back in the thick of music performance assessments (MPA), with Concert MPA and Jazz Band MPA.

“We have solo ensemble coming up and our winter guard is doing a competitive circuit down in Palm Beach and Broward county,” said Mr. LaFlam. “We don’t stop. We won’t really slow down until graduation. And then one week after graduation we start up again with band camp for next year.”

OHS band director Clint LaFlam marches next to his students in the Magic Kingdom at Disney World. Lake Okeechobee News/Richard Marion.

OKEECHOBEE — Should the Okeechobee High School day start later?

On Jan. 14 the Okeechobee County School Board held a workshop on the subject of school start times, specifically on moving the high school’s start time later.

The board heard information on the science behind sleep patterns in adolescents, along with data on how other school districts in Florida with a later high school start time perform on their tests and the number of absences they have compared to high schools with an early start time, and heard from residents in the district who came out to voice their opinion.

No final vote was taken on the matter of high school start times at this meeting as it was scheduled only to be a workshop to gather information on the subject.

Okeechobee superintendent of schools Ken Kenworthy opened the workshop by introducing Dr. Serena Vidanage, pediatrician and clinical director at Dr. Fred Brown Children’s Health Center, who presented the latest research on adolescent sleep patterns to help the board make an informed decision.

“Evidence has shown that early school start times are a key contributor to insufficient sleep,” Dr. Vidange explained. “When we talk about factors that affect insufficient sleep in adolescents, puberty plays a prominent role. At the time of pubertal onset, teenagers experience sleep-wake based delay. Which means they fall asleep later and have a later sleep onset and wake up later as well. This can be a change of up to two hours compared to middle schoolers.”

Dr. Vidange explained that teens lack of sleep can be a complex problem that can include homework, extracurricular activities, after-school jobs and use of technology, but that the natural change in an adolescents circadian rhythm in addition to early school start times is a critical contributor to chronic sleep deprivation.

Dr. Vidrange also referenced a report published in 2014 by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) which called for high schools to delay the start of class to 8:30 a.m. or later to better align with the biological sleep rhythms of adolescents. Currently Okeechobee High School has a start time of 7:05 a.m.

“Chronic sleep loss in children and adolescents is one of the most common and easily fixable public health issues in the U.S. today,” said pediatrician Judith Owens, MD, AAP, in the policy statement referenced by Dr. Vidrange. “The research is clear that adolescents who get enough sleep have a reduced risk of being overweight or suffering depression, are less likely to be involved in automobile accidents, and have better grades, higher standardized test scores and an overall better quality of life.”

“Studies have shown that delaying early school start times is one key factor that can help adolescents get the sleep they need to grow and learn,” Dr. Owens concluded in the policy statement.

Dr. Vidrange also stated that studies have shown that delayed school start times don’t cause students to go to bed later.

Superintendent Kenworthy then presented results from a survey the school district sent to parents, students and teachers on the issue of delaying school start times.

In the survey 51 percent of respondents were not in favor of delaying start times while 48 percent were in favor. In a survey that consisted of just high school students 52 percent said that delaying the start time would impact them positively.

Mr. Kenworthy also presented data gathered from high schools in Florida which showed, on average, that schools with later start times had significantly less absences than schools with earlier start times.

One major hurdle to changing start times is the issue of transportation. Currently the Okeechobee school district has a three-tier system in place for their bus schedule.

Elementary, middle school, and high school students each ride separately. But due to the limited number of buses, moving the high school start time would mean combining two of the tiers. In the survey published by the school district, most respondents favored combining the middle school and high school tiers.

One of the options presented to the school board for combining the tiers had the elementary starting at 7:40 a.m. with the middle and high schools started around 9 a.m.

This two-tier system would also have the benefit of saving the district $234,396 in transportation costs, but would result in longer ride times for some students. Another option had elementary beginning at 9 a.m. with middle school and high school starting around 8 a.m., although this would mean elementary schools would need more before-care in the morning for their students.

Representatives from all three tiers of schools were asked to give their opinion of changing school start times. OHS principal Dylan Tedders expressed his skepticism of the proposal.

“I worked at Yearling for 14 years and I know that if something happens at the high school and the bus can’t get off campus for even 2 or 3 minutes, that will translate into 30, 40 minutes at the middle school,” said Mr. Tedders of the busing situation. “I have a son that’s in college and he has to get up at five in the morning to go to workouts. If he hadn’t already had to get up in the morning he’d probably already be back home. They have to learn to adapt to our system. I couldn’t imagine our high school starting at 9 a.m. and doing anything from an activity standpoint after school.”

OHS swim coach Jack Boon also addressed the school board.

“Changing the start times for these schools won’t make any difference in grades,” said Mr. Boon. “The kids that are going to pass are going to pass and the kids that are going to fail are going to fail. My swimmers get the least amount of sleep out of anyone in this county.

They are on deck at 4 a.m. and they aren’t released until 6 a.m. to go to school. The grade point average for my team is 3.84 for the girls and 3.6 for the boys. Changing times won’t make anyone more motivated. They’ll find an excuse to still be tardy.”

School board member Joe Arnold thanked everyone in attendance at the conclusion of the meeting.

“I appreciate everyone coming out and giving input tonight,” Mr. Arnold said. “It’s unfortunate that the state government won’t just give us enough money for buses so that we can build everything around the research. We always need to focus on student achievement and we need to always be open minded and looking for ways to improve this district. Whether we move forward with this or not, I think in the future we will always be looking for innovative ways to improve student performance.”

OKEECHOBEE — At their Jan. 15 meeting Okeechobee County School Board recognized students from the Okeechobee High School CTE program who prepared and served a free dinner in the OHS cafeteria during Thanksgiving last year to over 200 people.

Jason and Belinda Anderson stand with CTE students who were recognized for volunteering to help prepare and serve free meals on Thanksgiving of 2018. Special to the Lake Okeechobee News.

Members involved with the volunteer project were awarded a certificate for their work by Okeechobee superintendent of schools Ken Kenworthy and the school board.

The students recognized for their work in helping set up the event were Tara Hunt, Julian Tinajero, Juan Sanchez, Daniel Parker, Thomas Garcia, Jose Cervantes, Jesus Cedillo, Ivan Gonzalez, Donielle Harper, Joseline Flores, Erica Ruiz and Diana Ruiz.

The school board also recognized the many adults who were instrumental in putting the event together including Jason and Belinda Anderson, Matthew and Jessica McPeak, Justin and Felicia White, Shaun Kogut, Lindsey Waldrop, Roger and Yolanda McPeak, Johnny and Tasha Taylor, Leah Suarez and new school board member Melisa Jahner.

OHS automotive teacher Jason Anderson said the genesis of the idea came after a conversation he had with his wife and students.

“One day I just thought about doing something for the needy for Thanksgiving,” said Mr. Anderson. “Talked to my wife about it and she was on board. We both agreed to open it to the entire community, not only for the less fortunate. Next I spoke to my students to see if I had their support as well and once I knew I had the help needed, we got approval from the school and we were off and running.”

The CTE students got to work by going to local businesses in Okeechobee to seek support for the project while Mr. Anderson reached out to Tobi Cross, a family support worker with Helping People Succeed, to help obtain items for the free dinner.

Okeechobee County Sheriff Noel E. Stephen, along with his son Cory Stephen, agreed to help cook the ham and turkey for the group.

In a public Facebook post directly after the event thanked everyone involved in bringing everything together.

“From the bottom of my heart I thank you all,” said Mr. Anderson late Thanksgiving night.

“This is not a one-man show and I could have never pulled this together without you. We learned some things this year and will take those with us for next year. I would love for this to become a tradition in Okeechobee and something people can look forward to every year.”

Mr. Anderson says he and his students plan to bring back the event next year and are thinking of setting up a delivery system to help reach the less fortunate ones without transportation.

The Okeechobee County School Board also recognized the many people outside of the students and school staff who played a crucial role in bringing the project together. Special to the Lake Okeechobee News.

CLEWISTON — Hendry County School Board members approved an update Jan. 15 of their Exceptional Student Education Special Policies and Procedures (SP&P) document that will be effective for the current school year through 2020-21.
The 135-page document lays out state ESE requirements, adds some district policies and states that together, they all are adopted by the school board as official regulations. They include wording preprinted by the Florida Department of Education that has not been altered. Also, “Any district-produced policy and procedures documents that meet the following criteria have been submitted to the Florida Department of Education with the SP&P.”

Though it was included as part of their consent agenda and Superintendent Paul Puletti explained it was a routine, required refresher, a couple of school board members commented specifically about it. The document, more of a manual, is meant to detail all the information parents could need to navigate the system if their children are determined to need special help.

Board member Stephanie Busin, parent to a child on the autism spectrum who’s gone through the district schools, wanted to make a statement about the update.

“My area of ‘mom’ expertise leads me down that pathway a lot, and I just want to say that I appreciate the leadership of that department and the time you’ve taken to put into this document — and to say that once before, I struggled with that department, and I’m very quickly building confidence in how well it’s run and the response that they’re showing students, not just in my own case but with other parents as well.

“And I would like to say that, you know, I understand these programs and procedures after being an engaged person for so long,” Mrs. Busin continued. “But I know, like, a lot of, especially your younger students and their parents, I mean it would be a great help to the district as well as the families if we help in trying to relate this information on how things work with parents so the contention between parents and school, parents and district, it helps with mending that. And otherwise I think it was a well-put-together document.”

Board Chairman Dwayne E. Brown thanked her for her comments, and asked, “So who wrote the document? Please tell them that we appreciate the job that they’ve done.”

Superintendent Puletti, with some surprise, replied, “Thank you, Mrs. Busin!” and then singled out those responsible in response to Mr. Brown’s question, saying, “That would be Dr. Angela Staley (the ESE director) and Kristi Durrance (ESE administrator).”

Mr. Brown thanked Mrs. Busin for the show of goodwill.

“When credit’s due, credit’s due,” she demurred. “I think we could always do better, and just to be able to help inform parents on the processes and procedures and help them learn how to help their kids and … work well in their school with the district will have a great return on investment for, most important, the students, but as well as the parents and schools.”

At their meeting, the Hendry School Board also:

• Observed a moment of silence in memory of Maria Olmedo, who was employed as a bus driver from 1988 through 2015.

• Recognized EES teacher Deborah Gwyn, who is retiring from Eastside Elementary School and was given a plaque “in appreciation for 30 years of faithful service to Hendry County.” Mr. Puletti asked what was next for her after posing for a picture. “Well, I’m just kind of debating what I’m going to do, taking it day by day. I may look for another job,” Mrs. Gwyn said to laughs. Mr. Puletti also noted that her husband was Teacher of the Year this year at Clewiston Middle School.

Clewiston’s Central Elementary School announces its honor roll students for the second semester of the 2018/2019 school year.

A Honor Roll
A honor roll students are: Cloe Barber, Keily Escobar-Jones, Lazaro Lopez-Grovas, Bentley McIlwain, Dallas Vallejo, Julieanna Aragus, Lily Nesbitt, Jordan Dwyer, Marcos Alvarez, Fabian Anaya, Easton Berner, Aiden Combass, Raphael Garcia, Jaydon Gonzalez, Isabella Pacheco, Jordin Porter, Makayla Ritchie, Calia Rodriguez, Melanie Salinas, Sofia Zamora, Clayton Alston, Bailey Berner, Khloe Dowell, Lily Edmonds, Veana Lewis, Cody Linder, Collin Paige, Amanda Prevatt, Aylinn Carranza, Kayla Carranza, Angela DeSantiago, Miguel DeSantiago, Eloy Moreno, Garique Allen, Karen DeSantiago, Madison Garrett, Annabeth Paige, Oliver Aguilar, Gabriella Maldonado, Talon Rock-Blissett, Jessica Ruiz-Monjarez, Laila Perez, Nayeli Garcia, Alejandro Centeno, Francisco Guerra, De’Ana Roundtree, Makiyah Davis, Adonis Martinez, Sasha Allred, Zoey De La Torre, Jasmine De Santiago, Alain Martinez, Ashley Martinez-Castanon, Steaver Moore, Jose Lara-Munoz, Chloe Alarcon, Karlee Foligno, Lus Mazariegos-Perez, Ayden Camanos, Jace Ifill, Juan Bogardus, Payton Bolix, Jocelyn Contreras, Avree Delgado, David Edmonds, Jeremiah Escobar, Cristal Florencio, Omar Garcia, Edward Rico, Olivia Atkinson, Jade Crawford, Emma Garcia, Caiden Jackson, Brody Jones, McKenzie Lansford, Tryston Sandoval, Blair Stone, Anthony Rowell, Curtis Mixon, Austin Jones, Jacob Herring, Juan Aranda, Aly’Saundra Arguelles, Athen Delgado, Kendavian Holligan, Leilani Molina, Isabel Terrazas-Cruz, Brody Barnes, Hayden Ritchie, Yoselin Febles, Zayden Greenlee, Layla Benjamin, Alexander Alvarez, Evelyn Amaro, Anit Arreguin, Yitzel Contreras, Tobe Smith, Andry Tomas-Perez, Julio Aleman, William Ballard, Ariana Byers, Ian Desantiago, Charleigh Fylnn, Izack Moreno, Ariclem Perez, Alexandro Rodriguez, Rusvel Aceituno, Mischa Best, Julio Molina, Graceyn Alford, Urijah Casas, Emely Chavez, Emma Diaz Mackay, Caylie Herring, Valeria Ramos and Thailyn Smith.

AB Honor Roll
AB honor roll students are: John Benigno, T’Myah Collins, Crystal Cruz, Yulett Febles, Arianna Jarvis, Lucas Lazo, Camila Salinas, Adis Sanchez-Fernandez, Aliya Sparks, Christian Villagomez, Rakwon Wilkerson, Olivia Guasp, William Mato, Mayra Raya, Eric Sonck, Adriana Tomas, Raniyah Wilkerson, Michelle Calixtro-Morales, Javier Fernandez, Yasiel Gonzalez, Michael Nodal, David Santos, Isabelys Valles, Brody Dyess, Evolet Martinez, Baylie Harrelson, Sherlin Agueda, Salia Brathwaite, Brock Crawford, Jaydee Grimaldo, Leonardo Hernandez, Dalton McIlwain, Ahmad Moore, Ja’Avery Edwards, Michaela Porter, Jaden Antunez, Sherlyn Benigno, Kevin Calderius, David Corona-Desantiago, Jayson Hernandez, Carla-Lee Ortiz, Braden Allison, David Chairez, Amaro Coring, Solange Garcia, Allison Iglesias, Dijonay Lyons, Angel Reyes, Mason Vallejo, Trinity Ward, Emilio Lara, Agustine Rivera, Johnathan Gonzalez, Nailea Paniagua, Aahensiia Howard, Jerome Griffin, Kane Atkinson, Nathan Baltazar, Milena Gonzalez, Jaxon Hernandez, Gabriela Olmos-Ramirez, Miranda Rafael-Pedro, Jasyanna Rodriguez, Caiden Vazquez, Ayden Zambrana, Emmett Galassini, Brian Garcia, Lily Jarvis, Esmeralda Juarez-Rosales, Anileigh Quinones, DaNajah Redd. Olivia Williams, Kalaya Willingham, Leah Benjamin, Jose Cruz, Kymani Davis, Pedro Castro-Gonzalez, Jared Hurtado, Niaomi Rico, Emma Rodriguez, Yonniela Fernandez, Cristina Gonzalez, Arisdalia Guerra, Israel Jackson, Davon’tey Oliver, Julian Paniagua, Nathan Shelton, Kaiden Wilcher, Darryon Willingham, Jazmine Aceituno, Anija Bradford, Trynity Brodeur, Braylin Herrera, Lupita Aranda, Emily Casas, Ian Flores, Serenity Gray, Edrian Green, Cadarrian Hudson, Jacobi James, Katie Negrete, Lizandi Ramirez-Rafael, Jannatul Chowdhury, Kaniel Jimenez, Evelin Linares, Mailen Morales, Keila Perez, Pablo Ramirez, Sa’Niyah Wright, Kendall McKenzie, Monroe Polhill, Kaylee Yebba, Obed Vanegas, Aly Holmes, Ja’Davious Lemene, Daniel Morales, Braelyn Worth, Erik Fernandez, Abraham Aranda, Katty Diaz, M.Yaneli DeSantiago, Runnet Bovell, Aiden Thomas, Lennox White, Jadian Navarro, Allison Guevara, Leyla Lazo, Gamaliel Paniagua, Kristen Guevara-Martinez, Jesse Herrera, Mariah Paige, Jonathan Carranza, Vamahri Hunter, Terry Jackson, Khalis Lawson, Tramaine Lawson, Luciano Sanchez, Payslee Atkinson, Aubrey Clevelan, Ava Huggins, Jer’niyah Ray, Hazelie Rivera, Mario Velazquez, Ka’mari Walker, Jayden Rudd, Jessica Castellanos, Arvis Daniels, Jon-Avery Edwards, Kendry Gonazlez, Karolina Paniagua, India Johnson, Melissa Lopez and Kaylee Villalobos.

CLEWISTON — Stephanie Busin reported to her fellow Hendry County School Board members on Tuesday, Jan. 15, that she’d been informed the sheriff’s investigation she pressed for last fall over harassing hate mail sent to her home has been completed.

The results, she said, have been given to the State Attorney’s Office for the 20th Judicial District, which will decide whether charges will be filed as she requested against the person identified as a suspect through fingerprints lifted from the mailed materials. That person is Hendry County Deputy Schools Superintendent Lucinda Kelley.

“They are going to decide the trajectory from this point forward,” Mrs. Busin said. School Board member Jon Basquin asked at Tuesday’s meeting whether the state would contact the board and let members know what’s happening. Superintendent Paul Puletti said the office would contact Mrs. Busin since she is the complainant.

“I called to see what’s the timeline on their decision, and of course it’s like everything else: when they get to it. If at any time, the board wants to say go ahead and get this investigation started that we promised, we can go ahead and start that, if you want to, before. I don’t have any recommendations,” said Mr. Puletti. He began in December to look for outside firms to perform an independent internal investigation into whether Ms. Kelley had written or delivered any of the unsigned letters and packages during work hours, and has been working with private attorney Mike McKinley.

“Personally, I’d like to see what the state attorney comes up with first,” said Mr. Basquin.

Mrs. Busin responded: “The way it’s going to go, to the best of my knowledge, is that the state is going to look at everything, all the information, and decide whether they can bring charges. If they take that route, the information is going to remain sealed so they can work through their process of prosecution; if not, then the information is all going to be public.”

She added that she’d make sure everyone could see it if that’s the case. “There have been a lot of things that I have not revealed because I have been waiting for Mr. Puletti to do the right thing,” Mrs. Busin said in a recent interview for background information.

She had asked last November for the administration to do its own investigation of Ms. Kelley’s activities since she holds a position of authority over teacher improvement, human resources and district operations and one of her responsibilities was overseeing anti-bullying programs and compliance. However, Mrs. Busin said in the interview that she has “people on the inside, people that I trust,” that she’d learned the sheriff had informed Mr. Puletti Nov. 15 of Ms. Kelley’s involvement in the case and that he then called the school board attorney for advice.

“It is documented in the attorney bills. And the attorney said, ‘You have everything you need to let her go.’ Now, the superintendent doesn’t want to do that. There is a relationship between those two. I don’t know what their bond is, but he is not going to get rid of her,” said Mrs. Busin.

Mrs. Busin was re-elected to the school board last August by a wide margin against a candidate whom she believes was recruited by some people among district staff who were angry at her. They included Ms. Kelley and Mr. Puletti, she claims. Ms. Kelley was riled up over a controversy that arose when her effort to end salutatorian/valedictorian honors in spring 2018 at the high schools — without administration or board approval — was revealed and first got her in trouble, Mrs. Busin said.

She thinks retaliation was the motive, over that and for her prior pressure dating back to before Mrs. Busin had been elected to the board in 2014, on the school district for better treatment of families seeking special help for their developmentally disabled children.

“How Not to be a Terrible School Board Member” was the title of one of the first self-help books she’d been sent by the anonymous harasser last spring when she was running for re-election, Mrs. Busin said. She related that she confronted Mr. Puletti about it and that there was a telling exchange over the origin of that mailing, which resulted in her taking the mailed materials to the state attorney and requesting the investigation.

Asked for his response, Mr. Puletti stated in a phone interview: “I have not recruited, mailed or done anything regarding that election and that race.”

And if no charges end up being filed, he said: “I am eager to see what the materials are, because we have cooperated fully with anybody who has asked us to cooperate. And I know what Mrs. Busin during the campaign posted online, but in a conversation after, she mentioned that there were other things she had not posted online, and I don’t know what those are, so I would be eager to see what might be made public.

“If there is a charge, then we have a response and a responsibility. If there is no charge, then I think we need to consider our options from that point.”

Westside Elementary School (WES) announces their honor roll students for the second semester of the 2018/2019 school.

Kindergarten

• A honor roll students are Charlie Barnes, Michael Calderon, Damiyah Luc, Kasen Melton, Tony Navarro, Aubree Penuel, Madison Poulson, and Danna Puebla.

• A/B honor roll students are Terrell Allen, Brian Arias, Melvin Bonilla, Erin Fahie, Dominic Garza, Stephen Henry, Sophia Hernandez, Juan Hernandez, Raddley Holmes, Jah’Daviun Johnson, Gael Lopez, Jonathan Menendez Hall, Gabriella Miles, Avery Phillips, Gregory Ramirez, Jaime Rangel, Amorah Sparrow, Aracelis Stoker Acevedo, and Mia’Jean Watson.

First grade

• A honor roll students are Yael Abrajano, Melanie Azpeitia-Tello, Aliyah Carrillo-Velasquez, Emily Centeno, Marley Del Toro Rodriguez, Markevious Downs, Dario Escoto, Elizabeth Garcia Perez, Elizabeth Garcia Perez, Sabrina Gordon, Avery Hernandez, Aubriona Holligan, Jayden Holmes, Kianna Howard, Jeiza Johnson, Celina Morales-Zunun, Demetrius Newkirk, Kaylin Norton, Ricky Owens, Michael Padilla, Antonella Parra-Turcios, Aliyah Perez, Kerry Simms, Jonathan Vargas, Katherine Vazquez, and Yadira Vazquez.

• A/B honor roll students are Isabella Avila Mendez, Krista Blanco, Valeria Figueroa, Melanie Giralt-Kin, Kamarria Gray, Zoe Lamb, Lane Lara, Abriella Lopez, Aliyah Matos, Dominic Moncada, Brianna Niebla, Alizon Perez, Anthony Perkins, Marco Reyna, Mercedes Sanabria, Daniella Sanchez, Julian Santiago, and Belen Segura.

Second grade

• A honor roll students are John Brown, Michael Bussott, Alissa Casola, Aileen Cruz, Emma Davis, Selene Dawson, Brantley Garrett, Arianna Henry, Rosa Hernandez, Santiago Herrera, Isabella Ilagan, Rusheavia Johnson, Bryson Sanchez, Yadriel Snow, and Carlyssa Waters.

• A/B honor roll students are Juan Bonilla, Yolanda Coring, Michael Dehoyos, Josue Garcia, K’leanni Gutierrez, Francisco Hernandez, Robyn Hollant, Anthony Horne, Jacob Jimenez, Milajah Johnson, Andrew Kindred, Nicholas Love, M.J. Mata, Savanah Navarro, Lissette Reyna, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Jamaya Ruiz, Crystal Santiago, Alvaro Segura, Lilee Sutterfield, and Janyla Thicklin.

Third grade

• A honor roll students are Mohammad Ali, Francisco Carmona, Alvin Carranza-Mendez, Brailey Cook, Nevaeh Crumb, Carlos Cruz, Valeria Figueroa Rico, Maya Garcia, Destiny Garcia, Aubrey Garrett, Adam Gonzalez, Shaunice Henry, Jarrett Holmes, Sophiya Luna, Emiliano Parra-Turcios, Naomi Perez, Dennis Rojas, Amirah Sparrow, Giselle Torres, Leila Vega, Juanita Velasquez, and Prayze Williams.

• A/B honor roll students are Joniyah Blackman, Abigail Casola, Za’kiria Coring, Angalene Davila, Aiden Dominguez, Jasmin Granados, Takiyah Houze, Chloe Hughes, Wheatyn Irey, Kearyn Irey, Nicolas Lara, Caden Lowman, Justin Molde, David Perez-Ruiz, Mary Jane Ramirez, Julisa Rodriguez, Karyna Rodriguez, Za’niiya Simms, Kennedy Sweet, and Dylan Velasquez.

Fourth grade

• A honor roll students are Jazzmine Compton, Elyonna Padillo, and Xavier Palatolon.

• A/B honor roll students are Brayan Acevedo-Garcia, Juan Almanza, Brian Angell, Ka’Maya Brown, Will Bussott, Daniel Chavarria-Compton, Brisa Garcia, Elisabeth Garcia, Za’Naria Harshaw, Jerry Hernandez, Berenice Hernandez-Ordaz, Milan Holmes, Arianne Ilagan, De’Andre Jeudy, Serenity Johnson, Arthur Jones, Terriya Lampkin, Eddy Lugo, Natalia Mireles, Annabella Orozco, Claribella Orozco, Sebastian Palatolon, Jorge Paniagua, Joselin Rios, Giselle Tamez, Lariah Valdes, Taquatron White, and Amiah White.

Fifth grade

• A honor roll students are Yusef Ali, Alexa Byers, Trey Davis, Henry Mason, Angelina Perez, Aileen Rojas, and Tony Zhu.

• A/B honor roll students are Brayan Acevedo-Garcia, Juan Almanza, Brian Angell, Ka’Maya Brown, Will Bussott, Daniel Chavarria-Compton, Brisa Garcia, Elisabeth Garcia, Za’Naria Harshaw, Jerry Hernandez, Berenice Hernandez-Ordaz, Milan Holmes, Arianne Ilagan, De’Andre Jeudy, Serenity Johnson, Arthur Jones, Terriya Lampkin, Eddy Lugo, Natalia Mireles, Annabella Orozco, Claribella Orozco, Sebastian Palatolon, Jorge Paniagua, Joselin Rios, Giselle Tamez, Lariah Valdes, Taquatron White, and Amiah White.

The Clewiston Christian School announces its honor roll students for the second semester of the 2018/2019 school year.

Kindergarten
• Mrs. McDonald’s A honor roll students are Reese Beck, Sebastian Ehrenhauser, Sophia Espinosa, Kolten Kettner, Havana Kurtz, Jenson Moss, Myla Rives, Boone Sergent and Thomas Suggs.

A/B honor roll students are Penelope Cisneros, Cormac Duffy, Jensen Harn, Aalaysia Melting, Kingston Hill, and Trent Thompson.

Most Improved is Trent Thompson.

First grade
• Mrs. Iglesias A honor roll students are Brantley Alston, Jovan Drummond, Kinley Garcia, Case Herring and Rainer Robbins.

A/B honor roll students are Dagim Assefa, Christopher Daniels, Malena Garcia, Tyler Holcomb, Janelle Howell, Branson Jackman, Karson Kline, and Lucas Wiseman.

Most Improved is Karson Kline

Second grade
• Mrs. Chancey’s A honor roll students are Piper Beck, Zaihaley Cepeda, Aundres Gonzalez, Katherine Pitts, and Alexis Pridgen.
A/B honor roll students are Chyna Armstrong, Paisley Bellew, Brayden Casique, Ryan Daniels, Austin Jones, Jillian Mathis, Gabriella Planitario, Kali Runkles, and Mikaela Vallejo.

Most Improved is Chyna Armstrong.

Third grade
• Mrs. Beck’s A honor roll students are Ruby Keith, Brooklyn Sergent, Hendrix Kurtz, Lydia Lee, Bristol Rives, Sophia Valdez, and Jeshua Yongco.
A/B honor roll students are Quanteria Arnold, Chloe Branaman, Liliana Cobb, Aniyah Gonzalez, Aylee Harn, Noah Harrelson, and Gisela Martinez.
Most Improved is Noah Harrelson.

Fourth grade
• Danielle Duffy’s A honor roll students are Nathan Assefa, Landon Bellew, Caleb Pitts, Riley Sutton, and Sergio Vega.
A/B honor roll students are J’Lyne Billie, Brittney Casique, Cohen Espinosa, Isabella Planitario, Rebekah Reyes, and Ansley Story.

Fifth grade
• Mrs. Gibb’s A honor roll students are Yara Ramadan and Kamyrin Herring.
A/B honor roll students are Jace Vallejo, Kaden Langston, Riley Holcomb, Haden Patel, and Angel Luis Lopez.

Sixth grade
• Mrs. Alston’s A honor roll students are Zachary Alston, Hilary Byers, Imani Greaves, and Hatton Kurtz.
A/B honor roll students are Justin Fonseca, Jada Ifill, Madeline Jackson, Walter McKown, Sofia Miranda, Daylen Moss, Harrison Polhill, and Sadler Soles.

• Mrs. Lee’s A honor roll students are Abby Keith, Ada Keith, and Phoebe Stowe.
A/B honor roll students are Mckenna Chancey, Eric Green, Aidan Katryan, Hunter Lee, Ayden Llossas, Amelia Martin, Maya Mendez, and Prestyn Torres.

CLEWISTON — Hendry County School Board members approved an update Jan. 15 of their Exceptional Student Education Special Policies and Procedures (SP&P) document that will be effective for the current school year through 2020-21.

The 135-page document lays out state ESE requirements, adds some district policies and states that together, they all are adopted by the school board as official regulations. They include wording preprinted by the Florida Department of Education that has not been altered. Also, “Any district-produced policy and procedures documents that meet the following criteria have been submitted to the Florida Department of Education with the SP&P.”

Though it was included as part of their consent agenda and Superintendent Paul Puletti explained it was a routine, required refresher, a couple of school board members commented specifically about it. The document, more of a manual, is meant to detail all the information parents could need to navigate the system if their children are determined to need special help.

Board member Stephanie Busin, parent to a child on the autism spectrum who’s gone through the district schools, wanted to make a statement about the update.

“My area of ‘mom’ expertise leads me down that pathway a lot, and I just want to say that I appreciate the leadership of that department and the time you’ve taken to put into this document — and to say that once before, I struggled with that department, and I’m very quickly building confidence in how well it’s run and the response that they’re showing students, not just in my own case but with other parents as well.

“And I would like to say that, you know, I understand these programs and procedures after being an engaged person for so long,” Mrs. Busin continued. “But I know, like, a lot of, especially your younger students and their parents, I mean it would be a great help to the district as well as the families if we help in trying to relate this information on how things work with parents so the contention between parents and school, parents and district, it helps with mending that. And otherwise I think it was a well-put-together document.”

Board Chairman Dwayne E. Brown thanked her for her comments, and asked, “So who wrote the document? Please tell them that we appreciate the job that they’ve done.”

Superintendent Puletti, with some surprise, replied, “Thank you, Mrs. Busin!” and then singled out those responsible in response to Mr. Brown’s question, saying, “That would be Dr. Angela Staley (the ESE director) and Kristi Durrance (ESE administrator).”

Mr. Brown thanked Mrs. Busin for the show of goodwill.

“When credit’s due, credit’s due,” she demurred. “I think we could always do better, and just to be able to help inform parents on the processes and procedures and help them learn how to help their kids and … work well in their school with the district will have a great return on investment for, most important, the students, but as well as the parents and schools.”

At their meeting, the Hendry School Board also:

• Observed a moment of silence in memory of Maria Olmedo, who was employed as a bus driver from 1988 through 2015.

• Recognized EES teacher Deborah Gwyn, who is retiring from Eastside Elementary School and was given a plaque “in appreciation for 30 years of faithful service to Hendry County.” Mr. Puletti asked what was next for her after posing for a picture. “Well, I’m just kind of debating what I’m going to do, taking it day by day. I may look for another job,” Mrs. Gwyn said to laughs. Mr. Puletti also noted that her husband was Teacher of the Year this year at Clewiston Middle School.

MOORE HAVEN — One big goal of Superintendent Scott Bass’s for the Glades County School District was achieved with a rise in the high school graduation rate — and although the state reported the wrong percentage, it doesn’t diminish that achievement. It’s higher than Florida’s statewide rate, he says, something Glades County never had done before. But despite the mix-up, Mr. Bass remains focused on the other main goals he’s set for 2019 and already was toiling toward last year.

The mass shooting and deaths that occurred in February 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in South Florida reordered priorities for districts statewide, thrusting security into the limelight with the Legislature passing a bill mandating heightened measures at all schools, so those became No. 1.

Mr. Bass said there’d been a security assessment done at all Glades’ facilities, with close cooperation from the sheriff.

“We are working with a company now — they’re actually going to start in January, implementing some hardening items in our facilities.” However, “it’s going to make things a little inconvenient for parents and community members especially,” he said.

Glades County Sheriff David Hardin placed a school resource officer at each facility, plus has one stationed at his office for backup.

The second most important goal, he said, is recruitment and retention of teachers, adding that the district would maintain its efforts that have been reported previously.

“We have a great partnership going on with FGCU (Florida Gulf Coast University) that they have come in and provided assistance to our staff to help them pass the certification class, and I just read a few minutes ago that hopefully there could be some legislation that will allow school districts to keep those teachers in place that are still working through that certification process beyond the three years that they’re granted right now,” he stated.

The third-most prominent priority on his list is a heightened focus on the quality of instruction by teachers. “We’re still moving forward with our staff. We have a new teacher evaluation tool that we’ve gone to; this is the first year of it. And it’s really designed not so much as only an evaluation instrument of the job that our teachers are doing, but it is a way to improve instruction that will, in turn, help students master components of the FSA (Florida Standards Assessments),” said the superintendent.

OKEECHOBEE — The Okeechobee County Science Fair took place Jan. 23 in the Osceola Middle School gymnasium, and students from the middle schools, freshman campus and high school were recognized for their work.

Taking home Best in Show honors at the fair were Yearling Middle School’s John Williamson II for biological sciences junior division, YMS’s Jordan Robbin for physical sciences junior division, Okeechobee High School’s Cheska Nagdadaro for biological sciences senior division and Okeechobee Freshman Campus’s Anna Velten for physical sciences senior division.

From left to right the Okeechobee Science Fair Best in Show winners: John Williamson II, winner of Best in Show for Biological Sciences junior division, Jordan Robbin, winner of Best in Show for Physical Sciences junior division, Cheska Nagdadaro, winner of Best in Show for Biological Sciences senior division and Anna Velten, winner of Best in Show for Physical Sciences senior division. Lake Okeechobee News/Richard Marion.

In addition to receiving first-, second- and third-place ribbons for their projects, nearly $1,300 in special awards were given to students thanks to money donated by community sponsors.

Okeechobee Superintendent of Schools Ken Kenworthy opened the awards section of the science fair by thanking everyone for attending and giving his thoughts on what the science fair means to the Okeechobee school district.

“I believe this is one of the most exciting events that our school district has to offer,” said Mr. Kenworthy to the crowd in attendance. “The science fair allows our students to deepen their understanding of science in a topic they love. When you take a project that can combine the possibility of science, mathematics, writing, reading and sometimes technology, it really doesn’t get better than that in terms of preparing yourself for your college career.”

Projects created by Okeechobee students this year ranged from the impact of nutrient runoff and the effects of vitamins on memory in mice to even using the scientific method to determine whether home field advantage in the NFL was an actual advantage to the home team. (It was.)

Osceola Middle School’s Emma Raulerson stands next to her science fair project on the pH balance of different bottled waters. Lake Okeechobee News/Richard Marion.

Osceola Middle School’s Mason Downing accepts his third place ribbon at the Okeechobee County Science Fair on Jan. 23. Lake Okeechobee News/Richard Marion.

A number of students were also selected to take their projects to the Heartland Regional Fair happening in February.

Representing Okeechobee in the junior division will be Conner Rucks, John Williamson II, Ryan Sanchez, Janessa Whidden, Jacob Tumoszwicz, Connor Wendt, Aubrey Cook, Amairani Hernandez, Madison Hilliard, Lily Cobb, Kateri Smith, Rachel Hogenkamp, Amber Cook, Summer McGlamory, Branden Perez, Adam Moore, Gisselle Medrano, Alison Denton, Tori Trent, Jordan Robbins, Abigail Medrano, Rafe Sexton, Anastasia White, Ethan Blomefield, Jasmine Desai, Clea Judilla, Joshua Viray, Juan Garcia and Savannah Moreno.

Representing Okeechobee in the senior division will be Jaydon Egger, Chloe Soriano, Florinda Xandrea Cea, Cheska Magdadaro, Anna Velten, Ayan Desai, Zachary Reister, Jillian Johnston, Chris Cobb, Sunrish Swing Conde, Jake Bessey, Alize Merchant, Piper Hans, Kayla Morgan, Michael Rowley, Isabella Johnson, Haley Conrad, Eriberto Ruiz-Garcia and Dalton Callahan.

After the science fair, Okeechobee science teacher Melinda Gray took to Facebook to thank everyone who had made it possible.

“I wanted to give a huge shout out to the people that made today’s Okeechobee County Science Fair a huge success,” Mrs. Gray’s post began. “To the judges that gave up their time to get up super early to be there for 4-5 hours of talking with the kids and learning about what drove their research, thank you. To Golden Corral, Pizza Heaven, Domino’s and the teachers and community members who donated breakfast and lunch for our judges and teachers, thank you. To the students for taking the time to research, design, test and complete your boards and papers, it was a job well done and we are proud of you.

“Now, we have a bunch of students headed to the Heartland Regional Fair in Avon Park. Okeechobee has a great group of kids to send.”