INNOVATIVE SCHOOLS SET NEW STANDARD by
Take a look inside Innovation High during construction
Andy Orrell
More than a decade ago, while working at Odyssey Middle, Jiae Dy and Christopher Davis dreamed about having their own school someday. This August, it became a reality with the opening of Innovation High, the largest K-12 school in OCPS history, located in the new Meridian Parks area northeast of Lake Nona.
“It never occurred to either of us that the eventual opportunity would be as massive as what we now have,” said Dy, a Curriculum Resource and AP Biology teacher at Innovation. Davis is the principal. “We got to open this amazing school that is truly something new and exciting.”
Innovation High is one of four new campuses opened this August, including Atwater Bay Elementary in Horizon West, Luminary Middle in the Lake Nona area and Orange Technical College - West Campus across from Ocoee High.
The three new K-12 schools are designs that can be reused.
Also known as prototypes, these designs help contain
costs and maintain equity across the district.
OCPS Chief Facilities Officer Rory Salimbene said all three buildings focus on nine key factors: safety, security, health, wellness, sustainability, efficient operations, positive climate, safe environment, and extended learning opportunities both inside and outside.
Since 2011, nearly three out of every 10 schools constructed statewide has been in our thriving district, which is consistently designated as one of the 10 largest school districts in the nation.
Dy and Davis’ enthusiasm is typical of the Innovation High Bulls. A 2022 Lake Nona High Teacher of the Year, Dy was a part of the organizing team at Innovation for the school’s Inaugural Night.
“The energy was electrifying,” she said. “We knew this was the beginning of a true family.”
What makes this first year even more special for Dy is that her son, Tyler, is a junior at Innovation High.
“My son is thrilled to be a part of this new adventure,” she said.
Innovation High lives up to its name, offering enhanced classroom technology, single point of entry security enhancements, multipurpose labs, and a focus on sustainability. The more than 337,000 square foot campus, completed in just over 18 months, sits on 63 acres of property with a capacity of 3,240.
The construction of Innovation was partially paid for by sales tax funds. The tax will sunset next year unless extended by Orange County voters on the Nov. 5 ballot.
The new prototypes for the middle and elementary school also include increased outdoor instruction areas, performance spaces, safety enhancements, and a focus on sustainability.
“These three new schools are all amazing,” Dy said. “We look forward to our journey with the students and the community in these incredible learning environments.”
TEACHING SPURRED INTEREST IN
Chief Information Officer Maurice Draggon has gone from textbooks to laptops during his career of more than two decades with Orange County Public Schools.
In 2002, Draggon entered a first-grade classroom ready to teach and mold each student. Now, as CIO, he takes charge of district technology, including software, hardware, information systems and infrastructure.
Draggon was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, emigrating to New York in third grade with his father. He relocated to Orlando to live with his grandmother in the fifth grade. He attended Lancaster Elementary, where he was awarded the Walt Disney World Dreamer and Doer award, which he still cherishes. The prestigious Disney award goes to 15 students per year who inspire others through acts of kindness, perseverance, and big dreams for the future.
As a child, Draggon already saw himself as a future educator. He said he was particularly inspired by teachers he had at Oak Ridge High.
by Sara Quinby
In turn, Draggon’s own students inspired him to dive into education through technology.
One of the first instances was in his first-grade, sheltered-instruction classroom at Sadler Elementary. In this class, English came as a second language for many of the students and made English practice at home a bit more difficult. Draggon turned to technology.
“I decided to make a DVD where the menu was each letter of the alphabet. When selected, a short animated video I made would play with my voice saying the letter sound for that letter,” Draggon said.
Using technology to make lessons easier became second nature in his classroom, and something students would look forward to.
“My students would often get the most excited when I did lessons that incorporated technology,” Draggon said. “I remember I found the first-generation Roomba robot vacuum at a thrift store for $30. I would bring this
example of the ways technology has changed over time and they would grow excited seeing the vacuum go around the classroom,” he said.
Lessons like these grew into a full-time OCPS technology instructor role. That meant transitioning to creating specialized training with technology for Title I schools.
Draggon said there were similarities between his young students and the OCPS employees he trained.
“My time in the classroom prepared me to understand that providing relevance in the use of technology – and meeting people where they were – made training and learning much more successful,” he said.
He was next promoted to district-level positions outside a classroom - first as director of the Instructional Management System and then as senior director of digital learning.
In August 2023, he was promoted to Chief Information Officer for the district, where he develops and manages the IT team. His main goal as CIO is to make learning easier and teaching more effective.
“I want technology to be forgotten, yet used each day,” Draggon said. “I want technology to become part of the fabric of how we learn, teach and do business.”
A Funny Thing Happened
Principal Jason Jiménez loves being one of the Jets at Legacy Middle School, and is still a kid at heart.
So during morning supervision in the first week of school, he couldn’t help but notice when a student arrived riding a Motocompacto, a new, foldable electric scooter. It’s skinny, white, and rectangular, looking a bit like a space-age Pez dispenser. Intrigued, Jiménez stopped the student and asked if he could take it for a ride.
The student sized him up and said: “Sorry, Mister, there is a 250-pound weight limit on it.”
“I asked how much he thought I weighed,” Jiménez wrote. “He said: “Probably more than 250 pounds. He was right. I didn’t get to ride the Pez-mobile.”
Dr. Jason Jiménez
Principal Legacy Middle School
Submit your A Funny Thing Happeneda short, amusing school story you’d tell a friend - to orangepeal@ocps.net. If your submission is selected, you will receive an exclusive Orange Peal prize package.
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OCPS, First Responders Practice Student Reunification at Preparedness Days
by Sara Quinby
Mock parents wiped tears as they held their ‘children’ closely after being reunited during a practice drill during the recent OCPS ‘Preparedness Days’ event.
In what has become an annual occurrence, staff and local first responders came together in June to practice safety scenarios and incident precautions.
“Everyone has been given all of the information. Everyone has been trained on their roles and responsibilities,” said Loubert Alexis, director of the OCPS Emergency Management department. “Now let’s see how they perform and put into practice this knowledge and training.”
Participants included police officers, paramedics, district and school personnel, among others. The focus was on the reunification process during and after an incident on campus. This served as a natural next step after last summer’s active assailant drill.
A major aspect of the reunification process is the establishment of a safe reunification site near the incident where students can be picked up by guardians.
One challenge this year was rain storms. The weather affected the location of buses, parent gathering areas and the timing of reunifications. Another focus this year was the process of communicating with the parents during an emergency.
The communications team works to ensure that each student’s guardian has the information they need, sending updates to parents through calls, emails, texts and social
media posts every 10 to 15 minutes, said Shari Bobinski, director of Media Relations.
“Crisis training provides staff with a mock situation that can help everyone prepare for the real thing,” said Bobinski.
“It won’t catch everything, but it helps staff know their roles and responsibilities in a crisis and how they perform those roles. It also identifies best practices and where improvements can be made.”
At both the reunification site and incident site, police and fire officials were on the scene to ensure safety for the participants, including mock “parents.”
“When law enforcement and school administrators provide timely, consistent information that shortens the time it takes to reunify family members with a student, then everyone benefits,” said OCPS District Police Chief Bryan Holmes. “This, when done correctly, is the beginning of our school community’s recovery.”
Video Spotlight
Tap Decades of Teaching Expertise with One Click
New to teaching or just want some tips for a great year? A bunch of OCPS legends, with a combined classroom experience that could rival a small country, shared their top-secret tips with newer educators.
In June, over 200 of these amazing teachers celebrated their careers at the Hilton Orlando at our Retirement Celebration. Some of these education all-stars had an incredible 45 years in the classroom under their belts, so they definitely know their stuff! To see the Retirement Celebration photo gallery,
Best of
Social Media
In each issue, the Orange Peal will recognize one top social media post on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). Want us to consider your school or department’s post? Send a link to orangepeal@ocps.net for consideration.
Independence
Independence Elementary School went all in when it came to creating a fun video to welcome students back to school. Let’s just say no one can throw any “shades” their way and it looked like the teachers had a blast! Click the link to watch:
You have to see this! To get fans ready for football season, West Orange High’s principal is going full-on football player in the team’s latest hype video. It’s hilarious and will get you pumped for kick-off!
The Summer Olympics may have been in Paris, but Dillard Street Elementary brought their own version to school for teacher pre-planning week! Educators created torches and the Olympic rings. They even dressed up to represent the sports that took place for a really awesome photo! They’re going for gold this school year!
Elementary
Dillard Street Elementary
West Orange High
UPCOMING
Virtual Retirement Services
Department Workshops via Zoom:
September 2024
Sept. 11, 5-6:30 p.m.:
Taking Control of Your Finances
Sept. 18, 5-6:30 p.m.:
Protecting Yourself and Your Loved Ones:
Estate and Insurance Planning
Sept. 25, 5-6:30 p.m.:
Nearing Retirement in the FRS
Submit recent photos of what’s happening in your school or department to orangepeal@ocps.net to be considered for the next issue of the Orange Peal.
OCPS alumnus and broadcaster Dylan Stanley posed for a photo with Avalon Elementary first-grade teacher and scorekeeper Patrick Hernan during a DeLand Suns’ wood-baseball bat Florida Collegiate Summer League game. Hernan was Stanley’s first-grade teacher during the 2008-2009 school year, and it was the first time they had seen each other since Stanley was an Avalon Elementary student.
Pictured left to right: OCPS alumnus Dylan Stanley and Avalon Elementary first-grade teacher Patrick Hernan
Sunrise Elementary STEAM students collaborated with the Florida Space Institute and UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science to construct a RASSOR Rover in the spring, thanks to a grant from the Florida Space Grant Consortium.
Best of…Summer and Back to School by Frank
Weber
Over the Rainbow!
Seniors who missed graduation in May celebrated with a small and colorful ceremony known as a “Rainbow Graduation.” Students from all high schools were welcome to participate.The event was held at Colonial High.
On a separate note
Visual and Performing Arts faculty met at Windermere High for a day of professional learning to kick off the 2024-2025 school year.
I Swear!
OCPS District Police Deputy Chief David Rinehart is sworn in by School Board Chair Teresa Jacobs in August as Chief Bryan Holmes looks on.
Two Thumbs U.P. !!!
Superintendent Dr. Maria F. Vazquez visited Union Park Middle School to welcome the students on their first day, Aug. 12
Welcome to Boone High
Dr. Vazquez, Principal Hector Maestre, and Board Member Alicia Farrant stopped by Boone High on the first day of school. Artwork by Emily Jones, Class of 24.
The Orange Peal is a publication by OCPS employees and for OCPS employees. It launched in April 1974 as a newsletter for all OCPS employees “from principals to custodians.” With a name encompassing the symbols of the orange and the school bell, the Orange Peal was intended for “the good news of this school system [to be] ‘rung out,’” - in other words, to peal.
Editor: Lauren Roth
Designer: Kimberly Boulnois
Contributors: Sandra Carr
Thomas “Andy” Orrell
Sara Quinby
Frank Weber
Samantha Weiss