02.20.20 West Orange Times & Observer by Orange Observer

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VOLUME 87, NO. 8

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Home sales still strong in West Orange. 10-11.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

LOST

BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

The first installment of this series examines the history of Clarcona and Fuller’s Crossing. 8-9.

Commission approves DQ, hotel projects

Former Winter Garden resident Ashley Lawrence recently became the first woman to compete in the Freestyle Alligator Wrestling Competitions in Brighton, Florida.

New developments are coming soon to West Colonial Drive.

SEE PAGE 4.

DANIELLE HENDRIX ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Two different development projects recently approved by city leaders are bringing hotels, retail and a DQ Grill & Chill to Winter Garden. During the Feb. 13 Winter SEE PROJECTS PAGE 5

PIRATES & PRINCESSES Ashley Lawrence wrangled alligators for five seasons on Animal Planet’s show “Gator Boys.”

Courtesy of Animal Planet

GATOR GIRL

Jerry Demings stumps for transportation tax Town residents shared their thoughts of Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings’ proposed one-cent sales tax increase for transportation issues. ERIC GUTIERREZ STAFF WRITER

EPIC PROPORTIONS PRSRT STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID WINTER GARDEN, FL PERMIT NO. 81

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Postal Customer

‘Ben Hur’ is heading to the Garden Theatre. 12.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings took his advocacy efforts to Oakland in a recent meeting — spreading the word about the potential one-cent sales tax increase to fund transportation needs. Demings has held more than 150 meetings in various commu-

nities throughout the county in an effort to engage residents about his mission to get a proposed one-cent sales tax increase on the November 2020 ballot. Through his community engagement efforts, Demings hopes to craft a plan on how the proposed sales tax increase would work based on the input residents have SEE COUNTY PAGE 5

Disney classics fuel West Orange High School sing-along. 15.

YOUR CALENDAR

SATURDAY, FEB. 22

1,000 TREES FOR 1,000 YEARS 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, at Tucker Ranch, 70 Tucker Road, Winter Garden. Members of the Bloom & Grow Garden Society, along with 200 volunteers, will be planting 1,000 bald cypress trees at the 209-acre recreational park and nature preserve. Registration takes place at 9 a.m. Team area assignment and planting of 999 trees will run from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A ceremonial planting of the 1,000th tree will take place at 1:30 p.m. after lunch. For more, email info@1000trees1000years. com. ART EXHIBITION 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, at the Oakland Manor House,

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620 N. Tubb St. Meet the artists taking part and browse the art gallery. Free. Spaces are limited. RSVP required. (407) 614-8219. MODERN ART MADNESS VOL. 2: THE RUSSIAN AVANT-GARDE Noon to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, at the SoBo Gallery, 127 S. Boyd St., Winter Garden. Join local artist and art history lecturer Adrienne H. Lee in this new lecture series. Tickets are $15 per person and $10 for Winter Garden Art Association members. For information, call (407) 347-7996 or email info@ wgart.org. To register, visit bit. ly/2On2etq MEET THE AUTHOR: DREW BROCKINGTON 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, at the Winter Garden Library, 805 E. Plant St. Meet Drew Brockington, author and illustrator of the Sunshine State-award winning book “Catstronauts.” Book signing to follow. (407) 835-7323.

SUNDAY, FEB. 23

SUNDAY JAZZ JAM 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, at Pilars Martini, 146 W. Plant Street, Suite 120, Winter Garden. For more information, call (407) 369-8900.

TUESDAY, FEB. 25

A TRIP TO AFRICA 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25, at the West Oaks Library, 1821 E. Silver Star Road, Ocoee. Discover African culture through interactive stories and activities. Recommended for toddlers. (407) 835-7323. MARDI GRAS AT THE BIG EASY 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25, at The Big Easy – Winter Garden New Orleans Home Cookin’, 15502 Stoneybrook West Parkway. Enjoy live music, a mask contest, photo booth, giveaways, games, hot boiled crawfish and more. (407) 654-3279.

THURSDAY, FEB. 27

WOMEN BUILD WINE MINGLE 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, at the West Orange Habitat

ReStore Showroom, 13369 W. Colonial Drive, Winter Garden. West Orange Habitat for Humanity invites all the ladies of Central Florida to their Women Build Wine Mingle. Attendees will sip wine, network, mingle and make friends, all while learning how they can become involved in Women Build 2020. Visit westorangehabitat.org/ womenbuild to learn more. Visit bit.ly/2STB9PJ to RSVP for the mingle event.

FRIDAY, FEB. 28

JAZZ IN THE TOWN CENTER 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, at the Oakland Town Center, 230 N. Tubb St. Hosted by the town of Oakland and HAPCO Music Foundation. Enjoy an evening of music with the Orlando Youth Chamber Ensembles. (407) 656-1117. LET’S CROCHET AMIGURUMI LOVE BIRDS 2 to 3:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, at the Winter Garden Library, 805 E. Plant St. Crochet cute amigurumi stuffed toys. Students are required to take tools and yarn. (407) 835-7323.

SATURDAY, FEB. 29

UNITY CONCERT 2020 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29, at West Orange High School, 1625 Beulah Road, Winter Garden. Join the Orlando Choral Society and conductors Dr. Jeffery Redding and Christine Le for the fifth annual concert to benefit Shepherd’s Hope. Tickets are $10 at Eventbrite.com or $15 at the door.

FRIDAY, MARCH 6

GROCERY STORE TOUR 9 to 10 a.m. Friday, March 6, at a local grocery store to be announced. Join an Orlando Health dietitian for a grocery store tour to learn how to navigate the aisles and make the healthiest choices for the family. Space is limited; RSVP required at (407) 407-3046.

SATURDAY, MARCH 7

96TH ANNUAL BIRTHDAY LUNCHEON 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at the GFWC Woman’s Club of Ocoee, 4 N. Lakewood Drive, Ocoee. Enjoy a purse auction, door prizes, silent auction and 50-50 raffle. $20. For tickets, call (407) 230-8782 or (407) 865-2865.

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12403 West Colonial Dr • Winter Garden, FL 34787

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

NEWS BRIEFS Oakland police investigates crash

Jackie McAlonis and Frank Henry took photos in front of one of the murals.

Come away with me in the night … Sandi and Jim Schmitt came for the carriage rides. Right: Theresa Privett and Alex Navarro made memories in front of one of the chalk murals.

ove was in the air in downtown Winter Garden the evening of Friday, Feb. 14, for the city’s Serenade Under the Stars event celebrating Valentine’s Day. Attendees enjoyed live music near the clock tower from the Forget Me Not band, took photos in front of Valentine’s Day chalk murals along Boyd Street and enjoyed the romantic offerings of downtown Winter Garden. Some attendees even took fairy-tale carriage rides around downtown. Reggie Mangal danced the night away with his daughter and valentine, Nora Jane.

— ERIC GUTIERREZ

An investigation is underway after a fatal hit-and-run crash claimed the life of a 57-year-old woman in Oakland Sunday, Feb. 16. According to a statement from the Oakland Police Department, Sheena Rodriguez was crossing State Road 50 just west of Tubb Street at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday with her husband when she was struck by a vehicle heading westbound. Rodriguez was transported to a local hospital but later died. According to the statement, the vehicle never stopped. The vehicle is described as blue- or dark-colored sedan, possibly with a white top. There is reason to believe the vehicle is an oldermodel Nissan with front-end damage, police say. Anyone who may have information should contact the Oakland Police Department at (407) 656-9797.

Ocoee hosts black history essay contest The city of Ocoee will be paying tribute to Black History Month throughout February. The city also will be hosting its 16th Annual Black History Month Essay Contest for fifth grade students who attend Ocoee elementary schools. The theme of this year’s contest is “A Vision of Hope.” The following schools are taking part in the contest: Citrus Elementary, Hope Charter School, Maxey Elementary, Ocoee Elementary, Prairie Lake Elementary, Renaissance Charter School at Crown Point, Thornebrooke Elementary and Westbrooke Elementary. So far, more than 300 essays have been submitted for the contest. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at City Hall; 150 North Lakeshore Drive. The overall contest winner will be awarded a $250 gift card from Best Buy, and first-place winners will receive a $50 gift card from Best Buy. Winning students will recite their essays at the ceremony, which will be televised on Ocoee TV, Spectrum channel 493 and streamed online at ocoee.org/197/OcoeeTV.

lec E e R

Preserving Winter Garden’s Traditions Maintaining safe streets, schools and neighborhoods.

Political advertisement paid for and approved by Lisa Bennett for Winter Garden Commissioner, non-partisan.

Being fiscally responsible with budgeting and taxes. Listening and prioritizing citizen input. Protecting Winter Garden’s charm, quality of life, and preserving city traditions.

139 N Highland Ave, Winter Garden, FL 34787 I (321) 948-9296 I BennettforDistrict1@gmail.com

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VOTE MARCH 17TH

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

WEST ORANGE TIMES &

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DANIELLE HENDRIX ASSOCIATE EDITOR

shley Lawrence is no stranger to wrestling alligators nearly twice her size. In fact, it’s something the former Winter Garden resident has done for years. And after 10 years of working with alligators, she has come face-to-face with hundreds of them. Standing at just 4-foot-11 and weighing 115 pounds, Lawrence regularly wrestles with alligators much larger than her. She even was the female star of the Animal Planet show “Gator Boys.” But on Valentine’s Day weekend, Lawrence hit another milestone: She became the first woman to compete in the Freestyle Alligator Wrestling Competitions at Brighton Field Days. WILDLIFE WARRIOR

Lawrence, 33, began handling wildlife and educating the public when she was 18 years old, working as a tiger trainer at Jungle Island. She performed wildlife shows with tigers, lions and more. “That led me to volunteering at an alligator rescue, specifically for nuisance alligators,” said Lawrence, who now works in South Florida. “In the state of Florida, nuisance alligators unfortunately — because there are so many — many of them are euthanized. It’s kind of sad. The rescue I worked at for about six years, we would bring those alligators to different parks or different zoos and some of them would stay at the rescue.” Those that stayed at the rescue were used for traditional Seminole alligator wrestling shows, which Lawrence said educated the public about the culture of alligator wrestling and alligator safety. According to Florida Seminole Tourism, alligators and the Seminole Tribe have a longstanding history. Alligator wrestling once was used practically, as the tribe caught them for their hides and

meat. They also were important during ceremonial practices, with the relationship between alligators and the Seminoles being one of respect. They played an integral role in trade, and eventually, alligators began to serve a new purpose for the Seminoles — tourism and showmanship. “The alligator wrestling kind of stemmed from them hand-capturing the alligators and bringing them back alive,” Lawrence said. “They didn’t use knives or hooks or weapons: It’s all hand-capture. It’s so unique, and it’s why it gets so much attention, because it’s something people aren’t used to seeing. … It’s very exciting, it gets people’s attention, but also we can teach them about alligator safety and really drive home why it’s so important not to feed the alligators. “That’s one of the No. 1 reasons why alligators become a nuisance,” she said. In the early 2010s, Lawrence was the female star of the Animal Planet show “Gator Boys,” which ran for five seasons. It was a reality television series that followed two alligator trappers, Paul Bedard and Jimmy Riffle, as they captured nuisance alligators in the Florida Everglades. “It really got the nation’s attention regarding alligator safety and changing the view of how people feel about alligators,” Lawrence said. “It changed the idea of an alligator being something that is feared to something people felt more stewardship toward. “It was such an incredible feeling to see people’s minds change about these alligators,” she said. Although it brings her inherent fame, Lawrence’s favorite aspect of her work is its educational component. “(I’ve had) people who are so afraid of alligators coming up to me and telling me they saw them in a different way, and they could think of them as these animals with colorful lives and amazing behaviors

and learning about how alligators are such maternal animals,” Lawrence said. “It was incredible seeing people’s perceptions change about them. It’s a hard job, but it’s incredibly rewarding.” And her biggest supporter is her mother, Winter Garden resident Andrea LoCicero-Orr. Although LoCicero-Orr often worries about her daughter wrestling animals twice her size, Lawrence said her mother is someone who always has supported her in her wildlife endeavors. “She is not a wild-animal wrangler by any means, but she definitely allows me to do what I need to do,” Lawrence said. “She is somebody who has always supported and made allowances for her crazy animal-lover daughter.” WRESTLING WOMAN

When it comes to alligator wrestling competitions, Lawrence is breaking stereotypes. As a petite woman in a maledominated field, she continually proves her skills and showmanship in a way that is respectful to the alligators and captivating to the crowds. At her size, she said, the core skill that allows her to do what she does is understanding animal behavior. “I feel like that is the magic behind what it is that I do,” she said. “Once you understand the animal’s drive and its movements, it allows you to work with them in a way that you don’t necessarily have to overpower the gator or hurt the animal or anything like that. It’s just a matter of understanding how they move and what

drives them, and that allows me to work around them.” Because traditional Seminolestyle alligator wrestling doesn’t involve physical harm to the gators or the use of weapons, it’s also less likely to rile the animals up — something that helps tremendously when gator wrestling. But despite having wrestled gators for years, the freestyle alligator wrestling competition Feb. 15 and 16 in Brighton was Lawrence’s first official competition. The Seminole Tribe purchases nuisance alligators from trappers, and the gators will have one sixminute competition before being retired to tribal lands in the Everglades, she said. “As somebody who has a deep love and respect for these animals, knowing that these animals only have six (minutes) in the arena with us professionals and then they get to go to freedom, that’s incredibly important to me,” Lawrence said. Lawrence said she had no desire to compete until other competitors approached her saying they would be honored if she would be the first woman to wrestle in the competition. It was an opportunity to step into the arena, break stereotypes and show young girls and women that they, too, can do whatever they’re passionate about. “There aren’t a lot of women who work with alligators — there’s only a handful of us — and there are even fewer tribal women who work with alligators,” she said. “When some of the tribal wrestlers came to me and said, ‘We think it would be a wonderful thing for you to show people that you have what it takes to work with these animals, I think that it could change some hearts and minds about it,’ I thought it was important. “I know in my heart that I am a person — not just a woman — but a person who has a career of conservation and respect for the wildlife of Florida and especially alligators, so if there was going to be a woman to enter this competition, I thought, ‘Why not me?’” she said. Her first competition lasted six minutes, during which she wrestled an 8 1/2-foot alligator that weighed between 150 and 200 pounds. She ended up picking it up in her arms. The second day, she wrestled an alligator measuring at least 9 feet in length and weighing more than 200 pounds. Overall, she placed fifth out of 10 competitors. “I definitely come from a place of humility, respect and knowledge, and I really hope people can see that just by looking at the size of me compared to these magnificent animals,” she said.

“(I’ve had) people who are so afraid of alligators coming up to me and telling me they saw them in a different way, and they could think of them as these animals with colorful lives and amazing behaviors and learning about how alligators are such maternal animals.” — Ashley Lawrence

LETTER TO THE EDITOR FAMILY THANKFUL FOR WINTER GARDEN LOVE Dear Editor: My brother, Brian Mills, a resident of Winter Garden, passed away last week. My father and stepmother live in Winter Garden, too, but there were many of us who flew to Winter Garden for my brother’s service and we wanted to recognize one of your local businesses for their unbe-

lievable actions during this time. My brother, Brian, was a chef at the Italian Garden Restaurant and Pizzeria at 13770 W. Colonial Drive. The owner, Kenny, and his family showed an amazing outpouring of love and support to my family after Brian’s passing. Not only did Kenny close down his restaurant so that my family could eat a meal together and celebrate Brian after the memorial service, but also his family

cooked for and served our family with so much love and so many kind words for my brother that we felt at home, and taken care of, during the aftermath of a sudden and terrible loss. We will visit their restaurant whenever we are in Winter Garden, and will recommend it to everyone we know. Brian often spoke of how lucky he was to work for people who valued family. We witnessed this firsthand during the delicious

meal we shared together at Italian Garden on Thursday. Kenny, our family will never forget what you and your family did for Brian and our family. We feel that we are ALL family now. God bless you and your family, and we wish you many years of success in your restaurant. THE FLORIDA, OREGON AND VIRGINIA FAMILY OF BRIAN MILLS

Observer “If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.” Friedrich Hayek

“Road to Serfdom,” 1944 President and CEO / Matt Walsh, mwalsh@yourobserver.com Editor and Publisher / Michael Eng, meng@OrangeObserver.com Managing Editor / Tim Freed, tfreed@OrangeObserver.com Design Editor / Jessica Eng, jeng@OrangeObserver.com Community Editor / Amy Quesinberry, amyq@OrangeObserver.com Sports Editor /Troy Herring, therring@OrangeObserver.com Associate Editor / Danielle Hendrix, dhendrix@OrangeObserver.com Staff Writer / Eric Gutierrez, egutierrez@OrangeObserver.com Multimedia Advertising Executives / Ann Carpenter, acarpenter@OrangeObserver.com Iggy Collazo, iggy@OrangeObserver.com Cyndi Gustafson, advertising@OrangeObserver.com Creative Services Lindsay Cannizzaro, lcannizzaro@OrangeObserver.com Advertising Operations Manager / Allison Brunelle, abrunelle@OrangeObserver.com Office Coordinator / Accounting Ashley McWilliams, amcwilliams@OrangeObserver.com

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Projects County hears local traffic concerns approved CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Garden commission meeting, commissioners unanimously gave the green light to an ordinance that rezones roughly 8.25 acres on the northeast corner of Carter Road and West Colonial Drive from one Planned Commercial Development to a new one. The ordinance, which concerns the parcel of land located at 12301 W. Colonial Drive, originally was brought to the table for commissioners to consider during the Jan. 9 commission meeting. Dubbed the Peoples Plaza PCD, this new project will entail demolishing all existing buildings on the site and putting in their place two hotels, a 7-Eleven gas station and one or two commercial lots. One hotel will be a Hampton Inn, and the other has not yet been named. Between the two hotels, there is a maximum of 220 total rooms allowed. The project also will allow for one drive-thru restaurant. Plans show the two hotels on the north side of the site and 7-Eleven station with attached car wash at the corner of West Colonial Drive and Carter Road. The southeast portion of the site is designated for commercial space. Winter Garden resident Ron Mueller questioned the developer as to why he planned to include a gas station when the city has had a handful of failed ones. “My one question was just about — and I very (much) welcome your hotel and I think it’s great and I’m looking forward to them — just the gas station,” Mueller said. “We have some, and I think you probably heard some conversation during the first reading that … we’ve already had a couple that have gone under and so on and so forth, so I was just trying to get a better understanding of the need to have a service station along with the hotels.” City Manager Mike Bollhoefer said staff did not necessarily want to have a gas station on the site, but in order to bring in such a project, sometimes it requires compromise between the city and developers. “As you find with redevelopment, when you’re doing large tracts, developers have to make numbers work,” Bollhoefer said. “To get the entire site developed, without the gas station (it) would kill the whole deal and would not make it financially feasible. That’s why the staff approved the gas station, because it was an essential component to get the entire project done. … Those gas stations seem to be important financial components of those deals.” Mueller reiterated that there were a couple of failed service stations in the area and did not know about the feasibility of what the station’s income structure would look like. “I will tell you some of the feasibility — (with) the traffic light and a brand-new gas station on a corner, I have no doubt that that one will do well, because it’s a great location,” Bollhoefer said.

given in the various community meetings. County leaders also will be considering input from the more than 10,000 surveys related to traffic and transportation needs that Orange County residents have submitted. Due to tourism and continued, rapid growth in Orange County, the county is in need of a dedicated funding source to pay for transportation and infrastructure needs throughout the area. Demings believes the proposed sales tax increase is the best solution to generate enough funds to address the county’s transportation issues. If approved, the tax would generate about $596 million each year, which would help fund Lynx, SunRail and other transportation-related projects in the county. The sales tax would be applied

to retail goods and services and not prescription drugs, utilities or essential food items. Additionally, tourists would be contributing more than half of the monies that would be derived from the sales tax increase rather than putting the full tax burden on local residents. “Any other scenario puts 100% of the burden on the backs of the people who live here, and it would be inadequate,” Demings said. When it comes to traffic-related concerns for Oakland residents, some in attendance commented on the traffic impacts from Lake County residents, as well as traffic signalization issues. “We are on the border of Lake County,” Resident Judy Rosser said during the meeting. “We see a tremendous impact from Lake County residents accessing our area, so is there any way that Lake County shares in the burden?”

Demings said, depending on the outcome of the proposed sales tax increase, Lake County could implement a similar plan. “Lake County is placing very close attention to what is happening in Orange (County),” Demings said. “They have similar challenges, and I believe if we’re successful in Orange (County), you’re going to see Lake County come back and try to also do a half-penny or a penny sales tax as well.” When it comes to traffic signalization, Rosser said signal timing in Oakland could use some improvements. Renzo Nastasi, transportation planning manager at Orange County, said the county is planning to upgrade the traffic signal system as a whole throughout the county. He added if the sales tax is approved, funding from it would only help efforts related to traffic signal improvements.

Another project a few miles west includes a brand-new DQ Grill & Chill restaurant. The West Market site project — an 18.25-acre property at 14120 W. Colonial Drive, near South Park Avenue and Sand Lime Road — has been in the works for a couple of years now, with land cleared for it in mid-2018. Part of the project, a 2,612-square-foot DQ Grill & Chill drive-thru restaurant on a 0.99-acre lot, officially was approved by commissioners during the meeting. Plans for the one-story building also include an additional 464-square-foot space to be used for a freezer, cooler and dry storage. There will be 33 total parking spaces, as well as six spaces to park bicycles. Commissioner Bob Buchanan asked when the restaurant would be built. Community Development Director Steve Pash said he believes the developer will break ground shortly. The commission voted to approve the site plan, with Commissioner Mark Maciel recusing.

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Oakland votes to keep pillars in place Town leaders reversed their earlier decision to relocate the two eastern Grace Park pillars to the other side of the western ones. DANIELLE HENDRIX ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Oakland town leaders reversed a previous decision regarding relocating two of the four remaining columns in Grace Park. Initially, during a Jan. 28 commission meeting, commissioners agreed to relocate the two eastern columns to the other side of the western columns. This ensured at least part of the park remains in its original location. The original decision came about because, although architectural drawings called for the town’s new Healthy West Orange Arts & Heritage Center to wrap around Grace Park, some town officials decided the construction was too close to the park. This all was contingent upon cost, which Town Manager Steve Koontz brought to the table during the Feb. 11 commission meeting. “We were going to take the two eastern posts and they were going to be flipped to the west, so two posts were going to stay and only two posts would be moved,” Koontz told the commission. “There weren’t any caveats on that, but there was a lot of discussion about cost and … in my mind, it was ensuring we did this in a reasonable way where it was feasible and we weren’t going to mess up something that was already there. That’s been our plan all along, getting those costs and making sure we could do this without causing any issues with the existing posts.” Koontz said he had estimated the cost of relocating the two columns would be somewhere between $3,000 and $6,000. However, the estimate the town received was $8,500. A crane would be required to move the posts. Relocating the columns in the first place was a matter of aesthetics. The decision was a compromise, and commissioners decided they would continue discussing

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IN OTHER NEWS n Commissioners voted to allow Oakland Avenue Charter School to begin internally managing its own VPK program starting with the 202021 school year. The school currently partners with ASP Inc. — which provides after-school care and VPK programs — and wanted to change after-care vendors without affecting the VPK program. Oakland Avenue Charter School taking over the VPK program management will avoid the issue of disenfranchising children enrolled in the program and maintaining consistency. n Commissioners also voted to approve accepting TLC Engineering Solutions’ response to the town’s request for a quote to replace Oakland Avenue Charter School’s HVAC system. This also includes authorizing Town Manager Steve Koontz to negotiate the contract with TLC.

further solutions if they weren’t happy with the cost. Mayor Kathy Stark has been opposed to relocating the columns due to their historic significance. “I don’t want to move something that I believe and remember to be historic when I moved in here,” Stark said. “I just don’t see the point. I don’t know how much more research can be done, because I just don’t think we have records to validate anything further than what we’ve done. This is the way it was drawn, this is the way the architect put it together. I just really, at the end of the day, don’t like moving historical things off historical sites.” Commissioner Joseph McMullen said although there was valid concern to move the columns, there was enough debate surrounding the decision that he, too, was hesitant about it. “We’re not trying to move it just to move it,” McMullen said. “We’re trying to move it because of a potential hazard in the future, because we don’t know what kind of foot traffic (we’ll have). There are valid points of why not to move it. We’re trying to get ahead of potential issues and potential challenges. At least we know there’s some good causation around it. “I know Commissioner (Sal) Ramos was the one that came up with the idea of moving two poles because of the tightness of the area,” McMullen said. “But if we have this much conversation around it, I’m with you … just leave it alone.”

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KLA Schools to open new location KLA Schools of Horizon West is coming to the Summerlake area this fall.

Courtesy KLA Schools of Horizon West

DANIELLE HENDRIX ASSOCIATE EDITOR

This fall, families in the Horizon West area will have a new option for early childhood education. KLA Schools of Horizon West is the newest addition to the South Florida-based KLA Schools family. The roughly 2.6-acre campus is being built at 8185 Summerlake Groves St. in Winter Garden, and pre-enrollment is open now. The school should officially open by the end of the summer. The early childhood education center offers developmentally appropriate programs inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy in an environment meant to inspire. “I would say we offer more of a modern-progressive approach to early childhood education,” said School Director Melissa De La Rosa. “With the Reggio Emilia philosophy approach, one of the things that is most important is that children are active participants and the protagonists in their learning. They develop skills needed to explore ideas and interests, as well as express their ideas in multiple ways. “We set up an environment that is aesthetically pleasing, but in addition it sparks their curiosity so children are constantly in an environment where they can inquire,” she said. “More than giving an answer (to a question), the idea is to throw the ball back into their court, that they’re finding those answers themselves. Children often will create theories, and the idea is they revisit those theories often — more than the teacher just imparting

knowledge or giving an answer to them.” KLA Schools serves children from ages 3 months to 5 years old, and also will offer beforeand after-school programs for school-age children. And with the Reggio Emilia philosophy at the core of the curriculum, children are encouraged to formulate their own ideas, draw conclusions and convey knowledge in a collaborative learning environment. According to the KLA Schools informational handbook, “educators facilitate brainstorming discussions and offer opportunities for children to express their ideas and motives.” The goal is for children to develop skills such as problem solving, collaboration, sharing and understanding cause and effect. “That curiosity and love of learning is what’s going to take you through those years,” De La Rosa said. KLA Schools is focused on a well-rounded education. This includes not only physical and cognitive growth and development, but also social and emotional. To help foster children’s developmental milestones, the Horizon West location will offer an art studio or workshop, a water exploration laboratory, children’s arboretum, playgrounds structured by age group and fields for extracurricular activities. The program also values parents as partners in a child’s development and education, recognizing that parents are the first teachers. “We want to offer a warm and

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nurturing environment where parents and children feel like they belong,” De La Rosa said. “We’ve gotten a very positive reaction from our families. … They want their children to be able to participate in a program that allows them to create and innovate and express themselves in many different ways.” According to KLA Schools’ website, collaboration between teachers, parents and children is an integral part of the educational experience. KLA Schools believes that through these partnerships and collaboration with teachers and parents, children will benefit from experiencing many of the same principles at home that they do in school. This leads to them thriving through consistency. “We know that our environment will be able to provide a one-of-a-kind experience for the children in our area — that there is joy in learning,” she said. “That’s what we want to bring back, that joy in learning and the lifelong love of (learning). We really want to celebrate (children’s) work and have an environment that’s warm and nurturing and sparks their interest and curiosity.”

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8185 Summerlake Groves St., Winter Garden Phone: (407) 917-4343 KLA Schools of Horizon West is now accepting pre-enrollment for children ages 3 months to 5 years. For more information on the school, visit klaschoolshorizonwest.com or email horizonwest@klaschools. com.

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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

Resident runs top-rated leadership podcast Lorenzo Flores hosts a leadership podcast that garners thousands of listeners each month.

Lorenzo Flores had a podcast studio built into his Winter Garden home when he moved to the area about two years ago.

ERIC GUTIERREZ STAFF WRITER

is that the dialogue around effective communication, great listening skills, leadership through empowerment (and) inspirational leadership are themes that play out in all elements of industries, all workplaces and all work scenarios.” — Lorenzo Flores

club (gigs) but then getting on the college radio show. … Music has always been in my life, and then for a while there, after moving to Georgia and then to Florida, I was always doing something (musicrelated) — mostly recording or doing some production work. I ended up turning 40 a couple years ago. I said as part of my bucket list of 40 (that) I’m going to get back into some type of published audio. I thought radio, maybe; internet radio, maybe; and then podcasting was just the thing.” Flores first moved to Florida in 2007 but moved to his Winter Garden home about two years ago. He works on the podcast with his partner, Chris Stark, who is based in California. When he first started, he didn’t have much of a theme and typically discussed topics related to his interests. “My first podcast was my introduction back into radio,” Flores said. “It was (called) the Life of Lozo podcast, and it was just me talking about all the crazy things

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The Hacking Your Leadership podcast releases episodes four to five times a week. The main, longer episodes are released on Mondays and typically run about 20 minutes. The other episodes released throughout the week are about three to eight minutes each and cover other topics loosely related to leadership in different aspects. When he’s not in his studio recording for the podcast, he works a day job as a store leader for Apple. “When it comes to leadership and podcasts and what people want to take away, it’s not longform,” Flores said. “We wanted to do 20-minute (episodes) or less, like (for when) you’re on a break or driving to work or driving home. By building the structure that way, we got a lot of people to listen very quickly, because they weren’t fully invested in these hourlong, longform podcasts. It was, we believe, super effective, and I think that’s really what helped us with the growth of the show.”

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that I’m into — hip hop, sports, MMA (mixed martial arts), small business. Anything at all that I was interested in, I would talk about. A lot of people responded (saying), ‘We love your podcast, but you should talk about leadership, because you’ve been all over the country and you’ve worked for these Fortune 100 companies and people know you were a leader.’” The Life of Lozo podcast led to the development of Hacking Your Leadership. Flores did an episode of Life of Lozo discussing leadership, and listeners responded that they wanted more related to that topic. Eventually, Flores and his partner decided to make a podcast all about leadership. It was an instant hit . In the month of January alone, the Hack Your Leadership podcast received nearly 90,000 downloads, and it’s received more than one million downloads in the two years it’s been active. Today, the podcast has more than 250 episodes, with many more on the way.

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Lorenzo Flores could be considered a leader of leaders. In fact, leadership is the central theme of his podcast, which garners thousands of listeners and downloads each month. That podcast — called “Hacking Your Leadership ” — is consistently featured in the top 12 of Apple Podcast’s management category. “It’s a leadership podcast about all aspects of leadership, all different industries (and) really applicable conversations that people can take in and then apply to the roles that they have,” Flores said. “A lot of it is relative to retail, because that’s my background. … We speak about a lot of things that apply to retail leadership, but what we’ve been impressed with is the amount of listeners (who) are (from other industries). What we’ve seen is that the dialogue around effective communication, great listening skills, leadership through empowerment (and) inspirational leadership are themes that play out in all elements of industries, all workplaces and all work scenarios.” Born and raised in Michigan, Flores, 42, has a background in DJing, radio broadcasting and music production. He also has worked more than 20 years in retail management and leadership positions. In that time, he has garnered more than enough experience and wisdom on the subject of leadership to write a book about it — which he did after launching the podcast. It was his background in music and radio that inspired him to begin podcasting. “In the mid-’90s — 1996 — I started DJing on turntables,” Flores said. “I ended up doing some night

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

LOST

BUT NOT FORGOTTEN AMY QUESINBERRY | COMMUNITY EDITOR

Clarcona and Fuller’s Crossing The two areas — one north of Winter Garden and the other north of Ocoee — were stops along the rail line. The rural community of Clarcona still exists.

here are a number of communities in West Orange County that once had promising futures but, for some reason, failed to grow into full cities and towns.

Many were wiped out in the 1894-95 freeze. Remnants of their past still are present along the West Orange Trail, in school names, on street signs and on neighborhood entrances. Clarcona, just north of Ocoee, and Fuller’s Crossing, north of Winter Garden, likely started as nothing more than rail stops. CLARCONA

Downtown Clarcona is basically the crossroads of ApopkaVineland and Clarcona-Ocoee roads. The best description of Clarcona’s borders is the unincorporated areas of lakes, homes, pastures, nurseries, horse farms, citrus groves and woods between Pine Hills, Ocoee, Fairvilla and Apopka, according to one newspaper article. Its earliest inhabitants were New England residents who were lured by the promise of free land; their farms in New Hampshire, Connecticut and Massachusetts were no longer at peak production, and they sought a better life in the South. The first, Nathaniel Barlow, homesteaded 160 acres. The second settler was W.N. Clark, who came in 1880. The settlement continued to grow as more New Englanders moved in. Soon, two railroads — the Orange Belt (later called the Atlantic Coast Line) and Florida Midland — crossed through; and a Congregational Church, packinghouse, store, school, threestory hotel, turpentine still and sawmill were built.

Clark’s sawmill was a major employer in the area, and it is believed the community’s original name was Clark’s Corner — but it has evolved over the years. Another popular thought is Clark’s Corner was shortened to Clarcona because there was another post office near DeLand by the same name. Clarcona got its own post office in 1887. Clarcona was located at the junction of two railroad lines. Once trains left the Clarcona station, they either stopped at Millerton/Villa Nuova, Staten’s Crossing, Crown Point, Winter Garden, Tildenville and Oakland before rolling into Lake County, or they continued south through Ocoee and Gotha. At one time, several lakes — now dried up — dotted the Clarcona area: Long, Alpharetta, Arlie, Trout and Cora Lee. The Clarcona Improvement Association was established in 1966, initially in an effort to close down a dump on Damon Road opened by Orange County. The charter membership numbered 120. The residents won, and the county moved the dump. In its

Three black-and-white photos depict views of J.C. Ward’s Grocery & Meats establishment. It could be an earlier architectural version of the Clarcona Grocery Store at the corner of Angola Street and Clarcona-Ocoee Road, in Ocoee. It also served as Stone’s Grocery Store.

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OrangeObserver.com

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Employees gathered for a group photo outside the Fuller Packinghouse around 1920.

place is the 40-acre equestrian park, Clarcona Horse Park.

FULLER’S CROSSING

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The John T. Fuller Packinghouse was located on the east side of Ocoee-Apopka Road, and the ACL railroad tracks ran just beyond the structure. The West Orange Trail runs along the former rail line.

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Lost But Not Forgotten is a continuing series that examines some of the communities from West Orange’s past.

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Staten’s Crossing became Fuller’s Crossing when John T. Fuller bought the packing house and surrounding property.

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old packing house — located on the north side of the Orange Belt Railway — in an agreement with Wiley & Co. (or Wilie & Co.), of Titusville; Smythe & Co., orange packers, of Orlando; and the Banyard Brooker Co., of Staten’s (or Statens) Crossing. The document also included an agreement by the sellers to build a new packing house. Fuller’s packing house was located at the intersection of the West Orange Trail (which was formerly the ACL rail line) and Fullers Cross Road, north of the Crown Point plat. The structure stood just east of the Ocoee-Apopka Highway and immediately south of the railroad tracks. According to an article in the Winter Garden Journal in 1933, there were 10 active citrus plants within a three-mile radius of Winter Garden, including the International Fruit Company, at Fuller’s Crossing. After Fuller’s death, the property was sold to Standard Growers. Today, the area is heavily forested in pine and scrub.

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When locals hear the name “Fuller,” they most likely think of Fullers Cross Road, which unofficially has been called Dead Man’s Curve for decades. But Fuller’s Crossing once was a spot on the map where trains stopped to pick up citrus before continuing down the rail line. In 1889, Dr. Wylie, Mr. Roland and J.B. Staten, of Valdosta, Georgia, bought from the Hudson estate through Judge Speer several hundred acres of choice land, mostly hammock, along the shores of Lake Apopka, which they used in vegetable and citrus growing up to the time of the freeze of 1894-95. John T. Fuller, formerly of Tennessee, was interested in buying property in Central Florida and found what he was looking for on acreage on the southeast shores of Lake Apopka. It was a place called Staten’s Crossing. In 1903, Fuller purchased the plot of land for $10,000 from Erma C. Wiley, W.L. Thomas and Fannie R. Thomas, according to a legal document at the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation. The legal description mentions “the centre of a branch, or stream, known as Staten’s Branch” and also uses land markers such as a live oak tree to map the boundaries of the land. The property, which became Fuller’s Crossing, ran along the edge of Lake Apopka. Fuller’s citrus packing house — named John T. Fuller Packinghouse — was located on the railroad stop which, by then, bore the new name Fuller’s Crossing. Fullers Cross Road is the southern boundary of the Fuller property. The purchase of the land included the right to lease an

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

Lakeshore Preserve home sells for $705,000

Trust services. Fixed income. Retirement planning. Estate newset to of thewealth Trading. Mutual funds & etfs. 4401ks. We’re A diverse Let usto Investment management. Asset nt. Neighborhood. management options meet home in the Lakeshore you around. Trust services. Fixed income. 401L ing. Show your diverse set of needs. Preserve community Retirement planning. Estate planning. Trading. Asset topped all Winter Garden management. IRAs. 401(k)s. Tax planning. Robo-advice. residential real-estate Wealth management. Fixed income. Research. Investment transactions from Feb. 10 management. Trust service. Mutual funds & ETFs. to 15. The home at 8049 Retirement accounts. Specialists. Trust services. Fixed Topsail Place, Winter Garincome. Retirement planning. Estate planning. Trading. den, 34787, sold Feb. 14, for Asset management. IRAs. 401(k)s. Tax planning. Robo$705,000. Built in 2018, it advice. Wealth management. Fixed income. Research. Investment management. Trust service. Mutual funds &has five bedrooms, four-

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WATERLEIGH

The home at 14385 Orchard Hills Blvd., Winter Garden, 34787, sold Feb. 12, for $399,000. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, twoand-one-half baths and 2,470 square feet. The price per square foot is $161.54. Days on market: 110.

435

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rove Driv The G e

The home at 14513 Sabal Crest Way, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Feb. 13, for $360,000. Built in 2016, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 2,075 square feet. The price per square foot is $173.49. Days on market: 26.

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The home at 10193 Spring Shores Drive, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Feb. 13, for $425,000. Built in 2018, it has four bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths and 3,316 square feet. The price per square foot is $128.17. Days on market: 140. The home at 16118 Azure Key St., Winter Garden, 34787, sold Feb. 13, for $419,900. Built in 2018, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,113 square feet. The price per square foot is $198.72. Days on market: 32.

SNAPSHOT

The home at 7597 Tangerine Knoll Loop, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Feb. 10, for $460,000. Built in 2018, it has four bedrooms, three

INDIAN RESTAURANT

The home at 14759 Porter Road, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Feb. 10, for $355,000. Built in 2013, it has four bedrooms, two-andone-half baths and 2,754 square feet. The price per square foot is $128.90. Days on market: 83. The home at 15467 Murcott Blossom Blvd., Winter Garden, 34787, sold Feb. 14, for $401,000. Built in 2015, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,454 square feet. The price per square foot is $163.41. Days on market: 190.

ORCHARD HILLS

Conroy Windermere Road

SUMMERLAKE

SUMMERLAKE GROVES

The home at 9270 Bradleigh Drive, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Feb. 14, for $520,000. Built in 2018, it has four bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths and 3,090 square feet. The price per square foot is $168.28. Days on market: 16.

Holly Berry Circle

The home at 10109 Bedtime Story Drive, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Feb. 11, for $331,000. Built in 2017, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,042 square feet. The price per square foot is $162.10. Days on market: 10.

LAKESHORE PRESERVE

LATHAM PARK SOUTH

Bond Street

STOREY GROVE

The home at 14810 Bahama Swallow Blvd., Winter Garden, 34787, sold Feb. 14, for $455,000. Built in 2014, it has four bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths and 3,188 square feet. The price per square foot is $142.72. Days on market: 115.

The townhouse at 8873 Fountain Palm Alley, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Feb. 14, for $395,000. Built in 2018, it has four bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 2,162 square feet. The price per square foot is $182.70. Days on market: 132.

Hancock Road

1600 Hancock Road

Ho oks Str eet

The home at 14431 Avenue of the Rushes, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Feb. 14, for $410,000. Built in 2006, it has five bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths and 3,565 square feet. The price per square foot is $115.01. Days on market: 148.

HAMLIN RESERVE

The home at 15326 Honeybell Drive, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Feb. 14, for $385,000. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,979 square feet. The price per square foot is $194.54. Days on market: 87.

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SIGNATURE LAKES

The home at 14746 Bahama Swallow Blvd., Winter Garden, 34787, sold Feb. 14, for $488,800. Built in 2014, it has six bedrooms, four baths and 3,718 square feet. The price per square foot is $131.47. Days on market: two.

Days on market: 239.

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baths and 2,240 square feet. The price per square foot is $205.36. Days on market: 13.

Total Sales: 48 High Sale Price: $705,000 Low Sale Price: $112,500

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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

REAL ESTATE

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

WINDSTONE AT OCOEE

The home at 2259 Anacostia Ave., Ocoee, 34761, sold Feb. 12, for $293,000. Built in 2006, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 2,236 square feet. The price per square foot is $131.04. Days on market: 42.

WINTER GARDEN ANNIE L. BERRY

The home at 203 S. Main St., Winter Garden, 34787, sold Feb. 11, for $450,000. Built in 1916, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,185 square feet. The price per square foot is $205.95. Days on market: 13. BLACK LAKE PARK

The home at 592 First Cape Coral Drive, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Feb. 14, for $335,000. Built in 2006, it has four bedrooms, twoand-one-half baths and 2,834 square feet. The price per square foot is $118.21. Days on market: one.

Zillow.com

The home at 8049 Topsail Place, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Feb. 14, for $705,000. Features include a fully upgraded Madeira floor plan with extended kitchen and breakfast area, along with a large covered lanai on the first floor.

OCOEE

ARDEN PARK NORTH

The home at 1753 Black Maple Place, Ocoee, 34761, sold Feb. 13, for $346,775. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 1,853 square feet. The price per square foot is $187.14. Days on market: 53.

BRYNMAR

The home at 1013 Garrett Gilliam Drive, Ocoee, 34761, sold Feb. 15, for $342,900. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, three-andone-half baths and 2,865 square feet. The price per square foot is $119.69. Days on market: 31. CROSS CREEK

The home at 438 Fern Meadow Loop, Ocoee, 34761, sold Feb. 10, for $325,000. Built in 1997, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 1,962 square feet. The price per square foot is $165.65. Days on market: four. MCCORMICK RESERVE

The home at 1139 Garrett Gilliam Drive, Ocoee, 34761, sold Feb. 14, for $325,000. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, two-and-

one-half baths and 2,557 square feet. The price per square foot is $127.10. Days on market: 90.

COBBLESTONE OF WINTER GARDEN

The home at 440 Black Springs Lane, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Feb. 14, for $385,000. Built in 2006, it has four bedrooms, twoand-one-half baths and 2,516 square feet. The price per square foot is $153.02. Days on market: 31.

SAWMILL

The home at 5101 Chipper Court, Ocoee, 34761, sold Feb. 14, for $249,000. Built in 1992, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,692 square feet. The price per square foot is $147.16. Days on market: 23.

FOXCREST

The home at 12631 Dallington Terrace, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Feb. 12, for $475,000. Built in 2007, it has five bedrooms, four baths and 3,798 square feet. The price per square foot is $125.07. Days on market: 41.

SILVER GLEN

The home at 409 Abbeyridge Court, Ocoee, 34761, sold Feb. 12, for $305,000. Built in 1993, it has four bedrooms, three-andone-half baths and 2,529 square feet. The price per square foot is $120.60. Days on market: 11.

MCALLISTER LANDING

The home at 1668 Juniper Ham-

mock St., Winter Garden, sold Feb. 14, for $559,990. Built in 2020, it has five bedrooms, fourand-one-half baths and 4,435 square feet. The price per square foot is $126.27. Days on market: 105. The home at 764 Caterpillar Run, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Feb. 13, for $455,000. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, three-andone-half baths and 3,055 square feet. The price per square foot is $148.94. Days on market: 149. The home at 719 Brooks Field Drive, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Feb. 12, for $452,680. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 3,017 square feet. The price per square foot is $150.04. Days on market: 136. OAKLAND PARK

The home at 1045 Colleton Alley, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Feb. 10, for $545,000. Built in 2018, it has four bedrooms, three-andone-half baths and 2,837 square feet. The price per square foot is $192.10. Days on market: 49. WESTFIELD

The home at 706 English Lake Drive, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Feb. 10, for $411,000. Built in 2005, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,656 square feet. The price per square foot is $154.74. Days on market: four. WINTERMERE HARBOR

The home at 13044 Lakeshore Grove Drive, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Feb. 12, for $485,000. Built in 2000, it has six bedrooms, four-and-one-half baths and 3,775 square feet. The price per square foot is $128.48. Days on market: 14.

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The home at 9440 Trinana Circle, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Feb. 10, for $320,000. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 1,829 square feet. The price per square foot is $174.96. Days on market: 56.

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

Steven Miller Photography

T.J. Washburn, Adam Graham, Kristin Shirilla and Mason Criswell star in the Garden Theatre’s upcoming epic comedy, “Ben Hur.”

‘Ben Hur’ hits the stage The epic comedy will run Feb. 28 to March 15 at the Garden Theatre in Winter Garden.

ERIC GUTIERREZ STAFF WRITER

The Garden Theatre’s latest show mixes plenty of laughs with an epic story. “Ben Hur,” an epic comedy, follows the story of four misfit, amateur actors as they attempt to tell the grand tale of the fictional Jew-

ish prince and merchant, Judah Ben-Hur, while operating on a shoestring budget. The original story — a novel by the name of “Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ” by Lew Wallace — recounts the adventures of a man who was falsely accused of an attempted assassination and enslaved by the Romans before he

became a charioteer and Christian. The novel runs in parallel to the unfolding of the story of Jesus Christ. The Garden Theatre’s upcoming production takes a lighthearted, comedic approach to that epic tale. As the actors rehearse the timeless story of the Jewish prince and merchant, offstage struggles and romance get in the way of their onstage sea battles and chariot races. “I think part of the humor of the show is there cannot be a brief synopsis of ‘Ben-Hur,’” said Kristin Shirilla, who is one of the four actors in the production. “‘BenHur itself, the source material, is based on a 900-page novel, so the joke of the show is we’re doing it onstage — all 900 pages — condensed into one production.” “It’s sort of a play within a play, so that’s where some of the humor comes into play,” said Mason Criswell, another one of the four actors in the show. Shirilla will be playing the role of Crystal, and Criswell will be taking on the role of Omar. Since the show is a play within a play, Shirilla and Criswell each will be taking on multiple roles as their characters try and take on the challenge of adapting the story of Ben Hur to a theatrical, stage production. “The characters that our characters play — Crystal and Omar play — have parallels to the cast relationships a little bit,” Shirilla said. “There’s a little bit of a love triangle going on behind the scenes during the show within a show. … It can get a little awkward for the characters as they’re doing the show.” There’s a bit of a romance between the initial roles Shirilla and Criswell play, but offstage,

IF YOU GO ‘BEN HUR’ WHERE: Garden Theatre, 160 W. Plant St., Winter Garden SHOWTIMES: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays; 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays; 2 p.m. Thursday, March 12; ASL-interpreted performance at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 12 COST: $30 to $32; discounts available for youth, seniors, active and retired military, and groups of 10 or more. TICKETS: Onsite at the box office, online at gardentheatre.org or by phone at (407) 877-4736, Ext. 0

the two share a real-life romance. Shirilla and Criswell are married and they actually met through theater during an internship at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater about nine years ago. Criswell and Shirilla have been in the Orlando area since that internship, working different acting and entertainment jobs at the theme parks. “Ben Hur” is not only their first Garden Theatre production, it’s also the first production where the two will be on stage together in nine years. “It’s fun,” Shirilla said. “We’re still fairly early in the rehearsal process, so there’s definitely room for us to find more opportunities to kind of bring that subtle flirtation to the surface.” “This is our first show together as a married couple, so we’re excited for that,” Criswell said. “We tend to be a little silly, and this show is definitely very silly.”

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SCHOOL ZONE FEBRUARY 20, 2020

Eva Elder, second place; Alyvia Clark, first place; and Liani Gaud, third place, were the top three female runners. Left: Mehari Van Der Rite, first place; Andrew Nyland, second place; and Matthews Nicoletti, third place, were the top three male runners.

Foundation Academy students had a great time getting some cardio at the Color Run.

COLOR GRIND

Mary-Jo Wall and Luanne Lumpkins arrived at the race with cupid wings.

oundation Academy students raced for glory across the Tilden Road Campus and were covered in color along the way at the Love FA 2020 Boosterthon Color Run Friday, Feb. 14. Students in grades six through 12 celebrated Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day by competing in the fun run.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; TIM FREED

Leeley Waters, Elisa Souza and Haven Brookins finished the race strong.

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

Ocoee High student shines at state fair Congratulations to Ocoee High School student Callie Cramer, who competed recently in the Champions of Champions program at the Florida State Fair. She was the first-place senior beef heifer Champion of Champion and also was awarded one of the Florida State Fair Foundation scholarships. The Florida State Fair offers a unique youth program called Champion Animals and Champion Youth. Through this program, the fair offers the youth exhibitors the opportunity to show their prizewinning animals, as well as the option of participating in numerous educational activities.

Ocoee Middle class hosts Broadway performer Earlier this month, an Ocoee Middle School theater class was lucky enough to spend some time with Broadway performer Kevin Massey, known for his lead roles in “Memphis,” “Tarzan” and “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.” Students discovered what it was like to “work in the business” and how theater supports real-life skills.

INFLUENCER OF THE WEEK

BARBRA RESNICK

INNOVATION MONTESSORI OCOEE/ INNOVATION MONTESSORI HIGH SCHOOL Social Worker Barbra Resnick has helped establish the strongest socialemotional education program that Assistant Principal Cathy Tobin has ever seen in a school. Resnick, as someone who has chosen to dedicate her life to teaching children the tools to grow into emotionally healthy adults, shows up at the school every day to share her talents.

What do you love most about your school? I love the people I work with! I have never worked with a group of people who were so committed to children and their growth and learning. From our administration to our parents to our students, our entire school community recognizes the importance of guiding humans as they learn about the world and their place in it. Social and emotional learning has the same value and importance as academics and our entire community supports that value. What’s your favorite part of your role? I love the connections I get to make with students. Often, our children come from other school environments where they did not have the opportunity to form positive relationships with adults. They sometimes come to us with a deep mistrust of teachers, staff and administration. I love joining them on their journey and watching them figure out that our school is different, that they are now in a supportive and caring environment.

SunRidge Elementary hosting sock hop The SunRidge Elementary School PTO is hosting a combined mother/son and father/daughter dance from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, in the cafeteria. There will be a DJ, snacks and lots of fun. Dress up like everyone did in the ’50s: pink ladies and greasers! Students need to attend SunRidge Elementary School. Pre-sale tickets are $10 and the cost at the door is $20. Fliers went home with your students and copies of the fliers are in the office. Invite someone special to the ’50s sock hop.

REPORT CARD ROLE: School social worker TIME AT SCHOOL: Resnick has been at Innovation Montessori Ocoee since February 2014.

What motivates you and pushes you to do your best? Social work is a hard job! Luckily, being a social worker, I am motivated by relationships. On the hardest days, my relationships with other staff and with our children encourage me to work hard and strive toward a larger goal. What’s the nicest thing a student or faculty member has done for you? Our students, families, and coworkers are incredibly generous at Innovation Montessori Ocoee! They spoil us with treats, thank yous and celebrations. But honestly, my favorite thing is when I talk to a parent for the first time and their child has spoken about me at home. When parents share that positive feedback, it means more than any gift could. If you could take a vacation anywhere, where would you go? I have always dreamed of going on a safari in Tanzania; I’ve dreamed of seeing the Great Migration. And I’m currently planning a trip!

What do you like to do in your free time? I don’t have much free time, but with the time I have, I love to read anything I can get my hands on, play video games, and crochet gifts for family and friends. I’ve also just started to learn to play ukulele, so I’ve taken on a new challenge! Cats, dogs or other pets? We currently have two cats named Winnie and Dorothy. They’re new to us, but they seem to be happy to have joined our family! They are the cutest and are quickly becoming best friends. What’s your favorite place to eat? I consider myself to be a bit of a foodie and love to find independent, creative restaurants around town. One of my favorites is definitely Tako Cheena. I try to convince everyone I know to eat there! — TIM FREED

NOMINATE YOUR INFLUENCER

Do you have an “unsung hero” at your school? If so, please nominate him or her for our Influencer of the Week feature. Nominations can be sent via email to contact@orangeobserver.com.

W I N D E R M E R E P R E PA RATO R Y S C H O O L

PROSPECTIVE FAMILY

OPEN HOUSE

& BBQ THURSDAY, MARCH 26

Stop by our Theatre Performances, Baseball Game, Softball Game and more!

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

OBSERVER SCHOOL ZONE

Family favorites W

est Orange High School theater students performed a whimsical singing production of “Princess and Pirates: A Sing Along Adventure” for children and their families Saturday, Feb. 15, at the school’s auditorium. The two afternoon performances — which featured a variety of Disney songs from classic films such as “The Little Mermaid,” “Moana,” “Mulan,” “Frozen,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Tangled” — raised money for the theater program’s trip to the Florida State Thespian Festival next month. — TIM FREED

The entire cast came together for a performance of “Friend Like Me” from “Aladdin.”

Aakash Dookhie and a crew of pirates sang a variety of Disney songs.

Right: Aakash Dookhie, Jaila Jenkins and Kada Jablon encouraged the audience to sing along.

Gina DiGiovanni sang “Into the Unknown” from “Frozen 2.”

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Gillian Corpuz sang “How Far I’ll Go” from “Moana.”

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

OBSERVER SCHOOL ZONE

BAPTIST

First Baptist Church Pastor Tim Grosshans 125 E. Plant St, Winter Garden (407) 656-2352 Sundays: 8:30 a.m. Traditional 9:45 AM Bible Study 11:00 AM Contemporary Wednesdays: 6 p.m.- Awana 2nd Campus: Foundation Worship Foundation Academy High School 15304 Tilden Rd., Winter Garden (407) 730-1867 Sundays: 9:45 a.m. All Ages FoundationWorship.com Starke Lake Baptist Church Pastor Jeff Pritchard PO Box 520 611 W Ave., Ocoee (407) 656-2351 StarkeLakeBaptist.org

CHURCH OF GOD

Ocoee Church of God Pastor Thomas Odom 1105 N. Lakewood Ave.,Ocoee (407) 656-8011

EPISCOPAL

Church of the Messiah 241 N. Main St., Winter Garden Services: 8, 9:30, & 11 a.m., 7 p.m. ChurchoftheMessiah.com

METHODIST

First United Methodist Church 125 N. Lakeview Ave., Winter Garden (407) 656-1135 Services: 9 and 11:15 a.m. fumcwg.org

Amy Quesinberry

Natalia Barriga-Sanchez counted out a customer’s change with the help of her teacher, Olajumoke Adebimpe.

Ocoee pours passion into skills program

UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

Windermere Union Church 10710 Park Ridge-Gotha Rd., Windermere (407) 876-2112 Adult Worship: 9 a.m. Sunday School: 10 a.m. WindermereUnion.org

Students in the specialneeds program are running a coffee station at the school to learn the skills necessary for the working world.

NON-DENOMINATIONAL Purpose Church Orlando 13640 W Colonial Dr. Ste 110, Winter Garden (407) 654-9661 Sunday Service: 10:05 a.m. Sunday Brazilian Service: 7 p.m. Saturday Service: 6 p.m. purposechurchorlando.org

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E DAYCA R

AMY QUESINBERRY COMMUNITY EDITOR

When teachers and staff walk into the mailroom at Ocoee High School early on weekday mornings, they are greeted by students who are eager to brighten their day — one cup of coffee at a time. Special-needs teacher Olajumoke Adebimpe operates the Jump Start Café! with some of her students, who are all juniors. They take turns working at the table, where they sell cups of hot coffee, tea or cocoa for $1. The students are assisted by either a teacher or a job coach. The program is called CBVE – Community-Based Vocational Education. Participants are Austin Fitzgerald, Natalia BarrigaSanchez, Reuben Udokwu, Jasmine Hernandez, Carene Hillary, Teairra Adams, Jonathan Gaillard, Suellen Dos Santos, Sarah Paupaw and Alex Job. Ocoee High Principal Laura Beusse came up with the idea to set up a coffee station for teachers and staff. Adebimpe jumped at the opportunity to introduce

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new skills to her students, who are in the special-needs program and take a class centered on career preparation and education. “They develop money skills, learning skills, socialization skills, independent skills, customer service skills, and sorting and organizing,” she said. Adebimpe is thrilled to be part of this positive program, and she is proud of her students’ achievements. And the coffee stand has been a popular addition to the campus. When the students in charge for the day arrive, they don a black apron and put on serving gloves. They are ready to take orders, serve the beverage, collect the money, make the appropriate change, clean up the coffee station after each day’s sales, count the money and take it to the bookkeeper and balance the checkbook. Many of the teachers and staff have opted to purchase Jump Start Café! punch cards, which are $10 for 12 cups or $20 for 25 cups. Adebimpe said the proceeds of the coffee, tea and cocoa sales will be used to support the specialneeds students in their end-ofthe-year graduation ceremony. The juniors aren’t the only students who are learning necessary job skills and customer service skills. Adebimpe said her seniors go off campus for their jobs at Party City. On occasion, one will fill in at the coffee station when needed.

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HIGH

SPORTS

Legacy Charter outfielder Jaden Oyola hopes to grow his game throughout his second season on the team. Page 18.

The Dr. Phillips girls wrestling team continued its domination on the mat as the Panthers secured their fourth consecutive state title Saturday, Feb. 15. The Panthers had first-place finishes from Jessica Corredor (100-pound class), Juliana Diaz (117-pound class) and Armelle Oliantus (162-pound class), while Skyy Gowan (184-pound class) and Aaliyah Hyacinthe (222-pound class) finished runners-up in their divisions.

BASEBALL BREAKDOWN

In Windermere Prep boys soccer’s 1-0 win over Lakeland Christian in the FHSAA Class 3A, Region 2 semifinals, sophomore midfielder Johan Dale came up big for the Lakers when he scored on a penalty kick with fewer than four minutes left in the game.

The Ocoee boys track and field team dominated during the Mount Dora Christian meet Saturday, Feb. 15, as the Knights clocked in at first with 156.5 points — 54 points better than second-place Lake Brantley. In the win, Buford Ross IV took home first in the 110 hurdles (17.91) and in the triple jump (37-1). The Knights also won first in the 4x400 with a time of 3:37.60

The West Orange High boys track and field team took first at the Seminole Invitational Saturday, Feb. 15. The Warriors finished with 91 points — 27.5 points ahead of Apopka — and were led by first-place finishes by Matthew McDoom in the 100 meters (11.21) and Joseph Stravato in the 300 hurdles (40.39). The Warriors also took the 4x100 title.

In Windermere girls basketball’s 31-10 win over Newsome in the Class 7A, Region 2 quarterfinals Thursday, Feb. 13, junior guard and team captain Abigail Crain picked up 13 points, while senior forward Caitlin Davis tacked on six points and seven rebounds. The win comes after the Wolverines (19-5) defeated Haines City to win the Class 7A, District 6 championship.

Troy Herring

With Evan Welsh at Windermere, and Jay Welsh and Ryan Welsh at West Orange, things will be interesting this season for the baseball-loving family.

Family feud The Welsh family always has come together through baseball, but now they’ll be stepping onto the field on opposing sides of the West Orange/Windermere rivalry. TROY HERRING SPORTS EDITOR

hen Evan Welsh took to the mound during Windermere High School baseball’s fall ball game against West Orange last year, things were different — much different. For the junior righty, he was just starting his first year with the varsity team, but that wasn’t the only thing that stood out during this game. Standing 90 feet away at third base was Jay Welsh — West Orange High’s first-year head coach, and Evan Welsh’s dad. Meanwhile, over in the box at first base, Evan’s older brother, Ryan Welsh — the Warriors’ pitching coach — watched the game. So there Evan Welsh was, pitching against his dad’s team — a program he was familiar with — at a school that he could be attending had it not been for the creation of Windermere High School. “It was surprisingly normal to

an extent, because I’ve been at this field forever and we do bullpen on this mound, and just hearing both of their voices was nothing new,” Evan Welsh said. “Pitching, I felt comfortable and I felt hungry to get those guys out — to get his team out — more so than usual.” Up in the stands sat the rest of the Welsh clan, including Evan Welsh’s mother, Chris Ann Welsh, and sister, Erin Welsh. The two also FaceTimed in the oldest Welsh daughter, Megan Welsh — who currently is studying at the University of Florida. But what’s it like for Chris Ann Welsh to watch a game and know that she has loved ones on both sides of the field? “To tell you the truth, with Evan being my fourth child and we have been doing travel sports forever … it’s kind of more fun to watch him now,” Chris Ann Welsh said. “I think if it was 15 years ago it might have been a little different, but it’s a fun rivalry. Of course you want them both to do well — it’s just hard when they’re playing against

each other, so I’ll cheer for my son, of course … because it’s all about the kids, really.” BASEBALL TRADITIONS

The history of baseball in the Welsh family starts with Jay Welsh, who’s been a part of the game for quite a while. Through the years, he’s served varying positions at schools like Lake Nona, Ocoee and Celebration, before eventually becoming the pitching coach over at LakeSumter State College. With baseball being so prominent in the Welsh household, it’s no surprise the sport caught on with Evan and Ryan Welsh — though there were some concerns on Jay Welsh’s part that Evan could be burnt out with all the baseball he had played at such a young age. “By the age of 6, he had already been to 100 travelball tournaments following his brother,” Jay Welsh said. “I felt like maybe he might be a little bit soured on baseball, but what had happened with Evan is, since he grew up in a baseball household, he began to set himself apart because he had a higher baseball IQ than a lot of kids and that led to some SEE WELSH PAGE 18

CENTRAL FLORIDA CHRISTIAN ACADEMY Head coach: Larry Oldham 2019 Record: 1-20 Key players: Keenan Milroy, Brandon Nguyen, Eric Rodriguez Season preview: “I’m excited, because the team just has so many good people on it, and there’s just a special bond with this team,” head coach Larry Oldham said. “I’ve been head coaching for 11 years, but now when you don’t have as good a team, it’s more like a ministry, it’s more like I want to teach them about the game and about life. We only have 11 on the team, so these kids have to interchange positions quite a bit, and I just love their attitude.” DR. PHILLIPS HIGH SCHOOL Head coach: Ray Evans 2019 Record: 20-7 Key players: Brandon Fields, Noah Sullivan, Derek Lopez Season preview: “As of right now, we are starting with a team full of Band-Aids,” head coach Ray Evans said. “We have a lot of guys who are not starting the season who are injured or not able to play, so I’m starting a lot of young guys. We’re coaching them every single day — it’s not like you can take a breather and the guys can kind of run the show themselves.” FOUNDATION ACADEMY Head coach: Chase Newman 2019 Record: 12-11 Key players: Braden Holcomb, Dylan Rose Season preview: “It was six seniors who graduated, so we are definitely a bit of a team in transition — very young,” head coach Chase Newman said. “I’m looking forward to it, and I’m excited, and hopefully this year is a good year to establish the program and we can gain that interest. The community is growing around the school, and hopefully we can tap into that growing community and show that we are building the program the right way.” SEE PAGE 18

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

Welsh family rivalry born

SPONSORED BY MARK’S FLOORS

Jaden Oyola A sophomore on the Legacy Charter High School baseball team, Jaden Oyola is being looked to as a key component on head coach Jack Chambless’ squad. Oyola has been around the sport for most of his life, and his hope for this season is to have his team go undefeated.

When did you first get into baseball? I got into baseball when I was about 6 years old, and I got into the sport because my mom got me a bat and a ball for my birthday, and I started hitting it. I looked pretty good, so they put me in the sport. What has been your favorite thing about playing at Legacy? Probably coach (Jack) Chambless teaching us how to respect the game a lot more. What are the best words of advice that you’ve been given about baseball? Just to have fun playing baseball. What is the most challenging part about playing in the outfield? The most fun aspect? The most challenging part would probably be the sun in your eyes all the time, and my favorite part is gunning people out. As far as the game goes, what is the most challenging aspect? Just dedicating your time to it. Do you have a highlight moment that stands out for you during your time at Legacy? Last year (my freshman year) I got a line drive hit to me — it was a home game against Master’s — and the ball had so much backspin that when it hit my glove it automatically came out. I saw him going two, and I just threw it my hardest and I got him out by a mile. It was lit.

THE BASICS

SCHOOL: Legacy Charter High School GRADE: Sophomore AGE: 16 SPORT: Baseball POSITION: CF/RF

accomplish? I’d like to go undefeated — I think we have a good chance, because we have a pretty good ball team this year. And I’d like to see everybody hitting over .300, too. What’s been the biggest change that you’ve seen in yourself on the field since your freshman year? It would probably be my confidence, because last year coming in as a freshman I didn’t really think I was good enough, so I played down. But this year I changed my whole mindset, and I feel like I can be the greatest.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

early success.” Along their baseball journeys, both Evan and Ryan Welsh heard the same little phrases that their dad would say to help them with their struggles. At the plate, Jay Welsh would tell them to “squish the bug” — referring to when a hitter pivots their back foot during a swing — while on the mound he would say, “pound the zone and challenge hitters.” The words of advice always were helpful, Evan Welsh said. “I remember especially for one of my starts I was in the bullpen kind of throwing erratic and missing my spots,” Evan Welsh said. “And then my dad came over and calmed me down and gave me some pointers like, ‘Stay in sync,’ and, ‘Follow through and finish on your pitches.’”

LEGACY CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL Head coach: Jack Chambless 2019 Record: 11-16 Key players: Justin LaGasse, Jacob Worley, Brandon Correia Season preview: “This is — by far — the deepest and best roster we have ever had at Legacy,” head coach Jack Chambless said. “We have 17 players, and in any other year, the most we have had is 13. Our starting nine, I would put them up against any other Class 2A team in the state, and we also have a deep bench this year. Our pitching is going to be very deep, our team speed is terrific — I fully expect our team to make it to regionals and to challenge for a spot in the state playoffs this year.” —

FAMILY RIVALRY

When Jay Welsh took the West Orange High job, it wasn’t exactly an easy decision. It was a job that made sens, but there was a possible downside for Jay Welsh. “The hardest part was considering that he might not come over and what I might miss in terms of his baseball career,” Jay Welsh said. “But ultimately, I felt like I’d be able to do both — continue to train him, continue to work with him and see him when I can see him.” Over the last two seasons, Evan Welsh established himself on the junior varsity team while developing friendships at Windermere High. Long story short, he was comfortable and didn’t want to leave Windermere. While Evan Welsh stayed at Windermere, Ryan Welsh made the decision to go a different route with the game by joining his dad on the West Orange staff. “I had one year left of eligibility when I left my last school — I’m at UCF now — and I was like, ‘OK, I can try to walk on and continue my career,’ but I just decided I might as well hang it up and coach with my pops,” Ryan Welsh said. With Jay and Ryan Welsh now in place at West Orange and Evan Welsh looking to play a reliever role at Windermere, things are in place to make the first West Orange/Windermere game — which takes place Friday, March 27, at WOHS — one to remember for the Welsh household. “That’s going to be fun,” Ryan Welsh said. “I think West Orange and Olympia was always the biggest rivalry, but now that Windermere has come along, I think the biggest rivalry is West Orange and Windermere.”

What goes through your mind when you’re tracking a ball? It’s just trusting yourself, basically. Once the bat hits the ball you’re always on the move in the outfield, so you have to trust yourself and you have to trust where you believe the ball is going to go, and trust yourself that you can make it to the ball. When you get free time, what do you enjoy doing? I like hanging out with my church family, I like picking up the Bible a lot and I also like playing video games. I like to play (Call of Duty) Modern Warfare right now. If you could have your perfect meal after a game, what would it be? My Aunt Jen, she makes the greatest baked ziti in the world, so I’ll have baked ziti with some garlic bread and a cup of red juice.

Coming into this season, did you have any goals in mind that you were hoping to

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

— TROY HERRING

OCOEE HIGH SCHOOL Head coach: Chad Hall 2019 Record: 15-12 Key players: Charles Kwarteng Season preview: Last season was a big one for the Ocoee High baseball team. The Knights won the program’s first district title in a 7-6 walkoff win against Lake Minneola. This season, the Knights will be without several members of last year’s team, as eight seniors — including go-to player Hylan Hall — graduated. Luckily for Ocoee, the Knights have talent coming back, which includes Charles Kwarteng — who leads an offense that helped the Knights outscore opponents 146-109 during the season. OLYMPIA HIGH SCHOOL Head coach: Chuck Schall 2019 Record: 23-6 Key players: Alex Britton, Titan Kamaka Season preview: After going 14-9 during the 2018 season, Olympia turned things to the next level in 2019 as the Titans went 23-6 and made it all the way to the regional final. This season, the Titans will be without key players such as Josh Plasencia and Jeslyn Whitehead, but there’s still a lot of talent coming back from a team that held opponents to only around three runs per game while scoring an average of seven runs per game. THE FIRST ACADEMY Head coach: Scott Grove 2019 Record: 20-9 Key players: Riley Parker, Greg Pettay, Brett Kelly Season preview: Last season, The First Academy won 20 games and claimed the Class 4A, District 3 title over Trinity

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Prep. The Royals have the talent to once again win 20 games. The lineup features UNC-Greensboro commit Brett Kelly — a senior centerfielder — who will help lead a Royals’ team that last year powered by opponents on the mound and at the plate. WEST ORANGE HIGH SCHOOL Head coach: Jay Welsh 2019 Record: 13-11 Key players: Anthony Garcia, Ricky Reeth Season preview: “We have a solid team,” head coach Jay Welsh said. “We’re very deep in all areas, but I keep reminding our players that baseball is not like football and basketball where you can show up and have the best team and sometimes impose your will. We have to execute, and we have to play as a team. If we can do those two things, I think we can compete with anybody.” WINDERMERE HIGH SCHOOL Head coach: Eric Lassiter 2019 Record: 24-5 Key players: Carson Montgomery, Tyler Ostendorf, Jason Grant Season preview: “I think our offense is really going to be the best it has been since we’ve been a school — we have 10 or 11 guys that I feel like, if you plug in there, we have a chance to really score some runs,” head coach Eric Lassiter said. “I’m a big pitching and defense guy, and just traditionally since we have been at Windermere we haven’t had what you would call a juggernaut offense, so it is exciting on that point to where you never feel like you’re out of a game.” WINDERMERE PREPARATORY SCHOOL Head coach: Keith Walsh 2019 Record: 11-10 Key players: Pablo Delgado, Austin Tanner Season preview: “I always ask them to be good teammates, work hard and be coachable — those are the three things (I want) whenever we step onto the field,” head coach Keith Walsh said. “The group of kids that I have are incredible. They get along, they feed off each other, they’ve had energy through the first couple of games and they’re picking each other up — it’s been the kind of energy and excitement that you look forward to every day when you go out there.”

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

Four schools walk away with district titles Dr. Phillips, Windermere, Windermere Prep and CFCA all brought home championships Friday, Feb. 14. SPORTS EDITOR

In Class 7A play, Dr. Phillips topped Ocoee to claim the 7A-3 crown, while Windermere edged Osceola to win the 7A-6 title. In the smaller divisions, Windermere Prep pummeled The Master’s Academy to take the 3A-4 championship, and CFCA beat out Mount Dora Christian in a tight contest to win the 2A-10 title. Each school sealed places in the FHSAA playoffs in their respective classes, while Ocoee, The First Academy and West Orange all earned at-large bids. DR. PHILLIPS CONQUERS ‘DISTRICT OF DEATH,’ STORMS PAST OCOEE

When all the chaos died, it was Dr. Phillips head coach Ben Witherspoon who stood with a look of disbelief on his face. There — on the court at Apopka High School — he watched his players continue to celebrate around him, while he held his

OTHER SCORES n Class 2A, District 10: CFCA 54, Mount Dora Christian 49 n Class 7A, District 6: Windermere 46, Osceola 43

daughter in one arm and the district title trophy in the other. His Panthers, who at one point had been down 15-4, rallied in the second half to beat Ocoee — and Witherspoon’s former mentor in Knights head coach John “Sarge” Siers — 58-53 to claim the Class 7A, District 3 championship on Valentine’s Day. “It’s indescribable,” Witherspoon said. “To have a vision and talk about doing this right here since I got the job and since I met these guys in June — they all told me, ‘We want to win a district championship.’ And for them to just believe in me and do it, I’m just lucky to have these guys.” Following a big three from senior Abdoulaye Thiam, the Panthers (19-7) were up 50-42 — their biggest lead of the half — with 2:12 left in the fourth quarter. Thiam’s performance was a catalyst for the Panthers. He picked up a game-high 31 points — 24 of which came in the second half. The Knights (20-7) wouldn’t go down easily, however, as senior shooting guard David Green hit from deep — his second in a row — to pull Ocoee to within five points at 50-45. Green hit five three-pointers in the fourth quarter alone, while scoring 17 of his 25 points in the quarter. With 15.6 seconds left in

Troy Herring

Abdoulaye Thiam, center, held up the district trophy as he celebrates with teammates.

the game, the Knights crept to within two points when Green hit another three to cut the Panthers’ lead to 55-53, but clutch free-throw shooting from Thiam, Denzel Aberdeen and Juneau Anicette — who went 5-for-6 in the last 40 seconds — helped the Panthers put the game out of reach. The win for Dr. Phillips seals a spot in the FHSAA Class 7A State playoffs as the No. 1 seed in Region 1. The Panthers host Evans at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20. “We’re really good in our own gym,” Witherspoon said. “We shoot the ball pretty well there and we’re pretty comfortable there. The No. 1 motivator for us was getting home games ... that’s why this is a huge win.”

LAKERS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AGAINST THE MASTER’S ACADEMY

Windermere Prep continued its dominating run to the postseason Friday night, as the Lakers dispatched The Master’s Academy 75-58 in the Class 3A, District 4 championship game. “I’m so proud of all of our guys — I thought we had a great team effort and I was just extremely proud of guy No. 1 to No. 15,” said Lakers head coach Brian Hoff. The Lakers (25-3) came into the title game having beaten Crooms Academy in the quarterfinals before taking out Orangewood Christian in the semis. From the opening tipoff, the Lakers were firing on all cylinders, and at one point were up by as many as 21 points — thanks largely to the scoring of Fanbo Zeng and Jouldan

Velez, who scored 23 points and 11 points respectively. Despite the Lakers’ early lead, The Master’s Academy (21-7) did not relent and went on a 13-0 run that stretched from the middle of the third quarter and into the fourth. By that time, the Lakers’ lead shrunk to just eight points, and Velez — the team’s unanimously chosen captain — was brought back into the game despite having four fouls. “I thought Jouldan Velez was huge down the stretch,” Hoff said. “He’s a calming force for us. His poise and his leadership are so vital for our team.” With the win, the Lakers locked up the second seed in Region 1 of the FHSAA 3A tournament, and will take on The First Academy at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, at home.

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TROY HERRING

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

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Ocoee pushes past West Orange in district semifinal The Ocoee boys basketball team knocked off rival West Orange 57-50 in the Class 7A, District 3 semifinals Wednesday, Feb. 12, at Apopka High School. “I never thought we lost control, even though we got outrebounded — Eric (Jones) and those guys do a tremendous job rebounding the basketball,” said Ocoee head coach John “Sarge” Siers. “David (Green) scored our first eight or nine (points) and Sadeem (Blake) scored our last seven, and they really don’t care who is getting the buckets — they’re really connected together and they’re a special group.” Going into Wednesday night’s game, the Knights (20-6) and Warriors (17-11) only had played each other once during the season in a showdown at the Amway Center in January. In that game, West Orange sneaked away with a 45-43 win. From the opening tipoff of the district semifinal matchup, however, it felt like Ocoee would run away with things early. The Knights went on a 17-2 run

Troy Herring

Ocoee’s Briglain Previl and West Orange’s Jayden Gibson fought for a loose ball.

over the span of five minutes to give them the 25-13 advantage. Green played a big factor in helping push Ocoee ahead early; he scored 19 of his game-high 24 points in the first half, while Blake finished with nine points, and Kordell Brown with 11. However, West Orange didn’t wait until the half to make adjustments. The Warriors chipped away at the Knights’ lead one shot at a time — thanks

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1 Pageant crown 2 Elicit a smile from 3 Acronym about bad data 4 Hybrid dog breed whose hair is usually curly 5 Whiteboard accessory 6 Strategic 7 Actress Aduba 8 Mississippi mouth 9 Jacob’s twin 10 Cause affront to 11 Switzerland, in France 12 ___-haw13 100% 14 Operates smoothly 15 Continent with the largest 17-Down 16 Mild oath17 See 15-Down 18 Test for future docs23 27 Melodies Schumer 54 Going nonstop Fork feature 29 2018 U.S. Open champ 55 Musician’s pace 74 Genealogy diagram 25 Evade Naomi 75 Brewski 57 Smart group 28 Bright light 30 ___ Bo 76 Pale purple 58 “My treat” 32 New wave band in red 31 City near Syracuse 59 Sheep that often have 79 Take in or let out hats 33 Followed 81 Stonework horns 34 “Back in the ___” 36 Strong-arm 83 United ___ Emirates 62 Any minute (Beatles song) 37 Unpretentious smiles? 65 Lil ___ X (“Old Town 84 Web developer’s code (letter 8) 86 Forest full of ferret rela- 35 Cigar ending? Road” rapper) 36 Shipping container 42 Glass fragment 66 With 68-Across, revolve, tives? (letter 9) 37 Oscar ___ hot dogs 45 For the birds? or what the indicated let- 89 Seattle ballplayer 47 Pot for clams ters do to form their wacky 91 Like the teapot of song 38 Japanese noodles 39 One-named Somali48 Settlement for bike 92 ___ & Young phrases? American model riders? (letter 3) 93 Legume-based dental 68 See 66-Across 40 Supposed monster’s 51 A football field is slightly 69 Wile E. Coyote’s fittings? (letter 4) loch larger than one 96 Overhauls explosive 41 Mlle., in Madrid 99 Have ambitions 72 Wanda Sykes or Amy 53 Place for a sail

to a stellar performance by junior forward Mike McCalister — and cut the deficit to 33-27 going into the break. McCalister finished with 23 points on the night. The Warriors continued to eat away at Ocoee’s lead throughout the second half — holding the Knights to within three to six points — but never could catch up.

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CELEBRITY CIPHER

By Luis Campos Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

“EGN PGK’O MSWA OG HNK SXSE DHGR VFDA EGNH XMGVA VFDA ... EGN BSK BMSKCA. SKP EGN BSK ZA SK SCAKO GD BMSKCA.” – VSNHS PAHK “TNM ZUEEND RNMJD TNMIHYBS. RNMJD GH U XGBBYI. TNM VMHD CUPY DN XENK KCN TNM UIY ... KCUD TNM HDUER SNI.”

– VYEEGSYI BNOYF Puzzle Two Clue: F equals Z

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

Puzzle One Clue: W equals V

SUDOKU

Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.

02-20-20

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

PAUL R. BELLEW DIED FEB. 9, 2020.

SHIRLEY ANN LAIT DIED FEB. 15, 2020.

Paul R. Bellew, of Clermont, Florida, passed away Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020. Born in San Diego, California, Paul grew up in Long Beach, California, before moving to Central Florida. Paul was the son of the late Robert and Ruth Bellew, of Long Beach. Paul was a retired merchandising executive, having worked at companies, including Walt Disney World, Madison Square Garden and Dollywood. Paul is survived by his wife, Joyce; three children,

Shirley Ann Lait passed away on Feb. 15, 2020, at the age of 89. She was preceded in death by her husband of 55 years, Ray N. Lait. She is survived by her daughter, LeeAnn (John) Claflin; sons, Alan (Susan), Mike (Casey), and Jack (Cindy); grandchildren, Liz, Brett, Brittany, Michael, Leah, Sarah and Jensen; and great-grandchildren, Tessa, David, Charlie, Emma, Reese, Bodhi, Dillard and James. Shirley was born March 1, 1930, in Wichita, Kansas. She moved with her family to San Angelo, Texas, where she graduated from high school and then on to Long Beach, CA, where she

GLORIA JEAN BERNDOBLER DIED FEB. 10, 2020.

Gloria Jean Berndobler, 93, of Winter Garden, passed away peacefully Monday, Feb. 10, 2020 with her loving husband of 58 years by her side. Mrs. Berndobler was born Dec. 3, 1926, in Gurdon, Arkansas, to Dessie Stone. She was the oldest of eight children. Mrs. Berndobler is survived by her husband, John Berndobler; daughters and sons-in-law, Lynda and John Chesney, and Jan and Alex McMichael; three grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and five grand-cats. Mrs. Berndobler moved to Florida in the 1950s as a single parent and supported her family by working at Martin Marietta as a line leader for the electric assembly operation. She was one of the first single females to purchase her own home in Central Florida. In 1961, she married John Berndobler, and together, they built a life focused on serving the Lord and others. Over the years, she was an active member of several Central Florida Baptist churches, with Beulah Baptist Church as her final church family. She was a member of Campers on Mission, dedicated to build-

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

attended Long Beach Community College. After a whirlwind romance, she married Ray on April 7, 1951, in Long Beach. Shirley was a child of the depression, a self-proclaimed tomboy who loved sports and the outdoors. She was an animal lover and avid reader. She was a wonderful friend and neighbor, always ready to listen and lend a helping hand. She had a beautiful smile and never met a

ing churches for small communities. She assisted the construction team with completing drywall projects and trained many others how to do this work. She helped build 17 churches in several states. She also supported Greater Orlando Baptist Association with Fair Ministries with providing to the needs of traveling carnival fair workers. She was an owner of Advanced Welding & Manufacturing, their family business where she was the business manager. Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14, 2020, at Beulah Baptist Church, with Pastor Casey Butner officiating. Interment followed at Beulah Baptist Church Cemetery under the direction of Baldwin Fairchild Funeral Home of Winter Garden. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for a donation be made to Beulah Baptist Church, 671 Beulah Road, Winter Garden, Florida 34787.

JAMES DONALD LANTZ JAN. 19, 1929 TO FEB. 12, 2020

Services will be at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 29, at Oakland Presbyterian Church, Oakland, Florida. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be given to Oakland Presbyterian Church, Oakland Nature Preserve, Florida Native Plant Society or Florida Nature Conservancy. Further information: Woodlawn Funeral Home.

stranger. Shirley was a devoted and loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, who was totally involved with her family and the biggest fan of all her children and grandchildren. A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 21, 2020, at Winter Garden Cemetery, 13636 Lake Butler Blvd., Winter Garden. Pastor Rusty Belcher will officiate the service. Memorial contributions may be made to Carolina Veterinary Assistance and Adoption Group, 394 Cook Florist Road, Reidsville, North Carolina 27320; cvaag.org. Collison Carey Hand Funeral Home, Winter Garden, is assisting the family.

Survived by her fiancé of 11 years, David Cloutier; children, Ryan Dyal and wife, Dianne; Nathan Dyal; and Matthew Dyal and wife, Linda; sister-inlaw, Mary “Be” Moore; and six grandchildren, Dakota, Jordan, Kyleigh, Teirnny, Alexander and Ethan.

Predeceased by her husband and father of her children, James Story; and brother, Michael Moore. The family will have a Celebration of Life at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, cancer.org, (850) 297-0588. 2619 Centennial Blvd. Suite 101, Tallahassee, Florida 32308; and/or the National Audubon Society actionaudubon.org. Skip & Trey Young with Family Funeral Home are assisting the family with their arrangements, (850) 926-5919 and familyfhc.com.

Carmen Alva, 86, of Ocoee, died Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020. Collison Carey Hand Funeral Home, Winter Garden.

Eunice Marie Vazquez Rosado, 37, died Monday, Feb. 10, 2020. Woodlawn Funeral Home and Memorial Park, Gotha.

Mellissa E Carter, 34, died Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020. Winter Oak Funeral Home, Winter Garden.

James Ronald Rankin, 77, died Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020. DeGusipe Funeral Home, Ocoee.

DEBRA MOORE DYAL STORY DIED FEB. 13, 2020

Debra Moore Dyal Story, 61, of Crawfordville, passed away February 13, 2020. She was born Sept. 11, 1958, in Winter Garden, Florida, to her parents, Jesse and Peggy Moore. She moved to Crawfordville in 1983 from Ocoee, Florida, and worked as the Office Manager for Bob McKeithen & Son’s Roofing for 25 years. Debra was an avid outdoors person; she loved bird-watching, butterflies, the beach, gardening and flowers, and enjoyed deer-hunting and deer-watching in her yard.

Chance Austin DuVall, 24, died Tuesday, Feb. 11 2020. BaldwinFairchild Funeral Home, Winter Garden.

Norma Jean Shoultz, 74, died Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020. Baldwin-Fairchild Funeral Home, Winter Garden.

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Jim Stout (Chris), Deb Goode (Kirk) and Brian Stout (Colleen); his brother, Jack Bellew; and sister, Pat Doolittle; along with five grandkids; two greatgrandchildren; four nieces; and one nephew. The family will hold a private service at a later date.

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gsairsystems.com I gsairsystems@cfl.rr.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

HERE’S MY CARD - BUSINESS DIRECTORY CATERING

328099

Willie’s Bar-B-Que

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

FIRE TECH

“A luxury everyone can afford!”

• Chicken • Ribs • Pork • Beef • Small & Large Orders • Catering

EXTINGUISHER

SERVICE

Willie J. Fulmore Owner

Ocoee, FL

Danny Motes

We make Old Fashioned, Texas Style BBQ! 328096

A portion of the profits help to fund Homeless Women and Children.

17436 7th Street • 407-469-0060 Montverde, FL 34756

CONSTRUCTION

ROOFING

328102

1045 S. Vineland Rd. •Winter Garden • New and Used Tires • Alignment • Complete Auto Repair • A/C Serv. & More

Residential & Commercial Construction Rick Weber ‧ Brooks Weber License #CBC1253779

TFN

327938

Serving Central Florida Since 1972

TFN

328101

TRAYWICK'S

TFN

www.Firetechextinguisher.com

Open Friday and Saturday • 11 am until 7 pm

GARAGE

Cell 407-466-4738 Tel 407-654-2395 Fax 407-654-2986

NEW CONSTRUCTION INTERIOR BUILDOUTS

407-656-1817

Office: 352-394-5364 weberbuild.com

635 W. Hwy 50, Clermont weber @weberbuild.com

REG# MV-01095 328106

Phone 407-656-6646 Richard Hudson • Reggie Hudson

UPGRADES & REPAIRS LV10321

WORKS FOR YOU

“Your Complete Service Center” 10 West Story Rd. Winter Garden, FL 34787

328107

SERVICE DIRECTORY

TFN

Call 955-4888 to reserve your space

Team Up Today With Classifieds • 407-656-2121

VIRUS & SPYWARE WinterREMOVAL Garden’s Premier Roofing Company Since 1978 Serving All of West Orange County DATA & PASSWORD Fully Licensed and Insured Roof Repairs and Replacement RECOVERY 407-656-8920 WIRELESS & WIREDWestOrangeRoofing.com NETWORKING FREE ESTIMATES

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407-656-2121 THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2019

ESS DIRECTORY

- BUSIN HERE’S MY CARD

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301021

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407-656-1817

OPERATED –

268 407.296.9622 407.877.6

l: gsairsystems@cfl.rr.com www.gsairsystems.com emai e #CAC1814407 Licens

on Call for a FREE estimate t. Equipment Replacemen ed credit

Transmission and Engine Repair

Scheduled Maintenance

Battery Testing and Replacement

Ray Cornell Jr. Doug Gallinger

301016

Licensed & Insured - State

• Quality • Service • Sales • Installation • Commercial • Residential

Working Owners

www.r-dauto.com

We offer financing with approv

Computerized Diagnostics

WATERPROOF

930 Carter Rd #202 Winter Garden, FL 34787 Telephone: (407) 614-3827 om rdtransautorepair@cfl.rr.c

FLOORING T E • WAT E R P R O O F CARPET • LAMINA

407-614-5027

Ocoee, FL 34761 11159 W Colonial Dr. • g.com IntegrityLaminateFloorin

Estimates

HOME SERVICES

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK • 8AM

MADE IN THE USA

CALL FOR YOUR FREE IN-HOME CONSULTATION TODAY!

Serving Orlando & Surrounding Areas

iumShutters.com 407-415-7185 • OrlandoPrem PAINTING

- 5PM

407-656-4707

ww w.b udg etu pul lit. com

ONLY

89.95

302117 301027

See store for details

SA LE Full Synthetic BR AK E PA Dedes C-Class Oil Service BMW 3 Series Merc $

Custom measured, designed, manufactured and installed by shutter experts.

• All Engines $200.00 each each • All Transmissions $100.00 • Tires $15.00 and up • Batteries $25.00 • Warranties on all parts sold!

STRESS

179.95 199.95

3.3" x 1" starting at $25.00 3.3" x 2" starting at $30.00 3.3" x 4" starting at $50.00

ORLANDO PREMIUM SHUTTER ers!

WE BUY JUNK CARS WE BUY SCRAP METAL

FREE

179.95 $199.95

$ 99/ sq. ft.

Tires and Alignments

Tune-Ups and General Repair

In House Towing Available

FL 34787 S. 9th Street • Winter Garden,

Financing

Includes up to 7 quarts of Full Synthetic Oil. Parts and Labor. Service includes: Front or Rear Pads, Expires 3/31/19. Not valid with any other offers. Tax and recycling fees are extra.

PEST CONTROL

Center” “Your Complete Service ter Garden, FL 34787 10 West Story Rd. Win 1095 MV-0 TFN

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Richard Hudson • Regg

301029

REG#

Phone 407-656-6646 son

• Bridgestone • Michelin • Toyo • BFG

Tires

Willie’s Bar-B-Que Beef

302828

CATERING

“A luxury everyone can afford!”

• Chicken • Ribs • Pork • • Small & Large Orders • Catering

Style BBQ! We make Old Fashioned, Texas s Women and Children. A portion of

the profits help to fund Homeles

PET SERVICES

l Puppy Dreams Pet Hoe te

Willie J. Fulmore Owner

469-0060 17436 7th Street • 407-

from hom Your pet’s home away ty

301015

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301025

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Three Business Card Sizes to choose from:

FLOORING

AUTO SERVICE

AIR CONDITIONING

LV11098

301035

OBSERVER

301014

WEST ORANGE TIMES &

298995

328100

AUTO SERVICE

LV11098

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

a unique no-cage facili boarding daycare and overnight

(407) 654-8885

TFN

Color included on all ads! Publishes every Thursday, and deadlines Friday the week prior.

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

West Orange Chamber of Commerce

Celebrates Business THE WEST ORANGE CHAMBER OFFERS 4 NETWORKING GROUPS: TUESDAY WEDNESDAY

West Orange Chamber of Commerce Celebrates Coldwell Banker The Rager Group’s 1st Anniversary Cutting WOCC Ambassadors celebrated the 1st Anniversary

West Orange Chamber of Commerce Ace Relocation Systems’ 20th Anniversary WOCC Ambassadors celebrated the 20th

West Orange Chamber of Commerce Kura Design Pools’ Ribbon Cutting

West Orange Chamber of Commerce Celebrates Lowndes Drosdick Doster Kantor & Reed, P.A.’s 50th Anniversary WOCC Ambassadors celebrated the 50th

of Coldwell Banker The Rager Group, located at 4 S. Tubb Street, in Oakland. Coldwell Banker The Rager Group is a community service focused Real Estate company, committed to customer satisfaction and exceeding expectations. Giving back to the community is their way of saying thank you for choosing Coldwell Banker The Rager Group for your Real Estate needs. To learn more, visit www.TheRagerGroup.com.”

Anniversary of Ace Relocation Systems, an Orlando moving company that treats each and every customer as if they were their only customer! Ace Relocation Systems is located at 2507 Investor’s Row, Suite 400, in Orlando. To learn more, visit acerelocation.com/locations/orlando-moving/.

THURSDAY HORIZON WEST

For more information about joining the West Orange Chamber of Commerce, call 407-656-1304 or visit wochamber.com

WOCC Ambassadors celebrated the Ribbon

Cutting of Kura Design Pools, your luxury custom pool builder in Orlando, serving Lake Nona, Ocoee, Winter Garden, and the surrounding areas, located at 2751 Old Winter Garden Rd, in Ocoee. To learn more, visit www.kuradesignpools.com.

Anniversary of Lowndes Drosdick Doster Kantor & Reed, P.A., 2019’s Leading Real Estate Law Firm located at 215 N. Eola Drive, in Orlando. To learn more, visit https://lowndes-law.com/.

West Orange Chamber of Commerce Eat The Frog’s Ribbon Cutting WOCC Ambassadors celebrated the Ribbon Cutting of Eat The Frog Fitness, the only small group training program that combines Olympic inspired training, cutting edge technology, and the science of your body for the most advanced workout in the market, located at 16406 New Independence Pkwy #110, in Winter Garden. To learn more, visit https://frog.etffitness.com/wintergarden_ps_ws/.

325672-1 329610-1

To learn more and to register participation visit wochamber.com/ ChamberGroups or call 407-656-1304