03.19.26 Southwest Orange Observer

YOU YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

Observer Classroom to clinic

West Orange celebrated the Irish in a St. Paddy’s filled weekend. PAGE 3A.

Feelin’ lucky in green Royals youth take lead

Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine students work with Shepherd’s Hope to receive hands-on experience while helping the community through the nonprofit’s clinic. STORY ON PAGE 4A.

TFA underclassmen are leading the front of the girls lacrosse team’s success. SEE PAGE 9A.

8A.

YOUR TOWN

EIGHT WAVES RELAUNCHES BEARS WHO CARE

Eight Waves has brought back the Bears Who Care program to schools.

The nonprofit merged with Bears Who Care, a nonprofit Kari Kron Schmitz founded that provides books and teddy bears to ill and disadvantaged children so they have a comforting companion and something to encourage them to read.

Kron Schmitz passed away in 2024, but her husband, Tad, wanted to continue her legacy so the nonprofit merged with Eight Waves.

Now, Bears Who Care is a preschool and elementary literacy program, expanding the original vision into schools where students can benefit from books, hands-on learning and community volunteers.

Nonprofit staff and volunteers have visited two schools and supported more than 150 students so far.

During the visits, a community guest reader shares a story with students. Afterward, students rotate through four interactive learning stations: art, sensory, STEM discovery and career exploration.

At the art station, children create artwork inspired by the story, while at the sensory station, children explore hands-on materials connected to the story.

At the STEM discovery station, students work through simple challenges, helping to build problem-solving skills and early math concepts.

At the career exploration station, students learn about different jobs and community helpers, allowing them to imagine the various possibilities for their futures.

At the end of the visit, every student receives a reading care package that includes a teddy bear reading buddy, books they can keep, a reading passport to track reading at home and a hygiene kit.

Anyone can be involved in Bears Who Care by serving as a guest reader, volunteering at one of the learning stations, sponsoring books or reading care packages, or helping bring the program to more schools.

5FAST

1

Family sues Westgate

Lakes Resort & Spa

Westgate Lakes Resort & Spa, located at 9500 Turkey Lake Road, Orlando, is being sued for negligence after a mother claims her child overdosed on opioids while staying at the resort to celebrate Mother’s Day in 2024.

In the lawsuit, the toddler’s mother, April Bates, claims her baby was crawling around in the kitchen area and stumbled upon a spoon in a cabinet under the sink.

The boy then placed the spoon in his mouth, became unresponsive and lost consciousness.

When he was transported to the hospital, testing revealed the presence of a toxic substance believed to be fentanyl or another opioid.

According to the lawsuit, Westgate Lakes Resort & Spa failed to provide guests with a safe environment by failing to properly inspect the kitchen area.

The lawsuit states drug activity in hotel rooms is a foreseeable occurrence, which should require reason able inspection protocols.

Jennifer Pelcher, the owner of the ice cream shop, announced on social media that after seven years, her shop will be closing its doors. She said it’s been one of the greatest blessings of her life, serving as more than a business but a family. It’s a place where birthday parties have been celebrated and teens celebrated their first jobs.

Abbott’s Frozen Custard will remain open until product runs out or until Saturday, March 21, whichever happens first.

“As much as I have fought to keep it going, the financial realities of running a small business have become too heavy for me to carry,” Pelcher wrote. “Rising costs and ongoing obligations have made it increasingly difficult to continue in a sustainable way. This decision was not made lightly.”

She thanked all her friends and family for their support since she first opened and to the entire com-

3

New Horizon West elementary school has a name

The new Horizon West elementary school now has a name.

Ovation Elementary School will open in August.

The name represents the masterplanned community where the school is located, according to Orange County Public Schools.

The school, which will be located on a 15-acre parcel on Hartzog Road, is being built to relieve Panther Lake and Water Springs elementary schools.

School and a longtime West Orange resident, will serve as principal of the new $38.6 million school.

4

Family sues OCPS, teacher

The mother of Ishaan Kottapalli, an adult with autism, is suing Orange County Public Schools and former Magnolia School teacher’s aide Ricky Hightower after Hightower allegedly bit Kottapalli during school hours.

The incident took place around Jan. 31, 2025, while Kottapalli was a student at Magnolia School.

open

The lawsuit says Hightower’s action was malicious and intentional. He is accused of battery, and OCPS is accused of negligence and breach of standard care set by Florida Statutes.

If the plaintiff wins the lawsuit, Kottapalli will receive more than $50,000. 5

Writer’s Block Bookstore to close The owner of Writer’s Block Bookstore, Lauren Zimmerman, shared a message to the Winter Garden community Tuesday, March 10.

Zimmerman wrote that due to recent changes in the ownership of downtown properties, the bookstore’s landlord has chosen to terminate its lease for a new tenant under a much higher rent. The impact has resulted in Writer’s Block Bookstore closing its Winter Garden location at the end of April.

“This is deeply upsetting for our team and for me personally,” Zimmerman said. “I fell in love with Winter Garden from the very beginning. The past five years have been a joy and a privilege, and I will always

and friends who made this store

Dublin down on celebration

West Orange found pots of gold at St. Patrick’s Day weekend festivities.

West Orange communities had luck on their side during their St. Patrick’s Day festivities. The streets of downtown Ocoee transformed into a community gathering place for Ocoee’s St. Patrick’s Day Block Party Friday, March 13.

Neighbors came together adorned in their best green attire to enjoy each other’s company as well as live music, a performance from Ocoee’s very own Watters School of Irish Dancing and local food and beverages from Toll Road Brewing. There also were small fair rides, bounce houses, and arts and crafts for the little ones to enjoy.

Crooked Can’s annual Celtic Fest made its way to Winter Garden’s Plant Street for food, laughter and award-winning beer Friday, March 13, to Sunday, March 15.

Connecticut’s Randi Herman traveled down to Winter Garden for the third year in a row to celebrate at the festival. She said she loves it, and after practice, she’s learned the art of Crooked Can’s Beer Puppet game, which requires carefully maneuvering strings like arms.

There were a variety of live performances, including music, Irish dance schools and stilt walkers, in addition to children enjoying lawn games and face painting.

The weekend of St. Patrick’s day festivities continued in Horizon West at Home State Brewing Company’s St. Paddy’s Party Saturday, March 14.

The brewery opened its backyard patio to the community to enjoy live music from the Steve Angel Band and two dance performances from the Ealaínontóir School of Irish Arts Dancers. Guests also satisfied their hunger with the brewery’s pretzels with cheese and quenched their thirst with made-in-house beer.

MEGAN BRUINSMA

OCOM forms partnership with Shepherd’s Hope

Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine students give back to the community on a larger scale while working with families once per month at Shepherd’s Hope.

LETICIA SILVA STAFF WRITER

In 2021, Mariana Valdez went through a rough patch. She was graduating from pre-med school while COVID-19 still was prevalent and lost her mom.

At the time, she was unsure if she would continue pursuing a career in medicine, but she decided to push through.

That’s when she began volunteering at Shepherd’s Hope and fell in love with it.

“Just seeing how the providers were taking extra time to really just hear the patients… is what inspired me to do medicine again,” she said. “It gave me hope, and that’s what Shepherd’s Hope is — hope for a lot of people.”

To Valdez, being able to experience the kindness of Shepherd’s Hope and helping people regardless of their finances, immigration status or home-stability is a beautiful thing and the true meaning of medicine.

“Now that I’m in medical school, it’s really nice going back and being able to be a volunteer (again),” she said. “It’s really a full-circle moment.”

As a student at Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine, Valdez is using her knowledge from school to help families through Shepherd’s Hope in a new student-led initiative.

Shepherd’s Hope, a faith-based nonprofit in Central Florida, offers free health clinics for the uninsured and underinsured.

Founded in 1997, the nonprofit has serviced the community for 29 years offering high-quality care for free through specialists, physicians, nurses, medical students and the general public.

Since OCOM opened in 2024, students and faculty have been searching for opportunities to provide hands-on experience for students.

With some students like Valdez already connected to Shepherd’s Hope, the student-led initiative in which students assist in the nonprofit’s clinics and with its health programming, giving them hands-on experience while helping the community, began.

“It’s a win-win for both Shepherd’s Hope and them,” said Susan Eklin, Shepherd’s Hope’s interim president and CEO. “It’s not only a service providing health care, but it’s providing a service to the community and helping those people that otherwise would go without.”

CARING PEOPLE CARING FOR PEOPLE

The student-led initiative to partner with Shepherd’s Hope became an idea in 2024. Since then, students, faculty and Shepherd’s Hope administration have been trying to make it a reality.

Eklin said Shepherd’s Hope was open to the idea since the beginning, knowing the enthusiasm of OCOM students.

“When we can have the privilege of giving experiences to new physicians that are just starting out and new students that want to be physicians but aren’t yet, it’s fantastic,” she said. “Before all the craziness of working in a hospital, working in the medical field, before you have to worry about paperwork and insurance and quotas and metrics and everything else, they get to really be part of performing true medicine and giving care when none of that matters.”

To Shepherd’s Hope, this partnership means giving back to the community at a larger scale.

“If we’re not here, if (students) are not here, these people would go without care,” Eklin said. “We change lives. We find diagnosis that are life-treating and we’re able to provide patients with the care they need without any cost.”

OCOM students also are able to help the nonprofit with its new Heartto-Heart Wellness Program, learning how to screen patients for cardiovascular issues, asking questions and providing medical supplies when needed.

In the future, both OCOM and Shepherd’s Hope hope to continue and grow the partnership.

“We would like to grow with OCOM and give their students a clinic where they can share what they have learned with the patients, where they can learn and where they can grow,” Eklin said.

The partnership currently is underway to expand to Shepherd’s Hope’s West Orange location at 455 9th St., Winter Garden.

While logistics for that still are in the works, students will continue to volunteer at Shepherd’s Hope in downtown Orlando, continuing the mutually-beneficial partnership.

“I love the enthusiasm of students coming in and wanting to give back and make a difference,” Eklin said.

“Our motto is ‘Caring people caring for people.’”

FROM TEXTBOOKS TO REAL WORLD

Like Valdez, OCOM’s Shereen

Abousaouira has volunteered at Shepherd’s Hope for a number of years.

Abousaouira began volunteering at the nonprofit in 2022 after she graduated from the University of Florida.

“I wanted to do something that was both meaningful but also gave me clinical experience and gave me the opportunity to see patients and see how health care works in the real world, not just behind a book,” she said. “I would say it is probably the most impactful and important thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

She said she’d go into her volunteering shifts and feel incredibly grateful to be able to not just see Shepherd’s Hope’s patients but help them and see them get the care they need.

That’s what the partnership between OCOM and Shepherd’s Hope hopes to accomplish.

While the logistics still are in the works — figuring out volunteer shifts, going through background checks, training and finding students who are interested — some students already are getting the hands-on experience at Shepherd’s Hope’s downtown location, at 101 S. Westmoreland Drive, Orlando.

“We have a bunch of people who are interested, which is super exciting,” Valdez said.

At the first volunteer session, students already were trained and knew about different volunteer opportunities.

There have been three volunteer opportunities, once per month since January.

Some students volunteer as scribes, documenting patients’ encounters, histories and exam results while shadowing a doctor.

Some students are able to shadow doctors to witness the patient-doc-

SHEPHERD’S HOPE HOURS OF OPERATION

Downton location: 5 to 8 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays at 101 S. Westmoreland Drive, Orlando West Orange location: 4 to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, noon to 3 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays at 455 9th St., Winter Garden. Longwood location: 8 a.m. to noon and 4 to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays at 600 N. U.S. Highway 17-92, Suite124, Longwood

You don’t need to be in the medical field to volunteer at Shepherd’s Hope. Visit shepherdshope. org/volunteers to sign up.

tor interactions, learning about how to treat a patient in real time and give referrals.

Some students also check patients in and out, while learning to use Epic Systems, which is a software designed to manage patient data and clinical workflows through a unified digital platform.

“Students are going to see patients from all over, with all different kinds of concerns, comorbidity, family history, things like that,” Valdez said. “It’s very realistic to what we will see as future physicians because it is the real world and it is real patients.”

To them, the most important part about this initiative is experiencing different opportunities within the clinic while positively impacting Shepherd’s Hope and all its patients.

Editor and

/ Michael Eng, meng@OrangeObserver.com

Design

/ Jessica Eng, jeng@OrangeObserver.com

Managing

lramos@OrangeObserver.com

Historian / Amy Quesinberry Price, amyqhistory@OrangeObserver.com

Staff Writer / Megan Bruinsma, mbruinsma@OrangeObserver.com

Staff Writer / Leticia Silva, lsilva@OrangeObserver.com

Multimedia Sales Manager / Cyndi Gustafson, advertising@OrangeObserver.com

Multimedia Advertising Executive / Iggy Collazo, iggy@OrangeObserver.com

Graphic Designer / Sarah Santiago, ssantiago@OrangeObserver.com

Advertising Operations Manager / Allison Brunelle, abrunelle@OrangeObserver.com

WEST ORANGE TIMES

More homes coming?

Orange County staff held a community meeting to discuss the rezoning request to construct 51 homes at 1955 S. Apopka-Vineland Road.

Orange County staff held a brief community

Thursday, March 5, in Olympia High School’s auditorium offering information on a rezoning request that would add 51 homes at 1955 S. Apopka-Vineland Road.

Case planner Adriana Caamaño explained in a presentation the importance of future land use and zoning correlation. Future land use can be general, such as commercial, residential or industrial, Caamaño said, while zoning is more specific in regard to, for instance, lot sizes and where homes can be built.

“You could have a future land use that’s residential and then have a zoning that’s agricultural,” Caamaño said. “If they don’t match, it requires a rezoning in order to develop, which happens. That’s why we’re here today.”

The applicant for the rezoning request, Harris Civil Engineers, is looking to rezone the 20.98-acre parcel from A-1, which is for Citrus Rural District, and R-CE, which is for Country Estate District to R-1A.

An R-1A zoning distinction is a SingleFamily Dwelling District, which allows for

detached-home lots to measure at least 75 feet wide and 7,500 square feet in size. When paired with the parcel’s current future land use, Low Density Residential, the property will be allowed up to four homes constructed every acre.

Landscape Nursery Inc., a plant nursery, currently owns the land.

Harris Civil Engineers President Abdul Alkadry, said following a rezoning approval, the construction of the homes might take some time because they all are expected to be custom-built at different times.

BAPTIST

First Baptist Church Pastor Tim Grosshans 125 E. Plant St, Winter Garden (407) 656-2352

Sundays: 8:30 AM Traditional 9:45 AM Bible Study 11 AM Contemporary Wednesdays: 6 PM Awana

2nd Campus: First Baptist Church @ Horizon West

ANGLICAN

ANGLICAN COMMUNITY

FELLOWSHIP CHURCH

Caamaño closed the presentation reinforcing that this was the first stage of the rezoning request process. No decisions have been made at this time.

Rector The Rev. Canon Tim Trombitas 1146 East Plant St, Winter Garden

STARKE LAKE BAPTIST CHURCH PO Box 520, 611 W Ave, Ocoee Pastor Jeff Pritchard (407) 656-2351 www.starkelakebaptist.org

SUNDAY SERVICE 10:00 AM Find us at: Theacf.net

BAPTIST

BEULAH BAPTIST

“After (the Orange County Planning Division), (Harris) would have to submit, basically, a preliminary site plan, and that would have to go through a development review committee and it would be reviewed by all divisions,” she said. “That process takes a while and that site plan goes back to the board.”

Pastor Casey Butner 671 Beulah Rd, Winter Garden 407-656-3342 | BeulahBaptistWG.org

CHURCH OF GOD OCOEE CHURCH OF GOD Pastor Thomas Odom 1105 N. Lakewood Avenue, Ocoee 407-656-8011

EPISCOPAL

METHODIST FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 125 N. Lakeview Ave Winter Garden Service Times 9:00 AM and 11:15 AM Phone – 407-656-1135 Web: fumcwg.org

UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST WINDERMERE UNION CHURCH 10710 Park Ridge-Gotha Rd. Windermere,

SUNDAY BIBLE STUDY 9:30AM SUNDAY SERVICE 11:00AM 6:00PM 6pm - Awana

CHURCH OF THE MESSIAH 241 N. Main, Winter Garden Services: 8, 9:30, & 11am, 7pm www.churchofthemessiah.com

Church proposed for Winter Garden

Winter Garden City Commission approved first readings of ordinances to allow for the construction of a church at East Crown Point and East Fullers Cross Road.

LIZ RAMOS MANAGING EDITOR

The Winter Garden City Commission unanimously approved Thursday, March 12, the first reading of three ordinances impacting New Life Slavic Church.

Commissioners Chloe Johnson and Colin Sharman were absent.

If approved after the second reading of the three ordinances at the meeting Thursday, March 26, the church will be able to annex approximately 1.5 acres located at 1414 East Crown Point Road and approximately 2.02 acres located at 1325 East Fullers Cross Road into the city of Winter Garden.

A second ordinance would amend the future land use map of the Winter Garden Comprehensive Plan by changing the land use designation of the property from Orange County Low Density Residential to City Low Residential.

The last ordinance would rezone the property from Orange County A-1, which is Citrus Rural District, to City PUD, which is Planned Unit Development.

The approval of the ordinances would allow New Life Slavic Church to construct an 11,162-square-foot church, which will contain a onestory worship area with 286 seats that will connect with a two-story area for offices and meeting rooms.

In order to mitigate impacts to surrounding properties, church staff will provide 30-foot landscaped buffers along all property boundaries, which also will allow staff to preserve many of the mature trees at the boundary of the property.

The applicant also proposed two access points on the property: one from East Fullers Cross Road and another along East Crown Point Road. There is an existing traffic signal at the intersection, and the applicant will stripe a designated left-turning lane along East Crown Point Road to assist with traffic turning into the property.

When Mayor John Rees asked if there were any opportunities for something to go in that property that could produce revenue, Planning Director Kelly Carson said although she doesn’t know the history of the property, “there were some developments that were considered some time ago.”

“For a long time, given the residential nature of the surrounding properties, we had said you know, it would have to be something that was either residential in nature or compatible with the surrounding low-density properties,” she said. “A church is kind of one of those transitional uses. It’s considered kind of a quasi-residential use. It’s a signalized intersection, so we thought that was probably a good use for that corner, because a singlefamily house might not be appropriate at a signalized corner. But there had never been any talks about commercial uses. It could certainly have been a higher-density residential proposal.”

COMMERCIAL REZONE PROPOSAL

The City Commission unanimously approved the first reading of two ordinances to update the future land use to Commercial and rezone to Planned Commercial Development for the 2.88-acre property located at 761 Garden Commerce Parkway.

The property currently is designated as Multi Office Industrial and zoned as Planned Industrial Development.

The proposed ordinances would allow the owner to accommodate more commercial service uses such as medical aesthetic/clinics; studios such as yoga, ballet and dance; retail; and pet-care facilities.

“The applicant’s request for additional uses on the property would allow for greater flexibility of uses without interfering with the existing businesses in the surrounding PID,” Carson said.

She said the property already is developed for the approved site plan, no site plan changes are needed to accommodate the new commercial uses, and there already is sufficient parking for commercial uses.

The second reading of the ordinances will take place Thursday, March 26.

IN OTHER NEWS

n The Winter Garden City Commission unanimously approved the second reading of an ordinance to amend the Winter Garden Code of Ordinances to make it consistent with the current Florida Building Code standards.

n The City Commission unanimously approved a resolution for a minor amendment to the Character Area Plan Unit Development Zoning Ordinance for the property located at 996 E. Plant St. The resolution would extend the CAPUD for three more years.

n Commissioners unanimously approved the memorandum of understanding between the city and Friends of Lake Apopka.

FOLA has received a $600,000 Florida Department of Environmental Protection grant for engineering, design and permitting for approximately 60 acres of shoreline adjacent to Newton Park. The city has secured $3 million in federal appropriations for Phase 1 of dredging. FOLA also has requested $1.9 million in FDEP funds for Fiscal Year 2026 and plans to pursue additional federal, state and county funding to support subsequent phases of the project.

n The commission unanimously approved a piggyback contract with Flotech Environmental LLC for storm sewer rehabilitation.

n The renewal of the Microsoft Enterprise License Agreement in the amount of $148,264.05 was unanimously approved.

n The commission unanimously approved a piggyback contract for Cintas to help reduce the overall costs of uniform services. The city will save approximately $33,000 annual with this contract while maintaining the same level of service and uniform quality.

MIXED-USE BUILDINGS PROPOSED

Commissioners unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance to rezone properties at 15411, 15540 and 15541 E. Oakland Ave. and 841 Tilden Oaks Trail from a Planned Unit Development to Planned Commercial Development.

The rezone would allow for the development of four mixed-use buildings consisting of commercial uses on the bottom floors and residential uses on the second floors.

The neighborhood commercial component will be 12,515 square feet with a total of 12 dwelling units on the second floors.

The neighborhood general open zone permits uses such as attached single-family units such as townhomes, multi-family residential and neighborhood oriented commercial uses, Carson said.

Carson said city staff required the property proposal to be Planned Commercial Development to further define the neighborhood commercial uses and all the specific development requirements of the parcels, such as setbacks, buffers and architectural standards.

After receiving community feedback, Carson said there was no major objection to the proposal as a whole, but there was concern about people going through the neighborhood to access the commercial property.

“We did explore that, and we found that because of some limitations of grading and some existing utilities, that was not possible,” she said. “But (the applicant) did amend some of the circulation so it didn’t have to go through their neighborhood.”

The Observer will celebrate the area’s public and private high school graduating classes of 2026 with a special section featuring photos of the seniors!

Be a part of saying “Congratulations” and “Good Luck” to our graduates.

SPACE RESERVATION DEADLINE: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22

DATE OF PUBLICATION: THURSDAY, MAY 14

LET’S CELEBRATE THE CLASS OF 2026

Earning a high school diploma is an accomplishment worth celebrating. That’s precisely why the Observer is creating an extra special Graduation section. In it, we will celebrate seniors at all of our area’s public, private and charter high schools.

Furthermore, we will launch a special spotlight page on OrangeObserver.com to celebrate our seniors with digital content.

SPACE RESERVATION DEADLINE: APRIL 24 DATE OF PUBLICATION: THURSDAY, MAY 14

Orlando Pen Club brings enthusiasts together

The Orlando Pen Club was created in 2023 and has since seen a tenfold increase in enthusiasts.

Dozens of people gathered at Home State Brewing Co. on a sunny afternoon to bond over the same interests: pens, paper and ink.

The group, called the Orlando Pen Club, meets once per month with the goal of bringing enthusiasts together while having delicious food, refreshing beverages and lots of laughter.

The Orlando Pen Club was established in 2023 when couple Steven Zazzaro and TeAnte Turner attended the Orlando Pen Show together.

They quickly realized how many people have the same niche interest as them and wanted to bring the enthusiasts together.

Turner always has been a pen enthusiast and introduced Zazzaro to the world of fountain pens.

Diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia at a young age, Zazzaro found journaling gave him structure and allowed him to focus.

Fountain pens made writing even more special to him.

“If it’s not written down, it didn’t happen,” he said.

Since meeting Turner, Zazzaro

started learning about new pens and all different aspects associated with them, including handwriting, writing styles, different nib styles and more.

Today, his fountain pen collection is larger than Turner’s.

Turner and Zazzaro were able to bring their vision to life with the help of friends and co-founders Joe Cortner, Ruben Vasquez and Toni Palumbo.

The club’s first meeting took place at Hash House A Go Go in 2023, with 10 people in attendance.

They chatted, tried new pens, tested new inks and learned about different types of paper while having the time of their lives being unapologetically themselves.

It was then that the couple realized this club would be valuable to pen, ink and paper enthusiasts.

Today, the club’s Slack Channel has more than 100 people in it.

Some are doctors, some are business owners, others are civil servants, HR professionals, field employees and more.

Some drive from Vero Beach, Daytona Beach, Sebastian and Eustis to be a part of the monthly get-togethers.

To them, it doesn’t matter your ethnicity, background, career, religious beliefs, sexual preferences or how expensive your pens are — what matters is fostering a welcoming environment where anyone can attend and feel right at home.

Beyond sharing the same interest, courses also are offered through the club.

Turner instructs an ink class, teaching attendees about all the different inks available, and Zazzaro teaches Fountain Pen 101 and Fountain Pen 201, teaching attendees about the

basics of a fountain pen and the terminology that comes with it.

The couple finds the need to keep the analog world alive in a world of technology.

“With technology, I think people are yearning for the analog on the backside of it,” Zazzaro said. “I don’t care how good our technology gets, there’s always going to be a place for analog in the world.”

These meetings and courses are significant to club members because they can sit down together and forget about technology for a few hours.

“There’s something therapeutic about it,” club member Michael Anglero said. “Everything moves so fast all the time, it’s good to take some (time) to slow down and pick up your pen and ink and find your flow. Chill out, take a little bit of time for yourself, it’s important.”

Another aspect of the club members enjoy is being able to learn something new every meeting and expand their interests.

Yesy Velez is a new member of the club but has had a love for stationery since she was a child. Since joining, she’s learned a ton of new information and has grown her leather company by selling leather-wrapped journals to other club members.

“I learned a lot about inks,” Velez said enthusiastically. “About how they have different properties, shimmer, shading and all of that. It’s amazing. … I’m so grateful for (the members), they’re just very like-minded people.”

As the club continues to meet, it continues to grow.

People bring ink samples, trade pens and teach each other about stationery items and more.

The club also holds giveaways so members can leave every meeting with more than just new knowledge. It’s more than just pens, ink and paper. It’s about fostering friendships through a shared interest.

IF YOU GO

FLORIDA STATIONERY FEST:

WHEN: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 29-31

WHERE: Florida Hotel & Conference Center, 1500 Sand Lake Road, Orlando.

COST: $25 per day or $55 for three-day access

ORLANDO PEN SHOW:

WHEN: Sept. 10-13

WHERE: Florida Hotel & Conference Center, 1500 Sand Lake Road, Orlando. COST: $57.75 for all-access pass

Visit Orlando Pen Club on Facebook or @OrlandoPenClub on Instagram to stay in the know.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF PENS:

• Fountain pens

• Dip pens

• Gel pens

• Ballpoint pens

• Space pens

• Wand pens

• Rollerball pens

• Fineliner pens

• Felt-tip pens

• Brush pens •Quill pens

Harlow Grove now open in Winter Garden

A two-story restaurant and lounge opened its doors in Winter Garden Wednesday, March 11.

LETICIA SILVA STAFF

WRITER

The Winter Garden dining scene is continuing to expand and a new restaurant has just been added to the menu. Harlow Grove Restaurant & Lounge is located at 186 S. Main St., Winter Garden, bringing a unique dining experience to the community Mondays through Sundays.

Brought to Winter Garden by Knallhart Management Group, owners of The Whole Enchilada Fresh Mexican Grill & Rooftop Bar, Harrell’s Hot Dogs + Cold Cones, and more, Harlow Grove is “something different,” General Manager Dustin Huckins said.

The two-story restaurant offers three different atmospheres, housemade dishes, handcrafted cocktails and locally-sourced produce.

The downstairs area is the lounge, where guests can enjoy a casual atmosphere that’s cocktail-driven. The bar sits 20 people, and additional tables and booths also are available.

The second floor is the dining area, which offers an elevated dining ambiance and a 10-person bar.

“And then you step out into the

outside terrace, and it’s beautiful,” Huckins said. “It’s botanical, like a garden. Everything is separated with planters and we have large leafy greens, overshadowed by a 100-year-old oak tree that we have trellis up with lights. It’s so beautiful.”

Huckins said he is incredibly proud of the outcome the restaurant achieved during its opening nights and the feedback received.

“Our most gracious compliment we received on opening day was that it seems like we’ve been here for months, not just a couple of days,” Huckins said. “It makes me proud (of) the amount of work we put in to try to make this as seamless as possible and give an experience that we are proud to provide the community.”

The restaurant wants guests to stay for as long as they want, focusing on offering the best experience rather than making the most amount of money possible.

The hashtag #StayAwhile, seen on the restaurant’s napkins, embodies that concept.

“If you go to Disney or Universal, everything there is a lot more ‘turnand-burn,’ ‘get-‘em-in, get-‘emout,’” Huckins said. “We’re targeting for a more casual atmosphere.

… Somewhere you can come in and relax and spend a good amount of time at our bars and enjoy good cocktails.”

Executive Chef Phillip Lowd has worked at prestigious luxury resorts

and Michelin-starred restaurants across the country, bringing years of knowledge to create a menu for Harlow Grove fitting its late-night, chic-modern jungle theme.

The menu offers a wide range of dishes, from its three-beef blend burger to pan-seared scallops, lobster grilled cheese, steak frites, tuna tartare and more.

“We’re trying to cater to all the various pallets that we have here in Central Florida because of how widely diverse it is,” Huckins said. “We’re trying to make it a place that everyone could come to on a regular basis, not just necessarily for your

date night or special occasion.” Huckins said a menu must-try is the steak frites, which is made using Prime New York Strip, paired with house-cut French fries that are cut to order every day.

The French dip sandwich is a must-try as well.

“It’s underrated,” Huckins said. “It’s absolutely incredible and it’s a massive sandwich. It’s a bang for your buck.”

Cocktails are on his must-try list as well.

“The HG Espresso Martini is incredible,” he said. “We do ours with pistachio and almond orgeat,

IF YOU GO

HARLOW GROVE WHERE: 186 S. Main St., Winter Garden HOURS: Full-dinner menu from 4 to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; full-dinner menu from 4 to 11

and Saturdays; full-dinner menu from 4 to 9 p.m.

The restaurant stays open for an additional hour each day of the week only offering a condensed late-night menu and drinks.

Live DJ entertainment will be available Thursdays through Saturdays.

and we actually use fresh espresso with pistachio dusting over the top. Everybody raves about it and says it’s the best Espresso Martini they’ve ever had.”

While the restaurant does not offer brunch at the moment, brunch reservations now are available starting Saturday, April 25.

As general manager, Huckins has enjoyed the entire process, from interviewing more than 500 candidates to seeing new faces on the dining-room floor.

“We have an incredible team here,” he said. “We’re very proud. … We strive to do our best and provide every guest the best experience they can have in Winter Garden.”

Boathouse offer declined

The Windermere Town Council voted down the boathouse residents’ offer and the town’s counteroffer to settle the yearslong litigation, instead moving toward a shade meeting to discuss further options.

JUSTICE COVERT

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Windermere Town Council voted down two offers to resolve the town’s ongoing litigation against the five titled owners of the centuriesold Third Avenue boathouses at its meeting Tuesday, March 10.

The vote came after Windermere Town Council and the residents participated in virtual mediation Wednesday, Feb. 25, before mediator and retired Circuit Judge Frederick J. Lauten.

Rachael Crews, the appellate counsel of record for the matter, presented the Town Council with the boathouse residents’ offer that asks the town to pay $500,000 to cover their fees and costs, drop the town’s appeal of the November 2025 final judgement and execute a release that makes it clear that the town will not contest the ownership of the boathouses and the underlying land on which they sit.

The town decided in December 2025 to appeal the decision to the Sixth District Court of Appeal following Ninth Circuit Court Judge John E. Jordan signing an order in October 2025 in favor of the five titled owners of the boathouses.

The appeal status is ongoing since its deadline was put on hold during the mediation process, Crews said.

Before a vote on the residents’ offer, Crews presented the counteroffer that Town Manager Robert Smith authorized.  Windermere’s counteroffer included legally determining and clarifying the ownership of the boathouses and the associated land on which the boathouses sit, recommending the town pay the residents $105,000 instead of $500,000 and offer the residents a 99-year lease with auto-renewal, which is “effectively permanent ownership,” Crews said.

Crews said one of the biggest issues with the underlying November 2025 trial court order is that it left ownership completely open: It stated the town did not sufficiently prove ownership for lease and eviction purposes and also left open who owns any portion of the lagoon.

“(With the town’s offer) both parties would walk away with legal papers where they could say ‘This is what we own and this is what you own,’” Crews said. “Under our proposal, the boathouse residents would have the boathouses in that footprint, and the town would clearly own the rest of the lagoon and the road right of ways.” Crews said the reason for explicitly stating the town owns the roads is because of “problematic language” in the order suggesting the town never accepted the plat of Windermere, which, if true, then theoreti-

cally the town has no ownership of any of its roads or right of way.

“It’s just sloppy language,” Crews said. “I believe in the court orders that needs to be cleared up in terms of overall ownership interest.”

Included in the counteroffer also was a recommendation for Town Council to add a limitation to what could be done in the lagoon area, to coincide with the town’s efforts in keeping the historic area pristine.

“We want it to be a natural area, we don’t want to see a big monstrosity erected, or these historic boathouses torn down and something huge built,” Crews said. “We want to keep the area as it is.”

Council member Tom Stroup said he agreed with the town’s counteroffer of a 99-year lease with autorenewal but believed the $105,000 to cover fees and costs was not a reasonable amount. Crews said the residents did not provide an official number but indicated their current legal costs are around $800,000.

The Town Council rejected the residents’ offer 4-1, with Stroup dissenting.

In the middle of the second motion to vote on approval of the town’s counteroffer, one of the boathouse owners, Jerry Fay, gave his opinion on it.

“You keep talking about a 99-year lease; you don’t own anything to lease to us,” Fay said. “You have not proven a thing that you own any of this lagoon or property or right of way or anything that you’re supposed to lease to us for 99 years. We’d be fools to take something like that.”

Town Council voted 2-3, with council members Stroup, Brandi Haines and Mandy David dissenting, failing to approve the town’s counteroffer to the boathouse residents.

With neither offer approved, the Town Council moved to schedule a shade meeting to discuss the town’s options.

CONCEPT APPROVED

RESTROOM

The long-proposed restroom facility to be built near town hall and Windermere Library is moving forward as the Town Council unanimously approved the fourth concept iteration but not without some extra questions about measurements.

The restroom facility concept includes one additional urinal in the men’s restroom and one additional toilet stall in the women’s restroom compared to previous designs. In total, there will be four fixtures in each of the men’s and women’s restrooms. The facility also plans to include a separate family restroom with one toilet.

Haines expressed concern about the concept, though, noting that the measurements didn’t add up to her.

“The site plan that’s included in the agenda packet says 619 square feet, and that’s actually also written on the drawing for the newest option four, but when I calculated it, I’m coming up with 730 square feet,” Haines said.

Haines said the concern and reason for asking was that once the square footage returns to the 700s, it will be similar to the first concept the Town Council reviewed. She added that the bigger the concept gets, the more likely it is to harm the two historic oak trees in the construction area.

John Fitzgibbon, town consultant and civil engineer, stated the construction process is in its early stages.

“We’re at schematic level,”

Fitzgibbon said. “We’re trying to figure program out, we’re trying to figure out the layout here. So I think it’s important for you guys tonight to vote on concept, and let us do our thing, and we’ll come back with a solid plan.”

Plans for the restrooms will be brought before council at 40%, 60% and 90% project completion for feedback from Town Council.

TOWN HALL REHABILITATION GETS GREEN LIGHT

The Town Council unanimously approved phases 2 and 3 of the Windermere Town Hall rehabilitation project, which includes interior reconfiguration, accessibility improvements and proposed porch and roof modifications.

The project did not require formal review by the State Historic Preservation Office, but the town coordinated with the office to ensure the rehabilitation is sensitive to the building’s historic character.

The effort is expected to take approximately 133 hours and is projected to cost between $15,930 to $19,980.

LEADERS SWORN IN

Before moving to new business, the Town Council shook up its seating chart.

Longtime Windermere Mayor Jim O’Brien swore former Town Council Member Andy Williams into the position. Williams is the fifth generation of his family to live in Windermere and has served on Town Council since March 2018.

After taking the oath of office, Williams presented O’Brien with a key to the town, commemorating his 16 years of service to Windermere. O’Brien served as a Town

Council member from 2011 to 2019 and mayor from 2019 to 2026.

“It’s fitting that finally I get the key, and we’ve changed to swipe cards,” O’Brien joked. “I just want to say what a privilege it’s been to serve each and every one of you. I want to thank my family for all the time they’ve allowed me to do this and staff for helping us all along the way. You can see that these things are not always easy, a lot of times they’re fun and easy, but a lot of times they’re not. Another thing I want to say to each and every one of you is I know that our town is in fantastic shape leadership-wise. I have full confidence in each and every one of you, and I look forward to all of your success, which is our success.”

The town plans to hold a celebration for O’Brien at town hall Friday, March 27.

Williams follows in the footsteps of his grandfather and namesake, Loren Robertson “Andy” Williams, who was a former mayor of Windermere.

Replacing Williams on the Town Council is CT Allen, a longtime resident of Windermere. She was a part of the group of seven Windermere Elementary School parents that created the Mustang Education Fund and started Windermere Wine & Dine as a fundraiser.

Town Council member Haines was sworn into her second term after she was first selected for the position in October 2023, filling the seat after the resignation of Molly Rose. Haines was reelected after she ran unopposed in March 2024.

n Windermere Town Council unanimously approved the appointment of a new member, Charles R. Hobbs, to the Historic Preservation Board. Hobbs listed a background in construction, knowledge of building codes and experience working with construction materials on his application.

SPORTS

5

1

West Orange High’s girls lacrosse senior Delaney Benfatti reached her 200th career goal Monday, March 9. Her accomplishment came when she scored six goals in the team’s 21-10 win over Boone High School.

Benfatti’s lacrosse journey began when she was in sixth grade, after being a competitive gymnast for five years. It’s Benfatti’s first season playing as a Warrior. She previously attended South Lake High, where she served as the team’s captain her junior season. She held the school’s record for goals scored in a career with 187 before beginning her senior year.

2

Boys weightlifting West Metros wrapped up Wednesday, March 11, with Horizon High claiming first place in Olympic and Traditional for the second year in a row.

Windermere finished in second, Lake Buena Vista in third, Ocoee in sixth, West Orange in eighth and Olympia High in ninth. Lake Buena Vista’s boys weightlifter Romeo Castillo took home first place in the Metro Championship in both Olympic and Traditional weightlifting for his weight classes. He recorded a total of 605 pounds in Traditional and scored 330 in Olympic. The top lifter overall in Traditional was West Orange’s Lucca Bruno with a total score of 590 and weight of 152. The top lifter overall in Olympic was West Orange’s Joseph Caputo with a total score of 260 and weight of 137.

3

Foundation Academy track and field athlete Lee Peters competed in the New Balance Indoor Nationals Thursday, March 12, to Sunday, March 15, in Boston, Massachusetts.

She ran the 60-meter dash in 7.35 seconds to claim bronze in the heat, while competing against athletes from across the country. She competed in the New Balance Outdoor Nationals for the first time in June 2025. The senior Lion is the defending state champion in the 200-meter and 60-meter dash, and her goal this season is to reclaim the title.

4West Orange High’s baseball booster club announced the Warriors home game against Windermere High will be Little League Night. The first pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 24. All Little League players and their families are invited to the game to join the high school players under the night lights. They’re asking Little League players to arrive early for check-in at 6 p.m., and they will run onto the field, stand for the national anthem and run the bases after the game. Admission is free for players in a jersey.

5Awards rolled in for Windermere High boys and girls soccer teams. The Wolverines’ boys team had four players — junior Felipe Ribeiro and seniors Caden Scramoncin, Andres Grisanti and Arthur Passos — selected for the All-Metro Conference West first team following the team’s Final Four appearance. Windermere High girls soccer team had four players — seniors Emma Hunter and Karla Rampolla, sophomore Violet Bryan and freshman Calia Emmons — selected for the All-Metro first team following the team’s 12-5-2 record and winning the District Championship for the first time in five years.

TFA’S YOUTH WITH IMPRESSIVE TALENT

The First Academy girls lacrosse team’s 9-2 record has been made possible through a unique blend of players.

MEGAN BRUINSMA STAFF WRITER

As a seventh-grade athlete on a predominantly upperclassmen-based girls lacrosse team, Savannah Case felt an immense amount of pressure to do well.

The only middle schooler on the team thought she couldn’t make a mistake, but through The First Academy’s special community of seniors, she began to feel comfortable. They welcomed her to the team with open arms and a loving nature. Those same seniors still contact Case, who now is a junior, to ask how TFA’s season is going.

Now, the junior goalie is experiencing a much different landscape on TFA’s team as an upperclassman on a predominantly underclassmen team. Case is using her seventh-grade experience to help her understand the nerves the girls are facing. She treats them with respect, while offering a helping hand to the younger Royals who are proving age only is a number and it doesn’t define skill.

“It’s funny because it wouldn’t be the like sev-

enth-, sixth-graders that I would probably be helping because they’re so experienced, some of them have been playing club longer than me,” Case said. “(There’s) leadership over even some of the seniors that are playing that have never played before. There’s no hierarchy.”

Most high schools don’t have the opportunity to roster younger players, but with TFA’s unique blend of middle and high school into one, the team is finding success through the middle school athletes.

The Royals’ roster of 23 girls is made up of four sixth-, two seventh- and three eighth-grade players. Through their efforts together, TFA has built one of the strongest girls lacrosse teams in Central Florida, producing a 9-2 record and No. 55 ranking in the nation.

The DNA of TFA’s stats leaderboard is made up of those underclassmen, rather than junior and senior titles. The Royals leading scorer is eighthgrader Lily Rumble with 4.2 goals and just behind is eighth-grader Janie Thorndill with 3.3 goals per game.

Both Class of 2030 athletes play for the M&D

Orlando 2030 Black team. TFA’s head coach and the club director, Nikki Thorndill, said their team is No. 1 or No. 2 in the state and it’s No. 42 in the nation, so they’re playing at the highest level against some of the best club players in the country.

The players’ club experience is what shaped them into the dominant players they are for TFA. Case said club lacrosse targets players who want to take their skills to the next level and its training reflects it.

For lacrosse players, the essential training plan they have to master is wall ball, Nikki Thorndill said. Wall ball is when the player throws the ball at a wall and catches it to improve their passing, catching and overall stick skills.

The eighth-graders spend two hours practicing lacrosse six days per week to maintain and grow their skills. Janie Thorndill said if practice only is an hour, she spends an additional hour of her own time practicing wall ball or sprints. Her teammates said she’s one of the fastest on the team. Freshman Hadley Dixon said the team not only is made up of older and younger players but also

SEE NEW PAGE 10A

KNIGHTS FALL IN FINAL MOMENTS

team completed its mission of making

state title chance slipped away at the

The Ocoee High girls basketball team was bound for greatness from day one.

When the team stepped into the gym in June for summer workouts, head coach Marcus Spencer quickly saw the potential. In his 19 years of coaching, he never had seen a group of players with that level of talent. From the younger girls to the eight seniors, each brought a special piece to the roster.

Together they led Ocoee to becoming the district champions. Then the regional champions. Then for the first time in school history, going to the Final Four in back-to-back years and becoming one of the inaugural Class 7A girls basketball teams to play in Jacksonville for a state championship.

Ocoee was set to play Winter Haven at 9 a.m. Friday, March 13.

“We had some of the best prac-

tices and preparation the last few weeks that felt like, ‘Man, this is our year,’” Spencer said. “We even had a practice Thursday afternoon in Jacksonville and everything was clicking and the excitement, the opportunity, I just felt like, ‘Man, this is our year.’ Me and my assistant coaches, we talked about it and just had this feeling inside of us.”

The buildup made the game even more special. The city of Ocoee donated $2,000 to fund the Lady Knights’ Jacksonville trip. Ocoee High drove fans to the arena, which created a home-like crowd.

But despite the perfect practices, the fanbase and the support, Ocoee fell 31-26 to Winter Haven, and its momentum came to a close.

“It hurt me that Friday when we lost,” Spencer said. “I was numb. I was in shock because we had so many people who came to watch us play and my friends said, ‘I’m coming on Saturday night. Y’all

WEEK Sarah Walsh

As only a sophomore lacrosse player, Sarah Walsh already is making noise on the playing field for Horizon High. The midfielder is leading the 8-1 team in scoring with 3.9 goals per game, while recording a .648 shot percentage and 54 shots on goal. She also has a hand in her teammates’ goals by leading the team with 1.4 assists per game.

Last year, the Hawks claimed the district championship and are on the way to fight for the title again. As a unit, the team is averaging 16.8 goals per game, which is an improvement of its average of 14.9 from last season. Horizon won eight games in a row before falling to Windermere High and will return from spring break to host Ocoee High Tuesday, March 24. THE

What do you enjoy most about lacrosse?

I love the challenge of lacrosse. I enjoy running, playing with friends and the physical aspect. I always loved playing sports, including basketball, soccer, gymnastics and tennis, but lacrosse is the best fit.

When did you start lacrosse and why did you join?

I started in fifth grade on a new rec team started by the West Orange High School coach. I was always playing sports, and my mom thought it could be a good fit for me. I joined a club team in middle school, M&D Orlando.

What’s your biggest accomplishment in lacrosse?

My biggest accomplishment is helping lead my high school varsity team to be district champions my freshman year and being MVP for my team as a freshman.

What has lacrosse taught you?

It has taught me discipline and consistency. My club coach sets goals with us and holds us accountable. We have daily wall ball and running goals outside practice that we do on our own and she tracks it. It’s fun to see improvement over the month. How would you

BASICS Age: 15 Sport: Lacrosse Grade: Sophomore School: Horizon High

What advice would you give someone who just joined lacrosse?

Set goals for yourself and consistently work on those goals outside practice, and you will get better, much better.

What’s your pre-game ritual?

Pre-game I like to pass with a partner and warm up.

If you could pick a different sport what would it be? Why? Flag football, my brothers play and it is very fun but it’s the same season as lacrosse.

What’s something new you’d like to learn?

I’d like to learn to do pottery.

Where would you want to live if you weren’t in Florida?

I’d want to live in Alaska because I like the cold, it’s beautiful, there’s lot of wildlife and hiking.

If you won the lottery what would you do with the money?

I’m a saver. I would keep it to buy a cool house when I’m done with school. A house with an art studio and big kitchen because I love to work on art and bake in my free time.

What’s your favorite holiday? Why? Christmas. It’s good family time, we get to relax.

What future career do you want to have? Future career in STEM.

If you became famous, what would it be for?

I have no idea because I would never want to be famous. It would be something accidental!

If you had to pick a spirit animal, which would you choose? My spirit animal is a bee since I

What’s your perfect day? Waking up to fresh breakfast then go tubing on the lake and play outside, finishing with a

Would you rather only eat fruit Fruit because I don’t like vegetables. Fruit is sweet and I like to make smoothies.

MEGAN BRUINSMA

New generation of Royals

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9A

girls with different levels of experience. Although she’s an underclassman, she’s been playing lacrosse since second grade and joined TFA’s roster in sixth grade. The unique blend of ages and experience helps to shape the team’s knowledge.

“Those girls that only have been playing for a few years, they bring in a new kind of knowledge that some of us would completely overlook, and sometimes that creates an opportunity that we never thought was there,” she said.

It also has shaped how Nikki Thorndill approaches practices.

“I think for this team, especially this age group, they use the word lenient,” she said. “I don’t think any past teams would ever describe me as lenient at practice, but when you coach little girls, they mentally and physically need to rest more.”

For the most part, being firm and telling players what she wants from them is the same across the board, but certain players like Case are different. She’s worked with Case a lot over the years and now that Case is a junior, Nikki Thorndill trusts her to make the proper adjustments as needed.

The players look forward to TFA’s practices and games because of its flexibility. At club, they’re locked into one position and never fluctuate, while in high school they can test out different roles as they rep-

resent their Royals’ colors.

The record and success didn’t begin overnight. It began when the girls fell in love with lacrosse years ago.

YEARS IN THE MAKING Dixon came from a lacrosse-based family. Her mom, aunt and grandmother all played the sport and they fell in love with it a long time ago. When Dixon was born, she was destined to enter lacrosse. In second grade she started playing recreational lacrosse and there she found her home.

“Honestly I had played a lot of sports before that, but lacrosse was something that made me feel (different),” Dixon said. “There’s so many unique aspects to it that you don’t find in any other sport that made me attached to it.”

Case had a similar pathway into lacrosse. She began playing because her sister-in-law and brother played. Once joining a rec league, she fell in love with the coordination lacrosse requires since they are using a stick that’s not attached to their bodies.

“Rec was where I first picked up a stick so I had no idea what I was doing and then rec was very fun,” Rumble said. “The games were really fun too, like 7-on-7, shorter field games and less players on the field. That’s where I learned lacrosse and that’s where I was like, ‘Oh this is what I want to play.’”

She said if anyone wants to play club or high school lacrosse, they always should have some experience in rec first. Those recreational leagues served as their first formal introduction to the sport and were the grounds that shaped them today.

But the technical pieces and the player relationships still are growing every day, and it’s part of what makes TFA so dominating on the field.

Case said selfishness is a rare sight on the Royals’ roster, specifically on offense. The team has had 69 assists this year; the national average is 19. It’s the most assists she’s seen in her four years with the team.

“We’re getting people that shot, not as many fast breaks, really settling down the ball and running plays and just collectively working together to get a goal,” Case said. “It’s not necessarily for individual game but for the whole team’s sake.”

They’re extremely supportive of each other. Nikki Thorndill remembered when Ayla Conaway, a sixthgrader, scored for the first time against Edgewater and how she had the perfect side view of every attacker jumping up and down, cheering for her.

“Since the beginning of the season we’ve moved a lot of stuff around and now I feel like we were saying our offense is clicking better and we’re feeling more confident in plays we’re making,” Dixon said.

going to win.’ We were trying to speak it into existence, but it just didn’t fall.”

All 32 minutes of play against Winter Haven were a fight. The game was close, neither team had its breakaway moment, and it came down to the final minutes. The Lady Knights always talked about executing in the end, Spencer said. Wins are determined by the team who doesn’t turn over the ball down the stretch, makes its layups and doesn’t leave shooters open.

“I told them it was on me,” Spencer said. “As a player, I never want them to feel like they let us down or they let the city down.”

From a defensive standpoint, Ocoee did phenomenal; limiting a team to 31 points in a state semifinal game isn’t easy to do, but Winter Haven’s defense was right there, too. The Lady Knights were held to 26 points, when throughout the whole playoffs the team had been averaging 50-plus points and beating its opponents by 20-plus points. Even the team’s leading scorer, Dakara Merthie, who always shot in double digits, was limited to eight points.

Ocoee also allowed Winter Haven to have 19 attempts from the free-

throw line, while the Lady Knights only had two. Spencer said fouling was an issue the team had faced all season, and it came back to hurt the team in its most important game of the season.

The Lady Knights still will be hunting for a state title following its second loss in the Final Four, but its success slowly has changed the culture of Ocoee’s program.

“Everyone knows who we are now,” Spencer said.

Ocoee has transformed in Spencer’s six years there. His first season, the team was 3-17 but changed gears and became four-time district champions, two-time regional champions and two-time Final Four contenders. The team finished the year 24-6, and five of its losses came to teams who made it to the state semifinals in their respective classes.

“My athletic director came to me after the game and said, ‘You’ve been the most successful coach ever in Ocoee history in any sport, and you’ve only been here six years,’” Spencer said. He and the coaching staff will continue to work to maintain that. Girls can come in with talent, but the coaches need to put them in

position to be successful through strategy and guidance. Spencer preaches every day for players to have their bags packed at night and walk into the gym in the same uniform, to send a message to opponents and spectators.

“When we walk in the gym, I want people to be like, ‘Well, I was about to leave, but this team looks like they can play. I like the way they look, so let me see how we play,’” Spencer said. “Even if we don’t play great, it’s going to give the illusion that we look like somebody.” Every team needs its word or phrase to look up to and Spencer chose, “culture.” He wanted to, and has, changed Ocoee’s culture from a program people didn’t take seriously to a team people look at and want to be a part of. Through changing the players’ attire to the coaches’ attire, Ocoee’s coaches are building a team backed on success.

“We are trying to accomplish something,” Spencer said. “We’re not just playing, rolling out the balls. No, our time is valuable. I tell people all the time, ‘If I’m in something, I’m in 100%, 10 toes down and we’re going to get the most out of it.’”

West Orange football players’ strengths exposed

Rising football stars shined at the Real McCoy Exposure Camp Sunday, March 15.

With the spring football season right around the corner, West and Southwest Orange football players are putting in the work over the weekends to place themselves in top shape for when Friday night lights rolls back around.

The Real McCoy x Shuler Elite Exposure Camp, which is hosted by former University of Florida and Louisville offensive lineman TJ McCoy and designed for current eighth-graders to juniors, came to the Orlando area Sunday, March 15.

Players tested their 40-yard dash times and verticals and had their height and weights measured before beginning the shells camp with position-specific training, followed by 7-on-7 drills. The camp also gave awards to the MVP for each position.

West Orange High’s quarterback AJ Chung and running back Jayden Ammons, Ocoee High’s Nathaniel Watkins III and defensive back Trey Taylor were selected in the top five in their respective positions from the exposure camp.

“It was definitely a great opportunity to be able to compete with the great players out here,” Chung said. “It put West Orange on the map, shows that we have talent, and it was great to have the opportunity to compete against and see more quarterbacks that we compete against on a daily basis. It was a blessing to be able to be selected as one of the top QBs.”

Chung was named the overall MVP of the camp. In his sophomore season at West Orange, he threw for 2,936 yards and 41 touchdowns.

The rising junior already has offers from the University of South Florida, Arkansas and more, and he’s well on his way to continue right where he left off.

Watkins is a new face to the West Orange area. He transferred from East Ridge High to go to Ocoee, which was on the hunt for a new QB after Tyson Davidson graduated. In Watkins’ sophomore year, he recorded 229 yards and four touchdowns. He has recieved an offer from Bethune Cookman University.

Also on the QB side, Horizon High’s rising sophomore Quincy Darling showed out at the camp.

Horizon lost its all-around athlete Kaio Olivera, who is graduating in May, and Darling now is in the position to become a starting player on the Hawks’ roster.

“I learned a lot today about coverages, what to do, what happens in certain coverage and how to react, not to be so robotic,” he said about the camp run by former NFL and CFB players. “I put all the work in already, so I have to trust myself more than what I already do.”

The Warriors’ Ammons said it was an honor to be selected as a top RB and to compete at the camp at a high level against top defensive linemen and players. He’s a rising senior on the Warriors’ field, and he recorded 738 yards on 155 carries with 12 touchdowns. Ammons has received offers from Florida Atlantic, University of North Carolina at Pembroke and the University of Rhode Island so far and will continue to work toward his college goals.

“For the season it makes me feel very comfortable with my team and form a better brotherhood because now we got to talk in this camp, now we can go outside of camp and get more reps together so we can form that bond and get our timing right,” Ammons said of him and Chung being top players.

WEST ORANGE OBITUARIES

FRANK BYNUM MERRITT JR. OCT. 19, 1936 — MARCH 8, 2026

Frank Bynum Merritt Jr., 89 years old, passed away on Sunday March 8, 2026. He dedicated his life to being a wonderful husband, father and grandfather. Frank was born in 1936 in Salisbury, North Carolina, to Frank Bynum Merritt, Sr. and Millie Louise (Horah) Merritt. He attended Granite Quarry High School and participated in football, baseball and the band. Upon graduation, he proudly served in the United States Air Force as a Cryptographic Operator. Upon leaving the Air Force, he attended Catawba College. Frank went to work for American Commercial Bank in the spring of 1959, which later became Bank of America, where he retired in 1999.

He met the love of his life, Ann (Dina) Brown, in November 1959. They married in August 1960 at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, and started their life together. They had two beautiful children, Mark Edward, born in 1962, and Melanie Ann, born in 1967.

When Frank retired in 1999, they bought a piece of property in Oakland, Florida, built a house and permanently moved there in August 2000. Frank was very involved in the church (Oakland Presbyterian Church), the town of Oakland and Oakland Nature

JAMES THOMAS RUSSELL

DIED FEB. 21, 2026

James Thomas Russell, 78, died peacefully on Feb. 21, 2026. Born in Denver, Colorado, Jimmy later relocated to the Orlando area, where he worked at both SeaWorld Orlando and Walt Disney World. During his time there, he received numerous awards in recognition of his outstanding job performance. He later worked as a security specialist. Jimmy was an avid collector of movie and Disney memorabilia and was very active in the church

Delilla Richardson, 91, of Winter Garden, died Wednesday, March 11, 2026. Baldwin-Fairchild Winter Garden Funeral Home.

Richard Thomas Mihu (Rick) 62, of Winter Garden, died Thursday, March 5, 2026. Baldwin-Fairchild Winter Garden Funeral Home.

Preserve, volunteering on various committees. His passions were gardening and barbecuing! Frank is survived by his loving wife of 65 years, Dina Merritt; his son, Mark (Traci), of Lexington, North Carolina; daughter, Melanie (Randy), of Winter Garden, Florida; three grandchildren, Joshua (Lindsay), of Lewisville, North Carolina, Payton, of Orlando, Florida, and Joely, of Lexington, North Carolina; and one great-grandchild, Hunter, of Lewisville, North Carolina He is also survived by his brother, Charlie Merritt, of Salisbury, North Carolina.

A Celebration of his Life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 21, 2026, at Oakland Presbyterian Church, 218 E. Oakland Ave., Oakland, Florida. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Oakland Presbyterian Church in Frank’s honor.

community in Winter Garden. He was preceded in death by his mother, Leonie Russell, and his father, George Russell. He is survived by his daughter, Suzette Matejowsky; his sons, Charles and Richard Russell; his sister, Roxanne Gonzales; his grandson, Brandon Matejowsky; his granddaughter, Lilly Matejowsky; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. March 28, 2026, at Christian Fellowship Church, 890 Vineland Road, Winter Garden, Florida.

John “Jack” Montois, 76, of Winter Garden, died Wednesday, March 11, 2026. BaldwinFairchild Winter Garden Funeral Home.

Dawn Michelle Hutchinson, 61, of Gotha, died Monday, March 9, 2026. Woodland Funeral Home & Memorial Park.

INFLUENCER OF THE WEEK

MARI MONDESIR OCOEE MIDDLE SCHOOL

Mari Mondesir is the English for Speakers of Other Languages compliance teacher, SAFE coordinator and Partners in Education coordinator at Ocoee Middle School. She oversees ESOL compliance, ensuring all federal, state and district requirements are met while supporting English Language Learners through proper documentation, monitoring and instructional compliance. As the SAFE coordinator, she supports school safety initiatives and crisis preparedness. As the Partners in Education coordinator, she strengthens partnerships between families, businesses and the school community.

“Mari is a powerhouse of dedication, serving in multiple vital roles that keep our school running smoothly and our students thriving,” Principal Cheri Leavitt said. “However, Mari’s true influence is felt most deeply in the quiet moments of one-on-one instruction. Throughout each day, she works tirelessly with our ESOL students, focusing on the fundamental building blocks of reading and fluency. She understands that language is the key to every other academic door, and she refuses to let any student stay locked out. Her patience and specialized expertise allow her to meet students exactly where they are, turning frustration into breakthroughs.

What brought you to your school?

I wanted to support students in a community-focused school where I could make a positive impact on their safety and wellbeing.

What do you love most about your school?

What I love most about my school is the strong sense of community and how everyone works together to support our students. The staff, students and families create an environment where teamwork and care truly make a difference.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

The most rewarding part of my job is seeing students grow, feel supported and succeed because they know they have someone in their corner. Knowing that I can make a positive difference in a student’s safety, confidence or wellbeing makes the work truly meaningful.

What would you be if you weren’t in this profession?

If I weren’t in this profession, I would be an FBI secret agent. I’m drawn to roles that require discipline, problem-solving and social justice. That sense of purpose motivates me.

Who influences you?

My foundation comes from God and my mom. She has always been my pillar — steady, strong and the mentor who guided me toward becoming an educator. Everything I do is rooted in the values she instilled in me.

Who was your favorite teacher when you were in school? Why?

My favorite teacher was Mrs. Sasser from Apopka High School. She

REPORT CARD

Years at school: Nine

Years at OCPS: 23

was my English teacher and always believed in me, even when I doubted myself. She pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best way, and I will always be grateful for the confidence and growth she encouraged me.

What is your favorite subject in school and why?

Reading has always been my favorite subject. It opens the door to imagination, knowledge and understanding, and it helps me see the world through different experiences.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I enjoy spending my free time at the beach, where I can relax. I also love watching my son play baseball; it brings me so much joy and pride. When I want quiet time, I turn to reading.

If you could dine with any famous person, past or present, who would it be and why?

I would choose Roberto Clemente, the legendary MLB player and humanitarian. Beyond his incredible talent on the field, his commitment to helping others and giving back to his community truly inspires me. I would love to hear about his passion for service and the legacy he built both in baseball and in life.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

If I could have any superpower, I’d choose the ability to stop time. There are so many moments especially with family that I wish I could hold onto just a little longer. This power would let me pause life and truly treasure those memories.

If you could only listen to three bands or artists, who would they be and why?

I’m from Puerto Rico, so salsa, merengue, and reggaeton truly run through my veins. If I could only listen to three artists, they would be Gilberto Santa Rosa, Daddy Yankee and Bad Bunny because their music represents my culture, my roots and different stages of my life. Their songs always bring energy, pride and a sense of home.

What fun fact about yourself would surprise people?

A fun fact about me that surprises people is that I love watching the “Twilight” movie series. Every time I have a break, I spend the first day binge-watching all the movies. And yes — Team Edward all the way!

What is your favorite holiday?

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, because it centers on gratitude and family. It’s a meaningful time to reconnect and appreciate the blessings in my life.

— LIZ RAMOS

Water Spring Middle celebrates cultures

Water Spring Middle celebrated diversity at its third annual multicultural event.

There were hundreds of attendees at the celebration, all enjoying a variety of foods and beverages while learning about different cultures’ traditions and important artifacts.

More importantly, the countries and cultures celebrated all are part of the school’s student body, with more than 10 countries represented.

Chorus students sang songs from around the world and Water Spring Middle School students’ artwork was displayed.

This celebration was considered the biggest one so far, and the school hopes it continues to grow.

— LETICIA SILVA

Bridgewater celebrates world cultures at Heritage Night

The enticing aromas of food from dozens of countries filled the air at Bridgewater Middle as the school hosted its 2025 Heritage Night Thursday, March 5.

This year’s event featured booths representing more than 45 different countries from around the world. Attendees enjoyed perusing each of them and sampling authentic cuisines.

In addition, guests were treated to a number of live performances from Bridgewater music ensembles and even the Windermere High School dance team.

“BKEW H BZC ZL LWBBZJI HXZAMS FWXW, K FHUW H LAXMKCAXW GXZNBWT. TR VFWIC FHI LHBBWM KMCZ TR SXHJWXI.” NKBBR VHIGWX

“RIFGS FDFZV, VI VTC TG TRFCFGS ZIGZI YE LDTSICN, JVFOV ZXZLTFGIC VFB LVDYXSV LIBWYDTDN WIDFYCZ YE MYN.” JFKKFTB RXLKID NITLZ

“K’B YSKAA YGWO SPWS BG BWSGY UGOS SH YIPHHA UKSP, OHS YGWO SPG TKAB YSWX. WOZ SPWS’Y SPG UWD K NXGTGX SH LG.” YGWO LGWO