Orange County School Board honors educators, volunteers and state athletic champions
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Summary
Orange County Public Schools held a special recognition ceremony celebrating staff, community partners, teacher-pathway graduates and multiple state athletic and academic champions; highlights included CFO Doreen Concolino, philanthropist Deb Watson and expanded ECG screenings for students.
Orange County Public Schools recognized dozens of staff members, community partners and student teams at a special ceremony that spotlighted long careers, philanthropic giving and state championship seasons.
Member Vannoz introduced and praised Chief Financial Officer Doreen Concolino for more than three decades of public service and cited her 2024 Fiscal Management Award. "Tonight, I am honored to recognize our chief financial officer, Doreen Concolino," Vannoz said, noting Concolino’s path from paraprofessional to CFO and her careful stewardship of district finances.
The board also celebrated two teacher-pathway partnerships: the Pathways to Teaching collaboration with Rollins College and the Lockheed Martin–UCF Mathematics & Science Academy, which prepares certified teachers for STEM instruction. Program leaders called graduates by name and joined the board for photographs.
Athletics and academic teams across OCPS were recognized. Lonnie Flores, director of athletics and wellness, announced Innovation High’s boys golf team as state academic champions with a team GPA of 3.776 and Timber Creek boys swimming as academic champions with a 3.806 GPA. Windermere girls swimming and Winter Park girls volleyball were honored for state titles and individual student commitments to collegiate programs. East River High’s girls bowling team was noted for an undefeated regular season (20–0) and a state championship performance that included setting three state records.
The ceremony also featured two community-health and philanthropic highlights. A representative from the ECG vendor Who We Play For described a district partnership that provided free echocardiogram screenings to middle school students; the vendor said it delivered more than 53,000 ECGs statewide. The board noted recent Florida legislation requiring student-athlete screenings beginning in the 2026–27 school year.
In a retirement tribute, the board thanked Deb Watson of the Winter Park Health Foundation for 30 years of partnership and credited the foundation with more than $25,000,000 in grants to local schools and initiatives such as the CHILL program, which the board said has delivered on-campus counseling to thousands of students.
The ceremony closed with recognitions for dozens of volunteers and community partners, including the Winter Garden Elks Lodge, Man Up Mentoring and Latino Leadership, and a final invitation for honorees to take photos and enjoy cookies in the lobby.
The program concluded without formal votes or policy actions; it was a ceremonial event to honor personnel and partnerships.