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Orange County school board honors staff, students and athletes at year‑end recognition meeting
Summary
The Orange County School Board celebrated staff certifications, student academic and arts honors, and multiple state athletic championships at its end‑of‑year recognition meeting, highlighting achievements across classrooms, science fairs, music and spring sports.
The Orange County School Board convened a special recognition meeting to highlight achievements across the district for the 2025–26 school year, honoring staff, student academic winners, arts ensembles and multiple state‑level athletic champions.
Board Chair Jacobs opened the meeting with a moment of silence and the Pledge of Allegiance, then recognized long‑serving schoolboard services staff Rebecca Hernandez and Dilset Martinez for earning the Florida School Boards Association certified support professional designation. “They are the backbone of schoolboard services,” Chair Jacobs said, thanking them for their institutional knowledge and dedication.
The board recognized academic achievers next: Oliver Lond of Olympia High was named to Team Florida and received a $1,000 scholarship after placing among the top competitors in the Florida Department of Education Commissioner’s Academic Challenge. Two students — Syraham (Ottabon Park School) and Aaliyah Matano (Catalina Elementary) — were honored for first place finishes in the Florida 4‑H public speaking contest for speeches on gender equity in sports and leadership, respectively.
Board member Felder presented a district leadership award to Magnolia School Principal Timothy Schuler for work described as building calmer learning environments and strengthening staff development. Felder noted that other districts, including the Brevard County school board, have visited Magnolia to study its programs.
Three students from the Dr. Nelson Ying Orange County Science Exposition were recognized: Raven (Maitlin Middle) and Emilyn (Lake Nona High) earned second‑place honors in their divisions for environmental engineering projects, while Clara (Horizon High) won first place at the 2026 State Science and Engineering Fair in physics and astronomy.
Board member Douglas and school leaders recognized the Horizon High Symphonic Orchestra and the Southwest Middle String Symphony after both programs received Orchestra of Distinction honors from the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra. The board praised faculty and student musicians for technical excellence and community representation in regional performances.
Lonnie Flores, director of athletics and wellness, summarized spring sports accomplishments, presenting multiple team and individual state champions. Notable recognitions included the Windermir boys volleyball team, named state 3A academic champions with a reported combined team GPA of 3.561; the Lake Nona girls tennis team for an undefeated 23–0 season and FHSA state 4A championship (team, doubles and singles titles); Arabella Duffel for winning the FHSA 3,200‑meter state title (reported time 10:29); Jaden Manning for the 110m hurdles state 4A title (reported 13.92 seconds); Devin Matthews for the 400m state title (reported 47.47 seconds); and Mason Euing for the 183‑pound FHSA 3A state weightlifting title with a reported 655 lb total.
The board closed the program by thanking families, staff and students and paused for photos. Chair Jacobs said the recognitions underscore the district’s emphasis on both academic and extracurricular excellence as the year concludes.
