LEESBURG Chad Massey II will turn 18 years old on Feb. 12, making him eligible to register to vote.
Massey, a senior at Umatilla High School, is excited for the opportunity, but participating in America s democracy does not come without apprehension. Massey sees a political climate growing more contentious by the day with accusations of election fraud, violence and hyper-partisanship and is unsure whether his vote will matter. It s a broken world, he said.
As Joe Biden, the nation s 46th president, prepares for his inauguration Wednesday, more than 21,500 National Guard members were mobilized to Washington, D.C. The increased security comes after a riot broke out at the Capitol on Jan. 6 as Congress sought to certify Biden s victory against Donald Trump. Five people died, and more than 70 people (and counting) face federal charges. Elected officials hid beneath desks.
Once trained, students are called ambassadors. They do not counsel troubled students.
Mount Dora is the fourth school in Lake that will receive You re Not Alone training.
Lake Minneola was the first in 2019.
MOUNT DORA Wearing a red I m Smiling mask, Kennedy Thompson took a seat among 50 socially distanced students in Mount Dora High School s auditorium Thursday morning.
They were there for the first step in a team-building exercise that could have long-lasting implications. The students listened attentively to a 30-minute presentation about You re Not Alone, a mental health awareness program in which teens are trained to help direct students in crisis to the proper resources.
Another weekend, chock-full of fun events, is ahead for Lake County.
In Leesburg, the carnival is coming to town at the Lake Square Mall, while Mount Dora will host its annual Scottish Highland Festival. Eustis will commence with the 119th annual Georgefest coronation ball while Tavares and Clermont show their appreciation for Florida Arbor Day with tree giveaways.
Here’s what’s on tap:
2021 Carnival
It’s carnival time at the Lake Square Mall, 10401 US HWY 441 in Leesburg, which runs from 5 to 10 p.m. tonight, 5 to 11 p.m. Friday night, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday.
East Ridge, Lake Minneola had the district s best grad rates at 98.7%.
Leesburg showed the most improvement.
LEESBURG Eustis High School Principal Tracy Clark and his staff emphasize to students that a diploma is like a paycheck a reward for years of hard work. They’ve been in school since they were in kindergarten, and they came to us as high school students, Clark said. That is our goal for every one of them who steps foot on our campus.
When the Florida Department of Education released graduation rates last week, Lake County Schools learned that a record 91.2% of its seniors earned a diploma during the 2019-20 school year. Led by East Ridge and Lake Minneola at 98.7%, eight of the district s nine schools surpassed the state average of 90%. Eustis was next at 98.1%.
LEESBURG Public high schools in Lake County graduated 91.2% of their senior students during the 2019-20 school year, topping the state average, according to Florida Department of Education data released Thursday.
The county s eight brick-and-mortar schools and Lake Virtual School saw an overall increase of 4.4% in their graduation rates from the previous school year. East Ridge in Clermont and Lake Minneola tied for the highest graduation rate last school year, with 98.7% of the seniors at both high schools earning diplomas.
The 2019-20 statewide average was 90.0%. Our primary responsibility as a school district is to ensure that every student walks across the graduation stage ready for college and/or a career, Superintendent Diane Kornegay said in a news release. I am so proud of our teams across the district and grateful for their dedication and hard work to make this a reality for more and more students each year.”