Spotlighting exceptional students, student athletes, educators and all-around boons to Greater Orlando

Star Student
Brianna Peet
Lake Highland Preparatory School senior Brianna Peet won the state title of Distinguished Young Woman 2017 – Florida, and a cash prize of $3,500. She was a standout in every category, which included scholastic (with a 5.0 GPA), talent (dance), fitness and self-expression on state. She will compete for the national title this summer in Mobile, Alabama.

Star Student
Nathan Barkdull
A senior at Winter Park High School (WPHS), Nathan Barkdull is a top-tier student who’s in the top 1 percent of his class, showing exemplary performance in the rigorous International Baccalaureate Program. He’s also a musician, playing violin in the school’s orchestra, and he even finds time to teach swimming to children in low socio-economic areas.

Star Student
Alejandra Gonzalez-Acosta
The Christ School eighth-grader Alejandra Gonzalez- Acosta was chosen as both the local and district winner of the Barnes & Noble “My Favorite Teacher” contest, for which she wrote an essay on her language arts teacher, Tracy Sheldon. “… What is more special to me,” she says, “is that I am getting to honor my school and my teacher through one of my passions—writing.”

Star Student
Jacob Melendez
In second grade, Jacob Melendez broke the Castle Creek Elementary School record for gaining more than 1,200 Accelerated Reader (AR) points in one school year. Now, as a third-grader, he has already accumulated 1,760 AR points. Melendez also won the spelling bee at his school for the past three years, and helped his class raise $648 for Surfers For Autism.

Star Students
Orlando Science Middle School
Seventh- and eighth-grade students at Orlando Science Middle School took part in the annual History Bee at Trinity Preparatory School. Six of them qualified for the National History Bee this summer in Atlanta, Georgia, with one also qualifying in the top eight and receiving a special medal.

Star Students
Seminole Science Charter School
Second-graders at Seminole Science Charter School hosted a “Living Wax Museum” in which they dressed up as famous people throughout history and, when approached, summarized their life story. Figures included Albert Einstein, Ben Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman and Amelia Earhart, among many others.

Star Students
Trinity Preparatory School French Students
In March, middle- and upper-school students from Trinity Preparatory School attended the annual statewide French competition, CONGRÈS, and won first place in division 2A. The competition included such exercises as poem recitation, impromptu speeches, reading comprehension, skits and plays, and other activities.

Star Educators
Champions Before- and After-School Program
When elementary school students from 17 Champions Before- and After-School programs heard that Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children needed basic necessities for patient-care packages, they collected 565 personal care items, including travel-size toiletries and fuzzy socks, and made 80 “get well soon” cards, as part of their annual spring charity drive.

Star Public Servant
Byron W. Brooks
The City of Orlando’s chief administrative officer, Byron W. Brooks, was inducted into the Clemson University College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities Hall of Fame. “His dedication and passion to our city make him more than worthy of this accomplishment, and I am honored and privileged to work with him every day,” says Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.

This article originally appeared in Orlando Family Magazine’s May 2017 issue.