The Trojan EXPRESS!  
trojan
Your Community Brief from Evans High School
Thursday, December 12, 2019  
     
 
Thank you for your commitment to making Evans High School, "A Place of High Achievement." Our focus is on Literacy, Rigor, and Relationships and our school's pillars of Pride, Determination, and Perseverance continue to be on display by our students, staff and community.
 
We have now entered the final days of school before the winter break. Parents, this is a great time to do an academic progress check on your student. It is vital for students to finish strong this first semester, as the last few days of the semester are just as important as those days in the beginning of the school year. 

Our teachers will be submitting their grades Friday, December 20th. What a student earns each semester is on their transcript. Therefore, for our students and their future, this week needs to be their best week. Furthermore, if students need to have crucial conversations with their teachers about making up assignments or tests/quizzes, those conversations need to take place at this time.

CFE'S - First semester Common Final Exams for semester courses begin next week: Tuesday, December 17th, Wednesday, December 18th and Thursday, December 19th. There will be a modified bell schedule to accommodate the time allotted for exams. Parents, the exam schedule is included in our brief and you can also view it on our school website as well.  

Class of 2020 Graduation Date - Parents of seniors, I am proud to announce that the Senior Class of 2020 will graduate on Friday, May 29th at 7:30 p.m. at UCF (Additions Financial Arena).  

Winter Break - Our Winter Break runs from Monday, December 23rd, 2019 through Friday, January 3, 2020. Classes will resume on schedule Tuesday, January 7, 2020 (Monday, January 6, 2020 is a teacher workday, but a student holiday).

On behalf of the Evans High school faculty and staff, Happy Holidays to you and your family!

With Trojan Pride,

Rolando Bailey
Principal

Pictured very top: Spanish Honor Society induction (please see their story below).

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In this Issue  
 
Content (click for that section)

Featured Department
Alumni Spotlight
Staff Spotlight
Athletics
Student Spotlights
Class of 2020
OCPS Sesquicentennial (150 years)
CCRC
Testing
HUB Happenings
Dates to Watch For

Dec. 23-Jan. 3: Winter Break
Jan. 6: Teacher Workday / Student Holiday
Jan. 7: Classes resume / Start of Quarter 3 

 
   
 
 
 
 
 
Featured Departmentfeatureddept        
 
 
Back Row: Mr. Melvin Wright, Ms. Edmarie Montes De Jesus, Mr. Mario Ford 
Front Row: Ms. Edith Wright, AP Kreider

Alumni Spotlightalumnispotlight    
Mr. Marques Hunter 
 
After graduating from Evans High School in 2003, Mr. Hunter's formal education includes attending the University of Florida and obtaining an undergraduate degree in Sports Management, and two master's degrees in the specializations of International Business and Business Management. To add, he has recently acquired a Six Sigma Green Belt certification through Villanova University.


His career experience includes running multi-million dollar business operations across numerous fortune 500 retailers. In addition, he currently directs the health & wellness, compliance, clinical services, and business operations of a patient care organization.

He is currently working to provide opportunities for our EHS students in the areas of college preparation, funding of scholarships, and more from his work with Walmart. We look forward to partnering with Mr. Hunter for future endeavors!    
 
Trojan Staff Spotlightstaffspotlight2 
 
Ms. Susan Schutte, Front Desk Secretary
 
 
Ms. Schutte will be retiring from Evans in January. She started working at Evans on September 22, 2010 and has worked in education for 40 years.  She worked as the school secretary at Oak Park Elementary School in Brevard County for 31 years and then 9 years here at Evans High School.

One of her fondest memories of Evans include working the extra-curricular activities with the media center, chorus, talent show, and food giveaways.  It is such a giving atmosphere to work in.  She  also loved listening to the chorus when Ms. Wright would bring them into the administrative office to sing.

Ms. Schutte's advice to our current Trojans? "School is the stepping stone to the rest of your life. Do your best and be on time, as with every thing you will do in life.  Don't take anyone or anything for granted. Friendships you make now can last a lifetime.  Enjoy life and treasure what you have."

Once Ms. Schutte is retired, she plans on relaxing and spending time with her family in Titusville.  She's always wanted to work with animals, so she may try to do some volunteering with the SPCA.

Ms. Pattie Smith, Media Specialist
 
 
After graduating from UCF, Ms. Smith began her teaching career with Orange County Public Schools in 1987 at Howard Middle School. This is her 33rd  year in education. She transferred to Evans High School from University High School in July 2007 and has been working as the EHS Media Specialist for the past 13 years.

When asked about her fondest memories, Ms. Smith has many ..."I have so many fond memories at Evans High School and most involve the students I've been able to interact with.  I remember my first year at Evans I 'adopted' a football player, Mark Bankston.  At the first football game my husband and I attended, Mark proudly introduced his family to us ... that was a very welcoming experience. There have been so many wonderful students that have assisted us in the Media Center over the past 13 years; however, there are two occasions that will always stand out. The first is when we convinced one of our students, Aaron Ross, to dress up as Santa Claus for the Headstart Christmas Party organized by Mrs. Ishman in the Media Center.  Aaron didn't want to wear the Santa costume; however, we convinced him to put it on and we were all overwhelmed by the little kids that wanted to sit on his knee and tell 'Santa' what they wanted for Christmas!   Another special memory is when one of our students, Brandon Cummingham, shared his traditional Easter dinner with the Media Center staff.  He brought in spiced bread, cheese and soda from the islands and we all enjoyed an Easter Lunch together.  And lastly, I will fondly remember the friendships I've made with the wonderful Evans faculty and staff and I will miss my daily hugs from Mr. Dailey."

Her advice to current Trojans? "High School is such a short period of time compared to the rest of your life!  Be Here Now - study, learn, participate and take pride in your accomplishments. Surround yourself with friends that will encourage you to strive to be better than you are.  Your dedication to learning and working hard now will determine what future opportunities will avail themselves that can lead you to a successful, prosperous and rewarding life.  Don't wait for good things to happen to you; make good things happen for you through your determination to succeed.  And most importantly, remember to READ every day, every chance you have as there is no skill more rewarding or valuable in helping you to achieve your goals and dreams!"

When she retires, there's one thing she knows for sure ... "What I won't do is get up at 5:00 AM every morning!  My husband and I have a motorhome and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to travel with him at different times of the year; not just the summer and holiday breaks!  As Gator football fans, we are excitedly making plans to travel to a few away games.  I also appreciate the freedom I will have to spend more time with my five grandchildren, have lunch with my parents, visit my daughter living in Oregon and enjoy reading, sewing and other hobbies."

 Ms. Smith is extremely thankful for her years working in education, for all that she has learned, for those she has taught, the friends she has made, and the wonderful memories she will leave with! 
 
Trojan Athleticsathletics  
 
Boys Wrestling 
The boys wrestling team traveled to Tampa to participate in the Ben Richards tournament recently and congratulations are in order for: DJ Dix, Inam Khan, Iverson Monde and Jagdesh Persaud. Each of these wrestlers brought home medals. Inam Khan led the way with 3 pins on his way to third place finish.

Girls Weightlifting 
Girls weightlifting continues to take it "to the roof" as the defeated Wekiva 49-41 and Apopka by a score of 60-23. In their last meet against the Lady Darters, Evans lifters took first place in 8 of the 10 weight classes keeping the team undefeated for the season.

   
Football 
As National Early Signing Day approaches, Evans would like to congratulate Senior Tamon Lynum who has elected to complete his high school career early with a commitment to attend the University of Nebraska in mid-January.  

   
  
Student Spotlightsstudentspotlights 

Spanish Honor Society Induction 
 
  
On December 3rd, our new group of Trojans were inducted into the Spanish National Honor Society. The mission of the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica is to recognize students of high academic achievement in Spanish and Portuguese and to promote interest in Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian studies.
 
Trojans Selected for All-County Band 
Please join us in congratulating the following students on being selected for the 2019-2020 OCPS All-County Band.
 
Concert Band - (9th and 10th Grade):
* Derek Edwards - Clarinet
 
Symphonic Band - (11th and 12th Grade):
* Jeremia Nunez - Flute
* Kevin Oriol - Tuba  
* Jaheim Simon - Tuba
 
The OCPS All-County Bands are comprised of the top high school band students from across the county. Over 900 high school students participated in a rigorous performance audition including fundamentals, a prepared etude, and sight reading. Earning a seat in these ensembles identifies Evans HS among the best student musicians in Orange County. All of our students were seated within the top 15 of their respective instrument! This is a great achievement. I am extremely proud of our students and I trust that they will represent Evans High School well.
 
The OCPS All-County Band concert will be held on January 25, 2020 at 4:00 pm at Winter Park High School. Thank you for all of your continuous support of the Trojan Band program, the fine arts, and most of all our students.

Additionally, this past weekend three of our students participated in the 39th Annual Tri-State Band Festival at Florida State University. The students spent four days studying with the FSU music faculty and rehearsing with top band students from Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. The weekend culminated with a concert performance. Congratulations to Jeremiah Nunez, Kevin Oriol, and Corey Bankston.
 
 

Orchestra Concert 
Finally, our talented orchestra students demonstrated their talents on Thursday, December 4th.   
 
Class of 2020classof2020 
 
* Cap & Gown: Jostens will be on campus during A/B lunch December 13th for cap and gown orders.  

* Senior yearbook pictures are December 16-18. (These pictures will go into the yearbook. Originally classes were going to be called down but now you must make an appointment.)

To make your appointment go to prestigeportraits.com/orlando and select the school name from the drop down menu or if they would like to come to the studio you can select that option as well. You can also call the studio at 407-802-2468 to sign up.

If you have already taken a professional senior picture and you want it in the yearbook, send the digital copy to Mrs. Varnadore or come to 7-301 ( 117871@ocps.net)

* Senior Package Payments: All payments due by December 22nd.  

OCPS Celebrates 150 Yearsocps150  
 
Representatives from various departments were photographed in their orange as we celebrated OCPS' 150th anniversary.
  
   
 
College and Career Resource Centerccc  
 
 
Follow Evans College & Career on Instagram - @EvansCollegeCareer  
 
Student Links: 
   
College Essay Help / Application Help 
Every Monday 2:30pm - 4:00pm - CCRC 
Every Tuesday & Thursday - 3:00pm - 5:00pm - Cafeteria
 
 
Local Events   
Bridges to Success Scholarship Program at Valencia - Valencia will hold a Bridges application evening at the West Campus from 6:00-7:30 on December 17. Be sure to have completed your admissions application to Valencia prior to attending the Bridges session. See Ms. Benefiel for details.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS - Infinite Scholars Night - Wednesday, January 15, 2020 at Evans High School. More information will be available soon.
 
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Scholarships 
Most scholarship money comes directly from the universities. Once students apply, they should check college websites for additional scholarship applications in order to maximize scholarship potential. Other scholarships will be listed below and are updated weekly. Student Link - www.tinyurl.com/EHS-19-20-Scholarships 
  
Scholar Snap - https://www.scholarsnapp.org/ - A free, simple to use data standard that allows students to reuse their application information - including contact information, essays, transcripts, etc. - from one scholarship application to another thereby streamlining the college scholarship application process.
 
Peerlift - https://www.peerlift.org/ - A great resource for scholarship and summer programs.
 
Thurgood Marshall College Fund - https://www.tmcf.org/our-scholarships -  Represents Historically Black Colleges and Universities. This fund has awarded more than $300 million in assistance to students and member-schools.
 
UNCF - https://www.uncf.org/scholarships - Multiple scholarships for African American students.
 
Due December 15, 2019 -The AXA Achievement Scholarship provides over $1.4 million in scholarships to young people throughout the nation representing all 50 states, Washington DC and Puerto Rico. Students have the opportunity to receive a $2,500, $10,000 or $25,000 scholarship. Must be U.S. citizen, demonstrate ambition and self-drive in school, community or work. Go to: https://apply.scholarsapply.org/axaequitable-achievement/

Due April 1, 2020 - Southern Scholarship Foundation provides housing and meals at a very reduced rate at the following universities: FGCU, UF, Santa Fe College, FSU, Flagler College - Tallahassee, FAMU, and TCC. Students must have financial need, a 3.0 minimum GPA, excellent character, and acceptance to the university.
 
Did You Know???
 
 
 
Testing Updatetestingupdate    
 
 
 
 
HUB Happeningshubhappenings   
 
 
Congratulations! 
Evans Community Partnership School has been selected as a beneficiary of Pizza Hut's 2019 fundraiser. This means that one or more Pizza Hut restaurants in your local area will raise funds on your behalf from December 3 (Giving Tuesday) through December 31, 2019!

What happens next?
You don't need to worry about anything right now! Pizza Hut is doing all the work during their fundraiser from December 3 - 31. Feel free to encourage your friends, family, and coworkers to visit their local Pizza Hut restaurant or order online during the fundraiser. Pizza Hut restaurants across the country will be raising funds to benefit First Book members like you. Last year's beneficiaries received anywhere from $200 - $2,000 toward brand new books and resources from the First Book Marketplace!

Thank you for the amazing work you do serving kids and families in your community every day!

Happy reading,

Your friends at First Book & Pizza Hut

Leadership Team 
Pride - Determination - Perseverance 

Principal: Rolando Bailey rolando.bailey@ocps.net 
Assistant Principal: Kenya Nelson Warren 24712@ocps.net
Assistant Principal: Esther Hodge esther.hodge@ocps.net
Assistant Principal: Heather Kreider heather.kreider@ocps.net
Assistant Principal: Clarence Truitt clarence.truitt@ocps.net
Senior Administrator: Casey Waugh casey.waugh@ocps.net




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Copyright Notice 
Reproduction of this material, either written or electronically, including the general layout, graphics, analyses, and content topics without the express approval of Target Performance Systems, Inc., a Florida corporation, and OCPS - Evans High School is forbidden without written consent.  Thank you for your support of the Orange County Public Schools and especially Evans High School. Please contact Mrs. Casey Waugh Alvarado (EHS senior administrator) at  casey.waugh@ocps.net with any questions.  
  Evans High School | Mr. Rolando R. Bailey, Principal | 407.522.3400 | Evans HS Website