Mary Brennan Karl, a pioneer of education in Volusia County and a driving force in the founding of what today is Daytona State College, has been inducted into the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame by Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Commission on the Status of Women.
 |
| Mary Brennan Karl |
“Mary Karl was a true leader and advocate for education in Volusia County,” said Daytona State College President Frank Lombardo. “Her dedication and persistence ultimately helped pave the way for our selection as Florida’s first comprehensive community college. We all are indebted to her for planting the seeds of higher education in our community and for the opportunities her efforts have created for so many thousands of people throughout the years.”
Mrs. Karl’s family, including her grandson, Volusia County Director of Aviation and Economic Resources Rick Karl, has been invited to attend a formal induction ceremony and private reception at the governor’s mansion on March 22.
“This is very meaningful for my family and for our entire community,” Mr. Karl said of his grandmother’s recognition. “Although she did not live to see the college become the wonderful institution it is today, her life is a testament to what one woman can do to make a difference.”
Mrs. Karl was a commercial teacher for the Daytona Beach School System when she was named director of the Opportunity School in 1937. During her tenure, she broadened the training programs offered by the school into areas such as automobile mechanics and body repair, aircraft mechanics, beauty culture, horticulture, welding and boat building. In order to secure more property for her growing school, Mrs. Karl in 1948 was able to persuade the War Assets Administration to donate to the school system federally owned land, on what today is International Speedway Boulevard, known then as the Welch Center and used as an army convalescent home and rehabilitation center. The Opportunity School eventually evolved in to the Mary Karl Vocational School, which later became the technical division of Daytona Beach Junior College.
The Florida Women’s Hall of Fame was created by statute to honor women who, through their lives and efforts have made significant contributions to the improvement of life for all citizens of Florida. The Florida Commission on the Status of Women maintains and facilitates the permanent Florida Women’s Hall of Fame display in the state Capitol.
American Culinary Federationeducational accrediting body.
 |
| Chef Costa Magoulas |
Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola. As the academic auditor, he will assess whether the university is meeting the academic requirements necessary to continue meeting ACF Education Foundation accrediting standards.
Certified Executive Chef. He also is one of 200 Certified Culinary Educators and one of 50 Certified Culinary Administrators in the United States. Additionally, he is a fellow of the American Academy of Chefs, the honor society of the ACF. He also is a member of the Research Chefs Association, a leading professional community for food research and development.
The ACF was established in 1929 and is the premier professional organization for culinarians in North America. With more than 20,000 members in 225 chapters nationwide, ACF is the culinary leader in offering educational resources, training, apprenticeship and programmatic accreditation both here and abroad. In addition, ACF operates the most comprehensive certification program for chefs in the United States.
High school and middle school students from throughout the region will convene at Daytona State College on Feb. 18 to compete for honors in a Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) District IV STAR event.
FCCLA is a national, non-profit career and technical student organization for young men and women in Family and Consumer Sciences education. STAR Events (Students Taking Action with Recognition) are competitions in which FCCLA members are recognized for proficiency and achievement in chapter and individual projects.
“FCCLA offers great opportunity for participating students,” said FCCLA District IV Advisor Sue Fritton, who also is an advisor at Spruce Creek High School. “It provides them an avenue to develop their leadership and life skills, as well as to explore a career in which they have an interest. For many, it often will lead to scholarship offers from colleges and universities.”
The District IV competition, involving up to seven area schools and approximately 85 students, will take place in the Mori Hosseini Center, bldg. 1200, on the college’s Daytona Beach Campus. Inside the center’s culinary arts kitchens, four teams of students enrolled in food service training programs will be judged based on their ability to work together in producing a quality meal using industrial culinary arts/food service techniques and equipment. The teams will be required to develop a plan and prepare menu items given to them at the time of the event. The pastry shop will host a two-person food decorating competition, while upstairs in the center’s hospitality labs and classrooms, students will demonstrate their knowledge of the hospitality, tourism and recreation industries by developing a basic business plan, client matrix and a website that highlights the business. They will demonstrate their customer service knowledge and ability to problem solve by presenting an on-site case study. Winners will qualify to advance to state and possibly national FCCLA competitions.
FCCLA is the only national career and technical student organization with the family as its central focus. Established in 1945, it has more than 200,000 members ranging from middle school to grade 12 in nearly 6,500 chapters throughout the United States and Caribbean.
For more information about FCCLA, visit the organization on the Web at http://www.fcclainc.org.
