CLEARWATER, Fla.– They are honor students and athletes.

Volunteers in the community and student ambassadors at school.

One is a champion sailor who has competed in the national and international regattas in places like Canada, Argentina, and Poland.

One is a state champion cheerleader. There is an Eagle Scout who won a district championship in the high jump. There is a three-sport athlete who was voted homecoming king.

They have grade point averages north of 4.0 and PSAT and SAT scores that are the envy of nearly every high school student who has taken the tests.

They are four students who graduated this spring from Clearwater Central Catholic High School, united by the same unwavering drive to excel academically.

And that drive led them to this: a National Merit Scholarship.

Paige Daily, Nancy Dolson, Ian Galloway, and Jan Mistak are among the 6,870 winners nationwide out of the 50,000 students from the Class of 2025 who qualified. The scholarship covers nearly all college costs. All four attended CCC with the help of a private school scholarship managed by Step Up For Students.

“Having college paid for is huge, and the recognition is nice,” Paige said. “You work hard (academically), and it’s nice for people to appreciate that.”

Paige will attend Florida State University and major in finance.

Nancy, CCC’s valedictorian, was accepted to the University of Florida’s honors program and will major in construction management.

Ian is headed to Florida State, where he will major in biomedical engineering.

Jan (pronounced Yon) will major in physics and continue his sailing career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Since 2021, CCC has identified high-academic-achieving freshmen and, using the Ray Dass college-readiness program, guided them through the steps necessary to achieve a National Merit Scholarship. Ray Dass includes preparation for the PSATs and SATs with live, online tutoring.

CCC has had at least one National Merit Scholarship winner every year since then. It can add to that total next spring, since five members of the Class of 2026 are National Merit Qualifiers.

Meet the 2025 winners:

Paige Daily

Paige and her teammates on the cheerleading team raised a state championship banner after claiming the Class 1A title in Competitive Cheer in January. Banners are a family thing. Her dad, Chris, and his brothers won state soccer titles for CCC.

“It was cool to see her put a banner up in the gym with me and her uncles,” Chris said.

Paige was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She and her parents moved back to Pinellas County when she was in the eighth grade. She found herself surrounded by strangers during the start of her freshman year at CCC, but quickly set about changing that.

Paige played lacrosse as a freshman and joined the cheerleading team as a sophomore. She was a member of Peer Ministry; Water 4 Mercy, which raises funds to help bring sustainable water to rural villages in sub-Saharan Africa; and Morning Star Amigos, where she spent time with students at Morning Star Catholic School, which educates children with unique abilities in Pinellas Park.

“We appreciate them and recognize them,” Paige said.

She was also involved in the Fashion Upcycle Club, which collects and donates formal dresses to students in Pinellas County who can’t afford a dress to wear to their prom.

“When I came here, I really pushed myself to try a lot of new things, things I would never have done before, because I would be too afraid of failing, and I would rather just stay in my bubble than push myself,” Paige said. “But it just helped me be a lot more confident and want to try new things and experience new things, and that's kind of what high school is all about.”

Nancy Dolson

There’s nothing like a sibling rivalry to drive ambition, especially for the youngest in the family. Nancy’s older brother Richard was an Eagle Scout. Nancy became an Eagle Scout. Richard attends the University of Florida. Nancy was accepted into UF’s honors program and will attend the university on a National Merit Scholarship.

“Every time I do something, I try to surpass him a little bit,” Nancy said.

Nancy was one of the first girls to join the Boy Scouts when it became coed in 2019. She became the first female in her Boy Scout district to achieve Eagle Scout when she refurbished the outside entrance to the St. Vincent De Paul Community Kitchen in Clearwater. She built four earth boxes, repaired existing planters, and pressure-washed the area.

“It was pretty gloomy,” said Nancy, who helps serve breakfast there on Sunday mornings.

Nancy was captain of the cross-country team as a senior. She was the president of the Student Ambassador club and the student chaplain for Peer Ministry. She helped start CCC’s Math Club and was a member of the Model United Nations Club.

Nancy has served as a summer counselor at Boy Scouts camps across the country. She even participated in her Ray Dass classes while at camp in New Mexico.

“Nancy is a doer,” said her mom, Barbara. “She does great things every day that make me proud of her. I’m so thrilled to call her my daughter.”

Nancy will major in construction management but hasn’t decided on a career path.

“I have a lot of goals that aren't career-based,” she said. “I'm still trying to work out the career stuff.”

One of her goals is to hike the Appalachian Trail.

“That's a big one for me,” she said. “Probably after I graduate.”

Ian Galloway

Ian is the second National Merit Scholarship winner in the family. His sister, Taylor, who graduated from CCC in 2022, also earned one. Taylor recently completed her junior year at Florida and has applied to medical school.

“She’s on her way. She's crossing off goals, and she's doing very well,” Ian’s mom, Amanda Galloway said, “and I do think that she was a motivating factor for Ian to go after this scholarship.”

Ian’s father, Michael, is a pediatric oncologist, and Amanda is a radiation therapist.

“I come from a family that’s really, really interested in health sciences,” Ian said.

He will major in biomedical engineering with an eye on a career of “helping people from a different approach,” he said.

Ian was a member of the Model United Nations Club and Peer Ministry. He was a student ambassador and helped start the Marauders Meadow Club, a club designed to grow plants around campus.

He played basketball and soccer and ran cross country and track. He was the homecoming king as a senior. He wore a bald cap and performed a takeoff on the character “Eleven” from the Netflix series “Stranger Things” for the senior class movie during homecoming week.

“I was kind of a comic relief character,” Ian said. “I got to see myself look goofy on the big screen.”

“He was very good,” Nancy Dolson said.

The seniors won.

“He’s smart. He’s athletic. He fits into a lot of different places,” Amanda said. “He's kind of an oddball, but in a lot of good ways, so I'm excited to see where life takes him.”

Jan Mistak

Jan began sailing when he was 7 and started racing sailboats when he was 11. He’s raced in theYouth World Championship in Poland and Argentina. This summer, he will participate in the Youth World Championship in San Pedro, California.

“My dream was to combine competitive sailing with top-tier education focused on technology and science. I am thrilled to have made that dream a reality by being accepted to MIT and their varsity sailing team” he said.

Sailing in Poland represented a homecoming of sorts for Jan. His parents, Agnes and Gus, originally from Poland, have worked in real estate since early 2000.

“Hard work brought us to where we are today, and we wanted to model that for our children,” Agnes said.

When the children were young, they would go on family walks that took them past CCC. Gus and Agnes hoped that one day it would be possible for the kids to attend this school. They wanted the faith-based education and the high academics that CCC provides.

Maggie completed her freshman year at CCC, while Julia will be an eighth-grader at St. Paul Catholic School in St. Petersburg.

The honor of achieving the National Merit Finalist status definitely set a high standard for his sisters to follow.

“It's great to see that the hard work paid off for Jan, and he's an inspiration for his sisters,” Agnes said.

In addition to sailing internationally, Jan was busy during his four years at CCC.

At CCC he was a member of Water 4 Mercy, Catholic Relief Services, the Entrepreneurs Club, and Peer Ministry. He served as his homeroom representative for the student government, was a student ambassador, and competed in the newly created Math Competition club. He participated in various school-wide fundraisers.

Jan, like the others, earned a National Merit Scholarship by studying – he logged on to the Ray Dass classes wherever he was, even during his sailing travels. Yet, like the others, it wasn’t all just studying, studying, studying.

All four had a variety of interests and talents that they used to their fullest.

“Obviously, academics are important,” Chris Daily said. “But there's a lot more to it, which is great. It's the whole person that CCC looks at, which is really neat.”

 

 

 

 

DeLAND, Fla.– A black sweater, white shirt, and a red tie lay on Aaliyah Tape’s bed when she returned home from a summer vacation spent with family. She knew what they were: a private school uniform.

“Oh, Lord,” she thought.

It was a message from Aaliyah’s grandmother, Cat Gracia, that would drastically change Aaliyah’s life.

The 2023-24 school year began in two weeks, and Aaliyah would no longer attend her district-assigned high school. For her junior year, she was headed to DeLand Preparatory Academy, a grades 6-12 school, where Cat hoped Aaliyah would get her grades back on track.

The ensuing conversation between grandmother and granddaughter can be politely described as tense. Both sides dug in.

Aaliyah said she wasn’t going.

Cat said she was, that it was too late to turn back. Cat had applied for and received a Florida education choice scholarship for Aaliyah, and she was already enrolled.

Reluctantly, Aaliyah made the switch.

“I thought, ‘OK, let me give it a chance,’” she said.

And?

“I never thought I’d wear a red tie to school,” she said, “but here I am.”

Now a senior, Aaliyah never thought she’d be a straight-A student or headed to college, either, yet here she is, weeks from graduating with a future that is, well, a future.

Her goal is to attend Florida State University. She’s thinking of a career as a neonatal nurse or as a psychologist who works with children.

“She turned her life around,” Cat said. “We are so proud of her.”

It was a somewhat rocky journey to DeLand Prep, which Aaliyah attends on a Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, funded by corporate donations to Step Up For Students.

“The scholarship changed her,” Cat said. “It literally changed her academic journey. She’s refocused. It’s been night and day. It’s just incredible.”

Aaliyah had been an above-average student until middle school, Cat said. A lot of students encounter turbulent waters during those years, but Aaliyah was dealing with something more. Her mom, Shantrese Gracia, passed away when Aaliyah was 10.

The anger from losing her mom, mixed with the angst of a young girl moving from adolescence to a teenager, had Cat concerned.

“We’ve been through so much with her,” Cat said. “She has all this potential. She’s super smart, but she was making poor decisions, and there was absolutely no way we were going down that path with her. We had to do everything we could to get her refocused and understand what her purpose is in this life. But where do you start? And how do you get there?”

The answer was DeLand Prep.

“We had identified her strengths, areas for growth, and opportunities, and so we had a proactive approach to finding the best resources we possibly could to ensure she has an opportunity to succeed and have a bright future,” Cat said.

Dr. Donita Gordon, the school’s superintendent, said Aaliyah was the type of student who needed to be “repotted.” Her new “soil” had smaller class sizes with favorable teacher-to-student ratios and a college-like class structure – four courses a semester with classes running 90 minutes.

Located on the outskirts of DeLand’s quaint, award-winning downtown, the school has a motto: “Small School … Big Opportunities.”

That’s what Cat wanted. She knows her granddaughter can achieve so much. She just needed a setting that would allow Aaliyah to realize that, as well.

“I always tell her the sky’s the limit,” Cat said.

Aaliyah said her previous academic problems were the result of cutting classes, not doing her schoolwork, not pushing herself. She was hanging out with unmotivated students, and they were pulling her down.

At that time, Aaliyah wanted to be an ultrasound technician. She felt a college education was not in her future. Neither was attending a private school.

“Private school just didn’t sound pleasing to my ears, but it's actually not bad,” she said. “I actually like it better. It's just a small group of people. There’s not much going on, and there's a lot of time to just focus on the work. There’s less distractions. Everything is straight to the point. Our classes are longer, so we have more time to understand what we’re learning.

“It works in my favor.”

Cat met with Melissa Castillo, the school’s director, the summer before Aaliyah enrolled and said her granddaughter was a straight-A student who wasn’t getting straight-A’s. Castillo met Aaliyah on the first day of school and agreed with Cat.

“Aaliyah is a very unique student,” Castillo said. “She thrives in getting all her schoolwork done. When I first met her, she didn't have enough credits to graduate. Every meeting that I have with Aaliyah, she's always striving to complete her work and go to college. She is very aware of what she wants to do. I feel like out of all the students that I met in this school, she's one of the ones that stuck with me because of how driven she is.”

Aaliyah said she is motivated by the supportive teachers and administrators. She said she likes to study and do her homework and has surrounded herself with like-minded classmates.

“I got a lot of help that I needed, and not just on my assignments and tests, but college and school and advice, too,” she said. “I've got to experience a lot of things. I met a lot of people that I became friends with. I'm setting myself up for college.”

In February, Aaliyah was honored by the city of DeLand for being a Superstar Student and by Step Up For Students at its annual Rising Stars Awards event for being a Super Senior.

“All these awards she received, we’ve been in awe. It inspires her to strive for excellence,” Cat said. “We’re so proud of her growth. Here she is, ready to graduate.

“It’s been a journey beyond measure.”

In the Legislature: The Florida House passed a revised bill on Wednesday that seeks to limit social media for teens. The House voted 109-4 to approve the plan. On Monday, lawmakers in the state Senate voted 30-5 in favor of the revised bill that still limits teen use and the apps they can download. The Legislature backed a new age limit of 14 years old for opening accounts among other tweaks that were introduced to help the bill survive legal challenges that may occur and to garner support from Gov. Ron DeSantis. WBBH. WPLG. Politico. Legislation granting lawmakers the choice to make security funding for private Jewish day schools a recurring part of the state's budget is cleared for a signature from Gov. Ron DeSantis. Senators voted 39-0 for HB 1109, which would direct the state Department of Education to establish a regular funding model for guards, cameras, fencing and other items at Jewish schools.  Florida Politics. JaxToday. The Florida Senate approved a bill with a provision for placing a cap of one book challenge per month for people who don't have students enrolled in the school district in which they placed an objection. The vote came after the Legislature's top leaders expressed the need to rein in frivolous objections to materials available in libraries and classrooms. Creative Loafing. Florida Phoenix. The Florida House approved renaming Tallahassee Community College to Tallahassee State College. Tallahassee Democrat. WCTV. The Senate unanimously approved a bill Monday to set aside $20 million in restitution for victims of abuse at two now-shuttered reform schools. The bill is now in the hands of Gov. Ron DeSantis. The bill creates a process for former inmates at the Dozier School for Boys in Marianna and the Florida School for Boys to make claims over mental, physical or sexual abuse between 1940 and 1975. It's estimated that victims will receive about $50,000 each. CBS 12. Fox 13.

Orange: The school district here and its teachers union reached an agreement to provide "historic" raises of nearly 10% to most teachers and hike their insurance premiums, but also to delay making employees pay the full cost of those insurance increases until the 2025-26 school year. If teachers ratify the agreement, they could get raises in April. The average annual raise would be $5,400, retroactive back to the first day of work for the current school year. Orlando Sentinel.

Duval: The school district in Duval recommended to the school board that at least two elementary schools be demolished and combined with a third school. School board members talked demolition plans at a meeting earlier this week and approved the consolidation. The vote lies in the hands of the state Department of Education to approve. Two schools were up for consideration: S.A. Hull Elementary and Reynolds Lane Elementary. If approved, they would consolidate into Pickett Elementary after it is rebuilt. News4Jax.

Polk: The school district in Polk created a parent liaison position for students with special needs. The Exceptional Student Education parent liaison will bridge the gap between parents and the school district, ensuring parents understand the services available for the children. Baynews9.

Brevard: The school board here plans to implement changes to the student code of conduct for the upcoming year. During a recent work session, board members agreed on dozens of tweaks to the current code. The final draft of the 2024-25 code still has to be finalized and approved at a board meeting. Most changes being proposed encompass creating clearer definitions within the code of conduct regarding punishable behaviors and consequences. These changes were proposed by Student Services in collaboration with work groups that met several times since fall 2023. Florida Today.

Marion: Leaders here approved an impact fee to help pay for new schools. The proposal, approved by the county commission, would require developers to pay an impact fee on every new residential home built. WKMG.

Citrus: The school district here will receive a boost in the form of grant money coming from the workforce development capitalization incentive grant program. The district was recently approved for a $2 million grant that will go toward its welding program. The district already has a construction academy for their high school students. The new funding will support the creation and expansion of 30 programs aimed at enhancing workforce development, which are designed to offer students hands-on educational experiences in various fields that include construction. “It’s wonderful to see them in there with their hammers, their saws and everything that’s going on for the construction academy,” said Citrus County Schools Director of Career, Technical and Adult Education Debra Stanley. BayNews9.

Alachua: The school board here unanimously approved a recommendation to keep "It Feels Good to be Yourself" in the Terwilliger Elementary School library during a recent regular meeting. Main Street Daily News. Meanwhile, school board Chair Diyonne McGraw reiterated her support for the superintendent and said the school district is on track for improvement during an appearance at the Alachua Chamber of Commerce. McGraw told about 50 chamber members that Superintendent Shane Andrew is bringing both stability and great changes to the district.  Main Street Daily News.

Poll results: A poll released last month showed widespread support for public education in Florida. WGCU.

University and college news: Servicemembers hoping to pursue a master's degree in Florida may get to skip the exam requirement on their applications. "Graduate Program Admissions" (SB 494/HB 511), which passed the Florida House earlier this week, would waive the graduate record exam or GRE and the graduate management admission test or GMAT for those currently in the U.S. armed forces, Florida National Guard and the U.S. reserve forces. “Waiving these tests is an action streamlining our veterans opportunity to compete for admission to our state’s graduate programs," said Billy Francis, director of the Student Veterans Center at Florida State University. Tallahassee Democrat. The United Faculty of Florida released a statement earlier this week in response to the University of Florida's announcement last week it was eliminating all positions related to diversity, equity and inclusion or DEI, effective immediately. The Gainesville Sun. WCJB. A University of Miami student was killed while riding his scooter to the Coral Gables campus on Monday, the school reported. Daniel "Danny" Bishop was a senior majoring in mathematics and psychology, the university said in a statement. Miami Herald.

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On his blog, Bridge to Tomorrow, Florida State University physics professor Paul Cottle laments that students aren’t getting the push they need from parents, guidance counselors and teachers to take tougher math and sciences classes in middle and high school.

The result: fewer students completing degrees in STEM fields, those high-tech, lucrative jobs in science, technology, engineering and math that both presidential candidates in Tuesday night’s debate deemed necessary to get the economy back on its feet and competitive with the rest of the world. So Cottle created what he calls the “antidote’’ - Future Physicists of Florida. And interestingly enough, the launching pad for his new program is built on traditional, magnet and charter schools.

Cottle said he doesn’t favor one type of school over another. The mix is really accidental. Once science teachers heard about the program, they reached out to him.

“We’re trying to find any way we can to get kids to take on these academic programs,’’ Cottle said. “I’m looking for great teachers anywhere.’’

And there are great teachers in all kinds of schools, he said.

Cottle’s program officially begins next month with an induction ceremony in Tallahassee. It will offer middle school students and their parents advice on which high school courses better prepare students for physical sciences and engineering majors in college.

“We know what students need to do to give them the best opportunities in STEM fields,’’ said Cottle, who was among the educators who helped craft Florida’s K-12 science standards.

He cites a 2007 University of South Florida study that found students who take physics in high school are twice as likely to earn a bachelor’s degree in a STEM field as those taking only chemistry. Such a degree will likely translate into a high-paying job upon graduation with some occupations, such as chemical engineering, commanding starting annual salaries of $70,000 or more.

Six public schools, including three charters, are taking part in the Future Physicists program. (more…)