parkland_february_2014_web_yp

[ PEOPLE WATCHING ]
Connor Yockus
Connor Yockus of Coral
Springs, who attends the
North Broward Preparatory
School, is a National
YoungArts Foundation
Finalist in Tap Dance and
Merit Winner in Dance
Choreography. Out of approximately
11,000 applications
from students in
ten disciplines across the
literary, performing, visual
and design arts fields,
Yockus has been recognized
for his outstanding
work and accomplishments.
Of 687 winners
from 46 states, 171 finalists
from across the nation came together for the 33rd
Annual YoungArts Week in Miami early last month.
Bastian Weiss, a gifted student
at Heron Heights Elementary
School, attended
the national grade chess
championship in Lake
Buena Vista, Florida. He
received first place for the
under thousand rating in his
division. He has been playing
local and district chess
for the past three years. This
was Bastian’s first national
tournament.
Bastian Weiss
Pictured, from left to right: Travis Burton, a foundation
board member and vice-president of business development;
Lauren Bendesky, Winterfest Boat Parade junior
captain; Karin Burton, a volunteer; Amanda and Michael
Burton, volunteers; and Juliet Roulhac, Florida Power
and Light regional manager of external affairs, aboard
the Carrie B during the 2013 Winterfest Boat Parade.
Parkland Pokers
The 11U Parkland Pokers keep rolling over the
competition. The team of local young men, playing
together the past few seasons, play in the highly
competitive Premier Majors League. The Parkland
Pokers are a three-time Florida Premier Travel
Baseball Division Champion. Last season, the Pokers
entered five tournaments, making the finals in
all five, losing two in extra innings, and winning
the last three. In the last tournament of the season,
the team took the championship, playing up an age
division and competing with 12U travel teams.
The Unforgettable Prom Foundation, a 501©3 nonprofit
organization, was created to provide the ultimate
high school prom experience for kids battling
cancer who are unable to attend their own proms. A
Prom to Remember takes place every May. This year’s
event is scheduled for May 9 at the Ritz Carlton in
Fort Lauderdale. On December 14, the foundation’s
Fort Lauderdale chapter hosted its annual boat parade
party, during the Winterfest Boat Parade at a
private residence on the Intracoastal Waterway. Three
hundred party guests cheered on the parade’s Junior
Captain, Lauren Bendesky, a cancer patient, who also
attended a past Prom to Remember. The event raised
$7,000 that will go toward the prom.
22 FEBRUARY 2014