Last month, US News and World Report released their 2013 rankings of the best high schools in the country. While Seminole County Public Schools lost major ground in the rankings, Crooms held it's own for the fifth year in a row. Crooms Academy of Information Technology placed in the 95th percentile of high schools in the country. This also marks the fifth year that Crooms AoIT has been awarded a Silver Medal in U.S. News & World Report's ranking of the Best High Schools in America. The report also highlights Crooms AoIT as the 56th highest ranked high school in Florida.

Only three of out thirteen public high schools in Seminole County received a Medal designation this year (compared to seven last year) by meeting three criteria. First, they had to have school-wide performance higher than typical performance for schools in Florida. Second, they had to show higher than average subgroup performance for black, Hispanic, and economically disadvantaged students. Finally, they needed to demonstrate high levels of college readiness as measured by Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) exam participation and performance.

Crooms AoIT performed particularly well when it came to preparing minorities and economically disadvantaged students for the workforce and advanced studies. The school has the most diverse high school student population of the traditional public schools in Seminole County. With 49% minority enrollment and 45% economically disadvantaged enrollment, Crooms AoIT and its students have continually matched and outperformed their peers across the state in similar or better economic circumstances. Congratulations are in order for the Crooms AoIT students, faculty, and community.

Calling all Croomies, Calling all Croomies! The Crooms AoIT Alumni Association, Inc. is looking for volunteers to fill positions on both our Management Team and our Board of Directors. You do not need to reside in Central Florida for any of these positions, although it might be beneficial. If you are interested in serving, please read on and submit your name to scholarship@croomsalumni.com by the end of Friday, May 31st.

Interested in Serving on the Board of Directors?
The two at-large Board of Directors positions are up for election for the 2013-2014 year. These Directors are selected by the active members of the association. If you are a dues-paying member (donor) interested in running for office, please e-mail scholarship@croomsalumni.com by May 31st. You can become a due-paying member by visiting the membership page.

The Alumni Association's Board of Directors is an advisory body that oversees the organization's operations and helps set strategic goals for the Association. Directors serve for one-year terms and meet via a conference call every one to two months.

Interested in Serving on the Management Team?
The Management Team oversees the day-to-day operations of the organization. The team is appointed by our Board of Directors and serves for two years. The particular vacancies we have will serve the remainder of the term through June 30, 2014. The positions are as follows:

Solicitation/Membership Coordinator - Responsible for coordinating membership drives and soliciting outside contributions. The coordinator will also serve as a liaison with the active membership on various matters concerning matters associated with active membership status.

Marketing Coordinator - Responsible for managing the association's online presence, and otherwise marketing the organization to the membership and concerned parties. This is includes, but is not limited to, social media, the website, the newsletter, and e-mail listservs.

For more info, e-mail scholarship@croomsalumni.com.

Crooms AoIT Class of 2009 graduate (and recent University of Florida graduate) Rolana Edwards has been named Miss Lakeland USA 2014. Her victory came in April when she competed in the Lake Hollingsworth Grand Ballroom. Being named Miss Lakeland USA means Edwards will be able to advance to state competition in July in Ft. Lauderdale, FL for a chance to be crowned Miss Florida USA! You can help Rolana Edwards prepare for the Miss Florida USA contest by donating to her training and preparation at http://www.gofundme.com/2s0a4c. Below is a letter from Rolana explaining why she needs your support help:

Hi! My name is Rolana Edwards and I am the newely crowned Miss Lakeland USA 2014. I have been invited to compete in MISS FLORIDA USA® 2014 PAGEANT this upcoming July!

While participating at the state preliminary pageant, I will have the opportunity to be chosen as the Florida representative and go to the Miss USA® National Pageant. Every girl dreams of one day becoming a princess and this experience has been a dream come true. Along with the opportunity to be apart of a program that emphasizes education, community involvement and spotlighting positive role models for today's young women.

While I am working hard towards my goal, I cannot do this without the support of my friends and family. No matter big or small, any donation is greatly appreciated and will put me that much closer in my journey towards becoming MISS FLORIDA USA®!

The money raised will go towards pageant entry fees, training, evening gown, swimsuit and other costs associated with the pageant. I want to THANK YOU ALL IN ADVANCE for your donations and hope you will be apart of my pageant family.

Thank you and God bless!

Rolana Nerissa E.

The recipient of the 7th annual Crooms AoIT Alumni Association Community Scholarship is Marcus Upshire. Our review team was impressed with all of the applicants – however, we only have one scholarship to give. As we reviewed the applications, all of the students had unique strengths that made them excellent candidates: high GPAs, involvement in school activities, and various community involvement efforts. But, one student really stuck out for the diversity of their activities: Marcus Upshire.

Marcus is undoubtedly a leader on campus. He is the captain of both the Crooms Boys Basketball and Boys Volleyball teams (while also running Cross Country), and he has taken part in the leadership class at Crooms. Marcus is also a member of three of the big service organizations at Crooms AoIT: Beta Club, Student Ambassadors, and National Honor Society. When it comes to academics, Marcus isn't a lightweight either. He was named a National Merit Scholar in 2012 and has also been accepted to Stetson to study business and accounting. But, what really swayed us were two volunteer activities:

• For the past several summers, Marcus has volunteered at the Oviedo Recreational Center to ensure everyone has a fun - but safe - time while visiting the facilities.
• This school year, Marcus stepped up to the plate to become the Chapter President of Reynolds' Right Hands. As you might remember, Reynolds' Right Hands is the distracted driving advocacy group founded by Crooms AoIT students in 2010. The group - along with other advocacy groups in the state - achieved a major victory this past week when the Florida Legislature voted to make texting while driving a secondary offense. The bill is currently waiting to be sent to Governor Scott.

Without further ado, congratulations to Marcus, and congratulations to the Class of 2013!

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The Crooms AoIT Alumni Association Community Scholarship is meant to honor a student that exemplifies not only academic and extracurricular achievement, but also demonstrates a dedication to community service and involvement. The scholarship totals $600.00 and is supported by donations from recent graduates. You can support the Crooms AoIT Alumni Scholarship by joining the Crooms AoIT Alumni Association, Inc. by visiting http://www.croomsalumni.com/donate.