Mackenzie Sisson– Mustangs Ahead (LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL) – Members of Lakewood Loves Animals (LLA) have taken advantage of volunteer opportunities in the community before summer hits.  LLA received a notice from the Farmhouse Animal & Nature Sanctuary that they need volunteers on weekends,  and Mustangs were quick to help. Club members will attend every Saturday…

Emma Conerly – Mustangs Ahead (LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL)- LRHS school counselor Evelyn Williams will retire at the end of the 2020-21 school year. Williams has been a counselor in Manatee County for 20 years since she started at the Ranch in 2000. After a few years, she transferred to Braden River high school (BRHS), where…

Katie Foley – Mustangs Ahead (LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL) – As COVID-19 took over the world, workplaces around the world were completely transformed. One of the most demanding jobs amidst COVID-19 has been nursing. School nurses faced a challenge to ensure the safety of students and staff. Many innovated new practices in order to adapt to…

Emma Conerly – Mustangs Ahead (LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL)- LRHS welcomed new teacher Alexander Gimmi for the 2020-2021 school year. He teaches Intensive reading, critical thinking, and world cultures and geography. Gimmi moved to Florida from Columbus, Ohio six years ago. His wife is a teacher in Sarasota, and they are expecting a son in the…

Jenelle Bayor- Mustangs Ahead (LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL)- After 21 years of teaching English teacher Mary Ellen Eskett will be retiring at the end of this school year. Teaching has been an important part of Eskett’s life. Collectively she has taught at five schools over the course of 21 years, with seven of them being here…

Maya Rengifo – Mustangs Ahead (LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL) – LRHS’s science department is saying farewell to Advanced Placement (AP) chemistry teacher Alicia Moody. Moody started at LRHS in 2001 and will complete her 33 years of teaching by the end of this school year. The AP Chemistry program that she started in 2006 will be…

Reva Gandhi– Mustangs Ahead (LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL)- LRHS opened in 1998 and now welcomes a second-generation of Mustangs to campus. The first class of senior Mustangs graduated in May 2001.  Now, the Ranch has multiple second-generation Mustangs. Junior Spencer Tueton is a second-generation Mustang. His mother, Lindsay Tueton, was an LRHS student. Tueton said, “I…

Steven Brown and Ryan Hanson – Mustangs Ahead (LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL)- Video games have been a popular form of entertainment for all ages since the 1970s. Throughout quarantine, video games have experienced a massive surge in both players and sales. During the peak of COVID-19, several major league sports had to shut down, including Major…

Emma Conerly – Mustangs Ahead (LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL)- The LRHS Student Government Association (SGA) will be giving out its annual faculty awards a little differently this year. SGA usually recognizes teachers’ outstanding talents and personalities, but this year awards will be based on a campus-wide vote.    Mustangs can vote here. The preliminary voting is…

Jordan Heffner – Mustangs Ahead (LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL) — Mustangs will decide during the week of Monday, April 26 to Friday, April 30 which teachers are going to get “slimed.” A voting booth will be set up near the cafeteria along with a list of teachers willing to be slimed. Mustangs of all grade levels…

Emma Conerly – Mustangs Ahead (LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL) – Everyday Mustangs are faced with decisions of what to eat.  Regardless of Mustangs’ nutritional choices, there is a certain procedure that occurs when we eat. When a Mustang sits in the cafeteria and takes a healthy bite out of their spicy chicken sandwich, the digestion process…

John Osborne – Mustangs Ahead (LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL) – Intensive reading and personal, school, and career development teacher Janet Tipton is finishing her first year here at the Ranch. Tipton taught in Lafayette, Indiana for 28 years before retiring and moving to Florida. She started substitute teaching in Sarasota County but realized she did not…