- March 31, 2026
Kristy Castellanos, with Volusia County Schools; Tomoka Elementary team member Surya Patel, Yanelisi Brugone, team members Jacob Frankel, Millan Patel and Captain Daniel Lucas, and Leslie Frazee, with Volusia County Schools. Photo courtesy of Volusia County Schools/Facebook
Daniel Lucas holds up the first place trophy for Battle of the Books. Courtesy photo
The Tomoka Elementary team: Millan Patel, Jacob Frankel, Daniel Lucas and Surya Patel. Courtesy photo
The Mainland High School Battle of the Books team: Calleah Knight, Mea Glover, Linda Berner, Zamari King-Lee, Damian Diaz, Jayda Bryant, and Josie Stumpf. Photo courtesy of Volusia County Schools/Facebook
The Ormond Beach Middle School Battle of the Books team: Captain Helena Estes (center), Andrew Silas Oler (second from right), Mila Sehenuk Sylvie Nazaryan, Isabella Hans and Kylie Hucka. Photo courtesy of Volusia County Schools/Facebook. Photo courtesy of Volusia County Schools/Facebook
The Ormond Beach Middle School Battle of the Books team: Captain Helena Estes (center), Andrew Silas Oler (third from right), Mila Sehenuk Sylvie Nazaryan, Isabella Hans and Kylie Hucka with teachers Heather Ryan and Saundra Murray. Photo courtesy of Volusia County Schools/Facebook
Tomoka Elementary, Ormond Beach Middle School and Mainland High School's Battle of the Books teams walked away winners after the competition on Friday, March 27, at the Ocean Center.
The teams from Tomoka Elementary and OBMS each won first place in the elementary and middle school divisions. Mainland won third place in the high school division.
The Tomoka Elementary team was led by captain Daniel Lucas and composed of team members Cora Rodziewicz, Surya Patel, Millan Patel and Jacob Frankel, according to an email to the Observer. The team was the same as last year's, which won second place in its division.
“I am glad I could help and be part of a team that worked together to persevere through this challenge and become champions of the 2026 Battle of the Books competition,” Daniel Lucas said in a statement to the Observer.
The team was coached and mentored by teacher Yanelisi Brugone, who said that the students essentially were tasked with memorizing 10 books, cover to cover.
"This is an outstanding accomplishment," she said. "These students demonstrated what can be achieved through hard work, collaboration, and a love for reading. They are excellent role models for the entire school.”
Volusia County Schools began competing in Battle of the Books in 2022. The Lucas family has been involved from the start; Daniel Lucas' sister Hailey led the team in 2023, the year the county participated at the elementary level for the first time. She brought home a championship win for Tomoka that year too.
Hailey remained team captain in 2024, the year Daniel joined the team as a third grader. After Hailey graduated elementary school, Daniel became the captain.
Our children enjoy challenges that involve leadership and teamwork,” said their mom Claudia Ehringer Lucas, a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
The Lucas family also praised Brugone.
"Mrs. Brugone has gone above and beyond this competition and in the classroom, not just for my children, but for all her students," Ehringer Lucas said. "Regardless of whether they are still in her class, she shows up to events outside of school, on duty-free days, weekends, and even evenings. Here are a few of the many events: social studies in Deland, science events, STEM competitions in Orlando, and fitness festivals in Port Orange; she is always cheering on Tomoka Braves.”
