By Kyle Coppola
Deta Brunson Named Umatilla High School Teacher of the Year
Umatilla, Fla. — Congratulations to Umatilla High School teacher Deta Brunson on being named the Umatilla High School Teacher of the Year. Brunson is also the school’s athletic director and has played a key role in helping the athletics programs flourish in recent years.
Brunson is one of the few female athletic directors in Lake County and serves as an inspiration to many young students who aspire to follow in her footsteps.
“Deta Brunson’s dedication, passion, and unwavering commitment to our students are truly inspiring,” Umatilla High School Principal Brent Frazier said. “Deta goes above and beyond every single day to make a difference, and we are so lucky to have her as part of our team. Here’s to many more years of shaping young minds and making an impact.”
Brunson, along with former athletic director Patrick Todd, has helped lead numerous accomplishments at Umatilla in recent years. The boys and girls basketball programs recently made the FHSAA playoffs, and the boys baseball team won its first district championship in more than two decades. The football team also hosted its first playoff game in 2024 for the first time in over a decade and also made the SSAA State Semifinals. Beyond athletics, Brunson and many teachers at the school continue to make a significant academic impact.
Umatilla High School recently achieved its highest graduation rate in school history at 97%. The entire school community is making a difference, and that is something to celebrate.
Congratulations to Deta Brunson! Keep up the great work.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
