Jamie Hill Haynes and Ruben Colon take the oath & then their seats on Volusia County School Board

Photos for Headline Surfer / Shown above, Circuit Judge James R. Clayton administers the oath of office to new School Board members Ruben Colon and Jamie Hill Haynes, as well as re-elected member Linda Cuthbert on Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2018, in DeLand, Florida. Colon is also shown below. 
 
By HENRY FREDERICK
Headline Surfer

DELAND, Fla. -- Jamie Hill Haynes and Ruben Colon took the oath of office and then their seats Tuesday on the Volusia County School Board largely in front of family and friends.

Haynes, representing District 1 (DeLand area), and Colon, representing District 5 (Deltona area), were sworn by Circuit Judge James R. Clayton, in the School Board chambers at the district offices and will occupy their respective seats for the next four years, through November 2022.

And after the swearing in of the two new members, the Scool Board at its organizational meeting elected Carl Persis as chairman and Ida D. Wright as vice chairman, effective immediately, in front of an enthusiastic audience consisting mostly of those there in support of Colon and Haynes.

Elisa Colon could barely hold in the excitement and pride she felt for her husband, Colon, as he raised his right hand and repeated the oath.

"I'm so proud of my husband," she said of Colon. "He is going to do an excellent job for our children."

For his part, Ruben Colon said as hard as he worked in the campaign to win the seat, he knows he'll have to work even harder moving forward.

"Words cannot express my gratitude to all those who supported our campaign," Colon told Headline Surfer. "I said it from the beginning, 'I don’t have lots of money, but I have many friends. We did it!' This was a victory for all of the students, teachers, staff, and parents. I am grateful for all who came out to witness our swearing-in ceremony. Now the real work begins."

Ruben Colon seated / Headline SurferFor his part, Ruben Colon said as hard as he worked in the campaign to win the seat, he knows he'll have to work even harder moving forward.

"Words cannot express my gratitude to all those who supported our campaign," Colon told Headline Surfer.

"I said it from the beginning, 'I don’t have lots of money, but I have many friends. We did it!' This was a victory for all of the students, teachers, staff, and parents. I am grateful for all who came out to witness our swearing-in ceremony. Now the real work begins."