DME Academy, the premier basketball, soccer, volleyball, and baseball Academy in Daytona, Florida, is expanding its horizons by hosting a lacrosse camp this summer in partnership with Defensive Academy.
DME has gained a reputation for excellence in high school athletics and academics, with top-level coaches, state-of-the-art facilities, and records to match.
The lacrosse camp will take place over a four-day period, from June 19th to June 22nd, 2023.
“We’re excited to be branching out into lacrosse,” said Dan Panaggio, Owner and Founder of DME Academy. “We’re always looking for ways to provide our athletes with new opportunities to grow and develop, and lacrosse is a natural fit here in Florida. We’re confident that the camp will be a great success, and we look forward to welcoming young athletes from across the country.”
Registration for the lacrosse camp is now open, and interested athletes can sign up on the DME Academy website. Spaces are limited, so interested parties are encouraged to register as soon as possible.
DME Academy’s 11U baseball team ran the 2023 “United in Strength” Deland ME STRONG 5k this past weekend. In its 11th year, this race continues to raise both awareness and funds for families in the Central Florida area that have been affected by cancer.
The 5k run was a great way for the young DME baseball team to come together and show their support for a worthy cause. Also, this event allowed our athletes to showcase their athleticism and determination while demonstrating the importance of teamwork and making a positive impact in their local community.
Demonstrating their hard work, dedication, and teamwork, the team embodied what it means to be a role model in their community.
Congratulations to Coach Michael Main and #11 Brandon Warrel for finishing on the podium!
Last week, DME Academy hosted two teams with a total of 35 student-athletes, coaches, and parents from Budapest Hungary. Through these trips, we have found that hosting International teams is an invaluable experience for both groups, on and off the pitch, and we are so thankful for our local host families for giving our International visitors the full American experience.
“At DME, we truly believe that friendly competition through athletics is the best way to meet with other cultures and create friendships that last,” says Mike Panaggio, Co-Founder of DME Academy. “The Hungarian people are wonderful and they enjoyed mixing with DME students, eating in the cafeteria, and competing against our teams.
While the Hungarians were in Daytona, they visited our beaches and played multiple games against the DME Academy teams. They fully immersed themselves in the American culture and left the states with a team of new friends.
The Hungarian team’s trip to DME was so successful that they have invited 12 adventurous DME students to represent our academy on a trip to Hungary this upcoming Summer, to experience their culture! They will stay with local families, eat authentic Hungarian food, train together, and most importantly, create a lasting bond of friendship between the athletes of the two countries.
At DME Academy, we believe in going the extra mile. In this case, an extra 5,192 miles.
For each high school student, homecoming has a different meaning.
For incoming freshmen, it sets the stage for an amazing and eventful year ahead along with the excitement of the many memories they will make over the next four years.
For Seniors, homecoming can be sentimental and serve as a reminder that their time in high school is about to come to an end. It is a moment to reflect on the past four years of accomplishments, struggles and opposition they faced leading them to where they are now. Although bittersweet, it also serves as a reminder of the amazing journey that lays ahead in college.
During DME Academy’s first annual homecoming spirit week, campus was full of school spirit as students dressed up for each themed day: Jersey Day, Twin Day, International Day, Pajama Day and Breast Cancer Awareness Day.
They also had the opportunity to participate in a student versus faculty dodgeball game, a pep rally, and a “glow” themed dance.
“DME’s first ever homecoming was so much fun. We learned things we can do differently for next year, but overall it was a blast! It was a really cool experience for our international students who have never been to a Homecoming Dance before!”, says Haley Toler, Student-Life Director.
With over 30 countries represented on DME Academy’s campus, the goal of homecoming week was to unite the student-body. We are grateful to have such a diverse campus that gives us the opportunity to grow together and learn from one another.
We are looking forward to making homecoming spirit week a tradition for years to come.
Make sure to follow us on social media to stay up to date on all the exciting things happening on our campus this year!
It’s not always hard work and no play at DME Academy. The school year has already been filled with exciting scrimmages, tough practices and countless hours in the classroom. Now it’s time for us to have some good, old-fashioned fun.
2022 is a milestone year for DME Academy. The young school is holding its first ever Homecoming week! The theme is “Let’s Glow to HOCO!” where all things neon are welcome.
DME’s 2022 homecoming week will kick off October 24th and run through October 29th. Haley Toler, DME Academy’s Student Life Director, has been working hard to plan a memorable week for each student-athlete. The week will be action-packed, beginning on Monday with “Jersey Day” in which students are encouraged to wear the jerseys of their favorite professional sports team. Tuesday is “Twin Day” when students will pair up with their friends to dress similar to one another followed by “Pajama Day” on Wednesday. Thursday is “International Day” and is one of the most important days of homecoming week. DME has an extremely diverse student-body with over 30 countries represented so this day gives our international student-athletes the opportunity to show their pride by wearing their country colors. We’ll round out the week with “Breast Cancer Awareness Day” when students are encouraged to wear pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness.
“Planning DME’s first ever Homecoming alongside Haleigh Panaggio (Student-Life Advisor) has been so fun! We are excited to introduce our international students to a traditional American High school event.” says Toler. “The students are excited and have been signing up to participate in our dodgeball game and all of the activities we have planned. I hope this can become an annual tradition for DME!”
Not only is the campus gearing up for an incredible homecoming theme-week, DME Academy staff will be competing against students in the first-annual dodgeball tournament. Teams of six will compete in a round-robin style of play to find out who will make Patches O’Houlihan proud.
Saturday is the grand finale. Beginning at 10AM, each DME basketball team will face off against one another. The final game of the day, a showdown between the High School National Team and the Post Grad Blue, will be DME’s first “blackout pep rally” encouraging spectators to dress in all black with tip off at 5pm.
Following the game, there will be food trucks and a UV face painting station in honor of the Neon Dance which will include a DJ and will be the final event of the homecoming week celebrations.
Follow all the excitement on DME Academy social channels!
How Mike Panaggio and DME Academy are helping young athletes with the guidance of NBA player, Bismack Biyimbo
On July 31st, Mike Panaggio, co-owner of DME Academy in Daytona, Florida, set off to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa for a 2 week stay. The DME co-founder was accompanied by Bismack Biyombo, who plays in the NBA for the Phoenix Suns and Xabi Zusperreguy from France. The purpose of the trip was to change the lives of young athletes by helping Bismack organize and execute a basketball camp for the youth of the Congo, in which two lucky athletes would be selected to attend DME Academy for the 2022-23 season on a full scholarship.
On what motivated Panaggio to award two full scholarships to DME Academy he explains, “Whoever gives, needs to feel as good as the person receiving the gift of a scholarship. We are looking for two fortunate athletes who want to come to America, have a high degree of respect for education, will put their all into trying something new, and have a certain discipline of family culture.”
The two students who will be attending DME Academy on a full scholarship will be learning benchmarks in English, physicalities on the court, how to adapt to American style of basketball, and how to make lifelong friends with other student-athletes in the US.
For the last two years, The Biyombo Family Foundation has not been able to host any camps due to the sweeping Covid-19 pandemic. Panaggio acted as an assistant counselor to Bismack to make sure that the first year back was an unforgettable experience for the young hopeful athletes.
On the first day of camp on August 2nd, almost 120 kids ventured across the Congo, some traveling as far as 4 hours, to show off their skills to their nation’s hero, Bismack Biyombo. The next 3 days were filled with drills, shooting, working on physical benchmarks and playing pick up games against each other. The last day of camp, August 6th, held the most excitement. The team held an all stars skills competition consisting of a slam dunk contest and 3 point shooting competition to test their accuracy. Both girls and boys competed in the cutthroat competition.
“The final day of the basketball camp in Lubumbashi, with over 3,000 locals watching, was incredibly powerful and touching,” says Mike Panaggio. “It is amazing how everyone shares the same love I have for basketball. We always felt safe and very welcome by the people of Lubumbashi, even though we were the only foreigners”
After exploring the cities of Kinshasa, Lubumbashi and Goma, completing a successful three day basketball camp, and making countless memories, Bismack brought Mike and his crew to his mother’s house for a true, homestyle Congolese dinner to wrap the trip up.
Mike was the only one to make the trip from DME Academy this year, but he is hopeful that his son, Matt Panaggio, will accompany him next year to appreciate the Congo and find the next two future DME Academy attendees.
Each year moving forward, DME will sponsor 2 new athletes from the Congo in partnership with the Bismack Biyombo Foundation to give them a chance at a better life.
During the trip, Panaggio, Biyombo and Zusperreguy were accompanied by a video crew. They will be releasing a documentary in the coming months of their experience in the Congo and will name it “The Spirit of Congo”. Watch out for it on the DME Academy social channels!
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DME Academy hires new Student-Life Director, Haley Toler
DME Academy is thrilled to announce the hiring of Haley Toler, a Coral Springs, FL native for the new role of Student-Life Director. She played college volleyball at Daytona State College and Auburn University at Montgomery.
(Fun Fact: She actually played her two years of volleyball at Daytona State College for DME Athletic Director, Laura Stegall from 2015 to 2017.)
After completing college with a sports management degree from AUM, Haley interned with the Montgomery Biscuits AA Baseball Club, affiliate of Tampa Bay Rays. She fulfilled many roles for the Biscuits, but primarily focused on in-game promotions and corporate sales and partnerships. After her time with the Biscuits, Haley served in multiple capacities, both as a residential supervisor at a behavior health center and as a volleyball coach at her local school and club.
“Haley will connect well with our students. As her former coach, I witnessed her impressive leadership skills and I am confident she will harness those competencies to mentor and direct the students at DME Academy,” remarked Laura Stegall on the recent hire of Haley Toler.
Toler has been added to the DME Academy staff to provide supervision to the students at DME Academy. She will enhance the student-life element of DME Academy through the development of activities and programs. She will also be responsible for the student-athletes’ lives outside of the gym and classroom. This will allow DME Academy to further enrich the student experience.
“I am thrilled to be taking on this new position at DME Academy as the Student-Life Director. DME recognized an opportunity to elevate their students’ experience on campus by adding this position. I am honored to be selected for this role and am looking forward to enhancing the students’ daily lives through new initiatives, programs, and opportunities,” commented Haley.
About DME Academy: DME Academy is an elite, multi-sport training and educational institution designed for student-athletes who are looking to reach their ultimate potential, harness their strengths and achieve their goals. Located in Daytona Beach, Florida, the academy offers a wide variety of programming, servicing 6th-12th grade students. DME is a co-ed boarding school that offers post-graduate programs, year-round camps, tournaments, team events, including collegiate and professional training.
To learn more about DME and to follow along with what Haley is doing on campus, connect with one of our Student-Athlete Advisors by booking a one-on-one call here!
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After the initial success with the first ever Virtual Open House on May 18th, 2022, DME Academy will hold two more on Wednesday, June 15th 2022. The first will be held at 12 PM EST and the second will be held at 8 PM EST, giving people from all around the world the opportunity to tune in to obtain more information.
Join us again as Laura Stegall, Athletic Director, Anna Gonzalez, Head of School, Matt Panaggio, Director of Basketball, Alex Richard, Director of Sports Performance and Will Carpenter, Student-Athlete Advisor do a deep dive into all things DME Academy. They will cover everything from academics, to sports, to location, extracurriculars and so much more.
The open houses will be held by the knowledgeable staff mentioned above who are at the forefront of reimagining the way student-athletes learn, compete, engage and grow. They will cover key topics explaining DME Academy’s flexible, fully accredited program and their approach to teaching kids in grades 6-12 how to balance their exceptional athletic abilities and maintain top grades in the classroom. At the end of the Open House, there will be time carved out to answer any questions you may have on your mind about attending or sending your student-athlete to DME.
During our virtual open house event, we will :
DME Academy offers 127 courses with 41 electives and 10 AP courses, a 10:1 student-teacher ratio, and 99% college acceptance rate. The best part? DME is located 7 miles away from The World Famous, Daytona Beach in Florida.
We have two times available for these open houses to cater to our international audience and to people who may be busy during the day.
Find out if DME Academy is the right fit for your student-athlete by reserving your spot for our Virtual Open House! We can’t wait to see you on Wednesday, June 15th!
Do we have your attention?
At DME Academy, we’re reimagining the way student-athletes learn, engage, and grow. With a flexible, fully-accredited program, students in grades 6-12 are taught to balance academic expectations with their unique athletic skill sets. Our diverse student body represents more than 25 countries and sets the stage for collaboration and shared learning.
Join us at 8pm on May 18th for our first ever Virtual Open House event, where we’ll give you the rundown on what it takes to succeed at DME Academy. Want to learn about how we’re addressing the unique needs of our student-athletes by providing them with elite-level guidance, curriculum, and facilities? Here’s your chance.
During our virtual open house event, we will :
The best part? You can join us from the comfort of your own home!
Find out if DME Academy is right for your student-athlete by reserving your seat at our Virtual Open House. We’ll see you on Monday, May 18th!
1. Rigorous Curriculum
Xceed DME offers a full suite of Honors, Advanced, and A.P. classes. DME’s diverse course offerings are imperative to make sure each student is successful in the classroom as well as on the field or court.All of the programs at DME are accepted by Florida’s graduation requirements for college enrollment. We offer over 120 courses and 41 electives so we have something for every student!
2. Individualized Instruction
At DME, our Xceed program has Personalized Learning Programs (PLP) for each individual student. These are heavily thought out with each student in mind to meet their individual goals. Our top priority is making sure every student is learning in a way that works best for them. Our accomplished educators provide one-to-one and small group instruction that helps capitalize on each students’ unique learning styles and strengths.
3. Flexible Schedule
At DME, we focus on athletics and academics in the same capacity. We are able to provide students a balanced schedule that includes their academics and their sports. We build out their schedules with training, classes and practices in mind so it all works seamlessly together.
4. International Community
Our students come from all over the world. We host students from more than 25 countries so there is a very strong international community on our campus. In fact, DME’s population is 70% international. This sets the stage for advanced collaboration and gives each student an opportunity to participate in shared learning from people from all walks of life.
5. Community Service
At Xceed DME, our graduation requirements include 40 hours of community service. We offer a wide variety of service opportunities, including tutoring and coaching younger kids, participating in beach cleanups and food and clothing drives, and volunteering at our local animal shelter.
6. Immersion Programs
DME Summer Immersion Programs help our international student-athletes get up to speed in the classroom and the community, preparing them for our rigorous academic curriculum and acclimating them to the DME culture.
Are you ready to reimagine your student-athlete experience?
Connect with one of our recruitment specialists to learn more.
