VSA Florida Student of the Month
May 2015
VSA Florida is proud to announce Crystal Tolley and Dalton Vann as the May 2015 Students of the
Month.
21-year-old Crystal was nominated by Kim Lonas, Executive Director of the Chautauqua Learn
and Serve Charter School at the Arc of Walton County. Ms. Lonas writes “[Crystal’s] first brave
step of trying a small part in Macbeth as a witch led to a slightly larger role with a speaking part
in the same scene, and then to play several roles throughout “Fire Burn!”, a play of 7
Shakespeare’s plays. Today Crystal plays Ophelia, a role that she took over for a fellow [typical]
company member. As she is led off by the angels, there is not a dry eye in the house. She is so
phenomenal that our playwright wrote a play with Crystal as lead!" Crystal is in her 2nd year with
the No Limits Theater Company and has received honors for her participation in numerous
productions including The Sprout Film Festival in Gainesville, Florida.
18-year-old Dalton was nominated by Deborah Knispel, the Arts Integration Specialist for UCP of
Central Florida in Orlando. Ms. Knispel writes, “Dalton works entirely from his mind’s eye, yet
can render drawings that look as though he studied his subject for hours. He works with speed,
yet produces stunning watercolor paintings.” As a proficient visual artist, Dalton was recognized
for his submissions to the student competition of the Winter Garden Art Festival in 2006-2008.
He plays the guitar and dulcimer and participates in Muay Thi, a form of kickboxing. Although he
has a traumatic brain injury, Dalton continually demonstrates leadership as an Eagle Scout in his
community. “His creativity knows no bounds”, writes Knispel, “and it is just a matter of time
before he is publicly recognized for his talent and finds a rewarding career in art”.