As we end this month of March and reflect on our accomplishments, we can't help but to feel grateful and blessed. OK, so we may also feel a little exhausted from the fast-paced schedule that we have endured on a daily basis this month, but it is all worth it in the end!  

 

Many thanks to our families who continue to support our school. Your sacrifice makes it possible for our Marist Educators to not only provide an education, but to create opportunities that provide transformational experiences. In return, our students represent us with great pride and passion! The hard work, dedication, and commitment of the entire school community is what unifies us and enables us to remain Always Ahead! 

 

Wishing all of you a Happy and restful Easter break. Stay safe and Adelante! 

Basketball Team Won Back to Back State Titles
Coach Moran and the Explorer Basketball Team did it again!  On March 4, 2023 the team defeated Winter Haven High School to claim the FHSAA Class 7A State Championship for a 2nd year in a row. The Explorers beat Winter Haven 50 - 48 at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland, FL in a thrilling game. Later in the month, the school held a celebration on the field to honor the team with the entire student body, faculty and staff. Congratulations to the Back to Back Champs!

Cameron Boozer Named Gatorade National Boys  Basketball Player of Year, NBA All-Star Kevin Love Surprised him with the Honor
On March 21st, Cameron Boozer was given a surprise he will never forget.  He and his team were told to go to the Lecture Hall to get resized for state championship rings.  The Gatorade company arranged for a fake jeweler to be there and when it was Cameron’s turn to get resized, the “jeweler” stepped out to get a sample.  Moments later, 5x NBA All-Star Kevin Love walked in with his trophy with Cameron’s father, mother and grandmother behind him.  Cameron is only the second sophomore to ever be named Gatorade Basketball National Player of the Year, an honor received in the past by elite players like Lebron James and Koby Bryant.  Cameron maintains a 4.81 GPA and is semifinalist for the Naismith Boys High School Player of the Year.  He was named the 2023 Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Basketball and he is ranked as the nation’s #1 recruit in the Class of '25 by ESPN.com. VIEW CAMERON’S GATORADE PROFILE/VIDEO

CCNN Live is the national champion again, placing first in virtually every category at the annual Student Television Network Convention.  The team had its best year ever at this national convention which was held in Long Beach California. Three of their shows won broadcast excellence awards.  Most importantly….they won the Crazy 8 National Team Contest for their Newsmagazine show, solidifying CCNN as the best team in the country. The first place awards were won in the categories of: Nat Package, News Story, Commentary, Sports Commentary, Tell the Story, and Vertical Nat Package.  They won “Broadcast Excellence” awards for:  Newsmagazine- The Voyage, Social Media Show- The Crusade, and Daily Live Show- CCNN Live. Congratulations to all the students who competed and a BIG thank you to moderators   Mr. Delgado, Mrs. Insua, Ms. Rodriguez as well as advisor Daniel Torres.  

March 27, 2023 was a historic day at Christopher Columbus High School as Governor Ron DeSantis visited campus to sign the largest expansion of Florida's school voucher program since its inception under former Governor Jeb Bush - House Bill (HB) 1. He signed the momentous bill in our gymnasium surrounded by students of both Columbus and St. Brendan’s Elementary School.  “This expands school choice to every single student in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said at the bill signing event which included speakers Lt. Governor Jeanette Nuñez, Department of Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, and Speaker Paul Renner. Columbus mother, Aimee Uriarte, also spoke about the impact that her state scholarship has made on her son and family.   The event included a press conference and was and was televised by all the major news stations.

Springtide Survey Results Are In
In an effort to better meet the religious and spiritual needs of our young men, Columbus and the Marist Brothers USA Province contracted Springtide to gain insight to guide our holistic ministry of developing students academically, physically, and spiritually. A preliminary analysis of the data has revealed some important affirmations and key opportunities. 1) 92% of students feel they are developing a better relationship with God while attending Columbus.  2) 92% of students expressed that they felt known by and cared for by our Marist educators.  3) 97% of students would enthusiastically recommend Columbus to others. In our constant journey of continuous improvement, we are looking at ways to address some areas where we can help our students grow. Helping students understand the importance and power of worship at Mass, serving the needs of their local community, and becoming more educated global citizens are just some of the opportunities that we have discovered through this survey. We will continue to provide more information regarding this important matter as we get closer to the end of the school year.  Please be on the lookout.

We celebrated the opening of the Azor Esports Complex with a ribbon cutting and blessing ceremony on March 30th.  The $350,000 complex was made possible due to the generosity of Columbus alums Frank Azor ’99 (Chief Architect of Gaming Solutions for AMD)  and Ozzie Gonzalez ’03 (President of Worldwide Assurance) who were both present at the ceremony to cut the ribbon alongside their wives Lucy and Vanessa.   Azor not only financially supported the project but also had the vision and worked closely with the school to design the entire complex. Also on hand was Michael Marinelli, Ozzie’s best friend for whom one of the gaming rooms was named.  Columbus Esports Program moderators Andrew Harriman and Eddie Sanchez were also in attendance as was the Marist Brothers USA Provincial Br. Dan O’Riordan and his entire Provincial Council and President Kruczek and Principal Pugh. Deacon Jim Dugard blessed the facility and afterwards the attendees enjoyed a light brunch in the Michael Marinelli Gaming Center.

Br. Eladio Star Awards
We held the Br. Eladio Stars Awards to recognize 65 students who have shown exceptional performance by achieving academic excellence, demonstrated the most significant improvement, served their community above and beyond expectations and achieved remarkable accomplishments outside the classroom in extracurricular activities.  The awards are named after Brother Eladio Gonzalez, a longtime Columbus Counselor, for his many life accomplishments as an educator, counselor, and promoter of the young.  Each student received a certificate and after the ceremony they enjoyed a celebration.  Special thanks to  Mrs. Vinson and Dr. Vila.

Our Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) teams competed at the State Leadership Conference in Orlando and had one of their best showings in the program’s history. The Banking & Financial Systems Team of Christian De Villiers, Alan Munschy, and Nicolas Postel placed first.  The Marketing team of Stefan Anzola and Matthew Cutie placed third as did Lucas Figueroa in Public Service Announcement.  Kai Salcedo placed fourth in Introduction to Business Concepts and Nicholas Diaz was a finalist in Public Speaking.  Columbus was also recognized as a Service Season Award Recipient for its Environmentally Conscious efforts through Beach Cleanups. Special thanks to Mr. Corazon, Mr. Busatto, Mr. Berch and Mr. Scholer. 

The Squires continued their tradition of bringing St. Patrick’s Day cheer to the clients of the West Gables Rehabilitation Center.  There was plenty of singing, dancing and of course shenanigans. Special thanks to Br. Eladio and Mr. Lewis.

Our Track & Field team is having a great season. At the Dade County Youth Fair Invitational there were 1500 athletes competing and our Explorers finished at the top with over 150 points as a team. The athletes that placed in the top 3 were:  100m- Jancent Wallace 2nd place (11.04), 200m- Adrian Cardero 1st place (22.31), 400m- Adrian Cardero 1st place (48.89), 110h- Shaddai Carter 1st place (15.43), 400h- D'Andre Ward 1st place (57.98) *school record, 4x100 team- 1st place, 4x400 team- 1st place, 4x800 team- 3rd place, Long Jump- Shaddai Carter 1st place, Triple Jump- Michael Duran 1st place, Shaddai Carter 2nd place, Discus- Coltton Stouffer 3rd place, Javelin- Lucas Lapido 1st place.  Thank you Coach Areces.

The CCHS  drama team scored a Superior in all of their categories at the Florida Thespian State Festival competition in Tampa which had 12,000 student competitors.  This is the third time in the last nine years that our team swept all of the categories. Congratulations to the following students:  Christopher Ramos-Costume Design and Costume Construction, Nicholas Sutton-Ensemble Acting, Juan Laracuente-Ensemble Acting, Alexander Valcarcel-Ensemble Acting and Monologue, Nicolas Ferrer-Ensemble Acting, Victor Barreda-Ensemble Acting and Monologue, Alexander Naranjo-Sanchez-Ensemble Acting, Sebastian Arana-Ensemble Acting, Anthony Toledo-Ensemble Acting, Aiden Garcia-Ensemble Acting. Special thanks to Ms. McGrath and Mr. Chacon. 

Junior Ring Ceremony
A beautiful Junior Ring Ceremony was held on the football field.  Special thanks to Mrs. Martinez and Mr. Hill for coordinating the event and to everyone who played a role in creating this truly memorable experience.

The Pat Call and Irene Culmo Center for College & Career Guidance had a busy month.  The team organized local college tours for sophomores and juniors to FIU, Barry, UM, and MDC Honors College in addition to hosting 15 colleges and universities as part of the annual Jesuit Excellence Tour and IE University for a College Rep Visit. The team attended the Miami National College Fair and participated in the Catholic University Counselor Fly-In Program. Juniors and their families benefitted from the Cialfo 101 Session which  provided an overview of how to manage their college applications.  Thank you Mrs. Iris Martinez and entire team.

An Evening with John Lynskey Featured Dr. Carter Burrus
John Lynskey sat down with Dr. Carter Burrus – the Man, the Myth, the Legend – for an intimate conversation in the gym.  Carter, an alum from 1962, has served the school for decades as a teacher, coach, and guidance counselor and is considered a mentor to dozens of Columbus current faculty members and many more alumni.  Many of his friends shared stories about him on stage.  Special thanks to Adam Lamnin ’82 who sponsored the event. VIEW VIDEO FROM THE COMMUNITY PAPERS

Easter Egg Hunt for Special Needs Children of Great Heights Academy
Mrs. Gonazlez and Mrs. Martinez organized and Easter Egg Hunt at Columbus with fun-filled activities for children with special needs students that attend Great Heights Academy.  Our students spent quality time with the children on campus and presented each one of them with a gift.  Special thanks to Br. Al and Coach Hill who served as the Easter Bunny.

Robotics Team Going to World Robotics Championship
After competing in the VEX Robotics State Competition in Iowa  where they ranked 14th, members of the Columbus Robotics team will for the first time compete in the World Competition, VEX’s largest competition with 800 teams from 40 countries.  The competition will take place from April 25 – May 4 in Dallas, TX.   Good luck to Mr. Rodriguez and the team as they prepare to perform on the world’s largest robotics stage. Accompanying the team will also be Anthony Perez and Mario Villaverde who are student ambassadors to the championship and will serve as liasons to foreign visiting teams, interacting with the media and providing guided tours of the event. 

Waterpolo Team – GMAC Champion Runner-Up
Congratulations to the Water Polo Team for a much improved season.  They placed second at the Greater Miami Athletic Conference Finals.

Congratulations to Kevin Chavez and Marcel Illas for winning the 2023 Castaways Against Cancer Spikeball Tournament.  Special thanks to  Mr. Corazon for organizing the tournament.

Celebrating Everything French
Thank you to Ms. Vessiere and the French Club for organizing an informative and appetizing French Week.  The Master Crepe Food Truck and French breakfasts were a big hit.

The Debate team competed at the State Tournament in Orlando. We would like to especially congratulate Sven Stumbauer who placed 4th in the in International Extemporaneous Speaking and 6th in Impromptu Speaking.  Nicholas Rojas, in his second ever tournament, filled rooms with rolling laughter and ultimately placed 6th in the state in After Dinner Speaking.  Victor Barreda and Alex Valcarcel placed as semi-finalists.  Special thanks to Mr. De Tuya.

On March 24, the entire Junior class went out into the community to work with the poor, students and adults with special needs, underprivileged children, environmental initiatives and other vulnerable communities.  Thank you to Br. Al who led this effort and to all the faculty and staff for helping to make this day of service possible for our Explorers.

Stand for the Silent Team Visited St. Brendan’s Middle School to Speak About Bullying
The Columbus Stand For The Silent team visited St. Brendan Middle School to speak with their 7th  graders on the topic of bullying. There were 11 Explorers spoke to over 90 middle schoolers about the detrimental effect bullying causes and how to resolve conflicts. Thank you to the following students who participated: Lucas Artime, Javier Mirabal, Isaiah Reyes, Iker Urresti, Peter Sevilla,  Christopher Scardins, Ruben Hernandez, Lucas Easley, Dylan Cajigal, Andres Gotera, and Jayden Leon.  The team will also be visiting Epiphany on April 19th and St. Louis on May 5th. Special thanks to Mr. Garrigo.

The Car Club's Wheels & Wings Car Show & Chicken Wing Grill Off was a major success with over 60 cars that rolled in. The Club was able to raise over $3,000 for the My Kori Story Foundation in honor of Kori Satiago '19. Special thanks to Mrs. Alonso.

Three Wrestlers Placed at State Qualifiers
Three wrestlers placed at the State Championship Qualifier held at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee FL.  Brandon Villa ’23,  Apollo Benito ’25, and Derrick Hart ’23 all placed 7th in their weight division and will be competing at the State Finals.  Three other  explorers did not qualify in the medal rounds but should also be congratulated for their season, winning Districts and breaking the school record of team Dual meet wins with 35: Arturo Sanchez ’24, Jamie Rodriguez ’23 and Matteo Clement ’23.  Thank you Coach Husk.

Congratulations to the 20 new members of the  National English Honor Society, Panzer Division. Their induction ceremony took place on March 14th.  Thank you Mr. Crossman.

Campus Ministry Leaders Served at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church
Campus Ministry leaders served at the St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church CCD First Communion Retreat.  Mr. Emmanuel González, Austin Gonzalez, Felix Gonzalez, Nicholas Rivas, Pablo Badell, and Javier Aragon led the students.  Mr. Gerardo González led the retreat for parents.  Pictured is Deacon Sebastian Grisales.

Campus Ministry Leaders Led Confirmation Candidates
The St. Michael the Archangel Catholic School Confirmation candidates were led on retreat by Campus Ministry leaders Sebastian Arritola, Gustavo Ferreiro, Alejandro Garcia, Lucas Lopez, Brandon Pineyro, Nolan Vergel, and Mr. González.  Pictured are the pastor, Fr. Elvis González and Principal Lisette Naranjo.

Campus Ministry hosted the last Marist Encounter Retreat of the year at Morningstar Renewal Center.  Thanks to Mrs. Reynaldo, Mr. Lewis, Mr. Levy, and Mr. González.

The Columbus Black Student Organization hosted a Black Leadership Panel Discussion this month.  The speakers were Lt. Marcus Kinlaw with the South Miami Police Department and Executive Director of the Police Athletic League and Dr. Ryan Homes, Dean of Students at the University of Miami.  The discussion was moderated by Columbus School Board member Shirelle Jackson, Executive Associate AD, Student- Athlete Development at UM.  Special thanks to Mr. Campbell.

Campus Ministry leader Javier Aragon presents a message to students from the Cathedral of St. Mary and St. Louis Covenant schools at their joint Grade 5 Retreat.  

Junior Vincent Kean and his “Team Tamiami” placed 2nd at the US Air Force Auxiliary, Civil Air Patrol, Florida Wing Cadet Competition, which took place at Patrick Space Force Base. Vincent is pictured with Senior Member Mike Keane ’73, and Sergeant Jose Tamayo ‘86.

Gabriel Villar Received Prestigious Robertson Scholarship
Congratulations to Gabriel Villar ‘23 for earning the prestigious Robertson Scholarship.  The Robertson Leadership Program is among the nation's most competitive and prestigious merit-based scholarship, awarded to outstanding high school seniors who demonstrate exceptional leadership skills, academic achievement, and community involvement. This scholarship provides full tuition, room and board throughout all four years of college, where scholars have simultaneously enrolled at both the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University. 

International’s Women’s Day
On International Women’s Day we took a group picture of many of our female members of the faculty and staff.  We are blessed to have a strong female presence at Columbus.

Freshman Diego Montero was given a poster of Blessed Carlo Acutis from his grandmother who received it directly from the mother of Carlo Acutis in Italy.  Diego decided to gift the poster to the school.  Blessed Carlo Acutis was an Italian teenager who died of leukemia in 2006.  He was beatified in 2020 and is known as a patron for computer programmers and youth. The school plans to hang the poster in the chapel.  

Upcoming April Dates to Remember:
4/3 – 16:  Easter Recess (No School)
4/17:        Classes Resume
4/17/18:   Freshman Retreat (Gym)
4/19:        Easter Mass (Gym)
4/19:        Columbus Connects Lecture “State of the Ports” (6:00pm, Café)
4/21:        Grad Bash
4/26:        Drama Spring Show (2:00pm, LBC)
4/27:        Drama Improv Show (2:00pm, LBC)
4/29:        Fishing Tournament (6:00am, Shake-a-Leg Marina)