I cannot be prouder of our team at Christopher Columbus High School as they remain dedicated to our mission and passionate about offering a well-rounded experience to our young men.  

We celebrate the achievements of our students and faculty over the last two months.  They have participated in numerous activities and competitions, always well representing our school and the Columbus Brotherhood.  Adelante!

28th Annual Pat Bixby Memorial Walk-a-thon
Our 28th Annual Pat Bixby Memorial Walk-a-thon took place on October 8^th at Tropical Park.  It was a successful event that raised funds for school improvements including a new e-Sports Room.  Thank you to all of our students and families for your great support of Walk-a-thon! Special thanks to the Walk-a-thon Committee.

In collaboration with the daughters of the late Delfin J. Diaz (Hope and Christina), Columbus launched the Delfin J. Diaz Marist Service Award and Squire of the Year Award Programs in October.  After their father’s passing in March 2020, the sisters wanted to do something meaningful that would honor his life of service and leave a lasting legacy.  The $10,000 Marist Service Award and the $1,000 Squire of the Year Award will be given to Columbus students annually based on their service work.  Students need to apply for the award.  For more information, contact Br. Al Rivera, Director of Service Learning.

Academic Achievement Awards
Members of the Freshmen and Sophomore class were recognized for their academic achievement.  Bismack Biyombo of the Charlotte Hornets was in attendance and gave our Explorers an inspiring talk about staying resilient and focused on achieving your dreams.

Columbus Students Volunteer at STEAM FEST
Students in the Columbus Astronomy, Engineering, Robotics and STEM Clubs volunteered their time at the STEAM Fest – NASA @ My Library event at the Miami-Dade Public Library (Westchester).  They introduced the library visitors to concepts in science and engineering through an interactive space simulator experience.  Thank you to Erick Gonzalez, Jorge Garcia, Alain Gonzalez, Alejandro Delgado, Lucas Bravo, Jaiden Monivis, Douglas Ruggiano, Nicolas Sedano, and Brandon Gustafson.  Special thanks to our Engineering teacher Mr. Rodriguez who is also a Solar System Ambassador and volunteer spokesperson for NASA. 

Jean Baptiste Montagne Day
On October 28, 1816, St. Marcellin Champagnat visited Jean-Baptiste Montagne, who was a teen and did not know who Jesus was. This event inspired Champagnat to establish the Marist Brothers Religious Order. Columbus Campus Ministry Leaders led a prayer service with the entire school community on October 28^th to honor this important Marist day of commemoration.  Thank you Mr. Gonzalez, Mrs. Alegret and Campus Ministry.

Members of the Freshman Class experienced Kerygma, a Columbus tradition. The retreat was led by Campus Ministry Leaders Michael Alvarez, Jake Gaunard, Miguel Guerra, David Iglesias, and Nicolas Villafuerte.  Thanks to Mrs. Alegret, Mr. Harriman, and Mr. Alegret. 

Debate Tournament Results
The Debate Team travelled to Oxford, Mississippi to compete against some of the top debate programs in the Southern region of the country.  Jorge Cereceda and Frank Kowalski placed in the Top 15 in Student Congress.  Bruno Barreiro placed third in Extemporaneous Speaking.  Martin Seals and Joseph Alonso placed third in Novice Public Forum. The team also participated in the University of Florida Blue Key Speech and Debate Tournament where Matthew Moreno placed as the 4th top speaker.  At the Columbus hosted tournament on  November 3rd, Matthew Moreno placed first in Lincoln Douglas Debate and Martin Seals/Dominic Cura placed First in Public Forum while Alejandro Calderin and Andrei Otero placed third.  In Student Congress, Victor Barreda placed third.  In Impromptu Speaking, Nicholas Diaz placed second while Evan Hartigan and Sebastian Santana placed third.  Special thanks to moderator Mr. De Tuya.

Cultural Exchange Initiative - Meet-a-German
Ms. McCullagh's AP Government class participated in a cultural exchange initiative called Meet-a-German 2021. The initiative was a main feature of the Fulbright Day on October 6.  Thank you Ms. McCullagh.

Bowling Team Ended Season as the GMAC and District Champions
Congratulations to Coach Scholer and the entire bowling team who in addition to winning the GMAC and District Championships also placed first at the  Miami Dade County Fair Tournament.

The Golf Team won the 3A Region 4 Title at Osprey Point in Boca Raton, firing a two under par round (-2) 286 as a team. All the golfers landed in the top ten individually, led by Hans Risvaer (-2) 70, Andres Atrio (-1) 71, Max Fonseca (E) 72, and Christian Figueredo who shot (+1) 73.  Thank you Coach Marinelli.

Mr. Explorer Debuted at the Homecoming Game
Our new Mr. Explorer mascot debuted at the Homecoming Football Game on October 14^th.   The crowd cheered him on as he saluted fans and then took a ride on the Shark Mobile with Mr. Connell.  Mr. Explorer’s new look falls in line with our school’s “Mr. Explorer Brand Mark” and features a cape and belt with the Columbus C logo and a hat with a cross on the side.  He also sports a mustache and small goatee.  Mr. Explorer represents Columbus not only at sporting events but also at many other school events like Open House. 

Several Explorers participated in a Special Olympics community service event at the New York Mets facility in Port St. Lucie.   Thank you Mr. Gulesian.

Hispanic Heritage Kahoot Trivia Game
The World Languages Department hosted their annual Hispanic Heritage Kahoot Trivia Game. A big congratulations to the top three winners: 1st place - Juan Pablo García-Casals, 2nd place - Alejandro Ojeda, and 3rd place - Brian Remy.

Supporting Our Veterans
The Patriot and Rho Kappa Clubs made a donation to - VAREP - a veteran support group supplying meals to needy veterans over the Thanksgiving holiday.  Thank you to Dr. Burrus and Ms. McCullagh.

The Drama Program competed in their District One Act Competition, receiving an overall score of Excellent for their production of A Game. David Figueredo won the All Star Cast Award, Matthew Gory won the All Star Crew Award and Christian Wilson won the All Around Best Stage Manager Award.  Special thanks to Ms. McGrath and Mr. Cabrera.   

Patriot Club Hosted Veteran’s Day Celebration
The Patriot Club held a beautiful event on campus which honored Andrew Carricarte '97, former Captain in the United States Army - Ranger - 82nd Airborne. Special thanks to Dr. Burrus.

Encounter:  A Lifetime Experience!
Members of the junior and senior class had a memorable experience at the Encounter retreat. President Tom Kruczek, Dr. Carter Burrus, Ana Fernandez, Daniella Rodriguez, and Nicholas Portu '14 all served as guest speakers. Special thanks to Mr. Baez, Mr. Crossman, Daniel Cabanas, Victor Castillo, Nicolas Lavin, Michael Lynne, Max Valdes, and Joseph Vilomar for their leadership and guidance. 

Thank you to the  students, faculty and staff for their generous donations during No Shave November benefiting Art Teacher Dave Isenberg.  Over $500 was raised to help Mr. Isenberg with his cancer treatment.

The Student Activities Committee helped coordinate an Ice Cream Social at Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart with 20 underclassmen. 

Junior Class Trip – Islands of Adventure
Approximately 170 of our juniors participated in a fun-filled trip to Islands of Adventure.  Thank you SAC!

As every year, the Squires partnered with the Knights of Columbus and the Cuban Marist Alumni Association to bring a wonderful holiday event to the community of St. John the Baptist Mission. Our students brought lots of joy and holiday spirit to many families.  Thank you to all the Explorers who participated and especially Br. Eladio!

CCNN Live Won Three National Emmys and Dominated the STN Competition
The National Academy of Television Arts and Science announced its National Emmys for the 2020-21 school year and CCNN Live was nominated for eight National Emmys and won three. In addition, the team dominated in its first STN national contest of the year with the participation of more than 300 teams from across the country. They brought home first place awards in four categories (Sports, Feature, How To, and PSA – View Winning Videos)  as well as second place in News.  Congratulations to Mr. Delgado, Mrs. Insua and the entire team.

On November 17^th, Columbus welcomed home the two-time Olympic Medalist and MLB Outfielder Eddy Alvarez ’08.   Alvarez, received national recognition this past summer for being only the third American to ever medal at both Winter and Summer Olympic Games and for being the 2021 Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony’s Flag Bearer.  At the event, Eddy sat down with CCHS Associate Baseball Coach and his friend Danny Casals ’15 for a candid conversation that touched upon topics like his work ethic,  how he persevered though injuries, and how he dealt with pressure and high expectations. The CCLLE is a program offered by Columbus that provides the school community opportunities to learn about professional and timely topics of interest by industry and community leaders, while offering occasions to network and socialize.  Special thanks to alumnus and Columbus parent JB Aleman.

The CCHS Cooking Club participated in its first intramural cooking competition. Student teams were asked to create their version of a breakfast sandwich. The results were spectacular. The winning team of David Balshem and Christian Ordonez produced a delicious scrambled egg sandwich on buttered brioche buns with a spicy kewpie mayo sauce, sliced avocado, and truffle goat cheese.   

Best Buddies Club Celebrated Halloween at Great Heights Academy
The Columbus Best Buddies Club joined forces with Art Therapy Miami and traveled to Great Heights Academy to provide a fun-filled Halloween celebration for their students with special needs.   Special thanks to Cristian Aguirre who organized a car wash to raise the funds for this event which included a gift of art supplies to each student. Thank you to Mrs. Gonzalez-Rojas and Mrs. Martinez.

Pancreatic Cancer Purple Ribbon
On November 18^th we held a fundraiser in support of Pancreatic Cancer Awareness.  Many faculty members and students wore purple shirts, bracelets, and ribbons in solidarity. Javier De Varona '97, the Mission Chair for Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, came to  campus to speak to speak to our Explorers.  Special thanks to Mr. Harriman.

Car Club Visited The Barn Miami
The Car Club went on a field trip to The Barn Miami, an auto boutique specializing in antique and exotic cars.  Special thanks to Mrs. Alonso.

40 Explorers Became CPR Certified
40 of our EMT students became CPR Certified after attending the necessary training.  Now that our students are certified, they will begin to ride with Miami Dade County Fire Rescue in December. Special thanks of Ruben Rayneri (Columbus father) who is the  Southern Region Director of Nursing Unlimited.

LaValla Experience
Mr. Ortega, Michael Alvarez, David Iglesias, and Nicolas Sedano represented Columbus at the LaValla Weekend Experience at the Marist Brothers Center at Esopus, NY with other U.S. Marist Schools representatives. 

Rev. Alejandro Rodriguez Artola '81 celebrated the Alumni Memorial Mass with our beloved families during the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls' Day).  The names of our deceased alumni, which appear on the Memorial Wall were read by Dr. E. Carter Burrus ('62), Mr. Steven O'Brien ('72), Mr. Robert Linfors ('85), Mr. Carlos Nuñez ('94), and Mr. Andres Fernandez ('15). Thanks to Campus Ministry Student Leaders, Mr. Cooper and Music Ministry, Ms. Tellechea, Mrs. Branas, Mrs. Minoso, Mr. van Hemert, and Mr. Alvarez and the Maintenance Department.

Campus Ministry Leaders led the Thanksgiving Prayer Service with students, who were asked to write what they are thankful for, and presented these in prayer.  Thanks to Mr. Gonzalez, Mr. Cooper and Music Ministry, Theology instructors, and Mr. Sequeira from the IT Department.

Friendsgiving During Lunch
Students gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving amongst friends during lunchtime.

Malabet and Cruz Receive HOBY Leadership Awards
Daniel Malabet and Andres Cruz are the two Columbus sophomores chosen Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Award and which includes community leadership workshops, state leadership seminars, and a world leadership congress.  These students were nominated by the faculty and chosen by a committee.  These deserving young men will be a part of the Florida contingent of leadership beginning with a workshop in May.  Thank you Br. John.

Tommy Pozo Received a Certificate of Appreciation from the City of South Miami
Senior Tommy Pozo received a Certificate of Appreciation from the City of South Miami Commission for his work with The Pozo Brother Book Club which helps to instill a love of reading in youth.

Hans Risvaer Wins Dade Amateur Golf Championship
Junior Hans Risvaer won the two-day Dade Amateur Golf Tournament at Mel Reese Golf Course. With this win, Hans will receive an exemption in the South Beach International Amateur – one of the top five amateur championships in the world. He finished +1 overall for the tournament victory! 

Mrs. Lourdes Cofresi Honored by Fresenius Kabi for Blood Drive Efforts
Our theology teacher, Mrs. Lourdes Cofresi, has been honored by Fresenius Kabi, a global health care company, for her work coordinating successful blood drives at Columbus for the past eight years.  Mrs. Cofresi, a liaison for OneBlood, Inc., registers as many as 120 students and faculty members for each drive. For her efforts, she has also been named OneBlood’s “Coordinator of the Year.” Congratulations Mrs. Cofresi.