Over 825 million learners were affected by an unprecedented pandemic this school year and we were not immune to the difficulties it imposed on our community. Yet, we remained resilient and stayed true to our plan. It was far from a normal school year and while our students may not have had the full Columbus experience we had hoped, we still managed to create a safe and balanced academic environment while providing a quality Marist Education.

 

I am so proud of our entire school community, as we met the challenges and overcame obstacles to successfully complete a historic school year. With guidance from our COVID-19 Task Force, we were able to offer National Testing Days, Marist Youth, Marist Achievement, Walk-a-thon, Retreats, Field Days, and a variety of formal events.  Campus Ministry, Student Activities, and Athletics also continued uninterrupted while our students competed on the field and in the classroom. We managed to win state championships in Cross Country, Track, and Wrestling, a Tri-County Championship in Football, and distinguished recognition in Debate, Business, Math, Drama, and Broadcast Journalism with CCNN! 

 

Thanks to an amazing team effort by our Marist Educators who displayed great selflessness and persistence throughout the year… we achieved our goals!  Well done Columbus!  

We are committed to offering our young men a well-rounded educational experience next school year. We are confident that we will create and manage a safe environment for all teachers, staff, and students.  Our faculty looks forward to meeting each class in person as the year begins with an abbreviated school day. Attendance for the following dates is mandatory.  Students should first report to the gym well-groomed and in full school uniform. 

Tropical Themed Prom
It was an outdoor, tropical-themed prom on the football field this year for the class of 2021.  The seniors especially appreciated this in-person event which turned out to be a beautiful party.  Special thanks to Ms. Brown, Mr. Connell, and Dr. DeChurch. 

Columbus Mourned the Loss of Two Beloved Faculty Members 
Our school community was deeply saddened to have lost two dear faculty members in April.  Long-time Columbus mathematics teacher, head track & field coach, and assistant football coach, Mr. Fred Foyo, passed away on April 17th.  Two days later, Mr. Rudy Sanchez, a vital member of our science department passed away on the 19th.   Both Mr. Foyo and Mr. Sanchez are survived by their wives, both long-time faculty members at Columbus, Mrs. Maria Rams-Foyo and Mrs. Alina Sanchez.  We held several prayer services on campus in their memory and our community is still coming to grips with the loss. Let’s continue to remember the Foyo and Sanchez families in our prayers.

Baccalaureate Mass
The Baccalaureate Mass with seniors and their family was celebrated by Rev. Alejandro Rodriguez Artola '81, on April 28.  In addition to honoring the class of 2021, a tribute was given in honor of deceased faculty Br. Eugene Trzecieski, Fred Foyo, Rudy Sanchez, as well as for Rev.  Arthur Dennison.  Jose Acosta, '21,  Mr. Lynskey  and President Kruczek addressed the audience.  In keeping with tradition, all the seniors in attendance with their fathers who are alumni were recognized.  Thanks to Campus Ministry, Marist Brothers, Administrators, Faculty, and Staff.

The Class of 2021 capped off their last week of school with a self-organized tailgate party.

The last event for the Class of 2021 was a Barbeque followed by the Diploma and Yearbook Pick-Up.  This year's yearbook was appropriately named "Navigate."  This class navigated and overcame all the challenges that came their way due to the COVID-19 lifestyle.  They stayed the course and achieved their goals. 

Carricarte Business, Leadership, and Entrepreneurship (CBLE) Launched with Recognition Event
On April 15th, members of the Carricarte family were on hand for the inaugural Carricarte Business, Leadership, and Entrepreneurship (CBLE) Student Recognition Awards and Logo Unveiling.  Mike Carricarte Sr. ’59 and his four sons: Michael ’86,  Louis ’95, Andrew ’97, and Brian ’02  are successful entrepreneurs who wanted to give back to their school by supporting the career pathway.  CBLE is one of Columbus’ eight career pathways and the first to have received a naming gift.   After the awards ceremony and  Business Honor Society Induction, the new CBLE logo was introduced with the unveiling of a new sign in front of the business classroom.  Thank you Mr. Corazon. VIEW HERALD ARTICLE

CJ Henderson ’17 Donates $250,000 for New Athletic Training Center
We are pleased to announce a generous gift of $250,000 from alumnus and Jacksonville Jaguars Corner Back  Christopher “CJ” Henderson '17 for our athletic training center project.  We will proudly name the facility the 'Henderson Family Athletic Training Center'.   It is scheduled to open this August. VIEW ANNOUNCEMENT VIDEO     VIEW SPORTS ILLUSTRATED ARTICLE

Mas Family Program Recognition Ceremony
Congratulations to all the seniors honored at the Mas Family Program Recognition Ceremony. It was a beautiful night in Br. Eugene Plaza where Explorers from both programs - Mas Honors and Mas Scholars - were awarded their lapel pins and graduation medallions.  Thank you Mrs. Galvez-Cuesta, Mrs. Amador, and Mrs. Cibran.

National Honor Society Induction
Congratulations to the 75 new members of the National Honor Society who were inducted in April. The  senior executive officers Lucas Bleichner (President), Rodrigo Velasco (VP),  Patrick Garcia (Secretary),  and Daniel Armesto (Social Media) helped induct their fellow Explorers.  Thank you Mrs. Cofresi.

Science Honor Society Induction
There were 33 Junior provisional members inducted into our chapter of the Science National Honor Society Hansel Heres (President), Patrick Othon (VP), Christopher Valdes (Secretary), Javier Maratos (Treasurer) were on hand to celebrate the new members. Thank you Mrs. Aycart.

We are proud of our CCNN Live team who once again took the top awards at the Florida Scholastic Press virtual state convention this year. Their monthly show, The Voyage, was named The Sunshine State Standout, representing the best show in the state for the third time in a row.   Omar Delgado (Teacher of the Year), Christopher Gomez (Broadcast Journalist of the Year), Podcast (First Place), Commentary (First Place), Video Tip (First Place), Student Life Photo (First Place), Broadcast Show (Third Place), Anchor (Third Place), and PSA (Honorable Mention).  Thank you Mrs. Insua and Mr. Delgado.

Anglers Won First Place Awards at the Fish Flamingo Tournament
The Anglers Club competed at the Fish Flamingo Tournament, winning first place in five categories of fish. Pedro Fernandez (1st Place Snook Category), Nicholas Macia (1st Place Redfish Category), Nichols Cruz (1st Place Permit Category), Carlos Saladrigas (1st Place Trout Category), and Sebastian Iglesias (1st Place Trout Category).  For winning first place, members also had  the opportunity to fish offshore with Double G Charters. Thank you Coach Dukes.

Externship Seminar Speaker Series
We had two great speakers participate in the Columbus Connects Digital Speaker Series Seminar.   Jennifer Boyd-Pugh, Vice President for Administrative Services and Organizational Development for  Barry University, hosted an interactive seminar on resumes and interview skills.  Also, David Scatterday Trevino, the Managing Partner of Scatterday & Assoc. discussed careers in marketing.  Special thanks to Mrs. Anderson.

Niche, a national company that reviews schools from across the country, recently ranked CCHS as the fifth best private high school in the country for its athletic program.  Congratulations to Athletic Director Mr.  McKeon, Assistant Athletic Director Mr. Staiano, and to all our dedicated coaches and student-athletes.

Track Team Won the FHSA’s Academic Team Champion Award
4x800 Team Wins State Championship
With Coach Foyo on their mind, the track team competed fiercely at the state championship in Jacksonville, finishing 8th overall and with a state championship win for the 4x800 meter relay team which posted the two fastest times in school history. Congratulations to champions Alvaro Canarte, Adrian Bichara, Chris Ivonnet, and Malcolm Brown.   In addition, Ken Moore finished 3rd in the 100m dash and Adrian Bichara finished 4th in the open 800.  We are extremely proud that the overall team was selected as Academic Team Champion by the Florida High School Athletic Association. Special thanks to Coach Areces for stepping up and leading the team during a challenging end of the season. 

Three members of the Class of 2021 signed letters of intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs):  Malcolm Brown:  Bethune Cookman University (Cross Country/Track), Jordan Jackson:  Florida A&M University (Basketball), and Kesean Norris-Hayes: Florida Memorial University (Football).

Congratulations to the following signees who will be playing their sport in college:  Keenan Toome (Football, Maryville College), Grant Henderson (Football, Maryville College), David Hijuelos (Football,  Maryville College), Daniel Gomez (Soccer, Marywood University) and  Nikolas Leibkuchler (Soccer, Marywood University). 

Lacrosse Team Won District Championship
Congratulations to the members of our District Champ Lacrosse Team and special thanks to Coach Morrissey.

Miami Herald All-County Selections / Athletic Award Winners  
Coach Foyo was the Posthumous Recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award while our Track Team was the recipient of the Leo Suarez/Walter Krietsch Courage Award.   The following student-athletes were chosen as First Team All County for Winter/Spring Sports:  Rodrigo Velazco (Scholar- Athlete, Spring Sports); Baseball:  Ariel Garcia, Gabe Perez, Kyle Marti; Track & Field:  Gustavo Alfonso (Javelin); Brysson Stouffer (Discus); Darren McQueen (300m hurdles); Adrian Bichara (800); 400m: Ahmere Foster, Denim Desrosiers, Vershod Quinn, Ken Moore; 3200m: Adrian Bichara, Malcolm Brown, Alvaro Canarte, and Christian Ivonnet; Lacrosse:  Jacob Angulo, Juan Carmenate, Elijah Castano, Soccer:  Gabriel Bringas, Nikolas Leibkuchler Rodrigo Velzco;  Basketball: Reggie Luis; Wrestling: Christian Guzman.  In addition, two of our coaches were named Coach of the Year:  Dave Dunn (Football) and Michael Marinelli (Golf)

Baseball Team Ended Season as State Semifinalists
It was another successful year for the Varsity Baseball Team.  Coach Weber and the Explorers were crowned regional champions and went on to play in the state semifinals where they lost to Stoneman Douglas H.S. by a score of 3-2.     

 

Members of our Project Lead the Way Biomedical Science Course were honored at a pinning ceremony for having completed a successful academic school year. This lab based course covers sample real-world challenges from dealing with an emergency broken leg to designing an app that helps first responders communicate with hospital based medical providers.  Thank you Ms. Taylor.

The Patriot Club and the Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society teamed up for a thank you letter writing project for our veterans.  The letters expressed gratitude for their bravery and past service to our country.  The students attached a star cut from an American Flag with a note stating "I am part of our American flag that has flown over the USA.  I can no longer fly.  The sun and winds caused me to become tattered and torn.  Please carry me as a reminder that "YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN."  The letters were given to various veterans through the Miami-Dade area and in particular to the Veterans at The American Legion Post 31 in South Miami Florida.  Pictured are Commander McVeigh and a post member  with their letter. Thank you Dr. Burrus and Ms. McCullagh.

Attorney Gabriel Mazzitelli Visited the Pre-Law Club
Alumnus Gabriel Mazzitelli joined one of the the Pre-Law Club’ s Zoom meetings to share his experience in litigation and his journey in building his Law Firm - Jimenez, Hart, & Mazzitelli LLP.

Fernando Ortega  - Future Business Leaders of America State Champion
Fernando Ortega won the FBLA state competition in the category of Future Business Leader. This category’s competition is one of the most difficult as students have to score high on a 100 question test followed by a panel interview. Thank you Mr. Corazon.

Ray Lozano Awarded the SebastianStrong Foundation Scholarship
The 2021 SebastianStrong Foundation’s Science & Technology Scholarship was awarded to Ray Lozano for his strong leadership skills, service, and desire to pursue a degree in the medical field. Ray will be attending the University of Pennsylvania as a Benjamin Franklin Scholar on the PreMed track at the University of Pennsylvania.  Special thanks to Mr. Oscar and Rose Ortiz, Columbus parents who lead the foundation in honor of their late son and Explorer Sebastian Oritz.

Mrs. Pat Call Retires After 43 Years of Faithful Service to Columbus
After 43 years of serving Columbus as a teacher, administrator, and guidance counselor, Mrs. Pat Call is retiring at the end of this school year.  Mrs.  Call was instrumental in the expansion of Columbus’ science curriculum, established our Marist Achievement Awards, started our Dual Enrollment Program with FIU, oversaw graduation, and served on numerous school accreditation committees, to name just a few of her accomplishments.   Most importantly, she always brought her love of work and family spirit to whatever project she was involved with.  Our Columbus family deeply appreciates all she has done to further the Marist mission and the success of Columbus High School through the years and sends her good wishes for a happy retirement. 

On April 23rd, Fr. Arthur Dennison, a beloved member of the Columbus community, passed away after a battle with cancer.  Fr.  Dennison served as chaplain at Columbus from 1981 – 1986 but continued teaching here until 2011.  He is remembered by many of his former students and colleagues as a mentor and a gifted human being.   VIEW ARCHDIOCESAN ARTICLE

Columbus offers a wide array of  camps and enrichment programs over the summer for both our current students and young children. These include Basketball Camp Powered by Miami Hoop School, Debate Camp, Theater Camp, CCNN Films Camp, CCNN Live Summer Institute (Journalism & Video Production),  Coach Bo’s Instructional Baseball Camp, Robotics Camp, and Web Ball Summer Camp.  To learn more and register for any of the camps visit our SUMMER 2021 WEBPAGE.