Florida Christian School

DeclarationDeclarationTheThewww.floridachristian.org

Accredited by: Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, and Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions.

From the desk of

Dr. Robert Andrews

www.floridachristian.org

WINTER 2017-2018

Headmaster’s PenWinter 2017-2018

The recent tax reform bill passed by Congress has had some interesting effects on the country. A long list of major companies have announced that they would be giving all of their employees bonuses and others have increased the minimum wage, all of which is positive for private school parents. Also included in the tax reform plan is the extension to 529 college savings plans to include K – 12 students as well, which means private school families can withdraw up to $10,000 a year to use for the expense of private schools like FCS. At the very least it provides our families with more choice and more control over their income, when it comes to how to fund the private Christian education they have chosen for their children.

For many years now, parents have been provided with options regarding their “choice” in schools for the education of their children. All parents in the state of Florida have some form of school choice available to them. The choices are basically between public and private schools. Public school choice provides that a parent in a “failing” public school district has an option to transfer to a higher performing district school

or magnet program. The other public school choice is the charter school. Charter schools are publicly funded institutions that have more autonomy and freedom from bureaucratic control than standard public schools. They operate through a contract between the organizers of the school and the school district. Charter schools must be nonsectarian and non-religious, tuition free, and must admit all students regardless of ability level or disability, like any other public school.1They cannot be a Christian school, even if they are located in a church building.

Private school choices have increased to include more parochial schools, non-religious prep schools, and various types of Christian schools. In addition, states like Florida, have introduced corporate tax options, which allow for businesses to direct a portion of their corporate tax to a fund which can be accessed by any family whose income meets designated financial or educational criteria so they can attend a private school using these corporate tax funds. In addition to these opportunities home schools and virtual schools are growing at an ever increasing rate. The point is, education in

the 21st Century certainly provides many options for parents no matter what their economic status, religious affiliation, or their family background.

So how does all of that impact the families of

Florida Christian School. I believe the reality is, that one of the most important financial decisions a family has to make is in regard to their choice of school for their children. It also brings to mind the thought as to, given the variety of choices a parent has regarding education, why would a parent choose a Christian school? More specifically, why would a parent choose Florida Christian School? Every year I speak to many families who have had their children at FCS throughout all or most of their children’s school career. These families made the choice to do whatever it took to see their children complete their education at FCS. Recently, a graduate of FCS came by my office to proudly tell me that she and her husband were enrolling both of their children here at FCS for next year in the pre-school and kindergarten. She added that even though they had other choices, they were choosing FCS. They believe that it is the best choice for their children. When Christian parents make a commitment which has lasted

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HEADMASTER’S PEN (Continued from page 1)

20 years, or when they enter into a commitment which could potentially last 12 to 15 years, it is amazing. For me personally, it is very humbling to hear these parents talk about their choice because I know that it is only because of God’s grace that our school can even exist.

The answer to the school choice question may be complex for some, but for most of the parents at FCS I believe that it is actually quite simple. Many of the characteristics as to why the level of commitment is high among FCS parents are similar to all private schools, but there is something else that is quite unique. Just as other private schools, FCS operates by standards recognized by the

state. We are accountable for results in student performance and in fiduciary responsibility in order to maintain accreditation standards from multiple agencies. As a private school we have the freedom to operate autonomously, exempted from many intrusive regulations, except for health, safety and nondiscrimination issues. We differ somewhat in that we are selective as to the admission of students, and our school is supported by tuition. But it is in the stipulation that public schools and charter schools must be nonsectarian and non-religious that we are distinctively different than them. Our very purpose for existence is our spiritual mission to this community. Above all, we seek to honor Christ in the

educational process and in learning how to have a personal relationship with the God of the Bible. It is for this reason that parents and families would make a long lasting commitment to Florida Christian School. Yes, as a school, we have the responsibility to provide a comprehensive educational program, preparing students to compete in the culture in which we live. But the level of commitment can only truly be explained by the mutual understanding between the parent and the school of the spiritual mission we exist to fulfill, and it is in that characteristic that explains why a parent would commit to FCS for their child’s entire education.

INTRODUCING FCS’ PODCAST: THE PATRIOT PULSE

FCS began its podcast series on February 14th, Valentine’s Day, with two special guests!

Listen in on Buzzsprout@http://www.buzzsprout.com/155070

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ENROLLMENT INFORMATION

Current Student Re-Enrollmentfor 2018-2019

Is Now Open

Click Here to sign on to your parent portal

to begin the re-enrollment process.

If you do not have a login, Click Here and

create a ParentsWeb login.

The district code is FCS-FL.

Use the same email account you have provided to FCS.

New Student ApplicationsAvailable Online

Click Here for more information and to

begin the application process.

For more information regarding Admissions,Email: admissions@floridachristian.org

or call the Admissions Dept. at305-226-8152 x257

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GALA

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GIFTS TO FCS

Robert & Katie AndrewsMaria AlvarezMark & Ana Maria ArdoisJim & Mary ArnoldArmando & Rosemary BarbaAlbert & Nelsa BasultoAhren & Lauren BeersManny & Terry BersachTony & Christina BlancoPamela BlosserAdrian & Daisy BonillaDerwin & Audrey BrighamChris & Leidy BrigmanMichael & Danielle BrownFernando Menendez & Jennifer BryanRichard & Blanca BurkeSteve & Leigh ByersYovan & Arilis CabreraJohn & Maria CabauyJose & Elizabeth CaleroLuis & Eva CamejoManuel & Michelle CapoElio & Graciela CasañasAlejandro & Judith CejasJames & Monica ClassSteve & Melissa ClassDarren & Nicole CloudMiguel & Barbara CosculluelaMaria CuervoJorge & Tracy CuestaOctavio & Angie De La GranaJorge & Ana Del Valle

Alex & Madeline DiazMarlo & Sandra DieguezJason & Joan DoanEdwin & Gloria DossettElena DossettJames & Natasha ErwinRichard & Sylke EsparragozaEric & Erika EstapeRobert & Sheila FelderAna FernandezElizabeth FernandezRay & Patricia Fernandez-AndesPatricia FrankOtoniel & Diana FrometaChris & Helen GarnerCarlos & Ruth GonzalezEva-Marie GonzalezJoel & Ileana GonzalezRon & Su GreenAndrew & Amanda GuilfoyleGeorge & Mayra GullaMary GustafsonAlberto & Dasha HernandezPaul & Pam HowellChristina IglesiasFrank & Aileen IriasGary & Joyce JohnsonTodd & Alida JollyDavid & Beth KingPete KingmanDoug & Karen KostowskiRobert & Clare LandauMarisa Lauria

Alejandro & Ana LedonGary & Maria LehnhardEdwin & Rosa LobainaDavid & Adriana LopezHector & Lydia LopezJose & Glaisys LugoEdey & Bette LuisMagic City BasketballLinda ManfredLazaro & Maria MartinezJanet MatternJorge & Karla MegiasDomingo & Iris MendezJorge & Ivette MenendezFernando & Monica MesaMiami International MarinaTim & Katie MinerLuis & Marcia MontanerDavid & Kellie MooreBill & Sherril NealeyRaul & Mavelyn NuñezJoseph & Rebecka PadronPalmar ConsultingMichael & Denise PellaAnthony & Gladys PerezJesus & Maby PerezHugues & Lisa PericlesJorge & Martha PernasJorge & Lourdes PernasPerry & Anncy PitelliScott & Rebecca PrinzJoey & Lesli PrunaKeith & Gladys QuinlanMarta Ramirez-Corrales

Francisco RamosMichelle RayJorge & Tania ReynardusManuel & Lourdes RicoEd & Debbie RigganFrank & Mariela RivasEric & Kristina RodriguezLuis & Dinah RodriguezEmanuel & Roxana RoqueJuan & Esther RoqueBoris & Susan RubioFernando RuizNancy SafreedGustavo & Cynthia SanchezEric & Christine SchlottmanTodd & Maria SeekinsTony & Evy SicleSparkling Bins Scott & Jeannine StemmerDavid & Roxy SwindollJeffrey SwindollWaldo & Desiree TejedorAustin & Hunter TindallDanny & Gina TraperoJuan & Daisy ValdesJessica ValdesBernalt & Kimberly VelasquezWilliam VarasDeborah WarnerMary WhitfieldBill & Kerry WicksPenny Wright

Be a part of the next 50 years by giving towards our SMAART 21 Campaign atwww.FCS50Years.com

The following contributed to SMAART 21:

FCS gratefully acknowledges those who have financially contributed this school year to the ongoing work at Florida Christian.

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HONOR ROLL - 2ND GRADING PERIOD

Principal’s List (All A’s)

Kindergarten Five: Emily Abramo, Maria Acosta, Kayden Alberto, Keren Aparicio, Caleb Bernal, Camila Cecchi, Ryan Delgado, Allison Erwin, Ethan Garcia, Arabella Gude, Justin Gustafson, Samantha Herrera, Jake Lago, Emma Lopez, Isabella Lopez, Jeremiah Lopez, Leonardo Lopez, Chloe Marte, Zoe Menendez, Aiden Mestre, Dominic Moriano, Solara Nuñez, George O’Brien, Michael Paz, Antje Perez Kuehnemann, Arian Pire, Levi Quinones, Mia Rodriguez, Camilo Salvador, Emily Strasser, Elias Suriel, Noah Torres, Isabella Uriarte, Ian Mitchell Vega, Hector VillamarFirst Grade: Brianna Aguiar, Elizabeth Aguirre, Aaron Almeida-Hernandez, Laura Anselmetti, Julian Arboleda, Aiden Baez, Sebastian Belinaso, Sophia Broche, Bryan Brown, Jacob Cabrera, Jarrett Caldwell, Jocelin Chiang, Joseph Doan, Izabella Falcon, Sophia Fassett, Jordyn Gackle, Matthew Gonzalez, Sarah Gonzalez, Carmen Hernandez, Zoe Jiani Hernandez, Madison Hospedales, Chloe Hunt, Marion Lewis, Daniel Morales, Christian Paz, Paola Perez, Elijah Pericles,Madison Ramos, Marissa Rodriguez, Evangeline SmithSecond Grade: Thomas Acosta, Katia Bango, Amanda Benedit, Nicholas Bonilla, Abigail Camacho, Victoria Cruz, Dylan Dieguez, Jeremy Erwin, Nathaniel Escoto, Sofia Estrada, Grace Fagundo, Justin Fernandez, Gabriella Flores, Ariana Fluxa, Mia Gonzalez, Robert Harris, Gianna Jivanjee, Kai Lijfrock, Eva Marques-Verdecia, Emma Mestre, Melanie Montano, Ethan Nemer, Chloe Patino, Eddy Pino, Abigail Quinones, Gabriel Reina, Sophia Riggan, Ethan Rodriguez, Irene Rodriguez, Samuel Rodriguez, Graciela Ruiz, Brielle Sanchez, Jake Say, Alyssa Serrano, Sophia VillaverdeThird Grade: Lukas Acosta, Madison Aguila, Isabella Araya, Danella Areas, Rafael Arias, Isabella Ariola, Thomas Ariola, Nelly Baltodano, Cristina Barcelo, John Brigman, Kayla Broche, Jaden Caldwell, Leah De La Grana, Caleb Fagundo, Julio Gonzalez, Gabriel Hernandez, Isabella Kawa, Joy Lagardera, James Logue, Annabella Lugo, Leila Menendez, Valentina Miranda, Roberto Morales, Gianlucca Nuñez Leon, Camila Perez, Jesus Perez, Madison Pijuan, Abraham Quant, Nick Ramirez-Rodriguez, Daniela Riesgo Jardines, Olivia Salvador, Nicholas Santos, Ryan Silva, Camila Trejos, Ryan Valiente, Cynthia Vazquez, Sophia VazquezFourth Grade: Abigail Ardois, Timothy Benitez, Christopher Blanco, Dylan Braswell, Daniela Canosa, Sophia Castillo, Danny De Los Santos, Hailey Dieguez, Camila Echevarria, Savannah Fassett, Austin Fernandez, Joseph Fernandez, Bianca Fluxa, Gabriel Garcia, Charles Gonzalez, Morgan Lewis, Brandon Luis, Allison Mantecon,, Isaac Menendez, Aden Nicholas, Matthew Perez, Ajala Rice-Reynolds, Markus Ruiz, Mary Smith, Lucas Suarez, Leonardo Trejos, Ella ValdiviaFifth Grade: Manuel Barcelo, Sean Benedit, Amelia Blanco, Andres Brito, Malia Chang, Sebastian Estrada, Camila Flores, Rebecca Kemerer, Daniela Mendez, Stephen Nuñez, Jair Obando, Daniel Perez, Jayden Ramos, Brian SanchezSixth Grade: Joshua Aguirre, Samuel Aldana, Christina Almuina, Matthew Capo, Zoe Carbo, Alejandro Cejas, Aiden Cuervo, Emma Dieguez, Taylor Gackle, Mahnoor Hussain, Noel Leon, David Lopez, Emily Momin, Valeria Moriano, Gabriela Netto, Sofia Netto, Angelica Otero, Katherine Padron, Adrianna Pasternac, Annelise Pereira, Cristina Pernas,Norge Pineda, Harper Pruna, Emely Ravelo, Gabriela Ruiz, Carolina Tapanes, Gabriela Tapanes, Alejandro Vega, Samantha ZelenkaSeventh Grade: Zachary Bailey, Juliette Bryant, Jade Chai, Kevin Cruz, Evan Garcia, Daniel Gonzalez, Ariana Gutierrez, Kirsten Hernandez, Melanie Izquierdo, Gabriela Membreno, Maya Ortiz, Sofia Raurell, Lucas Ruiz, Amanda Soriano, Sophia Valdes, Sophia Viera, Manuela VillegasEighth Grade: Aliya Acosta, Valery Casamayor, Sasha Cejas, Angelina Cueto, Sofia de la Torre, Nicole De Leon, Matthew Diaz, Luna Dieguez, Daniel Higuera, Jason Losada, Maximillian Melo, Hannah Mira, Carolina Morales, Josephine Novo, Hailey Pruna, Carmen Rangel, Abigail Rashid, Christopher Rodriguez, Lia Rollheiser, Raphael Ruiz, Briley WellinghoffNinth Grade: Chloe Chang, Julie Cruz, Daniella Diaz, Kate Fernandez, Nicholas Fernandez, Tommy Fernandez, Joseph Fernandez-Andes, Katrina Hernandez, Cristian Lauzurique, Yesenia Lobaina, Rocio Lopez, Sophia Milton, Amy Sanchez Lima, Isabella VillaverdeTenth Grade: Dena Barros, Ana Cordon, Hector Diaz, Eric Estape, Allison Gonzalez, Evelyn Gonzalez, Andrew Lopez,Richard Lovett, Rebecca Menendez, Nicolina Pereira, Carlos Rios, Isabella Rodriguez, Brandon SanchezEleventh Grade: Victoria Borque, Rachel Cabauy, Olivia Carbonero, Audrey Castellanos, Kevin Gonzalez, Cleyton Howell, Gianna Ortiz, Michael Ramos, Megan Rodriguez, Natalie Santovenia, Sergio Tejeda, Christopher Touma, Hannah VivarTwelfth Grade: Emily Acosta, Brooke Alvarez, Megan Armero, Eli Carbo, Gabriel Carreira, Lillian Frometa, Nicole Garcia, Jason Gonzalez, Sophia Irias, Philip Moore, Cristina Palma, Jose Pereira, Emily Ramos, Gabriela Rodriguez, Emily Sotolongo, Karina Tohme

If your child made one of the Honor Rolls, you may pick up a “My Child Made the Honor Roll” bumper stickerin the school office. The bumper stickers are free of charge.

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HONOR ROLL - 2ND GRADING PERIOD

Honor Roll (A&B Honor Roll - At least 3.5 GPA) Kindergarten Five: Alex Ramirez BernabeFirst Grade: Julian Andrulonis, Jake Betances, Harper Cavo, Gala Feito, Isabella Fernandez, Isabella Garcia, Samantha Hernandez, Madison Lago, Jonathan Lobaina, Zoey Mesa, Mia Meynard, Alyssa Moses, Sofia Novo, Asher PatinoSecond Grade: Veronica Borque, Emily Caseres, Valentina Cecchi, Nathalie Chacon, Jordanah Chavez-Blume, Jacob Cuenca, Levi Diaz, Andrea Echevarria, Diego Garcia, Seth Lopez, Charles Osorio, Valentina Restrepo, Gabriel Reyes, Julian Romero, Fernando Suarez-Solis, Lily TorresThird Grade: Isabella Benitez, Ariel Ferreira, Alexander Haza, Nina Nalani Hernandez, Jaylee Jo, Henry Pena, Adrian Perez, Alexander RizoFourth Grade: Evelyn Abramo, Sofia Albelo, Victoria Awan, Anjuli Balart, Jenna Cuadra, Carolina Echevarria, Mia Echevarria, Brianna Gonzalez, Nathan Lopez, Ethan Lorenzo, Natalie Machin, Joseph Minsal, Osmanny Montano, Alejandro Nuñez, Brianna Padin, Joseph Padron, Alexi Ramirez Bernabe, Osvaldo Ricardo, Mauricio Rodriguez, Olivia Serralta, Maykel TrianaFifth Grade: Isabella Aguilera, Kiara Bango, Alyssa Ceballos, Sofia Cecchi, Richard Dabalsa, Carolina Flores, Carlos Gonzalez, Catherine Gonzalez, Kaleb Jolly, Brianna Moreno, Andrew Pena, Ella Pino, Sebastian Prado, Jason RodriguezRichard Rollheiser, Alejandro Ruiz, Samuel Stemmer

Honor Roll (3.7 average - a minimum of four A’s, no grade lower than C)Sixth Grade: Roberto Alvarez, Stetsen Angelo, Samuel Basulto, Isabella Bonilla, Thomas Caskey, Wyatt Claughton, Julian De Leon, Christopher Ferrandiz, Camila Hernandez, Sofia Hernandez, Ariadne Herrera, Aniyah Herring, Jeremy Jaramillo, Lang Lijfrock, Sebastian Llosa, Angelina Manzano, Justin Montoya, Orlando Moreno Aguirre, Samuel Oliva, Alexei Ramirez Bernabe, Joel Reyes, Aiden Richardson, Ricardo Rios, Natalia Stocker, Matthew Valero, Bronko Vaskrsich,Romel VivarSeventh Grade: Edwin Alicea, Julian Alvarez, Ayleen Amador, Austin Bailey, Andres Balart, Joseph Cabaleiro, Alexa Carmenate, Wilkin Caseres, Christopher Diaz, Jonathan Estrada, Martin Gomez, Melanie Gonzalez, Javier Gorostola, Joshua Gutierrez, Abby Hernandez, Johan Hidalgo, Ameerah Kawa, Jessica Leake, Naima Mailliard, Natalya Mesa, Marcus Moses, Abby Nuñez, Ashlyn Nuñez, Samuel Nuñez, Kassandra Osorio, Alexander Pou, Isabelle Prado, Nicolas Restrepo,Matthew Say, Matthew Sicle, Charlie Stemmer, Amanda Tejeda, Sophia Valle, Jack Vignau, Maria ZelenkaEighth Grade: Samuel Alvarez, Aaron Baquero, Rachel Burke, Koda Cleveland, Miranda De La Noval, Andrea Delgado, Erick Delgado, Amanda Diaz, Joie-Lucia Diaz, Giannina Difranco, Lucas Elissalt, Michael English, Kevin Fernandez, Mikaela King, Joel Lago, Olivia Lobaina, Daniel Lopez, Cecilia Marcayda, Nicholas Mate, Kristina Megias, Chloe Montenegro, Rachel Moya, Mike Patino, Stephen Pella, Lucas Perez, Jorge Pernas, Nicolas Riveron, Gabriela Rodriguez, Mariana Rodriguez, Sebastian Rojas, Matthew Rosquete, Adeline Smith, Helena ValdovinosNinth Grade: Jonathan Aguirre, Lauren Alonso, Raziel Aparicio-Gomez, Sofia Araya, Alexa Brown, Victoria Cabaleiro, Daniel Calderon, Nicole Dabalsa, Domenick Espinosa, Daniel Garcia, Carlos Gonzalez, Daniella Harris, Elizabeth Herrera, Bryan Leal, Raymond Lovett, Daniella Marrero, Lauren Mayo, Matthew Megias, Nicole Molina, Alejandro Perez, Nicole Ramirez, Amanda Ramos, Daniel Rodriguez, Emily Rodriguez, Alan Schwieger, Rebeca Serralta, Abigail Smith, Kevin Tavera, Emma Valenti, Yasmin Valiente, Gloria Valverde, Alexa VivarTenth Grade: Rafael Aguilera, David Araya, Matthew Borrego, Richard Burke, Emily Chiang, Christian Davila, Alison Diaz,Brian Diaz, Madison Estape, Gabriel Fajardo, Matthew Fernandez, Juliana Futrell, Daniel Gonzalez, Laura Gonzalez, Orlando Hernandez Bosch, Leonard Lam, Carolina Ledon, Dillon Lue, Vanessa Marcia, Tyler Monzon, David Olivera, Jose Perez de Corcho, Priscilla Pozo, Stephen Prieto, Emily Ruiz, Renee Ruiz, Gianna Sanchez, Rommy Silva, Abigail Soriano, Eric Sosa, John Square, Lucas Villanueva, Victoria Violante Joachin, Kaley Walkland, Katherine YacEleventh Grade: Joshua Bartley, Anthony Baserio, Nicole Criado, Priscilla Del Prado, Sophia Donato, Janelle Forte, Joshua Gonzalez, AJ Herrera, Ethan Isidron, Giuliana Jas, Charisma Jolly, Andres Ledon, Weizheng Liang, Sofia Lopez, Mia Melo, Rebeca Miranda, Bryan Momin, Marco Morales, Hunter Norris, Kenneth Northerner, Justin Nuñez, Jacqueline Padron, Camila Perez, Isabella Pineiro, Julian Rashid, Hannah Reynardus, Samuel Rodriguez, Brittany Scoggins, Roland Travieso, Yuehan ZhaoTwelfth Grade: Amanda Alburquerque, Eric Alvarez, Emily Beltran, Nia Blanco, James Cabauy, Patrick Chen See, Isabella Corrales, Clarissa Eraso, Javier Abraham Fernandez, Kryssa Garcia, Kassandra Gomez, Andrea Gonzalez, Sophia Hidalgo-Lamigueiro, Joshua Jimenez, Timothy King, Stacey Lawrence, Richard Leal, Ian Lijfrock, Julian Millan, Adam Octala, Justin Perez, Mareena Rodriguez, Britney Rubio, Taylor San Miguel, Jessica Torrente, Kevin Vittoria

If your child made one of the Honor Rolls, you may pick up a “My Child Made the Honor Roll” bumper stickerin the school office. The bumper stickers are free of charge.

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THANKSGIVING EXTRAVAGANZA

The Thanksgiving Extravaganza included a fair complete with rides, food, vendors and a delicious tra-ditional Thanksgiving dinner. God blessed us with beautiful weather! This event could not have been the success that it was without the many parent, teacher and student volunteers who helped through-out the day and into the evening. A special thank you to Natascha Pichs and the PTCF Parents for organizing this event!

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THANKSGIVING EXTRAVAGANZA

Congratulations to our 3 Winners from the Thanksgiving Extrava-ganza Drawing:

Fernando Menendez won the Mac Book Pro.

Lourdes Galvan won the iPad Pro.

Julio Silva won the iPad Mini.

Thank you to all who participated and supported FCS!

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OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD

Thank you to all of the students, families, faculty and staff, led by Miss Warner, who worked to make this year’s Operation Christmas Child campaign such a success! FCS donated 1,150 boxes filled with toys, treats, clothes and books for children around

the world. A small shoebox can teach a child about the love of God, lead him or her to faith in Christ, inspire pastors, and plant new churches. What goes into the box is fun, but what comes out is eternal.

Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these, brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.

Matthew 25:40

Mrs. Nemer and her students organize and pack some of the hundreds of boxes that were collected.

Mrs. Padron and her son work to-gether to pack a Christmas box of goodies for a special child.

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YEARBOOK NEWSAileen Irias, Yearbook Adviser

We are excited to announce that our Patriot 2017 yearbook has received awards of distinction by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) and the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA). CSPA awarded Patriot 2017 as a Gold Medal-ist and with All-Columbian Honors in the Verbal and Visual categories. NSPA awarded Patriot 2017 with a rating of First Class with One Mark of Distinction.

The Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA), owned and operated by Colum-bia University, is an international student press association, founded in 1925, whose goal is to unite student journalists and faculty advisers at schools and colleges through educational conferences, idea exchanges, textbooks, critiques and award programs. The National Scholastic Press Association promotes the standards and ethics of good journalism as accepted and practiced by print, broadcast and electronic media in the United States.

Congratulations, Patriots!

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MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL

L to R: Mikaela King, Zoe Campos, Annelise Pereira, Fia Zelenka, Andrea Delgado, Terralyn Brockington, Joie Diaz, Gaby Rivero, Cristina Pernas, Coach Clare Landau, Coach Mary Whitfield

Lady PatriotsCongratulations to the Middle School Girls’ Basketball team who defeated Ransom Everglades 20-19 to win the South Florida Middle School Conference Championship! Joie Diaz and Andrea Delgado were named All-Conference and Andrea was the Tournament MVP! Congratulations, Patriots!

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DRAMA NEWSMrs. Jennifer Bryan

Elementary Matinee March 7, 2018 at 1:00 PM Middle School & High School Matinee March 8, 2018 at 9:00 AM Evening Shows March 8th and 9th at 7:00 PM

Wed. March 7th: Elementary Matinee 1:00pmThurs. March 8th: Middle/High School Matinee 9:00amThurs. March 8th: Evening Performance 7:00pmFriday March 9th: Evening Performance 7:00pm

Artwork created by Sophia Irias, 12th Grade

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BRAIN BOWL - HIGH SCHOOL

Congratulations to the FCS Brain Bowl Teams for their spectacular performances at the Florida As-sociation of Christian Colleges and Schools Brain Bowl Competition held January 25-26 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Both of our high school teams made it into the top 10 finalists out of 30 teams, and on the second day our A team finished in 3rd place. Team B Captain, Rachel Cabauy, was our highest overall scorer. Go Patriots!

High School Brain Bowl A Team: James Cabauy, Sophia Donato, Sebastian Ponce, Charisma Jolly, Daniel Rodriguez

High School Brain Bowl B Team: Katrina Hernandez, David Araya, Rachel Cabauy, Katrina Padron, Ricky Burke, Hannah Reynardus

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BRAIN BOWL - MIDDLE SCHOOL

Congratulations to the Middle School Brain Bowl Teams A and B for their participa-tion in the Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools Brain Bowl Com-petition held January 25-26 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Team A achieved 5th place over all participating schools. Sasha Cejas, Matthew Diaz, Max Melo, and William Swindoll had the highest points for our school so a tie-breaking question was given. Max Melo took home the award. Good job, Patriots!

Back: Kristina Megias, Matthew Sicle, William Swindoll, Max Melo, Matthew Diaz, Mirand De La Noval, Sasha Cejas

Front: Mrs. Pericles, Co-Faculty Advisor

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GEOGRAPHY BEE

Geography Bee Winners AnnouncedDuring the second grading period, all students from fourth to eighth grade participated in the class-level rounds of the National Geography Bee, conducted annually by the National Geographic Society. Every Social Studies class conducted seven rounds, and the student with the most correct answers for each class was invited to compete in the school level completion. The school’s competition was held Thursday, January 18, 2018. The following students represented their class at the school bee: Winners Alternates 4A: Austin Fernandez Abigail Ardois 4B: Ella Valdivia Joseph Fernandez 4C: Osmanny Montano Ethan Lorenzo 5A: Manny Barcelo Jair Obando 5B: Isaac Treto Mia Lopez 5C: Joshua Barba Michael Say 6A: Charlie Cisneros Francisco Aguerrebere 6B: Joshua Aguire Matthew Capo 6C: Aiden Cuervo Harper Pruna 6D: Alexei Ramirez Bernabe Ricardo Rios 7A: Nicolas Restrepo Jessica Leake 7B: Javier Gorostola Edwin Alicea 7C: Martin Gomez Lucas Ruiz 7D Ana Rosas Julian Alvarez 8A Cecilia Marcayda Amari Singleton 8B Matthew Diaz Carolina Morales and Rafael Ruiz 8C Max Melo Stephen Pella 8D Paige Fernandez Aaron Baquero

School Winner: Aiden Cuervo(6C) Aiden is last year’s de-fending Champ. He will take a written test in an effort to quali-fy for the state competition.

2nd Place: Max Melo (8B) 3rd Place: Nicolas Restrepo (7A)

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ART COMPETITION

Florida Christian School Art Department participated in the annual Beaux Arts Student Artist Showcase held at the University of Miami on Jan.13-14, 2018. FCS was very well represented and our Patriots won several awards. What a special night for FCS’ art students! See below for all of our winners and stop by the Main Campus Office to see their beautiful pieces on display.

Catherine Ponce with her work, “In My Dreams, Arjan Van Hesteren” - Best In Show

Congratulations to FCS 11th Grader Catherine Ponce who won the “Lin-da Pallot” Best In Show Award.

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ART COMPETITION (continued)

Lily Frometa, 12th grade, with her work,”Swimming in the Bubble of the American Dream” which won 1st Place in the Mixed Media category at the Beaux Arts Student Artist Showcase.

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ART COMPETITION (continued)

Britney Rubio, 12th grade, with her work,”Synesthesia 9” which won 1st Place in the Graphics category. Her drawing of her brother Brian was on display at the Beaux Arts Student Artist Showcase.

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ART COMPETITION (continued)

12th grader Sophia Irias was awarded Honorable Mention at the Beaux Arts Student Artist Showcase. Sophia explains: My purpose for my concentration is to convey the value of every single child ever conceived that has been forgotten. The reason my babies are drawn with closed eyes is to portray how the world has the ability to forget their innocence and vulnerability. Whether they were abandoned at a clinic or in the streets of a country, these children deserve to be remembered and loved. The Vietnamese infant is drawn with open eyes to portray the need for all the world to wake up and realize the worth and importance of every child, whether out of the womb or not. We are their voice. It is vital to keep their memory alive and never forget each and every one of them.

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Close-Up Trip

FCS Patriots and FCS History teachers, Mrs. Sandra Dieguez and Mr. Daniel Carp, participated in the “Close Up” trip to Washington, D.C. in January. Close Up’s High School Program is designed to give students an inside look at their democracy in action. Using the nation’s capital as a living classroom, participants get a “close up” view of government - interacting with the people, processes, and places that make this federal city so unique.

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Close-Up Trip (continued)

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FROM THE GUIDANCE & COUNSELING DEPARTMENTJanet Mattern, M.S., M.F.T.I. - Director of Guidance Counseling

“Do The Right Thing”Florida Christian School, through the Guidance and Counseling Department, has proudly partnered with Do The Right Thing, a program sponsored by the City of Miami Police Department under the direction of Executive Director, Jodi Portante Atkins, a graduate of Florida Christian School. Each month, over 700 children from Miami-Dade County are nominated by their teachers, counselors, parents, police officers,

and the general public in order to recognize and reward students for their exemplary behavior, accomplishments, good deeds and attitude. These are students who make a difference in their schools and communities.Florida Christian School is pleased to participate in the Do The Right Thing Program, and we are very proud to feature our middle school students in this program.

NOVEMBER 2017 NOMINEES

L to R: Carolina Tapanes, Kevin Fernandez

Kevin Fernandez is an 8th grader, enjoying his second year at FCS, although it seems Kevin has been here all of his life. His teachers say that he is kind and courteous to his teacher and to his peers. His first love is baseball, and in the summer plans to use his talents to minister to young people who may be less fortunate in the Dominican Republic. Kevin also plans to go to Cuba in May with his grandmother to bring clothes and food to those in need. Through his Bible class at FCS, he is work-ing with a group of his peers on a project that will serve others in the community. His long term goals are to be a baseball player. Kevin is surely worthy of being nominated for Do the Right Thing.

Carolina Tapanes is a 6th grader at FCS has attended FCS since Pre-K4. She is an enthusiastic learner and loves school. Carolina is excelling in all her honors classes while balancing being in the FCS choir, and taking ballet classes. Even though Carolina spends many hours in rehearsal, she does not let that interfere with her keeping up with her school work. She volunteers at her church by donating items for holiday baskets for the underprivileged. Some of Carolina’s long term goals are to become a veterinar-ian and to help people in her community. Carolina is wor-thy of being nominated for Do the Right Thing.

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FROM THE GUIDANCE & COUNSELING DEPARTMENTJanet Mattern, M.S., M.F.T.I. - Director of Guidance Counseling

“Do The Right Thing”

DECEMBER 2017 NOMINEESEmma Dieguez is a 6th grader who consistently cooperates with her teachers and other students. Emma is always help-ing her teachers with a variety of tasks in the classroom. She is a student who can be counted upon to help her classmates. Emma is an FCS cheerleader and she exhibits great school spirit. Emma is also a part of the FCS Middle School Choir. She is the worship leader in the kids’ ministry at her church. Emma also enjoys leading the worship and teaching the little ones about Christ. Emma has helped out in many ways in the com-munity. She has packed many meals for the organization called “Feed My Starving Children”. Emma also participated in pack-ing and the distribution of many food baskets to underprivileged people in Homestead during the Thanksgiving Holiday. Emma has such a big heart for those in need; she selflessly donated her hair to “Locks of Love”, an organization that makes wigs for children who are battling cancer. Emma is a worthy nominee for Do The Right Thing.

Read about David Lopez and Ricardo Rios on the next page!

December Nominees: David Lopez, Emma Dieguez, Ricardo Rios

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FROM THE GUIDANCE & COUNSELING DEPARTMENTJanet Mattern, M.S., M.F.T.I. - Director of Guidance Counseling

“Do The Right Thing”

DECEMBER 2017 NOMINEES (continued)

David Lopez: David is a 6th grader at Florida Christian School. David seeks additional information independently about classroom topics and loves to read in his free time. He always excels in his studies and and keeps a positive attitude, especially on the field while playing soccer. David is always encouraging his teammates on and off the soccer field. He loves to help out his father, a pastor from Corner-stone Church, during youth group. Since David portrays a loving and kind spirit, he is in charge of greeting the new teens at his youth group. David also has long term goals that he would like to accomplish. He wants to study and pursue a career in law so he can bring joy and peace to the world. David is a worthy nominee for Do The Right Thing!

Ricardo Rios: Ricardo has been at Florida Christian School since 3 year old kindergarten. His teachers have nominated him for Do the Right Thing for his academic excellence and his compassion for his peers. He is a very enthusias-tic learner and enjoys school. Ricardo loves sports and is on the FCS football team. One of his goals as a student at FCS, is to remain in honors classes. Ricardo has his sights focused on becoming a teacher as he looks down the road towards college. Along with his family, he has volunteered his time with the organization Feed My Starving Children.Ricardo shared an experience he had on the way to school one morning. He was in the car with his mom and his broth-er, when they saw a elderly lady fall down on the sidewalk. They stopped to assist her. She was bleeding on one of her knees and from a cut on one of her eyebrows because of her broken glasses. They offered to take her to the hospi-tal, but she chose to use their phone to call her son. They waited with her until her son arrived. Ricardo is surely a very worthy nominee for Do The Right Thing!

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ELEMENTARY NEWS

Elementary ART with Mrs. Sarah GruhnMrs. Gruhn’s classes used old gift cards as painting tools to create beautiful works of art!

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ELEMENTARY NEWSSherril Nealey, Elementary Principal

The annual Preschool / Kindergarten Christmas program was presented on December 21st. The teachers, music directors and the children worked hard to prepare for this program and even Frosty made his annual appearance. Everyone enjoyed this special performance honoring Jesus’ birth.

3K Students

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ELEMENTARY NEWSSherril Nealey, Elementary Principal

Preschool / Kindergarten Christmas Program - 4K Students

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ELEMENTARY NEWSSherril Nealey, Elementary Principal

Preschool / Kindergarten Christmas Program - 5K Students

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ELEMENTARY NEWSSherril Nealey, Elementary Principal

Preschool / Kindergarten Christmas Program - 5K Students

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ELEMENTARY NEWSSherril Nealey, Elementary Principal

100th Day of School

Mrs. Trapero’s Class

Mrs. Garner’s Class

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ELEMENTARY NEWSSherril Nealey, Elementary Principal

Mrs. Lopez’s 3K class dressed as 100-year-old people on the 100th day of school and visited Dr. Andrews in the main campus office.

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SNAPSHOTS OF FCS

Who is Rowing? FCS Art students get creative at the EPCOT Festival of the Arts while crossing the Delaware River with George Washington.

Baby Patriot has Arrived! Congratulations to the Brown family on the birth of their precious baby, Zachary Michael.He was born January 18, 2018 and weighed 7lbs. 9oz.

Mom Danielle was teaching Marine Science and Environmental Science. We are blessed to have Mrs. Debbie Riggan teaching these classes now.

God bless the Brown family!

Attitude of Gratitude Congratulations to Rafael, Olivia and Valentina for demonstrating the character trait of thankfulness!

Gra Students Mrs. Quinlan’s 7th graders with the “Wanted” posters they created based on the book “Chasing LIncoln’s Killer” by James L. Swanson

Class BondingTito Hernandez, FCS Chaplain, leads our juniors during the Junior Class Retreat.

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SNAPSHOTS OF FCS

Patriot Pride

Varsity football player, Senior Sebastian Alvarez, is focused during the game.

Effective Instruction

FCS Varsity Basketball players listen intently to Coach Jason Doan as he gives pointers to the team during a game.

Reading is Fun!Second graders in character costumes for the Book Character Parade.

Spreading Christ’s LoveMrs. Nemer’s 2nd grade students pack boxes for Operation Christmas Child.

Soccer SeniorCoach Pericles and senior Eli Carbo on the soccer field

Florida Christian School

DeclarationDeclarationTheThewww.floridachristian.org

“AN EDUCATION TO BELIEVE IN”Since 1968

K3-12th Grade Biblical Worldview Training College Prep Curriculum AP and Honors Programs AP Capstone Music and Fine Arts Full Athletic Program FCSmart Technology Initiative

Re-Enrollment for Existing Students for Fall 2018 is now taking place. Re-enroll online today! www.floridachristian.org

NEW Student Applications Now Being Accepted at www.floridachristian.org For Information, e-mail: Admissions@floridachristian.org Testing for New Students March 3, 2018 at 9:00am

SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIONDr. Robert Andrews, HeadmasterJim Arnold, Senior High School PrincipalDavid King, Assistant High School PrincipalKerry Wicks, Middle School PrincipalSherril Nealey, Elementary Principal

BOARD OF DIRECTORSJoseph Padron - PresidentBob Felder - Vice PresidentFrank Ramos - SecretaryRay Fernandez-Andes - TreasurerManny BersachFrank RivasLuis RodriguezDavid SwindollBill Wicks

CORPORATE BOARDManuel Bersach Frank RivasErnie Diaz Ronell RiveraHerb Evelyn Luis RodriguezBob Felder Emanuel RoqueRamon Fernandez-Andes Eric SchlottmanGary Johnson David SwindollJoseph Padron Bill WicksFrank Ramos