Christopher Columbus High School (Miami)
| Christopher Columbus High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
3000 SW Galloway Road (87th Avenue) , , 33165-3293 | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, Catholic, college preparatory |
| Motto | ¡Adelante!/Forward! |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic, Marist Brothers |
| Patron saint(s) | St. Marcellin Champagnat |
| Established | 1958 |
| Status | Open |
| President | Tom Kruczek |
| Principal | David Pugh |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Gender | All-Boys |
| Enrollment | ≈ 2,000+ |
| Language | English, French, Spanish |
| Hours in school day | 8 |
| Campus size | 24 acre |
| Campus type | Urban |
| Color(s) | Navy Blue, White, & Red |
| Athletics conference | Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) 8A |
| Mascot | Explorer |
| Nickname | Explorers |
| Team name | Columbus Explorers |
| Accreditation | Southern Association of Colleges and Schools |
| Publication | CCNN Live |
| Newspaper | The Log |
| Yearbook | Adelante |
| School fees | $856 (enrollment fee) |
| Tuition | $16,300 (2024-25) |
| Sister school | Our Lady of Lourdes Academy |
| Alias | CCHS or Columbus |
| Website | www.columbushs.com |
Christopher Columbus High School is a private Catholic college-preparatory high school conducted by the Marist Brothers in the Westchester area of Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was established in 1958 and transferred to the Marist Brothers in 1959. It has over 100 teachers, administrators, faculty, staff, and an enrollment of 1,700 students. It was selected, for the fourth time in a row, as one of the top 50 Catholic high schools in the United States by the Catholic High School Honor Roll in 2008.
History
In 1958, Christopher Columbus High School was built in an area that was then surrounded by Everglades swampland. The school was established by the Diocese of Miami at the request of the Archbishop of Miami Coleman F. Carroll to continue the secondary education program at St. Theresa Catholic School in Coral Gables.
The school opened with two and a half buildings and an enrollment of approximately 150 students. The Marist Brothers assumed the direction of the school in 1959. Presently the Columbus campus extends over 24 acres. In addition to the four major academic buildings, there is the Abraham Science Building, the Lawrence-Bell Media Center, the Howard Korth Music and Athletic Center, and the Mas Technology Complex. Athletic facilities include varsity athletic fields, a baseball complex, outdoor basketball courts, tennis courts, a gymnasium, track, and weight room.
In May 2018, Columbus High School made national headlines after controversy centered around the display of a live caged tiger during the school's "jungle-themed" prom. Videos and images captured the tiger pacing in a metal enclosure. The school's principal David Pugh expressed regret for the school administration decision to allow the use of animal entertainment, stating that it did not reflect the school's Catholic values.
Today, Columbus has an enrollment of approximately 1,700 students and over 15,000 alumni.
Columbus' rival school is the only other all-male, Roman Catholic school in Miami-Dade County, Belen Jesuit Preparatory School. The two schools' rivalry is often limited to athletics (though Columbus competes on the more competitive level across all sports), the rivalry often extends beyond sports and into local politics and culture.
Academics
In order to graduate, students require twenty-four credits and a grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0. They must also complete one hundred hours of community service by the end of their senior year. The academics at Columbus are based on a phasing system: Phase 2 classes are for the academically challenged who require more time to absorb a given subject, Phase 3 classes are for average students, Phase 4 refers to honors classes for the academically gifted, and Phase 5 refers to Advanced Placement (AP) classes, which have a college-level format and where academically motivated students have the opportunity to gain college credit should they earn the proper score on the AP exam. Depending on a given phase of a class, a student will earn a certain number of points, which are then weighted and averaged to generate a student's GPA, the average GPA being a 3.2.
Columbus has more students taking AP classes than any other Catholic school in Miami-Dade County and their passing averages on AP exams are five times higher than the state and national averages.
Curriculum design
Dual-enrollment classes are offered through St Thomas University, Barry University and Florida International University.
Students and faculty
The students are 84% Hispanic, 13% White, 2% African-American, and 1% combination of Asian/Pacific, Pacific Islander and Native American/Alaskan. The student-teacher ratio at Christopher Columbus High School is about 15:1. The professional staff includes 17 Marist Brothers, 100 laypersons; 2 librarians/media specialists and 9 counselors/advisors; 45% hold an advanced degree; 60% have over 20 years of teaching experience, and half have been with the school well over 15 years. Many Marist Brothers hold positions at Columbus including president, guidance counselors, career and college advisors, and teachers.
Clubs and social life
Although the school is an all-boy institution, the social formation of the students includes girls from neighboring co-ed St. Brendan High School in after-school clubs. Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, the Catholic all-girls sister school to Columbus, handles the cheerleading for the Columbus sports teams. Christopher Columbus High School also plays host to both Homecoming and Prom events each year for their students and their dates.
Columbus is home to one of the best broadcast journalism programs in the country (CCNN Live). They are four time Student Television Network National Crazy 8 champions. (2015,2016,2019,2023) They have also been recognized by the National Scholastic Press Association, Florida Scholastic Press Association, and National Federation of High School (NFHS). They have won 85 Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Student Production Awards (Emmys) and 15 National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences National Awards.
Athletics
A member of the Florida High School Activities Association and the Greater Miami Athletic Conference, Columbus is the only private school in the state of Florida to compete at the 8A level.
At Columbus, students also compete in non GMAC clubs such as: Roller Hockey, Fishing, Scuba Diving, and Personal Fitness. Varsity level sports offered are: baseball, basketball, football, volleyball, hockey, soccer, bowling, cross country, golf, lacrosse, swimming, diving, tennis, track and field, water polo and wrestling.
Junior varsity level sports include: baseball, basketball, football, volleyball, hockey, soccer, wrestling and lacrosse. Freshman level sports offered are: baseball, basketball, football and volleyball.
In 2009, Christopher Columbus High School won the Dodge Sunshine Cup All-Sports Award for boys' athletics programs in Class 6A.
State championships
- Baseball: 2003, 2015
- Football: 2019, 2022,2023
- Boys cross country: 1997, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2020
- Boys tennis: 1987
- Boys track and field: 2018, 2019, 2024
- Boys soccer: 2014
- Boys basketball: 2022, 2023, 2024
Additionally, Columbus won the Miami Herald's All-Dade Boys' Major Sports Award in 2008 and 2009.
Current head football coach Dave Dunn (American football) has led the team to two straight championships and former head football coach Chris Merritt (American football) was part of Team USA's coaching staff for the International Federation of American Football Junior World Championship in 2009. One player from Columbus competed on the team, which won the tournament.
Christopher Columbus' baseball program was ranked the number one baseball team in America during the 2009-2010 year. Currently, Columbus competes at the 8A division.
Notable alumni
Law/public service
- Richard Blanco - '85, U.S. inaugural poet
- Raoul G. Cantero, III - '78, Justice of Florida Supreme Court
- Carlos A. Gimenez - '72, U.S. Representative for Florida's 26th congressional district, Miami-Dade County Mayor, District 7 Commissioner, city manager and Fire Chief of Miami
- Javier Fernandez - '94, State Representative for District 114 in the Florida House of Representatives, lawyer and public servant
- Pedro José Greer - Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
- Victor E. Renuart, Jr. - '67, Air Force general, commander of United States Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command
- John D. Couriel - '93, Justice of Florida Supreme Court
Journalism/entertainment
- Patrick Farrell - '77, photojournalist and Pulitzer Prize winner
- Enrique Murciano - '91, actor, CBS drama Without a Trace and films Traffic, Speed 2: Cruise Control, The Lost City, Black Hawk Down
- John M. Higgins - '79, journalist, business editor of Broadcasting & Cable
- Carlos Maza - '06, journalist, formerly of Vox Media
- Brian Regan - '76, American stand-up comedian
- James F. O'Brien - '88, Oscar for Scientific and Technical Achievement
Business people
- Marcus Lemonis - '91, entrepreneur, television personality and CEO of Camping World
- Jorge Mas - '81, Chairman of MasTec
- Carlos A. Rodriguez - '82, CEO of Automatic Data Processing & Board member of Automatic Data Processing and Hubell Inc.
Athletes
- Eddy Alvarez - '08, 2014 Sochi Olympics Team USA member, short track speed skating; first Cuban-American male speedskater to go to Winter Olympics for USA
- Augie Diaz - '72, world-class sailor
Baseball
- Alex Rodriguez, Former MLB infielder (Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees)
- Orestes Destrade - '80, player for Florida Marlins, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates and ESPN analyst on Baseball Tonight
- Pedro Grifol - coach for Kansas City Royals
- Jon Jay - '03, player for Chicago White Sox
- Ed Lynch - '73, pitcher for New York Mets and general manager for Chicago Cubs
- Paul Mainieri -'75, collegiate baseball and Baseball America's National Coach of the Year, led LSU to 2009 National Championship
- Izzy Molina - '90, player for Oakland A's and Baltimore Orioles
- Rob Murphy - '78, pitcher for Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Florida Marlins; pitched collegiately for University of Florida
- Andrew Suarez - '11, pitcher for the San Francisco Giants and for the Miami Hurricanes, selected in 2011 MLB Draft
- Bryan Garcia - '13 - pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, and for the Miami Hurricanes, selected in the 2016 MLB draft
Football
- Mario Cristobal - '88, University of Miami 2x National Champion ('89, '91), current University of Miami head coach
- Joaquin Gonzalez - '97, offensive tackle for the Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, and the University of Miami
- Brian Griese - '93, quarterback for Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears, 1997 National Champion, University of Michigan
- Xzavier Henderson - '20, Cincinnati Bearcats wide receiver
- Alonzo Highsmith - '83, running back for the University of Miami, Houston Oilers, Dallas Cowboys, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers; professional boxer; currently personnel executive for the Seattle Seahawks
- Carlos Huerta - '87, placekicker for Chicago Bears and the St. Louis Rams
- Patrick Lee - '03, cornerback for Auburn University and the Green Bay Packers. 2011 Super Bowl champion
- Henry Parrish Jr. - '20, Ole Miss Rebels running back
- Mike Shula - '83, University of Alabama football coach, current quarterbacks coach for NFL Denver Broncos
- Mike Whittington - '76, University of Notre Dame, New York Giants and Memphis Showboats linebacker
- C. J. Henderson - '17, cornerback for Carolina Panthers
- Josh Uche - '16, linebacker for New England Patriots
- Deon Bush - '12, safety for Kansas City Chiefs
- Tyler Harrell - '18, wide receiver for the Alabama Crimson Tide
- Bobo Wilson - '13, former NFL player
References
- ^ "Tuition & Fees". Columbushs.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ "2010 Block Census Map Westchester, Florida" (). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on April 30, 2014.
- ^ Molina, Brett Molina and Brett. "Caged tiger at Florida high school prom causes uproar". USA TODAY.
- ^ "Columbus continues dominance of Belen with 13th win in a row". miamiherald. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
- ^ "Miami federal judge unimpressed by Belen-Columbus political rivalry | Naked Politics". Retrieved 2018-06-19.
- ^ "Belen-Columbus high school football game tailgates draw Miami-Dade's Cuban-American power brokers". miamiherald. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
- ^ "St. Thomas Aquinas, Bolles sweep Dodge Sunshine Cup all-sports awards" (Press release). FHSAA. June 24, 2009. Archived from the original on March 9, 2010. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
- ^ "BASEBALL 2019-20 CHAMPIONSHIP RECORDS" (PDF). FHSAA. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ "FOOTBALL 2020-21 CHAMPIONSHIP RECORDS" (PDF). FHSAA. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ "Class 4M Football Bracket". fhsaa.com. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
- ^ "FOOTBALL 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP RECORDS". FHSAA. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
- ^ "BOYS CROSS COUNTRY 2020-21 CHAMPIONSHIP RECORDS" (PDF). FHSAA. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ "BOYS TENNIS 2020-21 CHAMPIONSHIP RECORDS" (PDF). FHSAA. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ "BOYS TRACK & FIELD 2019-20 CHAMPIONSHIP RECORDS" (PDF). FHSAA. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ "BOYS SOCCER 2020-21 CHAMPIONSHIP RECORDS" (PDF). FHSAA. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ "Miami Herald Honors Br. Kevin" (PDF). Family Newsletter. Christopher Columbus High School. June 2008. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 8, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
- ^ Fernandez, Andre C. (May 29, 2009). "2008-09 All-Dade Awards winners list". Miami Herald. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
- ^ "United States: Coaches". Jr. World Championship of American Football. USA Football. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
- ^ "United States: Roster". Jr. World Championship of American Football. USA Football. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
- ^ Beaven, Michael (July 14, 2009). "Team USA Crowned Inaugural IFAF Junior World Champion". Jr. World Championship of American Football. USA Football. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
- ^ "High School Top 25: March 16; Miami's Columbus High takes over at No. 1". Baseball America. March 16, 2010.
- ^ "'One Today': Richard Blanco's Inaugural Poem". ABC News. 2013-01-22. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
- ^ "Justice Raoul G. Cantero III visits Columbus - The Log". The Log. 2016-04-15. Retrieved 2018-06-22.
- ^ "The Pulitzer Prizes | Citation". www.pulitzer.org. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
- ^ "21 Scientific And Technical Achievements To Be Honored With Academy Awards®". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. January 13, 2015.
- ^ "US Speed Skating". Archived from the original on 2014-01-06. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
- ^ "Augie Diaz Sailing". teamusa.org. Archived from the original on January 1, 2016. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
- ^ "Royals make coaching changes". MLB.com.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-01-06. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Could Miami Hurricanes get back LHP Andy Suarez? Doubt it. But he still hasn't signed with Nationals. - Eye on the U". typepad.com. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
- ^ Sammon, Will (5 January 2020). "What makes Xzavier Henderson an ideal addition to Florida's recruiting class". The Athletic. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
- ^ Liggett, Dylan (18 September 2024). "Henry Parrish Jr. excels on offense". The Daily Mississippian.
- ^ "Mike Whittington Past Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on 2011-11-23. Retrieved 2010-03-11.
- ^ "Bobo Wilson Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
External links
Media related to Christopher Columbus High School at Wikimedia Commons
