Falconidae

John A. Ferguson Senior High, Miami, FL Mr. Rafael A. Villalobos, Principal

Volume 20 December-January 2016 No Goal’s Too High Where Falcons Fly!

Key Club

Nick Mesa

Our Student Government Association (SGA), under the direction of

Ms. Tanya Rae-Schulze, played Santa’s helpers for the day on Decem-

ber 15th,by bringing hundreds of toys to Caribbean K-8 Center. The

toys were collected from Ferguson’s clubs

and individual students in a toy drive during

the months of November and December.

Many clubs “adopted” a class and bought and

wrapped gifts appropriate for that age and

grade level. Every Caribbean student partici-

pating in the program was able to get a gift and even took a picture

with Santa! “It was great to see all of the kids get a gift. They were

overjoyed and very grateful as it was the only gift some of them

would receive for the holidays,” explained SGA member Samuel Tate.

Congressional Honors

SGA Service

Chorus by Candlelight

On December 17th-18th, Ferguson’s chorus

performed at Walt Disney World’s famous Can-

dlelight Ceremony at Epcot. Our chorus, under

the direction of Mr. Ryan Ellis, was selected

from hundreds of international singing groups

after submitting a video to the event’s organiz-

ers. The requirements were very challenging,

with participants having to learn and memorize

15 songs before the first rehearsal. During the

weekend’s festivities, the performers were also

treated to words of inspiration and encourage-

ment from Chandra Wilson, who plays Miranda

Bailey on the television show, Grey’s Anatomy.

Chorus member Vanessa Garcia commented, “It

was a phenomenal experience because you just

feed off of everyone’s energy, and you meet

people from all over with the same passion as

you.”

Three Ferguson students, Mariana Paredes, Pedro Cas-

tillo, and Daniela Villasmil, received the Congressional

Recognition Award for Community Service from Congress-

man Carlos Curbelo. The award is given to students who

show a commitment to their studies and to community

service. The award ceremony was held at the West Dade

Regional Library. Mariana, who is president of Pass It On, a

community service club at our school, was nominated by

her club sponsor, Ms. Leslie Trelles, who also attended the

ceremony. “I felt overjoyed at being recognized by Con-

gressman Curbelo. It was heartwarming to know that my

efforts helping those less fortunate have not gone unno-

ticed,” Mariana said.

Falconidae, Page 2

Volume 20

December-January 2016

Kids Everywhere!

FBN Gets the 411 on PPZ Tutoring Our Future Falcons

Ferguson Broadcast News (FBN), under the direction of Ms.

Nancy Ozon, was invited to attend an advanced screening of the

new movie, Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies, by the film’s promot-

ers. Two FBN reporters, Jessica Koernig and Angela Chapman,

also had the opportunity to interview the cast, including Lily

James, Matt Smith, and Douglas Booth, on January 19th, at the

Ritz Carlton. Jessica, a three-year veteran of FBN, asked the cast

members what it was like to involve zombies in a classic novel

and still preserve the novel’s famous storyline, to which James

responded, “It gave the freedom to be bold and adventurous.”

When asked what it was like to meet Dr. Who (Matt Smith) and

Cinderella (Lily James) in person, Jessica answered, “It was an ab-

solute honor to be able to interview the actors of such a good

movie. I am grateful to be a part of FBN because it provides me

with the same opportunities that a professional journalist would

have.”

Three times a week, Ferguson’s National Honor Society members assist with Manuel Barreiro Elementary School’s after school program by tutoring second graders to fifth graders who need homework help or other academic as-sistance. The NHS members, sponsored by Ms. Sandra Rainelli, attend the after school care program on a ro-tating schedule, with eight members present at all times. The elementary school and the program’s students have been welcoming and appreciative of the extra help. “I’m very proud of this program we started since it is some-thing completely new to the National Honor Society,” ex-plained Stephanie Gonzalez, NHS president.

Ferguson has had some additions to the Falcon family, but not of the human variety. Our FFA’s goat population is growing, and beginning with the first birth on January 7th, five kids have been born this month right here onsite! Ellie, a goat tended by Kristy Larzabal, began the baby boom when she gave birth to a doe, Athena, and a buck, Hercu-les. Abby, a goat owned by Ferguson alumnus Lorena Bar-ros, was next to become a mother, giving birth to a buck named Alakay. The last new mom was Aphrodite, tended by Pamela Galera, who gave birth to a doe, April, and a buck, Apollo. The kids are bottle-fed by Ferguson students, who must feed them every three to four hours, so these dedicated caretakers must take the kids home with them every afternoon and then back to school the following day. “It is a big responsibility, but I love it,” commented Jennifer Mena, who cares for Alakay as his “foster mom.” She adds, “Not everyone can say that they owned a goat in their high school years.”

Autism Awareness and Research

Artistic Teamwork

Falconidae, Page 3

Volume 20

December-January 2016

Salsa Sensations

On January 30th, our Ferguson Winter Guard, under the direction

of Mr. Lowell Thomas, performed in their first competition of the

year at South Dade Senior High School. Out of 37 schools, they

placed 5th overall!

Just one more thing….

The Ferguson Salseros, our very own salsa dance group, performed on January 15th at the School Reform Initiative (SRI) Winter Meeting. The meeting was held at the Deau-ville Beach Resort on Miami Beach for participants from all across the nation. The dancers helped showcase the diversi-ty of Miami and even engaged the participants to try salsa for themselves! “It was a wonderful experience for the stu-dents and educators alike. Most of the teachers in attend-ance were not familiar with salsa dancing since they were from other parts of the country,” commented Ms. Heidy Gonzalez, Ferguson Salseros sponsor.

On Friday, January 29th, the Fusion Dance Troupe and Ferguson Film students traveled to Pinecrest Gardens for an exciting collaborative project. Mr. Juan Moreno’s students filmed Ms. Shana Wexler’s Fusion Dance seniors for their retrospective films. The completed mov-ies will be shown during the Spring Dance Con-cert in April prior to each dancer’s final solo performance. “The students worked diligently to create something memorable for everyone involved. The day was a great success!” ex-plained Mr. Moreno.

Ferguson held its first Falcon Walk for Autism on Friday, January 29th, on our track, from 8:00 to 9:00 A.M. The purpose of the event was to raise awareness about autism and much needed research, as well as to help autistic students interact and socialize with others outside the classroom in a social event. Students were able to participate in the walk after purchasing Autism Awareness socks commemorating the event. We had over 300 students pur-chase the socks and about 200 students participated in our school walk! “Thank you to our Ferguson faculty and students for supporting such a great cause and making it a fantastic event. We truly ap-preciate it and look forward to an even bigger and better event in the future!” said Ms. Ivette Amador, one of the event’s organizers. Additionally, Best Buddies, also sponsored by Ms. Amador, participated in the Dan Marino Walk About Autism on January 23rd. In total, our school has raised $604 for the Dan Marino Walk About Au-tism and over $1,000 for Autism Speaks so far!

John A. Ferguson Sr. High

All Miami-Dade Student Athletes

Cross Country

1st team: Leo Rodriguez, Guillermo Rojas, and Jazmyn Martinez

3rd team: Javier Arriago, Adrian Crespi, and Kaylee Alfrao

Honorable Mention: David Suarez, Justin Melo, Melissa Melchor, Taylor Tejera, Kayla Hogan, and Samatha Ebanks

Bowling

1st team: Angela Chapman and Vanessa Perez

2nd Team: Jorge Herrera and Gabriela Sanchez

Honorable Mention: Miguel Herrera, Josue Mena, Manuel Gutierrez, Christopher Hernandez, Melissa Perez, and Valerie Chapman

Girls Volleyball

1st Team: Gabriela Beverly, Melanie Cuervo, and Michelle Cuervo

2nd Team: Natalie Hoyos 3rd Team: Alexandra Gonzalez Honorable Mention: Kasandra Lopez and Chelsey Luciano

Swimming

Honorable Mention: Marcelo Lauzurique, Manuel Picon, Joaquin Uz, Joseph Cardozo, and Eugenio Lauzurique

Falconidae, Page 4

Volume 20

December-January 2016

Gabriela Beverly (left)

and Leo Rodriguez

(below)

Vanessa Perez (left) and

Jazmyn Martinez (above)