Firebird NewsletterOCTOBER 2019

What’s Newat Doral Academy?

CALENDAROctober 5SAT Testing at Doral Academy

October 9Teacher Planning DayNo school

October 10Boys JV Basketball InformativeMeeting3:45pm in GYB2

October 16PSAT Testing

October 18FBTV 8th Annual Fright Night

October 23Unite Against BullyingStudents wear orange!

October 25End of 1st Grading Period

October 28Beginning of 2nd GradingPeriod

CHICK-FIL-A FRIDAYS

GOING GREEN

Doral Academy is nowbringing Chick-fil-A to students every Friday.

Chicken sandwiches will be sold at the concession

stand for just $4!

Doral Academy’s first day of paper-based,

biodegredable lunch trays! The Doral Green Club did

an incredible job of making the first move to a greener

future.

Doral Academy is going green!

Thanks to the huge efforts made by our very own Green Club, Doral has made the shift from styrofoam trays to biodegradable plates: an important transition that will greatly help out our planet. Treasurer Victor Ramirez describes his further goals for the Club: “Some of the things I want to accomplish this year are starting schoolwide fundraisers that would be very beneficial for us as a club and for the environment as well.”Recently, Green Club members also participated in the Global Climate Strike. The Global Climate Strike is the third in a worldwide series of climate rallies organized

by school students, and led by Greta Thunberg, inspiring 16-year-old Swede who sailed alone across the Atlantic Ocean in a zero-emission

sailboat. On Friday, September 20, dozens of our members, as well as thousands of other South Florida students, joined together to protest climate issues and demand action in front of Miami Beach City Hall. Member Catherina Macias says, “Climate change is real and is happening right now. Being at the

protest empowered me and made me feel like we really made our voices heard. We can change the world and save our future.”

Firebirds show off their spiriton Homecoming Week

Homecoming Week started on September 23, where

Doral Academy students showed off their school

spirit. Students enjoyed dress-up days with specific

themes: “Homesick Destination”, “Make Yourself at

Home”, “With the Homies”, and “Far from Home”.

On Thursday, September 26 was Spirit Day , which is

hands-down one of the most eventful and exciting

days in the school year. Students went all out and

wore tutus, face paint and their assigned color for

the action-packed Pep Rally. Colorguard, Band,

Cheerleaders and Dancers showcased their hard

work and dedication as the whole school cheered

them on.

Homecoming Court Winners

Homecoming King and Queen: Marco Curbelo And Sophia Bolivar

Senior Prince and Princess: Cesar Sanchez and Clarissa Bullos, David Botero and Natalie Avandano

Junior Prince and Princess: Aiden Ford and Folukemi Olufidipe, Andres Carellas and Gabriela Flores

Sophomore Prince and Princess: Mikele Mancuso and Sofia Garcia

Freshman Prince and Princess: John Wiese and Raisel Muniz

Homecoming DanceOn Friday, September 27 was the long awaited

Homecoming Dance, with a “Met Gala” theme.

The dance took place in the luxurious JW Marriott

Marquis Hotel. Students danced the night away

and made many memories, especially our Seniors.

“It definitely feels bittersweet knowing this is the

last time I’m going to Homecoming,” says Senior

Diana Moya.

FRIGHT NIGHTThe 8th annual FBTV Fright Night is a special event

brought to Doral Academy by our TV production

students, allowing them to showcase their talent

through short and entertaining films made for the

theme of Halloween.

The diversity of these videos ranged from musical

pieces to inspiring works. The atmosphere was

clouded with shocking emotions reacting to themes

of revenge, suicide, and murder. When asked about

the night, Clara Calavia said, “Fright Night is a highly

anticipated event our program puts together every

year. As a senior, being able to produce content

that the masses can enjoy was

truly inspiring. Our family here

in FBTV is filled with talented

students all passionate bout

their craft. I am forever grateful

for having the opportunity to

show my hard work on a big

platform.” Alyssa DeArmas, also

in FBTV, mentioned how “seeing

films we worked so hard on up

on the big screen and sharing it

with so many people...it’s truly an

experience like none other.” FBTV

students aren’t the only ones who enjoyed watching

their creative videos. Senior Luccia Vega described

the night as “a mix of emotions: “One minute I’m

scared and the next I felt inspired.” The variations of

feelings made the how interesting and captivating

for the audience overall. Mr. William Viruet gave

ome heartfelt words about the event, “ It was a lot

of fun, it was a great night and we’re very proud of

our students. They did a great job and really showed

their talent with their pieces.” This year’s Fright Night

was a memorable one, and definitely one for the

books.

FIREBIRD TV’s 8TH ANNUAL

“When No Ones Looking” made by Andrea Colon, Grace Wong and Corina Bullos

“Dia De Los Muertos” made by Camila Celaya, Maria Gonzalez and Leilani Peña

“Ding Dong” made by Clarissa Bullos, Valentina Vega and Nathalie Avendaño

“Fun and Games” made by Aquiles Barreto, Adriana Barrios, Cesar Sanchez and Ryan Da Silva

FRIGHT NIGHTFIREBIRD TV’s 8TH ANNUAL

2020 Silver Knight Nominees

The Silver Knight Awards are sponsored by The

Miami Herald, and they are one of the nation’s

most highly regarded student awards programs.

The awards recognize outstanding seniors who not

only maintain good grades, but also selflessly apply

their special knowledge and talents through service

to their school and community. 14 of our very own

bright and talented Firebirds had the honor of being

Silver Knight Nominees thanks to their hard work

and effort!

Nominees from all schools appear on a designated

day to be interviewed by a panel of independent

judges. Each panel of judges selects one Silver Knight

and three Honorable Mentions in that category.

Silver Knights receive $2,000, a Silver Knight statue

and a medallion presented by American Airlines. The

three Honorable Mentions are presented $500 and

an engraved plaque.

Monica Langrange - Art

Nicole Monsalve - Athletics

Bhavya Soni - Business

Clara Calavia - Digital & Interactive Media

Samantha Boutureira - Drama

Sofia Silvosa - English and Literature

Norman Godinez - General Scholarship

Sofia Zúñiga - Journalism

Victoria Moya - Music amd Dance

Astrid Barrientos - Quintanilla - Science

Mariela Hidalgo - Social Sciences

María Victoria Chacón- Briceno - Speech

Isabella Gonzalez - Vocational Technical

Rodolfo Remien - World Languages

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR SILVER KNIGHT NOMINEES!

STUDENTACHIEVEMENTS Congratulations to our talented Firebirds who

have won awards in their respective activities!

Our Model UN team attended their first KnightMUN Competition at the University of Central Florida! We took home 2 Best Delegate (1st Place) 1 Outstanding Delegate (2nd Place) 2 Honorable Delegate (3rd Place) and 2 Verbal Accommodations!

Doral’s Computer Science Club became State Champions as they won first place in Orlando at CyberQuest, a state wide cybersecurity competition!

Our Firebird Thespians won a Superior at One Acts and got selected to be one of the district representatives at our State Competition with the play “The Dining Room”! Congratulations to Chanel Martinez for receiving the All Star Cast Award for her performance!

Best Delegate: Miguel Waisman and Miriam Trujillo

Outstanding Delegate: Aisleen Turner

Honorable Delegate: Beatriz Milian and Mikele Mancuso

Verbal Accommodation: Kesia Oliveros and the dual

delegation of Regina Cisneros and Gabriella Behar

Students accepted into FIUHonors High School Orchestra

Three bright and talented Orchestra students

were accepted into the 2019 Florida International

University Honors High School All-County

Orchestra. Congratulations to: Juan Esquivel,

Amanda Miyares, and Mel Lisboa!

This orchestra is populated by the best students

from many top tier orchestra programs in Miami-

Dade County, and Doral Academy proudly sends

three of their very own to represent us!

Visual Arts students exposed toCalifornia Institute of the Arts

Miranda Hoffs, Senior Admissions Counselor of the

California Institute of the Arts, visited Doral Academy

to expose our Visual Arts students to what the school

offers. This opportunity was especially beneficial for

our Senior artists, who were granted an inside look

to the creative outlets that CalArts contains, and are

able to determine if its the right fit for their future

dreams.

College EssayIncubator

Brought to Doral by the National English Honor

Society, the College Essay Incubator is held every

Wednesday after school in 421H. If a student

needs an extra set of eyes for their college or

scholarship essays, they can bring a draft to

these sessions and are assisted by trained peer

tutors and Ms. Montenegro.

Sabrina Martinez, Lead Tutor, joined the College

Essay Incubator last year. “I fell in love with the

College Essay Incubator in my junior year. The

act of creating a safe space dedicated to helping

others edit their essays and, in some small way,

help them get into their dream schools, was

inspiring to me and I knew I wanted to continue

doing it in my senior year.” It is beneficial to

the tutees because they can receive advice on

Alumni featured on the Miami Herald

Andoni Garrogerrikaextebarria is an alumni

from Doral Academy. He was an excellent

player for our soccer team and a star athlete all

throughout high school. Recently, Walter Villa

of the Miami Herald wrote a story on Andoni,

who is now a soccer player at FIU, and talked

about his love of sports and his 22-character

long last name at his home in Dora.

their personal statements and, in the process,

gain help on their writing skills and understand

why certain edits were madee. For the tutors,

it is beneficial because they gain experience in

editing and exposure to personal statements

and what goes into them. “Personally, the latter

was very beneficial for me as I entered my senior

year and had to work on my own college essays.

The exposure gives the tutors as sense of what

is needed in personal statements which can aid

them with their own.”

She scores a 1500 on her first SAT, starts tutoring sessions to help

other students

Student Nathalia Compres scored a 1500 on the

SAT on her first try during junior year. She started

tutoring sessions near the end of the year through

the National English Honor Society. Now a senior,

she has been promoted to the lead tutor. Students

can go to Mr. Montenegro’s room every Monday

after school if they wish to participate in a tutoring

session. “Everyone is free to show up, regardless of

grade and ability,” says Compres. Regarding how she

decided to start tutoring, she says: “I figured I could

help out since I got a pretty good score, and I know

others might not know many testing techniques.”

In the sessions, she incorporates practices that cater

“I WANT TO NOT ONLY TEACH KIDS THE FORMULAS TO GET A

HIGH SCORE, BUT INCREASE THEIR CONFIDENCE IN THEIR ABILITIES.”

to each student’s needs. “The sessions can be based

on whatever the students need help on. They can

either ask me questions in regards to strategies, ask

me why a specific answer is correct, or we can do

practice tests and review them.”

Compres further describes the impact of learning

testing strategies: “Considering I havent been doing

this for too long, I dont have a huge list of success

stories. However, people have told me that the tips

I have given have helped them not just on the SAT

but on other tests as well. Standardized tests like

these all share a commonality: they use pressure and

doubt to their advantage.” Ultimately, Compres’ goal

for these tutoring sessions is to “not only teach kids

the formulas to get a high score but to increase their

confidence in their abilities. When you have these

two factors, you take away the power the tests had

over you.”

MONICA LAGRANGEHelping the Homeless with Plastic Bags

Meet Monica Lagrange, a 17-year-old Honors and AP

student, certified in both Illustrator and Photoshop,

with the heart of an artist and the dedication of a

model Firebird. This year, she has been organizing

a community service project centered on her twin

loves: art and helping people or, as she puts it,

“Bringing beauty & the arts into people’s lives.”

Bags For Mats consists of students who recycle

plastic shopping bags, cutting and knitting them into

sleeping mats for the homeless. The project started

last March near the end of the school year and has

retained several dedicated initial members. Lagrange

says she got the idea from Doral Academy’s own Ms.

Cassandra Montenegro, who put her in contact with

Ms. Elizabeth Manning and her mother, Ms. Elizabeth

King, who started the project with her friend Georgie

Davis. King says, “Creating these sleeping mats helps

to keep the plastic bags off our landfills and other

places that damage the environment, [while seeing]

the happy faces of our homeless brothers and sisters

By Renzo Calarota Featured on Firebird Digital

when we place the mat in their hands makes it such

a pleasure!” Such a sentiment resonated strongly

with Lagrange, who quickly brought the project to

the attention of her friends, and hopes to continue

expanding the club’s roster this year. Incoming

members should be ready to learn how to properly cut

the plastic bags and knit the plastic ‘yarn’ into the mat

shape, skills which will be taught by Lagrange, King,

and the other senior members. As of now, individuals

who are interested in helping the environment and

would like to support the club can drop off plastic

shopping bags in Ms. Dayami Alvarez’s room, 311C.

Lagrange states that, “Art is beautiful, and I can’t wait

to share it with everyone.”

Read more on Firebird Digital, our student-run blog containing posts on student life, college tips, academic

help and more! >>> thefbdigital.com

v

Varsity Football teamdestroys Mater with a whopping score of 57-0

The Firebird Football team defeats Mater Charter Academy

on Friday, October 18 with a score of 57-0. The boys have

bounced back from a few unfortunate losses during the

season, but things are starting to turn around, especially

from certain players who stand out, such as quarterback

Nicholas Polo, wide receiver Timothy Carter, and outside

linebacker Jose Vidal. There is a great chance that our boys

will be making it to Playoffs, a grand feat they achieved last

year. The Firebirds are working hard practicing everyday, and

are aiming for the title of District Champions.

FIREBIRDSPORTS

Doral Academy’s sports program reached never-ending success last season, and they

are on the rise this year to earn more titles.

Firebird wrestler places 1st at Super 32 National

TournamentCongratulations to Doral Wrestler Sawyer Bartelt who placed 1st at the Super 32 National Tournament, beating the #1 ranked middle schooler in the country!

TEAMSCHEDULESF O OT B A L L9/26 - vs. Hialeah at 7pm

10/4 - @ Chaminade at 7pm

10/10 - @ North Miami at 7pm

10/18 - vs. Mater Academy at 7pm

10/25 - vs. Homestead at 7:30pm

10/24 to 10/26 - Bye Week

VOLLEYBALL10/1 - @ TERRA at 7:30pm

10/3 - vs. Greater Miami at 3:30pm

10/4 - Florida Christian Tournament

10/5 - Florida Christian Tournament

10/8 - vs. Monsignor Pace at 7:30pm

10/11 - Smoothie King Tournament

10/12 - Smoothie King Tournament

SWIMMING10/3 - Ransom

10/9 - Red/Blue Senior Meet

10/15 - @ Gulliver at 4pm

10/16 - Team Pictures

10/28 to 11/1 - Districts

11/8 - Regionals

11/15 to 11/16 - 3A States

GOLF10/1 - Ransom/Carrollton @Biltmore

10/7 - vs. Belen Jesuit at 4pm

10/8 - Mater Lakes @Shulas at 3:30pm

10/10 - Palmer Trinity @Melreese

10/14 to 10/16 - Districts

10/21 to 10/23 - Regionals

10/28 to 10/30 - States

Football

Swimming

Our Varsity Football team has

practiced and played hard, working

through rain, heat and the humidity

of Miami. The coaches continuously

plan and strategize to give the team

the best tactics to win. From what

we know from the history of Doral

Academy’s wins is that our boys will

take us to the top - and that’s their

current goal: reaching for the title of

District Champions once again.

Our Swim team has consistently

given their all to rise higher than ever.

Cristina Beiner has made history as the

first diver on the swim team, and has

recently committed to Northeastern

University. Our Firebirds also rocked

the 2019 Youth Fair, securing two

trophies. Now, they’re onto Regionals

after becoming District Champs!

DISTRICT CHAMPIONS!

Cross Country

Volleyball

GolfOur Boys and Girls Varsity team have proved

themselves as great and dedicated players.

Our Lady Firebirds have gone up against

difficult opponents yet were able to remain

focused and determined with exceptional

resilience, and have qualified for states for the

3rd year in a row. Our Boys have also given a

great performance, and proven themselves

time and time again as resilient players when

going up against opponents like Westminster,

Ransom, and Columbus.

DISTRICT CHAMPIONS!

The Cross Country team has repeatedly succeeded this season. One great instance was during the King of the Hill Invitational, where they came in first place as a team, leading them straight into a 3-peat victory! The Firebirds are not done yet, as they continue to strive higher and higher in hopes of earning the title of District Champions.

The volleyball girls team has been on the ball with all the wins they have been bringing home - winning three games in a row and now they will be going up against South Fork on October 23. The girls have been working tirelessly to bring us wins and for many on them, it is their last year on the volleyball team. Hopefully our girls will go all the way to championships!