Carroll High students, faculty receive awards

By Toni Jane Pallatto - St. Theresa School (Little Flower)

MIAMI - Excellence abounds at Archbishop Coleman Carroll High School this fall with awards for hard work and a commitment to excellence.

Jessica Clark, a senior, won first place in the first annual Hispanic Heritage Essay Contest for the United States District Court, Southern District of Florida. She wrote about the American justice system and its impact on the immigrant experience.

"Specifically, my essay was about comparing the legal and justice system in the United States, with that of my home country, which is Cuba," said Clark. "I also looked at what attracted my family to come to the United States, and it was truly the legal structure of the United States."

Clark attended the ceremony at the court as one of five finalists where it was announced that she was the first place winner. Jessica received an iPad for her first place finish. She aspires to attend the University of Miami to pursue a career in medicine. 

"I want to become either an anesthesiologist or surgeon," Clark said.

Michelle Conde, a junior, won third place in the Cervantes Awards' Hispanic essay contest. The award, which garnered her a $75 U.S. savings bond, was presented by Nova Southeastern University.

"This award meant a great deal to me," said Conde, who is enrolled in Advanced Placement classes and aspires to become a writer after college. "Our topic was to look at the ways we contribute to the Hispanic community. I work with my brother, who is nine, and my grandfather, who is 74, with their English and Spanish. While I am driving with my grandfather, he asks me to help him understand and learn a little of the English that he sees. He is not bilingual, so this helps him. And I help my brother with his Spanish."

Laura Ortiz, a senior, wrote an essay about 1983 Nobel literature prize winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a Colombian-born author and journalist. Her essay was published in the summer edition of "Albricias," the quarterly publication of the Sociedad Honoraria Hisp�nica (the Spanish National Honor Society for high school students.)

Desiree Capote, art teacher, was named Teacher of the Year by Nova Southeastern University's Cervantes Awards.

Teachers and principals throughout Miami-Dade County, in both public and private schools, are nominated for this Cervantes Award. Capote teaches six art classes for the school's fine arts department and also runs the annual trunk show for Carroll High.

"My inspiration? I love life and I enjoy waking up each day with the element of surprise," Capote said. "I never know what I will get from my students, and each day, I definitely learn from them. I work with the goal in mind of inspiring my students to use their imagination. With our high technology society, we are not challenged to be creative, but in my classes, my students are," she added.

"I try to give my students the focus of who they are, what they are about and how they impact the things and activities in their lives, rather than letting those things define them," said Capote.

"(Carroll High) strives for excellence, working to achieve a sense of family and spirituality in our students' and faculty's lives," said Sister Mary Elizabeth, a Carmelite of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles who serves as assistant principal and vice president of development. "You can see the energy and enthusiasm of our students and faculty, and the way they strive for excellence, as evidenced in these awards."