Around Campus

PEERS AS PARTNERS IN LEARNING

MCC is one of only two schools in Brevard County offering the Peers as Partners in Learning elective, also known as “PIT Crew” (Peer Inclusion Team). Developed by the Florida Inclusion Network and approved by the Florida Department of Education, the course provides peer support for students with and without disabilities in an inclusive environment. Students enrolled in this course are learning and applying knowledge and skills in the areas of academic engagement, communication, social barriers, leadership, problem solving, and other disability-related topics such as inclusion and presumed competence.

Ten MCC seniors are enrolled and serving as our PIT Crew. PIT Crew members attended training sessions before school began in August. They are supporting individual students in several classes and have also begun to serve as Academic Peer Coaches, working individually with students to help with organization, motivation and specific course work.

A SPOT OF THEIR OWN

Seniors let their creative ideas take over while painting their parking spots. They have turned our once dull parking lot into a true masterpiece of street art.

BASKETBALL TEAM ROOM

The Varsity Basketball team room was recently renovated for the start of the season. Coach Roberts has been working hard to beautify our basketball facilities.

CELEBRATION OF THE FEAST OF ST. FRANCIS

MCC welcomed Bishop Noonan for the celebration of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. The Bishop challenged us to live by the example of St. Francis by loving others and remaining open to God’s call in our lives. All members of the MCC community participated in a recommissioning ceremony affirming our Franciscan charism.

AROUND CAMPUS

NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

The National Merit Scholarship Program recognizes approximately 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation for their exceptional academic promise. Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2022 competition by taking the 2020 PSAT/NMSQT. Congratulations to Anna Grace Cornell ’21 on being named a Commended Student.

CADET CORPS

Weight training is a key component of the MCC Cadet Corps program to improve strength and stamina.

HALLOWEEN ESCAPE ROOM CHALLENGE

Mr. Ziarno’s AP Calculus AB classes participated in a Halloween Escape Room designed by the BC class. Students solved a series of calculusbased riddles to escape from the haunted classroom.

FALL SPORTS SENIOR NIGHT

Senior Night provides an opportunity to recognize and celebrate our senior athletes for their hard work and accomplishments. On November 4th, we honored our fall sports seniors under the lights at Hustler Stadium.

IN THE CHEMISTRY LAB

AP Chemistry students completed a lab in which they calculated the concentration of a solution in two different ways. The first used conductivity values of the solution, and the second used mass measurements of a precipitate formed by the reaction of the solution with another substance.

LEARNING TO THINK LIKE A PROGRAMMER

Intro to Programming class enjoyed some friendly competition while developing their problem-solving and team-building skills. Groups built boats out of aluminum foil then tested to see whose boat could hold and float the most pennies. The winning boat sailed to victory with a cargo load of 34 pennies.

AROUND CAMPUS

HUSTLERS KEEPIN’ IT REEL

The Anglers Club prepared for their first shore fishing outing by practicing cast net throwing, casting techniques, and tying knots.

NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

The Guitar class began the year introducing beginners to chords and scales.

KEY CLUB

Key Club raised over $200 by selling Hallo-grams to help UNICEF provide clean water and sanitation strategies in Haiti.

ART GALLERY

The school’s original chapel was transformed into an art gallery to display our students’ great work throughout the year.

LEARNING FUNDAMENTAL DRAWING SKILLS

Students learned to draw from observation in preparation for foundational still life drawings. In this exercise, students focused on how to accurately draw the ellipse shapes found in cups.

HUSTLERS GIVING BACK

MCC students are provided monthly opportunities to serve the community. Here’s an example of the impact they’ve made at Daily Bread. Jeffry Njus, Executive Director of Daily Bread, Inc. comments, “The students from MCC bring more than their time and donations to Daily Bread, they bring light to those who are struggling. Zach, one of our guests, recently told the students that it isn’t being homeless that bothered him as much as how people treated him, that people looked down on him because he is homeless like he didn’t matter. The young people come with a kind word and a smile to help Zach and others facing challenges in life know that they matter.”

ON THE FIELD

HUSTLER ATHLETICS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

MCC now hosts Sports Media Days for each season. These events facilitate team and senior pictures. Additionally, local media are invited to join us to take photos and speak to coaches and athletes for their respective media outlets. We hope this will become a great tradition at MCC, where we can celebrate our teams! On April 19, 2021, Tom Dooley achieved a baseball coach’s distinction shared by few. The Hustlers defeated the Bayside Bears, 11-3, earning Coach Dooley the prestigious 600th win of his MCC career.

Coach Dooley started at MCC in 1988. His accolades include an average of 18 wins per season and two FHSAA state baseball titles in 2013 and 2019. His teams have reached the FHSAA regional tournament 18 times.

These are stellar accomplishments for a coach dedicated to teaching his players how to be the best they can be both on and off the field.

COACH DOOLEY WINS 600TH CAREER GAME

Congratulations Coach Dooley – your dedication to the game has been an inspiration to all who have been privileged to work with and learn from you!

INDIALANTIC PLAYGROUND TO

HONOR THE LATE MIKEY GOODWIN ‘19

By Mark McDermott, Indialantic Playground Advisory Committee Chair

The Town of Indialantic is partnering with The Goodwin family and The Mikey Strong Foundation to build The Mikey Goodwin Playground at Nance Park. The planning and fundraising stages have begun for this communitybuilt and funded project that is replacing the playground that was removed in 2019. It will be named in honor of Mikey Goodwin ‘19, a 19-year-old with deep family roots in Indialantic who lost his battle with a rare brain tumor in 2020. The playground will be constructed of structural PVC lumber and other materials manufactured for withstanding the saltwater environment. It will be ADA compliant with “parallel play” features that allow kids of different ages, physical, and cognitive abilities to play alongside each other. Many donation and volunteer opportunities are available, including a fundraising event at Djon’s Village Market on January 16, 2022. For more information or if you would like to volunteer or donate, visit www.nanceparkplayground.com.