On Saturday, March 25, AFJROTC PT coaches, TSgt Davis and MSgt DiChiara took 18 Colonial AFJROTC Cadets to University High School to compete in their annual Cougar Cat Fight Fitness Challenge. They participated in Dodge Ball, Four-way Field Hockey, 4-Way Soccer, Kickball and Tug-O-War. When the dust settled, the cadets of FL-861 walked away with four trophies; 3rd place in Tug-O-War, 3rd place in Kickball, and 2nd place in Soccer. Their efforts garnered them the overall 3rd place trophy in the event. Way to go Grenadiers!

On March 22, the Florida FFA Nursery & Landscape Career Development Event (CDE) was held at the Florida FFA Leadership Training Center. Earlier this year, a preliminary round was held and the top 15 high school teams advanced to the finals to compete for the state honors. After the scores were tabulated, the Orlando-Colonial HS FFA won 3rd place in the high school division!

The purpose of this CDE is to stimulate learning activities related to nursery practices and landscaping including the identification of plants, pests, diseases and tools. The teams had to take a comprehensive exam, interpret landscape plans, evaluate landscaping jobs, control plant disorders, interpret soil and water relationships and perform equipment maintenance.

By earning a “top 5” state honor, our team will be recognized on stage at the Florida FFA State Convention & Expo where they will receive their team award.

Two weekends ago, our speech and debate team competed in the National Qualifiers to compete in Phoenix, AZ this June. Colonial has NEVER sent a student to the National Speech and Debate Association's National Tournament... UNTIL NOW! 

Please congratulate George LaComb (9th grade) and Sahiry Vazquez (10th grade) who will be competing in Arizona this summer! George will represent us in Extemporaneous Debate and Sahiry will represent us in Impromptu Speaking. George is also our district's second alternate in Dramatic Performance.

It’s Great to be a Grenadier!

A group of our Grenadiers enjoyed an incredible field trip experience to the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport this past week. The students met three Colonial alumni who now work for the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport. They each shared something about their career path journeys. One of the Colonial alums, Farah, is a 2008 graduate of Colonial. She also shared insights about her career path and went so far as to organize the trip for us. Finally, our students met with the general manager of the hotel. He discussed the history of Hyatt and the importance of working in the hospitality and tourism industry.

This was a marvelous real-world experience and we are very appreciative to the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport for their time and generosity. In fact, we have two students applying for jobs at the property!

You may qualify to participate in the Horizon Scholars - Take Stock in Children Program! The Horizon Scholars – Take Stock in Children Program is a college readiness and mentoring program that culminates in a 2-year Florida Prepaid scholarship that can be used at any public university, college, or vocational/technical school in Florida.

The Valencia Horizon Scholars – Take Stock in Children Program is looking for students who are enthusiastic about pursuing post-secondary education. Please review the eligibility guidelines and submit an application if you are interested.

The deadline to submit an application is May 12th!!!

It's April and 2023 is well underway. Our Grenadiers are already about to start week #3 of the 2022-2023 4th quarter. So how are those New Year's resolutions you made four months ago going?

About 67 million American adults made resolutions to improve their health in 2021. By July of that year, 41% of them were not on track to reach their top goal.

Why do so many people abandon their goals? Or keep trying but fail to hit their target?

A key factor is how you perceive your resolution from the get-go. Stoking excitement and visualizing success in early January is not enough. You also need to think about the bigger picture and draft a practical roadmap to guide you. People who reach their goals are more likely to think about the "how" than the "what." They focus on the process to get there.

A second key factor as you continue to pursue your New Year's resolutions is to keep refining your daily or weekly actions by running experiments and assessing the results. How do you stay on track when you're tempted to give up?

Here are some simple suggestions for both students and adults:

Imagine that you are climbing a ladder as you set forth to make your resolution come true. You advance rung by rung. For example, if it was a weight loss goal, then shift your attention to "mini-goals" that will help you ascend to your big goal (e.g. sugar cutbacks, regular exercise, drinking more water).

Make everything measurable. Attach a due date to each action step and get started right away so that you don't race to catch up at the last minute. TIP—Begin and finish each day by reviewing your written goals.

The best New Year's resolutions don't rely on rosy assumptions where everything falls into place. Problems and setbacks in life occur more often than we would like. Therefore, identify three scenarios that can stymie your efforts and plan against them. That way, you are prepared if adversity strikes.

You're more apt to abandon a resolution if critics and naysayers influence you. So choose your company with care. Look for positive, nurturing, nonjudgmental people. Associate with those that will encourage you and make yourself somewhat accountable to them—keep them apprised of your progress.

Pursuing an ambitious goal tests your grit. Success comes to those who persevere after inevitable defeats or disappointments. After the first slip or second slip, don't give up. Your ability to persist is essential in making your dreams come true. 

If you've struggled with a New Year's resolution before, don't let your rocky history define you. Get outside of your own fears and apply "future thinking." Look for signals of how the world is changing and ask yourself, "How might these patterns and signals affect my goal?" TIP—Remember that successful people love change, whereas the unsuccessful do everything they can to prevent change. So, keep an eye out for what might be changing to help you achieve your goals.