We are nearly to the end of the first semester! It is incredibly exciting to reflect on the last few months that we have spent together and see just how far we have come and how much progress we have made in our mission! 

With the meaningful collaboration and focus of our administrators, teachers, parents and students, we have truly represented our CLAWS values. Throughout this edition of the Bear Pride, you will see examples of the valuable experiences offered through our Cypress Creek High School programs such as our Agricultural Sciences classes, Bear STRONG athletics and, of course, the Bearmazing leadership of our students and teachers. Based on those unique experiences and relationships, we have been incredibly fortunate to secure the blessings of a $10,000 donation from Elevation Church of Orlando to support our student and teachers incentives. Please help us by sharing your gratitude with them, as they have been wonderful supporters of our school. 

Let’s continue working together to finish strong with less than two short weeks before the Winter Break. This week, we are running a modified bell schedule to accommodate the end of semester testing. It is very important to ensure that your child is on time to school and in attendance all day. Please help us ensure that: 

Remember, students that receive a level 3 or 4 referral from our discipline team or have more than 10 classroom tardies since returning from Thanksgiving Break may not be eligible to attend our School Pep Rally on December 18th. 

Thank you, again, for your dedication to our Mission: Possible vision! 

Marisol Mendez

Principal

Cypress High School

Pictured very top: Mr. Janis, PLTW Engineering teacher and sponsor for our Engineering Club, submitted a great Bear success story for this edition below. These Bears performed extremely well in a tough competition up against 30 other central Florida high schools.

On Thursday, October 27th we held this year’s Full Sail Tech Fest at our school Gymnasium with a whopping 1,134 students in attendance throughout the day, some competing to earn a coveted spot for the Full Sail High School Invitational Super Smash Tournament on November 12th. Suffice it to say, the day’s event was a smashing success!

This year the Full Sail High School Super Smash Brothers Ultimate Invitational Tournament brought together all sectors of the esports ecosystem for a day of networking, education, inspiration and competition. Throughout this event, students met and learned from key personnel from brand marketing, teams, leagues, game publishing, television, sports and technology. These are people who are growing their businesses by leveraging the passionate global audience that esports delivers. Not only did our bears have an awesome and engaging experience throughout this event in the official Esports Armada Arena, but they also competed for the chance to earn scholarship opportunities within this growing field.

Our list of players representing Cypress Creek High School were: Junior Garcia, Rishi Pinapaka, Kerry Xu, Franklin Hidalgo, Diego Quintero, Ezequiel Carrasquillo, Julian Jimenez, Cristian Gutierrez, Jeandavid “JD” Sanchez, Johan Quila, Diego Paradizo, Luis Hidalgo, Jaiyden Ventura, Edin Omerovic, Romeo Mauvis, Justus Smith, Ezequiel Vega, Luis Turmero, Colt Duran, Mikael Nieves, and Matthew Chauncey. Among these star players, Franklin Hidalgo was the recipient of the $10,000 scholarship, earning second place in the day’s tournament. The energy was high and the competition was fierce, but our Bears had a great time representing our school through a sport that is growing every day!

PICTURES OF TECH FEST AND FULL SAIL TOURNAMENT DAY:

On behalf of the agricultural science program, we wanted to share our accomplishments this year that support our core values. We have also created a google drive of photos to share with you.

Click here to view photos of our major accomplishments.

On Monday November 7th, Nix Herrera, Cypress Alum and Emmy Winner for his makeup work on the Netflix TV show Stranger Things, came in to talk to our Costuming and Cosmetology Class and Drama Club. He also brought along his Emmy and allowed students to hold and take pictures with it.

Thanksgiving “Thank you” video from SGA

Luis Vial, Melissa Santiesteban, Valentina Abreu Diaz, and Andres Padron competed in the state FFA environmental science preliminary competition on Friday, October 21. Our team placed 4th out of 38 teams in the state competing, which advances us to the state competition in January. We are so proud of our FFA Bears!!

At the Manufacturer’s Association of Central Florida conference on 10/25/22 there was a high school competition to create a non-motorized water pump. The teams scored points on their plan, design, creation, time of transfer and lost points for the amount of water not transferred. Jesus Machado, Ethan Stilwagen, and Charles Diestro. (left to right) placed first out of over 30 teams from central Florida.

These students earned a National Merit Letter of Commendation for an outstanding performance on the PSAT last year:

* FREE gift wrapping for Faculty & Staff: Through December 14th, bring your presents to room 8-107 either before school (after 6:30) or during 5th period and leave them for SGA to wrap. This is a FREE service the Faculty & Staff Committee is offering to all of you.

* Long Wednesday Spirit Day: December 7th is the next hurricane make-up long Wednesday. The spirit day theme is “Anything But a Backpack Day.”

* Blood Drive: The next school-wide blood drive will be held on December 15th. Students who are 16 and up are able to sign up via Canvas.

Compatibility of blood types if ever needed in the event of a transfusion:

Source: Statista  Read full article

Cypress Creek community footnote: During our last blood drive, our Bears were able to get a total of 49 donations which can help in the saving of up to 147 lives. Thank you once more for helping again here at the holiday season as blood banks are totally dependent upon voluntary donations of citizens.  

* Winter Spirit Week: See the image below and the email sent on 11/28 with the descriptions of each day. There will be a contest for the best holiday sweater!

* Winter Pep Rally Friday, December 16th. SGA will be hosting the Winter Pep Rally. We will be on a Wednesday bell schedule, with the pep rally beginning at 1:10pm.

~ Students who meet the qualifications will be sent an email on 12/9 after school, with a link to request a ticket. Qualifications: no level 3 or 4 referrals and no more than 10 tardies from 11/28-12/9.

~ Teachers who would like to attend need to find a hallmate to watch their students during that time.

* “Sweater Weather”: If you have any unwanted and gently used sweaters or jackets that you would like to donate, please send them to 8-107 (or let Stapleton know and a student can pick them up). The clothes are available to ANY student who needs a warm jacket on a cold day. Students will be able to freely borrow/keep items from the clothing rack set up outside of 8-107.

Dec. 5: Cypress Creek 47, Osceola 44

Nov. 30: Cypress Creek 48, Tohopekaliga 47

Nov. 29: Cypress Creek 39, Gateway 36

Dec. 2: Cypress Creek 47, Pine Ridge 43

Dec. 2: Cypress Creek 2, University 0

Nov. 30: Cypress Creek 2, Boone 1

Nov. 30: Cypress Creek 8, Osceola 0

Nov. 29: Cypress Creek 10, Liberty 0

The OCPS Scholarship Bulletin for 2022-2023 is available. This is something that parents of college bound students should view especially in light of prevailing economic conditions. There are a large number of opportunities available, but it is important to take careful note of their application deadlines.

Making sense of the chart: The tight labor market since the pandemic is prompting more employers to eliminate one of the biggest requirements for many higher-paying jobs: a college degree. Companies such as Google, Delta Air Lines and International Business Machines have reduced educational requirements for certain positions and shifted hiring to focus more on skills and experience. However, our Bears should remember the chart reflects only a short-run trend since 2018 and the percentages are rising again since the pandemic low.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, Nov. 26, 2022 Read full article

Last year, 35% of Americans had a bachelor’s degree or higher. Massachusetts was the top state for residents holding at least a bachelor’s degree, at 46.6%. Colorado and Vermont were the second highest, both at 44.4%. However, Washington, DC, had an even higher rate: 63.0%. In Florida, 1 in 3 residents 25 years and older have at least a 4-year bachelor's degree (33.2%). 

Source: USA Facts Read full article

Source: U.S. News & World Report (2022) Read full article

The U.S. News & World Report "Top 25 Best Jobs without a College Degree of 2022" rankings were calculated on a number of factors including: median salary, unemployment rate, 10-year growth rate in volume, 10-year growth rate percentage, future job prospects, stress level, and work-life balance.

Note for our Bears: Lists of this nature should be used as a guide only as many other factors can also come into play such as where you live, your long-term personal goals, the particular company you are working for, etc. The U.S. News & World Report 2022 rankings also do not include U.S. military or non-profit employment opportunities. Please visit with our College and Career Resource Center before leaving CCHS with any college prep or career related questions. 

Fear can actually be a sign that you are doing what is needed to move in the right direction. An absence of fear signals that you are only doing what's comfortable to you—and that will only get you more of what you have right now.

It's been said that FEAR stands for False Events Appearing Real which implies that most of what you're afraid of doesn't ever come to pass. Knowing this, you can use the fear emotion as a reason to move forward rather than as an excuse to procrastinate, stop, or retreat. When able, use this frequently avoided feeling as a green light to signal you to what you should do! 

Sotomayor on Perseverance

No matter how things are for you, they're harder for other people, and if you stick with it you can get around the brick walls in your life.

Bruce Lee On Mindset

There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there.

Wayne Gretzky On Anticipation

A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.

Beverly Sills On Boldness

You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe On Urgency

Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.

Principal: Marisol Mendez - 32281@ocps.net

Assistant Principal: Gale Beasley - 11319@ocps.net

Assistant Principal: Bethany Chappetta - 54459@ocps.net

Assistant Principal: James Hoffman - 46236@ocps.net

Assistant Principal: Karl Wagner - 36896@ocps.net

Assistant Principal: Angela Zambrano - 32095@ocps.net

Copyright Notice

Reproduction of this material, either written or electronically, including the general layout, graphics, analyses, and content topics without the express approval of Target Performance Systems, Inc., a Florida corporation, and OCPS - Cypress Creek High School is forbidden without written consent. Thank you for your support of the Orange County Public Schools and especially Cypress Creek High School. Please contact Mrs. Krystin Roviaro at krystin.roviaro@ocps.net with any questions related to the program.

Cypress Creek High School | Ms. Mendez, Principal | 407.852.3400 | CCHS Website