It’s been a little over two years since schools closed due to COVID-19 and Miami Lakes Educational Center has struggled to revive student activities ever since. For years, Katrina Cordova has been part of activities in various capacities and will now be leading as MLEC’s new Activities Director.
As a school centered heavily on academics, students often express feeling tied down by the workload. But activities offer students an opportunity to relieve stress from the demands of academy and strand requirements.
“It’s the way it’s supposed to be. It brings electricity to the school,” John Moffi, a beloved history teacher at MLEC, stated regarding the need for school activities.
Mr. Moffi has worked as an educator for years and has devoted countless hours to the school and its students. He has seen the ins-and-outs of student struggles and recognizes the importance of rewarding them for their hard work and dedication. As the club sponsor for the Class of 2025, he has made a commitment to guaranteeing years of fun to the current sophomores.
Students have high expectations for their high school years. Through movies like High School Musical and Mean Girls, the media creates an unrealistic idea of the high school experience, such as a party every week and no stress from school work. Still, the Activities Office is doing everything they can to meet those expectations.
This school year new and old events are coming, such as Jaguars Rock it Out and Harvest Fest.
“All the class officers have been super helpful and working hard making all these activities happen. Spending the extra time at events with friends will definitely relieve stress from classes,” Sophia Alvarez, a sophomore in the Academy of Health Science, said.
Despite not having any athletic teams, MLEC still incorporates basketball, soccer, and volleyball jams as part of school events. For students who want to play a sport but can’t attend homeschool practices, this is a good opportunity to still participate in sports.
“I chose this school for its programs and the academic part of it. Information Technology has a lot of opportunities to make money and get experiences through internships,” said junior Leandro Ramirez of not being at a school with a baseball team.
Sophomore, Lawrence Johnson III added on that even though he doesn’t play football for a high school team and would’ve preferred to attend a school with sports, “MLEC is an A school and has a lot of programs to help me better.” Johnson goes on to add that he plays football on the weekends so it is still the “best of both worlds.”
MLEC also offers a wide variety of clubs students can join, ranging from National Honor Society (NHS) to Key Club, Junior State of America (JSA), and many more.
“Joining Key Club is a great opportunity for students to gain community service hours and not only that, but they can learn the importance of working together and helping the community grow,” Valentina Foglia, Key Club President, states.
Students can sometimes feel bombarded with school work and studying, but having clubs or events to look forward to where they can spend time outside, socialize, and feel like part of a community can help ease the burden.
