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Colonial HS Students: Welcome to Monday with Maria's. With Maria. Maria. Here's our superintendent, Dr. Maria Vazquez,

Announcer: Presented by Addition Financial Credit Union. Here's OCPS Superintendent, Dr. Maria Vasquez. 

Dr. Vazquez: Welcome to the Mondays with Maria Show. Today, you can see that we are in different surroundings. That's because we're on the road at Colonial High School. With me is our special guest, our Deputy Superintendent.

Mr. Martinez, Deputy Superintendent: Yes. I was fortunate enough to serve as principal for four years here at Colonial.

Dr. Vazquez: So you're a Grenadier?

Mr. Martinez: I am a Grenadier. That is correct. 

Dr. Vazquez: Yeah. I've seen pictures of you as a Grenadier. Very, very telling. So, your time here, four years, what are some things that really stand out about Colonial High School?

Mr. Martinez: Sure. So you know, being principal here at Colonial, I had the opportunity to really interact with the students and staff here, and they truly are the heartbeat of this community. You know, in which, you know, so many students are given opportunities to not only connect with the school, but also experience new things that they may not have experienced ever before. You know, in terms of dual enrollment opportunities, AP opportunities, ACE opportunities, it really is an opportunity for students to explore and really discover who they are and really what they want to become outside of the high school realm.

Dr. Vazquez: So many of our viewers may not know that you're in a new role, deputy superintendent, and you've been on the job now for just a couple of months, right? So, any surprises in those few months you've been in this role?

Mr. Martinez: More so, affirmations, right? So it's been exciting to really visit all of our different schools and our tech colleges and have conversations, you know, not only with students, but also with staff, and really hear all the wonderful things that are taking place. It's affirming, you know, for me to really, in this role, know all the great things that are taking place and really what opportunities lie ahead for us. 

Dr. Vazquez: Well, so far so good, right? Four months on the job and doing a great job. Now, on set, we have three students from Colonial High School who are going to share with us some information about themselves.

Adrian, Colonial HS Student: My name is Adrian Navarra Morales, and I'm a junior at Colonial High School.

Camile, Colonial HS Student: My name is Camile Valdez Augusta. I am a senior at Colonial.

Nathon, Colonial HS Student: My name is Nathon Bush, and I'm a senior at Colonial High School.

Dr. Vazquez: Thank you so much for being here. One of the things that I love during my visits to schools is hearing from students what they love about their school. So let's start with Adrian. Could you tell us what you love about Colonial High School?

Adrian: My favorite thing about Colonial High School is the diversity that we have, and not only the student body having mostly a Hispanic population of students, but it's also the variety of programs and different avenues that people could take in their lives. Just within this high school, we have things such as agriculture, which is what I do. We have things such as other leadership opportunities, such as S-G-A-N-H-S, and things outside of extracurriculars, such as tutoring opportunities. So, people could still advance their studies, but not commit to another extracurricular activity.

Dr. Vazquez: I love the blue jacket. I think it's so distinguishing, and when you see so many children wearing it, that brings pride because we know they're engaged in our AG programs.

Mr. Martinez: So, Camille, tell us what you love about being a Grenadier.

Camile: I would say that my most, my favorite part about being a Grenadier is the community and the students and staff that we have at Colonial. Everyone is so supportive. The teachers and the staff really care about the students' well-being. They really want to get to know the student as an individual. Plus, obviously, we have the amazing extracurriculars that the school offers and the classes that the school offers. 

Dr. Vazquez: That's great. So, Nathan, why don't you tell us what it is that you love about being at Colonial High School?

Nathon: I love to bounce off what Adrian and Camile have said before me, and the fact that there are such deep emotional connections between faculty and students. Even if you're not interested in the class itself, they're always going to make that effort to get you interested. And if they see that you really have a passion for it, they're going to show you how far you can take it. I really appreciate that, and I've seen it in almost all of my classes.

Dr. Vazquez: Oh, that's wonderful to hear. It sounds like Colonial truly is a place where our children feel safe, connected, and successful.

Mr. Martinez: So tell us what your plans are after graduation.

Adrian: My goal for right now, being a junior, I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do, but what I'm thinking of right now is attending the University of Florida to major in agricultural education and hopefully come back to Orange County and teach agriculture.

Dr. Vazquez: Oh, wait, we're going to get you a contract before you graduate.

Mr. Martinez: That's right.

Camile: As a senior, I'm still waiting for a couple of colleges to get back to me, but I would love to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and I would love to get a bachelor's in Genetics and Sociology.

Dr. Vazquez: Oh my goodness gracious. Amazing.

Nathon: I plan to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, and I want to get my bachelor's in physics so I can pursue research.

Mr. Martinez: That's great. <Laugh>.

Dr. Vazquez: My God, oh, well, I know that the future is so bright for the three of you. We wish you continued success. Thank you for being with us today, Mr. Martinez. Now our viewers know our new Deputy Superintendent. More to come. Thank you for watching. This is part one of a two-part series on what we love about our Schools. I appreciate you watching. Don't forget to subscribe, follow, and like; there'll be more of our conversation on our podcast. Just search for Mondays With Maria, wherever you get your podcast. Have a great week. 

Announcer: For an extended conversation on today's topic. Listen to the Mondays with Maria podcast. Available wherever you get your podcasts. Mondays with Maria is presented by Addition Financial Credit Union. Count us in for every step of your financial journey. Learn more at Additionfi.com. For more OCPS news and information, visit TheSlice.ocps.net. I'm your announcer, Emily Hannon, a student at Audubon Park School. Thanks for watching, and have a great week.