The Theatre department is putting up the Spring musical Frankenstein, a new musical LIVE April 29 - May 1st at 7PM and May 2nd at 2PM! This production is going to have super limited seating, only 200 at max per night, so if you want to enjoy a lovely night of theatre and support our awesome kids, don't wait to order your tickets! This event will not be streamed.

"I am so very, very, proud of the hard work and dedication the kids involved have been putting in to bring a live production to the stage again! Three of our lead actors in the production - Oscar Murguia, Fatima Rhana, and Madison Rodriguez - have all been admitted to the Theatre Program at Goshen College by audition and are all receiving multiple scholarships, so you KNOW there's going to be some fabulous acting and singing!" 

Aniya Jackson, one of Colonial's talented creative writing students, is one of the writers who won this annual writing challenge from 'Page 15.' Aniya's work competed with over 140 high school writers from all over Central Florida. She will receive an opportunity to be a part of a free writing workshop to finalize her poem prior to it being printed in this publication!

Community footnote: The Month of April is also National Poetry Month which adds even more luster to Aniya's success!

Please visit the link for Cambridge and Advanced Placement testing. Students need to bring several number 2 pencils and a calculator if needed. In compliance with CDC guidelines, students must maintain social distancing at all times and they absolutely must wear a mask while on campus. Cell phones and other electronic devices will be prohibited from the testing room, so we are strongly encouraging students to leave them at home or in their vehicles.

AICE (Cambridge) testing is in blue on this calendar and AP testing is in red. 

For “AM” Cambridge testing, students should arrive by 7:20 and meet in the media center. For “PM” Cambridge testing, students should plan to arrive by 11:30 and meet in the media center.

AP testing students will report directly to their testing rooms (which are currently being determined and will be pushed out to students in the next two weeks).

Unfortunately, we do not provide transportation to and from school for testing of any kind.

If I can answer any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Sharon.Christensen-Jones@ocps.net

Go to Orangete.ch/seniors

FSA ID: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa/filling-out/fsaid

FAFSA Application: https://fafsa.gov/

CSS Profile: https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/

To order: www.herfforlando.com

Next Thursday, April 15th is Jackie Robinson Day. This is a very special day that occurs annually in Major League Baseball in honor of the man who opened the door for African Americans to play in the majors.

Jackie Robinson (1919-72) let his skills — not his anger — speak for him over the course of a Hall of Fame career despite many unfortunate challenges. He learned self-control growing up through sports.

His statistics alone are impressive. He spent 10 years with the Dodgers, amassing a .311 career batting average. He led the team to six National League pennants and one World Series title, in 1955. He was also a six-time All-Star, the Rookie of the Year in 1947 and the NL Most Valuable Player in 1949, the year he won the league batting and stolen base crowns.

It was not easy for Robinson early on, especially in 1947 when he started playing in the majors. In his first two months, he was hit by more pitches than any player the entire previous season! His own teammates started a petition saying that they wouldn't play with him, a movement squelched by manager Leo Durocher, who called a middle-of-the-night team meeting at which he made it clear that anyone who refused to play would be traded on the spot. Over time, many of these hurtful attempts to get him out of the game slowed credit to his work ethic and strength of personal character. He gradually won over the players and the crowds.

As the years wore on, Robinson performed at the highest levels in professional baseball thanks in large part to his relentless practicing. His desire to learn and to constantly improve himself were essential to his success. His work ethic and intensity was tremendous — he was ultracompetitive. The folks who played with him remember he was the most determined to win among all the people they knew.

The lesson for our Grenadiers? Jackie Robinson understood that being the first Black professional baseball player would not be easy. Yet, he relied on his passion for the game and a tremendous work effort to reach the top of the sport. He simply never quit despite so much adversity. Like Jackie Robinson, perhaps the future success of many of our Grenadiers will come from their commitment to always give it their very best each day while continuously trying to improve.