Mission Trips Build Character & Faith

This past February, 24 MCC students embarked on an amazing journey. Along with Fr. Karl Bergin and five faculty members, the group traveled to Jamaica to put their faith into action by serving those in need in this impoverished country. “Our time in Jamaica was absolutely life changing,” said faculty member and trip coordinator Cara Giuliano. “The students impressed me with their tireless work ethic, love and compassion. We worked on two construction projects, had theopportunity to visit and pray with those in the infirmary, and purchased food for families in need.” “Thank you to all of the parents that entrusted their teens to us, to MCC for giving me the opportunity to travel with our students and to Fr. Karl for being an amazing chaplain,” added Mrs. Giuliano. In February 2015, a different group of students will be traveling to St. Lucia in the Caribbean for a similar experience. “We are going to work with handicapped children, help out in a nursing home, and even help with preschoolers,” said Mrs. Giuliano. Other activities are being planned to round out the trip. Mission trips provide a unique and important experience for students at MCC. They take teenagers out of their comfort zones and put them in a place where they can become more aware of God’s presence and allow students to growstronger in their faith. We are proud of our students and the impact they are making on the world.

Elizabeth Wyatt shares a quiet moment with one of the children from the village.

Helping those in need brought a sense of joy and humility to the MCC students.

The MCC mission trip students andchaperones gathered before the work began.

Green GoldGreen Goldfall 2014

News & Notes for Alumni, Parents and Friends of MCC

MCC 2nd Place in National Math League Melbourne Central Catholic High School was ranked 2nd in the nation by the Catholic Math League this past spring. The Catholic Math League is a rigorous math competition that was started in 1997 and currently serves hundreds of schools across the United States. MCC students took part in the national Catholic Math League testing in the subjects of Algebra II and advanced algebra topics. The exam is a 30- minute non-calculator exam on advanced algebra. MCC earned 2nd place in the nation beating out 35 participating schools in this category. “We are proud of our national ranking in math and attribute this success to our out-standing faculty and students,” said school president, Michael C. Burke. “Strong math skills are a gateway to success in the 21st century. Students make the transition from concrete arithmetic to the symbolic expression of algebra. In the process they develop their abstract thinking skills necessary to excel in higher level math and science.” A special congratulation to Mr. Jim Ziarno’s Honors Algebra II classes who scored high enough to push MCC into its second place position.

2014 Annual Alumni Homecoming BBQFriday, October 31, 2014from 5-7 pmOn campus under the big white tent Alumni from all years are welcome!Please RSVP as soon as possible to Tessie Wilkie at wilkiet@melbourncecc.org.All alumni are also invited to stay for the Homecoming Football game which begins at 7:00pm. As Always, Go Hustlers!

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New school year ushers in a new era In May, MCC celebrated its

50th commencement ceremony. We were pleased to honor the Class of 2014 for this very special occasion. It was also a distinct privilege to have Fr. Peter Dolan, the founder of MCC, present as we celebrated another distinguished class of gradu-ates. As the graduates before them had done, the young men and women of the Class of 2014 committed themselves to ex-cellence. Together they earned $9.6 million in college scholar-ships and were accepted into many prestigious universities in-cluding Cornell, Princeton, Notre Dame and Villanova. We know that as they move forward with their lives they will represent themselves, their families and their alma mater as faith-filled, compassionate leaders. The success and momentum continues as we enter the 2014/2015 school year. Our enrollment has increased for the fourth consecutive year. We are currently at capacity with 530 students. We hired additional teachers and improved our facili-ties to accommodate our growing number of students and ensure that we continue to offer them a world-class education. Even though our 49-acre campus is well maintained and reflects a rich sense of tradition, it has some limitations that we must address to accommodate our future needs. A Campus Master Plan Committee, composed of faculty members, par-ents, alumni and other MCC supporters, embarked on a year-long process that produced a 30-year comprehensive facilities plan. The plan was adopted and approved by our Board of Directors as well as Bishop Noonan. A key component in turning this plan into reality is funding. With the assistance of the Catholic Foundation and the Dio-cese of Orlando we are conducting a feasibility study to assess what funding sources are available for this project. The study includes interviews with key constituents and will take place in October. Our hope is to gather honest feedback on the project and measure support from our community. The Winkler Group, a national full-service fundraising consulting firm headquar-tered in Charleston, SC, which specializes in customized capital campaigns, planning studies, and strategic planning has been retained to help objectively guide this process. Once the feasibility study is complete, we will prioritize our goals and begin a capital campaign based on the feed-back that we receive. We hope to achieve all of our facility goals which include increased campus security and campus enhancements that will directly benefit the day-to-day lives of our students. As we move forward, I will share more details with you about this exciting new era for Melbourne Central Catholic. In the meantime, we are blessed to have outstandingstudents, parents, alumni and supporters--- because of them, our past is rich and our future is bright!

Yours in Christ, MCC President Michael C. Burke

ThePresident ’sLetter

Save the Date2015 Green & Gold Gala

Saturday, March 7, 2015Sponsorship opportunities

availableContact Steve Ranieri321-727-0793 ext 202

ranieris@melbournecc.org

1st AnnualAlumni Weekend

June 6 & 7, 2015For MCC alumni from all years

Family fun!Watch for details

Go Hustlers!

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Visit our website at:www.melbournecc.org

or check us out on facebook atwww.facebook.com/melbournecentralcatholic

KEEPIN

TOUCH

More than academics: Enrichmentactivities abound for MCC students At MCC, the hustle and bustle of school life doesn’t stop when the dismissal bell rings at 3:00. On any given day, you may see students toting fishing poles, cameras, or craft supplies across campus. Perhaps, you’ll see a group leaving to visit a local food bank, an equestrian center, or on their way to an ethics competition at Florida

Tech. With a wide variety of afterschool clubs, MCC students are on the go! One of the core values at MCC is to educate “the whole person.” That’s one of the reasons that the administration, faculty and staff are committed to offering a diverse selection of activities. Research in the field of education has revealed time after time that participation in extracurricular activities provides students with opportunities to develop skills and talents that enhance what they learn in the classroom setting. This allows students to hone valuable skills that will contrib-ute to their success in college and in the workplace. “Academics are central to education, but high school is much more than that,” said Allison Reynolds, student activity director at MCC. “The activities that students are involved in

outside of the classroom help them grow and develop socially and culturally.” With these factors in mind, Ms. Reynolds oversees a myriad of clubs and other activities to keep students en-gaged. Just two weeks into the new school year, a club fair was held to give students a chance to learn about the thirty clubs and organizations available. Each year, Ms. Reynolds is challenged to come up with a slate of clubs that is both appealing to students and enriching to their high school experience. “If a student shows an interest in a particular club that we do not offer, they are empowered to put together a proposal and develop the club,” said Ms. Reynolds. “This keeps our club list current and students involved in the process.” This year’s club list is impressive in its scope. There is truly something for everyone---from robotics, to drama, to model United Nations, to digital mixed media, business ethics and many more. Here’s a list of the clubs andactivities that students can choose from:

Anglers Club Anime Club Art Club Business and Ethics Chemistry Chinese Culture Digital Mixed Media Club EquestrianFellowship of Christian Athletes Fencing French Kaleidoscope/Literary Hustlers for Habitat

MCC Clubs & Student Organizations 2014 - 2015Interact: Community Service ClubLady Bees: A Women’s Discipleship GroupMCC Youth PALSMIY (Make It Yourself) Model United NationsPlaymakers Students for Life Robotics SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions)TechNew Young Men’s Discipleship

Elected/Nominated Positions Student Council Student Government Green & Gold Society Liturgy Team Academic Team International Student Peer Mentors

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MCC Receives NFL Grant for Concussion Prevention & Education of Players Melbourne Central Catholic High School recently received a $7,000 grant from the National Football League Foundation to fund enhancements to equipment and additional training aimed at preventing concussions among its football players. “Player safety is a top priority, “ said Mike Riazzi, athletic director and head football coach at the school. “ We are thrilled to have this funding which will allow us to ensure the safety of our players. We will use the money to recondition and purchase helmets for the upcoming season.” The grant was championed by Pamela and Mike Whittington. Mike is a former New York Jets player and is currently a coach for the MCC Hustlers football team. To be eligible for the grant, a school/organization must have a current/former NFL player on its coaching roster. Whittington submitted the grant on behalf of the MCC program. “We are honored to have Mr. Whittington on our coaching staff,” added Riazzi. “The knowledge, skill and insight that he brings to our players is truly exceptional. We are so grateful for his sponsorship of this grant--- we could not have done it without him.” Riazzi and his coaching staff continue to focus on all aspect of player safety but have greatly expanded concussion prevention training and ad-ditional measures. This year, the team physician, Dr. David Dominguez and MCC athletic trainer Sandor Melian will evaluate each player through base-line reading. This will be helpful in evaluating the player if a concussion is suspected. The National Football League Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of those involved in the game of football – from players at all levels to communities across the country. The NFL Foun-dation represents the 32 NFL clubs and supports the health and safety of athletes, youth football, and the communities which support our game.

& Happy

Thanksgiving!November 27th

5K kicks off school year MCC’s Champions Club hosted its 6th annual 5k Run/

Walk in August. Runners of all ages gathered for their 3.1 mile trek throughout the MCC campus. With the help of countless volun-teers from the MCC community, the race was a huge success!

MCC’s Logo Reflects Best of Past & PresentOver the years, MCC’s mascot bee, logo, and crest have been altered and changed with the times. With the celebration of our 50th graduating class it was time to restore the school’s graphic image by combining the best of its traditions with its vision for the future. With the help of a panel of school representatives including teachers, staff, alumni and parents the school commissioned a rebranding project. LOOK Marketing, a nationally recognized marketing firm located in Melbourne, FL, was retained to help lead the process and provide consultation, graphicdesign and objectivity to the process. The final product is an outstanding array of design elements that truly reflect what MCC represents. “MCC has been a community landmark for more than 50 years and this branding process highlights both the historical trademarks that are so well known by alumni and updates them to embrace the future,” said Julie Arnold, PR Director, LOOK Marketing. “We wanted to make sure that these traditions and stories were accurate and help explain the history of MCC.” The new designs have been introduced this school year. New school uniforms, new signage, and updates in printed materials can be seen around campus.But just in case you’ve missed them, here are our new graphic elements:

Crest- the new crest takes the elements from the original crest which was designed by a MCC student. Each symbol within the crest has significant meaning:

• Open Book: Education. • Lamp: Light. Life. Spirituality. • Chevron: Faithful Service. • Winged foot: Hermes- transition between boundaries, also signifies athletics.

As part of the branding process we reviewed the origination of the Hustler name as well as the Hustler Bee. Through research we sum-marized these findings and updated historical misrepresentations so that the MCC family understands the origination of our traditions.

The History of the HustlerEven though MCC’s student nickname the “Hustlers” has a somewhat mysterious history, alumni and fans alike are passionate about the name. Legend has it that the name was selected by the school’s first president, Fr. Dolan who was a University of Maryland Terrapin football fan and admired the name of their offensive line—the Hustlers. According to the University of Maryland archives, the Hustlers was the nickname for the offensive specialists under Coach Tom Nugent in 1962. When looking for a name for Brevard’s new Catholic high school, Fr. Dolan thought that every team should exhibit hustle, thus the name“Hustlers” was born.Hustler athletes and fans alike are proud of the spirit the word evokes—hard work, determination, grit and drive. And the MCC Hustlers have proved worthy of the name for more than 50 years. The Hustler Bee

Have you ever heard the saying ‘busy as a bee’?This saying originated as bees work without rest, work for the common good of the hive, and obey their superiors without question.The bee is also a symbol of wisdom, for it collects nectar from many flowers and turns it into nourishing honey, which is the ‘gold’ of bees. We should do the same, take whatever we can and transform it through our labor into a benefit for us and our neighbors. In one of the writings of St. John Chrysostom he confirmed this spiritual explanation when he wrote: “The bee is more honored than other animals, not because it labors, but because it labors for others” (12th Homily). Like charitable Catholics, bees produce good works for their neighbor at all times by pollinating the plants for food, beauty and airquality, necessary for the survival of others. Our students at Melbourne Central Catholic High School embody the Hustler Bee spirit. The Hustler Bee, or MCC student, works without rest, works for the common good of the community and obeys superiors. This characteristic combines to develop spiritual, passionate, hard working and philanthropic students who mature into the community leaders of tomorrow.

MCCMelbourne central

catholic

PRIMARY SIGNATURE: STACKED SIGNATURE: MONOGRAM:WORDMARK:

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National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalist Congratulations to MCC senior, Brooke Emison, who has been named by the National Merit Scholarship Program as a National Merit Semifinalist. The National Merit Scholarship Program honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies. Brooke earned this honor based upon her exemplary 2013

PSAT scores. She will now have the opportunity to continue on in the com-petition vying for the honor of National Merit Finalist and possibly, a National Merit Scholarship.

Brooke Emison

Parents & AlumniBusiness Directory

MCC parents or alumni may feature theirbusinesses in our online directory located on our website. If you would like to be included, please

be sure to send your information tocommunications@melbournecc.org Let’s support our MCC community!

Valerie Hays Minor, MCC’s Class of 1994 has embarked on an amazing and inspir-ing life journey to help those in need. Here is her personal account of her work with Mercy Ships: “I could speak for days about how won-derful Mercy Ships is! To give you a brief history, Don and Deyon Stephens started Mercy Ships in 1978. There have been several other ships, but now “The Africa Mercy” is the only ship in opera-tion and a new ship is currently being built. The ship spends 10 months each year in a country that needs help. The ship cur-

rently focuses only on Africa because of the unimaginable need. Mercy Ships core value is to show God’s love to the forgotten poor of the world, to be love in action so that the lame can walk and the blind can see and the sick can be healed. We work to accomplish these goals with an all-volunteer crew of doctors, nurses and other staff. The types of surgeries that are per-formed on the ship are maxillofacial, orthopedic, plastics to repair other surger-ies, repair of burn contractures, general surgery, obstetric fistula repair, cataract removal, and different kinds of dental procedures. The ship also teaches agricul-tural techniques, well building and latrine building. The ship also runs many off ship ministries such as visiting children’s hospitals, orphanages, prisons, birthing and different villages to minister to the needy. I have been asked to head up the Hope Center and the team house for the next couple of field services. The Hope Center is the off-ship recovery unit when the patient is well enough to not need 24 hour critical supervision, but not well enough to go home to their village. Many of the patients still go back to the ship daily for bandage changes or therapy. I have volunteered with Mercy Ships twice before. My first field service was in Guinea in 2012, then Congo in 2013. I have been so blessed to be a part of this organization. The patients and family members show such a level of thankful-ness and gratitude that I couldn’t have even imagined in a first world country. Watching a mother who has never seen “westerners”, has never seen a doctor, has never heard English, hand her baby over to have surgery simply because we tell her we can fix her baby is like nothing else. Watching a young mother get her patches taken off from a very simple cataract removal and see her child/children for the first time ever is such an emotional experience I don’t even have the words to explain it. We literally get to show God’s love everyday on the ship, but the most won-derfully unexpected part for the first-time volunteer is that as hard as working on the ship can be, these patients fill you with so much love, they show you a whole different level of faithfulness, they embody pure joy though living in abject poverty. You are so fulfilled each and every day.” Readers: All crew members are volunteers and pay their own travel, mission-ary insurance fee, and personal expenses. To learn how you can help visit www.mercyships-us.donorpages.com/crewmates . You will find a link to Valerie Minor if you are interested in helping one of our MCC alumni share God’s love.

Carley, Class of 2009, Drafted to Yankees This season MCC graduate, Sean Carley, can be seen wearing the legend-ary pinstripe uniforms that the New York Yankees have made famous. The Yankees selected the right-handed pitcher from West Virginia University in the 14th round. Sean was primarily a pitcher for the Hustlers but also played first and third bases. He selected the Air Force Academy as his next step after high school. Sean played for the Falcons but finished his college career at the University of West Virginia. Last spring, Sean was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 14th round of the 2014 draft. The year prior, he was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 34th round of the 2013 draft but did not sign. “Sean was a big strong kid with tremendous enthusiasm,” said MCC baseball coach Tom Dooley. “He was free spirited and had fun playing the game.” Coach Dooley added “He was intense and focused on the mound. Sean had a wonderful confidence in himself. He is an intelligent young man. He has always set high goals for himself and has a great desire to make it in not only the game of baseball but in all activities he pur-sues in life.” Coincidentally, Sean is fortunate to have played his first season of pro ball for Mario Garza, MCC Class of 1999 and Hustler base-ball hall of famer. Mario is also with the Yankees organization. “Mario is one of the greatest players and one of the greatest human beings the program has ever had,” added Dooley.“I am not surprised by the success Sean has achieved. He has a chance to make it to the big leagues. It will take him maxing out his talents, staying healthy and getting a break along the way,” concluded Coach Dooley. Congratulations on your success and we look for-ward to cheering you on!

& Classroom without walls Students from Mrs. Christi Head’s science class recently took a field trip to the beach to study this unique ecosystem. Their hands-on adventure included collecting sand samples and recording abiotic information like temperature, tides,

and wave activity. Back at the classroom, they analyzed sand samples for the origin of some of the particles.

Alumna Volunteers on Mercy Ships

Alumni NEwS

Will Link, Class of 1997, is serving as the President of the Board of Direc-tors of Explorations V Children’s Museum in Lakeland, Florida as well as the 2014 chairman of EMERGE Lakeland. Will recently received the Polk Emerging Leader Award. The awards recognize up and coming leaders who are striving through their professional and personal lives to better Polk County.

Daniel LaManna, Class of 2010, is graduating from the University of Central Florida with University Honors with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and minor in Business Administration. He has accepted a position as a mechanical engineer at Lockheed Martin in San

Jose, California.

David Gaul, Class of 2005, and Mary Furino, Class of 2006, tied the knot on March 1, 2014 at Ascen-sion Catholic Church in Melbourne. Alumni of both Ascension and MCC, David and Mary began dating in col-lege at the University of Florida. The Gauls live in Orlando, but frequently return to Melbourne to visit friends and family.

Kevin McKeown, Class of 2006, and his wife recently moved back to Brevard County. In June of 2014, he was hired as the Assistant City Clerk for the City of Melbourne.

Jeff Burr, Class of 2007, and his wife, Erin, became the proud parents of their first child, Luke, on March 12, 2014! Luke weighed in at 7lbs 2 oz. Congratulation to Jeff and Erin! They are so blessed!

Justine Ottenhoff Hogan, Class of 1995, and her husband Griff Hogan, joyfully welcomed their fourth child, Alice Jane on March 4, 2014. Justine and Griff have three other children Jack (11), Ivy Ann (5) and Holland (3).

Scotty Steele, Class of 2010, gradu-ated with honors from the Univer-sity of Central Florida in May. He earned his Bachelors of Science in Healthcare Administration He has accepted a position with State Farm- Eric Ponce, Melbourne, FL.

Valerie Greco, Class of 2009 and AJ Cacciatore, Class of 2009, were engaged on July 18, 2014 in New Orleans. They plan to tie the knot on July 4, 2015 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Valerie graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2013 with a Bach-elor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies, concentrating in Biomedi-cal and Physical Sciences. Currently

she is applying to medical school and plans to matriculate in August of 2015. AJ graduated from Rollins College in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Psychology and earned a minor in Business. Currently he is working as anOperations Specialist at ModSpace Corporation.

Breanna Palsis, Class of 2010, graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from University of Central Florida. She was the Top Honor Gradu-ate, holding the highest academic rank in the class. Breanna is a RN in the pediatric intensive care unit at Florida Hospital for Children in downtown Orlando.

Laura Essessee, Class of 2006 , is an attorney with Montgomery Family Law in Cary, NC. She obtained her undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University earning a Bachelor of Arts in English, with Departmen-tal Honors, and minors in Journal-ism and Middle East and South Asia Studies.

Kevin McCarthy, Class of 2010, graduated from Florida Atlantic University. He earned a degree in Criminology.

MCC

Please submit yourAlumni News to

alumni@melbournecc.orgor visit our website

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Jeff, Erin, & Luke Burr

AJ Cacciatore & Valerie Greco

Mary & David Gaul

Kevin McCarthy

Memorial Trees Available “It is a tree of life.” -Proverbs 13:12 Twenty-one beautiful Live Oak trees now grace the perimeter of the eastern side of our campus and are available as part of the MCC Memorial Tree Program. The noble oak is a fitting memorial to a special loved one or to com-memorate an important occasion. Under the care of our landscap-ing team, the trees will grow and become a living memorial that will be admired and enjoyed for many decades. Memorial trees are available for a donation of $500 which includes a personalized marker at the base of each tree. For more information about MCC’s Memorial Tree program, please visit our website atwww.melbournecc.org.

Presented byMCC Champions Club

Saturday, November 8, 20146 -11 p.m.

$25 per person, Adults Only

Includes barbecue dinner,dessert, beer & wine. This out-door event located on campus

is a casual get-together for friends of MCC. It featurescountry western music, line

dancing, football on TV,paintball target practice,

blackjack tables and more.For reservations contactwilkiet@melbournecc.org.

Hustler dynasty

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDCullman, AL 35055

Permit # 74

Melbourne Central Catholic High School100 East Florida Avenue

Melbourne, Florida 32901

EMAIL:communications@melbournecc.org

We’d love to hear from you!Got

feedbAck ????

Please submit your Alumni News to alumni@melbournecc.org or visit our website

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Go Hustlers!!

& Volleyball Team Defeats Teams from Alabama, Florida and Tennessee The varsity volleyball team flew to Birmingham, AL in early September to play in the pres-tigious “Juanita Boddie” Volleyball Invitational. The Hustlers played very well and made it into the Top Gold Division, placing 3rd out of 28 teams from Alabama, Florida, and Tennessee. They were the “talk of the gym” as the spectators mumbled, did you see “that” Florida, green and gold team beat the 6A Alabama State Championship team! The team was also able to tour the University of Alabama-Birmingham and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. The team also attended a college volleyball game at Samford University, where they played Michigan State, and received a private tour of the Pete Hanna Facility and the volleyball locker room. They were able to meet the Samford team and ask the college players questions and talk with the head volleyball coach. All in all, it was an amazing opportunity for the MCC team.

Class of 1983 Reunites

Members of the Class of 1983 had an outstanding turnout for their 30 year reunion held late August. The two day event included a cocktail hour, beach party and formal dinner.