Collier County Public Schools: Debut “District All-Stars”

BY: Quinton Allen, CCPS Communication Specialist II

Collier County Public Schools (CCPS) is excited to announce a new venture to recognize high school student-athletes. Starting this month, and going forward on a monthly basis through May, one standout athlete from each high school will be designated a “District All-Star.”

At each school, coaches will submit nominations to their Activities Coordinator, along with a brief explanation as to why they have chosen a particular student. A standout player could be a student-athlete who has achieved greatness, overcome adversity to meet personal goals, or simply reflected his/her team or school in a positive light. Activities Coordinators then send their top selection to the district office. District All-Stars will be announced by the 1^st of every month. Additionally, throughout that month the individual student-athlete stories will be shared on the District Facebook page and Twitter.

Congratulations to the inaugural group of District All-Stars for February! Pictured left to right: Kevin Charles – Immokalee High School, Matthew Vanlleuwen – Everglades City School, Javier Ramirez – Golden Gate High School, Isabella Kinsley – Naples High School, Paige Clausen – Barron Collier High School, Johnathan Garcia – Lely High School, Alejandro Zuniga – Palmetto Ridge High School, and Reese Tremitiere – Gulf Coast High School.

Collier County has been fortunate to continue to provide safe sporting opportunities for students. As we all know, that is not the case in other parts of Florida or other states. As we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, strict safety protocols remain in place for all sports programs throughout the district. Coaches and players follow the guidelines developed by CCPS with the continued guidance and communication with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and our local Department of Health-Collier.

To help celebrate the ongoing achievements of our student-athletes, the timing of this new recognition is perfect. It has created excitement among schools, athletes, as well as the District itself. According to CCPS Interscholastic Athletics Supervisor Mark Rosenbalm, “I think this new student-athlete recognition program is awesome!” The launch will bring more exposure to and help spotlight the hard work put in by the District’s most skilled student-athletes. An enthusiastic Rosenbalm added, “Anytime we get the chance to honor and promote the accomplishments of our student-athletes, we should!”

Ultimately, Executive Director of Communications & Community Engagement Chad Oliver hopes the new program will give student-athletes much-deserved additional notoriety and a chance to represent their team and school. Visit www.collierschools.com/districtallstars for an archive of all District All-Stars.