Alumni

Just in time for Valentine's Day, more than 175 WCS alumni in college received care packages from WCS. This annual initiative by the PR/Alumni Office reminds our alumni how much they are loved and missed on campus.  To receive a package, alumni just had to respond to an email from the school with their current mailing address or send a message to a school account on social media where the initiative was widely publicized. 

Congratulations to Gaby Meitin '14 on her graduation from the University of Florida. Gaby will recieve a degree in Civil Engineering.

Congratulations to Victor Mora '12 for graduating from FIU with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, with a concentration in Math and English. 

Michael Riley '17 started his college career proving himself on the diamond as a baseball recruit at Seton Hall University in New Jersey. However, after experiencing recurring injuries, he pursued a new challenge and began to explore his interest in business and problem solving.

Class of 2001 alum Derek Wallbank is moving to Singapore to be a senior editor for breaking news in Asia for Bloomberg News. He currently runs the U.S. government breaking news desk for Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Government in Washington, covering the White House, Congress, campaigns, federal agencies and foreign policy. He has worked for the news organization since July 2011. Derek is a graduate of Michigan State University.  Congratulations on this new chapter, Derek!

Congrats to alumnae Candace Morris Tabb '12 on her marriage to Payton Tabb in North Carolina on October 13, 2018. Laura Melvin '09, Candace's sister was the maid of honor in the ceremony. In high school, Candace was on the varstiy cheerleading squad and was the captain her senior year.

Congrats to alum Stefano Medina '10 on his marriage to Stephanie Padron in Coral Gables on October 20, 2018. Stefano attended WCS all four years of high school. He also played soccer for the Warriors.

Walgreens pharmacist and WCS alum Michael Winters '04 collaborates each year with the WCS Health Office to provide flu shots to WCS faculty and staff.  School Nurse Patty Winters has a special place in her heart for this program and for the pharmacist, who is her youngest son. 

Each flu shot given at WCS supports Walgreens worldwide project: "Get a Shot...Give a Shot." Walgreens has given millions of shots to under-developed nations around the world.

Interested in what's going on at WCS? Follow the official accounts of Westminster Christian School and see what is going on!
Twitter: @wcsmiami
Facebook: @wcsmiami
Instagram: @wcsmiami
LinkedIn: @wcsmiami

Congratulations to alum MJ Melendez '17 on earning the Kansas City Royals Minor League Player of the Year award. After graduating from WCS, MJ was drafted in the second round of the 2017 MLB Draft. He instantly made an impact and continues to be a force for the Royals minor league teams.

We are always interested in what our alumni are up to after life at WCS.  News, big or small, we want to hear it all! Email alumni@wcsmiami.org and fill us in! 

Via the WCS website, alumni have access to a private, online Alumni Drectory. The directory contains the latest address, phone number, and email we have on record for all alumni. Looking for a former classmate? Want to pursue a job with a fellow Warrior? Start with the directory.

On August 31, 2018, alumna Nicole Boulris '16 had the privilege of performing the national anthem before a Miami Marlins game, in memory of fellow alum Kyle Dodds '10, and countless others affected by drug addiction and the opioid epidemic.

WCS alum AJ Tablada '10 and his wife, Melissa, on April 21, 2018 in Coral Gables.

Congrats to alum Gio Volpe '14 on accepting a role in the upcoming musical Shrek. Gio was very involved at WCS producing the Good Life Video and an essential part to the Fine Arts Department. 

Gio will be playing multiple roles and providing music for Shrek which will be opening on May 18.

WCS alum Chris Dunn '09 married Caitlin Elle on June 17, 2017 in Cohasset, MA, about 45 minutes south of Boston. In high school, Chris played Varsity Football and Soccer and earned the Warrior Award for Athletics.

Having attended Westminster since preschool, it is easy to understand why I consider WCS my home and family. Westminster is the only school I have ever attended, and to have spent 15 of my 18 years here, is one of my life’s greatest blessings. In the elementary school, WCS was my family because my friends were there, my teachers loved me and they encouraged me to learn and to love Jesus. As I grew older, my friends and teachers, and even the parents of my friends, guided me as I discovered my gifts and began to unravel the mystery of who I was becoming. Mrs. Blaum helped me learn to read, while Mrs. Abbey coached me in my spelling bee competitions long after I had left her class. Mrs. Santacoloma cemented my love for reading by crowning me “Reading Pig” because I read so many books. In middle school, Mrs. Wright taught me to work harder than I had ever worked before, while Coach Brown showed me that I could lead even as the youngest player on the court. However, high school was the first time that I really came to understand the true value of my WCS family.

The stage lights grew dim and created a golden haze over the wooden beams that stood front and center inside the hot, crowded chapel. It was then, at the conclusion of our worship, that Mr. Reed stepped out from behind the shadows of backstage. A cross had been moved to stand directly beside him. It was empty.

Mr. Reed proceeded to share a message. He communicated the simple fact that students and teachers alike were broken, messy, and imperfect. He mentioned that as a student body we can often be quick to cover up our bruises, our setbacks, and insecurities. So, he stood there intently, encouraging us to share, reflect and post. It was my sophomore year at WCS during chapel time at Warrior Week.

He began to pass out Post-It Notes, making sure everyone had one to write on; pens were passed down along the rows. Next, one-by-one, students began to stand and approach the stage. Seniors were the first to stand up; juniors, sophomores, and freshmen followed, all carrying their yellow Post-It Notes to the cross. They, along with myself, stood face-to-face with the cross and posted away. Our flaws were pierced by the nails pre-arranged on the wood, which created an uncanny resemblance to the nails that pierced Christ’s hands.

Family. A place where you feel at home, yourself, safe, protected, cared for, comforted, and held accountable. A place where you laugh, cry, share, make memories, and listen. Westminster is my family. As seniors are getting eager to move on from high school and “never see these people again” I find myself asking “Why?”

The words “Go, go Arapahoes!” resonated through the air as I led my team through the week’s first event. Behind me, a group of thirty-five peers followed ready to be challenged and hopefully win first place in the series of competitions held during Warrior Week.

As we entered the gymnasium, the preliminary sounds of the Chant Competition filled the air. This event required us to compose a team chant. There was no time to waste. I quickly rallied the group and we began to brainstorm ideas. Without much hesitation, the team shared various possibilities. Someone told me an idea that I thought it was very creative, and I went ahead and relayed it to the rest of the team. They loved it, and with full consensus, it became our team’s chant. Practicing was not only fun but also inspiring. It brought us closer, and when our turn in the competition finally arrived, we shouted our chant at the top of our lungs. Our team’s performance exceeded my expectations as well as the teachers’ and counselors’, since we received one of the highest ratings for our chant.

I've been a student at Westminster Christian School since the wee age of eight, where I was a brand new 2nd grader from Connecticut. This school always stood apart from any other school I had been around and I had always loved it dearly, but it wasn't until my 10th grade year that I realized just how one of a kind this school truly was. The week before the first official day of my sophomore year, I was at Warrior Week, a place to rekindle old friendships and form new ones. I didn't expect to see too many new faces this year, and I didn't expect the few I saw to matter very much to me; I couldn't have been more wrong. There was a girl in my cabin. She was new and didn't know anyone at all. I didn't really notice her until my other friends did. We took her for a walk and got to know the basic facts about her, like her name, where she came from, what she liked doing. She was nice and my entire friend group took a liking to her; however, there was so much more to her than met the eye. One day, she told me that she had moved down to Miami because her mom had cancer and required treatment that could only be given to her down here. My heart bled and I pulled her into a hug. We became very, very close friends after that point. Now, fast forward to Homecoming Week of that same year. My whole group of friends was in the school's auditorium as we were all waiting for the afternoon's antics to begin. All of a sudden, a girl sitting one row in front of me and two seats down gasped at her phone. She had just received a text message saying that the girl from Warrior Week's mother had passed on. In that moment, it felt like a weight had fallen over our entire quarter of the room. Some people cried; Others hung their heads in defeat. Everyone was silent. Our hearts seemed to beat at the same slow rate, the melancholy percussion of a sorrowful song sung in unison.

I have attended Westminster Christian School since the second grade. For these last eleven years, the school has been my home away from home. The first year I was at Westminster, my older sister Taylor began to play soccer for the school. Because of that, as soon as school was over for the day, I would walk over to the high school campus. Within the first few weeks of school I discovered a few of the varsity boy soccer players would hang out under the concourse and kick the soccer ball around. (This group included Jake Moffet, Dylan D’Adesky, Adam Nathan, Johnny Devaldivielso, Cody Jackson and Daniel Crane). I would sit and watch, mesmerized by how good they were. I loved watching them. Quickly, though, they noticed the little boy hanging around. Soon they invited me to join them. Even though I was nervous, they not only included me but let me know they wanted me to be there.

Playing with them after school was what I looked forward to every day. In fact, it was the highlight of my day. School was fun, but this was fantastic. Some days we would scrimmage. Other days we would juggle or freestyle. At that time I had long flowing hair and I never wore shoes. They began to call me Mowgli (the little boy from the Jungle Book). When the season started, they did not forget about me. They would invite me to sit with them on the bench and when they went on road trips, sometimes they would take me too.

When I got a little older, Brian Wolfe, the coach, let me be the ball boy. That meant I got to go to every game, home and away. I rode with them on the team bus and Brian even got me a special ball boy soccer shirt. The games that I remember the most vividly were those against Palmer. They were always our rivals and I got the chance to share in the feeling of their playing. That is when I decided that someday I wanted to be on the Varsity Soccer and that someday I wanted to beat Palmer too (and score a goal against them).