MIA: A 2024 Year in Review

Lauren Riley, Executive Editor

December 20, 2024

Cover image created by Emma Nash

February 2024: Girl Lacrosse

Members of the Girls Lacrosse team huddling up before a game, alongside their coach.

“Work hard, this is where we get better,” lacrosse coach Kyle Ginther encouraged. This year, after advocacy from student Lily Tessarzik, Marco Island Academy made an exciting new addition to the sports register: girls lacrosse. This new addition landed a spot as one of the top 10 moments at MIA in 2024.

The team was open to any and all who were interested. No experience was required to make the team, which led many girls to give the new sport a shot. Now all the team needed was someone to coach them. Coach Ginther and Coach Wood generously stepped forward. With no prior experience, or knowledge of the sport, Ginther and Wood steered the girls towards greatness. Together, the coaches and the team grew and learned the sport of lacrosse.

The first week began with an abundance of enthusiasm and support. The girls gave their all every practice to get ready for their first game. Practices took place after school Monday through Thursday from 3:30 to 5:30. “I was nervous at first, but once the season got rolling, it was a blast,” Ginther admits. Since this was a brand new team, practices consisted of grasping the basics. This included practice with cradling, shooting, and stick work. Heavy cardio conditioning and muscle building was also heavily performed at practice to ensure the team was in shape, but also to show the team that they are more capable then they may think. Regardless of the difficult practices, the team managed to always make it a good time. “As hard as the practices were, and the ab workouts by Ginther, they felt like hangouts because of all of the positive attitudes all the girls brought,” Team captain, Noa Batlle assured.

The first lacrosse game took place on February 13th against Estero High School. Though the girls took a loss, the team came out of it stronger than they were before. The rest of the season was filled with hard work, determination, but also lots of fun.

History was made by the Marco Island Girls Lacrosse Team when they beat Immokalee High School. Known for its reputation of being a rough team, the girls knew they only had one choice: to give it their all. The teams battled back and forth keeping up with each other in score, but in the end, Marco Island grasped the win. Coach Ginther explains, “The girls were great and I won't ever forget the energy after beating Immokalee High School.”

Out of 23 girls on the team, only 3 had any prior lacrosse experience. Team Captain Jessica Vorderstrasse emphasized, “Coming into the team with experience, it was fun to help and watch the girls grow. I enjoyed the practices and games with this amazing group!”

With overwhelming success from last season, the team will make its return to Marco Island Academy, only this year, they will grow to be even stronger.

May 11, 2024: Prom

On Saturday, May 11th, 2024, MIA held their prom at the JW Marriott. The theme was Enchanted Forest, and both Juniors and Seniors attended this event. The week leading up to prom was full of spirit, with every day having a fun theme and students got to dress up everyday!

Starting the week off our spirit week, Monday was Camo Day, where we had to blend into the theme of an enchanted forest! Tuesday was Minion day where students dressed as characters from Despicable Me. This day honored the seniors, as they dressed as Gru and everyone else as their Minions. Wednesday, Rhyme Without Reason, dress up with a partner/group in a rhyme scheme. Thursday was Mr. Eder Day, imitation is the highest form of flattery, let's flatter our favorite teacher. To conclude our spirit week, Friday's theme was class colors! Freshman dressed in white, sophomores dressed in grey, juniors in blue, and seniors in pink and their senior jeans/crowns.

On Friday afternoon we had our prom pep rally. To start the pep rally off, we had our amazing Academy Of Rock play some great music for all our school to hear and start the pep rally off strong! They played "Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard, “I Love it” by Icona Pop & Charli XCX, Space Jam by Quad City DJ’s, and more!

After this, we called down many students to play some fun games. The first game was to move in a circle, and not let the pool noodles hit the floor. The next game was the floor is lava. They had a team of 3 and made it across the gym without touching the floor. Lastly we had some students and some teachers come to the court to play a game of tug of war, this game was especially a crowd favorite.

Then it was time to present our prom nominees for prom court 2024. For the female nominees we had Kaitlyn Campbell, Piper Noyes, Mia Winnik, and Helena Davis. For the male nominees we had Samson Brown, Wyatt Bailey, Ryan Sweeney, and Grayson Jones. After presenting them, we had our court show us their amazing talents by giving them a little competition. There were 4 buckets. One person had to hold a bucket on the top of their head while their partner tried to make their balls in the bucket before the time was up. The ones that got the most in, won!

The pep rally led up to a very eventful prom night. We had amazing music and delicious food. There was a photo booth which was used to create lasting memories and included fun accessories to pose with.

To continue on with the night, Mrs. Ray then announced prom queen and king. Our queen was Kaitlyn Campbell and our king was Sampson brown. After being honored, they shared a dance on the floor in front of everyone. As they danced the night away, everyone joined them on the floor. Prom ended later into the night and the junior and senior class had a blast, with everyone there having the opportunity to create memories that will last forever.

May 29, 2024: Beloved Teacher, Mr Eder, Retiring

Mr. Eder comes back to perform a song with Mr. Totten. (Noa Batlle)

Beloved Marco Island Academy teacher, Mr. Robert Eder, retired just last school year. Mr. Eder worked at MIA for over a decade and left a positive impact on every student he taught.

Mr. Eder taught drawing and photography during his last few years at MIA. Mr. Eder would often encourage students to hone their skills and try things outside their comfort zone. He would also work with places such as the Arts Center Theater to help students make money for their art or photography. Mr. Eder would inform his students about any contest for art or photography that students could enter.

More than anything, Mr. Eder wanted to see his students succeed, especially in what they were passionate about. He would do whatever he could to help them. Mr. Eder was also known to enjoy music such as rock, and even though he was never a part of Mr. Totten’s band, he would often bring his classes to listen to Mr. Totten’s “Totten Tune Thursday,” which would consist of Mr. Totten and sometimes one or more students singing a song and playing instruments. Mr. Eder was also known to take his photography classes to nearby parks such as Mackle Park and MarGood Harbor Park. This was great for students, as it not only allowed them to get some beautiful pictures of nature but also allowed them to go outside and move instead of sitting inside at a desk all day long.

Even when Mr. Eder couldn’t take classes to the park, usually because there were not enough people to drive all the students, he would take them outside the school to the field to take pictures so they still got some fresh air. This was one of many reasons Mr. Eder was so highly thought of by students and why he will be dearly missed by all who were taught by him. Mr. Eder’s role was taken up by Mrs. Pisculli, who is a former MIA student and was even taught by Mr. Eder. She said that Mr. Eder (as well as Mr. Totten) “showed me how much I liked art.” Former MIA

Student Zoie Swift said, “He (Mr. Eder) encouraged me to work on my art in class and gave positive feedback and some criticism so I can improve. I enjoyed sharing what I would make, and he never made me feel bad about what I drew and how I did it.” Zoie also expressed how Mr. Eder was “a positive light throughout all of MIA” and talked about how Mr. Eder loved to interact and joke with students. Mr. Eder’s positive and welcoming personality has influenced, affected, and changed people’s lives for the better.

Mr. Eder’s catchphrase was “Get those puppies hopping.” He would say this to get people to get to class or wherever they were going faster as well as to motivate students to move forward with life towards a bright future.

Before he retired, Mr. Eder had wood chips made that had his face on them and said “Get those puppies hopping” on top and “Mystery Der” on the bottom. This was an amazing gift for students to remember Mr. Eder by; it has a picture so students don't forget his face, and it's a catchphrase that most students associate with him on top and a funny wordplay joke on the bottom.

Mr. Eder was an amazing teacher, and even with him gone now, many students he taught will go on to achieve amazing things because he gave them the confidence they needed. Mr. Eder has left a huge impact on Marco Island Academy. To know Mr. Eder is to appreciate him. He has connected with his students, leaving personal impressions. While Mr. Eder is missed at MIA, he will forever be remembered as students walk past room 237.

May 21, 2024: Senior Award Ceremony

Recipients Collette Combs, Gordon Davis, Daniel Heekin, Thomas Heekin, Austin Hendrick, Makayla Hendrick, Isabella Kakaty, Piper Noyes, Celine Schauer and Grant Tirrell being congratulated for receiving the Marco Island Woman’s Club Award by presenter Anne Marchetti Marco Island Woman’s Club and MIWC president Sharyn Kampmeyer.

Senior Night at MIA for our class of 2024 was a very memorable night. The night was a great way to remember our seniors, and their exciting academic achievements. The night started off with moving heartfelt speeches from teachers and faculty, and then the scholarships awarded were recognized.

Starting strong, Grayson Jones was awarded the Donald F. O’Connell, Jr. Memorial Scholarship, showing his outstanding achievements all through highschool. Daniel Heekin took home the Forum Club William S. Gentry Scholarship, and Joselyn Stanley won the Corporal Stanley Lapinski Memorial Scholarship.

Makayla Hendricks had a very successful night, winning multiple awards and scholarships. These included, the Collier County Medical Society Alliance Foundation Scholarship Award, the Marco Island Area Chamber of Commerce/Leadership Marco Scholarship and the Daughters of the American Revolution Award.

Logan Yarnell was presented with the Fred and Louis Goebel Veterinarian Scholarship Award. Leo De Martino won the Champions for Learning-Take Stock in Children Award and Piper Noyes was celebrated with the Doris Reynolds Naples Daily News Award and the San Marco Catholic Church Scholarship.

The Kiwanis Scholarship, gifted by MarieLynn McChesney and Larry Heineman, was given to several hard working students, Makayla Hendrick, Austin Hendrick, Grant Tirrell, Josh Dominguez, Tyler Clifford, Celine Schauer, Iran Zarate-Centeno, and Nicole Sutton. While the Marco Island Noontime Rotary Club Award went to Elle Richardson, Joselyn Stanley, Iran Zarate-Centeno, and Joshya Dominguez. The Marco Island Sunrise Rotary Club Award gifted Elle Richardson, Ava Cartwrieght, Celine Schauer, Joshua Dominguez, and Emily Reisinger.

The Marco Island Women’s Club Award honored Colette Combs, Gordon Davis, Daniel Heekin, Thomas Heekin, Austin Hendrick, Makayla Hendrick, Isabella Kakaty, Piper Noyes, Celine Schauer, and Grant Tirrell.

Elle Richardson earned the National Merit Scholarship, and Collette Combs took home the coveted Winged Foot Scholarship. Colette Combs and Celine Schauer also received the Republican Men’s Club of Collier County Award. The ceremony also did department awards, showing students academic achievements.

Helena Davis won the English Department Award by Sonja Gutwerk, Annabelle Frazer took the Media Department Award from Keith Scalia, and Liam Sine was given the Fine Arts Department Award from Shane Totten and robert Eder. Dan Heekin earned the Humanities Department Award from Lori Galiana and Austin Hendrick left with both the Mathematics and Science Department Awards presented by Brandon Swope and Bette Dickson. Josh Dominguez won the world Language Department Award from Senor Higuera, and Ryan Sweeney took home the Physical Education award from Jerry Miller. Steven Ramos, won the Piece by Piece Scholarship presented by the Armas family, and Celine Schauer, who was honored with the Rays of Recognition Butterfly Award from Principal, Melissa Scott.

Austin Hendrick received the Rays of Recognition Character Award, Makayla Hendrick earned the Service Award, Elle Richardson was recognized with the Sparkle Award, and Ryan Sweeney and Grayson Jones shared the Spirit Award for being the most “spirited pair” in the class.

The night ended with the class Valedictorian and Salutatorian. Celine Schauer won the title of Valedictorian, while Elle Richardson was named Salutatorian of her class. Showing off their hard work and dedication throughout their 4 years of high school.

Senior Night was a beautiful way to make this class feel remembered and accomplished. As these students move forward to their college years, their awards stay as a reminder of their current successes in high school, and their representatives dreams of them in their future.

June 2024: History and Culture Club, Europe Trip

MIA Wandering Rays standing in front of their first stop in Paris. (Lori Galiana)

Each year, the MIA family is given the life-changing opportunity to travel to Europe and experience a world of new culture and breathtaking scenery. This year, the Wandering Rays spent two weeks in Europe, traveling to France, Switzerland, and Germany. Led by Mrs. Galiana, Mr. Higuera, Mrs. Walther, and our beloved Alex, the annual tour guide, the trip was meticulously planned to create what some would call “the adventure of a lifetime.”

Maximo Walters, who participated in last year's trip, reflected on his experience, stating, “The trip was one of the best opportunities of my life, I got to see parts of the world I might never get to see again. I was very grateful to go on the trip.”

The trip is a lot of work for teachers and students alike. These trips rely on fundraising, so monthly car washes are held, as well as a variety of other fundraising events. The car washes, while their primary focus is fundraising, also help to bring students together. Ginger Roloff, a participant in the trip, mentioned, “While the car washes are a lot of work, they are fun. You really get to know who you’re going to be traveling with.”

For many students, these trips are their first time going out of the country, which can be nerve-wracking. Fortunately, the teachers, chaperones, and tour guides are all well-trained, with seven years of experience. Alex especially, as he is a tour guide by trade. He helps to plan these trips to make sure groups get to experience as much as possible and even researches the culture, and in some cases, learns the local language to ensure that students have the best experience possible.

Alex meets with the group once they land in the airport, and will stay with them until they depart at the end of the trip. To ensure a smooth journey, and avoid mixups, he speaks around 6 different languages fluently, so he can help avoid any mix-ups. The tour guide is in constant contact with all of their resources for the trip, and if need be any of the local authorities. To highlight the credibility of the school’s trip, the first time they traveled was in 2016, this upcoming 2025 trip will be the seventh year they have been doing this, excluding 2020, and 2021 due to COVID-19. Their expertise is great and they improve on things every year with an open mind always looking at what to do better.

During the trip, the group gets to see so many of the world's most exquisite sites. In the 2024 trip to Europe, one of the many stops was visiting the top of the Eiffel Tower, experiencing the breathtaking view of Paris in all its beauty. Just to give you a better understanding of the trip, let's take a look at some of the other stops on their 2024 agenda.

In Germany, almost everyone on the trip agreed that they were taken aback by how much they enjoyed the country. Alex Macko commented, “I was most surprised with how kind everyone was. Everywhere you went they treated you amazing even though you were a tourist. They were also very helpful because almost everyone had a good understanding of English." This was a perfect inside look at the student’s experience that he will be able to carry with him for the rest of his life.

The opportunities, experiences, and memories made throughout the 2024 trip to Europe will forever be remembered by these students. MIA still hopes to continue this unforgettable tradition for its students for many years to come.

October 23, 2024: Powderpuff Game

Janie Cartwright catching an amazing throw while Adyson Clemons is still in shock. (Sophie Braun)

The battle between the blue and the pink in the fall of 2024 was definitely one of Marco Island Academy's top ten moments! On October 12th, 2024 MIA held their first annual Powderpuff game. This game was an amazing matchup, and each team got to show off their skills. The matchup was definitely a close one, making each practice worthwhile, and the audience anticipating who would take the win.

To start off the game, senior night mentioned all the senior football players and cheerleaders. After that, both teams participated in a coin toss that determined who got possession of the ball. The blue team (juniors and sophomores) won the toss and decided to defer possession until the second half of the game, making the pink team (seniors and freshmen) start off with the ball in the first half.

In the first half of the game, Jessica Vorderstrasse had an amazing interception from Alina Nguyen. This interception led the pink team to have some hope of winning this tight matchup. In addition to the interception, this play led senior Helen Totten to score the first touchdown of the game. This play increased the game's intensity and got the crowd riled up.

At the end of the 40-minute game, both the pink and blue teams were tied with 22 points. The pink team's points were scored by Helen Totten, Adyson Clemons, and Janie Cartwright. The blue team's points were scored by Brinley Heflin, and Alina Nguyen. Since the game was tied, the audience was on the edge of their seats anticipating what would happen next.

After the regular duration of the game, because it was tied, the game went into overtime. Just like the beginning, the refs Mr. Wood and Mr. Ginther did another coin toss to determine who got possession of the ball. Once again, the blue team won and chose to have first possession, in order to attempt winning the game.

Once overtime started, Alina Nguyen ran the ball down the field, which unfortunately, was stopped on fourth down. The pink team then got possession of the ball and was also stopped on fourth down.

After the first heated overtime between both teams, the score remained the same, leading the game into double overtime. They were both ready to fight for a victory. This time, the teams started at the 10-yard line and had an attempt to score a touchdown. If the team on offense didn't score, then the other team took possession in an attempt to score their team's winning point. This process was done numerous times, and the pink team had a close play making the Pink think they had won. Helen Totten ran the ball down the field, but the refs pointed at her for being outside the line, devastating the seniors and freshmen.

After each team attempted to take home the W, the pink attempted to take the ball to the end zone when Megan Doanldson picked off Totten. Megan took the ball to the end zone, leading the blue team to win.

With this tough and heated matchup between both teams, the blue team reigned with victory. Both teams played their hearts out, and although it was a tough loss for the pink, the game will be remembered, making it definitely one of the top ten moments in 2024.

October 26, 2024: Homecoming

Marco Island Academy 2024 homecoming week this past year was filled with exciting themed spirit week days which led up to the homecoming dance.

To start off the week on the 21st of October, our list of spirit week days consisted of many fun packed themes. Monday consisted of a pyjama day for the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, so that they could be comfy while taking the PSAT. On the other hand, seniors enjoyed a relaxing online day to catch up on homework or do something nice of their choice, such as going to the beach. On Tuesday, the students expressed their favorite colors through a neon theme in the neon night/Miami Vice ideas. Moving on to Wednesday, the students participated in duo or group day. This spirit day was filled with creative ideas and everyone came up with some very inventive things to dress up with their friends. Thursday consisted of Jersey v.s. Jersey Shore, where you either dress in your favorite sports team or as a member of the hit reality TV show, “Jersey Shore”, the students had lots of fun with this one. Lastly, Friday was the traditional grade colors day, yearly each grade has their own assigned colors to dress up in.

Now, that sums up our homecoming spirit week, moving on to the day before the dance. Although we unfortunately missed out on our annual football homecoming game this year, it was traded out with the girls powderpuff game where freshman and senior girls went up against sophomore and juniors, but both teams played with great sportsmanship, and most importantly greatly entertained the crowd throughout the game. Before the game took place on the MIA sports field, our seniors were congratulated and walked down the field with their escorts, while Mr. Scalia announced their name and achievements of the sports season, football and football varsity cheer. After this, the first half of the powderpuff game began. At halftime, the homecoming king and queen were announced, along with all of the senior courts lined up in front of the crowd and were each given a box with a letter on it spelling out hoco 2024 in order. When it was time, everyone opened their boxes and a balloon was released from each box. The winners' balloons were pink and blue and the rest of the courts were grey. MIA seniors Gavin Wall and Layla Platt won the crowns.

On the day of the homecoming dance, everyone dressed up in the most beautiful dresses and well put together suits to take their own pictures and then arrive at the Marco Island Country Club at 6PM. When everyone arrived and settled down at their chosen tables a large selection of food was brought out and laid on a long table for everyone to take a plate, line up and enjoy. This was accompanied by a delicious ice cream parlour with a variety of flavors and toppings to choose from. Alongside of this, the DJ played many familiar songs on their playlist that everyone got up and danced to.

Later on, the courts and king and queen walked onto the dance floor to take a dance to the song “Tennessee Whiskey”, chosen by homecoming King and Queen.

Overall, MIA’s homecoming 2024 was a great experience for all grades, and all upperclassmen are looking forward to prom!

November 22, 2024: Festival of Nations

Sam Zocco performing on the MIA stage during Festival of Nations. (Noa Batlle)

Festival of Nations, a huge yearly celebration of student’s cultures, was held on the 22nd of November. This year, students brought in so much food that even after everyone had seconds, there was still plenty left over. The dessert selection was especially impressive, with about three tables worth of worldwide sweet treats.

The performances, whether dancing, singing, putting on an act, or even playing an instrument, were incredibly impressive this year. Both students and staff took part, with Mr. Totten’s Academy of Rock as the opening act. A crowd favorite was Señora Walther’s class’s performance. She and a group of her students sang a few songs from the movie Coco, complete with costumes, face paint, and even a student in a wheelchair dressed as Mamá Coco. Their act ended with a surprise reveal of the student who played Mamá Coco, which left the crowd cheering and laughing.

Another standout performance was the group of Senior girls that sang “You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift. Their rousing performance drew the crowd into a memorable sing-along. Festival of Nations concluded with a Just Dance session. At first, only about 10 people went up, but students began joining in eagerly, inviting their friends up to dance with them. At one point, almost the whole school was out on the floor laughing as they tried to keep up with the complicated dance moves.

The event was a huge success and surely was an unforgettable part of the school year.

December 2024: Toy Drive

Marco Island Academy’s annual toy drive, led by principal Melissa Scott and supported by the school's Interact club, is more than just an event, it’s a tradition of compassion and community. This initiative has grown into a symbol of holiday warmth for the children on Marco Island. What started off as a small, heartfelt effort by one person has grown into an amazing celebration of generosity and unity.

Long before taking the role as principal of Marco Island Academy in 2013, Melissa Scott had made it clear how much she values the importance of education and community. Scott came into this position with a lifelong commitment to teaching and helping others. Her devotion started from an early age when Melissa was inspired by her first grade teacher,Mrs. Bochman. She knew from that point that she wanted to be an educator. She started her career focusing on special education, driven by a desire to support children who often feel lost or struggle to find their talents. Her belief in the importance of schools as a place for community has shaped her role at Marco Island Academy and heavily influenced the success of the toy drive.

Her passion for helping others is also rooted in her past by both personal struggles, childhood experiences, and even adulthood experiences. The idea for the toy drive came to Scott more than a decade ago when she was at her local church and saw a Christmas tree with no gifts underneath it. Growing up in a trailer and not experiencing many magical Christmases herself, she knew what it felt like to feel left out of the holiday cheer. That first year she donated a single gift: a bike, but the joy it brought her inspired her to do more. Over the years, the toy drive has expanded to include hundreds of gifts for boys and girls ranging from toy cars to Barbie dolls, and even special items like a drivable Barbie car. In her adulthood, she also had experiences volunteering for communities during the holidays in Washington D.C., where she brought food and gifts to people of all ages and backgrounds. She saw firsthand how these acts of kindness could bring communities together and create a sense of belonging. She believes that schools play a crucial role in fostering a sense of unity, especially for growing children who need a supportive and inclusive environment.

Scott’s dedication goes beyond just gathering gifts though as she also makes an effort to create an environment of celebration and excitement for students and children who may not have the chance to experience it at home. She decorates the school with festive decorations to help spread holiday cheer and she also participates in the local annual Christmas parade. Throughout December 2024, students and community members worked together to bring in donations. Her efforts, combined with the hard work of the Interact club, led to an impressive donation of hundreds of toys. The gifts were then distributed during the Christmas parade as students and staff of Marco Island Academy walked through the parade.

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About the Contributor

Lauren Riley, Executive Editor

Lauren Riley is a senior at Marco Island Academy and the Executive Editor for The Wave. Lauren dreams of winning the lottery so she never has to work a day in her life, but realistically she plans to attend college majoring in business management. In her free time Lauren enjoys spending time with her friends, buying clothes, and complaining about not having enough clothes.