Senior Spotlights 2021-2022

Joe Reisinger is a senior at Marco Island Academy. Joe Reisinger has been on MIA’s basketball, baseball, and golf teams. Joe Reisinger has been on the basketball team since his freshman year of high school, the baseball team since he was a junior, and golf during his senior year. Joe Reisinger has loved sports since he was little so they will always hold a special place in his heart. Joe Reis...

“I started playing baseball when I was very young. I started with tee-ball and never stopped playing.” Andrew Borges, a second baseman for the MIA Rays has had a successful history on their baseball team. As of Mar 22, 2022Andrew owns a .333 batting average, .556 OBP, and has scored 3 runs, only six games into the season.   In Andrew’s spare time, he is an avid car enthusiast. He spends most of his time working on cars, and is currently undertaking a full restoration on a 1948 Chevrolet Thriftmaster pickup truck. And...

Sahara Brown is a senior at Marco Island Academy. One of her many skills is her ability to sing. Since she was 7, Sahara was into musical theater, and just performing in general. Later in her senior years, she joined the Thespian Society at MIA.  As of now, Sahara’s favorite musical is Dear Evan Hansen. Sahara’s favorite memories at MIA include her trips to different districts, and singing with her ...

Yessenia Martinez is a senior at Marco Island Academy. She joined the cheerleading squad freshman year, and has been continuously involved ever since. She decided to join cheer because she wanted to be part of a team. She said she was a “freshman without many friends, and thought that cheer would help me break out of my shell and meet new people.” Throughout her time on the team, she made a ...

Paulina Kaminski came to Marco Island Academy her senior year from California. Paulina joined Thespians when they went to districts. Paulina says that her experience acting at MIA and being in Thespians has been great and that the biggest thing that she has learned has been how to better analyze body language and the actions of the characters that she plays. “It shines a new light on how I look at pe...

Working hard since his first steps into Marco Island Academy, Phoenix Gutierrez has earned his acceptance into the top Florida schools of Florida State University and the University of Florida. Phoenix is a senior at MIA and has recently joined the International Thespian Society during his final year as well. Seeing Open Mic nights his freshman year, Phoenix immediately found a spark in interest in th...

Growing up watching football with his family, Ben Macko quickly fell in love with the sport. After many years of playing Madden and watching the game on the big screen, he decided he wanted to be part of the action and join the MICMS football team in the 8th grade. His first year playing was a challenge, for he didn't have the slightest clue how to actually play the game. Most of his time on the f...

“Basketball has taught me almost everything I know,” says Marco Island Academy Senior Brooks Vorderstrasse. Brooks has been playing basketball and taking on the court competitively since third grade. He began playing for MIA when he arrived at the school during his senior year. His closest friends on the team have been among the seniors.  The Boy’s Basketball team had an amazing season this year and ...

The Marco Island Academy volleyball team has had a very successful season this year. The girls won the District Championship for the fourth year in a row with the help of the main hitter, Camryn Rose.  Camryn’s position on the team is an outside hitter. She has played all four years and was the captain of the team for the last three.  Camryn plans on attending college but she is undecide...

Sophia Shea is a senior at MIA and is the libero of the volleyball team. She plans on attending a four-year university after high school. Sophia has been a part of Key Club and Student Government all four years of high school. This year she is a president of Student Government.  Sophia’s future plans are to attend culinary school and hope to one day open her own bakery. She does not plan on p...

Skye LaButte is a senior at MIA and is the right side or outside hitter for the volleyball team. She is a president of SGA and has been a member of NHS, SNHS, and Key Club throughout her high school years.  Skye plans to attend a four-year university and is exploring in-state as well as out-of-state options. She does not plan to continue her volleyball career but instead plans to focus on her ed...

For senior year, Haylen Irvan was determined to branch out.  She decided that cheerleading was the perfect way to do so.  At first, she was very nervous but soon realized that this season was her calling when the coaches welcomed her with open arms and every single girl supported her.  Haylen is inspired by her teammates and truly believes they are her sisters.  She is amazed by how the team w...

Marco Island Academy senior Cadence Snover has been cheering and showing her spirit since eight years old. She is now a team leader for the Marco Island Academy cheerleading team, alongside her twin sister Jocelyn, and her friends Michelle Armas, and Lily Douglas. Cadence is mainly a base for her team but enjoyed her time as a flyer before high school.    MIA has received new coaching ...

Whether she was cheering or playing basketball, Marco Island Academy senior Jocelyn Snover has been on the court since her freshman year of high school. Jocelyn began to cheer when she was nine years old and started it back up when she entered high school. She has now been made one of her team’s ‘team leaders’ alongside her twin sister Cadence Snover and best friend Michelle Armas.  Jocelyn i...

Angel Bartlett can definitely be considered a big part of Marco Island Academy’s social community, and for good reason. She has said that “Marco Island Academy is like my second home, I come to school and I’m genuinely happy. I don’t think I could imagine going anywhere else for high school because this was definitely a once in a lifetime experience.” She also credits Ms. Scott and all o...

Michelle Armas came to Marco Island Academy her junior year from Saint Brendan High School in Miami, Florida. Michelle has cheered her whole two years at MIA. Her biggest takeaway from cheerleading at MIA is that some people want to cheer because they have the passion for it and others want to cheer for the uniform. Michelle values a cheer team of motivated girls. Michelle says her most memorable ...

The Marco Island Academy Girls soccer team has been blessed with many hard-working women. They have had a very successful season, resulting in the victory of many games this year.  Wendy Saynes-Ruiz has been a valued player on the team since her junior year. She plays right-wing. Now a senior, she can surely say that her dedication has paid off.  “I chose to play soccer because my friends all co...

Senior Nick Vergo is the captain of both the boys’ football and soccer teams at Marco Island Academy. Vergo began playing soccer at the age of four and football at the age of seven and has devoted his time to these sports ever since. Vergo’s inspiration comes from the people around him. These people, such as his coaches, teachers, family, and friends, push him to strive for higher achievements ...

Coming to Marco Island Academy for his sophomore year, Jorge Vargas has enjoyed watching the school grow into what it is today. Now, he is a senior and has been the starter for the boy’s varsity soccer team since he first came to the school. Jorge has actually been playing since he was just four years old, and it was then that he immediately knew that he loved the sport and wanted to continue to...

At seven years old, he picked up his first football. He’s played the sport twice in his time here at Marco Island Academy, and it was there that he created lifelong friendships. His passion though is lacrosse, which he has been playing for nine years now. Luke McLain came to Marco Island Academy from Maryland just before his freshman year. He played football during his sophomore and senior years, and states tha...

Starting senior year in a new school, in a completely new environment can be challenging and overwhelming, but Danny Carroll sees it as a new chapter in life and a chance to make new friends and new memories. Danny has been playing football since the age of three and had the opportunity to play as a quarterback for his first three years of high school before moving to Marco Island Academy. Danny has...

The Marco Island Academy Football team has been blessed to have such a successful season this year. Senior,  Giray Uzen was a blessing on their team this year. Giray has played football at the school for 3 years and has consistently played lacrosse as an outside sport. In football, on offense, he played left tackle while on defense, he played defensive end.  When asked why he decided to play football, ...

Lucas Hodgdon has been playing basketball at MIA for two years since he transferred from Lely for his junior and senior year. Lucas says that his biggest takeaway from doing basketball at MIA is that “I found a new family to grow with and learn from.” His most memorable experience playing basketball for MIA was the team’s trip to vero beach and all of the fun things that they did there. Outside...

Having moved from Pennsylvania to Marco Island before his Junior year in high school, Colin Donegan has experienced a “major change in pace and size” when compared to that of his bigger Pennsylvania high school. Now, a senior at Marco Island Academy, Colin Donegan has been a part of the MIA boys golf team for the two years that he's been at the school. However, Colin has been playing golf sin...

Alex Winnik has been going for the green since he was just a kid. In middle school, Alex made his first competitive appearance. Now, a senior at Marco Island Academy, he has been part of the MIA boys golf team during his junior and senior years. Apart from his time spent on the links for MIA, Alex has been an avid varsity lacrosse player for the Lely Trojans. Alex states that he’s “always been golfi...

For someone who moved to a brand new school at the start of his senior year, David Wilt took this challenge head-on.  David moved here from Vermont this year and is a current senior at Marco Island Academy. He played golf during the fall sports season. He originally started golf in the 7th grade and has continued to play since then. “This golf season would not have been the same without Coach Mil...

Ryan Miner is a senior and plays on the golf team at Marco Island Academy. Ryan started playing golf in his sophomore year, but actually joined the MIA golf team his junior year. He knew he wasn’t going to ever play football or basketball, but he still wanted to play a sport, so he joined the golf team and now loves golfing.  Ryan has been at MIA since sophomore year. In his free time, he likes to pl...

Xavier is a senior at Marco Island Academy he has been on the school's basketball team for only one year playing the center position. Although he has only played at MIA for one year, he has been playing basketball ever since he was 13 years old.  Outside of school Xavier practices playing at the park. When Xavier was asked why he liked the sport so much he said “it's one of the most fun things ...

Nick Smithem, a senior at Marco Island Academy has been shooting buckets ever since he was five years old. Now, Nick Smithem is leaving a legacy behind as a shooting guard and small forward. Growing up, his inspiration was Stephen Curry, so he said that he “strives to become a greater or even similar shooter like Curry.” The best moment in his basketball career was against Everglades, Nick ...

“Sometimes, what’s meant to break you makes you brave.” Rachel Weiner, a senior at Marco Island Academy, has been on the stage since she was six years old. She has performed at the Naples Players and other small productions for various roles. Her favorites include Into the Woods at MIA and The Wedding Singer at the Naples Players.  Not only is she a performer, but she is also the Vice Preside...

Riley Letendre is a senior at Marco Island Academy and a part of the Thespian Society. Riley joined the Thespian Society in 2019, and is now the President of the Thespians.  Riley decided to join the Thespians Society because she was “really into theatre and writing, and it was a community that welcomed people for who they are.” Her favorite part about being a Thespian is that she gets to d...

Senior Tony Castillo, is a student at Marco Island Academy, who has always enjoyed playing basketball and cross country. Castillo enjoys playing sports with his friends and has enjoyed every moment and memory he has shared with them. Castillo plays as a point guard but is leaving his basketball memories behind, by not playing competitively after high school. Though he also committed to cross cou...

Kira has been a part of Thespians all four years of high school. Her biggest takeaway from being in Thespians and acting at MIA has been the friendships that she has made. Kira’s most memorable experience performing was when she forgot her solo for the opening number of Into the Woods her sophomore year. She has also been casted as Ariel in The Little Mermaid for the upcoming show in April, which sh...

As a freshman, Isabella Burgos committed her time to the Thespian Society. Through this, she became a crucial member of the Theater department here at Marco Island Academy. During her time here at Marco Island Academy, she especially loved her humanities and art classes. She is also involved in Key Club, The Wave, and the Spanish National Honor Society.    Outside of school Bella participates with...

Colton Wood is a student at Marco Island Academy. He is also the basketball manager this year as well as a player for the school's golf team. Colton has been playing golf for the school since his freshman year of high school and has only been the manager for the basketball team for his senior year.  Colton said, “This school has helped me figure out who I am and what I want to be.”   As...

Ian Campbell is a senior at Marco Island Academy. He has attended all four years of here at MIA. Ian is currently playing golf for the Marco Island Academy golf team.   Ian was asked who he looks up to and he said Graham Hancock a British writer and journalist.  Ian was also asked why he looks up to such a person and he had said, “he has good ethics and is intelligent.”   Ian’s...