Saturday, October 4, 2025

Titan Nation,

 

The past seven days have been extremely eventful! Our week started strong with our annual Dash of the Titans 5K and the momentum kept going as our scholars ended the week with a text discussion with the author of The Red Umbrella, Christina Diaz Gonzalez. It truly is fitting that the virtues for the month October are self-control and self-discipline, as these qualities were key to helping our scholars succeed this week.

 

Accomplishing activities outside of school hours is not easy. As True North scholars, you engage in a rigorous curriculum filled with challenging texts, assessments, and assignments. For many, the easier route to fulfillment would be to simply put your feet up and relax during times of leisure. However, as Titans, you have learned to prioritize what is important and hold yourselves to higher standards. You possess virtues like self-control and self-discipline that help you think, plan, and make rational decisions. This means you take proactive steps to plan ahead and, at times, even forgo temporary happiness in pursuit of goals of greater significance. In fact, this is something you began learning on your very first day as a Titan when reading and analyzing the story of Hercules. The most fulfilling path is not the easy one, but rather the one that leads to success by overcoming adversity.

 

Titans, in life you will face difficult choices. Having self-control and self-discipline will help you navigate even the toughest challenges, and will give you the strength and fortitude to always do what is right. We are so proud of everything you accomplished this past week.

 

Below is your Weekly Scroll: 

Dash of the Titans 5K

On Saturday, more than 1,300 Titans gathered at Zoo Miami to participate in the 2025 – 2026 Dash of the Titans 5K, presented by UHealth Jackson Children’s Care.

 

This year’s race was filled with school spirit, family fun, and lasting memories. From start to finish, the day was a success – the weather was ideal for runners, the food provided by our sponsors was delicious, and the music and energy kept everyone moving. Throughout the 5K, many of our athletes paused along the course to take photos with some of the animals in the zoo, including giraffes, antelopes, and zebras.

 

Our Kids Zone was also a complete success! Our Tiny Titans enjoyed a variety of activities such as face painting, crafting, and coloring before participating in their own Dash of the Titans event.

 

Thank you to everyone who came out and took part in this year's Dash of the Titans 5K!

True North Classical Academy Homecoming Week 

This week, True North Classical Academy celebrated Homecoming! Through a series of fun activities, our scholars connected with their peers while showcasing their Titan spirit. Some of the week’s most notable events included the annual Powderpuff Game, Fall Sports Pep Rally, Alumni Football Homecoming Game, and a teacher water-dunking contest.

 

The week will conclude with the Homecoming Dance this Saturday.

Annual Dig Pink 

On Wednesday, our Girls Volleyball Team held their annual Dig Pink game against Florida Christian. This event represents something much bigger than a volleyball match, as it is a fundraiser in the fight against cancer.

 

To prepare for the event, our Titans designed and sold a unique spirit shirt to be worn on special school days. Through the t-shirt sales, the girls volleyball team was able to raise funds for the fight against cancer. A remarkable feat that made their 3-0 victory a lot sweeter. Some notable statistics from the game include: 

 

 

Congratulations, Titans! 

Jacob Finlay 

Our scholar, Jacob Finlay, True North Classical Academy Sunset, participated at the Florida Regional Debate Initiative tournament, a competitive academic debate event hosted by the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative (FCDI) across the state's six regions. 

Congratulations to Jacob Finlay for winning 1st place in Extemporaneous Debate at the Florida Regional Debate Initiative tournament!

The Red Umbrella 

By Christina Diaz Gonzalez 

Our 7th-grade scholars had the pleasure of welcoming Christina Diaz Gonzalez, author of The Red Umbrella, to True North Classical Academy. During her visit to our Sunset Campus, Christina discussed her book with our scholars, gave them a glimpse into the creative process of writing, shared the connection between the books The Red Umbrella and The Bluest Skies, encouraged our scholars to preserve their own family stories through writing, and hosted a Q&A session. The visit concluded with a book signing in our cafeteria, accompanied by Cuban pastries.

 

The Red Umbrella is read by our 7th-grade scholars every year. It follows the story of Lucia, a 14-year-old girl who moves to America from Cuba as part of Operation Pedro Pan. The story is heavily inspired by the lives of Christina's family members. Although not a direct biography, Christina shared that this book helped her preserve her family's history and spread awareness of the Pedro Pan Operation.