Schools
Miami Central High School Honors Class of 2020
M-DCPS and Miami Central High School honor the Class of 2020 to coincide with the school's virtual graduation on June 11.
MIAMI, FL — Miami-Dade County Public Schools and Miami Central High School are honoring the Class of 2020 to coincide with the school's virtual graduation on June 11.
The school is highlighting one student below who represents the achievements of the entire graduating class.
Shamar Zaragoza
Find out what's happening in Miamifor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Shamar Zaragoza is an exceptional Student Athlete who boasts a 3.7 GPA at the time of his graduation. Shamar was the captain of the 2019 6A Football State Championship team. He is also the recipient of "Mr. Miami Central & Varsity Football Player," thanks to his 1000+ community service hours. Despite having a stutter, he has overcome many obstacles.
His struggles with his speech impacted his self-esteem at an early age. He was reluctant to speak so that his peers wouldn't learn about his impediment. With the help of his parents, he became determined not to let it define him. He focused on the things he could control, which were his academics and his athletics.
Find out what's happening in Miamifor free with the latest updates from Patch.
As a result of that determination, Shamar was able to accomplish success in both areas. He earned a full football scholarship to the prestigious Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA. He graduated a half-year early from high school and was able to enroll at Southern University this spring where he made the Dean's List in his first semester as a student.
In an effort to ensure that the Class of 2020 graduates at Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) receive the pomp and circumstance they deserve, the District is holding virtual graduation ceremonies for each high school. The live streaming of each virtual graduation, as well as a schedule of ceremonies and a video archive can be accessed by visiting Classof2020.dadeschools.net. The ceremonies are also televised on WLRN Channel 17.
The virtual commencement ceremonies will be followed by an in-person Class of 2020 celebration at each high school either in the summer or winter, once it is safe to do so under public health guidelines.
In addition to the virtual ceremonies, the District has launched a marketing campaign to highlight outstanding seniors, and invite the community to celebrate graduates on social media using the following hashtags: #MDCPSGrad, #Classof2020, #MeetMDCPSGrads and #SeniorSpotlight.
