By Britt Smith, Principal
There’s never been a better time to be an Arnold Marlin! Students attending Arnold are encouraged to be part of the A-A-A education experience as a Marlin. The A-A-A demonstrates our emphasis on excellence in Academics, Arts, and Athletics. You only have to look at Arnold’s success since Hurricane Michael to know that our Marlins epitomize what it takes to be a high-performing A-A-A school despite the challenges of a community rebuild or worldwide pandemic. Did you know our Latin Club has been nationally recognized twice for its work, and Arnold sports teams earned four FHSAA State Championships and two State Runner-Up Titles during this period?
Academically, Bay District Schools will recognize and honor Arnold’s Winter Sports teams at its first meeting in March for achieving the HIGHEST GPA among all schools in the county. These teams include our Soccer (boys and girls), Basketball (boys and girls), Weightlifting (girls), and Wrestling (boys and girls). In all, 43 Marlins from these teams achieved a grade point average of 4.0 or above during the last grading period while their sports were in season!
Artistically, our Marlins are true performers. Our Thespians earned 7 Superiors and 4 Excellents en route to the State competition. Memphis Messina was awarded the Critics Choice in the Monologue Category! The Blue Thunder Band has had numerous Marlins selected to the All-County Band, five of whom are Principal Players!
Athletic programs at Arnold are clearly the best in our area. Each year the Florida High School Athletic Association’s Floyd E. Lay Sunshine Cup All-Sports Award rates each school by the accomplishments of its teams. During the most recent award announcement, Arnold placed 4th in Class 5A rankings (highest among public schools). This was the highest finish in the Florida Panhandle. Last year we were proud to have our Girls Weightlifting Team win its third consecutive State Championship, and our Boys Soccer win the Class 4A State Championship. Our Girls Soccer earned the Class 4A State Championship Runner Up title.
This year our athletic teams are continuing their pursuit to be the very best!
For example, during the 2021-2022 school year, our Marlin Boys Swim and Dive team earned the State Championship Runner Up title, and Shane McEliece was selected as the Class 2A Florida Swimmer of the Year! Arnold’s Boys Soccer is currently ranked the top team in Florida Class 5A and will have played for the State Championship in Deland (February 26) by the time this goes to press.
In addition to our team successes, we are proud of the many individual State Champions who showed they are the best in the state!
