Soccer Tryouts!

By Nick Bell

As OCP’s fall sports are wrapping up it is almost time for the start of our winter sports, and there is growing excitement for OCP’s soccer season. Last year, our soccer team had a disappointing record of 2-8, but under new head coach Ryan Hopkins, and a year of experience of playing together as a team, they are optimistic. There are many new players participating this year, as well as many returning players, and everyone is coming in with a fresh attitude.

Aaron Bass, who planned to be team captain, has unfortunately suffered a possible season-ending injury. Although he is fighting very hard to be able to play his senior year, there is still no guarantee he will be able to play. Even though these events are unfortunate, it opens up new opportunities for other players to step up and take a much larger role than what was originally expected. 

Coach Hopkins commented he is extremely ambitious for this season and expects improvement on last season. He loves the game of soccer and is passionate about his new position as coach. He would also like to encourage anyone who is interested to come try out. Anyone with or without soccer experience is welcome, so long as they have positive attitudes, a coachable spirit, and a willingness to learn. 

Try-outs are Monday the 22nd and Tuesday the 23rd from 4:00-6:00 pm. Come prepared with cleats, shin guards, and a good attitude!

O-Town Highlights - October 18

by Aaron Bass

A lot has happened in the past week here in Orlando!

The Magic played a dominant San Antonio Spurs in one of their last preseason games of the NBA season. Spurs were able to come away victorious with a score of a 100-81. The Magic get their regular season underway with their first games against the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets this week.

Orlando City soccer played away in New England and were unfortunate to lose 2-0, giving away some goals due to goal-keeping errors. Our Lions are back in action this weekend against Captain America Clint Dempsey and a mighty Seattle Sounders here at home at the Orlando City Stadium.

Last weekend at Lake Eola, there was an Orlando pride parade to raise awareness for the Pulse shooting. The event was organised to remember those who lost their lives and were affected by this terrible tragedy.

Disney’s annual event, “Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party,” has been a big success with record numbers of people attending the park and lots of laughs and giggles spread around by everyone. Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights has been underway for a few weeks now after they added five new mazes for people to explore and face their fear! Be sure to check it out now before it finishes in November!

FACCS Competitions Program

by Aaron Bass

With the FACCS Spelling Bee almost here, we decided it was a good time to highlight the FACCS competitions programs. Along with legal services, school accreditation, and teacher certification, FACCS developed a competitions program, providing a way for Christian schools to get together, compete, and win prizes and trophies to take back to their schools. These competitions include Spelling Bee, Brain Bowl, Creative Writing, Junior Fine Arts, and High School Fine Arts, all of which offer a variety of ways for student to shine, from 1st all the way through 12th grade. Here at OCP, we are delighted to participate in FACCS competitions every year, and over the years we have had some outstanding achievements and a lot of successes.

Last year at HSFA, Megan Soucie and Andrea Castro placed third for Duet Acting, and Megan also placed second in the essay category. Former senior Parker Smith and current senior Briela Salisbury, also entered some outstanding work into the competition. Current freshman Rachel Soucie took home two prizes at last year’s JFA, along with a Creative Writing win. Several of our current middle schoolers also placed in a variety of art and vocal categories. OCP sent five students to the State Spelling Bee last year, and OCP’s Quiz Team competes in the FACCS Brain Bowl every winter. 

We are thankful for what FACCS has done for Christian education, and for the opportunities they afford students to be able to compete and showcase their talents. We are delighted to be able to keep participating in such an amazing and positive events every year, and are hopeful to bring back many more awards this year! If you are interested in participating, keep your eyes and ears out for information from your teachers as each event comes closer.

New Student Highlight: Angie Flores

by Raymond Rodriguez

This week in the Warrior Nation, we sat down with freshman Angelina Trinity Flores. Angelina, who goes by Angie to her friends, is fourteen years old. She is originally from Queens, New York, and has two younger brothers, both of whom also started OCP this year, in the 1st and 5th grades. 

Angie came to Orlando Christian Prep from Living Word Academy, which she attended for all of middle school. She says she transferred here because she has friends who attended OCP in previous years. 

Make sure to introduce yourself to Angie and say hi if you see her around the halls this year.

New Teacher Highlight: Coach G.

by Jerahmeel King

This week in at The Warrior Weekly, we interviewed OCP’s new elementary PE teacher, Ms. Rackell Goldson, or “Coach G.,” as the students call her. Ms. Goldson grew up in Orlando, FL - moving here at the age of four. She graduated from Pine Castle Christian Academy, where she played high school basketball. She then went to Allen College in Kansas, and also attended USF.

Coach G. decided to come work at OCP when Mr. Cenicola, who had been her basketball coach in high school, told her there was an open position. Ms. Goldson is twenty-seven years old, has a boyfriend, and two nieces. She likes to play basketball, read, and watch movies during her spare time. She's also a sports assistant at the YMCA and a High School basketball referee. 

Coach G. loves working with students at OCP hopes to stay here for a long time. Let’s all give her a big Warrior Welcome!

Athlete of the Week: Aaron Bass

by Nick Bell

The Warrior Weekly is introducing a new feature: the OCP Athlete of the Week. This week we chose our very own Aaron Bass because he demonstrates everything an OCP Warrior stands for. Aaron moved to America from England in the summer of 2017, when his family decided to relocate for a new opportunity. He played soccer for OCP last year after clearing up some eligibility issues, and will play this year as well.

Aaron is grateful for the opportunity to play soccer for OCP because there was a time that he believed he might never be able to play high school soccer in America. The FHSAA claimed he had already graduated high school, due to some paperwork mix-ups that occurred during the move from England. Aaron and his family had to make many phone calls back to his old school in England, trying to get paperwork sent over to prove he had not yet graduated and still had two remaining years of eligibility. After a court hearing, during which he sat down with his father and coach Treig, he finally got the eligibility he sought. The FHSAA board voted 7 to 2 that Aaron could play sports in the FHSAA. His perseverance and strong will display the perfect characteristics of an OCP Warrior.

Aaron is a devoted soccer player who currently plays for Orlando City Soccer Club as a central defensive midfielder. Aaron also plays baseball as a center fielder and pinch runner. He is a very talented athlete who is known to carry himself to a high standard. After high school, he plans to probably return to England to play soccer in college, and is considering the University of Northampton. 

We look forward to the start of OCP’s soccer season this year, and to how far our Warriors can go together!

O-Town Highlights: October 5

by Christian Smith

This week in O-Town, the Orlando Magic started their pre-season this Monday in a grudge match versus the Philadelphia 76ers. The win went to the Sizers, with a final score of 120-114. Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic put 20pts up, earning himself a spot on the game leaderboard along with Joel Embiid.

Don't forget to attend Universal's’ Halloween Horror Nights lasting until early November. I’ve heard from a few people who have attended HHN already and were very happy, so I can highly recommend this year’s event.

This Saturday, from 8:00-11:00am, a car show called “Cars and Coffee” is being held at the Sam’s Club in Lake Nona. Hundreds of sports cars and supercars will be on display. And here is the kicker: it’s FREE! Some friends and I are definitely going, so come and hangout.

These are just a few of the things to do around Orlando this week, so try and get outside the house and do something fun.

FACCS 50th Anniversary

by Aaron Bass

Fifty years ago, a new Christian school association started here in Florida. The Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, or FACCS, is now the oldest, state-level association of Christian schools in the nation. The mission of FACCS is “to advance the cause of Christian education by providing school accreditation, legislative, and program services to member schools and their constituents.” (faccs.org) A fun OCP Warrior "claim-to-fame" is that among the FACCS founders was Dr. Al Janney, grandfather to OCP president, Dustin Janney.

One thing that sets FACCS apart are its four core values. The first of these is Biblical authority, meaning they affirm the Bible is their sole rule of faith, and that Biblical principles guide all their practices. Another value is Religious liberty: they are committed to protecting Christian school freedom. Their next value is Excellence, and what they mean by this is to inspire and make sure academic excellence is achieved by all the schools involved with FACCS. The final value is Services. Along with the aforementioned legal and accreditation services, FACCS program services include teacher certification and a diverse and robust student competitions program.

Next week, our OCP teachers will be meeting for a time of training and fellowship at the annual FACCS Teachers Convention here in Orlando. FACCS will celebrate their 50th anniversary in style, and Dr. Al and other founders will be honored. The teachers will return to school refreshed and inspired to teach, and will be equipped with more tools to do so.

We are thankful for all that FACCS has done for Christian schools, and we pray they have another fifty successful years of promoting excellence and defending educational freedom.

Sports Recap - October 4

by Aaron Bass and Nick Bell

It has been an outstanding couple of weeks for our OCP Warriors! On Monday, September 24, our Quiz Bowl team kicked off their season with wins over West Orange in overtime and a cool and collected win against Boone High. We are excited for our Warrior Quiz Team and their great start, showing a lot of potential for an amazing season.


On Thursday, September 27, both the Middle School and Varsity Volleyball teams were victorious over Real Life Christian Christian Academy. The varsity girls went the full five sets but were able to grab the win in this exciting game! We are tremendously proud of our girls for their well-deserved win!


On Friday night, our Varsity Football Team defeated Holy Trinity in our annual Homecoming Game. Jalen Carr had nine carries for 147 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Gabe Tejada also had nine carries, totaling 89 yards. This was our first homecoming game in our new bleachers, Janney Roofing Stadium, and it certainly proved to be an exciting evening. Many alumni were in attendance, as well as many current OCP students.


Tuesday night featured our annual Dig Pink Volleyball Games. Unfortunately, the Middle School and Varsity teams did not take the wins, although the Varsity Team fought the full five sets. It was a very close contest against an extremely talented Legacy volleyball team. The Dig Pink game is to raise breast cancer awareness, and was devoted the memory of Mrs. Missy Stancil. OCP was proud to donate all proceeds from the game to the Stancil family.

New Student Highlight: Eric Butler

by Jerahmeel King

For this week's New Student Highlight, we'd like to introduce you to Eric Butler, a new student athlete here at Orlando Christian Prep. Eric was born on Oct 2, 2001 in the state of Washington. Before moving to Florida, he also lived in Alabama, where he attended Smith's Station High School. 

Eric is sixteen years old and lives with his mother, stepfather, and little brother who is three years old. He moved down to Orlando to follow his dreams and play basketball at our school. Eric likes to play 2k in his spare time, and his favorite subject in school is history. After graduation, he hopes to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Let's all say Hi! to Eric and make him feel welcome at OCP!