Academic Teams Succeed
On May 30, a special assembly was held to recognize the accomplishments of the Chess Team, Model United Nations, Key Club, and other various Academic teams.
The Chess team secured second place in the K12 Under 1100 division of the Florida Scholastic Championship, before advancing to national competition, where they earned fifth place in the K12 Under 1200 division. The program has broken new ground for Belen Jesuit by fielding its first competitor in the Championship division of the National Scholastic Championship. Freshman Ubaldo Naranjo achieved a positive score and individual placement, becoming the first student to represent the school internationally at the North American Youth Championship.
The Model United Nations team participated in nine conferences, including Indiana University, the University of Notre Dame, the George Washington University, and McGill University in Canada. The team competed at an international level in Barcelona, Spain, earning 41 individual awards, which include:
- 3 Best Delegations
- 4 best delegates
- 9 outstanding delegates
- 12 honorable delegates
Belen’s Academic team participated in the International Academic Competitions (IAC) both locally and nationally and the 2024-2025 Miami-Dade County History and Geography Bees, where they competed against some of the brightest minds from schools across the county and nation and were awarded the following:
- Emerson Patmore, Jason Vilberg and Juan Vazquez, Jr. were named South Florida’s Fall History Bowl Champions.
At the national level:
- Emerson Patmore earned the Bronze Medal in the National Flags and Maps Test at the Varsity Level and placed 9th in the National History Bee Finals.
- Juan Vazquez, Jr earned the Bronze Medal in the National Biology Exam at the Varsity Level.
In addition, our Varsity Team won both the History and Geography Bees in Miami-Dade County, bringing the County Trophies back home for another year.
In the Middle School, the Geography Club competed in the 2024 ISSF Middle School Geography Bee, and placed 3rd among South Florida Independent and Catholic Schools.
The Key Club’s exceptional commitment to quality service projects and experiences was recognized at the District Education and Leadership Conference (DCON), where they received 42 awards, including the following:
- Third Place for the Single Service Award
- Third Place for the Signature Contest Award
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the School property and expelled the Jesuit faculty. The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow. Today, Belen Jesuit sits on a 30-acre site in western Dade County, only minutes away from downtown Miami.