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Principal
Principal Victor Rodriguez also leads International Studies Charter High School to No. 8 Ranking in Florida
To hear Principal Victor Rodriguez tell it, earning a Top 100 Ranking for nearly a decade is a challenge he loves.
International Studies Charter High School was ranked No. 83 in the Top 100 of the US News & World Report. The school is also ranked No. 8 in Florida.
He works just as hard as the students to make sure International Studies Charter High School continues to be ranked.
“I expect us to be in the top 100 again,” he says. “I expect to go up as well.”
Principal Rodriguez is brimming with confidence, which is not a surprise considering his time on the Miami High varsity basketball team. That’s where he says legendary basketball coach Shakey Rodriguez, no relation, shaped his character and made him believe that anything is possible with hard work.
“It’s all about the drive,” he says. “You don’t know what you can do physically and mentally until you are pushed to those limits,” he says. That philosophy is what he preaches to students and teachers.
Preach brother, preach. Most of you know I led my son’s baseball teams to championships with the same motto. I was tough and many of my players have gone on to great personal and career success.
Principal Rodriguez says the same about his teammates including Frank Martin, winner of several state championships, and the coach who took the University of South Carolina to the Final Four a few years ago. Another star player, Anthony Grant, one of Florida’s top basketball prospects coming out of high school, was named the Naismith College Coach of the Year in April 2020 for his work with the Dayton Flyers of Ohio.
International Studies Charter Middle School and the High School also have received the US Department of Education’s Blue Ribbon Awards.
I love Principal Rodriguez’s story because it attests to the importance of athletics as we navigate the impact of Coronavirus. Like Principal Rodriguez, I am a big believer in the fact that leaders should be looking at how to manage schools and prioritize the return of high school and other sports in some fashion.
I look forward to recognizing Principal Rodriguez next year when he places in the Top 100 nationally for a 10th straight year. Until then, I say we give him and International Studies Charter High School three cheers.
Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray!
