ALUMNI

Zac Howard

I can’t remember a time in my life when my family wasn’t involved with CCS. I was a student from 1999 until 2007 (2nd – 9th grade). To this day, I can recite the names of my classmates and teachers, field trips we took, and lessons I learned each year (I can also still recite the 12 apostles, the 10 commandments and the books of the Bible in order – thanks to Mrs. Hughes' chapel songs). And I’ve had the same best friend, Mark Khandjian, since we met over 26 years ago in my first year at CCS.

Now two decades later, I can vividly recall American history lectures from Mrs. Dean, writing feedback from Mrs. Palmer, frog dissections with Mrs. Currieo, lightbulb experiments with Mr. Keating, Shakespeare exposition from Mrs. Huffschmidt, and running techniques from Coach Malone. What I most appreciate, however, was their willingness to admonish me and my peers when we misbehaved. Our character formation was more important than any academic knowledge they transmitted, extensive as it was.

These were my most formative years, and I could not be more grateful for having spent them in an environment saturated in the word of God. It’s impossible to imagine what my life would have been like if I had spent 40 hours a week surrounded by people who did not fear the Lord, but I am humbled and filled with gratitude when I consider it for just a few moments. The standard of behavior, the reverence for Christ, and the commitment to excellence that drove teachers, administrators, students and parents made a difference in my life that I will never be able to calculate, and one I hope to never take for granted.

After graduating from Chiles High School in 2010, I went on to earn my BA in English from FSU and a MA in Journalism from NYU. I’ve been writing professionally since 2013 and have worked as a news reporter, marketing copywriter and technical writer over the years for large corporations including Google, Uber, Wells Fargo and KPMG. To be sure, there have been some special mountaintop moments – like interviewing famous people and authoring impactful stories – yet none of them can top the memories I have as a young boy going to school at CCS!

My beautiful wife Mary and I have a 2-year old son, Walter, and another baby on the way. We live in Jacksonville, where my dad grew up and my older brother Jacob lives with his family, and frequently see both of our parents and several of our siblings. We are part of a great church and hope to give our children a strong Christian education like the one I got at CCS.