Amaris Munya and Zydon Lightbourne Furbert have reflected on their first year at Montverde Academy in Florida.

Lightbourne Furbert’s display on the track and football field for the school earned him the tenth-grade male athlete of the year.

The 16-year-old, who joined Montverde in January, felt that his best achievements came in football, with his exploits earning him a trial with Orlando City Academy.

“This season went very well as I accomplished so much in such a short period of time,” Lightbourne Furbert told The Royal Gazette.

“I started halfway through the year so the team had already been playing together and I was the newcomer.

“The season was amazing as I ended with eight goals and five assists in seven games, which also secured the most goals on the team.

“For two of the games that I played, which were against our toughest opponent, I got MVP. Finally, we played in a tournament where I scored five goals and got three assists in four games.”

Lightbourne Furbert, who represented Bermuda in the 200 and 400 metres at the Carifta Games in Grenada, achieved personal bests while racing for Montverde.

“On the track side I hadn’t started track right away, so it was a struggle to get back in.

“My first race I ran 50.8sec and was a little disappointed,” he said.

“I then ran my second race and ran 48.8 which was a new PB by a second. I ran at districts and ran 47.8 which was another PB.

“I then went on to break the regional record and qualified for State, where I placed fourth. I was proud to get athlete of the year despite being injured and only being there for four months.”

Munya capped off her season last Saturday by clocking a personal best of 2min 19.55sec to win gold in the girls high school 800 metres final at the 2026 Southeast Meet of Champions, held at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.

“This past weekend, I competed at the Southeast Meet of Champions to end my season,” she said.

“I feel I executed my race very well and I ran strategically. At first the goal was to PR, but throughout my season I’ve learnt that I can’t rely on time.

“I race better when I am competitive. My competitiveness and drive to win in the 800 allowed me to set a PR of 2:19.55.”

After getting the cross country out of the way, Munya made her debut at the VA Showcase in January. She followed that up with the Sunshine Showcase.

The 16-year-old was part of the Montverde girls squad, which finished ninth of 33 teams at the Florida High School Athletic Association Cross-Country Championships, held in Tallahassee.

“This track season has definitely been my favourite, not just because of the times, but because of the people I met and the team I was a part of,” Munya said.

“My team-mates were like my best friends and I’m so grateful to have spent a year with them. It’s sad to see some of them leave, but I’m just grateful to have met them and I can’t wait to see what they do at the next level.

“From a racing standpoint, I had a very consistent year. I ran at and around my PR for the whole season and I ran 2:19 in so many different ways, I am still shocked myself.

“Consistency is all I can really ask for and I'm confident that next season will be a great one, full of blessings. God has really shown his favour in my life this year.”