Christopher Columbus High School Launches Florida License Plate

Christopher Columbus High School is officially blazing a trail across Florida roadways.

The private, Catholic Marist college-preparatory school for boys in Miami has secured approval for its own specialty license plate, making history as the first high school in the state to achieve the designation.

Drive the Brotherhood Forward

To move from legislative approval to physical production on state asphalt, the institution must first secure 3,000 pre-sale vouchers from its community. Dubbed Explorer Nation—comprising alumni, families, current students, faculty, and staff—supporters have already claimed 650 vouchers in the opening wave of the campaign.

Christopher Columbus High School Launches Florida License Plate

The specialized tag features the school’s recognizable “C” logo on the left side, paired with the full name “Christopher Columbus High School” running along the bottom. Proceeds generated from the sales directly support the Br. Kevin Adelante Fund, an initiative dedicated to providing targeted tuition assistance for families who might otherwise find a Columbus education out of reach.

“Our Brotherhood takes tremendous pride in Columbus and consistently comes together to support our students,” said Thomas Kruczek, president of Christopher Columbus High School.

“This plate gives our community a way to share that pride wherever they go while helping make a Columbus education possible for students in need. It reflects the spirit of our Brotherhood—celebrating our connection and creating opportunities for those who will follow,” Kruczek added. Thomas Kruczek

Years of Rebranding Behind the Design

The milestone did not happen overnight. The license plate serves as the operational culmination of a comprehensive institutional rebranding effort launched back in 2018. That initial push was spearheaded by the school’s Marketing Committee under the direction of then-chairman Lou de la Aguilera ’77, securing key trademarks for the school’s visual identity.

Those trademark victories later enabled the 2023 relaunch of both physical and online variants of the Brother Kevin Store. Among the merchandise, a simple “C” vehicle sticker emerged as a runaway favorite.

“Our most popular item was the C sticker for cars. Seeing that enthusiasm, someone asked, ‘What if we did our own license plate?’” explained Kevin Testa ’95, president of the Christopher Columbus High School Alumni Association.

What initially felt like an improbable goal gained traction through legislative advocacy, including assistance from Danny Perez ’05.

Alongside Columbus, Florida lawmakers cleared specialty plates for other local institutions, including Miami Dade College and the Miami Northwestern Alumni Association. Once the requisite 3,000 vouchers are met and manufacturing wraps up, buyers can officially swap or redeem their vouchers at local Florida tax collector offices or authorized license plate agencies.