Meet the AthletiCS team

Chris Polite has been a member of the Miami Country Day School community since 1998, when he first joined the school as a student. He graduated from MCDS in 2002 after participating in several sports, including football and basketball. Chris went on to attend Villanova University on a football scholarship, where he was a three-year starter at wide receiver. Chris returned to Miami Country Day School in 2010 as a coach and has been a member of the faculty and staff ever since. During his time at MCDS, he has continued to make a positive impact on the school and its student-athletes. 

Chris Hayes has been a member of the Miami Country Day School community since 1991, as a social studies teacher and cross country/track coach and Middle School Athletic Director. Chris is a native of Schenectady, New York. Chris participated in football, cross country, and track at Masuk High School in Monroe, Connecticut. Chris went on to attend Barry University (Miami Shores), with a BS in Political Science with minors in History and Education, and ran cross country as a scholarship athlete. Chris studied at FIU for a Masters in Educational Leadership.

Bryan Parizo graduated from Colchester High School in Vermont, where he played basketball, soccer, and baseball. He later earned his Bachelor Degree from the University of Vermont, participating on the collegiate level in both basketball and soccer. Bryan has been Lower School Physical Education teacher since 1988, and since 2003 as the School’s Assistant Athletic Director. In addition, he also has coached Boys Varsity Basketball, Boys Varsity Baseball, and Golf. Bryan is married to Michele, teacher at MCDS, and has two children, Brandon and Kaylee. 

Joseph Hernandez has been the Athletic Department Office Manager since 2018. He has coached at the high school and travel level since 2007 for baseball, basketball, softball, and volleyball. During that span, he previously had a coaching stint at MCDS in 2012 when the varsity baseball team won the South Florida Baseball Conference Championship. Joseph graduated from Nova Southeastern University with a degree in Sports Management and a minor in Business Management. Aside from being on a full-time basis as the Athletic Department Office Manager, he has additional coaching responsibilities on campus. “I am blessed and humbled by the opportunity of returning to MCDS and look forward to joining this great staff in continuing to build this athletic department”, he stated. “My position allows me to serve the people of this department to the best of my ability and focus on making an impact on a day-to-day basis.”

Elise Carlson was a three-sport athlete in high school, participating in field hockey, basketball, and softball. She attended Barry University, where she earned her undergraduate degree in Athletic Training in 2009. While at Barry, Elise also joined the rowing team in 2005 and competed for four years. She earned her national athletic training certification in 2009 and continued her education at Barry, earning her master’s degree in 2011.  During graduate school, Elise served as a graduate assistant rowing coach, working with the novice team and assisting with the varsity program. Since 2011, she has worked in a variety of settings, including a physical therapy clinic, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, an orthopedic office, and a small university. 

Aris Atoa has been the Athletic Wellness Coordinator since 2017. He has been in the sports performance training industry since 2003, working for Cris Carter’s FAST program in Boca Raton, Fit-Speed Athletic Performance in Weston and Chicago, and Fast Twitch Performance Training in Miami. Aris specializes in speed, agility and sports specific strength training and has worked with thousands of youth and high school athletes, as well as hundreds of professional athletes of all major sports. Aris graduated from Barry University with a degree in Exercise Physiology and also played for the Basketball Program from 2000-2002. Aris and his wife Lina are happily married and reside in Miramar, FL. They have 5 children, 4 currently attending MCDS and 1 graduate of the class of 2018, who is now attending The University of Miami.

Sean was born in Michigan. Sean has lived in Alaska, Colorado, Germany, and Montana. He attended Montana State University on a football scholarship 1989-1994. Sean played in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins 1994-96 and the Detroit Lions 1997. College Living Experience 1998-2011 Miami Country Day School since 2011. Sean earned his Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration from Barry University in 2014. He also has a Master’s of Arts in Administration from Barry University in 2016. Wife: Shannon, Daughters: Shayne, Alayna, Khori, and Rayden. Son: Daryon – Sean’s hobby is he has become a professional lifelong learner. He enjoys being educated but he does not always enjoy the process. Sean enjoys coaching and would someday love to coach football again. Sean would love to one day have a children’s book published that he is the author of. Fun fact: Sean’s father-in-law is Red Jenkins. A Swedish born man who is a country and western recording artist.