Students and administrators at the Bob Graham Education Center in Miami Lakes treated the school’s custodial workers to snacks and songs on Sept. 30 to celebrate their hard work. Oct. 2 was National Custodian Day. The work of cleaning and maintenance staffers became even more important during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The custodians recognized at the school, which is at 15901 NW 79th Ave. and serves students in grades K - 8,...

Rosanna Chiarella, Ph.D., a kindergarten teacher at Palm Springs North Elementary School in Miami, shows off a framed patch that was flown aboard the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory. Chiarella is a International Space Station Ambassador for math and science education. The gift was for teaching STEM via Zoom last summer to elementary students in the Amazon River region in Peru, she said. Photo courtesy of Rosanna Chiarella.

Students at Mater Academy in Hialeah Gardens filled the Lion’s Den with screams to welcome UFC fighter and former champion Conor McGregor. McGregor visited the middle/high school at 7901 N.W. 103rd St. on Sept. 23 to honor six student-athletes for their scholarship and community service. The event was sponsored by the charity Buddy’s HELPERS in partnership with the PepsiCo Foundation, and TIDL Sport, an athletic performance...

The Miami-Dade County Public Schools VEX Robotics Virtual Programming Competition on Sept. 25th drew students from 36 elementary, middle and high schools. The middle school kids teamed up to write 200 lines of code to direct the movements of a robot, said teacher Jessica Hernandez of the Miami Lakes K-8 Center. Hernandez is the school’s robotics and computer science instructor. Students Daniel Lopez, Grade 6, shown above, and...

The Archdiocese of Miami and the Board of Trustees at St. Thomas University announced they have extended the contract of President David A. Armstrong through 2026. The university, one of eight archdiocesan colleges in the country and the only one in Florida, is celebrating its 60th year. In announcing Armstrong’s contract news on Oct. 5, it cited a third year in a row of record undergraduate enrollment, with a 15 percent increase...