Miami Lakes schools Bob Graham Education Center, Barbara Goleman Senior High School and Miami Lakes Educational Center all received A grades for the past school year. Miami Lakes K-8 Center, Miami Lakes Middle School and Hialeah Miami Lakes Senior High received a B grade.
Miami Lakes Middle School’s principal, Manuel Sanchez, apart from celebrating his designation as Principal of the Year, had the following to say about his school, “As I reflect on the academic achievement of Miami Lakes Middle School, I am reminded of a quote by Napoleon Hill: ‘The starting point of all achievement is desire.’ After much collaboration, effort and dedication from our administrative team, faculty /staff, and students, we showed vast improvement in mathematics, reading, science and civics. Additionally, we increased the number of students taking high school level courses.”
Under Sanchez’ guidance, the school moved from being drastically under enrolled at 700 students to near capacity this year. The school has also welcomed the inclusion of the Legal Studies Academy and Cambridge program and a number of clubs such as Robotics, FEA, and Student Council. This is the first year in over a decade that the school will produce a yearbook.
Goleman celebrated its first A grade in the school’s history and school principal Joaquin Hernandez, who returned to the school in 2008 when the graduation rate was 58 percent, has seen the school blossom and jump a number of percentage points to where it is today, at 83 percent. The difference from 2014 and 2015 was 11 points, the largest increase in all of Dade county.
“We have an amazing student services department, what we did this past year has identified about 100 students that were in danger of not graduating because of EOC state exam or missing a credit or community hours, then we divided those kids amongst the staff of students services,” said Hernandez. “Each adopted about 8 students and made regular contact with the kids to make sure they would complete their requirements. There were 32 students in danger of not graduating because of the EOC in algebra and through extra care provided through tutoring only 2 of those 32 students didn’t graduate in time.”
BGEC, MLK-8 Center and MLEC have continued their A grade streaks for a number of years.
“Bob Graham Education Center opened its doors 13 years ago and has been an ‘A’ school for 12 consecutive years,” said BGEC principal Yecenia Martinez-Lopez. “As the educational leader, it is extremely rewarding to work in a learning community where all stakeholders strive to provide the means for all of its students to meet with success both educationally and in all life's endeavors. BGEC empowers students to become lifelong learners and contributors to our global society.”
Eric Acosta, the beloved principal of HML noted the dramatic changes taking place at his school over the last five years including the addition of five magnet programs tailored to the 21st century learner.
“The corner stone of the school is its nationally recognized and award-winning iPrep Academy. Our specialized faculty and partnership with Florida International University allows students to take college courses and receive college credit without having to leave campus through our dual enrollment program. Our Advanced Placement passing rate has surpassed the District average and the program has blossomed over the last two years,” said Acosta.