When parents drop their kids off to Miami Lakes Middle School, Principal Dr. Manuel Sanchez lets them know each day that their children are now his kids.
“Their kids are my kids,” said Sanchez, who is the father of two young children. “I treat them as if they are my own biological kids. They don’t have to wait to see me, they can come to my office at any time to talk or they see me a lot in the classrooms and the hallways. I am there for them at anytime.”
Sanchez’s relationship with his students, teachers and staff helped meld Miami Lakes Middle into one of the most successful academic schools in Miami-Dade, anchored by its award-winning Legal Studies Magnet Program and Cambridge Academy.
And it’s only fitting that the man in charge was named Miami-Dade Public Schools Principal of the Year for the North Region last week.
Sanchez said the region’s superintendent called him with the good news and the school erupted into an impromptu celebration.
"We were giving each other high-fives and I screamed a little," Sanchez quipped. "And it was a little emotional because because it took a lot of work by the teachers and staff to make this school successful. The award felt like a validation of the hard work our team has put together for our school."
Recruiting elementary students from public and charter schools is part of Sanchez’s duties, as the school’s enrollment has increased from 750 to 1,100 over the past five years.
He said Miami Lakes Middle has the second largest gifted population, selecting the top elementary students to join his school and participate in a wide spread of academic programs, extra curricular activities and sports.
Another significant task for Sanchez was adding 100 computer stations to meet the demands of the state’s standards testing requirements for students, and making sure teachers and staff member have the equipment and tools they need to be effective in the classrooms.
“That’s what I try to do at the school,” Sanchez said.
The New Jersey native said middle school students are at a critical point in their lives.
He said they are young adults and his job is to make sure they are prepared for high school and college.
Case in point, students can earn seven high school credit courses, and they can take college level courses in the summer as part of the school’s CSTARS Program.
Students can also earn high school credits for Spanish, French and junior government, and participate in sports, clubs and extra curricular activities such as fine arts, the school's chorus and marching band.
Sanchez, who’s an avid fisher, said the kids love the school’s Fishing Club, and for the first time in 10 years, Miami Lakes Middle brought back its Yearbook Club.
“We balance a high level of academics with extra curricular activities,” Sanchez said. “We create a whole lot of experiences for the kids.”
After moving to Miami when he was kid, Sanchez graduated from Hialeah Miami Lakes High School and earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in special education from Florida International University.
He earned his Ph.D in education leadership from Barry University.
Sanchez landed his first teaching job at Miami Park Elementary, where he worked with kids with special needs and later became an assistant principal at Carol City Middle School.
He was principal at Palm Springs North Elementary School before he landed at Miami Lakes Middle five years ago.
Sanchez said an experience with kids while he attended high school and college inspired him to become a teacher.
He was a swimming instructor and kids were crying because they were scared to get into the pool. “They were scared to death,” he said.
But he encouraged them on and a week later they were diving into deep water, as he helped them wash away their fear.
“I have seen the impact I had on the kids and I wanted to make that part of my career,” he said. “I wanted to do it for a living. My dad said ‘never pick profits over passion.’ And that’s the reason why I became a teacher, an assistant principal and a principal.”
Sanchez said his students at Miami Lakes Middle can always approach him and talk about their issues.
“They are the reason I love to come to work everyday,” he said. “I love their spirit.”