When Stephen Papp was a teenager, he didn’t care much for high school.“I was one of those students who did the bare mini-mum,” Papp said. “I just wanted to get by.”It wasn’t until high school when a junior high English teacher changed his perspective, and his life.“She made me feel like I could do anything academically,” Papp said. Th e teacher challenged him to take her honors class, and soon...

Bob Graham Education Center rolls out the red carpet and welcomes their Kindergarten through eighth grade students and their families to “The Greatest School on Earth.” As a gift on the first day of school, students received a “magical” pencil and parents were given a pen. BGEC, at 15901 NW 79 Ave., announced that it was proud to have received an A rating from the Florida Department of Education. The school has earned...

Jose Marti MAST 6-12 Academy recently became a nationally certified magnet school.Th e National Institute for Magnet School Leadership certified the school in Au-gust, where 970 students are enrolled in grades 6 - 12. Jose Marti was required to fulfill five pillars of mag-net schools — diversity; innovative curriculum and professional development; academic excellence; high quality instructional systems and family and community partnerships...

Spanish Lake Elementary School is offering a new program to this year: Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten, or VPK.The program helps 4-year-old students get a head start on their educations, the school said.Children attend class from Monday to Friday at the school, at 7940 NW 194 St. They will practice communication skills and learn technology, music, science, math, art and athletics. The teacher-to-student ratio is 20 to 1 and instructors are...

A musician who helped develop the “Miami Sound” has a street named in his honor.Carlos Oliva — considered a pioneer for mixing Cuban rhythms with jazz who worked with prominent musical artists from South Florida — has a corner to call his own.On Aug. 16 and before before Oliva and his family and friends, Miami-Dade Commissioner Esteban Bovo, Jr. unveiled a sign at the corner of Northwest 138th Street and Northwest 67th...