DORAL ACADEMY OF TECHNOLOGY EARN 2017 NATIONAL BLUE RIBBON AWARD
Sandra Sabatella, @sandrasabatella
This is the most prestigious honor an academic Institution can receive. It’s awarded by the department of education in Washington D.C.
This is Doral Academy’s third Blue Ribbon!
The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes public and private elementary, middle, and high schools based on their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. Every year the U. S. Department of Education seeks out and celebrates great American schools, schools demonstrating that all students can achieve to high levels. More than 7,500 of schools across the country have been presented with this coveted award. The National Blue Ribbon School award affirms the hard work of students, educators, families, and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging content.
In a short address to educators during the Blue Ribbon Awards recognition ceremony was on November 7, in Washington, D.C., the Education Secretary Betsy DeVos comented: “National Blue Ribbon Schools put students at the center of everything. You recognize that a world-class education is the surest way for students to achieve their individual goals and dreams”.
“America’s students are more diverse than ever, and we all know that no child is the same as another. National Blue Ribbon Schools recognize that different students in different places have different needs. The unique needs of each and every student aren’t met by a one-size-fits all approach”, DeVos said.
That’s why more schools should embrace innovative approaches like personalized learning programs, place-based learning or hands-on, interactive project learning opportunities.
“At Doral Academy of Technology, a rigorous college-prep curriculum begins in sixth-grade. Students take seven courses per year in levels ranging from Intensive Support to Pre-AP. Students engage in project-based learning that encourages them to apply content knowledge to real-life problems”, DeVos said.
This past year, Doral Academy of Technology (DAT) completed its sixth year of operations. The school earned its 5th consecutive letter grade of “A” ranking as the highest-performing public middle school in Miami-Dade County, and among the top of all middle schools in Florida, based on the points it received under the State of Florida Accountability Program. DAT aims to prepare students for high academic performance, stimulate their lifelong love of math and science and create new pathways for them to pursue academic and professional careers in the fields of Math, Science, Engineering and Technology. Students are provided with a rigorous college preparatory curriculum and a rich extra-curricular program of activities, including team sports and clubs. The school’s award-winning facilities include fully equipped classrooms, labs,
art rooms, a band room, production rooms, ball fields, a state-of-the-art gymnasium, and a brand new, topnotch football field. This past year, Doral Academy of Technology’s campus was nominated for the American Institute of Architects People’s Choice Awards for Best Design. As part of the Doral Academy, Inc. network of high performing charter schools, Doral Academy of Technology is fully accredited by AdvancED under the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS-CASI) division.
The award was presented by Aba Kumi, Director National Blue Ribbon Schools Program Office of Communication and Outreach U.S. Dept of Education, and accepted by the school Principal, Mr. Carlos Ferralls; Vice Principal, Mrs. Yvette Tamargo and the Assistant Principal, Mr. Daniel Gonzalez.
Congratulations to Doral Academy Preparatory’s teachers, staff, students and parents!!! Blue Ribbon winners in 2014, 2015 and now 2017!
