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Alumnae could win Miami-Dade’s Teacher, Rookie Teacher of the Year awards

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Three FIU alumnae are finalists for this year’s two top teaching prizes in Miami-Dade County.

The winners will be announced Thursday, Jan. 26.

Laura Ortiz, a social studies teacher at Robert Morgan Educational Center & Technical College, is one of four finalists vying for the Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ Francisco R. Walker Teacher of the Year Award.

Ortiz told The Miami Herald she showed a love for teaching ever since kindergarten, when she would force her sisters to learn during the summer. She went on to graduate in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in social studies and became a teacher at Robert Morgan in South Miami-Dade County.

Aside from teaching Advanced Placement and honors courses, Ortiz leads a community service program, trains her fellow teachers on incorporating technology in the classroom and developed an app that helps students stay on top of their graduation requirements.

The Rookie Teacher of the Year finalists include two FIU alumnae, Davalyn Suarez and Ann-Marie Zambrano.

Suarez, who earned her bachelor’s degree in English in 2009, is chairwoman of the English department at Miami Senior High. She is also the adviser of the school’s Law and Leadership Honor Society.

Zambrano is a third grade teacher at South Miami Heights Elementary where she completed her final internship before graduating in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education.

Since opening its doors in 1972, 18 FIU alumni have won Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ Teacher of the Year award.

via FIU News

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