Everyday heroes doing the work
Yes, I took last week off. Was a bit wiped out and didn’t have the energy to sit and write. But…it was last week’s Wednesday meeting I attended that inspired me to focus this post on the heroes at North Miami Middle School.
My son Nicholas attended North Miami Middle and ever since then, starting in 2010, I’ve sat on the EESAC (Educational Excellence School Advisory Council), first as a parent representative and then once Nicholas moved on to high school, I stayed on as a Community Business Representative.
That means, for the last 11 years, I’ve attended monthly meetings throughout the school year and watched as administrators and teachers at North Miami Middle have stayed after school to…
Discuss budget items and do the best with a minimal EESAC budget to purchase much needed supplies.
Report on the ever evolving tactics and plans to keep students on task and making progress.
Brainstorm and share ideas on incentives to keep the student body motivated and reward academic excellence.
Execute plans to deal with fluctuating student enrollment throughout the year. This due to the predominantly Haitian population and new arrivals each year.
Although I admire all the EESAC members, there are two in particular that are most special to me.
There’s Mr. Steven Gould, autism teacher and head of the EESAC Committee whose organizational skills, wit and humor keep the EESAC running like a well-oiled machine. He also adores Nicholas and was always very supportive of him since day one. Mr. Gould is also a university professor, he’s a busy man giving of himself, along with the other council members, to give continued support to teachers so they can in turn do the best for their students.
Then there’s Jono De Leon who was Nick’s social studies teacher and also a music instructor at North Miami Middle. Jono still sits on the EESAC and is now Chief Operating Officer of the non-profit organization Guitars Over Guns (GOGO for short).
Jono De Leon always advocating for GOGO in the community, working to further their reach and keep kids engaged. Photo courtesy of GOGO Facebook page.
What is GOGO? From their website:
“At Guitars Over Guns, we’re changing that through music, because we believe that music, combined with strong, consistent mentorship, can reshape the trajectory of a student’s life. So we match mentors – all of whom are working musicians – with schools to help the students who attend them find their voice.”
North Miami Middle is where the GOGO seed got planted and now they’ve spread their amazing work to several schools throughout Miami-Dade County. Mainly in underprivileged communities as a means to keep kids engaged after school and help them find a better path. Click on the link above to read all about this amazing program.
Also, the co-founder of GOGO, Chad Bernstein is an amazing individual as well. Click here to read about him, I did a profile on Chad for the Artburst Miami blog.
I tip my hat to the great work the EESAC does and will continue to lend my support by showing up for meetings and helping in any way I can. It’s for the kids, the students of North Miami Middle.
Thanks as always for reading and have a wonderful weekend and week.
Stay healthy and all the best.
