THE HARBINGER Empowering young minds through information Miami Lakes Educational Center August 2020 ~ Vol. XXII No. 1 5780 NW 158th St Miami Lakes, FL Miami Week Of Welcome: “Ready, Set, MSO!” waking up at their usual time to “I expect the first week of time to begin the process of trict officials have also recom- By Aileen Delgado reunite with their classmates; to be about situating ourselves and aggregating the necessary data. mended that students wear their @aileenedu instead, high school will begin working on being able to com- “There continue to be uniforms at home, to achieve After months of un- at 8:30, an hour and ten min- municate smoothly with teachers. challenges for all of us. Students, “a greater sense of normalcy.” certainty, a surge in COVID-19 utes later. Instead of navigating It can get hard especially with parents, teachers, and district Regardless of how much infections and public debates, through the school campus, to teachers who may not be techno- personnel would all like to feel teachers and district officials push Miami-Dade County Public the right classroom in the cor- logically inclined,” she continued. 100 percent secure as we move for a smooth opening of schools, Schools (MDCPS) will begin rect building, Jaguars will open With an updated bell forward, but we are utilizing a it will feel far from normal. the 2021 school year online. up a laptop and click to attend schedule and an unfamiliar on- technological medium to deliver “The past several months After days of parent in- a scheduled virtual meeting. line platform, students and staff instruction. And, as we should all have presented several significant formation sessions and webinars “As school approaches, alike must find ways to adapt. know by now, technology comes challenges disrupting many of our and a week of teacher training, I am beginning to get a bit ner- When schools closed with its challenges,” said Ms. Cas- daily routines in nearly every fac- there is no clear answer for what vous and apprehensive on how in March, teachers and students tro, MLEC’s Activities Director. et of our lives. Simple pleasures to expect this upcoming week. classes will go. Not being able used a variety of platforms and An introductory period like hugging a relative, going for Yes, there will be instruction. Stu- to attend my first day, especially sources for instruction, from The first week of school, a run, or enjoying a meal at a fa- dents will meet their new teach- being a senior, is a bit disappoint- Microsoft Teams to Edmodo. which MDCPS is calling “A Week vorite restaurant, all look and feel ers and begin reading new texts, ing. We went through 12 years This year will bring more uni- of Welcome,” is intended to allow different. Things are different–– working out new math problems. of schooling and it would’ve formity. All high school courses teachers and students time to learn and they are difficult,” said Alber- But, everything been our last first day at school,” will take place on the same site. how to navigate the site while al- to Carvalho, MDCPS Superinten- will be very different. said Jennifer Cantero, a senior in Teachers, faculty, and lowing teachers to connect with dent, during a live parent webinar. Students will not be the Health Academy at MLEC. administrators have gone through students through the live sessions. But Jaguars hours of training along with “Next week is going to will do what they always in order to familiarize them- be an opportunity for students do, make the best of it. selves with the new platform, and teachers to engage with one Seniors will spend their k12.com. The site will host My another on this new platform and final first day showing off senior School Online (MSO), a dis- become familiar with it and its crowns through a screen, and in- tance learning option for all stu- tools. It will allow a course for coming freshmen will spend their dents in K-12 within MDCPS. all students, which is called In- first day of high school without However, many teach- troduction to Online Learning, making any palpable connections. ers across the District have and be able to engage all teachers “I think one thing that we expressed concerns, mainly throughout the week,” said Castro. can all agree upon is that we are that many of their questions Students are ex- all going to put in our best effort in have yet to be addressed, and pected to be punctu- order to move forward and take on their relationship with the plat- al, present, and engaged. these challenges once they pres- form is still a work in progress. Certain rules or sugges- ent themselves,” said Ms. Castro. The Florida Department tions have been implemented. “No matter how cli- of Education did not approve Mi- Students must arrive in class on che it may sound, we must re- ami-Dade’s plan until mid July. time and must turn their cameras mind ourselves that we are Aileen Delgado That left officials a short window on during live instruction. Dis- all in this together,” she said. MDCPS Reopening— Sybrina Fulton—Adversity, Hope, and The Student’s Perspective Waves of Change By Kelly Sanchez spots. It puts us in a position of By Michelle Mairena quite frankly trying to monitor the @ kwllqq @ michemairena conditions; we are about a month For months, politicians, away from the regular opening of On the night of Feb- doctors, parents and teachers have schools—we could push back the ruary 26, 2012, Sybrina Ful- debated whether schools across opening a little bit,” said Superin- ton’s world was shaken and the country should reopen amidst tendent Carvalho in an event at the shattered. Her 17-year-old the rising rate of COVID-19 infec- Gardens of Kendall on Saturday. son, Trayvon Martin, was tions, hospitalizations, and deaths. Florida has become the fatally shot as he returned to On Wednesday July state with the second highest num- his father’s residence from a 29th, Superintendent Carval- ber of coronavirus cases, accord- quick 7-Eleven trip in Sanford, ho announced that schools ing to The Florida Department of Florida. Trayvon was unarmed, will commence on August 31 Health which keeps track of con- carrying nothing with him but via My School Online (MSO). firmed infections across the state. a bag of Skittles and a can of The long awaited decision But opening schools, Arizona when he was shot. comes as a result of increased like seemingly every oc- His killer, George cases within the community. currence of 2020, has also Zimmerman, walks free today. “We believe it is in the become a political issue. After that Febru- best interest of our students and Governor Ron DeSantis ary night, Sybrina was forced Times The New York employees to delay the return is pushing for schools to phys- out of a life in comfort as a (and in her hometown of Miami) Miami-Dade Commission. to the schoolhouse and com- ically reopen as scheduled; the Miami-Dade Housing Agent through Black Lives Matter rallies “At first, I didn’t mence the 2020-2021 school state’s Education Commissioner into a life in the public eye, and gun safety speeches, becom- want to be the voice for year from a distance,” said Su- Richard Corcoran issued an emer- where political advocacy and ing a matriarch for young activ- Trayvon after he died, but perintendent Alberto Carvalho at gency order mandating schools to community organizing be- ists everywhere. For her, the hope I have no choice,” said Fulton Wednesday’s press conference. open “at least five days per week gan to dictate her day-to-day. that her son’s story will never repe in an Instagram video announc- In Miami-Dade Coun- for all students”; and President She founded the “Trayvon at is her drive. ing her campaign. “It took my ty, which has been described as Donald Trump has threatened to Martin Foundation,” co-wrote a But after seven years son to be shot down in order the “epicenter of the pandem- cut federal funding for school dis- book and produced a TV show on of public advocacy, she an- for me to step up — but I’m ic,” each day is filled with more tricts that don’t reopen in the fall. Trayvon’s life story, and created a nounced this summer that she standing now,” she continued. news about the coronavirus and As the public at support group for moth- is now taking a different route Fulton, who graduat- the debate intensifies further — large discusses what is ers who have lost their to impact political change, mak ed from Florida Memorial Uni- it’s hard to come to a decision best, there is a crucial voice children to gun violence. ing a powerful stride in her versity and worked for over when the stakes are so high. missing. What do students think? She managed to mobi- hometown amid election 20 years in housing for Mi- “We’re one of the hot Continue on page A2 lize communities across the nation campaigns: running for the Continue on page A2 NEWS Pgs. A1-A2 FEATURE Pgs. A3-C6 EDITORIAL Pg. D7-D8 ONLINE EXCLUSIVES mlecharbinger.com A2 |August, 2020 The Harbinger The Harbinger August, 2020| A3 NEWS FEATURE MDCPS Reopening Sabrina Fulton Prepping For College Gen Z are the Leaders of the Social Continued from page A1 ous, maybe because it doesn’t nior in the Cambridge Academy. Continued from page A1 past months.