Letter From the Editor
by Samantha Peltrau, Senior, iPreparatory Academy
by Samantha Peltrau, Senior, iPreparatory Academy
From all of the students in Creative Writing to you, Happy New Year! I’m ecstatic to present the first edition of the Phoenix Flyer in 2022. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, fantastic new year’s celebrations, and a restful winter break.
Every month since the beginning of the school year, we’ve examined a value from the district as part of the #ValuesMatter campaign, and this month, we will be taking a deep dive into #PursuitofExcellence. It is impossible to consider this value without regard to the only Superintendent during my 12 year career as a Miami-Dade County Public Schools student: Mr. Alberto M. Carvalho, a beacon of resilience, a fighting spirit, a pioneer of change, and an innovative leader that all of Miami-Dade was proud to call Superintendent from 2008 until 2022.
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As the founder of iPrep Academy, his vision was to create an environment where pursuing excellence is the focus of every student’s education. Everything at iPrep, from our colored walls to our breakout rooms, encourages iPrep students to follow their individuality and become daring innovators as they pursue their interests. Through a challenging and innovative curriculum, iPrep boasts a 100% graduation rate and has risen to be the 6th best school in all of Florida and rests within the top 80 schools in the entire nation. Mr. Carvalho’s ideas about education translate into the #PursuitofExcellence for each of the students in Miami Dade County, bringing them closer to the stars and unbridled success.
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As a high school student at iPrep Academy, my pursuit has been centered around preparing for the future. Cyclically, my senior year has reached its waning phase– it’s the second semester, and I’m (nearly) finished with my college applications. In my 7 year #PursuitofExcellence at iPrep, I never expected to accomplish all that I have and meet all of the wonderful people that I did, but I reverently believe that the unique environment of iPrep (Carvalho’s vision) brought me opportunities like no other space could.
When I first joined iPrep in 2015, I was introduced to a new way of learning and thinking. From the very beginning, there was a core focus on academic rigor, independence, self-growth and understanding, and responsibility. From my perspective, every teacher encouraged me to look within and find the innate creativity that would become the basis of my academic journey.
Ms. Gonzalez, our current Assistant Principal, was initiated into the Prep family when I was in middle school, and she understands more than anyone how the pre-secondary environment shapes students. She asserts that, “The shift from elementary school to middle school is not easy for any student, but to Ms. Gonzalez, “the structure and academic rigor here develops responsibility, ownership, and macro and micro thinking." Additionally, what makes iPrep unique is that "the structure... gives students a safe space to mature and find themselves... [iPrep reinforces] that safety net [for students] to make mistakes and grow.”
Ms. Gonzalez, our current Assistant Principal, was initiated into the Prep family when I was in middle school, and she understands more than anyone how the pre-secondary environment shapes students. She asserts that, “The shift from elementary school to middle school is not easy for any student, but to Ms. Gonzalez, “the structure and academic rigor here develops responsibility, ownership, and macro and micro thinking." Additionally, what makes iPrep unique is that "the structure... gives students a safe space to mature and find themselves... [iPrep reinforces] that safety net [for students] to make mistakes and grow.”
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I can most definitely attest to Ms. Gonzalez’s statement. For the first time, I had the opportunity to learn and explore the world as a part of a small and diverse group of kids who embrace the challenge of iPrep. Though I was a part of the first group of 6th graders to grace these halls, the values Ms. Gonzalez espouses about iPrep became the most apparent as I became a high school student.
In our high school, we have a unique opportunity to build relationships of trust, reliance, and autonomy with our teachers throughout our four years and explore the world around us, whether in an Advanced Literature class or by taking Dual Enrollment on a subject we’re curious about for our future.
My most insightful and significant commitment outside of the classroom has been my internship for my junior and senior years. I work as a fashion assistant with the fashion designer, stylist, sustainability advocate, and artist Pangea Kali Virga. I’ve experienced many opportunities to explore different skills and career paths through my tasks at internship: writing, sewing, studying art, and simply having conversations with a mentor that I admire. My internship became a vehicle for me to learn skills of self-reflection and challenge myself to become a well-rounded human being.
In our high school, we have a unique opportunity to build relationships of trust, reliance, and autonomy with our teachers throughout our four years and explore the world around us, whether in an Advanced Literature class or by taking Dual Enrollment on a subject we’re curious about for our future.
My most insightful and significant commitment outside of the classroom has been my internship for my junior and senior years. I work as a fashion assistant with the fashion designer, stylist, sustainability advocate, and artist Pangea Kali Virga. I’ve experienced many opportunities to explore different skills and career paths through my tasks at internship: writing, sewing, studying art, and simply having conversations with a mentor that I admire. My internship became a vehicle for me to learn skills of self-reflection and challenge myself to become a well-rounded human being.
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My experiences embody the vision that are the foundation of iPreparatory Academy: Mr. Carvalho’s dream is alive with every student, teacher, and staff member who walks through these vibrant walls. The vision is real through the thinkers who leave iPrep and greatness they become after graduating, and thus, our #PursuitofExcellence is incomplete without properly crediting the vision set before us.
Every “iPreppian” lives within the purpose Alberto M. Carvalho set forth – and that in itself is a remarkable legacy that will leave an imprint on generations to come. |
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