Florida - Miami
Florida
SIATech at Miami Job Corps Center
3050 NW 183rd Street
Miami Gardens, FL 33056-3536
Tel: (305) 624-1144, ext. 6301
Principal: Catherine Bonnewell
catherine.bonnewell@siatech.org
Overview
SIATech at Miami is nestled in the newly formed community of Miami Gardens. The Job Corps Center which houses the school is a relatively new building in an urban area which was built specifically for the Job Corps program. Beautifully landscaped walkways and outdoor areas, maintained by the students, give this center a tropical flair.
Students take pride in their surroundings as evidenced by the number of students completing the requirements of the painting, carpentry, facilities maintenance, landscaping, and culinary arts vocational trades. They are regularly engaged in hands-on work assignments throughout the campus.
Of the 300 trainees who attend this Job Corps Center, SIATech serves approximately 150 students who are interested in attaining their high school diploma. Most of the students are from the neighboring community and live in the immediate area.
Principal Profile
Catherine Bonnewell has been the principal at the Miami SIATech campus since July of 2005. Prior to joining the SIATech staff, Ms. Bonnewell worked as an assistant principal, reading facilitator, and classroom teacher. Ms. Bonnewell graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education. She obtained her Master's Degree in Reading Education from Florida International University.
Success Stories
News from SIATech Miami:
Student of the Month and Community Service
by Leroy Axem
This month's student of the month for SIATech at Miami Gardens Job Corps Center is Errol Henry.
Upon learning of the recognition, Errol shared his thoughts and gave his classmates a bit of advice:
"Being student of the month feels great. I feel like I’m getting closer to what is mine and knowing that I’m a leader. Getting my high school diploma is more important than anything right now and something I will need later in life. To my trainees stay focus at all times and do what you came here for." Congratulations to you, Errol!
A recent community service project at SIATech Miami was the preparation by students of Hope Tote bags. Operation Hope and Tote is a Miami Rescue Mission Christian outreach that provides an opportunity for caring groups to gives help to struggling homeless men, women and children in the Miami area. The students filled the Hope Tote bags with toothbrushes, soap deodorant, socks, sunscreen, and other basic necessities. This was an awesome project that helped students appreciate and serve the greater Miami community.
Another event that showcased students' enthusiasm was their participation in the Miami Job Corps Black History Fashion Show. Several SIATech students modeled traditional African clothing and truly enjoyed the celebration.
The Miami site was visited by Mayor Gibson at the Keep Miami Gardens Beautiful project on March 7. SIATech students Henry Green, Tyra Smith, Brice Williams, Jonas Paul, Lexington Herbert, and Shanteah Thomas were part of a group of 30 students who fully landscaped one of the city’s nearby canals. The students worked alongside City Public Works supervisors in planting over 300 Copper Leafs.
"I see this project as a unique opportunity for the SIATech / Job Corps volunteers to get hands on experience working alongside city employees while having a chance to see viable career paths in this field," said Mayor Gibson.
Leroy Axem is assistant principal of SIATech Miami.
SIATech Florida Students Meet Goals and
Earn Rewards!
SIATech Miami students attend NFL game: Miami Gardens staff members Larry Rivero and Nicole Mosley volunteered time to accompany their students to a Miami Dolphins game on Sunday, Dec. 6th.
Students selected to attend the game met or exceeded performance criteria established by staff members as a part of an incentive program to award excellence. Tickets were donated through a community partnership initiated by Larry Rivero.
“Viva La Familia” TV Program
Spotlights Miami Student!
by Lori M. Trujillo
A Univision (Spanish Language & Culture) family show, Viva La Familia, recently filmed a television program at the Miami Job Corps Center. The idea for the project was to share the story of Michael Torres, a young man who had dropped out of high school to help care for his younger brother who has Autism. Michael is now back on track with his life goals through the help of the Miami Job Corps Center (MJCC).
A Residential student at MJCC, Michael is pursuing his High School Diploma through SIATech Charter School and is also enrolled as a student in the Office Administration trade.
The show has a “fairy godmother” segment that makes dreams come true for needy families and people that give a lot to their community. At the onset of the project, the viewer opens a window into Michael’s family life, where footage was taken at his home with his mother and brother. In the home interviews, Michael’s mother had shared some of the struggles they had faced, and how Michael was always doing his best to help.
The next part of the project lead to the second phase of the TV program, which involved Michael giving a filmed tour of the campus, such as where he lives, attends school and finds recreation. The first stop was Michael leading the cameras through the center Dormitory Buildings, highlighting the Residential Life benefits of Job Corps. The next scene led to filming inside SIATech’s Science Classroom, where Instructor Joumelide Pierre has Michael as a student.
Finally, a suspense element was uniquely orchestrated into this project at the end of the tour. Here a special group of Michael’s classmates, friends, staff, family members, alongside famous Celebrity Karen Martinez (Co-host of Viva La Familia), waited as Michael opened the door to the REC Center; and yelled “Surprise!”
Michael was indeed surprised, and he walked over to his mother and little brother. Michael’s mother had tears of joy in her eyes, and celebrity Karen Martinez gave the family a hug. With the camera still rolling, Michael shared how much he appreciated everyone being there, and how special it was to meet Karen in person since he watches the show on weekends with his family.
Karen read a letter to Michael, and she presented him with presents to celebrate his success with Job Corps and also for helping his family through difficult times. The first present was a $500 gift card to the family from WalMart. The second gift was an ACER Laptop Computer Notebook for Michael, courtesy of Viva La Familia.
The camera turned to Michael’s mom, who gave an emotional thank you to the show for making this dream a reality. The taping of this scene ended with the group cheering “Viva La Familia” & Michael in the spotlight!
This show will air on “Viva La Familia”(Univision-National TV) in mid-November 2011.
Lori M. Trujillo is the business community liaison for the Miami Job Corps Center.
Student Earns Perfect Score on FCAT and Teacher Larry Rivero Named Florida Stock Advisor of the Year
by Marjorie Lopez
Congratulations to student Natalie Villa from SIATech Miami who scored a perfect "6" on the essay portion of the FCAT writing test. She joins an elite group of students to earn such a high score - only about 5% of students received a perfect score. Wow!
SIATech teacher Larry Rivero traveled to Orlando to attend the Florida Governor's Awards ceremony. At the event, Mr. Rivero was recognized as the Florida Stock Advisor of the Year by the Florida Council on Economic Education. Mr. Rivero commented, "It was truly a great experience. I would like to thank Ms. Bonnewell for taking the time out of her busy schedule to complete the application and nominate me...When I decided to do the stock market challenge with the students, never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined this would have come about through it."
Success on the Horizon for International Students
Two SIATech Miami Graduates' Stories of Transformation
by Lori Trujillo
If the economic crisis facing today's youth isn't enough, add to the mix English language barriers, culture shock and academic challenges and you'll still find some inspiring youth from foreign countries leading the way of the American Dream. For two young women from Jamaica and Haiti, a local career training and educational center has been their road map to brighter futures.
Esther Dol is a young woman who came to Miami Job Corps Center (MJCC) in 2009. Having arrived from her native homeland Haiti, she was eager for the opportunity to complete her education, improve her foreign language skills and learn valuable work skills. During her stay at MJCC, Dol completed her English as a Second Language (ESOL) program, earned certification in the Accounting trade, graduated with a high school diploma and served as an ambassador for a Job Corps Commercial that aired on National television in 2009. In 2010, Dol was awarded a scholarship from Faith Medical Institute (FMI) Career School, an opportunity where she receives free tuition to pursue a nursing career and a paid internship to work as an Administrative Assistant. "This is a dream come true for me. I'm Looking forward to the challenge," said Dol.
At a young age of 16, Rasheda WestCarr left her home in Saint Catherine-SpanishTown, Jamaica to start a new life in south Florida with her Mother and siblings. And while her new start was exciting for her, WestCarr said the FCAT became an obstacle while she was attending a local high school. "In Jamaica there is no FCAT, our school system is different in that once we complete our subjects, we graduate. I think (the FCAT) can really be a challenge here in the U.S." Yet despite this obstacle, WestCarr enrolled at MJCC and has already gained her High School Diploma from SIATech charter school, has passed the ACT exam and has been accepted to attend Miami Dade College in the fall. WestCarr has also been recognized for her volunteer service to projects with Miami Dade County’s District 1 Commissioner Barbara Jordan’s Office, the Miami Council on International Visitors (MCIV) and the Miami Job Corps Green Team.
With such admirable qualities as courage, dedication, leadership and talent, these young women have shown that the world of their dreams is well within reach.
Thank you to Lori Trujillo, Business and Community Liaison at Miami Job Corps, for submitting this story and photo. She can be reached at Trujillo.Lori@jobcorps.gov.
Helping Haiti:
SIATech Staff and Students Work Together to
Help a Country in Need
At the Miami Job Corps Center, SIATech Creative Technology and Senior Projects Instructor Candice Owens stepped up to lead a Haitian relief fundraiser. Ms. Owens extended her sincere gratitude to her colleagues including Center Director Willie Brown, Ms. Pierre, Ms. Deguerre, and many others. This "labor of love" raised more than $400 as well as 30 boxes of food and clothing. ~Catherine Bonnewell, SIATech Miami Principal
Success Story from Miami Gardens
The program has gained a great deal of momentum since the day it opened and staff members regularly comment on the positive changes they have noticed in the students since SIATech began. Most notably is the increase in their academic achievements. Even one Army recruiter exclaimed about the rise in the overall ASVAB scores from the SIATech students. He noted, “The scores are really going up and the one thing that has made the difference is the addition of SIATech.”
