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In observance of Hispanic Heritage Month 2024, Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is honoring the cultures and contributions of both Hispanic and Latino Americans and commemorating the independence of several Hispanic countries from Spain.
This year’s theme – Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together – honors all the Hispanic trailblazers who have made their mark on M-DCPS. Many of our schools are named after these pioneers who shaped our school district and paved the way for future leaders of our community. Their impact remains embedded in the schools that bear their name. Here we are highlighting a few of them.
Ponce De León Middle School
Juan Ponce de León was a Spanish explorer known for leading the first official European expedition to Puerto Rico in 1508. Following the advice of the king of Spain, De León set off to explore more of the Caribbean and led the first known European expedition to La Florida, which he named in recognition of the verdant landscape and because it was the Easter season, which the Spaniards called Pascua Florida (Festival of Flowers).
José Martí MAST 6-12 Academy
José Martí was a 19th-century Cuban nationalist, poet, philosopher, essayist, journalist, translator, professor and publisher. He is considered a Cuban national hero for his role in the liberation of his country from Spain. He was also an important figure in Latin American literature. He was very politically active and is considered an important philosopher and political theorist. Through his writings and political activity, he became a symbol of Cuba’s bid for independence from the Spanish Empire and is referred to as the “Apostle of Cuban Independence.” From adolescence on, he dedicated his life to the promotion of liberty, political independence for Cuba, and intellectual independence for all Spanish Americans. Martí is considered one of the great turn-of-the-century Latin American intellectuals. His written works include a series of poems, essays, letters, lectures, a novel, and a children’s magazine.
Rubén Darío Middle School
Félix Rubén García Sarmiento, known as Rubén Darío, was a Nicaraguan poet who initiated the Spanish-language literary movement known as modernismo (modernism) that flourished at the end of the 19th century. Darío had a great and lasting influence on 20th-century Spanish-language literature and journalism.
A precocious reader from the age of three, he soon began writing his first verses. He was published in a newspaper for the first time at age 13. Darío left Nicaragua at age 21 and settled for a time in Chile, where he published his first major work – soon recognized in Europe and Latin America as the beginning of a new era in Spanish American literature.
Eneida Massas Hartner Elementary School
Born in 1943 in Puerto Rico, Eneida Massas Hartner was 6 years old when her family moved to Gary, Indiana. In the early 1960s, she worked as a school secretary while taking college classes. She graduated with degrees in education and Spanish literature and taught Spanish to high school students in Indiana. In 1970, she and her husband, Roger, moved to Miami where she began developing programs for M-DCPS’ bilingual education department, eventually becoming its project director. When M-DCPS began a pilot program for bilingual education, Hartner wrote Spanish curricula for elementary schools and traveled the country, training other teachers. This curriculum was later implemented in other states.
“She was always interested in the growth of students, in teaching them how to read, as well as for keeping everyone on task with a loving heart,” said her husband, Roger Hartner.
In 1978, she became the first female, Puerto Rican elementary school principal when she took over the helm at Buena Vista Elementary. Sadly, she was diagnosed with cancer in 1986, however, she continued working in her last position as a North Central Area director. Hartner passed away in 1989 at the very young age of 46.
Andrea Castillo Preparatory Academy
In Doral, there is a school named for an aspiring young educator whose dream to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps was cut short in 2012 at the age of 21. Andrea Castillo was a student herself during the early 2000s. She sought any and every opportunity that allowed her to interact with children in educational enrichment settings. As a high school senior, she interned at an elementary school. As a college student, she worked in after-school programs, and school offices, and guided online classes for K-12 students.
Her love of teaching was as evident as it was infectious. Her passion for education not only inspired fellow students to follow in her footsteps, but they also put forth her name at an Attendance Boundary Committee meeting to have a school named in her honor.
“There was an amazing human being in this city, who finally has the recognition she deserves, and now she has a school here. Every single student is going to know how amazing Andi was,” said Nicholas Martinez, one of the students who suggested Castillo’s name. He will be studying education.
The fact that all of these schools bear the name of renowned Hispanic Americans from the distant and recent past is a testament to the incredible influence they have had in making South Florida a more interesting and diverse society where many cultures can feel welcome.
M-DCPS has demonstrated a consistent track record of excellence as a result of the incredible work of its school and support staff in high-rated schools. These achievements make clear that M-DCPS is your best choice to provide all students with the most amazing educational opportunities, academic excellence and innovation.
By Vivian M. Santiesteban-Pardo
Chief Communications Officer, Office of Communications
Miami-Dade County Public Schools
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