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As proposed by Miami-Dade Public School Board member Mari Tere Rojas, the board recently recognized G. W. Carver Elementary teacher Ashley C. R. Vangates for being named 2021 Central Teacher of the Year.
Vangates has been recognized as a “highly effective” teacher for at least three consecutive years. She also has been acknowledged by the Florida Department of Education as one of the highest impact teachers in the state. Her student learning gains were among the most statistically significantly positive in the State of Florida. She also was recognized as her school’s “Rookie Teacher of the Year,” underscoring her phenomenal ability to encourage and engage the minds of our youth.
Vangates has served as an intern with the Overtown Youth Center, a student Page with the Florida Senate selected to serve by the Honorable Frederica S. Wilson, a graduate of the Junior Leadership Miami Program sponsored by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, providing tutoring services to the Boys and Girls Club of Gainesville, and mentoring students at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Liberty City.
Additionally, Vangates created a service project called the ButterFLY (First Love Yourself) Girls Mentoring Program with “Little Carver’s” very own young ladies. The program guides a cohort of girls beginning in third grade and ending in grade five, and encourages them to use their unique talents, gifts, and abilities to pursue excellence and inspire her peers.
“I originally brought an item to recognize Ms. Vangates in March 2020, at the onset of the pandemic. Since the meeting was canceled, the recognition was postponed,” Rojas said. “I am so happy to finally recognize Ms. Vangates for her wonderful work as a teacher and for the dedication to her students.”
