Alumni earn M-DCPS principal, assistant principal of the year honors


Manuel Sanchez '94, MS '95

Manuel Sanchez ’94, MS ’95

Two FIU alumni earned top honors from Miami-Dade County Public Schools recently.

Manuel Sanchez ’94, MS ’95 of Miami Lakes Middle School was named Principal of the Year and Gabriel Quintero ‘90 of Kenwood K-8 Center was named Assistant Principal of the Year.

According to published reports, Sanchez and Quintero have made efforts to better their schools, reducing the number of students who repeat grades and creating a more inclusive environment for students who have special needs.

Sanchez earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in special education. Quintero earned a bachelor’s degree in religious studies.

Gabriel Quintero '90

Gabriel Quintero ’90

As M-DCPS’s top administrators, they join an exclusive circle of FIU alumni who have earned such high recognition from the district.

While FIU alumni make up 37 percent of M-DCPS administrators,

two-thirds of the M-DCPS principals of the year and half of all assistant principals of the year since 2010 have been FIU alumni.

FIU alumni also account for 35 percent of the district’s school teachers. Just last year, Geoffrey Aladro ’13 was named M-DCPS’s teacher of the year. Aladro, who earned a master’s degree in history, was recognized for coming up with creative ways to help his students better relate to assignments.