Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) honored its finest principals and assistant principals at an awards ceremony sponsored by the Dade Association of School Administrators (DASA), this evening at the DoubleTree by Hilton.
Pictured above on the left: 2022 Principal of the Year Jackson Nicolas and on the right: 2022 Assistant Principal of the Year Jean Claude Saint-Phard.Jackson Jean Nicolas, who serves as principal of Earlington Heights Elementary School, won top honors as the District’s Principal of the Year. Nicolas has been an educator at M-DCPS for 20 years. After a successful teaching career, he became the Assistant Principal of Charles R. Drew K-8 Center in 2012. He was promoted to principal and has served in this role at Earlington Heights Elementary since 2016.
Jean Claude Saint-Phard of George T. Baker Aviation Technical College was recognized as Assistant Principal of the Year. Saint-Phard began his career with M-DCPS as a Culinary Arts teacher at Lindsey Hopkins Technical College. In 2010, he was promoted to Assistant Principal and served in that capacity at Charles Drew Community School and Brownsville Middle School. He has been at Baker Aviation since 2015.
The Principal of the Year winner will receive a $2,000 cash prize and a three-year lease on a car sponsored by Toyota of North Miami. The Assistant Principal of the Year will receive a $1,500 cash prize and a 65-inch TV from Aflac.
This event is made possible through a partnership with Equitable, Toyota of North Miami, EdFed (formerly South Florida Educational Financial Credit Union), Ibiley, AIG, Bencor, Brian Power Wellness, Aflac, Carnegie Learning, HMH, Brown and Bigelow, Tropical Financial Credit Union, Miami Heat, Miami Marlins, Certo Risto & Pizza, and FROST Science.
Also recognized at the ceremony were Principal of the Year Runner-up Dr. Susana Mauri, South Dade Technical College, and Assistant Principal of the Year Runner-up Vernatta Lee, Miami Edison Senior High.
