Mr. Bernard L. Osborn, Principal
Bernard L. Osborn was born and raised in North Miami Beach and is a graduate of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. He received his Bachelor's in political science from the University of South Florida in Tampa and received his Master's in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale. Mr. Osborn is married to Stephanie and is the father of two sons, Joshua and Kyle.
He started his teaching career as a fourth and fifth grade teacher at Little River Elementary School and later moved to Horace Mann Middle School as an assistant principal. He transferred to W. J. Bryan Elementary School as an assistant principal, then went on to become principal of Greynolds Park Elementary School. While at Greynolds Park, Mr. Osborn increased student achievement and raised the school grade from a "C" to an "A." The school was designated a Five-Star School by the Florida Department of Education for significant parental and community involvement. It was also designated an AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) School based on the No Child Left Behind Act criteria.
In April 2005 Mr. Osborn was named principal of David Lawrence Jr. K-8 Center, a state-of-the-art facility being built adjacent to Florida International University's north campus. This K-8 Center will house more than 1,500 students and feature music, computer and art labs. The media center will provide access to the latest resources, computer equipment, and professional development materials.
Through Mr. Osborn's efforts, David Lawrence Jr. K-8 Center will be the professional development school for FIU students majoring in education. He has also developed a relationship with Johnson and Wales University who will offer nutrition and cooking workshops to our parents and staff as we work on "Healthy Eating/Healthy Choices," a grant Mr. Osborn received from Health Foundation of South Florida. Mr. Osborn is currently working with the school system's Department of Food and Nutrition to bring a fresh and natural approach to the cafeteria food program.
Mr. Osborn is devoting much time to establishing relationships with local businesses wishing to become Dade Partners.
Mrs. Valerie Gilchrist, Assistant Principal
Mrs. Blanca Correa-Cespedes, Assistant Principal
Blanca Correa-Cespedes is a first generation Cuban-American. She was born in Miami Beach, Florida and is a graduate of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. She received her Bachelor's in middle school education from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Upon graduation in 1989, Mrs. Cespedes returned toMiami to begin her teaching career with Miami-Dade County Public Schools. As a first year teacher, she immediately pursued her graduate studies at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She received her Master's in Gifted/English Education and later an Educational Leadership certification. Mrs. Cespedes is married to Joe and is the mother of four children, Nick, Mia, Enzo & Ian.
Mrs. Cespedes started her teaching career as an eighth grade teacher in the inner city. Her classroom experience includes teaching Language Arts and Social Studies Gifted. She has leadership experiences with the following: the Initiative of the World Center Gifted program at Blue Lakes Elementary, Five Star Award Committee Chair at Glades Middle School, School-to-Work grant from the Michael Jordan Foundation, facilitator and presenter of Paideia seminars at both Glades Middle School and the Middle School Conference in Miami Dade, and Florida Inclusion Network implementation of inclusive practices at Glades Middle. Mrs. Cespedes current leadership assignment includes assisting Mr. Osborn with all aspects of the middle school component of the K-8 Center. Her philosophy of education is including all stakeholders in a student centered learning environment. Her career goal is to assist Mr. Osborn in maintaining a nurturing school culture of rigorous academics and enrichment learning . Mrs. Cespedes is committed to serving the North Miami community.
