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.
Ms. Deborah Johnson, Assistant Principal
Deborah Johnson began her career with Miami-Dade County Public Schools as a substitute teacher while simultaneously pursuing a Master's Degree in Exceptional Student Education. She was hired by North Miami Middle School as an ESE teacher in a self-contained class of Emotionally Handicapped students. One of the highlights of her teaching these students was encouraging them to develop a love of reading. By utilizing the Accelerated Reader program, 75 percent of her students were able to increase their reading levels by at least one grade level. Ultimately, this increased their self-confidence which, in turn, had an overall positive impact on their behavior.
After leaving the classroom, Ms. Johnson had the opportunity to work as an Educational Specialist with Regional Center II Title I Schools. She worked collaboratively with the principals, assistant principals, reading leaders and community involvement specialists to ensure that the schools were in compliance with the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Title I guidelines.
Ms. Johnson is currently in her second year as assistant principal. She enjoys having the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of teachers, students and parents and is very excited to be a part of the David Lawrence Jr. K-8 Center. Her goal is to assist Mr. Osborn in providing a nurturing environment in which all stakeholders can grow and maximize their full potential academically, socially and emotionally.
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. In 1989, after graduating from ASU, Mrs. Cespedes returned to her hometown to begin her teaching career with Miami-Dade County Public Schools. As a first year teacher, she immediately pursued her graduate studies in 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 at Allapattah Middle School. She also taught gifted language arts at Ruben Dario Middle School and McMillan Middle School. Mrs. Cespedes was given the opportunity to create and implement the World Center gifted program at Blue Lakes Elementary School. For the past three years, Mrs. Cespedes has served as Special Education Department Chairperson at Glades Middle School. Her position as Special Education Chairperson prepared her for her current position as Assistant Principal at David Lawrence Jr. K-8 Center. Mrs. Cespedes assisted with various projects at Glades Middle School. She worked in attaining the Five Star Award at Glades Middle School. Mrs. Cespedes assisted with all discipline related to special education students. Mrs. Cespedes worked closely with the Career Specialist and the School-to-Work initiative inclusive of all students. She received a School-to-Work grant from the Michael Jordan Foundation. She has been a facilitator and presenter of Paideia seminars at both Glades Middle School and the Middle School Conference. Mrs. Cespedes has worked diligently with the Florida Inclusion Network: Miami-Dade to implement inclusive practices at Glades Middle School. Mrs. Cespedes was the project leader of a $30,000 grant to effectively implement a co-teaching inclusion model at Glades Middle School. She has also been a team captain for two years in a row for the Walk F.A.R. for NAAR annual event raising significant donations. Mrs. Cespedes was assigned the position of assistant principal at David Lawrence Jr. K-8 Center in May 2006. Mrs. Cespedes looks forward to serving the North Miami community and supporting Mr. Osborn in opening the first school built in North Miami in over 50 years.
