NMB Quest Newsletter

Attending the Annual Student Journalism Forum!

Meet the New NMB Staff

Ms Armstrong

By Larsen Charles

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By Elissa Bessard n October 10, 2019, Mr.Luzardo took three students, to the Student Journalism Forum, at the School Board building, in Downtown Miami. There were five different speakers present and they spoke about their life journeys and how they became who they are today.

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orth Miami Beach Senior High has several new teachers for the 2019-2020 school year. One of the new teachers is Ms. Armstrong, a previous assistant teacher at Jan Mann Educational Center. She decided to come to NMB after getting promoted to full time teacher.

Ms.Armstrong teaches Language Arts and also instructs in some of the freshman experience classes.

Ms Armstrong, photo by Douty Manigat

Not only is this her first time teaching high school students, but it is also her first time taking part in a yearbook club. She works with students after school to create and produce new ideas for the yearbook.

Ms. Armstrong has felt very welcomed by other staff members, teachers, and even students.

Her first month has been very challenging and she’s just adapting to her new job and the school.

She says, “it’s been very interesting and the challenges she faces are the connection with her students and work colleagues.” She’s very dedicated, determined and is in pursuit of a master in visual arts.

Working at NMB, she has been faced with new experiences and challenges. She has gotten the opportunity to become a full on teacher. Secondly, she has gotten the chance to work with high school students. Lastly, she has been able to be a part of the yearbook club. It’s going to be an exciting, amazing year for her.

Elissa Bressard, Yveline Pierre, and Saskia Joseph at the School Board Building for Student Journalism Forum

David Lawrence Jr. is involved in a children’s movement in Florida. He was not a panelist, but the special guest speaker. He wrote a book called “A Dedicated Life,” in which he shared his life story and how each step he took shaped him and prepared him for service. Mr. Lawrence Jr. stated that in whatever time we had left, we should tell the people we love that we love them because we don’t know how much time we have left on this planet.

Nancy Ancrum, the first panelist to speak, has been working at the Miami Herald since 1983.

Mrs. Ancrum is the editorial page editor at the Miami Herald.

Jim DeFede has been with CBS Miami since 2006 and is also an author. Jim DeFede spent almost eight years in college before he decided that he wanted to drop out. He also worked at

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Ms Lotty Jean Begins her NMB Journey

By Rodney Victorin

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s. Lotty Jean is an exceptional teacher. She teaches business education, and due to her background she enjoys teaching that subject very much. Aside from teaching, Ms. Jean sponsors our school’s FBLA chapter

Ms. Jean is an organized person, who uses technology top her advantage. Instead of having a bunch of devices, she has just one device that is capable of connecting to all her other technology. That one device is her iPhone.

Ms Jean has a bachelor’s degree in science and marketing management. Her main purpose in being a teacher is to make students make better choices in the near future. Instead of confronting nstudents, she first tries to understand why the child is doing what he or she is doing. If it’s something that is wrong, she’ll let them know, and she will try to stop the person from doing what they were doing.

The most frustrating thing that she deals with when teaching is students who don’t listen, when they are on their phones, and when they’re not doing their work.

Ms. Lotty Jean is an amazing teacher and she deserves a lot of credit for her teaching style and also her personality. She has great energy and it makes you want to continue and listen to what she has to say. She is a one of a kind!

Personally, her favorite food is pasta and her favorite drink is just plain water. Outside of her work life, in her free time, she likes to hang out with her family and friends.

Thank you Ms Jean, and welcome to North Miami Beach Senior High.

New NMB Staff, continued Ms Joan Bassan

By Samy Lubin

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ne of the new staff members that has joined the NMB Chargers team is Ms. Bassan, the new Secretary for Mr. Milliken.

Before coming to work at North Miami Beach Senior High School she previously worked as the Treasurer at John F. Kennedy Middle School.

She worked at JFK for years but then transferred to NMB to replace Ms. Ann, who had just recently retired from being the Mr. Milliken’s secretary.

Some of her responsibilities are being the office manager in the main office, handling payroll for the staff, writing any reports and setting up appointments needed for Mr. Milliken.

Ms. Bassan is determined, friendly and always has a positive outlook on her situation.She is a homegrown, Miami native. However, her parents were born in Haiti. Her background gives her a huge advantage, knowing

Creole, which she uses often when communicating with parents in the main office.

Ms. Bassan is trying to finish her degree in Human Resources and Accounting Business Management.

When asked what her greatest achievement was, she said that it was having her two kids (a girl and a boy). She loves spending her free time with them.

With having a full time job, two kids and finishing a degree Ms. Bassan is truly an NMB Charger and a Superwoman in life, as well as work.

Ms Richardson

By Caleb Polynice

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s many of us have already founds out, there are new teachers and personnel that joined NMB’s staff this year.

Students get a chance to familiarize ourselves with them and to welcome them to the NMB family.

One of those new teachers is Ms. Richardson.

She is a one-on-one teacher; a teacher who works with a particular student.

Below are the questions and answers of the interview.

Q: How long have you been teaching?

A: 22 years Q: What brings you to NMB? A: She was brought to NMB because the student who she was working with had age progressed to senior high school.

Q: At what school did you work before NMB? A: She taught at Aventura Waterways K-8 Center, another Dade-County school.

Q: How would you identify your race?

A: African American Q: How has your time working at NMB been so far?

A: She says that it has been very nice, and welcoming. The student she works with also enjoys it.

Q: What is one thing that you would like the students and staff of NMB to know about you?

A: She is a team player and believes in “One band, one sound.”

Join us next edition for more new staff members

Journalism Forum (continued from page 1)

the Miami Herald from 2002-2005. DeFede was working on the Migrant Detention Facility and it took him four months to work on the story.

Amanda Plasencia is a general assignment reporter. Ms.Plasencia once interviewed a 16 year old named Elisa, a legally blind girl that just wanted to pursue her dreams and live like a normal person. It took her 2-3 months to finish the assignment, because of the editing and putting of everything together.

Sofia Alonso is an assignment editor. She has to filter through police scanners & social media to see what is a story and what isn’t. Her and her crew get the initials and gather the parts and put it all together.

The all-star panel at the Student Journalism Forum

At the end of the Forum the students from different schools stood up to asked the speakers questions about how they got to where they are today, or just questions on how to be a better journalist.

ANTI-DISCRIMINATION/HARASSMENT Anti-Discrimination/Harassment (students) - Board Policy 5517 and 5517.02 M-DCPS does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, ethnic or national origin, religion, marital status, disability, age, political beliefs, sexual orientation, gender, gender identification, social and family background, linguistic preference, pregnancy, or any other basis prohibited by law in its educational programs, services or activities or in its hiring or employment practices. Please refer to School Board Policies 5517 - Anti-Discrimination/Harassment (Students) and 5517.02 - Discrimination/Harassment Complaint Procedures for Students for more information. Questions, complaints or requests for additional information regarding discrimination or harassment may be sent to: Executive Director, Civil Rights Compliance Office, 155 NE 15 Street, Suite P-104E, Miami, Florida 33132; PH: 305-995-1580 or e-mail address: crc@dadeschools.net .

The District also provides equal access to its facilities to the Boy Scouts and other patriotic youth groups, as required by the Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act.