Miami-Dade Public Schools to reveal principal, assistant principal of the year

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami-Dade Public Schools will soon pick its Principal and Assistant Principal of the Year.

The announcement will be made at the Dade Association of School Administrators’ (DASA) Annual Award Ceremony on Thursday, April 25th at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in Miami.

The winners will receive $2,000 cash and will drive away in a brand new 2024 Toyota Corolla with a three-year lease provided by Headquarter Toyota.

“Principals and assistant principals set the tone for their schools and empower their teachers and students to achieve greatness,” said Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jose L. Dotres. “This award is a way of saying thank you for their years of guidance, hard work and commitment to their students.”

This year’s Principal of the Year finalists include:

● Dr. Cadian Collman-Perez principal of Maritime and Science Technology (MAST) Academy, a nationally recognized school of excellence that has achieved a 100% graduation rate under her leadership. Dr. Collman-Perez has been an educator for more than 16 years, serving as principal at MAST since 2012. She has served in various committees at M-DCPS, Florida Dept. of Education, and several national education initiatives. She mentors several other principals at M-DCPS.

● Chantal G. Osborne principal at Lindsey Hopkins Technical College (LHTC) since 2021, managing the day-to-day operations of a student body that exceeds 2,300 students in various career technical programs. At LHTC, she has achieved a job placement rate of 91% and licensure rate of 100%. Osborne also won the 2006-2007 Teacher of the Year while at Jose Marti Middle School in Hialeah.

● Christopher J. Shinn principal of Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High in North Miami-Dade since 2016. Shinn has overseen a 92% graduation rate and 106% enrollment rate at ATM Senior. The school is currently in the process of expanding to accommodate 450 new students. The 34-year educator is a product of the M-DCPS system, graduating from North Miami Senior High.

● Kenneth L. Williams principal at Robert Morgan Educational and Technical College, where he has served since 2019. Robert Morgan Educational is an “A-rated” magnet high school with a rigorous academic curriculum. It offers dual enrollment at FIU, UPenn, MDC and Barry University and boasts a graduation rate of 99%. Williams has over 15 years of experience as principal and assistant principal.

MDCPS chose the 2025 Francisco R. Walker Miami-Dade County Teacher of the Year, Melissa Abril-Dotel, a second-grade teacher at North Beach Elementary School.

Kendall Toyota gifted Abril-Dotel a new car.