Teachers from Pace, Curley-Notre Dame receive awards

By Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic

Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO

Celita Cabrera, Msgr. Edward Pace High School

MIAMI � During the past year, several teachers from local Catholic schools have been honored for their professional performance.

Celita Cabrera, a Spanish teacher at Msgr. Edward Pace High School, was selected as a recipient of Univision 23 and Papa John�s Pizza, �Un Maestro Muy Especial� (A Very Special Teacher) award.

Cabrera chairs the foreign language department at Pace. She earned her master�s degree from Nova Southeastern University and her doctorate from San Marcos University in 2006. She worked at Immaculate Conception School in Hialeah for 13 years prior to joining the Pace family 24 years ago.

Some of the courses she teaches at Pace are Advanced Placement Spanish, Spanish IV Honors and Spanish-speaking III & IV Honors, a dual enrollment class with Florida International University. Cabrera is also the moderator of the Spanish National Honor Society. She has written several Spanish textbooks, including �Nuestros Primeros Pasos�, �Nuestras Ra�ces� and �Nuestras Huellas�. She has also been a recipient of the Cervantes Excellence in Education Award.

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David Monaco, Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame High School

Two Archbishop Curley Notre Dame High School faculty members have received the prestigious 2010 Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Scholarly Fellowship. Granted to only 10 American history scholars each year, the fellowship gives teachers the opportunity to conduct summer research within the archival holdings of several institutions and universities.

Kimberly Lumpkin, a reading specialist and member of Curley-Notre Dame�s language arts faculty, and David Monaco, a community studies faculty member, were two of the 10 recipients of the 2010 fellowship.

Lumpkin, who serves as a reading coach, used the fellowship to conduct research on the environmental history of the United States and how it has influenced society.

�The strong commitment to community service at (Curley Notre Dame) has increased my awareness of and interest in both the natural and social environment that so many of us take for granted,� Lumpkin said. �I hope to pass along some of my enthusiasm for the subject to my students.�

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Kimberly Lumpkin, Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame High School

Lumpkin holds bachelor�s, master�s and specialist degrees from Barry University. She conducted her historical research at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Monaco is an avid researcher of U.S. history, specifically the Founding Era which encompasses the French and Indian War and extends through the presidency of George Washington. For his fellowship, he researched the English view of slavery during the Revolutionary period. By focusing on the writings of the first abolitionists, he also was interested in discovering the different ways the colonies viewed slavery.

Monaco, an instructor of U.S. history, government, and economics, said he was pleasantly surprised when he was awarded the fellowship and credits Curley Notre Dame for his motivation to conduct more research of American history.

�My time at (Curley Notre Dame) has forced me to sharpen my knowledge in general when it comes to American history,� Monaco said. �I am more curious about the things that history teachers leave out. This is one of those things and now I have the chance to investigate one of the most contentious issues in American history and see how our founders dealt with it.�

A native of New York, Monaco pursued his research at the Columbia University Rare Book and Manuscript Library. He holds a bachelor�s degree in anthropology from Hofstra University and a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School.

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Luz Argote, Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame High School

Curley Notre Dame�s Spanish teacher, Luz Argote, was awarded the Cervantes Outstanding Educator Award for her commitment to developing in her students an appreciation of Spanish heritage, culture and history as part of her Spanish language course.

In the spirit of Hispanic Heritage Month, more than two dozen Miami-Dade County students and educators were honored at the 13th annual Cervantes Awards for Outstanding Hispanic Education ceremony held Oct. 27 at the Hilton Miami Airport Hotel in Miami. The event is hosted each year by Nova Southeastern University�s Fischler School of Education and Human Services and its Hispanic Advisory Board.

Argote was born and raised in Peru, where she taught for many years before traveling to the United States. Now in her third year teaching Spanish at Curley Notre Dame, she quickly noticed that her students, especially ones of Hispanic descent, had very little and sometimes no knowledge or experience at all of their ancestors� traditions and customs. Argote makes it a point to incorporate aspects of literature, history and culture of different Hispanic societies into each of her classes.

�I want to instill in all of my students that culture is the way we love and speak, what we eat, how we dress, our memories and wishes,� said Argote.