'Top of the Middle' Program Welcomes Piper HS!

I'm especially pleased to welcome Piper High School in Sunrise, FL to the Top of the Middle Program, and would like to thank Language Arts teacher Eric Delucia, Assistant Principal Stephane Monereau, and Principal Angel Gomez for their consideration and support.

Mr. Delucia participated in the Top of the Middle Program last year as a teacher at Ramblewood Middle School (RMS) in Coral Springs, FL, where the program began in 2011. Due to the record-setting results of the program at RMS last year, Mr. Delucia, now a teacher at Piper High School, contacted me in October to inquire about introducing the program to his new school.

When I subsequently spoke with Assistant Principal Monereau, I was extremely impressed by the way he enthusiastically described the many innovative ways in which Piper High School was involved with enhancing the education, personal growth and well-being of those students most in-need of assistance. He added that he believed the Top of the Middle Program would help Piper High School in its efforts to meet these noble goals. 

Originally created for my own son, now a top student at Monarch High School in Coconut Creek, FL, Battalion Commander of its JROTC Program and West Point applicant, the Top of the Middle Program successfully combines goal-setting, mentoring, motivation, instruction, personal and social development, and studying and time management skills to help empower at-risk and under-performing students with the ability to:

-- Improve their grades.

-- Improve their in-class behavior and participation.

-- Improve their relationships with friends, family and teachers.

-- Set and achieve goals.

-- Become independent thinkers.

-- Make sound decisions regarding their most vital teen issues.

-- Become more self-aware and accountable for their actions.

-- Take control of their lives and future.

-- Identify, accept and overcome the effects of adversity.

-- Demonstrate greater empathy and compassion toward others.

-- Realize their true potential in terms of their talent, education and future. 

On the first day of in-classroom Top of the Middle Program presentations at Piper High School, I found Mr. Delucia's students to be extremely well-behaved, respectful and eager to learn; a very good sign indeed. I also applauded the fact that both Assistant Principal Monereau and Principal Gomez took time from their busy schedules to sit in and observe the presentations. I believe this type of involvement and steadfast commitment, by teachers and administrators alike, to be crucial towards optimizing the education experience of students. I'm reminded of the old adage, 'It takes a village to raise a child', and am grateful to Mr. Delucia, Assistant Principal Monereau and Principal Gomez for caring enough to help make a difference in the education and lives of their students. Their efforts are most appreciated!

If you are a superintendent, administrator, principal, vice principal, department chair, counselor, and/or teacher in Dade, Broward or Palm Beach County Schools, I invite you to contact me at (954) 675-3967 or [email protected] for more information about the Top of the Middle Program, its merits and testimonials, and/or to make arrangements to offer it at your school during the 2015-16 school year. 

As a 13-year Broward County Schools volunteer, 3rd-year Substitute Teacher, creator of the Top of the Middle Program and devoted parent, I am committed to doing everything within my power to aid those students most in-need of assistance. With your support, we can work together to vastly improve the grades, behavior and self-esteem of your at-risk and under-performing students, and help them take control of their lives and future! 

I thank you all for your time and consideration, and look forward to working with you soon!