Sunrise Middle School is proud to be home to Connie Hines, 2003 Broward County Teacher of the Year. Ms. Hines was chosen from eight talented finalists, including Ms. Edna Craig of Harbordale Elementary School.

   Connie Hines has been a teacher for thirteen years, including the last three at Sunrise Middle School where she teaches eighth grade American History. Her philosophy stresses accountability for all those involved in student achievement - teachers, students and parents. While she provides continual feedback to students and their parents about student progress, she also asks them to give her feedback about her performance as a teacher.

   Ms. Hines also believes that students should practice what they learn. She emphasizes community involvement to help understand the essence and value of social studies. For example, she and her students initiated a patriotic community rally after the World Trade Center attack on September 11 that raised almost $2000 the American Red Cross; a canned food drive to help 150 local families affected by the economic downtown resulting from September 11; and an effort lobbying local, state and national politicians to provide crossing guards for middle schools.

   Connie Hines has also earned the distinction of becoming a Nationally Board Certified Teacher from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. National Board Certification is a rigorous program of performance-based assessments that requires exceptional subject knowledge and the skills to successfully impart that knowledge to students. Achieving the distinction of National Board Certification was a personal and professional goal for Ms. Hines in her effort to be the best teacher possible. Sunrise Middle School is proud to have a teacher of her caliber as part of their staff.

   Sunrise Middle School has participated in Academic Games for the last twenty years. Six types of games are played: EQUATIONS (a math game), ONSETS (a logic game of set theory), LINGUISHTIK (playful use of the rules of grammar), PROPAGANDA (a game of thought manipulation), PRESIDENTS (presidential trivia) and WORLD CARD (research on a theme and current events).

   Rio Vista residents Margaret and Sam Poole recently hosted a large gathering of parents from Harbordale, Virginia Shuman Young and Bayview Elementary Schools who came to meet Rebecca Dahl, Principal of Sunrise Middle School, and several of her staff members.

   Choosing the right middle school for your child is a challenging task with so many options in our community. Sunrise Middle offers a variety of academic programs, including Montessori, Gifted Education in Mathematics (GEM), gifted, advanced and traditional classes plus a wide range of extracurricular and sports programs. Margaret and Sam Poole have a son, Charles, who currently attends Sunrise Middle and has been accepted by St. Thomas Aquinas for next year. Their daughter, Carrie, who currently attends Harbordale Elementary, will attend Sunrise Middle next year. They, along with a number of other community parents, wish to ensure that other parents are aware of the educational opportunities available in our local public schools.

   Mrs. Dahl was accompanied by assistant principals Claudia McGrath and Desmond Blackburn, writing coach Daphne Brown, reading coach Cheryl Ammons, and teachers Belinda Hope, Dan Katz, Pat Houchens, Wendy Carroll and Connie Hines, who is the 2003 Broward County Teacher of the Year. Guests had an opportunity to ask questions of the Sunrise staff and Sunrise parents and received the booklet, "Sunrise Middle - Academics, Pride, Spirit: Advancing Our Students to New Heights" which describes Sunrise programs, activities, sports, services, technology, facilities and staff information. If you would like to learn about or take a tour of Sunrise Middle School, please call Mrs. Rebecca Dahl, Principal, at 954-765-6793.