South Florida

NBC 6 Brag About Your School: Miami Northwestern Senior High

Mention Miami Northwestern Senior High School, and most people think of a football factory, or perhaps an outstanding marching band. Those perceptions have a basis in fact. The school’s athletics history and its music program are the envy of most high schools. However, there’s another side to this Liberty City icon.

"They don’t see all those students that, extremely, do well inside the classroom," says Principal Wallace Aristide, speaking about the public’s perception of his school. "Those students that have been on the principal’s honor roll, superior honor roll, all kinds of honors they’ve received, students that are taking dual enrollment classes, students that are taking advanced placement classes."

The public doesn’t see, Aristide says, the millions of dollars in scholarship grants his students win every year, and most people don’t know about the school’s Performing and Visual Arts Center, a magnet program which hones the skills of dancers, musicians, actors, and artists.

"Our students are passionate about their talents, so we teach them more about their talents and we make sure they have what they need to go into the world and become the best dancer, the best singer, the best instrumentalist, the best actor," said Natalie Baldie, the program’s artistic director, who also points out another benefit to her program: "Data shows that students that perform in the arts have higher test scores."

Northwestern also has a medical magnet program. It gives students a baseline foundation to pursue any type of healthcare career.

"Anything you want to be, you don’t have to be an RN, you can be a physician, you can be a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, you can be anything you want to be, the sky’s the limit," said Sonia Warren-Salmon, a nurse who runs the program.

It also can be a tremendous time and money saver. For example, students graduate high school ready to take a six-month course which leads to LPN certification. Then, just one year at Miami-Dade College’s nursing program and they can become a Registered Nurse.

"So they graduate as an RN for free," Warren-Salmon said.

"We don’t believe in one size fits all," said Aristide.

That’s why Northwestern offers a cornucopia of technical programs to train the next generation of auto mechanics, cosmetologists, and chefs.

It’s a legacy school, with a proud alumni base, and that spirit permeates today’s students, as well. Aristide says Students from next year’s graduating class are already vowing to collectively earn more scholarship money than the class of 2018.

Now that’s healthy competition.

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