Sarasota Teacher Honored in Tallahassee

Sonia Botero, a Spanish-language teacher at , was honored by Gov. Rick Scott and First Lady Ann Scott on Oct. 11 as one of three Hispanic teachers statewide to receive the Excellence in Education Award. According to a school district news release, Botero received the honor during a reception for Hispanic community leaders, educators and students as part of Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15-Oct. 15.

“I am honored to receive this award on behalf of the children and parents I have the privilege to teach and serve,” said Botero in the release. “I love seeing the children I teach grow in wisdom, knowledge, dreams, and desire to be better human beings every day. I am also very thankful for all the support that Sarasota School of Arts and Sciences has always provided me.”

Botero, a native of Columbia, organizes a number of Hispanic-themed activities at the Sarasota charter school, including the SSA+S International Fair, the Hispanic Heritage Festival, the Olé  Organization and the Traditional Dance Club. The district said she has initiated projects for her students in various cities in Mexico, including educational field trips. The trips often include volunteer work, such as working in orphanages. 

“Ms. Botero represents the quintessential role model for her students, as she incorporates much from personal experience…into her lessons,” said Mary Boisclair, a reading specialist at the school, in the nomination letter she sent in support of her colleague. “By increasing student exposure to the Hispanic culture and teaching her native language, Ms. Botero strives to improve education, understanding and multicultural relations.”

At the reception in Tallahassee, Botero was one of three Hispanic educators to receive the Excellence in Education Award. Each of the teachers received $1,500. Other honorees included winners of student art and essay contests, as well as artist Damien Cruz, a native of Cuba whose paintings were displayed at the Florida State Capitol Building throughout Hispanic Heritage Month.

"During Hispanic Heritage Month, we take time to recognize how Florida's growing Hispanic population enriches our state and strengthens Florida's cultural and economic ties to Spain, Latin America and beyond," Gov. Scott said in the news release. "The diversity of Florida's people and cultures truly makes our state one of the most vibrant in our country."