Palmetto Bay resident Claudia Pastrana is a devoted educator with more than 25 years of experience. The Argentinian native came to the United States as a Kindergartener. Mrs. Pastrana has dedicated the last 13 years to teaching in Palmetto Bay. She was a gifted teacher at Coral Reef Elementary for seven years where she started the school's first robotic team in Math and Science Clubs. She dedicated herself to the students and prepared them to compete in the SECME Competitions in Math, Science, and STEM-related events such as rocket building. In 2013, she was selected as the SECME Elementary School Teacher of the Year for Miami-Dade County, and in 2014, she was the recipient of the Beckman Coulter Science Teacher Award for Miami-Dade County. During the last six years, she has been an Enrichment Teacher at Westminster Christian Elementary School. She started the VEX Robotics Elementary School Program five years ago. Under her leadership, the elementary teams have earned a World bid for all five years, plus, twenty-nine regional awards, six state awards and three world awards, including winning the Excellence Award at State Competitions for the past two years. As we celebrate International Women’s Day today, it is important to note that one of her all-girls teams was invited to China to compete after a stellar award winning performance at the World Competition in robotics.
Mrs. Pastrana we salute you and thank you for your dedication and commitment to our Palmetto Bay students!
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