Celebrating more than 25 years of serving students and our community, Discovery Middle has a longstanding tradition of excellence. Recently recognized by the State of Florida as a “School of Excellence,” Discovery Middle offers advanced courses for high school credit, a plethora of elective courses such as art, band, chorus, guitar, orchestra, foreign language, computer technology, STEM, and Latinos in Action.
Student artwork has been recognized in local museums and art shows and have won numerous art competitions. Our band, chorus, and orchestra students have received superior ratings from All-County and All-State competitions. We offer computer courses where students have the opportunity to earn both high school credit and Microsoft industry certification.
Students who participate in STEM are often found working on engineering projects that prepare them with real-world skills such as problem-solving, collaboration and decision-making while utilizing principles learned in their math and science courses. Our Latinos in Action partner with our neighboring school, Waterford Elementary to tutor students in reading and math. Simply put, Discovery Middle is a school of excellence and innovation.
Discovery Middle is partnering with other stakeholders to integrate the arts into all content areas. According to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, arts integration is defined as, “an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form. Students engage in a creative process which connects an art form and another subject area and meets evolving objectives in both.”
Gloria Fernandez, EdD, has been at Discovery MS for 17 years, first as an assistant principal and now principal. She is originally from New York City, but calls Central Florida home. She attended Queens College, in New York City, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She then earned a master’s degree in Counseling from Ball State University. She continued her educational endeavor at Florida State University, where she earned an educational specialist degree in Multicultural Multilingual education, and then earned a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Central Florida.
The foundation of my educational philosophy is the firm belief I hold that all students can achieve. I have carried this credence first as an ESOL teacher, then as a guidance counselor, and lastly, as an administrator both at the elementary and secondary levels.
