Known for her spirited attitude and love for fashion, Ms. Belony is the Family and Consumer Sciences teacher at Miami High, focusing on fashion design and culinary arts.

Education

After graduating from North Miami Senior High in 1986, Ms. Belony went on to study at Florida International University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1992.

“Back in high school and college, I was very much into academics,” she said. “I was never really into sororities and clubs; I wanted to stay focused and obtain a degree.”

Career

   Upon graduating, she started working as a social worker for people who needed special assistance during the 90’s. Back then, HIV/AIDS was a rising major health concern so she had to help her clients get through their day and receive medical care. She left that job because it was emotionally draining.

She said, “One day I’d be working with a client, and the next day they passed away. Instead of helping those suffering from medical conditions, I decided to continue as a social worker, but helping at-risk youth instead.” The switch in jobs required her to visit schools and hold opportunity workshops to get at-risk students involved in positive activities and make better choices in their lives.

Heading into the new millennium, there was a demand for teachers in the local area, and her friend encouraged her to go into teaching. “She believed I had all the natural skills to excel in this career path,” she said.

In 2001, she landed her first teaching job at Jan Mann Opportunity School, which she said was challenging.  “Many students had issues in their lives that interfered with the classroom environment and their learning progress,” she said. In 2003, she took on the role of Jan Mann’s FCCLA (Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America) advisor because she felt she could make an impact on students’ lives outside of the classroom.

“At Jann Mann, I would have my students showcase their work throughout the year at the annual fashion show and compete in district and state-wide competitions,” she said. “My favorite moment there was at the last fashion show before I left because all my old students from past years came back to be a part of the show. It was such a magical moment.”

In 2015, Ms. Belony joined the Stingaree family. “I came here because I felt that I’d make a bigger impact here,” she said.

Teaching fashion design and culinary arts, Ms. Belony has a unique way of teaching her students. Before her students learn to use the machines, she requires them to conduct research about fashion. “My students learn about textiles, apparel, and fabric construction, the history of fashion, the fashion industry, and the different career opportunities pertaining to fashion,” she said.

In culinary arts, her students learn about careers in the culinary field and how to use different utensils. Then, they apply what they learned in the cooking lab by preparing a variety of dishes.

Aside from teaching, Ms. Belony also owns her own event production company, Sandra Belony Designs. “I plan and help with party events such as weddings, baby showers, luncheons for corporate operations; the list goes on,” she said.

Despite her love for fashion design, she does not want to pursue a career in the field because she loves to work with kids and make an impact in their lives. In the future, she wants to continue teaching but also focus more on her company.

FCCLA

As Miami High’s FCCLA advisor, Ms. Belony encourages her students to join the club. “There are many perks to being an FCCLA member,” she said. “After paying the $16 membership fee, students are eligible to compete in a variety of district and state competitions. It is the ultimate leadership experience; students that participate in the club’s activities learn to flex their creative muscles and network with students and teachers from other schools.” Students must have at least a 2.0 GPA and be enrolled in either fashion design, culinary arts, interior design, or early childhood to join FCCLA.

This year, her students competed at the district level in fashion construction, leadership, recycle and redesign, artistic reflection, sketch (B&W) and sketch (color). “My students came back with 4 gold medals and 2 silver medals. Those with the gold medals advanced to states and will go to Orlando in March,” she said.

Currently, Ms. Belony is helping her students prepare their projects for display at the upcoming Youth Fair. “I believe this will be a good experience for the students as they are able to showcase their abilities to the public and at the same time help fundraise for the club,” she claimed. “I’m trying to get them involved in as many activities as I can.”

Personal Life

Ms. Belony was born in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti. At the tender age of 4, she already started attending school in Haiti. By the time she moved to Miami at age 10, she already had a 6^th grade education.

Her family, consisting of her mother, father, herself, and 4 siblings, is very close. “When I was younger, we were the type of family to sit at the dinner table every night. Every day, we would compete against each other on who had the most interesting day,” she said.

Despite going on many adventures with her siblings, she claims she doesn’t know how they never got into any trouble. “One time, my siblings and I were on our way home from school and we took a detour,” she said. “Somehow, we ended up having to jump over a strong stream; everyone made it out except my youngest brother. He ended up getting soaking wet. We didn’t know how we were going to explain the situation to our parents, but in the end, we managed to avoid punishment.” To this day, her family is still just as close.

Some of her favorite dishes are gryo (fried pork, fried plantains, and pikliz) and a vegetable goulash made with crab, carrots, cabbage, eggplant, and watercress. “My mom went to culinary school so she was a very good cook; I believe her ability to cook was passed down to me,” she said.

She loves to entertain people and travel. “Last summer, I went to Washington D.C. and visited the Smithsonian Museum and the White House. I even saw former president Barack Obama leave in a helicopter!” Travelling allows her to see and experience different things and helps her come up with different ideas to teach her students.