Coconut Creek Resident Receives Top Honor As Educator

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Shenee Rowe {courtesy}

Shenee Rowe had originally planned on saving lives as a medical doctor; however, along the way she caught the teaching bug and is still saving lives, but in a different manner.

Rowe, a 10-year Coconut Creek resident, is an assistant principal at Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach and was just named the 2025 Caliber Awards Assistant Principal of the Year by Broward County Public Schools. She lives with her son, Justin, 12, a 7th-grader at Lyons Creek Middle School in the Solaire at Coconut Creek community.

During her final semester at Florida Atlantic University, where she majored in biomedicine, Rowe researched various medical specialties as a possible career path.

That’s when she made a life-changing decision about her future. She said to herself, “I don’t know if this is for me.”

Then along came a friend whose good advice she heeded. That friend suggested she try her hand at teaching. She landed her first teaching job as an educator at Miramar High School, teaching juniors environmental science. She describes it as a rewarding, fulfilling experience. “I developed a bond with the kids,” she said. “I truly loved this. I fell in love with the kids. I helped save lives in a different way.”

Being an educator must run in her family DNA, as her mom is also a teacher. Rowe, 37, is a native of Jamaica.

After teaching at Miramar High School, she moved on to Plantation High School. She taught there for a year, and then her son was born. She later went on to teach chemistry at Coconut Creek High School from 2012 to 2019 after becoming certified to teach that subject.

She relished her time as a chemistry teacher. “I did a lot of cool experiments,” she said, adding some of her classroom inventions included ice cream, cookies, and slime. “I did that on Fridays to get them to do the fun stuff.”

Rowe said she had a good reason to have her students get a taste—literally—of the fun stuff: “to get them through the boring stuff. Any lab that had food for an experiment, we did it.”

Although she’s now an honored school administrator, Rowe admits to missing an important part of the classroom teacher experience, namely the day-to-day bonding with her students. However, as Blanche Ely High School’s 11th-grade assistant principal, she’s still able to bond with students, teachers, fellow administrators, and parents.

Rowe credits her leadership style with the county’s honor. “When I focus on people, I get the results,” she said. When it comes to a student’s ability to succeed, she maintains high expectations and tells teachers and parents, “Don’t tell me your kids can’t; I know they can.”

She’s been with BCPS for 14 years and is in her fourth year as an assistant principal. Under her tutelage, Blanche Ely High School has taken significant strides academically, including achieving a “B” grade in the 2023/2024 school year and one of the largest increases in English Language Arts proficiency in the district. Rowe left Coconut Creek High School in 2019 to become a magnet coordinator at William Dandy Middle School in Fort Lauderdale to gain hands-on experience as an administrator.

Rowe said all children deserve access to an education that empowers them to succeed. But it doesn’t stop there:

“Beyond academics, we must cultivate essential life skills, like critical thinking, problem-solving, and resilience, to empower students to become well-rounded individuals who contribute positively to society.”

Blanche Ely High School Principal Tavures Williams said it’s an honor that they decided she’s No. 1 for her work. He points out that now she has the opportunity to be chosen Florida’s assistant principal of the year and the entire nation’s assistant principal of the year.

He agrees it’s all about her leadership style and her dedication. “She has a deep commitment and passion for children,” Williams said. “She believes every child if given the opportunity has a chance to succeed.”

Williams also commends her working relationship throughout the entire community and the support she provides teachers as well as the guidance counselors.

“She’s the total picture,” he said. “We are very lucky to have her.”

This story was originally published in the New Pelican.

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Martin Lenkowsky

Martin Lenkowsky moved to Coral Springs from NYC in 1982. He has a bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College. He has been both writer and editor for a number of South Florida publications since 1983. He considers features writing his specialty.