South Dade High Names Cox Teacher of the Year
Agriculture teacher Robby Cox and business and media teacher Andrea Bueno, both South Dade graduates, received the school's top teaching honors.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Organic Food
South Dade Senior High School named Robby Cox its Teacher of the Year, selected by his colleagues, and Andrea Bueno its Rookie Teacher of the Year. Both educators attended South Dade before returning to the school as teachers.
Why it matters
The recognition highlights how the school's agriculture program, including its working farm, gives students hands-on learning in Homestead and across South Dade. Honoring a first-year teacher alongside a veteran signals the school's emphasis on both experience and new talent in its classrooms.
Robby Cox teaches agriculture and sponsors the Future Farmers of America program, while the school's working farm grows onions, tomatoes, sunflowers and strawberries. Andrea Bueno teaches business and media and is a South Dade graduate.
The players
South Dade Senior High School
A public high school in Homestead, Florida, serving the South Dade community with programs including agriculture and business education.
Robby Cox
The agriculture teacher who sponsors the school's Future Farmers of America program and oversees its working farm.
Andrea Bueno
A business and media teacher and South Dade graduate who was named the school's Rookie Teacher of the Year.
The details
Cox's students gain hands-on experience through the school's working farm, and agriculture students brought a tractor to the school's Halloween celebration, distributing candy to community children. Bueno took part in the Halloween event alongside fellow educators and students.
Timeline
Halloween 2026: South Dade High held its Halloween celebration with students and educators.
November 13, 2026: The Teacher and Rookie Teacher of the Year recognition was published.
Season Trajectory
The working-farm approach follows the National FFA Organization's model of pairing classroom instruction with supervised hands-on projects. South Dade's program applies that model on its own campus through crops such as onions, tomatoes and strawberries.
Families in Homestead and South Dade can see how the school's agriculture program works through its working farm and FFA activities. Students interested in farming, business or media have local teachers who are graduates of the same school.
The takeaway
Schools with hands-on programs, such as working farms, give students practical skills that classroom instruction alone cannot provide. Parents and community members can support these programs by attending school events and encouraging student participation.
Further reading
For more on growing practices tied to school farms, explore Organic Food coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by South Dade News Leader.
