Meet the Administrators

 

Mrs. Cormic Priester

Mother, Sister, and Proud School Principal

 

Dear Rocket Families,

Welcome to Remarkable Rock Island! I am your proud principal. As I begin my tenth school year as Principal of Rock Island Elementary (RIE) School, I am energized and deeply committed to making a positive difference in the lives of children. Our Rock Island community aims to accomplish this by setting high academic expectations for all children, while providing supportive systems to ensure the needs of scholars are met. As a proud product of 33311, I see myself in each scholar and I commit the work at Rock Island to specifically develop the promising futures of those that our “Rock” family serves daily.  

By setting high expectations for scholars, increasing parent involvement, and engaging the community, it is my goal to continue the progress made over the years. Rock Island is a cornerstone of the community and has had a positive impact on the lives of scholars for more than 67 years. 

Serving the community, while ensuring all scholars receive a first-class education is a priority for me. Our school provides a safe, secure, and inviting environment to all stakeholders. I find that my role as your proud principal gives me an opportunity to advance the legacy of Rock Island as a premiere school where children and families are first. Rock Island is home to the "Rockets". Rockets accelerate in an upward motion and defeat the laws of gravity to blaze into the galaxy and ultimately reach the stars. My belief is that our faculty and staff are the scientists that contribute to a successful lift off for scholars to reach their goals and dreams.  

Fifteen years ago, I began my career as an administrator and I take great pride in my ability to establish positive relationships with all stakeholders, especially our scholars. My years of experience began as a classroom teacher, which led to my opportunity to serve as a behavior specialist, literacy coach and ultimately an administrator. My experiences help me make informative decisions that are in the best interest of scholars and families.  It is my pleasure to return to my neighborhood as an educator.  

I am a daughter of 33311 and a proud alumna of Dillard High School, Bethune-Cookman University, and Florida Atlantic University. As a proud product of the Dillard community, I am pleased to serve as a positive role model to scholars. My educational philosophy is grounded in the belief that every scholar can learn and succeed if they receive consistent and positive support from a village of positive mentors in their life.  

My family is deeply rooted in 33311. As a mother to two young men, that are also products of Broward County Public Schools, I make every decision about your children, with my children in mind. I have an open-door policy and I am highly visible on campus for all that visit. You will see me on campus greeting scholars, visitors, and parents. My favorite part of the day is when our scholars arrive at school. Mrs. Ballard, Intern Principal and I take great pride in greeting scholars in the morning to prepare them for a positive and productive day.

I respect the input and perspectives of all stakeholders to improve the learning experiences that our scholars receive. I look forward to opening our doors to all members of the Rock Island Family as we prepare for the 2026-2027 school year. 

Each year, I always share our latest accomplishments. This year is no different. I am pleased to announce that our scholars excelled on the 2025-2026 Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (F.A.S.T). 

Rock Island Elementary is an “A” rated school once again. Throughout the history of Rock Island, this is the first time achieving a back-to-back “A” rating. This accomplishment is due to the commitment of our faculty, staff, parents, community members and of course our amazing scholars. It is with immense pride and heartfelt gratitude that I share some of our accomplishments from last year:

Schoolwide Accomplishments

·Earned an "A" School Rating for the second consecutive year, demonstrating sustained excellence and continuous improvement

·Increased overall school grade performance from 67% to 70%, representing meaningful growth and strengthening Rock Island's position as an A-rated school.

·Earned 556 total accountability points, reaching 70% of all possible points available under Florida's School Grading System.

·Continued to demonstrate that equity is the foundation of excellence, building upon Rock Island's reputation as an "A for All" school.

Academic Achievement Highlights: English Language Arts (ELA)

·Achieved 63% proficiency in Grade 3 ELA Achievement, ensuring a strong literacy foundation for young scholars.

·Earned 63% overall ELA Achievement, surpassing our 2025-2026 goal of 60% proficiency.

·Reached 61% ELA Learning Gains, reflecting substantial student growth.

·Achieved an outstanding 86% ELA Learning Gains for the Lowest 25% of scholars, one of the strongest indicators of equitable academic progress.

Mathematics

·Earned 74% Mathematics Achievement, one of the school's strongest academic areas.

·Achieved 79% Mathematics Learning Gains, among the highest performances in school history.

·Reached 73% Mathematics Learning Gains for the Lowest 25%, demonstrating success in accelerating achievement for our scholars with the greatest academic needs.

Science

·Our grade five scholars achieved 57% Science Achievement, which is the highest proficiency rate earned in this subject area in the history of our school.

School Culture & Leadership

·Continued implementation of a strong PBIS framework, promoting positive behavior, student well-being, and a supportive learning environment. 

Family & Community Engagement

·Strengthened partnerships with families and community organizations to support student success and whole-child development.

Recognition & Honors

·Rock Island's sustained improvement and transformation from a "C" school in 2024-2025 to an "A" school led to recognition as a Florida Exceeding Expectations "Rising Star" candidate, a distinction earned by only 32 schools statewide meeting the eligibility criteria.

·Earned a Community Involvement Award amongst all the elementary schools in Broward County for strong partnerships and was recognized throughout the district and community for excellence in school improvement and academic achievement.

·I am honored to have been selected as the 2026 Broward County Public Schools Principal of the Year, a distinction that reflects the collective dedication, hard work, and commitment of our entire school community.

Our scholars excelled academically, our staff remained committed to excellence, our families partnered with us every step of the way, and our community continued to support our mission. As we begin a new school year, we celebrate these accomplishments while looking ahead to even greater success. Once a Rocket, always a Rocket—and together, we continue to prove that excellence is possible for all. Congratulations to the entire Rock Island Elementary community on another remarkable year! Let us take a moment to celebrate, reflect, and continue building on this legacy of excellence. Rock Island has been a cornerstone of education in 33311 since 1959, we hold the torch to continue building on the legacy of our "Remarkable School".

As we begin this new school year, I invite you to partner with us with the same determination and commitment to make it our best year yet. Our theme for this year is “Check Mate: We Came to Win!” Because at Rock Island Elementary, every move matters and every scholar counts. 

I highly encourage parent participation. Join our PTA and help to make a difference in our school. Your voice is important and your children truly relish seeing their parents contribute to our school by joining committees or simply volunteering. Please follow us on Facebook at Remarkable Rock Island Elementary School, Instagram at bcps_rockisland, on Class Dojo and on our website at  https://www.browardschools.com/rockisland.

As your principal, I consider guiding scholars to achieve their ultimate level of success an honor. We will “Blast Off to Proficiency and Beyond” once again!

Yours in Education,  

 

Mrs. Cormic Priester
Proud Principal of Remarkable Rock Island Elementary School