To Whom it May Concern: My name is Drew Baigrie and it is my honor to write this letter of recommendation for Dr. Carlos Palencia. I have been working at North Broward Preparatory for 10 years teaching IB and AP Physics. In 2019 I took over as the Science Department Chair. Over the past nine years Dr. Palencia and myself have worked side by side in the advanced science classroom to provide the best experience possible to our students and make sure they are prepared for their continued pursuit of knowledge. As both a peer and his Department Chair, I can confidently say that Dr. Palencia is one of the best advanced Biology teachers I have had the opportunity to work with. As a veteran of both the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate curricula, Dr. Palencia has been able to bring the best of both worlds to his classes. Dr. Palencia is a unique teacher because along with his introduction to advanced content he balances this content heavy course with laboratory skills. This unique blend of advanced content with laboratory skills allows his students to not only apply their knowledge but learn new skills that help advance their ability to test hypotheses. As someone who themselves pursued an advanced degree, Dr. Palencia uses his own experiences to help inform the students as to the latest techniques and technologies that are available. Dr. Palencia, while an expert in his field, has an amazing ability to break down advanced processes or systems and help students master them one piece at a time. This in combination with his laboratory skills, helps to introduce the students to a level of biology commonly not experienced in high school. His classroom is always filled with amazing experiments, curious students and amazing illustrations to help students interact with the content they are learning. As a teacher, Dr. Palencia strives to supply students with multiple avenues to express and apply their knowledge. Over these past nine years, Dr. Palencia’s contributions to North Broward have grown to extend beyond his classroom as he has taken leadership roles in student organizations. As the Teacher Lead for the National Science Honor Society, Dr. Palencia has helped students organize community service events and help the student leadership make sure they are fulfilling all of the requirements to be a part of the national organization. Dr. Palencia also started a Biology Olympiad team at North Broward Preparatory that allows them to compete for scholarship money via the Center of Excellence in Education, one of his was awarded a semi-finalist position in 2023. Overall, Dr. Palencia’s impact in our community is immeasurable and he will continue to help young scholars thrive in whatever community he chooses to be a part of.

I had the pleasure to work with Carlos Palencia at CIEDI, he is a strong professional with an open mind and the experience that improved immensely the science department. Carlos was one of the best teachers and area leaders I have seen at CIEDI . As a teacher he exhibited his knowledge in life sciences while still managing to connect with all his students. As a department leader and colleague he was always supportive and motivating. He managed his department with the particular ability to navigate through all the situations and conflicts with a combination of strength, diplomacy, straight forwardness and charisma. He works with extreme efficiency independently or as part of a team making sure that the job gets done. He is a highly trained and commendable individual unique to the educational environment.

To Whom it May Concern: My name is Drew Baigrie and it is my honor to write this letter of recommendation for Dr. Carlos Palencia. I have been working at North Broward Preparatory for 10 years teaching IB and AP Physics. In 2019 I took over as the Science Department Chair. Over the past nine years Dr. Palencia and myself have worked side by side in the advanced science classroom to provide the best experience possible to our students and make sure they are prepared for their continued pursuit of knowledge. As both a peer and his Department Chair, I can confidently say that Dr. Palencia is one of the best advanced Biology teachers I have had the opportunity to work with. As a veteran of both the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate curricula, Dr. Palencia has been able to bring the best of both worlds to his classes. Dr. Palencia is a unique teacher because along with his introduction to advanced content he balances this content heavy course with laboratory skills. This unique blend of advanced content with laboratory skills allows his students to not only apply their knowledge but learn new skills that help advance their ability to test hypotheses. As someone who themselves pursued an advanced degree, Dr. Palencia uses his own experiences to help inform the students as to the latest techniques and technologies that are available. Dr. Palencia, while an expert in his field, has an amazing ability to break down advanced processes or systems and help students master them one piece at a time. This in combination with his laboratory skills, helps to introduce the students to a level of biology commonly not experienced in high school. His classroom is always filled with amazing experiments, curious students and amazing illustrations to help students interact with the content they are learning. As a teacher, Dr. Palencia strives to supply students with multiple avenues to express and apply their knowledge. Over these past nine years, Dr. Palencia’s contributions to North Broward have grown to extend beyond his classroom as he has taken leadership roles in student organizations. As the Teacher Lead for the National Science Honor Society, Dr. Palencia has helped students organize community service events and help the student leadership make sure they are fulfilling all of the requirements to be a part of the national organization. Dr. Palencia also started a Biology Olympiad team at North Broward Preparatory that allows them to compete for scholarship money via the Center of Excellence in Education, one of his was awarded a semi-finalist position in 2023. Overall, Dr. Palencia’s impact in our community is immeasurable and he will continue to help young scholars thrive in whatever community he chooses to be a part of.

I had the pleasure to work with Carlos Palencia at CIEDI, he is a strong professional with an open mind and the experience that improved immensely the science department. Carlos was one of the best teachers and area leaders I have seen at CIEDI . As a teacher he exhibited his knowledge in life sciences while still managing to connect with all his students. As a department leader and colleague he was always supportive and motivating. He managed his department with the particular ability to navigate through all the situations and conflicts with a combination of strength, diplomacy, straight forwardness and charisma. He works with extreme efficiency independently or as part of a team making sure that the job gets done. He is a highly trained and commendable individual unique to the educational environment.

To Whom it May Concern: My name is Drew Baigrie and it is my honor to write this letter of recommendation for Dr. Carlos Palencia. I have been working at North Broward Preparatory for 10 years teaching IB and AP Physics. In 2019 I took over as the Science Department Chair. Over the past nine years Dr. Palencia and myself have worked side by side in the advanced science classroom to provide the best experience possible to our students and make sure they are prepared for their continued pursuit of knowledge. As both a peer and his Department Chair, I can confidently say that Dr. Palencia is one of the best advanced Biology teachers I have had the opportunity to work with. As a veteran of both the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate curricula, Dr. Palencia has been able to bring the best of both worlds to his classes. Dr. Palencia is a unique teacher because along with his introduction to advanced content he balances this content heavy course with laboratory skills. This unique blend of advanced content with laboratory skills allows his students to not only apply their knowledge but learn new skills that help advance their ability to test hypotheses. As someone who themselves pursued an advanced degree, Dr. Palencia uses his own experiences to help inform the students as to the latest techniques and technologies that are available. Dr. Palencia, while an expert in his field, has an amazing ability to break down advanced processes or systems and help students master them one piece at a time. This in combination with his laboratory skills, helps to introduce the students to a level of biology commonly not experienced in high school. His classroom is always filled with amazing experiments, curious students and amazing illustrations to help students interact with the content they are learning. As a teacher, Dr. Palencia strives to supply students with multiple avenues to express and apply their knowledge. Over these past nine years, Dr. Palencia’s contributions to North Broward have grown to extend beyond his classroom as he has taken leadership roles in student organizations. As the Teacher Lead for the National Science Honor Society, Dr. Palencia has helped students organize community service events and help the student leadership make sure they are fulfilling all of the requirements to be a part of the national organization. Dr. Palencia also started a Biology Olympiad team at North Broward Preparatory that allows them to compete for scholarship money via the Center of Excellence in Education, one of his was awarded a semi-finalist position in 2023. Overall, Dr. Palencia’s impact in our community is immeasurable and he will continue to help young scholars thrive in whatever community he chooses to be a part of.

I had the pleasure to work with Carlos Palencia at CIEDI, he is a strong professional with an open mind and the experience that improved immensely the science department. Carlos was one of the best teachers and area leaders I have seen at CIEDI . As a teacher he exhibited his knowledge in life sciences while still managing to connect with all his students. As a department leader and colleague he was always supportive and motivating. He managed his department with the particular ability to navigate through all the situations and conflicts with a combination of strength, diplomacy, straight forwardness and charisma. He works with extreme efficiency independently or as part of a team making sure that the job gets done. He is a highly trained and commendable individual unique to the educational environment.