The Hall Monitor

Today’s Students Tomorrow’s Teachers honored Ossining High School Teacher Emerly Martinez with a Golden Apple award in late April for being the first student to graduate from the program and for his decade of dedication to teaching.

When Martinez was a student at Ossining High School 15 years ago, he dreamed of becoming a teacher. So he joined the Today’s Students Tomorrow’s Teachers career development program offered at the school.

Armed with the program’s preparation and partial college scholarship, he became the first student to graduate from the program. After attaining his degree, he followed his dream and returned to his alma mater to teach.

“Ossining provided me with an experience that made me feel like I could do anything I wanted to,” he said. “I have been fortunate over the years to have been able to support my students in achieving their goals the way my teachers have supported me.”

As an Ossining High School teacher, Martinez has spearheaded many programs to aid in closing the achievement gap, including adding college-level courses for all students, creating a mentoring program for Latino male students and implementing a program to help keep freshmen from falling through the cracks.

“This type of support and thinking ‘outside the box’ is what makes me proud to be an educator in the Ossining community,” Martinez said.

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