[NEWARK, NJ] On Friday, June 11, 2021 Superintendent Roger León, members of the Board of Education, Executive Staff, and Human Resource Services recognized one Teacher of the Year from every school in Newark at our annual celebration for Teacher of the Year.

In correlation, Superintendent León surprised the one teacher who will represent the entire district with the honor as the 2020-21 Teacher of the Year recipient this past Thursday, before the event aired. While we have many teachers who qualify for this distinction, DeJanee Martinez, from Bruce Street School for the Deaf is receiving this honor this year.

“Teachers such as Ms. Martinez are truly special as they pour into every student the dedication and love necessary to help them see how gifted they all are by helping them accomplish all of their goals,” stated Superintendent León. “This past school year proved itself a challenge to teachers everywhere and we would be remiss to not acknowledge their efforts. This is a token of our appreciation for all that they do for the children of the City of Newark.”

As a Teacher of the Deaf, Ms. Martinez has dedicated her life to the growth and development of her school community and surrounding neighborhoods. For nearly two decades, she’s worked for Newark Public Schools proving herself as a humble, positive and dedicated professional in which any parent would be proud to have teach their child.

“Sixteen years ago when I left the classroom at Bruce Street School to take on a central office role, I knew then that the students would be in good hands with then student-teacher DeJanee Martinez,” says Deputy Superintendent Nicole T. Johnson. “I couldn’t be more proud of her and this honor is so well-deserved.”

Using research and data-driven practices, Ms. Martinez has continuously demonstrated interest in improving her students learning and she does so with consideration for the entire school community at Bruce Street School for the Deaf. It is due to the amount of passion, patience, creativity and pure dedication that Ms. Martinez is deserving of the recognition as the 2020-2021 “Teacher of The Year”.

“To know that I am being recognized as Teacher of the Year is a dream come true because I’m doing what I love for my students,” stated Martinez. “I’ve been recognized before as Teacher of the Month, but never Teacher of the Year—and to have Superintendent León honor me, I am beyond speechless.”

The event premiered this morning on Facebook Live at 9 am.