‘Spectacular in every way.’ Here’s the winner of the Miami Herald’s Honor Roll poll

At 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, students at the School for Advanced Studies, Wolfson Campus, strolled in, found their seats and popped open their laptops.

Dreary-eyed and perhaps not yet fully awake for the school day ahead, they logged in to their email to double-check their schedules. Some students had exams later that morning and they needed to confirm where to go.

They were quiet, perhaps even shy when their teacher asked the group to share a current event from the week or if they wanted to offer where they’d be interning this summer or attending college next year. (The timid demeanor wasn’t typical, their teacher said. Maybe it was because a reporter and a photographer from the Herald were in the room.)

But when asked to describe their teacher, Arlene S. Martinez, the group of 11th- and 12th-grade students who attend the dual-enrollment program rose to the occasion — and rightly so. Martinez, a guidance counselor at the school, is the Herald’s inaugural Honor Roll change maker, who after weeks of voting received hundreds of thousands of votes from Herald readers.

“She’s rigorous,” a student said. Another said organized. Kind, supportive and available, the students said. One said Martinez is “very deserving” of the recognition.

A few minutes later, another described Martinez, 60, who’s been in the district for nearly three decades, as a “no-nonsense” teacher.

Along with the expected supplies students are required to have each year, such as books and binders, Martinez also requires her students to bring Q-tips. The reason, she said, is to send a message that the students will need to listen — and listen well.

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‘Shocked’ to be nominated

In January, the Miami Herald set out to honor change makers in Broward and Miami-Dade county schools.

The education reporters wanted to highlight the individuals who pour themselves into their jobs and make a big impact in the lives of students — the bus drivers, cafeteria workers, teachers, guidance counselors, mentors and crossing guards.

After weeks of voting — generating nearly 800,000 votes — Martinez earned that recognition. But when asked about it, she admitted that she was shocked to learn of her nomination to the bracket.

“I’m humbled,” she said. “There’s so many teachers with so much talent out there. It’s really nice to know you’ve made a difference and I’m very thankful for that.” Receiving the support from her school community and beyond is something incredibly special, she added.

Martinez has always been surrounded by educators. Her mother was a teacher, her younger sister is a teacher and some members of her husband’s family are also educators.

Yet, her career as an educator wasn’t her first profession.

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Martinez is a CPA, but when her daughters were young, she decided to earn a master’s degree in school counseling and special education. She worked in a middle school as a counselor for a few years and worked in the school district’s Office of Community Engagement, where she worked with businesses to promote the district.

Later, though, she returned to the school environment to use her counseling background. She joined SAS in 2016, where she’s been ever since. The school, which has campuses throughout Miami-Dade, is a public high school where students in the 11th and 12th grades also take classes at Miami Dade College to earn an associate’s degree from MDC.

“I’m with students all the time,” she said. As a counselor, “we have the opportunity to guide students and it’s rewarding to write letters of recommendation. The students are really talented and I’m always in awe.”

She’s fortunate to work with a diverse group of students, she said, and feels grateful for the opportunity to help them accomplish their dreams.

On Wednesday, students shared the internships they have lined up for the summer; some shared examples of job shadowing, which ranged from magazine work to the fashion industry to a hospital; others talked about what they wanted to study in college.

‘Like the Oscars’

Raquel Rotham, a parent, nominated Martinez to the Herald’s Honor Roll. In her submission, she wrote, “Ms. Martinez goes above and beyond to make sure all students at SAS Wolfson are successful.”

Rothman continued: “She has a vested interest in making sure no student falls through any crack and every last child gets to shine. She is emblematic of what an educator should be — spectacular in every way! The children of SAS Wolfson are lucky to have her.”

Despite the recognition, Martinez believes classroom teachers deserve so much more credit and recognition for the work they do daily. (As a guidance counselor at SAS, Martinez teaches one period.) She pointed to the successes and excellence of the other finalists, two of whom she knows well from working in the district.

Erica Echeverri, a zoology teacher at TERRA Environmental Research Institute, 11005 SW 84th St.; Maria F. Nuñez, the assistant principal at Green Springs Charter School, 3555 NW Seventh St.; and Michael Townsel, a counselor at the School for Advanced Studies North, 11380 NW 27th Ave., were also recognized in the final four of the Honor Roll bracket.

“It’s like the Oscars. Everyone that surrounded me (in the bracket) is so talented,” she said, thanking everyone who voted for her. “I am so honored.”