Melrose Educators Honored At State House Ceremony

MELROSE, MA — A pair of Melrose educators got a moment in the spotlight in the Great Hall of Flags at the Massachusetts State House last week as part of an annual Hispanic Heritage Event by the group Latinos for Education.

State Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian nominated Venancia Cruz and Katia Marticorena as 2022 Outstanding Latino Educators. The award is part of Latinos for Education’s event, which aims to note educators across Massachusetts “who have had a remarkable impact on their school and community,” as noted in a press release from Lipper-Garabedian’s office on Monday.

Cruz is an assistant principal at Roosevelt Elementary School in Melrose. She joined the school last year, helping create a diverse student council while establishing a “Cultures Day” for the school. Cruz has worked on various diversity, equity and inclusion efforts both at the Roosevelt School and in the school district at large.

Marticorena joined the Melrose Public Schools in 2021 as the district’s director of world languages. Her role has her working to support students and staff in grades six through twelve at the Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School and Melrose High School. In addition to her work in Melrose, Marticorena has been involved in various workshops at professional conferences, among other things, according to the Lipper-Garabedian office.

“I was so pleased to nominate Vena and Katia for the 2022 Outstanding Latino Educator Award,” Lipper-Garabedian said. “As a former public school teacher and a mother to two school-aged boys, I’m cognizant of the unique challenges presented by the role and the impact their day to day actions make. On behalf of the 32nd Middlesex District, I am so grateful for their dedication to their students and the community.”

Latinos for Education is a Massachusetts-based nonprofit. It describes its mission as being to "develop, place and connect essential Latino leaders in the education sector."

Cruz and Marticorena both received citations from the House of Representatives during their event last week.