Diversity and Equity Champion

2020-21 Diversity and Equity Champion:

Andres Martinez, Social Studies Teacher at Thornton High School

>>Watch a video of Andres' surprise announcement

Andres Martinez is a leading voice when advocating for students and the community by serving on the District Twelve Educators’ Association (DTEA) equity team, the Hispanic Advisory Council (HAC) and Leaders of Color. He brings much knowledge, experience, and data to his work with the purpose of doing what is best for all our students and especially students of color. But one of Andres’ most notable achievements was creating a new Ethnic Studies course for 11th and 12th grade students at Thornton High School. He spent years developing the vision for the course and collaborated with a community of people to help bring his vision to fruition. The course is designed to educate students about cultural minority voices and experiences as well as provide a truly transformational and liberatory education for the students of Thornton High School. Andres' devotion to this course and the years that have gone into it will benefit all students and especially the students of color in Adams 12 Five Star Schools.