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Pro 8 News Exclusive: Interim Martin principal says English is top priority
By
Ray Gomez
Story Created:
Jul 13, 2009
Story Updated:
Jul 15, 2009
It's no secret that Martin High School has been in trouble academically for several years.
In fact, the state has threatened to take the school over if things don't change.
Some say it's so bad that most students are having a tough time graduating, let alone getting ready for college.
That’s why interim principal Dr. Severita Sanchez has been put in place.
As our Concetta Callahan reports she's ready to get Martin High on the right track by having students speak English.
Dr. Sanchez says her team has already started working on a plan of action because she says there is no way the state will be taking over this Laredo ISD campus.
"I need to make sure that Martin High School is out of stage five and continues to be an acceptable campus."
That's Dr. Severita Sanchez, the interim principal for Martin High School.
She joins the Tigers with years of experience.
This is her fourth high school to serve as principal and has also been principal at the elementary and middle school levels.
Dr. Sanchez wants to exceed everyone’s expectations by turning Martin High around and making it an exemplary campus.
“A lot of people wonder, what happened to Martin High School? What happened to the English language? What happened to our teachers? What is going on at Martin High School?
"To get Martin High School out of the trouble they're currently in, Dr. Sanchez says students need to be able to read, write, comprehend, and speak the English language."
"We live in the United States of America and English is important. We need to speak English. In some cases, some of our kids don’t speak English or Spanish. Its kind of a... I don’t want to say a dialect but Tex-Mex or “bocho.” I don’t know what they're speaking and a lot of it has been a product of what we've done with our educational system."
"And that's devastating," she adds.
Her team has already started to work collectively together to make a plan of action.
An element included in that plan is the zero hour policy where athletics takes place after school.
"During the day you want to play football or some kind of sport,? Good! I’m happy for you but you know what? You come to school to learn first and then we play. Pass and then play!"
That's one of the biggest changes Dr. Sanchez will be making at Martin High School.
But she can’t do it alone.
She needs support from the community, from her teachers, and most importantly from her students.
"I want kids to know who I am. I want kids to understand that this is a no nonsense school. And for kids to know we're here because Martin High School is in trouble."
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