
Martinez Fellows Prepare For Fall Seminar
Learn More About The Martinez Foundation
Martinez Fellows Prepare For Fall Seminar
We’re out of the gates and into a brand new school year! With our efforts under way, we wanted to take a moment to announce that The Martinez Foundation Fellows Seminar will be taking place this October 3, 2015.
The Martinez Foundation Fellows Seminar has been an integral part of The Martinez Foundation’s culture and operations, and will continue to be part of our teacher development program once the Martinez Foundation is officially part of TAF, starting October 5.
We’ve created a Martinez Fellowship a TAF merger FAQ blog post on our blog. Here you will be able to find answers for many of the most common questions related to this very momentous time in both organizations history.
Our goal is to keep you fully informed as we work to bring the two organizations together, but of course if you have any immediate questions or concerns, feel free to contact Uma Rao directly at umar@techaccess.org.
And don’t forget to catch up with us on October 6th for the annual Martinez Fellows Luncheon!
Martinez Fellows Complete Fall Seminar!
<strong>Update:</strong>
Last weekend, the Martinez Fellows participated in their first Seminar of the school year featuring guest speaker Trevor Greene (known for being named National High School Principal of the Year). Check out some of our pictures of their day!
Join Team TAF at the Keys To Success Luncheon with keynote speaker Shiza Shahid on October 6, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue.
Shiza Shahid is an entrepreneur and social activist of Pakistani origin. She is the Co-Founder and Global Ambassador of the Malala Fund, the organization representing the young Pakistani activist who was shot by the Taliban for her campaign for girls’ education.
Sponsorship opportunities are still available! Please contact us for more information.
Learn MoreThe mission of The Martinez Foundation is to improve teacher diversity and the retention of teachers of color in Washington State. We seek to accomplish this by providing scholarship support to teacher candidates in a Masters of Teaching program, early career coaching, and ongoing professional development.
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WA is not only losing Black teachers, it’s pushing them out
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An Opportunity for Connection: Community Support for BIPOC Educators Boosts Teacher Retention and Student Success
Martinez Fellows gather at The University of Washington – Tacoma campus, ready to attend the first seminar of the year. Introduction: It Starts with Community It’s an early Saturday morning at the University of Washington Tacoma campus — educators, and aspiring educators slowly trickle into the bright and welcoming conference room for the first Martinez […]
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The Role of Community in Boosting Engagement and Learning
Jaclyn Smith, TransformED Coach and Sarah Wilkes, Grant Writer at TAF participate in the longest paper chain STEM challenge at the Roosevelt Elementary School presentation of learning. The school day has ended and the hallways of Roosevelt Elementary are empty of students – but there is a buzz of anticipation in the air as schoolteachers, […]
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Books, Buoyancy, and Beyond: Literacy Night at Beverly Park
Last month, TAF’s TransformED school, Beverly Park, hosted its Literacy Night which also included student exhibitions. A wide range of community partners showed up in support of the evening, ready to meet students and answer questions. Students kicked off their evening with a passport, their goal was to fill it with stamps as they encountered […]
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Embracing Identity and Community, Martinez Seminar #4
With dozens of applications from early-career and future educators coming in from Martinez Fellowship hopefuls, let’s take a minute to focus on what the fellowship offers. A good example of two of the benefits of the fellowship were on display earlier this month at Martinez Seminar #4 on Western Washington University’s campus. There, assembled fellows […]
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The Convening: A Time to Imagine, Heal, and Build
On February 23rd and 24th 2024, over 200 BIPOC educators and educational leaders came together for the Convening: two days to recommit to the work of educational equity and liberation. During the weekend educators collectively discussed problems in the education system. Then, they collaborated on ways to restructure classrooms and to address these problems while […]
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The Historic Black Educators that Inspire the Martinez Fellowship
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Brigadoon Students Can Survive in the Wilderness Without Technology!
Well before Brigadoon 5th graders presented about how to survive in the wilderness without technology, there was plenty of excitement in the building. The front office staff was eager to come see what the students had been working on as they signed in visitors while a student in Mrs. Monte Calvo’s class eagerly reported to […]
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If At First You Don’t Succeed: Project Launch Day at First Creek Middle School
First Creek Middle School is TAF’s newest TransformED partner, and at their recent project launch, the heat was on … literally! The 6th graders at First Creek will spend the next few months learning about thermal energy in Math, ELA, Science, and Social Studies. All of their learning will work to answer the community-centered question: How can […]
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TAF@Saghalie Students Journey Through Their Annual College and Career Fair
At TAF@Saghalie’s College and Career Fair last Thursday, students from 6th to 12th grade learned about some of the many paths they can take after graduation. The day started in the gym as, grade by grade, students poured in to explore the 17 colleges and potential future employers set up with informational handouts, swag, and […]
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2023 TAF Report Card
When students learn through the STEMbyTAF model, they are bringing their experiences, passion, culture, and learning together. Students are partners in their education as they find ways to solve issues that are impacting their communities and beyond, such as food security, urbanization, pollution, mental health, and homelessness. By meeting local experts, engaging in community discussions, […]
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Roosevelt’s Presentation of Learning Brings Curiosity and Joy
If you were driving past Roosevelt Elementary on April 27th, you would know something fun and exciting was happening just beyond the school doors. Outside, a long line of excited parents and curious siblings stood preparing to see the projects the Roosevelt students had been working on for months. Jen Cooper, the principal, and other […]
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BCLS to Host Community Expo in April
TAF’s Bethaday Community Learning Space (BCLS) is hosting a Community Expo on April 22, 2023, and you are invited! Join us on April 22 from 1-3PM as local White Center-based artisans and independent businesses come together to showcase the resources and services available in our community. This event is free to all, including participating vendors, […]
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Lessons from TAF@WMS Robotics
This blog post was written in partnership with Sarah Nichols, TAF MakerSpace Specialist at Washington Middle School, and staff support for the school’s Robotics team. This November, ten TAF@Washington 8th graders competed in their first robotics competition. At this day long event, the group competed against 14 other teams, ranging from 7th graders, to seniors […]
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2022 Summer Prep for Incoming 6th Graders
At TAF’s two co-managed schools, incoming 6th graders ease into their new school environments with three-week summer programs prior to the start of the school year. These programs are designed to give soon-to-be middle schoolers a head start into project-based learning (PBL), STEM integration, and education technology. In the summer of 2022, students from elementary […]
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Youth Programs are Back at BCLS
This blog post was written by a guest contributer, Dayanara Almon: “Hello! My name is Dayanara, I am 17 years old, and I am a rising senior at The Northwest School. This summer (of 2022) I was a summer intern at TAF through the Bank of America Student Leaders Program! During my internship I supported […]
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Students Get Their Hands Dirty to Clean Teeth
Every dentist (even yours!) was once a young student, likely as grossed out as you might be by the thought of putting their hands in someone else’s mouth. But what happens when you give middle-schoolers the chance to learn that the field of dentistry is far more complex and interesting than that initial ick factor? […]
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2022 TAF Report Card
As the first in-person school year since 2019, this was a year of upheaval and regrowth. Within the TAF network, students, teachers, and administrators alike adjusted to a new normal. It was a welcome but sometimes challenging return filled with classroom distractions and evolving protocols. Yet, it was also a beautiful homecoming to conversation between […]
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Young Scholars Become Rainforest Experts By Publishing Storybooks
A big part of the work TAF does in public school centers around project-based learning (PBL), but what exactly does that teaching method entail? PBL allows students to purposefully respond to a real-world question and integrate multiple subject areas to learn academic concepts in a holistic way. Project-based learning answers the question: how do we […]
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Reclaiming Education through Liberation: The Convening 2022
What would it feel like to join in community with other education professionals committed to racial equity in schools? To collaborate with educators and leaders of color, as well as white allies in positions of leadership? It is possible to move beyond passive resistance and transform school systems into affirming, learning, and growing environments. This […]
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Ramadan at the TAF@WMS MakerSpace
The TAF@Washington Middle School MakerSpace just opened in early 2021, and April 2022 proved to be the busiest time at Makerspace yet! The extra creativity and experimentation were thanks to our Ramadan observing students. Ramadan is the holiest month of the year on the Muslim calendar; it involves fasting from sunup to sundown and is […]
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25 Years of TAF Excellence – And We’re Not Done Yet!
The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity. Imagine what’s possible when we invest in students of color: a more equitable tomorrow. Since 1996 TAF has brought in a new era of education for students and teachers of color. Starting with 40 kids in our first years of after school programs, TAF focused on […]
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Martinez Fellows Speak on Education and Diversity
In mid-April, two of our Martinez Fellows made the drive north to Bellingham, WA to participate in the annual Celebrating Diversity in Education Conference, hosted by the Woodring College of Education. Anthony Brock (Graduation Counselor at Olympia High School) and Kevin Henley (Dean of Students at Showalter Middle School in Tukwila) spoke to a room […]
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TAF Symposiums
This past Tuesday, TAF Academy’s 6-12th grade young men and young women participated in an all-day event focused on college and career readiness to prepare for their futures. Divided by gender to cater to well-known differences in experiences, TAF Academy seniors Norman Nguyen and Luz Vela did an amazing job organizing the Young Men’s and […]
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Spotlight on Project Based Learning At Boze Elementary
November 2015 What project-based learning unit are your students doing for fall/winter? The students in the 2nd grade are creating their own monopoly boards with idea of wants and needs shaping what their boards look like. The students will use measurement, addition, and subtraction through the creation process. The students will work in groups […]
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King County’s Lakewood Park Renamed In Honor Of Dick Thurnau
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Boze Elementary Students Seek Help!
Project based learning is successful when we involve our community! Please read the following project descriptions. If you are an “expert” in one of the fields listed OR know someone who is, either by hobby or profession, let us know if you can volunteer an hour of your time to talk with our students and […]
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Martinez Foundation and TAF Create New Partnership By Merging
The Martinez Foundation Fellowship will join forces with TAF starting December 2015, representing a significant leap forward in our combined ability to provide education to students of color. The mission of the Martinez Foundation is to increase the number of teachers of color in our schools and to support them through their teaching career. Martinez Fellows will directly impact […]
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#STEMWomenWednesday- Torri Brown
Welcome back to #STEMWomenWednesday-a biweekly hashtag we’re using to highlight Women in STEM (past and present). Last time, we wrote about Nichelle Nichols and her upcoming mission with NASA. This time, we’re being inspired by a TAF Academy student we saw a lot of last year- Torri Brown! She writes: “Attached is a picture of […]
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National Urban League Youth Summit 2015: Raise the Bar
This summer, four TAF Academy students represented the Seattle Metropolitan Urban League at the National Urban League’s annual Youth Summit at Nova Southwestern University in south Florida. Occurring in tandem with the NUL’s national conference in Fort Lauderdale, the youth summit gathered middle and high school students from across the country to build leadership, educational […]
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Art As A Social Catalyst
May 21, 2015– Some of our TAF Academy 8th grade students had their artwork displayed in the Museum of Glass for their ‘Art As A Social Catalyst’ student exhibition. Because of the absence of formal art classes at TAF Academy, the students took a field trip to Tacoma Art Museum where each students picked a […]
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Race and Police Accountability
Toyia Taylor– Founder of we.app Pastor Braxton– New Beginnings Christian Fellowship Pastor Drego Little -Learning Support Specialist/Literature-Writing Teacher Yoli Chisholm– Marketing lead, Founder of We Learn Live May 11, 2015- 6th graders at Mount View Elementary spent the day participating in an open forum about race and police accountability. The conversation was held by a […]
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Give Big, Dream Big on May 5th!
Support TAF on May 5th for Give Big! TAF is a nonprofit leader in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education. We use STEM as a tool for realizing social change and educational equality in communities of color and those with low income. TAF Academy is a 6th-12th grade STEM-focused public neighborhood school that prepares […]
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Underwater Rover Robotic Project
April 22, 2015- Local cinematographer and citizen scientist (and Emmy award winner!) Laura James joined two of our STEMbyTAF Lab teachers’ middle school students to begin an underwater rover robotics project. The TAF team is using OpenROV technology, thereby joining a global community of underwater videographers and researchers to construct an camera bot that navigates under […]
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Young Women’s Symposium
April 22, 2015- 100 female students at TAF Academy attended the annual Young Women’s Symposium yesterday at TAF Headquarters. The five hour event featured a variety of current professionals in the STEM workforce. Presenters from multiple companies such as Google, Amazon, and Expedia as well as current graduate students from the University of Washington led multiple […]
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Varsity Luncheon Checklist
We’re less than a week away from our Varsity Luncheon and we want to make sure you’re prepared. This short checklist will serve as your road map leading up to the day of the event. 1. Registration: Have you registered? Have your guests registered? Today is the last day to register for a seat, take a minute […]
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Ericka Pegues- “Be The Match”
TAF Academy STEM Expo – 1st place winner Ericka Pegues is educating the community about how easy it is to register in the National Bone Marrow registry, and how few people of color are registered. She held a registry drive at the TAF Academy STEM Expo. Ericka will be attending our Varsity Luncheon and will be […]