Anne Martinez didn’t let a virtual environment get in the way of her success.
Last month, the junior became the first student from Grand Island Senior High School since 2006 to make the final round in an interpretation event at the NSAA state speech tournament. The tournament was held virtually due to COVID-19.
Martinez received sixth place in poetry interpretation. Her piece entitled ‘The American Experience’ explored the variety of challenges that face the Latino community. As a child of immigrants, Martinez said the performance hit home for her.
“I wanted to create more awareness for our community,” she said.
In his first year as head coach, Jonathan Boyd, a social studies teacher in the Academy of Education, Law & Public Safety, significantly increased the number of students on the team. Seven students qualified for the state tournament, the most for the program in 15 years.
“Anne is a special performer,” Boyd said. "It's an exciting time to be a part of this program."
