Throughout all my conversations with Henry Martinez, one thing became clear. There is very little that is more important to Martinez than Woodrow Wilson Senior High School. Martinez has all but given his life to the school, starting as a student before moving to a coach and attendance counselor. He was the perfect person to fill the job of ninth grade dean of students.

The position became available after Ms. Ricks transitioned from dean of students to the athletics staff, leaving an opening which Martinez, who had been serving as the class of 2020 attendance counselor, was able to fill. But Martinez’s connections to Wilson run far deeper than any one position.

Martinez first walked the halls of Wilson not as a staff member, but as a student. Immediately, he fell in love with the school. “As a student I had the best time of my life,” said Martinez, who especially appreciated the diverse backgrounds of Wilson students. “Our student body was made up of students from all over the city. From the most impoverished students to some of the wealthiest students in DC. That experience alone allowed me to know how to interact with people from different socioeconomic backgrounds.”

As a student, Martinez was part of the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC), in a program called Upward Bound. “Upward Bound was for inner-city high schoolers whose parents and family members didn’t have the privilege to have access to a college education,” Martinez explained. “We did community service work, as well as college retreats and SAT prep.”

Martinez also played baseball, basketball, and football at the varsity level. This earned him the honors of most improved (basketball 2007 and baseball 2009), co-MVP (JV football and basketball 2008), and made DCIAA All-League team in 2010 en route to being voted most athletic by the Wilson student body, an honor he remains proud of eight years later.

His athleticism paid off, as Martinez earned a football scholarship to Bowie State University. Martinez was a Bulldog for two years before giving up football in search of a new environment. This change came in the form of Southern University A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  

“I needed a change of scenery and wanted to explore something new that was out of my comfort zone. What made Southern perfect was that they had rolling enrollment,” said Martinez, who also already had two cousins at the school. “They made my transition very easy.”

Although the decision to give up his football career was a tough one, Martinez ended up graduating Southern with a business management degree and no regrets. “Most people who play sports professionally, and even individuals that envisioned themselves playing professionally are lost when it’s done, and try to pursue it even when there isn’t a market for their services anymore,” said Martinez. “I decided that I needed to take on different avenues and learn what else I was good at outside of sports.”

After graduating, Martinez worked in human resources at a government contracting office before moving to an ambassador position at Sibley Memorial Hospital. During this time, Martinez began coaching basketball at Wilson. It was during a basketball practice that coaches Angelo Hernandez and Andrew Barnes suggested he apply for the attendance counselor position.

That was the position Martinez would hold until last summer, when he was selected to take over as ninth grade dean of students. “What made the position attractive to me is that I have the opportunity to shift the culture of our students coming from middle school as well as our returning students,” said Martinez.

Specifically, Martinez plans to put an emphasis on students being in class on time every day. To accomplish this, Martinez wants active hall sweeps, coordination with attendance counselors to put students on trackers who need it, and reaching out to parents to place students on behavior contracts after persistent issues.

Since many of these issues are attendance-related, Martinez hopes to put his time in the attendance office to use. “My experience as an attendance counselor directly correlates and impacts my work as a dean because I will have to have many different interventions with my different students and their families. I also learned how to create healthy relationships with staff members, students, and their families. The main correlation I found is that people want to know that you care,” Martinez said.

Beyond attendance, Martinez wants to instill Wilson pride in a class where it can sometimes be lacking. “I plan on being a role model for the ninth graders and I plan to build some relationships for years to come.”

But if you have to take away just one thing about Martinez, it should be this: “I’m not an op either.”