Mary Martinez

Mary Martinez is a life-long Palmetto Bay resident and dedicated teacher at Pinecrest Elementary School. Mary’s mom is a retired teacher, and her dad is a retired police chief.  She has two older brothers and grew up playing sports. Upon graduating from Miami Palmetto Senior High School in 2012, Mary went on to attend Florida State University. She graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education in 2017.

In 2021, Mary was selected as South Region Rookie Teacher of the Year and went on to be recognized as runner-up Rookie Teacher of the Year for all of Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS). Her inspiration for teaching comes from her mom, who dedicated 37 years teaching for MDCPS.

Mary’s claim to fame is a character she created during virtual learning, Pirate Marty. She created a YouTube channel in which Pirate Marty (Mary in disguise) goes around the community and teaches different lessons. This pursuit uplifted students by giving them a chance to explore the outside world during the pandemic. Subscribe here. 

Outside of school, Mary enjoys being a part of different activities in the community. She is the captain of her community kickball league and serves as Vice President of Communications for the Miami Delta Gamma Alumnae Chapter. Mary is also a wedding coordinator at Plymouth Congregational Church, located in Coconut Grove.

We applaud you Mary and thank you for your continued commitment to educating and inspiring our future leaders!