Teacher profiles from Kearns-St. Ann Catholic School

Photo courtesy of Kearns-Saint Ann School

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Justin Martinez, Kearns-St. Ann school counselor, works with a student.

Carrie Lentz

SOUTH SALT LAKE — Kearns-Saint Ann School is fortunate to have Janet Nerdin, a Title I teacher from Granite School District, assigned to work with students at the school. Title I is federal funding given to schools to assist students who are economically disadvantaged.  

As the Title I teacher, Janet provides supplemental reading instruction to students from the school who reside within the boundaries of a Title I public school. This is her fourth year working at Kearns-Saint Ann School as the Title I teacher. However, she has been employed with Granite School District for 16 years, providing reading intervention to students at elementary schools in Kearns and West Valley City. She graduated from Utah State University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, and recently completed endorsements in both reading and English as a Second Language through Utah Valley University and Weber State University. Additionally, she has completed training from the University of Utah Reading Clinic in their Early Steps, Next Steps and Higher Steps reading intervention programs. She is passionate about helping students gain the confidence and skills they need to become lifelong readers.

Janet also acts as a site coordinator for the University of Utah Reading Clinic, where she mentors and supervises university students who are learning the Next Steps and Higher Steps methods. As a result of this, she is mentoring nine university students who work directly with students at Kearns-Saint Ann School on a one-on-one basis. This extra individualized instruction is a tremendous asset to the school.

In Janet’s spare time, she enjoys traveling, gardening, spending time outdoors in nature, bicycling and reading. She and her husband have been married for 32 years and have two children (a boy and a girl), who are now grown.  

It’s the nature of the school counselor’s job to listen, connect, teach and problem solve. As outside forces continue to put new demands on schools, students at Kearns-Saint Ann are very fortunate to have Justin Martinez on their side.

Martinez, a full-time counselor at Kearns-Saint Ann School, grew up in the Central Valley of California, the agricultural breadbasket of the country. The communities where he was reared were drastically different from what one commonly sees in the Mountain West, something more akin to the populations depicted in the films “Stand and Deliver” and “Freedom Writers.”  

Following a few years in Peru, Martinez received his undergraduate degree in southeast Idaho. It was during those formative years that he began to recognize just how influential school counseling can be. As a student teacher, he taught adolescents who dealt with a plethora of social, cognitive, linguistic and even hygienic struggles.

“Working with them individually and in small groups fostered their socio-emotional growth and my professional horizons,” said Martinez, who is now in his final semester of graduate school at the University of Utah. He continues to promote the socio-emotional development of students so that they might succeed more fully academically.  

While not Catholic, Mr. Martinez feels blessed to work for the Diocese of Salt Lake City. “The values of community, reverence for the sacred, transparency and service I see so often practiced among my students and coworkers make my duties not only more effective but fulfilling,” he said. “I wish all educators could have the types of experiences we are having at KSA.”

His wish for his students is that this new year fosters real growth among teachers, counselors and learners alike.

Carrie Lentz is the Kearns St.-Ann marketing director.