Martha Urioste
{{Short description|Bilingual Montessori educator in Denver, Colorado (1937-2022)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Martha M. Urioste
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1937|10|02}}
| birth_place = Raton, New Mexico
| death_date = {{Death date and age |2022|12|08|1937|10|02}}
| death_place = Denver, Colorado
| occupation = Montessori school principal, founder of Family Star
| alma_mater = Loretto Heights College, Texas Tech University, University of Colorado Boulder
}}
Dr. Martha Urioste, Ph.D (2 October 1937 – 8 December 2022) was known as "La Madrina de Montessori," and she founded the first Montessori education in the Denver Public School system. She was a strong advocate for bilingual education, and taught Spanish to students in the classroom and on local television.{{cite news |last1=Cooke |first1=Kyle |title=Martha Urioste, Denver's 'Godmother of Montessori,' passes away at 85 |url=https://www.rmpbs.org/blogs/news/martha-urioste-obit-denver/ |publisher=Rocky Mountain PBS |date=December 14, 2022}}{{cite web |title=Martha M. Urioste, PhD |url=https://www.cogreatwomen.org/project/martha-m-urioste/ |website=Colorado Women's Hall of Fame}}
Biography
Urioste was born on October 2, 1937, in Raton, New Mexico, to Mack and Nattie Urioste.{{cite web |title=In Loving Memory of Dr. Martha M. Urioste |url=https://krtnradio.com/2022/12/13/in-loving-memory-of-dr-martha-m-urioste/ |website=KRTN Radio}}
She graduated from Loretto Heights College in 1957, and Texas Tech University in 1958. She earned her doctorate in Counseling and Multicultural Education from University of Colorado Boulder.{{cite web |title=Martha M. Urioste Papers |url=https://archives.denverlibrary.org/repositories/3/resources/6781 |website=Denver Public Library}}
She worked at Gilpin Elementary school as a first grade teacher. She held many roles in various schools in the Denver Public School system, and continued on to be a middle school Spanish teacher, a counselor at West High School, and Assistant Principal at North High School.{{cite web |title=Passing of Dr. Martha M. Urioste |url=https://www.dpsk12.org/passing-of-dr-martha-m-urioste/#en |website=Denver Public Schools}}
Urioste was assigned to address the high school dropout rates of Hispanics at North High School in Denver. Upon realizing that there was a deeper problem causing dropout that started earlier than high school, and after a presentation by Madame Elizabeth Caspari using the Montessori Bells (seen in Montessori sensory materials) she knew the Montessori approach could help.{{Cite journal |last=Urioste |first=Martha |date=2014 |title=Multicultural Inclusion in an Urban Setting |url=https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1183203.pdf |journal=The NAMTA Journal |volume=39 |issue=3 |pages=69–70 |via=ERIC}} She put in a request to be a principal, and her first assignment was to a school in Northeast Denver, Mitchell Elementary. According to Dr. Urioste in her article Multicultural Inclusion in an Urban Setting [7], she knew she could change the lack of integration in the school by introducing the Montessori program into this elementary school as it would help increase the interest and trust in the education. She traveled to Rome, Italy to meet with Montessori colleagues.{{cite web |title=Martha Maxine Urioste |url=https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/denver-co/martha-urioste-11053443 |website=Dignity Memorial}} She brought back this model and asked to work in an elementary school to implement the new program.{{cite book |editor1-last=Greenberg |editor1-first=Elinor |editor2-last=Tietjen |editor2-first=Jill |title=Over, Under, Around and Through: How Hall of Famers Surmount Obstacles |date=2022 |publisher=Fulcrum Publishing |isbn=978-1682753354}}
When Urioste worked at Mitchell Elementary, she implemented the first Montessori style education in the Denver Public School system.{{cite web |last1=Vanderburg |first1=Janine |title=Martha Urioste and Denver's Montessori Mafia |url=https://joiningvisionandaction.com/martha-urioste-and-denvers-montessori-mafia/ |website=Joining Vision and Action}} This intervention made an impact on student education, and Urioste continued with the Montessori model. At the time, the IOWA tests at Montessori were the highest in the district. The school was so successful that in 1995, it was used as a demonstration of Denver's school integration success from court-ordered busing.
Urioste founded Family Star in 1988, which was a national 0–3 Early Head Start center using the Montessori model.{{cite web |title=June 2016 Partner Spotlight: Family Star Montessori! |url=https://www.urbanlandc.org/june-2016-partner-family-star-montessori/ |website=Urban Land Conservancy}} This offered early childhood and parental education for low income families. Family Star started in a vacant apartment building in the Five Points neighborhood across the street from Mitchell Elementary.{{cite web |last1=Ayer |first1=David |date=2016-10-14 |title=The Family Star Story |url=https://www.montessoripublic.org/2016/10/101416-%E2%80%A2-denver-co-%E2%80%A2-family-star-story/ |access-date=27 July 2023}} This intergenerational family center was one of the first Early Head Start sites, and has grown to two campuses with over 300 children.{{cite web |title=Family Star |url=http://accessmontessori.org/why-montessori/following-the-family-practical-lessons-for-educating-human-potential/family-star-neighborhood-nexus/ |website=Access Montessori}}
Urioste taught Spanish on KRMA Channel 6 in Denver.
She developed foreign language and Hispanic culture classes. She was one of the first Hispanic-American counselors in DPS, and was the second bilingual coordinator.
=Death and legacy=
Urioste died on December 8, 2022.
Her papers are part of the Denver Public Library Western History and Genealogy collection.
Published works
- [https://www.amazon.com/Family-Star-Story-transformation-infant-toddler-parent/dp/0692610200 Family Star Story]
- Urioste, M. (2014). Multicultural Inclusion in an Urban Setting. The NAMTA Journal, 39(3), https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1183203.pdf
Recognition
- 2017, Honorary Ph.D from Regis University
- 2018, Colorado Latino Hall of Fame Luminary{{cite news |title=Meet the six people inducted into the Colorado Latino Hall of Fame in 2018 |url=https://www.denver7.com/about/community-affairs/meet-the-six-people-inducted-into-the-colorado-latino-hall-of-fame-in-2018 |publisher=Denver 7 |date=October 29, 2018}}
- 2018, NEWSED Community Development Corporation Civil Rights Award{{cite web |title=Michelle Sie Whitten receives Newsed CDC's prestigious Civil Rights Award, along with Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), and other human rights activists |url=https://www.globaldownsyndrome.org/2018-newsed-civil-rights-award/ |website=Global Down Syndrome Foundation}}
References/Notes and references
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://archives.denverlibrary.org/repositories/3/resources/6781 Martha M. Urioste Papers at Denver Public Library]
- [https://www.warwickproductions.com/memorial-livestream-broadcast/dr-martha-urioste/ Memorial Service for Dr. Martha Urioste]
- [https://www.pbs.org/video/episode-2-martha-urioste-00up3k/ Great Colorado Women series by Rocky Mountain PBS, Episode 3 Martha Urioste]
- [https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1183203.pdf Multicultural Inclusion in an Urban Setting, talk at 2014 NAMTA conference]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Urioste, Martha}}
Category:Regis University alumni
Category:Texas Tech University alumni