The Poughkeepsie City School District and Board of Education President Fatimah Carmen Martinez Santiago were honored recently with awards recognizing commitments to working to enhance the educational experience of area students and the community as a whole.
The school district received a Bridge to the Future Award at the Dutchess Community College Foundation’s annual “Our Community’s Bridge to the Future” gala on March 29 at The Grandview in Poughkeepsie. At the event, city Mayor Yvonne Flowers, a Poughkeepsie High School graduate, was also inducted into the DCC Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame.
Separately, Martinez Santiago earned the prestigious Greg Farrell Award from NYC Outward Bound Schools, a program through which her leadership skills emerged and sharpened, first as a student and then as a staff member.
Bridge to the Future Award
Through the Bridge to the Future Award, the DCC Foundation recognizes individuals and organizations that distinguish themselves in working with others to enhance education, economic vitality, community wellness or civic responsibility in the mid-Hudson Valley. Past winners, since it was established in 2015, include the Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill, Family Services, the Poughkeepsie Alliance, Day One Early Learning Community and others.
In honoring PCSD, the DCC Foundation noted the successes seen since designating all seven of its schools as Community Schools in 2020. Notably, it highlighted that each of the district’s elementary schools achieved “Good Standing” status by the state Education Department in 2023-24, a first in 13 years.
“While there has been tremendous success at the elementary level, the school district continues to stress focus on student achievement at its secondary schools,” the DCC Foundation wrote in its description of the district as an honoree.
“Through the district's school, home, and community approach and through partnerships with the Poughkeepsie Children's Cabinet, Dutchess Community College, and other critical partners, the outcomes of Poughkeepsie City School District students continue to rise,” noted the DCC Foundation.
“I’ve really appreciated the partnership with Dutchess Community College,” said Dr. Eric Jay Rosser, superintendent of schools. “Dr. Peter Grant Jordan and his team have fully embraced working with the county’s school districts. For Poughkeepsie, our collaboration has resulted In the district and DCC creating a pre-K program on the DCC campus to support city residents who are enrolled in the college and who are in need of a quality early learning program, expanding dual-enrollment courses to benefit over 350 students earning college credits at no cost to families, and working to connect the district’s arts education programing to DCC programing, among other innovations that are benefiting Poughkeepsie City School District students.”
Poughkeepsie was honored alongside Dutchess BOCES and the Wappingers Central School District; no school district had won the award before this year.
Greg Farrell Award
Greg Farrell was a founder of NYC Outward Bound Schools and Executive Director of the Fund for the City of New York, among other roles in education and public service. The Greg Farrell Award was established in 2020 in his memory is “meant to shine a light on individuals who bring to life through their work and personal example the qualities that defined Greg’s life – encapsulated in the Award tagline of ‘lighting sparks, living boldly, and leaving the world a better place,’” according to NYC Outward Bound Schools.
Martinez Santiago was announced as the fifth recipient of the annual award in February. The organization noted her roots “as a change maker and force for good in her community began when she was a student at South Bronx High School, enrolled in an Outward Bound-inspired class called Project Discovery,” and soon helped “to organize a ‘Unity Project’ aimed at stemming violence in her community.” She also was a founder of “Rebels with a Cause,” a youth-mentoring program aimed at creating positive change around the south Bronx.
She then served a number of roles on the staff of NYC Outward Bound Schools, before moving her family north to work at Astor Services and now Habitat for Humanity. The city-based organization profiled Martinez Santiago as a standout alumnae after she was elected president of Poughkeepsie’s Board of Education.
A description of the award notes, it “is not intended to be a lifetime achievement award” as it’s intended to honor individuals “poised for even greater contributions in the years ahead.”
“I am deeply honored to receive an award that embodies Greg Farrell’s spirit of curiosity, service and adventure,” she told NYC Outward Bound Schools after receiving the honor. “Like Greg, I believe in recognizing the gifts of others, breaking down systemic barriers, and cultivating spaces where people can connect with their highest potential – both individually and collectively. This award is not just a recognition but a call to continue the work of empowering communities, fostering belonging, and building a more just and compassionate world.”
