WAKEFIELD — Students were welcomed back to a new year of classes at Northeast Metro Tech by friends, teachers, faculty and staff members, and a special guest: Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Commissioner Pedro Martinez.
On July 1, 2025, Martinez became the 25th commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. As schools statewide open their doors for a new school year, Martinez chose to visit Northeast Metro Tech (NEMT), joining students in celebrating the first day of classes.
“As I tour schools throughout the Commonwealth and greet students as they start their year, I was struck by the energy and joy of the students and staff at Northeast Metro Tech,” said Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Pedro Martinez. “It was a pleasure to hear them speak about all the programs that their school offers.”
Alongside Superintendent David DiBarri and other faculty members, Commissioner Martinez greeted the students with a warm welcome as they entered the school.
Students presented the Commissioner with a Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) poster, which highlights the different geographic divisions of school districts statewide, as well as unique divisions such as urban and vocational-technical districts, the latter being the home for NEMT.
The Commissioner’s visit did not end there. Once students entered the building and settled into their first classes, Commissioner Martinez got to experience a taste of the educational programs NEMT has to offer by visiting dental assisting, cosmetology and world language classrooms.
In each classroom, Commissioner Martinez connected with teachers and students about their respective programs and learned about the unique learning opportunities provided to students to prepare them for post-graduate experiences. While visiting the cosmetology classroom, he advised students of the loyal bond between hairdressers and their customers that they would experience as post-graduate professionals. In the world language classroom, Commissioner Martinez, a native of Mexico, engaged with students and staff in Spanish and took a photo with them in front of the Mexican flag, which was displayed on a bulletin board in the classroom.
While the Commissioner’s visit to Northeast Metro Tech was a bright start to the 2025-26 school year, it was also a bittersweet day for all, as it marked the school building’s last first day.
The current school building, which is over 50 years old and has taught alumni such as Superintendent DiBarri himself, will be demolished following the completion of the brand-new school building project, which is expected to be finished in the spring of 2026.
“Commissioner Martinez’s visit was a wonderful start to a new school year, and we were honored to have him come to our school,” said Assistant Superintendent Tracey O’Brien. “While it is bittersweet that we are moving out of our current school building, we are excited to extend Northeast Metro Tech’s history and tradition to a new building that upgrades learning environments and opportunities for students.”
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