OROSI, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A gathering for a Cutler-Orosi teacher’s celebration of life at El Monte Middle School.
He was shot and killed at his Dinuba home last week.
Teachers, students, and parents were at the memorial this morning. But it appears the police had not given out any information.
Mayranni Hurtado is a student at El Monte Middle School in Orosi.
She says 50-year-old Sergio Martín made a huge impact on her life.
Martín taught Spanish at the campus for 17 years.
“You know, just walking into class,” said Hurtado. “Every time I felt like a weight was being lifted, like my sixth period, which I had him for, he was always my favorite class.”
Martín’s colleagues are still in shock over his murder.
“Uplifted everyone around him,” said Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District Superintendent Yolanda Valdez. “It was an honor and a legacy that he’s left here at El Monte.”
The memorial featured words from colleagues, a poem written by Hurtado, and a song dedicated to the Cutler-Orosi teacher.
Some couldn’t contain their tears.
“It’s really, really sad,” said El Monte Middle School Principal Larissa Goosevl. “It’s heartbreaking that students in fifth grade next year won’t have an opportunity to meet him and to hear about his passion and joy for not only the Spanish language but the culture.”
Many expressed their condolences to Martín’s parents.
At the end of the memorial, Hurtado and Martín’s loved ones took a moment of silence and released their balloons.
“I’m very grateful to have known him as a person,” said Martín. “I’ll be very enlightened from the advice he gave me, and I’ll always keep it in mind.”
If anyone has any information about this incident, they are encouraged to contact the Dinuba Police Department.
