PPS admin earns award
for multilingual ed efforts

Grace Valenzuela, Portland Public Schools’ director of communications and community partnerships, received a Lifetime Recognition Award from the Northeast chapter of the Multistate Association for Bilingual Education last week. MABE is a nonprofit organization of educators promoting multilingualism and multiculturalism that was formed 50 years ago.

Valenzuela is a longtime education and social justice advocate for multilingual students and their families, and she holds a doctorate in public policy with a concentration in educational leadership and policy.

She founded Make It Happen in 2007, a program that assists multilingual students in creating competitive academic profiles and accessing financial aid for college. She also spearheaded launching the PPS Seal of Biliteracy Award in 2018 – a year before the state of Maine followed suit and added the state Seal of Biliteracy.

The Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine also recognized Valenzuela in 2021 with the Gerda Haas Award for Excellence in Human Rights Education and Leadership.