STUDENT ACES

Student ACES (ACE= athletics, community and education) was founded in 2013 by father-daughter team, Buck Martinez and Krissy Webb, to create a pathway for high school student athletes to achieve the highest standards of honor, character and integrity. The inspiration for ACE stemmed from their desire to see high school student athletes achieve a foundation of leadership that would generate positive outcomes and success in the students' lives. One day, Krissy asked her father, “Who will my kids look up to?" Through the ensuing conversation, Buck realized that his most memorable and rewarding experiences were attained when coaching his three daughters and their teammates. Dedicated to the idea that every student athlete deserves access to basic building blocks like confidence and leadership skills in order to succeed, he and Krissy wanted to form an organization that would help put the future of the country in prepared, capable hands. With that in mind, they started ACE in order to instill the following core values into the next generation of leaders: Respect, Trust, Attitude, Sacrifice, Ethical Behavior, Work Ethic, Integrity, and Teamwork.

ACES Strategy is to provide programs specific to the needs of the school and community.

The Roadmap to Success for Student Athletes –
Virtual Seminar includes 5 interactive virtual workshops focusing on Aspiring to Greatness – Unleashing you're Super Powers to impact the world – Commanding Respect and Earning Trust – Ethical and Moral Leadership – Building a Path to Success. The objectives of the workshops are intended to provide student athletes with values and principles essential to experience success. - presented by FHSAA & ACE Leadership Group


Student ACES Yearlong Program
This program is provided to students from public and private high schools in Palm Beach County and consists of six classes and a community project. Students are nominated by their high schools or peers for exemplifying leadership traits in athletics, education and in their community. The yearlong program accepts male and female students in their junior or senior year of high school. Students are excused from school and work together with students from different ethnicities, backgrounds and cultures to discuss values-based leadership. A network of young men and women of character and integrity is created and life-lasting friendships are formed!


Captains Summits
This one day seminar is designed specifically for high school athletic captains to learn leadership skills, techniques and life lessons that will enable them to lead each of their teams on and off the field. Student athletes have firsthand experience to hear and engage with world-class experts and leaders in their respective professions while connecting with captains from other schools. The student athletes engage in interactive drills designed to incorporate communication, respect, sportsmanship, trust, sacrifice and ethical behavior. The captains also engage in team discussions on challenges facing today’s young students.

Leadership Workshops
Customizable to specific teams, schools or sports. The Student ACE staff works closely with school administration and coaches to create a personalized curriculum to focus on specific needs. During workshops, teams have the opportunity to work together to solve case studies and engage in interactive drills designed to incorporate communication, respect, sportsmanship, trust, sacrifice and ethical behavior. Workshop topics can vary according to specific needs and work to break down the barriers that may be preventing a team or school from reaching the highest level of success. Workshops can be offered in one-day or multi-day series.

The Student ACES Center
The Student ACES Center or The SAC, is a community of learners, building a foundation to support student athletes throughout their athletic careers and beyond. This is the place where high school Student-Athletes train to become outstanding, contributing members of their teams, schools, neighborhoods and communities.Throu

Student ACES has grown tremendously each year by diversifying our revenue, developing a strong board of directors and most importantly listening and crafting programs based on what the students needs are. ACE is research informed and each year we continue to move the needle to inspire and develop student athletes to be our leaders of tomorrow.

2020 will go down in history as a year marred by the devastating effects of a global pandemic. While the nation and the world faced sickness, forced business shutdowns and school closings, Student ACES mobilized in innovative ways to ensure our students continued their education. We also created new vocational training and career opportunities for them.

Our Student ACES Center, commonly referred to as “The SAC" and located in Belle Glade, remained open following COVID best practices, social distancing and proper protocols. More than a safe and secure location for students to meet their classroom requirements, the SAC became a second home and lifeline for our students.

Student ACES provided internet access and computers to make distance learning a reality for high school and returning college students, who without Student ACES would not have been able to continue their collegiate education. Along with character, leadership and life-skills training, students participated in fun activities that helped alleviate the stress of COVID’s uncertain future. Through Zoom and other distant-learning tools, we continued to offer our character and leadership workshops to schools throughout South Florida. We were able to reach thousands of student athletes, many who were struggling with the misfortune of having their athletic seasons canceled.

Some of the most significant achievements in 2020 included:
- Transitioning the Student ACES Center (SAC) to a distant learning center
- Providing our students employment opportunities through creative partnerships
- Breaking ground on phase II of the SAC, our state-of-the-art STEM lab
- Commencing construction on an 18-kilowatt solar array at the SAC that will double as an education center for students to learn about renewable energy
- Partnering with multiple companies, including Florida Power & Light, Moss Construction and Garcia Development, to develop workforce initiatives that could result in lifetime careers for our students

No matter what challenges come our way, we remain steadfast in our commitment to serve as many students as possible. Our success has been made possible by the incredible support of people and companies in our community. We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that every student athlete that wants an opportunity to be in the Student ACES program will be provided a seat. On behalf of our team, thank you for your continued support.