María Helena Perenya Malagón

María Helena Perenya Malagón died on March 22, 2024, after succumbing to cancer in her Maryland home. She was surrounded by family and her beloved Labradors. María Helena, the only child of Spanish Civil War refugees, was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on June 13, 1944. Her parents, Javier Malagón of Toledo, Spain, and Helena Perenya of Lleida, Catalunya, raised her in Mexico City, New York and Washington DC. In DC, the family became part of the international and diplomatic community, and she attended Sidwell Friends School. Her interest and passion for multicultural issues led her to become one of the first English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). In 1984, she became the Director of the Division of ESOL/Bilingual Programs, a position she held until retiring in 2002. Maria Helena adored children and felt a special connection to the Caribbean so it was her wish that any memorial tributes be made in the form of charitable donations to the Haiti Micah Project (HMP), an organization focused on caring for impoverished children with little or no access to education.