United Way Partnership Bringing ‘STEM to Read’ to Northern New Mexico Libraries
STEM to Read is an early literacy initiative. Courtesy photo
NMSL News:
STEM to Read is an early literacy initiative from the New Mexico State Library (NMSL) through funding received from the New Mexico Library Foundation.
The project kicked off in New Mexico with professional development for library and museum staff, led by a national leader in early literacy, Saroj Ghoting.
Librarians from Embudo Valley Library, program coordinators from the Pajairto Environmental Education Center and the Bradbury Science Museum, among others throughout the state, attended Read More
Los Alamos High School Graduate Myrriah S. Chavez Earns PhD in Molecular Biology
Myrriah S. Chavez graduated with a PhD in Molecular Biology May 23. Courtesy photo
EDUCATION News:
Myrriah S. Chavez earned her Doctorate of Philosophy in Molecular Biology from the University of Colorado, Anshutz Medical Campus Graduate School in Aurora, Colo., May 23, 2014.
Dr. Chavez completed her graduate research study at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. She graduated from Los Alamos high school in 2004 and earned her bachelors degree from the University of New Mexico in 2008.
Dr. Chavez is the daughter of Jimmy and Judy Chavez formally of Los Alamos, now of Chamita, Read More
SFI Community Lecture: Luis Bettencourt on What Makes Cities Unique
Professor Luis Bettencourt of the Santa Fe Institute. Courtesy/SFI
SFI News:
What defines the unique character of a city? What unexpected purpose is served by the world’s slums?
Luis Bettencourt, professor at the Santa Fe Institute, will answer these questions and many more during his talk “The Fabric of Our Lives: Cities, Slums, Neighborhoods, People,” scheduled for 7:30 p.m. today at the James A. Little Theater, 1060 Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe.
To participate in SFI’s Community Lectures live online, visit SFI’s YouTube page. To participate in the discussion via Twitter, follow Read More
New Mexico School for the Arts Receives ‘Exemplary School’ Designation From Art Schools Network
NMSA Winter Dances 2014. Photo by Paulo T. PhotographyNMSA News:
New Mexico School for the Arts (NMSA) has received the coveted designation of “Exemplary School” by Arts Schools Network (ASN), the nation’s largest professional membership organization of specialized arts schools. Created to highlight a school’s commitment to excellence, the Exemplary School designation is presented to an ASN member in recognition of the school’s efforts to strategically evaluate its purpose, operations, and educational programs.
“This national recognition and designation is a testament to our students, Read More
Jordon Schoonover of Los Alamos Receives Environmental Law Degree
Jordan Schoonover and Nancy Schick, her LAHS AP history teacher at the Lewis and Clark Law School Graduation. Courtesy photo
Education News:
Jordan Schoonover, a 2007 graduate of Los Alamos High School, graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Juris Doctor degree from Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland, Ore., with a certificate in environmental and natural resources law.
The Lewis and Clark environmental law program is the top ranked program nationally.
During her time at Lewis and Clark, Schoonover received Pro Bono Honors (three times), the Community Service Honors Award (twice), Read More
Join PEEC’s Sue Watts for Quiet, Gentle Walks
A hiker strolls along a grassy trail. Courtesy/PEEC
PEEC News:
Do you enjoy hiking and are looking for something not too strenuous? Join Pajarito Environmental Education Center’s Sue Watts every first and third Wednesday of the month for a gentle walk along an easy hiking trail.
Watts’ walks range from one to two miles in length and may include slight changes in elevation. In the summer, the group meets at 8 a.m. at PEEC. The next Quiet, Gentle Walk will be this Wednesday, June 18.They are free to join, but registration is required.
By popular demand, the group makes it a practice to have 20 minutes Read More
County and Schools Partner to Remodel Canyon Complex
Joan Ahlers. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.comLos Alamos Public Schools Chief Operations Officer Joan Ahlers reported at the June 10 School Board Meeting that the Los County Council authorized LAPS to spend $700,000 to remodel the Canyon Complex at the May 27 County Council meeting.
LAPS leases the Canyon Complex to Los Alamos National Laboratory. At a previous meeting, the Board authorized LAPS staff to place the request before the County Council. The Board has voiced concern of the deterioration of LAPS’s lease properties Read More
Governor Announces Critical Reforms to Support Teacher Preparation in New Mexico
Gov. Susana Martinez
EDUCATION News:
- Report Cards for Teacher Prep Programs Part of Reforms Supported By Higher Education Leaders
LAS CRUCES – Gov. Susana Martinez joined education leaders from several colleges and universities Tuesday to announce key reforms aimed at supporting teacher and principal preparation programs.
Every year, six schools of education from around the state graduate about 1,000 students who become teachers in New Mexico classrooms. These new initiatives will raise standards to better prepare teachers and will also allow teacher preparation programs Read More
PEEC Summer Family Evening Encourages Reading and Spending Time in Nature
Pages of the story Roxaboxen will come alive at PEEC’s Summer Family Evening. Courtesy/PEEC
PEEC News:
The Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC) continues its Summer Family Evenings series with a popular program that is back again this year.
Tuesday, June 17, 6:30-8 p.m., families are invited to a StoryWalk at PEEC, to discover the pages of the book Roxaboxen as they stroll.
The StoryWalk® Project is a national program that was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition and the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Read More
Visit United Way’s Born Learning Trail Thursday
Courtesy/UWNNM
UWNNM News:
Learning happens everywhere a child goes, but parents, grandparents and caregivers may not always know how to support that learning. 
That won’t be the case at Urban Park in Los Alamos – now when parents, grandparents and caregivers take their favorite young child to Urban Park, they’ll be able to play fun games together that will help the child come to school ready to succeed.
This is because United Way of Northern New Mexico (UWNNM), Los Alamos County, Metzger’s Do It Best and the YMCA YES Corp, along with some community volunteers will come together Thursday, Read More
Kiwanis Presents Elizabeth Hjelvik With Stoddard Scholarship Award
The Los Alamos Kiwanis Club presented Elizabeth Hjelvik with a scholarship award in memory of longtime Kiwanian Steve Stoddard this past Tuesday. Hjelvik will attend the University of New Mexico to study biochemistry with a minor in Neuroscience and French. From left, Adult Key Club Mentor Don Casperson, Adult Key Club Mentor, Kiwanis President Karen Kendall, Elizabeth Hjelvik, her father Karl Hjelvik, her mother Lisa Pansoy-Hjelvik and her brother Christian Hjelvik. She was selected because of her strong participation in Key Club. She joined Key Club her sophomore year and in her junior Read More
Wednesday PEEC Classes for Kids Explores Region
Torsten and Aven Heavner blow bubbles using recycled plastic water bottles. Courtesy/PEEC
Melissa Mackey demonstrating the ‘magic’ properties of air and water pressure. Courtesy/PEEC
Canyons, mesas, mountains and skies are the most prominent features of Los Alamos, not to mention the main focus of the Pajarito Environmental Education Center’s (PEEC) mission statement. The statement reads that PEEC strives to enrich people’s lives by strengthening their connections to these four elements.
Melissa Mackey is cultivating this connection Read More
La Mesa Fire of 1977 – Later Fires Have Been Bigger, But Come Find Out Why It Is Still So Important
2014 appearance of mesa top following La Mesa Fire in 1977. Courtesy/NPSTuesday, June 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Fuller Lodge, Teralene Foxx will present the talk, “The 1977 La Mesa Fire: A Wake-up Call?” The talk is co-sponsored by the Los Alamos Historical Society and Bandelier National Monument.
The following day, Wednesday June 18 at 5:30 p.m., Foxx will lead a walk on the Burnt Mesa trail to long-term study plots In an area burned by that fire. On this short, easy trip, participants will be able to see, first-hand, the influence of fire on the ecological succession of the Read More
Emily Pittman and Nathan Phillips Awarded Jim Sims Memorial Engineering Scholarship
Becky Sims, left, with Jim Sims Memorial Engineering Scholarship recipients Emily Pittma and Nathan Phillips. Courtesy/Michael P. Young Photography
LAPSF News:
The Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation has awarded the Jim Sims Memorial Engineering Scholarship to Los Alamos High School graduates Emily Pittman and Nathan Phillips.
Sims worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory as a Mechanical Engineer for 34 years.
During his distinguished career, he worked as a design engineer and as a leader of project engineering teams. He was an internationally recognized expert in high-field Read More
Topper Football Car Wash 9 a.m. to Noon Saturday
A Topper Football car wash fundraiser is set for 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at Del Norte Credit Union in Los Alamos and Phillips 66 in White Rock. All proceeds go toward expenses for the Topper Football program. Read More
LAHS’s Sarah Wallstrom Awarded Scholarship to Study Russian
Sarah Wallstrom
LAPS News:
Sarah Wallstrom, a student at Los Alamos High School, was recently awarded the National Security Language Institute for Youth (NSLI-Y) Scholarship for study of a strategic language.
The NSLI-Y program is funded by the U.S. Department of State and provides merit-based scholarships for eligible high school students to learn less
commonly taught languages in overseas immersion programs. The State Department offers approximately 625 students per year the chance to study Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Russian, or Turkish overseas, either for the academic Read More
JoAnna O’Neill and Tessa Snyder Receive Junior Distinguished Shooter Badges
Junior Distinguished Shooters JoAnna O’Neill, left, and Tessa Snyder, right, receive their Junior Distinguished Shooter badges from LAHS alumni Jodi-Cull Host, center. Photo by Jodi ThomasJROTC News:
Two Los Alamos High School NJROTC shooters received their Junior Distinguished Shooter badges at the recent marksmanship banquet.
LCDR Wes Shumaker asked former LAHS shooter Jodi Cull-Host to pin the badges on senior Tessa Snyder and sophomore JoAnna O’Neill. Cull-Host was the first LAHS shooter to be awarded the badge, Snyder was the second, and O’Neill the third Read More
Applications Still Being Considered for UNM-LA/LANL Tech Frontiers 2014
Students will be taking a field trip to learn about water stewardship practices. Photo/Bigstock
UNM-LA News:
The application deadline for the first session of Tech Frontiers 2014, Environmental Science: The Science Behind The Headlines, has been extended until 4 p.m. Friday, June 13. Backup applications will be accepted until Monday, June 16.
The University of New Mexico-Los Alamos (UNM-LA), and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), host the Tech Frontiers 2014 program each summer. Class begins Monday, June 23, and runs through Friday, June 27. Daily sessions are 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Read More
Justin Black Offers Summer Sports at Chamisa
Justin Black with his students. File photo
By BERNADETTE LAURITZEN
Summer fun is on the schedule, especially for those who live in White Rock.
Chamisa physical education teacher and former PE teacher of the year, Justin Black is ready to inspire activity. While the classes are open to all youth, Black has gone out of his way to offer some summer time fun in White Rock, while doing it as a fundraiser for his elementary school program.
The programs, one for basketball skills and the other for a variety of activities always receive positive feedback from both parents and kids.
“In the past two years, Read More
LAPS CFO John Wolfe Leaving for Post with N.M. Public Education Department
School Board President Judy Bjarke-Mckenzie thanks John Wolfe for his seven years of service to the district, as Board Vice President Kevin Honnell and Superintendent Gene Schmidt look on. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.comLos Alamos Public Schools CFO John Wolfe will leave his post to take a position as School Budget Director for the New Mexico Public Education Department July 14.
The Los Alamos School Board thanked Wolfe for his seven years of service to the District at Tuesday’s Board Meeting.
“I’ve enjoyed making a difference for the kids Read More
