Enjoy Films From Eight Countries At The Second Annual Los Alamos Film & Culture Festival Feb. 21-23
COUNTY News:
Los Alamos County invites film lovers to attend the upcoming international entertainment event—the second annual Los Alamos Film & Culture Festival. Held Feb. 21–23, the festival will feature over 20 films and shorts from eight different countries. Presented by Los Alamos County, the festival focuses on celebrating cultures from around the world with the mission of combating xenophobia and racism through storytelling.
Films kick off at 3 p.m., Friday, Feb. 21 with student-created films until 4:30 p.m., Friday will wrap up with a feature film and a short film from 5–6:30 Read More
Learn About Two Recent NASA Solar Missions Feb. 22
NMDCA News:
Learn all about NASA’s two most recent missions to the Sun at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science (NMMNHS) with ParkerPunchPalooza 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Feb. 22.
ParkerPunchPalooza lets visitors explore a pair of NASA solar missions – the NASA PUNCH mission and the Parker Solar Probe – with hands-on activities and back-to-back presentations from NASA researchers.
Learn about both missions through handouts and giveaways and enjoy all-ages solar activities and demos from local teachers who are working with the Johns Hopkins Space Exploration Maker-Place Program. Read More
Mason: Rev Your Engines For Electric School Buses!
By SARA ANN MASON
Los Alamos
What would you say to saving our schools money, reducing students and school staff exposure to a known cause of chronic health conditions, increasing community air quality, and lowering carbon emissions?
You might think such wide-ranging benefits require many different policies, but they are all achievable by simply converting our school buses to electric vehicles. And we have the opportunity to make that easier for our schools this legislative session!
House Bill 32, “Electric or Alternative Fuel School Buses”, makes electric school buses available and affordable Read More
Summit Garden Club: ‘Establishing A New Garden’ By Judy Hoffman March 3
SGC News:
Judy Hoffman, a member of Summit Garden Club since 2015, graduated from New Mexico Master Gardener course in 2016. She grew up in a farming family in Ohio but learned that gardening in the Southwest is very different.
In 2020 Judy and Melissa Theesfeld decided to create a Moonlight Garden in the Los Alamos Demonstration Garden. They decided to start from scratch and took out most of the existing plants and soil. During this talk, you will learn the steps they took through the first five years. You will also learn about lessons learned, tips, and gardening resources.
Everyone is welcome Read More
PAC 8 Community Media Center: Feb. 21-27, 2025
PAC 8 News:
PAC 8 Community Media Center is available for recording events, transferring of old media, shooting and editing, live streaming and drone photography and videography.
For information, email pac8@losalamos.com, call 505.662.7228 or visit pac8cmc.com.
PAC 8 Television schedule for Feb. 21-27, 2025:
Friday, Feb. 21, 2025
- 6 a.m. — Democracy Now! – Live
- 10 a.m. — The Thom Hartmann Program
- 11 a.m. — County Council Meeting Replay 2-11–25
- 3 p.m. — Democracy Now!
- 5 p.m. — PAC PAGES – Los Alamos County News Updates
- 6 p.m. — Chamber of Commerce Business Breakfast – Los Alamos County
County Wildland Fire Preparedness Meeting March 5
COUNTY News:
Los Alamos Fire Department’s Wildland Fire Division in collaboration with the Los Alamos County Office of Emergency Management will give a Wildland Fire Preparedness presentation, hosted by the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC). Local businesses and residents are encouraged to attend the virtual meeting from 9 – 10 a.m., March 5. Experts will discuss tools and knowledge community members can utilize to help reduce wildfire risk to protect individuals and property. Please join via Zoom.
“I cannot stress enough the importance of preparing in advance for the coming Read More
Walk With PEEC & Discover Stories Of The Wild In Action: ‘Tracking Wildlife On The Pajarito Plateau’ Saturday March 15
Raccoon prints. Photo by Kristen O’Hara/PEEC
PEEC News:
Dive into the fascinating world of wildlife tracking and connect with nature like never before. The Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC) is hosting “Tracking Wildlife on the Pajarito Plateau” 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 15 at the Los Alamos Nature Center at 2600 Canyon Road.
Led by certified tracker and nature educator Ann Hunkins, this interactive workshop will guide participants in uncovering the hidden stories of the landscape. From identifying animal tracks and scat to understanding gait patterns and track morphology, Read More
Step Up Gallery Exhibit To Feature Student Artwork Feb. 20
Scene from 2025 All Schools Student Art Show opening Feb. 20 in Step Up Gallery. Courtesy/Step Up Gallery
Scene from 2025 All Schools Student Art Show opening Thursday in Step Up Gallery. Courtesy/Step Up Gallery
STEP UP News:
The 2025 All Schools Student Art Show opens with a bang on Thursday. The public is invited to the opening reception, with refreshments sponsored by Los Alamos Schools Credit Union, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday in Step Up Gallery on the third floor of Mesa Public Library.
The All Schools Student Art Show showcases the work of hundreds of Los Alamos Public Schools (LAPS) students Read More
History Of Chiricahua Apaches Online Lecture March 5
NMHS News:
Join Bill Cavaliere, President of the Cochise County (Arizona) Historical Society, for an online lecture about the history of the Chiricahua Apaches 12 – 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 5.
This month’s Friends of History First Wednesday Lecture Series features the presentation, “The Chiricahua Indians: A Concise History” by Bill Cavaliere. The presentation will provide a summary of the history of the Chiricahua Apaches, covering their culture, origins, arrival in the American Southwest, conflicts with Mexicans and Whites, major battles, notable chiefs, and their ultimate surrender Read More
Kiwanis Hosts Jenny McCumber Of LAPS Foundation
LAPS Foundation Executive Director Jenny McCumber, speaks at Kiwanis Club. Courtesy/Kiwanis
By Brooke Davis
Kiwanis Club
At the Kiwanis Club of Los Alamos Feb. 10 meeting, Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation Executive Director Jenny McCumber outlined the non-profit organization’s fundraising objectives and programs.
She began with the Foundation’s ongoing “Shower with Love” fundraising campaign which began on Valentine’s Day. It started as a way to support teachers during the pandemic by raising funds for laptops and other equipment needed for remote learning. It has evolved as Read More
Indian Pueblo Entrepreneur Complex ‘Food Is Medicine’ Workshop Feb. 22
LAHS Seniors: Apply For Local Scholarships Today
2024 LAPS Foundation scholarship recipients John Cawkwell and Luke Favorite chose LAHS physics teacher Debbie Grothaus as their “Educator of Distinction.” Photo by Jessica Booton
Sasha Carr was a 2024 recipient of the Ross and Lola Ramsey Memorial Scholarship. Photo by Jessica Booton
LAPS News:
It’s not too late for graduating seniors to apply for local scholarships! Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation awards many scholarships to graduating seniors each year. As the Feb. 21 deadline approaches, the Foundation encourages seniors to apply for one or more of the scholarships Read More
New Mexico Lawmakers Consider Ending Revolving Door Of Top Education Leaders With New Board System
Executive Director Stan Rounds
New Mexico Coalition of Educational Leaders
By ESTEBAN CANDELARIA
Santa Fe New Mexican
Eight people have occupied the position of top public education chief in New Mexico since 2003 — more if you count those who held the job on an interim basis.
Most of them have come under Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who has had five people serve full time as Cabinet secretary of the New Mexico Public Education Department so far.
To address the often-referenced revolving door in the top leadership of the state’s public education system, lawmakers have introduced Senate Joint Read More
Los Alamos Basketball Falls To Española Sundevils 42-53
Andrew Manzanares takes a short jump shot in the first quarter surrounded by Sundevil defenders. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com
Rocco Del Mauro breaks through the full-court press as he brings the ball down court. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com
SPORTS News:
The Los Alamos High School Varsity Basketball Team traveled Saturday afternoon to Española to play a conference game against the Sundevils in the Edward Medina Gymnasium.
The Toppers played a hard fought game, but the Sundevils full court press kept the Toppers off balance the entire game.
The Toppers were only down 7 points Read More
Los Alamos Music Teachers Association To Present First Musicale Of 2025 At 2PM Sunday Feb. 23 At Fuller Lodge
Students pose after a successful musicale performance in April 2024. Courtesy/LAMTA
LAMTA News:
The Los Alamos Music Teachers Association (LAMTA) invites the community to attend its first Musicale concert of the year at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23 at Fuller Lodge. The concert is free to attend.
Every spring the LAMTA holds two Musicale recitals to showcase the hard work of its young musicians in Los Alamos. This particular Musicale will also feature the first-place winners of the 2025 Sonata Contest as guest artists.
Students will be showcased from the studios of:
- Aejin Chang;
- Wendy Ge;
- Janna Warren;
LAPS Art Teachers Find Joy In Helping Students Shine
Front row from left, Jessie Ross, Mountain Elementary; Claire Stewart, LAMS; Stephanie Rittner, Pinon Elementary. Back row from left, Dottie Lopez, LAHS; Britt Williams, Aspen Elementary; Andrea Lynch, Chamisa Elementary; Mary Grace, LAHS and Elizabeth Fisher, LAMS. Not pictured, Libbi Lovejoy, LAHS. Courtesy/Step Up Gallery
STEP UP GALLERY News:
The much anticipated 2025 All Schools Student Art Show showcases the work of hundreds of Los Alamos Public Schools (LAPS) students in Step Up Gallery at Mesa Public Library. Step Up Gallery hosts this exhibit, which runs Feb. 20 to March 12. Read More
Some Systems Don’t Need To Be Fixed In New Mexico Education
Julia Burrola – Middle School Principal in Residence and Teach Plus Alumna and Hope Morales – Executive Director for Teach Plus NM. Courtesy photo
By HOPE MORALES
Executive Director
Teach Plus, New Mexico
During a recent visit to Albuquerque Collegiate Charter School, I watched Elizabeth Leung, kindergarten teacher at the school and a Teach Plus New Mexico Policy Fellow, seamlessly guide a cluster of her young students in practicing sounds. In a different part of the classroom, Elizabeth’s co-teacher worked with a group on verbalizing words, while other kids interacted with Read More
Soules’ Proposed ‘Moonshot For Math’ Moves Forward
Rep. Bill Soules
Chair
Senate Education Committee
By ANDRÉ SALKIN
The Santa Fe New Mexican
New Mexico long has had lousy results in math.
The state’s investments in math programs, meanwhile, have lagged behind spending increases in other areas of education.
Senate Education Committee Chair Bill Soules has stood by, he said, while math education has been “pushed aside”. Now he’s pushing for big changes.
“We worked on structured literacy within our schools, a very important area,” said Soules, a Las Cruces Democrat. “But it’s now time that we start talking about math and the very low performance Read More
Los Alamos NJROTC Performs Exceptionally Well In Every Event At ‘Quest For Gold’ Regional Drill Meet In Tucson
Topper Company shows off the results of their hard work in the ‘Quest For Gold’ regional drill meet. Courtesy/NJROTC
By C/LTJG MELANIE WEEKLEY
NJROTC
Public Affairs Officer
Over the weekend, Los Alamos NJROTC traveled to Tucson, Ariz., to compete in the highly competitive Quest For Gold regional drill meet. Months of dedication and training led up to this moment and the teams were eager to showcase their skills against some of the best units in New Mexico, Texas, California and Arizona.
The competition was intense, but despite the pressure, Topper Company remained focused and performed exceptionally Read More
Kiwanis Club Of Los Alamos Announces 2025 Scholarships
By KARIN CHURCH
Kiwanis Club of Los Alamos
Attention Los Alamos Class of 2025!
One week from today (Feb. 21) is the application deadline for the scholarships administered by the Kiwanis Club of Los Alamos.
These scholarships will be awarded to worthy 2025 Los Alamos seniors who will be entering college in the fall of 2025:
- The Lou and Lee Pierotti Memorial Scholarship, funded privately, is awarded in memory of prominent Los Alamos business owners. Lou was an honorary Kiwanian for life and the founder of the Pierotti Clowns 5-man softball team that raised thousands of dollars for charity under
