Members of the Hawk Talkers Middle School Speech and Debate Team and their supporters packed Tuesday’s School Board Meeting to ask the Los Alamos School Board for help in paying for travel to tournaments. They currently have no funding and are therefore unable to compete. The Los Alamos Hill Talkers High School team has been helping them with funds, but the LAMS program has become so successful (around 90 students are involved) they need $3,000-$7,000 to travel to competitions. Although sports teams at Los Alamos Middle School have a travel budget, this popular activity does not. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.com
These two members of the Hawk Talkers were among the many speakers requesting funds for the group. In addition to members of the Hawk Talkers, a number of members of the Hilltalkers, coaches, parents and former debaters urged the Board to fund the group because of the big educational benefits speech and debate offers to students, no matter what career they pursue. Board members said they were extremely impressed by the eloquence and poise of the speech and debate students. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.com
School Board Vice President Kevin Honnell and Board Member Jim Hall presented a preliminary timeline for the search for a new superintendent for the School District. The current superintendent, Gene Schmidt, will leave the District next July. After some discussion, the Board decided to pursue a national search from the beginning, rather than search within the state first. The Board decided to hire a professional firm to help with the search. Board President Judy Bjarke-McKenzie and Secretary Matt Williams worked on developing a list of required and preferred qualifications for the superintendent position. The two groups will continue to work on their tasks and report back at upcoming Board meetings. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.com
