Farmington Municipal Schools

A new Board of Education member was sworn in and an updated 2023-24 academic calendar was approved during this afternoon’s regular meeting.

Presiding Judge Erich L. Cole performed the swearing-in ceremony for Ms. Barbara Tedrow. Ms. Tedrow was appointed to fill the vacant seat left by Board Member Kyle Rhodes (District 4), who stepped down in March after serving the district for twelve years. Above, from right to left, Board Member Ms. Barbara Tedrow, Mr. Rick Tedrow, Esq., District Attorney, and Judge Erich L. Cole.

The Board of Education also approved changes to the 2023-2024 academic calendar. The first day of school for Kindergarten, 6th, and 9th grades will now be August 10, 2023. The rest of the grades will start on August 11, 2023. May 24, 2024, will now be a full day for students instead of a professional day. The last day of school will now be May 24, 2024. Graduation dates for all of our high schools remain the same during the second and third week of May 2024. Early release is as follows: 11:30 a.m. for elementary, 12:30 for middle school, and 12:10 p.m. for high school. Contract days for employees at the school sites will continue to be 185 days at 7.5 hours a day.

As you may know, the passage of HB 130 – K-12 Plus Program increased the minimum number of instructional hours from 990 for elementary school and 1,080 for middle and high school to 1,140 for all students, which means Farmington Municipal Schools needs to update the calendar approved in January.

Not on the calendar, but please note that the school day has increased in elementary by 20 minutes (class will end at 3:05 p.m.), 10 minutes in middle school (class will end at 3:45 p.m.), and 3 minutes in high school (class will end at 3:15 p.m.). Also, please note that the preschool calendar should be available in May.

Click here to view the full calendar.

State Wrestling Champions Recognition

Student-athletes Ivan Smith of Farmington High School and Keenan Bejar of Piedra Vista High School were recognized for winning State Wrestling Championships. Coaches John Mason and Tyler Ramstead presented the recognitions. Ivan captured the state title at 172-lbs and Keenan at 139-lbs during the New Mexico Class 5A State Wrestling Championships last February. Ivan is an All-American Wrestler who recently signed to wrestle for Highlands University, NM.

Project SEARCH Personnel Recognition

Project SEARCH Instructor & Program Manager Chelsea Chairion, Skills Trainers Mark Pavlik and Rachel Wells, Transition Specialists Suzanne Kuschnereit and Karen Georgina, and Project SEARCH interns were part of a recognition of their mentors.

The FMS mentors are Kelli Stradling and Skye Farmer at FMS Central Kitchen, Billy Huish, Dawn Moore, and Sadie Shelton at FMS Transportation, Principal Nicole Murillo, First Grade Teachers Anita Hernandez, Madison Dennington, Marquel Ryan, and Geraldine Moses at Animas Elementary.

“This is an incredible county-wide effort. The interns have a lot of support and this experience will affect them for the rest of their lives. This has blessed us. You don’t know how important this is. Thank you,” said parent Toni Langlitz about the ten-week program.

Currently, Project SEARCH has four (of seven) interns at worksites within FMS. This is the 5th-year of Project SEARCH in Farmington.

Board-Certified Teachers Recognition

Congratulations to the FMS educators that just earned their National Board-Certifications. National Board Certification is the most respected professional certification available in education and provides numerous benefits to teachers, students, and schools. The following FMS teachers are now National Board-Certified:

• Ms. Lisa Hawkins (above, right), an FMS teacher since 2017, is currently teaching at Esperanza Elementary.
• Ms. Kelly Costanzo-Hanon (above, center), an FMS teacher since 1999, is currently teaching at Preschool Academy West.
• Ms. Katherine Malone, an FMS teacher since 2014, is currently teaching at Piedra Vista High School.
• Ms. Lindsay Garcia, an FMS teacher since 2015, is currently teaching at Ladera del Norte Elementary School.
• Mr. Nik David Shepherd, an FMS teacher since 2014, is currently teaching at Preschool Academy East.

The names of the educators recognized today have been added to a plaque with all the names of National Board-Certified educators at Farmington Municipal Schools. Presenter Ms. Kyla Johnson (NBCT) also gave all our teachers a plant.

National History Day Recognition

The following educators from Hermosa, Heights, and Mesa View Middle School were recognized during the meeting for their amazing work teaching history and participating in National History Day:

• Erica Davis, an FMS teacher since 2021, is currently teaching at Mesa View Middle School.
• TroyLynn Bodiford, an FMS teacher since 1990, has taught at Mesa Verde, Animas, McCormick, and currently at Hermosa Middle School.
• Andrea Fear started as a Tech Aide at Heights Middle School in 2010 and became an FMS Teacher at Heights in 2011.

Twenty students from Mesa View, Heights, and Hermosa Middle School competed at the New Mexico National History Day competition on Saturday, April 15, in Albuquerque. Grace McWilliams and Genevieve Peterson of Heights Middle School took 2nd place in Junior Group Website, while Paige Kimball, Diya Linga, and Adalyn Haskill also from Heights Middle School received the Women's History Special Award. Great job, Knights!

Hosted at the University of New Mexico, the theme for this year’s competition was “Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas.” The purpose of the annual theme is for students to frame their research while allowing for a broad application to world, national, state, or local history and its relevance from ancient history to the more recent past.

FMS Equity Council Recognition

The following members of the FMS Equity Council were recognized for their work and consistency in the district group: Nate Williams and Tavin Graham-Diaz, both of Farmington High School.

The Board of Education also celebrated these recent events:

• Congratulations to the Heights Middle School Troubadours for winning the Middle School / Junior High State Choir Contest! This is the second year in a row that Heights has won the middle school competition. This year, their music selections were “O Magnum Mysterium,” “Bringers of Noise”, and “Ten Thousand Miles.” Kudos to Music Director Ms. Siromani Leath.
• Congratulations to Piedra Vista Chamber Choir on placing 2nd in Class 5A State Choir Contest. Their music selections were “Invictus,” “Sure On This Shining Night,” and “Rosas Pandan.” Kudos to Music Director Mr. James Golden.
• Congratulations to the PVC Pipettes on placing 2nd in the 5A Treble Choir Contest. Their music selections were “Tanzen und Springen,” “Weep, O Mine Eyes,” and “Witness.” Kudos to Music Director Mr. James Golden.
• Congratulations also to PV Softball Pitcher Coach Roy Johnson on being inducted into the Hall of Honor of the New Mexico High School Coaches Association, the highest award recognized in the state of New Mexico.
• We would like to give a big shout-out to the Science Department at Heights Middle School. Last week, teachers and their students were highlighted during the “Knowledge Matters Tour” with representatives of Open Sci-Ed, the Charles A. Dana Center, Taunton Public Schools, and the New Mexico Public Education Department. The two-day tour ended with a terrific student panel, where our students were outspoken, confident, polite, and insightful. Go, Knights!
• Congratulations to the FMS students that participated in UmattR! The 2023 UmattR Team is Charles Briones, Ella Rogers, Trey Jones, Cannon Hilton, Hallie Kalcich, and Palmer Bentley, all of Farmington High School. Taya Hatch, Khyler Burns, Victoria Rempe, Janet Tong, Addysen Boognl, Lauren Harris, and Gabi Frost, all of Piedra Vista High School. And Bria Cohen of San Juan College High School.

Presentations from Ready! For Kindergarten and CTE

The first presentation was from Ready! For Kindergarten, a program that centers on the awareness of the importance of reading to children and the weight of educating children while playing with them. During the presentation, three exciting groups for families were mentioned as part of a change for this upcoming Fall: a baby group, a toddler, and a preschool group. Ready! For Kindergarten is part of the Student, School, and Family Support Department.

For more information, visit farmingtonschools.us/page/kindergarten-parent-program.

The second presentation came from the Career and Technical Department (CTE). Assistant Director of CTE, Milo McMinn, presented that there are currently 18 career pathways at FMS, including automotive, filmmaking, project bike tech, and healthcare, to name a few. Mr. McMinn also presented that 89 students have been placed in an internship during the school day and that 80 organizations are currently partnering with FMS. The result is a total of 1,018 certifications awarded this year.

Key Club Travel to California

Finally, the Board also approved the Key Club’s travel application. FHS Students Kyra Yazzie, Kaydance Yazzie, and Thearon Jones presented their request, and the approval means they’ll be able to travel to California to learn more about different aspects of leadership. The group explained that part of the work of the 20-plus members of the Key Club includes helping the community and volunteering. One example of their work was their recent volunteer work at the local animal shelter. Members of the Key Club have each logged approximately 106 hours of community work during their time at the club this year.

 

The next Board Meeting will be on May 9, 2023.