sa国际传媒官网网页入口

There are 86 elementary schools within the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Public Schools, but if you ask Principal Paula Garcia, no staff works harder than hers at Ventana Ranch Elementary.

鈥淲e have the hardest-working teachers here who are always focused on knowing each student and helping them grow not just academically but socially and emotionally as well,鈥� she said.

Garcia took over as principal of the West Side school two years ago and was immediately smitten with not only her staff鈥檚 work ethic, but the eagerness her students had to learn and the support the school received from the parents and the surrounding community.

鈥淭he people, the teachers and the community work so well together,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e like a finely oiled machine.鈥�

That working relationship was bearing fruit when it came to the school鈥檚 rising scores on state standardized tests. Those improvements in testing scores are what led to Ventana Ranch being nominated last year by the state to be a recipient of the U.S. Department of Education鈥檚 Blue Ribbon Schools award. Started in 1982, these awards are given to schools based on their academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps.

When she first heard about her school鈥檚 nomination, Garcia said she was full of both joy and intimidation when it came to the application process.

鈥淚t took us hours and a team of people to accumulate all the information and bring it together,鈥� she said. 鈥淪taff throughout the entire school contributed to answering the (application) questions, and then we did all the editing and fine-tuning to make it fit within the work limit.鈥�

They started the application process last October and finished in November. The final product was a 19-page document that detailed the school鈥檚 demographics, core curriculum, instructional methods, interventions and assessments.

鈥淚t was the hardest work I鈥檇 ever done, but also the most gratifying,鈥� Garcia said.

The school sent off its application and didn鈥檛 receive any word back until September, when they were told they had been selected as one of the three Blue Ribbon Schools in New Mexico for 2024. Zia Elementary School in Clovis and White Sands School at White Sands Missile Range also were selected.

When Garcia heard the news, she ran to share it with the staff who had helped her put the application together.

鈥淭here were high-fives and a lot of tears of joy,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was just like, 鈥楪uys, we did it!鈥欌��

To celebrate the accomplishment, the school hosted a celebration on its field Tuesday afternoon. The entire student population gathered for a ceremony that included a performance from the nearby Volcano Vista High School cheerleading team and an address from sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Public Schools Superintendent Gabriella Blakey.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really exciting to showcase to the state, city and country that we鈥檙e doing great things here in sa国际传媒官网网页入口,鈥� Blakey said. 鈥淚 talk a lot about kids believing in themselves and not always hearing that they鈥檙e last in everything, and this signifies that our schools can achieve anything.鈥�

For Garcia, she shared that same hope for her students, saying that the award is just the beginning of their successes in life.

鈥淲e always want them to be successful and see that hard work leads to success,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey have so much more to achieve and do in life, but this will always be a great marker for them.鈥�

Gino Gutierrez is the good news reporter at the sa国际传媒官网网页入口. If you have an idea for a good news story, you can contact him at goodnews@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3940.