Valencia County News-Bulletin: Locals 2011

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October 29, 2011
ocals
Citizen of the Year & Unsung Heroes

VALENCIA COUNTY
News-Bulletin
2 LOCALS 2011: Citizen of the Year/Unsung Heroes
Valencia County News-Bulletin
October 29, 2011
VALENCIA RESIDENT Matthew Aragon makes a living selling hay and beef from his farm. He grows mostly alfalfa, but also triticale as a winter forage.
MATTHEW ARAGON feels he is in a race against urban sprawl to protect agriculture for future farmers and retain food security for the county.
MATTHEW ARAGON chose to mix his Limousin cows with a Hereford bull to foster an easier calving season. He has 23 head of cattle in Valencia.
Citizen of the Year

Planting the seeds: Matthew Aragon preserves local agriculture
By DeBorah Fox
News-Bulletin Staff Writer dfox@news-bulletin.com
Valencia Valencia farmer Matthew Aragon, the News-Bulletins Citizen of the Year, is literally a driving force in local agriculture. In addition to his own farm and ranch business, he spends hours in the tractor seat to help run the Los Lunas High School student farm located on the Los Lunas Campus at the former Los Lunas Hospital and Training Center. Its a team effort of students, educators, agriculture officials and local farmers and businesses, Aragon said. He and Los Lunas dairy farmer Janet Jarratt haul their own farm equipment to the campus to do the farming and upkeep. They had to secure personal insurance coverage to indemnify the school districts liability before they could even begin. The farm was so run down, and over-run with brush and trees that Aragon had to come out with his brush hog just to clear the fields and irrigation ditches before any crop could be planted. Its really important to him because hes really worried about agriculture with all the development that has come into the valley, said his sister, Elizabeth Aragon. Hes worried that its just going to disappear. He wants to educate the youth, so if they want to continue with their family farms, or start their own farming business, theyll have the choice to do it. Matthew Aragon wants to interest young people in small farms and ranching careers because the average age of farmers today is 72-years old, he said. He wished there had been a school farm when he was in school. It personifies who he is, said Kyle Tator, the Valencia County extension agent from New Mexico State University. It speaks a lot about his character, and his willingness to help, and how important he feels agriculture is to this community. Thats the bottom line. Hes out there, not getting paid, and like he said, theres a lot of other folks that arent getting paid either, but he never complains. Everybody puts in their fair share of work and then some, said Matthew Aragon. What motivates him are the values instilled in him through his agricultural heritage. He is a fifth-generation farmer and rancher on a farm passed down from his great-grandfather, Juan Aragon. His family came to Valencia in 1739 from the Province of Aragon in Spain. The 33-year-old farmer feels he is in a race against urban sprawl to protect agriculture for future farmers and retain food security for the county and the country.
Deborah Fox-News-Bulletin photos
MATTHEW ARAGON, 33, is a fifth-generation farmer and rancher on a farm passed down from his great-grandfather, Juan Aragon. His passion for the agricultural way of life and food security compels him to do whatever he can to promote it. Hes got the attitude of, We can do this, said Jarratt. I think thats one of his best attributes. Its that attitude of not thinking about how its a problem, but how to make it happen. It was really good to have him to talk to about the dream for that place the community dream and to promote agricultural economics in the high school, she said. These are times when weve got an opportunity to really do something with that renewable resource. Making a living off the land while promoting good stewardship without having to invest a lot of money is timely. Aragon was instrumental in bringing together a variety of local education and agriculture officials to get the school farm going. Jarratt brought in her contacts with the National Resource Conservation Service and Sen. Michael Sanchez (D-Valencia). Chris Martinez, president of the Los Lunas Schools Board of Education, had one of the original visions for the farm and brought it to the school board. They had tried something prior to us, with one of their students, Zach Montano, Aragon said. Hes a really good friend of mine. He is definitely a hard worker. He tried something there, but it didnt work for him because he just didnt have the resources. ... When we came, we brought all the different agencies and people to the table, and thats how were able to get it off the ground, Aragon said. It took a team effort; it wasnt anything any one person could take on. This year, the crops being planted are used to reconstitute the soil so a viable crop can be planted. Theyve planted oats to add organic matter, and now summer peas, which are a natural nitrogen builder, Aragon said. The values that motivate Aragon were learned through his family and community. Doing whatever needs to be done or helping someone in a bind comes natural to him. Aragon will stop what hes doing and go help a neighbor if asked, but theyd do the same for him, he said. The Valencia native brings his equipment and real world farming experience to the student farm. He has his own farming business, which hes had for years, Elizabeth said. But hes added the farming for the high school. Hes been working really hard at that and telling me every day, or once a week, how things are going out there. He just seems so adamant about making this work for the kids. The thing that Ive appreciated very much about Matthew is that, if were in a pinch, he generally will find a way to make the time to come help out, Jarratt said That can do attitude is really important. Over the summer, while Los Lunas High School was between agriculture teachers, Jarratt and Aragon worked with students on the school farm. They gave an impromptu lesson on farm equipment purchasing when they were discussing types of swathers. A swather, or windrower, is a farm implement that cuts hay or small grain crops and forms them into a windrow. Matthew turned and asked the kids, Do you have any idea of what were talking about, Jarratt said. He did a really good job of explaining to the kids what the equipment did, how you make a good decision, how your equipment impacts the quality of your product. It makes the experience come alive for the students, lets them see the real world applications of it. Zach Eichwald, a junior at Valencia High School and the manager of his schools farm behind Daniel Fernandez Elementary, met Aragon a few years ago. He farms some property near my house and he would always help me, Eichwald said. I asked him what kind of fertilizer, what should I do for this or that ... he helps me a lot. Eichwald is involved in both school farms. Hes got a real good head on his shoulders, Aragon said of Eichwald. These kids are hard-working kids, and theyre sharp. Aragon learned a lot about farming and ranching from his grandfather, Alfonso Aragon, who was raised on a farm. But Aragons parents, Juan and Candelaria Aragon, had 9-to-5 jobs, he said. His mother was raised on a farm in Santa Rosa. Grandpa ended up working for the railroad in Barstow, then the war started and thats where everybody ended up, Aragon said. Originally, the familys farm in Valencia was on 50 acres, but over time, bits and pieces were sold. Aragon lives on the remaining eight and leases 150 acres, mostly from cousins who live in California. Its really interesting, a lot of people think that where they see the river now is where it always ran, Aragon said. The river was actually put there in 1912. We had, on an old sheeps hide, the original land grant drawn on it, and it showed where the river used to run. It did a big split right here. It came down, part of it sort of ran where it is now, the other half ran around the edge of the foothills, then kind of hit
MATTHEW ARAGON spends hours every week on the tractor running his own farm and helping the Los Lunas High School student farm, but says its all worth it. Tom Hill and ran around that way. Two dogs, Hunter and Smokey Bear, are the first to greet arrivals at Aragons home. The yard is framed with plows and balers, swathers and a tall shed piled high with stacks of hay bales. An irrigated pasture on the south side, one of several rotational grazing pastures, is currently home to his two horses, Rosie and Penko, a mustanglooking horse from Mexico. Across the road in another irrigated pasture are his 23 head of cattle. The bull is a muscular Hereford Aragon bought to mix with his Limousin cows. The cattle eat eight bales of hay a day, he said. He mostly grows alfalfa, but also sorghums and triticale, a lush green winter forage Aragon can harvest hay from. It provides bales of hay early in the summer when things are in short supply, Aragon said. In this business, everything has to produce at maximum output. One little mistake can cost you a lot of money. Youve definitely got to be on top of your game. Aragon raises his own cattle feed and sells beef and hay. The extension office puts out a map through the university and it tells you all the cow-calf ratios per acre for different parts of the state, said Aragon. So, right away, if youre going to purchase some land, they have already done all the footwork. ... Its an average depending on rainfall a year, but youll get a feel for what it will do. Aragon is also a member of the Valencia County Farm and Livestock Bureau, which has a mission to promote and protect agriculture in the county. Hes one of our most active board members, Jarratt said. Hes helping us move forward and do things for the community at large to promote agriculture in a sustainable way with good stewardship, and he sets a good example. He works his butt off, and hes self built to where he is now with all his farming, Eichwald said. Hes found a way to make money on the farm and make himself better. Hes almost an idol to me because Im involved in agriculture. ...Hes helped a lot with what seminars to go to, advice on what to do and how he got where he got. I use him as a role model because someday, Id like to do the same thing. Aragons idea of success is making an honest living, and being respected by the people around him. He lives by what he believes in and is an example of sustainable farming. Its good to see someone who has his stuff together at such a young age, and wants to be a farmer, said Tator. Theres definitely no doubt in his mind what he wants to do and hes definitely a hard worker.
October 29, 2011
LOCALS 2011: Citizen of the Year/Unsung Heroes 3
Unsung Hero
Beginning the healing: Helen Abeyta advocates for the victims
By UngelBah Daniel-Davila
News-Bulletin Staff Writer udavila@news-bulletin.com
Belen Helen Abeyta is proud and she has every right to be. After suffering health problems that have made some things hard for her to remember, she is quick to tell you that she began the Valencia Shelter for Victims of Domestic Violence 22 years ago and has served on the board for 20 years. Her big blue eyes widen with excited animation and her kind face fills with pride. And maybe a touch of incredulousness, as she recalls the shelters genesis all those years ago. Abeyta, who was born and raised in Oklahoma, moved to New Mexico with her husband, Eddie, and settled in Valencia County in the early 60s. It was here that she began working toward a nursing degree at the University of New Mexico-Valencia Campus, which she eventually completed at the UNM main campus in Albuquerque. However, it was during her time at UNM-VC that she was given an assignment to write a paper on an issue affecting women. She chose to explore womens services in Valencia County. At that time, the county had few, if any, services available to women, which Abeyta was soon to discover. We didnt have a thing for women, she said, shaking her head. In a previous News-Bulletin interview, Abeyta recalled how The paper basically was, there arent any (services). There was no rape crisis services, no shelter, no counseling groups. The revelation spurred her
into action and before long, Abeyta had successfully assembled a support group for women at UNM-VC called Lets Talk. Shrugging, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Abeyta says they just got busy. They brought in guest speakers such as the director of the domestic violence shelter in Albuquerque, as well as psychologists and attorneys who provided support and guidance for individuals in crisis. In the same interview, Abeyta remembers how meeting a woman by the name of Anna Young gave way to an important transformation that was able to take the support group to the next level. We realized we really needed a shelter, said Abeyta. So we called the county commission to look into it. Anna and I and two other women filed the paperwork and the shelter was approved, but we had no funds. Abeyta recalls how, in those early days, the shelter didnt look like much more than a desk sitting in an attic and it was all they could do to keep the telephone on. The attic, however, was actually an available office space in the Harvey House that the city let the young group use while the Valley Store House donated $1,000 to help fuel their efforts. From there they formed a board of directors, recruited volunteers to work the 24-hour-crisis hotline, brought in a man named Tom Upton, who had experience in shelter work, and began fundraising like crazy, determined to keep chugging ahead. We had to raise money to keep the phone up, said Abeyta, who said the shelter
This was something I could do. Even after I retired and after I finally graduated from college, I still felt committed to it. It is my goal to see it through. We have a wonderful staff that provides a very, very important service to the community. I am very proud to be a part of it.
HELEN ABEYTA Valencia shelter founder
Ungelbah Daniel-Davila-News-Bulletin-photo
HELEN ABEYTA began the Valencia Shelter for Victims of Domestic Violence 22 years ago after recognizing a need for more womens services in the county.
group would put on certain fundraising events such as a New Years Eve party to help keep the shelter going. Every 12 hours, Abeyta would go to the office and transfer the phone to the next volunteer so that when the crisis line was dialed, it was patched through to a volunteers home. Even though there might not be anyone in the office, the phone was always answered.
Their next step was to actually secure a space to shelter victims in need of safe housing. Because they were unable to afford a facility of their own yet, a local motel offered rooms to women and children in need of harbor, as well as free access to the restaurant there. The location of the domestic violence shelter was, and still is, kept confidential. Abeyta said she also would
contribute to the NewsBulletin sending in views to help educate the public about domestic violence and the issues surrounding it. Eventually, Upton was able to coordinate with the Children, Youth and Families Department to establish its own emergency shelter, office and transitional housing. First came the transitional housing. They are apartment units, again in an undisclosed location, where women can go after the shelter, said Abeyta. We help them get on their feet again get legal services, job training, child care. Once they are ready to move on, they can take the furnishings with them to set up their new home. Next, using the money from a Housing and Urban Development grant, the organization was able to set up an emergency shelter that can hold up to 21 women and children. Additional services that the shelter offers are a child therapist, a client advocate and a Safe Doors program. Currently, the shelter is also incorporating mental health services to their repertoire. Safe Doors is for separated or divorced couples with children so they can do visitations. One parent brings the
child to the office, which is located in Los Lunas, and leaves so that the other parent can come through a different door and get the child without seeing the other parent so as to avoid conflict. A look of distress fills Abeytas face as she remembers all the victims of domestic violence she saw during her years with the shelter. Oh yeah, I knew a lot of women (who were victims), she says. Abeyta said she was never tempted to give up because there is such a great need. This was something I could do, she said. Even after I retired and after I finally graduated from college, I still felt committed to it. It is my goal to see it through. We have a wonderful staff that provides a very, very important service to the community. I am proud to be a part of it. Indeed, Abeyta saw the fruits of her labor grow by leaps and bounds during her life. Today, her health has made her take a step back and let others come in who will continue to see her dream through. I started it and, well, I finished it too, she says, yet, unfortunately, there is still more work to be done.
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October 29, 2011
Unsung Hero
Fighting for the youth : David Adame gives time to next generation
By DeBorah Fox
Los Lunas Using boxing as a tool to help troubled teens learn anger management and assist them in developing skills for a better way of life is a passion for Los Lunas Fire Department Emergency Medical Technician David Adame. He enjoys being a friend and mentor to young people who remind him of himself as a youth. Adame spends several hours every week at the TNT Boxing gym in Los Lunas, an organization founded by Mario Tapia, someone who shares the same passion. We established our gym to give youth an outlet to give them something positive to do, Tapia said. Adame has been a volunteer at the gym for about three years, and is a certified boxing coach. He has also worked to achieve nonprofit, 501(c)3 status for the organization, so Tapia wont be so out-of-pocket for the gym. Non-profit status will also allow them to apply for grants and raise money for better equipment in the gym. David goes above and beyond what he needs to do, said his mother-in-law, Yvonne Phay. He just started going over to that gym and asked Mario if he could help out. Extending a helping hand is something that comes naturally to Adame. He does it, not for reward, but because he likes to. Some of Adames motivation comes from his own youthful years when he was a bit of a rebel. His experiences in the military and war also fuel his desire to serve the community. A lot of it has to do with my wife (Ginny), Adame said. Shes so active in the community and has such a huge heart. Adame is very giving of his
time, said Phay. Like for the two elderly neighborhood women he trims the hedges and installed a sprinkler system for, or the neighborhood family who fell on hard times who he loaned the family car to so they could go to the grocery store. Ginny says helping out at the TNT gym isnt the only thing her husband volunteers to do. He volunteered as a soccer coach while he was in the Army, Ginny said. Hes no stranger to volunteering with youth. In order for the young people to participate in TNT Boxing, they have to be actively in school or in some type of further education program for themselves. If they have graduated, they have to be a mentor at the gym. Hell find tutors for them if theyre having trouble in school because he insists that they have good grades, said Phay. He wants to keep the kids off the street thats his main concern, and finding a way to help the community. Hes just that kind of person; he finds something that needs to be done and does it. Boxing is a good sport, and David shows you the right thing to do, said 19-year-old Manuel Eastman, who has been traveling from Isleta Pueblo to the gym for several years. He works with you one-on-one. The gym is a home awayfrom-home for several of the youth. The Juvenile Probation Office has asked Adame if they could send some of their youth to him to help them with self esteem issues. Hes pretty amazing, said Shannon Garris, a probation officer. Not only does he keep kids busy, boxing and learning anger management, but he tutors them, purchased shoes for them. The most difficult cases that we havent been able to reach, because were cops,
Deborah Fox-News-Bulletin photo
DAVID ADAME, left, a Los Lunas Fire Department EMT, volunteers at the TNT Boxing gym in Los Lunas. He enjoys helping teenagers improve their lives, and is working on the process to gain nonprofit status for the organization.
Ive sent to David. Adame has been able to build constructive rapport with some of the angriest young teens, Garris said. Things Ive never seen before, she said. Hes reaching them where we cant, but its so much more. They learn life skills. Hes always been there for me, says 17-year-old Marcus Ewing. He helps me with my home work, well go to his house or the boxing gym. Davids a real good friend to me. He just really cares about these kids, said Phay. Like this weekend, on his day off, he took some of the kids down to Ruidoso to a tournament. Not a
lot of people will give up their days off to help kids theyre not related to. But even with all the time he donates to helping others, Adame doesnt neglect his own family. Being with the fire department gives him a flexible schedule, 24-hours on duty and two days off, so he is able to take his daughters, Zera, 10, and Kelsae, 17, to doctor and dental appointments, or to pick them up from school when they are sick. Adame was raised by a single mother in Arizona. He worked full time since he was 14-years old, did well in school and sports, and graduated, but considered himself a malcontent,
he said. I struggled, he said. I was kind of rebellious. I didnt think I should have to pay to go to college, and I really wanted to go to college. My mom, as a single mother, still made too much for me to get any kind of real grants or scholarships, so I was kind of mad at the world, he said. I didnt think it was fair. Discouraged and disgruntled, Adame drifted for awhile, until he met his wife, Ginny, at an apartment complex in Phoenix where he was working security. We were both in that stagnant way of life and just needed a change, Adame said. And we ended up joining the military. Adame trained to be a soldier and a paramedic. He was a medic in the Army for six years, most of which were overseas in Germany, Kosovo, Nigeria and Iraq. During that time, their second daughter, Zera, was born. Adames only contact with her was on the telephone, and he couldnt be there for her first birthday. I actually enjoyed the military, Adame said. In fact, I loved it. If I didnt have a family, and wasnt away from them so much, Id still be in. After Iraq, he realized that most of his married friends in the military were divorced, he said. When Adame returned home from Iraq, he struggled to adjust to civilian life. I wasnt right. I was depressed, Adame said. I didnt even know I was depressed. With encouragement from Ginny, he agreed to go to counseling. I figured out I just wasnt right upstairs after being there, Adame said. I just didnt know what to expect I guess, and I dont think anybody knows, which is probably the hardest thing. You dont really know what youre supposed to do
when you get back. Adame still doesnt like to talk about what happened in Iraq, but with the support of his wife and family, he made it through. Right out of the military in 2005, Adame took a job with the New Mexico Central Correctional Facility in Los Lunas and trained to be a correctional officer. I couldnt do it, Adame said. There wasnt enough structure for me. I was literally going backwards from healing myself. I had to quit; it wasnt healthy for me. I needed structure and leadership I wasnt getting there, the way I expected it, I guess. So, after nine months, he quit to go back to school with money from the military. Not sure exactly what he wanted, he started studying to be a physical education teacher. During that time, Adame also began volunteering at the fire department. Eventually, he was hired for a paid position. I was pretty much able to carry my (medic) skills over, Adame said. I had to go back and reregister with New Mexico, because state-to-state its different, but it was no big deal. It took a semester of college to become an EMT-Basic, and another semester to attain EMT-Intermediate status. It has all contributed to what I am and who I am, Adame said. Being able to assist TNT Boxing gym owners Mario and his brother, Dario Tapia, gives Adame deep satisfaction. The thing that motivates me is these kids in here, Adame said. Seeing some of these kids grow up just in the last three years that Ive been involved in this particular program, its amazing, and then watching them improve their lives whether its academics or socially for me thats huge.
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October 29, 2011
Unsung Heroes
Maintaining his neighborhood: Finding community solutions: Jon Clemons cleans frontyard Peggy Gutjahr fights for health
By Brent ruffner
News-Bulletin Staff Writer bruffner@news-bulletin.com
By Julia M. DenDinger
Rio Communities
News-Bulletin Staff Writer jdendinger@news-bulletin.com

Often in life you meet someone whos sole reason for being is to help people. They become nurses and doctors and Peace Corps volunteers. But it is a rarity when someone is willing to reach out to a whole community to pick up the invisible threads that connect us all and dedicate their life to making things better. When Peggy Gutjahr came to New Mexico 30 years ago, she was already a registered nurse. She earned her three-year nursing diploma on the floor of a Massachusetts hospital. I got a three-year diploma rather than a four-year degree because I felt it let me be a bedside nurse, Gutjahr said. Back then, in the 60s, most women who did the four years went into administration. The skills I learned were huge, way more than in a four-year program. After earning her diploma, Gutjahr worked in hospitals in Virginia and New Jersey. She met her husband, Allen, who was moving to the Land of Enchantment to teach at New Mexico Tech in Socorro. Gutjahr finished her bachelors degree in nursing in 1983 and a masters degree in 1987 at the University of New Mexico. For Gutjahr, nursing was always her calling. My family believed in helping people, said the Connecticut native. After 10 years working in intensive care units and stepdown units, Gutjahr realized something. I realized I felt like we were just patching people up. We were doing the same thing over and over. I learned valuable skills, dont get me wrong, she said. But I wanted to stop people from getting to that point. I realized more and more of my philosophy was helping people not to get into these situations the interaction of the person and their environment. Just dealing with the person was missing the boat. In order to get a masters in nursing, students have to have an area of concentration. I wanted community health. I wanted to be helpful to the whole area of a person, not just the person. If you help someone, it doesnt end with them. It affects their family. Its interactive.. That desire to be interactive started in the generations before her. My familys life has always been in community service. My parents and grandparents were always very clear. If you live in a community, you give back, she said. And going back to my own philosophy, in order to move forward, you cant sit back. You have to be involved. I have always believed if somebody said something should happen, I was going to be part of it, not just criticize.
Las maRaviLLas Every day, Jon Clemons has his routine. Clemons, 63, gathers a few items gloves, a straw hat and some ambition. Clemons is a Las Maravillas resident who became determined to make his neighborhood a better place after he moved from southern California five years ago. He volunteers his time cleaning up weeds and clearing away brush from an area he calls his front yard, near the intersection of Marigold Avenue and Monzano Expressway. This frontyard is one of the entrances to the Las Maravillas subdivision. Clemons has shown he is not afraid to get his hands dirty, though the work is a stark comparison to the work he has done as a maintenance employee at Camp Pendleton repairing radios and equipment. I always worked in a clean, air-conditioned, quiet room, Clemons said. But in my off time, I was in my backyard. He said doing activities such as digging holes and removing weeds is a form of instant gratification because he sees immediate results. Clemons said the subdivisions maintenance took a back seat when the Valley Improvement Association had to make cutbacks in a struggling economy. He said the association that once made significant contributions to upkeep the area can now only contribute what money the organization collects in modest homeowners association dues. Clemons said he is part of an informal group that does their part to keep the neighborhood looking nice. They didnt formally ask the residents to help out, Clemons said. So, its just a matter of volunteers. Its not just me. The thing is, at this time, there is not a formal group of volunteers. At one point, all the trees were cut down near the entrance of Las Maravillas because of an infestation of bark beetles. He said the weeds took over from there. The weeds grew faster than trees did, Clemons said. Now, Im trying to make it look nicer. Part of that transformation includes removing roots and tree stumps to make way for a row of wild flowers to give something nice for residents to look at. Clemons said being active gives him a sense of satisfaction. It makes me feel good to know it looks nice, Clemons said. I know my neighbors like it. Although I asked my daughter (who lives in Las Maravillas), did you notice the work I did? She said no. You wont notice it unless the weeds are there, he said. But if someone pulls the weeds, people will think thats how its supposed to look.
Brent Ruffner-News-Bulletin photo
Julia M. Dendinger-News-Bulletin photo
LAS MARAVILLAS RESIDENT Jon Clemons stands at the entrance to the subdivision. Clemons volunteers his time each week to clean up weeds and debris as a way to make his neighborhood a better place. Clemons said at one point, he headed up a volunteer group that was in charge of maintaining the area, but he eventually got burned out. He would like to see more residents adopt an area of the subdivision that would be similar to an adopt-a-park program. Clemons believes people should take pride in the community, an area known for high property values that, he says, is the showcase of Valencia County. The community hosts residential barbecues and yard sales and puts out luminarias during the holiday season. But he said residents must maintain the area in order to keep the community from going downhill. My goal is to clean up all the weeds, Clemons said. Once its done, itll be easier to maintain. But it hasnt been done for about two years. Im trying to make it like a green belt or a park, not a wild forest. For now, the clean up is going well. But its not an easy job. One day, Clemons said, he spent three hours burning debris he removed from the front entrance. Removing debris helps the area look consistent with the nearby pond, park and the green grass in the area. Clemons wants the area to help garner positive attention and plans to regularly mow the front with a lawn mower each month once its clean. Its irritated Clemons that the frontyard has been untidy for so long. Part of that maintenance is cleaning up graffiti on stop signs. He said at one point, he replaced the stop sign on Marigold Avenue four times in less than two months in an effort to keep taggers away. The stop sign that once had bullet holes and graffiti has now been left alone. You can only do that if you are retired, Clemons said. If you work 40-hours-a-week, you are not going to go out to a stop sign with a can of car wax and say wax on wax off. Clemons wife, Patricia, said he has stretched his time in the frontyard by about a half hour a day. He currently cleans the area three days a week. Patricia wishes her husband could concentrate his resources on his own backyard, but understands his passion. Clemons said he wants to move his maintenance further down the road once the entrance is finished. Flowers should be planted in the area by springtime, he said. He said the community could look pristine if others took more initiative. If my neighbors would like to help, there is always room for more, Clemons said. Donald Bice, a fellow Las Maravillas resident, said Clemons has done numerous jobs without any monetary reward. He said Clemons does the work because he wants to keep his neighborhood nice. He consistently replaces signs and volunteers with Valencia County in a program that determines whether certain roads should remain open or closed. I couldnt name all of the things he has done, Bice said. But Clemons said he isnt giving up and said his hobby is better than sitting home whittling wood. Clemons said cleaning up his neighborhood is a good way to stay active and busy. Thats just the way I am.
USING HER LIFE-LONG desire to help people, Peggy Gutjahr, of Rio Communities, sits on several advisory councils throughout the county that work toward improving everyones life by eliminating health care disparities.
To that end, Gutjahr threw herself into being involved with organizations that aligned with her philosophy of treating not just the individual, but the whole person. When the state mandated that each county have a local health council, Gutjahr was among one of the first to join the Valencia Community Partnership. It has since dissolved because the focus in government changed and we lost our funding, she says. After three years of being without a local health council, the Community Wellness Council is forming to take the place of VCP and Gutjahr is part of that organization. She sits on community advisory councils for organizations such as the National Childrens Study and the Valencia Resiliency Corps. Gutjahr is a member of the Belen Pilot Club, sits on the board of La Vida Felicidad and participates in the Tom St. Vincent de Paul home visiting service for the poor. Gutjahr says her involvement with those and other groups has ebbed and flowed, according to their needs and her energy level. If you are involved with something, you should be engaged and participate, she said. If you cant be, you should step back and let someone else participate. I have been so blessed to have the opportunities Ive been allowed within the local community to do something for people. And while sitting on boards and advisory councils might sound like a boring endeavor, Gutjahr says its not. I do believe in them, she said. Sometimes its hard for people to get behind these initiatives. A lot of what we do is prevention and its so nebulous. People want to know if it worked. The thing I find here, is there are so many groups to work with, when people pull together for something, anything you want can get done in this community. And I like being part of that. Dubra Karnes-Padilla nominated Gutjahr as an unsung hero. When I told her, she was so shocked. And thats just so Peggy. She kept saying, There are so many people who deserve this more than me, KarnesPadilla said. She is involved in the community and has continues to be even when I know she wanted to say, Ive done my part. Karnes-Padilla said Gutjahr has focused on health and wellness and making sure families health issues are addressed from working with the poor to make sure their heat isnt turned off to addressing disparities in health care in the community. She is a wealth of knowledge. Lots of people, after they retire, stop using their knowledge. That should keep spreading and thats what she does, she said. She has such a collective memory about the community, the schools, health care and the state. Her longevity and complete focus on health disparities and making sure good health care is available for people is what makes her an unsung hero. Gutjahr says she understood and used the word synergy long before it was cool. If we work together, we become greater than the individual people. We create an energy. Thats why its important to be part of something. To offer something and learn something. We all work together to learn something.
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October 29, 2011
Unsung Heroes
Specializing in love: David and Pamela Doster care and coach
By ABigAil R. ORtiz
News-Bulletin Staff Writer aortiz@news-bulletin.com
Bosque Pamela Ann and David F. Dosters family is a little bigger once you add the 40 athletes from the Special Olympics team they manage. The Dosters said they consider the athletes to be an extension of their family. We love all of our athletes, Pamela said. The Dosters were nominated to be Unsung Heroes for their volunteer efforts with a Special Olympics New Mexico team, the Belen-Los Lunas Cobras. Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and athletic competitions for those with intellectual disabilities, according to its website. The Cobras are one out of two teams in Valencia County with athletes ranging in age from 9 to 80. Molly Madden, who nominated the Bosque residents and was the News-Bulletins Citizen of the Year last year, described them as always thinking of others and never getting discouraged when facing obstacles. Its a huge job and sometimes they have to put a lot of time and energy into it. They have their own lives outside of this, where Pamela works full time and David is a student, Madden said. On top of David and Pamela working full-time jobs, and David attending the University of New MexicoValencia Campus part time, they coach, organize and manage the Cobras more than 20 hours a week. The couple coordinates four sports seasons with local venues, schedules practices and helps fundraise for the team. This isnt a paid job. Its all volunteer, Madden said. It takes a lot of time. They have the basic coaching that happens on weekends practice. Beyond that, they coordinate the schedules and fundraising, which is one of our biggest challenges. Most teams require athletes to pay for their own expenses associated to their sport, including uniforms and entrance fees, Pamela said. But in the Cobras, the team covers those expenses through fundraisers or com-
Abigail R. Ortiz-News-Bulletin-photo
UNSUNG HEROES PAMELA AND DAVID DOSTER sit in front of their Special Olympics bowling team after practice at the Isleta Fun Connection bowling alley. The Belen-Los Lunas Cobras bowling team consists of close to 30 athletes.
munity donations. Thats the beauty of our program, even if the family isnt good at selling raffle tickets, I can use them somewhere else, Pamela said. These fundraising efforts help athletes, especially those living in group homes, that dont have family or caregivers who can raise money for them. Of course, well take care of them, Pamela said, adding they began managing the team 2 1/2 years ago. Its a good feeling to know that weve touched athletes lives in some way, Pamela said, whos been with Special Olympics since 2008. Pamelas brother, Ray, is an athlete on the team and is the reason why David began working with Special Olympics 10 years ago. His involvement increased from driving Ray to practices to
It gives them a sense of pride and accomplishment. It gives them happiness. I just think of my brother and hes always so happy, even just at practice.
PAMELA DOSTER Special Olympics volunteer
becoming a certified swimming coach. Little by little, I started getting more and more stuff to do, David said. The Cobras provide athletes with four sports: bowling, track and field, swimming and basketball. In each sport, athletes are taught to play using standard regulations and rules. In competitions, athletes are paired up with others who are at a similar skill level, age and gender.
Theyre bowling at the same level as they would if they went to a regular team, Pamela said. The Dosters are always looking to expand to other sports and events, Pamela said. But it can be difficult to find coaches and volunteers to help with additional sports. The hard part is that athletes want to do other sports, but we have to find coaches and volunteers because we cant do it all, she said, Pamela and David, who
are certified coaches in each sport, said they couldnt do what they do without help from their compassionate and patient coaches and volunteers. Participating in Special Olympics gives athletes more than a great work out, it gives them a sense of hope that they can be active and participate in a sport they enjoy, David said. It also helps them develop courage and radiate joy on their faces, Pamela said. It gives them a sense of pride and accomplishment. It gives them happiness. I just think of my brother and hes always so happy, even just at practice, she said. For athletes living in group homes, being a part of the team may be all they have. Pamela said if she could adopt them, she would. I dont know what theyve
gone through, she said, her voice breaking and tears filling her eyes. They dont have their parents that come with them or regular staff ... They move from group home to group home and we worry about them. Moving forward with athletic abilities and pushing athletes to be their best is the goal of Special Olympics, Pamela said. The biggest success is athletes who, for example, dont swim, because theyre terrified of the water. By the end of the season, they can do assisted floats, can move their arms and kick and theyre doing basic skills, she said. This flourishes from the trust athletes have in their coaches and volunteers to keep them safe, David said. Sometimes its as simple as saying, OK, Ill help you float, and youre not doing anything. Theyre doing everything and you just have your hand on their back, he said. The ability these athletes exhibit in practices and competitions astonishes Pamela, she said. I have bowlers that bowl 140 points in a game. I can barely bowl, Pamela said laughing. Some of our athletes can swim a 25 meter in 10 seconds and I can maybe do it in 50 seconds. The Dosters strive to make athletes go from run of the mill, the same old same old to pushing themselves past their limits, because maybe ... one day they want to join a regular bowling league and have the skills needed to do that, Pamela said. And when that hard work pays off and they receive medals, its like Christmas for them, Pamela said. They light up and theyre so excited, she said. The next practice, theyre still wearing their uniforms and medals. Some athletes end up mentoring or coaching others. For information about the Belen-Los Lunas Cobras, contact David or Pamela Doster at 864-7499.
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October 29, 2011
Unsung Hero
Giving of herself: Catherine Jojola donates time, energy to people
By Brent ruffner
Los Lunas Catherine Jojola is a Tiger a Los Lunas Tiger. Jojola, 51, has made the Los Lunas school district her home and volunteers for anyone who asks for help. She has worked for the Los Lunas Middle School over the last 20 years and said the students and staff have made her time worth while. I just help out the school with anything I can. Im not here just to get paid, Jojola said. I like to volunteer. Part of that volunteerism starts with the 45 school clubs, which include drama and band, that she helps get funding for each year. In her regular job, she is responsible for taking care of the schools accounting and helping solve parents problems at the front desk. But Jojola loves her job. Jojolas school pride starts with the tigers that surround her office that she says makes the space feel warm and toasty on a daily basis. Tigers come in the form of stuffed animals to paintings of tigers on her wall, such as the one a former art teacher drew for the long-time employee that she hangs proudly on her wall. The latest is a picture of her 1-year-old grandson, Elijah, who is sporting a tiger outfit for Halloween. She has collected the tigers over a 15-year-period. The tigers are popular, too. Everyone wants a tiger, Jojola said. (The teachers) put their names on the tigers they want when I retire. Retirement might not be a long time away. She said she is thinking about retiring at the end of the 201112 school year. But until then, she plans to continue volunteering at sporting events and fundraisers. Jojola likes to see smiles on students faces and has a blast performing her daily routine. Every year, that volunteerism extends to other members of the community. Jojola donates her time to deliver food boxes to about 50 families during the Thanksgiving holiday. This year, she plans on delivering food two days before the holiday to needy families in the area. The food boxes come with all of the fixings, such as turkey and pumpkin pie and Jojola said it is fulfilling community work. She has helped deliver food to families each of the last 18 years. Any extra food is distributed to emergency personnel that take food to other families not on the schools list. There are people that need it, Jojola said. We need to help those in our own community.
IF ITS A TIGER youre looking for, its safe to say that Catherine Jojola at Los Lunas Middle School might just have one or two, or several hundred in her office. Jojola volunteers her time at many school sporting and club events and has, for the last 18-years, collected and handed out food baskets for those in need during Thanksgiving.
Brent Ruffner-News-Bulletin photos
CATHERINE JOJOLA stands next to a statue of a tiger at the Los Lunas Middle School. Jojola is known for her community service work that includes feeding the needy around Thanksgiving.
One delivery helped remind Jojolas family to be grateful for what they have. She said she often takes her children with her to do deliveries to remind them to be
We try to help him with anything we can. Hell need money for electricity or something that he cant pay. My brothers and I will help pay for it because he cant afford it. ...We told him we are there for him.
CATHERINE JOJOLA Volunteer
thankful. One year, an elderly Meadow Lake man, whom she has delivered to for several years, was without warm clothes or firewood in the middle of a snowy winter. Jojola has given him blankets and has helped pay the mans utility bills over the years. We try to help him with anything we can, Jojola said. Hell need
money for electricity or something that he cant pay. My brothers and I will help pay for it because he cant afford it. We told him we are there for him. It seems like her impact is felt everywhere she goes. As Jojola walks the halls, she cant help but hear a pleasant hello or walk by someone without them acknowledging her presence. As the Los Lunas Middle Schools head secretary, Jojola works with students who double as office aides during the course of the school day. The students run errands for the office staff. You get close to your kids, Jojola said. You hate to let them leave. You develop a friendship with them. Volunteering also means long days. Some days, Jojola arrives before
7 a.m. and leaves well after the sun has gone down to participate in different school functions. Her husband, Pat, has an opposite schedule and allows her the freedom to continue her passion of giving back to the community. Jojola gives back and she wants her eventual replacement to take the torch when she leaves. She said the students need teachers and staff who care. When I leave here, I want someone to do the same, she said. Family member Virginia SeguraBaca said Jojola has always done charity work and has participated in school activities for as long as she can remember. She describes Jojola as a nice person that is dedicated to her church and to her family. Segura-Baca said that part of giv-
ing back is teaching her children to be better people. No one acknowledges what she does, Segura-Baca said. But we know. Jojola said her retirement plans will depend on whether her husband, Pat, gets full-time status as an employee at Los Lunas High School. Ideally, she said, she wants to take a year off from the schools campus and then go back to work on a parttime basis. She has worked with 20 principals and nine superintendents in the course of her 30 years with the district, and said she will leave the middle school campus in good hands. She said Los Lunas Schools Superintendent Bernard Saiz is with the district to help the students with their best interests in mind. For now, Jojola is in the place where she feels at home. She has also been a special education assistant and an assistant to the physical education teacher during her career that began in 1981. But Jojola has never taken her time with the school district for granted and truly enjoys her passion. She said she plans to continue her work until her eventual last day arrives for good. Im just happy to be here.
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October 29, 2011
Unsung Hero
Volunteering her life: Magda Rundles takes care of dogs, hungry
Belen Her dogs are her would, says Magda Rundles, proud owner of five Siberian Huskies, each rescued from a shelter or organization to find themselves living the life of Riley in her Belen canine haven hacienda. Each animal is as unique as it is precious to Rundles. Outside, Dakota, a long legged Husky and lord of the mansion, peeks in the window with wolfish, yellow eyes from his throne atop a piece of porch furniture. Meanwhile, Tundra, the escape artist in recovery, a black and white fluffy female with mismatched eyes, patrols the backyard perimeter, an almost comic halo of fur crowning her little, wild-eyed face. Rundles jokingly explains that the reason Tundra has one brown eye and one white is because they ran out of brown eyes when she was coming through the line. Inside, the little ladies, Anoushka and Zoya, yap from the kitchen, indignant at being left out of the interview, periodically breaking free of their doggy gate to come investigate and put in their two cents. Anoushka is short with a bushy, curling tail and startling, stark white eyes peering out of her tan coat. Zoya, a silver, short-haired dog, suffers from lupus, which Rundles medicates. On the floor, a comfortable distance from her loving master, rests Nadia, a soft, orange one-eyed female, who is on the books for an important and experimental surgery for glaucoma, which is threatening the sight in her remaining eye. In a twist of irony, Rundles says that when she and her late husband, Charles, were at an animal shelter in Albuquerque, they had spotted Nadia and her husband had said, Look at those headlights! meaning the animals large, captivating eyes. The couple began their love affair with Huskies in 1990 after traveling to Alaska and being introduced to them there. At the time, they were traveling and didnt have time or space to properly care for a big dog. When the couple moved to Belen and built their dream house, they decided it was time to make Huskies a part of the family. The Rundles began with a male and female, which eventually had a litter of which they kept two. In the years following, the couple continued seeking out Huskies in need of rescue to bring home from various local shelters and organizations, including Husky Rescue and a Bernallio-based organization called Dogs Deserve Better. In February, Rundles brought home Dakota, her prince and the only male in the pack who was a stray. Can you imagine a person letting go of a dog like that? Rundles asked, admiring her boy through the window. She said Huskies do not have wolf blood, but jokes that sometimes she asks Dakota to tell her if he does because of his wolfish characteris-
Ungelbah Daniel-Davila-News-Bulletin photos
MAGDA RUNDLES has provided a second chance and a loving home for five Siberian Huskies she has rescued from different organizations.
MAGDA RUNDLES, who volunteer coordinator at the Belen Area Food Pantry, says the purpose of living is to help others.
tics, being sure to add that despite his wild look his temperament is 100 percent lover. Animal welfare is an important issue to Rundles, who laments that so many dogs and cats are not spayed and neutered, resulting in an abundance of homeless babies. She said it upsets her to see people who are not responsible pet owners, particularly individuals who keep dogs chained and neglected. She refers to the woman who runs Dogs Deserve Better who recently rescued seven dogs from a woman who had bought them as puppies and immediately chained in the backyard, where they spent their lives until being rescued. Rundles said her husband, who was a doctor, chose his profession out of a desire to help others and was always quick to use his skills to help people in need, even if that meant going without pay. She wishes more people would follow suit, including veterinarians. Rundles said in the spring time, the city becomes a nursery with puppies for sale on every street corner that sometimes end up getting dumped at the shelter. In this area, it is very, very bad for dogs and people are not responsible for spaying and neutering, says Rundles. Now, I dont want to say the veterinarians in this area wont help, but many dont give free services for spaying and neutering.
I know there are many generous people who are maybe wealthy or financially well off, but its easy to write out a check if you dont notice the pain of giving it. I think the people who dont have it and theyre willing to give their time. ... You only have 24 hours a day, and thats what I find.
MAGDA RUNDLES Volunteer
... I wish we could do more about spaying and neutering. There should be a law that says you have to. Rundles compassion does not end with the four-legged, however. I think the purpose of living is helping others, she says, and she has always felt that way. As a retired nurse, she shares her late husbands humanitarian values. For more than a year, Rundles has volunteered with the Belen Area Food Pantry, and lately has taken on the responsibility of volunteer organizer. The food pantry, which is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday, served 500 people last month, she said, a distraught look crossing her face, since lately the demand is becoming larger than the supply. Rundles, who traveled to vari-
ous countries with her husband, including a trip to Pakistan, where they administered medical care to Afghani refugee women, said during her life, she has found that those who have the least give the most. Its so terrible for so many people, but what I find the people who dont have anything theyre willing to give, said Rundles. When the couple would visit the refugee camps in Pakistan, the women would bring them food, despite barely having enough to feed themselves. We volunteered in Pakistan in the late 80s looking after the Afghan women, refugees, and when you would go to the camp, they would bring you food, and they didnt have any food but they wanted to share what they had,
remembered Rundles. I know there are many generous people who are maybe wealthy or financially well off, but its easy to write out a check if you dont notice the pain of giving it, she said. I think the people who dont have it and theyre willing to give their time. ... You only have 24 hours a day, and thats what I find. The people there (at the food pantry) will come, theyre willing to help, she said. Rundles said one of her volunteers, who used to utilize the pantrys services until she found employment, now wants to give back. She also mentioned her neighbor, whom she calls Tito, who Rundles admires for his selflessness in offering electricity and other necessities to needy neighbors. Hes always willing to help others, she says. Doesnt that make you feel guilty if you dont volunteer? I think everyone should volunteer. She admonishes people who tell her that they dont have time to volunteer, chalking it up to a flimsy excuse. If people say that (they dont have time), I just ignore them. That is their excuse, Rundles said. When you ask a busy person, they have time. ... People waste more time, and what is volunteering? Two, 2 1/2 hours a week?
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October 29, 2011
Unsung Hero
Fishing for change: Daniel Silva, Ditch Bank Bandits, cleans up
DANIEL SILVA sits near his beloved ditch bank where he used to fish and frolic as a youth. He is now committed to building up a Keep it Clean consciousness in the community through his organization, the Ditch Bank Bandits.
Curt Gustafson-News-Bulletin photos
THE DITCH BANK BANDITS, from left, Anthony Guardian, Daniel Silva, Josh Laurenzano, Pete Garcia and Eugene Aragon are committed to protecting the ditch banks from pollution. We want it to be cool and popular to be like this, said Silva, referring to youngsters. Negative is what they like. Since thats the way it is, we might as well go with it. Guardian, who is the manager of a print shop, has created a Ditch Bank Bandit design for T-shirts and other apparel. Aragon, who isnt a hunter or fisherman, enjoys being out in nature with those who do enjoy those activities, so he serves as cameraman for hunting and fishing videos the Ditch Bank Bandits have put on YouTube. The videos are designed to be informative and humorous, with laugh tracks dubbed in by Silva. Were trying to be somewhat informative and funny, Guardian said. When youre funny, more people may be prone to approach you and not feel threatened. The Ditch Bank Bandits have many projects in the fire. They will be cleaning up notorious fishing spots along the ditch banks in preparation for fishing season, Nov. 1. On Dec. 3, they will hold the Ditch Bank Derby. All will meet at the River Park in Los Lunas at 8 a.m. and at a cost of $5, each contestant will be vying for two prizes for the longest and heaviest trout. Garcia will conduct a class on how to catch the elusive fish. On April 21, 2012, the group will hold their Second Annual Ditch Bank Bandit Keep it Clean Crusade. They hope to become a nonprofit organization and create a website where, among other things, they can market their apparel. For now, they can be accessed through Facebook or at ditchbankbandits@gmail.com. It is clear that the Ditch Bank Bandits arent going away. Theyre in it for the long haul to build up their Keep it Clean motto in the communitys consciousness. Its a journey, Silva says. There will never be a clear end result that theres a finish line and we say, Thats it, were done guys. Theres no end in sight for us. Well lead by example.
By Curt Gustafson
Special to the News-Bulletin
Los Lunas Daniel Silva walks up to one of his favorite Los Lunas fishing spots and heaves a deep sigh. Bordering the bank of the drainage ditch that runs parallel to the west side of the Rio Grande is a pile of trash. And what is especially painful for Silva to see is strong evidence that fishermen, trying their hand at catching the elusive rainbow trout that liberally inhabit the ditch, have contributed to the nasty refuse. And theres a shopping cart down there, Silva says with a painful chuckle, pointing toward the dark waters nearby that conceal its presence. But Silva doesnt just say, Oh well, and walk away from the blighted sight. He just adds it to the to-do list of the areas he and his Ditch Bank Bandits will clean up. The Ditch Bank Bandits, Silvas brainchild, is a collection of friends and family members who are outdoorsmen, environmentalists, and above all, idealists who think they can crawl into the consciousness of their community and make a difference. Daniel and I are partners in this, says Anthony Guardian. Weve had many projects weve tried together since we were in high school, and this one is where we can actually get a community together. Were going full force on this one. The seeds were planted during Silvas childhood when he and Guardian and Eugene Aragon, all neighbors in Carson Park, would jump the fence and spend hours fishing and playing in the river and drainage ditches. Acting as a silent partner to the youngsters escapades was an older generation whose overrid-
ing influence was to respect the environment and leave it cleaner than you found it. Indeed, if all youngsters were exposed to such an influence, there would be no need for the Ditch Bank Bandits. Since I was a kid, weve always picked up trash, said Silvas uncle, Pete Garcia. It comes from my brothers and my older uncles and great uncles. Were all hunters, we are all fishermen. Every time we go out, we pick up trash, be it in the mountains, the rivers or lakes. The turning point for Silva was during a military stint when he was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. We would hike along these streams to these waterfalls, Silva said. You didnt see trash. It was like no man had been there. That was the beauty of it. And when he returned to his home town and revisited his hallowed fishing grounds, Silva went into a state of shock. I said, Whats happened to this place? Are my childhood memories deceiving me? We have to do something about this. And thus was born the Ditch Bank Bandits, a name Silva had scrawled in his lyrics book, which he thought might serve as the name of a band one day. Guardian, Eugene and Josh Laurenzano quickly signed on. Whenever they were talking about it, I kind of listened and sat back and watched, Garcia said. Their idea and what they wanted to do to carry on the mission of keeping it clean and green, I just stepped right in with them. Silva and Garcia, both guitar players, vocalists and song writers, have formed the Ditch Bank Bandits band. They performed at the First Annual Ditch Bank Bandit Keep it Clean Crusade.
They gathered together about 50 volunteers to pick up trash along the ditch banks the day after Earth Day last April and then adjourned to Daniel Fernandez Park, where they held a concert, and enjoyed a barbecue, an Easter egg hunt and a horseshoe tournament. The fact that Silva and Garcia have formed a two-man band is a story within a story, as both the Silvas and Garcias are musically talented families who have notoriously entertained the community. We used to have these gettogethers when we were young, said Garcia, who is from a family of 15. It could be a matanza, it could be any holiday and there was always music. Not just an hour or a couple of hours, were talking all afternoon into the night time. My whole family plays music. Three of his sisters make the annual Good Friday trek up Tom Hill to play their guitars and sing to the other pilgrims. From my Silva side, my dad (Ronnie Silva) is a musician, Silva said. My grandpa would play saxophone for the kids going to school in the morning. He would go to the old folks home and play for them. He played with his brothers, the Silva Orchestra, he said. My dad played with my grandpa in bars since he was 11-years old. Thats all we know. Thats what we are. Through their music, the Silvas and Garcias demonstrated their commitment to the community, which has influenced Daniel in his community-based efforts. While he worried for a time about attaching the name bandits to an environmental movement, Silva realized that it could be effective in reaching the younger generations.
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We would hike along these streams to these waterfalls. You didnt see trash. It was like no man had been there. That was the beauty of it.
DANIEL SILVA Ditch Bank Bandits DANIEL SILVA and his fellow Ditch Banks Bandits, right, remove a couch from a drainage ditch near Edeal Road. The group removed several pieces of furniture that had been dumped in one of Silvas favorite fishing holes.
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October 29, 2011
Unsung Heroes
Cooking up help: Seven Belen men serving when times are hard
Belen Nobody remembers the guys serving the meat loaf. They come in and set up the serving tables and the warming dishes. After they make sure everyone has been served, they pack up the leftovers and deliver them to the family. For more than 10 years, a silent group of seven men Al Santistevan, Dennis Storey, Larry Castellano, Joe Duran, Willie Chavez, Vicente Sisneros and Richard Chavez not seeking recognition, not wanting acknowledgement, have taken care of one of the most creature comforts for people experiencing one of the worst days of their lives. It all started with the death of Santistevans first wife. A group of friends came over and made sure the family and friends who joined Santistevan in his grieving were fed. Then Dennis wife died. I think almost all of us have had deaths in the family and weve just been there to help, Santistevan said. That simple act of kindness has grown into a quiet, behind-the-scenes service the men extend to close friends and family. Its just something people have asked us to do, Storey said. We never charge. Storey said the families buy the food. We help them figure out how much to get, he said. We can tell by experience how much to get. Usually, we go to the Rosary and see how many people attend. It always comes out right. Over the years, this group of men have found that the easiest and tastiest thing to prepare is meatloaf. Everyone likes it, Santistevan said. We use about 50 pounds at a time. Dennis has a big stove in his garage that we
cook in. We make suggestions to the family about what they need. Preparing for a reception is a three-day process. On the first day, they cook. The meatloaf cools overnight, and on the second day, they slice it for serving. The third day is the day of the reception, so the food is hauled to the reception hall and they set up the tables and warming trays. Any food that is left is taken to the familys house. Storey said they have manned receptions at the Elks Lodge, local parish halls and the armory. They rent a hall or arrange for a location and we just show up, he said. The last reception they worked was on Labor Day and they served 300 people. When people are grieving, thats not on their minds, Santistevan said. We do this so they dont have to worry about company. All seven are retired, and Richard Chavez says the work keeps them occupied. It helps us keep our sanity, Chavez laughed. Santistevan said they enjoy each others company, and Storey said, despite it being a solemn occasion, they try to make it fun. Referring to the funeral receptions as gigs, the men say they have had anywhere from two receptions in one week to two a month. And they dont try to do everything they could. We have to limit, otherwise wed be doing the whole valley, Santistevan said. The funeral homes and local churches will refer someone to us. If we know them, well do it. Storey says theres another reason they dont try to corner the market, offering their free service to all comers. We hate to infringe on a local business owner who caters, like Rutillios, he said. The Belen restaurant is a reg-
Julia Dendinter-News-Bulletin photo
IN TIMES OF GRIEF and celebration, seven men make sure people are fed while the familys thoughts are elsewhere. For 10 years, Richard Chavez, Al Santistevan and Dennis Storey have helped serve food at funeral receptions around the county. Not pictured are Larry Castellano, Joe Duran, Willie Chavez and Vicente Sisneros.
ular Tuesday morning meeting place for coffee and breakfast for many of the seven. Weve had times when (owner) Rudy (Jaramillo) donated the food and we served. A lot of people cant afford something catered, especially now, with the economy. The events they help with arent always sad affairs. They have served at baptisms, quinceaeras and weddings. But funerals seem to be where they are most needed. Santistevan said traditionally, friends and family will bring
food to the house the day before the funeral, packing the familys freezer with casseroles for future meals. The day of the burial is when they come in and ensure the family has nothing to worry about. And they ask for absolutely nothing in return. When people come up and compliment the meatloaf or the gravy, that makes it all worth it, Storey said. One thing that surprises people, especially the ladies, Santistevan said, is the group is all men.
We are in the kitchen doing the work. The ladies will help serve the side dishes, but the men always serve the meat, Santistevan laughed. Since it seems to be a natural reaction to cook in the face of death, Santistevan said most family members will bring a dish to go along with the main course theyve prepared. He remembers one time, when it looked like things werent going to go well. The Mass had started and we were at the reception hall. The family was supposed to
have brought in side dishes, but all we had was a pot of beans and a pot of chile, he said. So we sent someone out for a tray of cold cuts and put it in the fridge. As people started arriving, a man put a tray of cold cuts out on the table. I thought, OK, thats it then. I hope it lasts. After the reception, as they were cleaning up, they found the original tray in the refrigerator. The Lord always makes sure there is enough, he says with a smile.
Citizen of the Year, UnsUng heroes

More than a decade ago, in 1995, the News-Bulletin began selecting a Citizen of the Year and honoring Unsung Heroes. Theyre all people who do things out of the goodness of their hearts, folks who are volunteers and are not paid for their activism. Each year, we like to review the names of the people weve honored as sort of a continuing tribute. Heres an update of those who have been honored: 1995: Dolph Schlies, Citizen of the Year; Unsung Heroes: Jim Foley, Kevin Kronk, musical group Los Originales, Don McConnell, Jeremy Nicholas Padilla and Joanne Romero. 1996: Edwin Berry, Citizen of the Year; Unsung Heroes: Luz Chavez, Glenn Oliver, John Pope, Yvonne and Richard Riley, David and Susan Sloan, Sara Storey, Janet Tooker, Diane Urtiage and Sandy Wayne. 1997: Ronnie Torres, Citizen of the Year; Unsung Heroes: Terry Baber, Mary Cate, Pam Davis, Chris Franzoy, George Hobbs, Dolores Padilla, the Herman Sanchez family and Ernie and Isabel Salazar. 1998: Pam Etre Perez, Citizen of the Year; Unsung Heroes: Harvey House volunteers, Lee Henson, Desiree Hoogerhais, Henry Jaramillo, Elizabeth Mason, John McDonald and Tom and Ruth Vincent. 1999: Charlie Pea, Citizen of the Year; Unsung Heroes: Ruperto Baldonado, Lupe and Willie Ferguson, Russell Griego, Vernon Honeyfield, Bill Pearman, Dorothy Raether, Dorothy Riley, Bob Sanders and Pat Torrez. 2000: Maurine McMillan, Citizen of the Year; Unsung Heroes: Fred Gallegos, Wayne Gallegos, Juli Hutchins, Cortes and Mabel Kibble, Rita Gallegos Logan, Ron McDevitt, Christian Rodriguez, Boni and Eloisa Tabet and Gail Wall. 2001: Cindy Valenzuela, Citizen of the Year; Unsung Heroes: Ramon Baca, Eddie Benevidez, Duane Fritz, Pete Gallegos, Veda Marrow, Mike and Kathy Mechenbier and Leo Mendoza. 2002: Margaret Espinosa McDonald and Richard Melzer, Citizen of the Year; Unsung Heroes: John Michael Baca, Sharon Eastman, Bernadette Gallegos, Floyd Montoya and Carole Rowe, Corky Morrison, Pavlos Panagopoulos, Ruth Prater and Bea Sanchez. 2003: Luz Chavez, Citizen of the Year; Unsung Heroes: Regina Elkins, Steven Gonzales, Pat Hoxsie, Billie Jones Sr., Marilyn Kaneshiro, Joe Padilla, Alana Robbins, L.E. Rubin, George Silva, Adele Thompson and Barbara Torres. 2004: Cristina Jaramillo, Citizen of the Year; Unsung Heroes: Robert Auge, Judy Babcock, Louise Baca Ortega, Reina Barela, Lorraine Doty, Monte and Lana Fastnacht, Dale Jones, Jim Lardner, Yvonne Maushund, Marcel Reynolds and Martha Trujillo. 2005: Lillie McNabb, Citizen of the Year; Unsung Heroes: Paul and Loretta Baca, Irene Dockery Wendall Doty, John Gonzales, Amador Griego, Frank Gurule, Bryan Mascarea, Sally Milavec and Gloria Sanchez. 2006: Filomena Baca, Citizen of the Year; Unsung Heroes: Sylvia Aragon, DeLaHunt family, Dolores Garcia, Karen Jarratt, Steve Kuenzler, Mike and Mary Merrell, Geneva Nixon, Mark Rosenblum and David Velenzuela. 2007: George and Diana Trujeque, Citizens of the Year; Unsung Heroes: Bill Brown, Manuel Gallegos, Sandra Gonzales, Jackie Jaramillo, Stacey Johnston, Tone E. Padilla, Joe Saiz, Mary T. Sanchez, Lydia and Nicole Trujillo and Richard Walker. 2008: James and Rosie Garley, Citizens of the Year; Unsung Heroes: Mary Andersen, Laura Avila, the Branch Coffee Shop Gang, Lisa Chavez, David Gabaldon, Therese Hidalgo, Maria Marez, Joe Marquez, Richard Tafoya and Doris Vesel. 2009: Louis Lusero, Citizen of the Year; Unsung Heroes: Susan Cordova, Richard Ditrich, Jose Hernandez, Janice Knowlton, Robert Miller, Jan Pacifico, Ashley Rechkemmer, Hiltrud Ridenour, Arturo Saiz, Ronnie Tabet and Carolyn Taylor. 2010: Molly Madden, Citizen of the Year; Unsung Heroes: John Dear, Tom and Pat Fritts, Eddy Gomes, John Montano, George Moscona, Lenore Pena, Scott Rhodes, Mike Silva, Cyndi Sluder and Michael Vallejos. 2011: Matthew Aragon, Citizen of the Year; Unsung Heroes: Helen Abeyta, David Adame, Jon Clemons, Pamela and David Doster, Peggy Gutjahr, Catherine Jojola, Magda Rundles, Daniel Silva; Dennis Storey, Al Santistevan, Larry Castellano, Joe Duran, Willie Chavez, Vicente Sisneros and Richard Chavez; Cindy Wacek and Sandy Wells.
October 29, 2011
Unsung Hero
Bleeding maroon, gold and white: Sandy Wells creates school pride
Jason W. Brooks-News-Bulletin photos SANDY WELLS community efforts through the years have ranged from coaching basketball to helping with a Challenger Division Little League program for players with disabilities, to making personal- SANDY WELLS shoots action photos at a recent Belen High School volleyball match. Her photography ized player pillows and other items. Her efforts earned her a Jefferson Community Service Award is one of the many ways the 1974 BHS graduate has given back to the Eagle athletics community. and one named for Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1990s.
By Jason W. Brooks
News-Bulletin Staff Writer jbrooks@news-bulletin.com
Belen When the Belen High School Soccer boys soccer team gathered in the BHS gymnasium in May, the Eagles were celebrating last seasons accomplishments. But the Eagles were also celebrating a celebration. For most of her life, Sandy Wells has had something to do with athletic and other youth activities in Belen. Whether its making one of the many championship banners that hang from the gyms rafters, helping with the Challenger baseball program or taking photos of school functions, Wells name is synonymous with community service. Sandy is a wonderful, loving and giving person and is very deserving of this award (being named an unsung hero), said Rebecca Dominguez, Belens athletic trainer since 2004. All my congratulations to her. The cloth banner with the words to the BHS alma mater song, Loyal and True, hangs at the north end of the gym as one of the most visible reminders of Wells work. But that banner, which Wells created around 1999, is just one of thousands of examples of Wells contributions to her community. It is all about the Loyal and True, because that is what drives me to give back to the school the students I love so much, said Wells. Win or lose, it makes no difference, as long as they give 100 percent to better themselves, which in turn betters all of us, for our youth is our future. In addition to a career as a secretary that took Wells through many years with Belen Schools and with state Sen. Michael Sanchez (D-Valencia) during legislative sessions, her community efforts go back many years as well. A 1974 BHS graduate, the daughter of Ernie and Nell Wells took time off from working to raise her only child, Ernest, after he was born in the early 1980s.
THE BELEN HIGH BOYS SOCCER TEAM poses with one of the many banners made by Sandy Wells. The banners, representing some landmark accomplishments of the 2010-11 Eagles, are among many that hang in the BHS gymnasium.
But she never took time off from being a Belen Eagle, and has always supported the efforts of BHS athletes and other extra-curricular activities. In high school, Wells was a part of a petition effort to initiate interscholastic sports competition for girls. She remembers playing on a basketball team that won a district championship. I made our banner for the first girls basketball team (about 20 years later), she said. That means more to me than I can tell you. I know how (other players) feel when they walk in the gym and see it, and say, Hey, I helped earn that title. In addition to nearly 20 years of making banners and earning the nickname the banner lady, Wells has been involved with many other causes. One effort involved coaching basketball. Another was the
Challenger Division, a segment of Little League that facilitates competition for children with physical and mental disabilities. Her experience as an organization officer includes positions in Little League and with football boosters. Her efforts earned her a Jefferson Community Service Award and one named for Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1990s. Danny Griego enlisted Wells help with the banners during his first stint as Belen Schools athletic director in the 90s. Using News-Bulletin archives and other sources, she helped determine the need for, and created, banners that still hang in the gym today. The banners go back many decades, and tell thousands of individual and team stories simply through their presence. The banner for the Eagle boys soccer teams first-ever district
title, won last fall, is one of the newest ones. The crown jewel for Wells, of course, is the Loyal and True banner with the alma mater lyrics. That was a hoot to make, she said. The school bought the material, and I volunteered my time to make it. It took me three months, and I had to borrow the Belen Recreation Center in the evenings to lay it down on the floor to put it together ... it was three strips of material I sewed together. There have been other, more
personalized items Wells has made for players. One year, I made pillows with eagles on them, and their name and number, for the road trips, she said. Wells also used to make individual player banners to hang in the gym or at the football field. Each player had their own, with their name and had their class year. And that was my graduation present to them, she said. At the end of the season, they got to take it down from the field or gym, and take it home and put it up in their
room. The legacy of Wells generosity is visible for future generations to see. Many tell me they still have theirs, she said. Wells spends time with her husband, Alvin Peralta, and their son, Ernest. Many of her nieces and nephews have or are a part of Belen High School programs, including the Class of 2012s Martin Peralta. She also runs a photography business out of her Belen home. Wells said taking pride in ones school is important. I bleed maroon, gold and white, she said. Shell Wimberly, a 1988 BHS graduate, said Wells goes out of her way to support athletics, even when it isnt at all convenient. I know for a fact that on one or two games, she went to take pictures, and she was sicker then ever, and still went, said Wimberly. She always has such a positive kind word to all strangers included. In a 2003 feature story, Wells told the News-Bulletin that she hoped to influence peoples lives in a positive way. Wells has been honored by the community in several ways, including being the grand marshal of a parade. However, she had never been a News-Bulletin Unsung Hero, and its fitting that she should receive credit, when so much of her banner efforts were geared toward honoring the hard work of coaches and athletes. I guess you could best describe me as a woman who respects those who work their tails off, she said, and shows that respect in a simple piece of material with words on it, showing my respect and admiration for their hard work each and every day.
It is all about the Loyal and True, because that is what drives me to give back to the school.
SANDY WELLS School volunteer SANDY WELLS takes photos at an Oct. 15 varsity girls soccer match between Belen and Valencia. She describes herself as a woman who respects those who work their tails off.
35
October 29, 2011
Unsung Hero
By ABigAil R. ORtiz
Supplying support: Cindy Wacek and her dogs care for people
In class, she noticed Bogie had a calming affect and relieved anxiety in her students with disabilities. One student, who had autistic tendencies, would become unresponsive to Wacek, but to calm him down and help him refocus, Wacek would take Bogie and the student for a short walk. By the time we would get back from our walk, he would calm down enough to where he could concentrate, she said. Bogie and Brandy have their own personalities, along with their own closet and chest of drawers full of handmade jewelry by Wacek, and clothes. Bogie is mellow, gregarious and loves children. While visiting children, he completes an act where he sneezes, blows his nose, does a dance and tells a fish story. He wouldnt even hurt a flea, Wacek said. He might hurt a dog bone, but thats about it. Brandy is shy around children, but gets by on her beauty and clothes, Wacek said. She enjoys working with adults. Shell just lay on their bed and comfort them, she said. Pet therapy dogs can bring comfort, relieve stress or help patients who miss their own pets. They can give patients security, compassion, distraction, love and comfort, Wacek said. When Wacek was putting one of her dogs through training at the Raymond G. Murphy VA Medical Center in Albuquerque, a mother asked if Bogie could visit her daughter, who missed her own dogs. The 30-year-old veteran was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. Bogie was able to visit her about three times before she passed away. She said, You have done the best thing in the world for me. This still brings tears to my eyes, because she was young enough to be my daughter, she said. Being in the hospital, Wacek said she hears stories such as this all the time, some are heart wrenching, but its so worth while. It makes me happy to see other people happy. I like to do things for other people and Bogie loves doing things for people.
Belen Cindy Wacek has dedicated herself to promoting the welfare of animals and people through pet companionship, which is why Judy Babcock said she nominated Wacek to be a 2011 Unsung Hero. But Wacek said she doesnt deserve the honor. I think the honor should go to the dogs, not me, because it wouldnt be possible without them, Wacek said. Wacek is talking about her two certified pet therapy chihuahuas, Bogie and Brandy. The pair make regular visits to schools and hospice and local hospitals to visit terminally ill patients. Shes a very caring and sensitive woman. Shes sent me photos of the work she does and its just fabulous that shes taken the time to share her pets with people who are in difficult situations and cant be with their own pets, Babcock said. I cant imagine doing that myself. It takes a special individual to give of themselves to help other people feel better, said Babcock, founder and president of Quixote Humane, Inc. To have someone take the time from their lives to come and bring their pets and to share the joy of what they can bring, Babcock said. Its just such a generous act. Although Wacek works part time as a special education teacher at La Resolana Leadership Academy in Albuquerque, her schedule is chock full of volunteering at local pet organizations and visiting hospitals for pet therapy. On Tuesdays, Wacek and her two chihuahuas, visit the Lovelace Medical Center in downtown Albuquerque for pet therapy sessions with patients. In the past, shes taken her dogs to the University of New Mexico Carrie Tingley Hospital and the University of New Mexico Hospital. Wacek is the volunteer facility trainer and editor of the Southwest Canine Corps of Volunteers Sentinel Newsletter in Albuquerque. The SCCV utilizes animal assisted therapy to socialize, motivate, entertain
Abigail R. Ortiz-News-Bulletin photo
CINDY WACEK, right, and her therapy dog, Brandy, teach fifth-grade students at Valencia Elementary School in Robyn Albanis class how to approach a pet owner and give a dog a treat. Wacek is working with Animal Protection of New Mexico to provide pet education to schools through Open Hearts = Open Minds. and reorient patients. She volunteers as a secretary for Quioxote Humane, Inc., in Bosque Farms, and has been there for three years. She helps with dog adoptions, fosters dogs needing a home, manages dog adoption clinics, collects community donations and raises public awareness of humane treatment of dogs. Quixote Humane also assists rescue organizations place animals in homes, provides pet education, researches and promotes legislation to enhance animal welfare and control regulations and finds adoptive homes for pets. Wacek, who makes jewelry for pets, donates proceeds she makes from selling pet jewelry to Quixote Humane. Wacek is also working with Animal Protection of New Mexico and Quixote on an animal education program for third-graders called Open Heart = Open Mind. The program launched in Valencia Elementary School and La Resolana Leadership Academy as a pilot in October. In the program, students research costs, time and care commitments needed for pets and how to approach pets, including presentations by animal control and pet therapy dogs. The kids get so excited. Its awesome to see kids excited about learning, said Wacek. Through discussions with students about their treatment of animals, Wacek noticed that some children dont know how to treat animals. She has brought her dogs in clothes to school and used them as an educational tool for the children. A lot of it is a lack of knowledge, she said. They love their animals, but dont have the knowledge to know how to do it. Wacek said some animals experience domestic violence. She hopes the pet education program will be adopted by schools statewide. Her involvement with the pet community skyrocketed after she retired from teaching three years ago at El Camino Real Academy in Albuquerque. The special education teacher got started with pet therapy by trying to take her dogs to school nine years ago, but the schools policy stated dogs brought to school needed to be certified pet therapy dogs. Shortly after, Wacek got her dogs certified through the Southwest Canine Corps of Volunteers.
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ocals
Community & Growth
VALENCIA COUNTY
News-Bulletin
October 29, 2011
2 LOCALS 2011: Community & Growth Valencia County News-Bulletin October 29, 2011
Learning more at Belen High Schools Career Academy

By ABigAil R. ORtiz
Belen When you ask Belen High School senior Taylor Hendren what she wants to be when she grows up, she answers quickly. I want to be a professional baker, she said. Her culinary arts class, which shes taken for two years in the schools Career Technology Education Center confirmed this. The CTE, located in the Career Academy on campus, provides students with career pathways they can follow from high school to college. Each of the career clusters within the CTE offers students the chance to receive dual credit enrollment or certificates based on national industry curriculum. The six career clusters offered are environmental and agricultural systems, communications and information systems, health, sciences, medical and nursing, human services and education, industrial, manufacturing, construction and engineering and business management and marketing. Once students have completed a series of classes in their career cluster, they can test off site to receive industry certifications. Upon graduation, students can choose between pursuing a bachelors degree in their field of choice, join the workforce or pursue internships with these skills. For those pursuing higher education, Belen High School has aligned the curriculum in these clusters to that of either Central New Mexico Community College or the University of New MexicoValencia Camupss programs. Students are able to get their associate degree in a shorter amount of time with the basics out of the way. Senior Carissa Cordova said the classes in the Career Academy are like a spring board that helped her learn what to expect at the college level. If I didnt have this, I would have gone into fine arts totally blind, she said. Egan Ulbricht, photography, yearbook, commercial arts and film teacher, said his classes give students a leg up in the industry that they would have had to spend a lot of money to learn. Were giving students a head start to college education. If they were to go through without this, they would spend thousands of dollars, he said. Sonora Vallejos, a junior, said the Career Academy gave her the opportunity to try different areas and find out if there is something else she is interested in. In the Career Academy, Vallejos learned about robotics, wind power, and this semester, photography.
BELEN HIGH SCHOOL senior Charles Montoya sands down legs on a table in the Career Academys cabinet-making course. On average, Belen High School students graduate with 25 to 35 college credits, said Corine Trujillo, computeraided drafting and computer applications teacher in the Career Academy. The Career Academy is close to having 100 percent dual enrollment classes, said Denise Durbin, the computer repair and web design teacher in the Career Academy. These courses open the doors for students to consider areas they might not have otherwise looked into, said Debbie Schneider, culinary arts teacher. If theyre not sure what direction they want to go in, this can be an eye opener that, Oh look. I could do this, and it gives them a direction if they dont want to go to college or work at a low paying job, Schneider said. Students have the building blocks needed to spring into their desired career, said Belen High School Assistant Principal Richard Tafoya. The hands-on education students receive lets them have a trade of some sort that they can practice when they graduate, said Durbin. They can step into that particular occupation and not have to step in at the entry level. Theyve already had step one in their back pocket, so theyll be getting more money and wont have to go through that initial training, Durbin said. Nancy Zerbst, the health sciences teacher, said students in her classes come out already ahead of the game with marketable skills. I tell my students, This is your in, Zerbst said. Who do you think that an employer is going to take? Someone who is trained, like you, or someone who is fresh out of high school with no experience? Youre in. Stephanie Lytle, a junior, said shes learning skills in her photography class that shes going to use when she gets a job in the photography field. I can make it so it looks more unusual and change the perspectives of other people, she said. Students in the Career Academy have also gone on to regional, state and national competitions in student organizations, including FFA, SkillsUSA and Business Professionals of America. In the past 16 years, students in cabinet making have won the state competition eight times and placed in nationals about 10 times, said Brian Martinez, the cabinet-making teacher. Martinezs goal is to win nationals
ABout this section

The schools in Valencia County are our most valuable resources when it comes to the future of our children and our economy. This section, Community and Growth, is about different programs in the Belen Consolidated Schools, Los Lunas Schools, School of Dreams Academy and the University of New Mexico-Valencia Campus. In this section, we have talked to students, teachers and administrators about how schools are preparing our children for life after high school and how what theyve learned will help them enter the workforce. As a county a community we value education. We want to ensure that our children have a quality education. This section is a window into what our children are learning and what it will mean to their future.
n See Academy, Page 4
October 29, 2011 Valencia County News-Bulletin LOCALS 2011: Community & Growth 3
THE PLEASURES OF DINING OUT

Locals Traditional Favorites
105 N. 1st Street, Belen, N.M.
Established 1949
Ritas New Mexican Restaurant

528 Becker Ave, Belen, NM 87002
864-0217
864-4811
Mon. - Thurs. 11-8 / Fri. & Sat. 11-8:30 / Closed Sun.
Carry Out Available

Mon-Fri 7am-2pm Sat 7am-1pm, Sun 8am-1pm
orlando & rita gonzales
owners
Pete's, not the best because it's the oldest: it's oldest because it's the best!
1575 Bosque Farms Blvd Bosque Farms

Closed Mondays Tuesday - Friday 7am-8pm Saturday 8am 8pm Sunday 11am-5pm Dine-Carry Out
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from PAGE 2
Academy
and represent Belen High School at the International Youth Skills Olympics. Were trying to represent a dying field around the country. A lot of schools are continuing to ship out this field to the community colleges, he said. The class raises funds to take students to competitions locally and nationwide by building cabinets and other furniture for the Belen Consolidated Schools. Classes are open to any student, no matter what grade, and dont require prerequisites. Teachers not only have their New Mexico teaching license, but they also have their national teaching license in an area of expertise, on top of certifications. Surveys completed in the state showed that the careers taught in the Career Academy are in high demand, Trujillo said. All of those careers that schools had done away with and replaced are now struggling to bring them back on because the demand of jobs is very high and the business community has demanded this, she said. If one career cluster is found to be going by the wayside, the school searches for other programs to replace it with, Tafoya said. In Martinezs cabinet-making class, he implements a job-like setting while exposing students to various fields in woodworking. Students are expected to be responsible, punctual, work well with others and practice leadership. Most of my students rise to the occasion and perform well, he said. Schools statewide have used Belens Career Academy as an example of how to teach students vocational careers. And students in BHS have taken notice of the Career Academy. The number of students receiving certifications, completing the series of classes in the career clusters and registering for dual enrollment have increased, said Trujillo. In 2010-11, there were 128 graduating CTE senior concentrators, or students who have completed the series of courses in a specific area. Of these students, 88.3 percent walked away with some sort of credential in a specific area, which is an increase from 49 percent in 2006-07. In the fall of 2010, there were 120 students in dual enrollment, which increased to 201 students in the spring of 2011, according to UNM-VC. For senior Aleyah Goins, photography is one of the best classes that shes taken at Belen High School. On top of learning photography techniques in a creative and better way, the teachers attitude toward the materials turns the class into a fun environment. You can tell the teachers like what they do, because theyre super excited and it makes it fun for us, Goins said.
Abigail R. Ortiz-News-Bulletin photos
DAVID ORTEGA, a freshman at Belen High School, looks at a ruler in the Career Academys introduction to computer aided drafting course. Ortega is using the ruler to complete an assignment that applies basic techniques used in architecture.
Classes in the six career clusters

Environmental and agricultural systems offers courses in agro-science agriculture, such as animal science, soil and plant sciences, power and machinery and horticulture. Communications and information systems has classes in digital media arts, such as graphic design, photography, film tech and web design, information technology and support and network and PC repair. Health sciences, medical and nursing offers courses in home health care aide, certified nursing assistant, emergency medical service as a first responder and medical lab technician. Human services and education has classes in early childhood multicultural education. Industrial, manufacturing, construction and engineering offers courses in automotive technology, computer aided design and drafting, metals/welding technology, cabinet making, construction technology and pre-engineering and manufacturing. Business management and marketing contains classes in culinary arts, banking, finance and accounting and office and business technology.
BELEN HIGH SCHOOL senior Kevin Garcia, right, tries his hand at cutting metal, using techniques he learned in the Career Academys welding class. Junior Carlos Aguilera, left, watches Garcia as sparks fly into the air.
Career Pathways help get Los Lunas students ready

By DeBorah Fox
Los Lunas Nowadays, preparing the next generation for the work world begins before college. The Los Lunas Schools starts as early as middle school with some programs, and narrows the focus for high school students starting their freshman year. There are several classes and programs designed to assist Valencia and Los Lunas high school students in finding the careers they are most interested in and the best route toward pursuing those careers after graduation. Los Lunas High School has a Career Center equipped with computers and Internet access to facilitate in applying to colleges, for scholarships, financial aid and to explore careers. During pre-registration for the school year, counselors inform students about career and postsecondary opportunities. Students will choose a career pathway in 10th grade and complete a series of courses throughout each grade level lead-
ing to graduation. Student transcripts will reflect a course-taking pattern leading to postsecondary education or a career after high school. Career Pathways are designed to organize students around career interests or goals. The careers are general and include all aspects of a given industry. For example, in a health-focused pathway, students would explore careers ranging from certified nursing assistant to neurologist. Pathways revolve around a multi-year progression of career-oriented courses and activities that are open to all students, said Lena Mae Chavez, secondary academic programs coordinator. From the start of high school, every student is assigned an advisor to guide them through their high school years. Advisors help keep students on track so that they graduate on time, and also show them how to select courses for college and career readiness. That advisor takes care of them while theyre in high school, addresses their needs, guides them to intervention or enrichment, whatever they need, said
n See Pathways, Page 7
VALENCIA HIGH SCHOOL senior Kristine Lucero, left, who plans to be a child psychologist, styles Hannah Escobar, a junior, who wants to be a nurse, in a cosmetology class.
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from PAGE 5
Pathways: Learning
Teresa Salazar, director of curriculum. In our SLCs (Small Learning Communities) and career academies, we try to focus the students. The idea is for them to take two or three courses in their pathway, as far as their electives go. Some of the small learning communities include STEM, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math; FAME, Fine Arts Master and Enrichment; GEMS, Government, Education and Medical Service; BCIS, Business Communication and International Studies, among others. Career-focused curriculum helps students strengthen their knowledge of their career choice and gives them direction after graduation. Students interested in engineering are guided to the pre-engineering classes, which is Project Lead the Way, said Chavez. Students in the agriculture science pathway take courses in plant science, food, feed and fiber crops, conserving natural resources and maintaining the environment. Individuals in this pathway also develop ways to improve the nutritional value of crops and the quality of seeds. They use genetic engineering to develop crops resistant to pests and droughts. Some occupations in this field include plant breeder, soil and water specialist, certified crop advisor, botanist, tree surgeon, education and extension specialist, golf course superintendent and greenhouse manager, Chavez said. There are classes in sheet metal, welding, woodworking, cosmetology, culinary arts and others, involving a series of three courses that lead to certification, or the college requirements in their field. A big part of that are dual-credit courses, said Chavez. We have a partnership with UNM-VC, and we have many dual-credit courses. Students are able to get both high school and college credits. The district is also developing a certified nursing assistant program and reinstating the automotive program in partnership with the University of New MexicoValencia Campus. Other programs such as GEAR UP, the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, work with students to help them graduate on time and pursue postsecondary education. Each site has a GEAR UP teacher and a site coordinator, said Ron Williams, assistant superintendent of operations. Then there is a district GEAR UP coordinator that oversees both high schools, and Lena Mae, the GEAR UP person of the district office. The GEAR UP program is provided by a federal grant, and is directed at a cohort of students starting in the seventh-grade through high school graduation. The current group will graduate in 2012. The program pays for career and college fairs, and GEAR UP teachers who bring in guest speakers take students on trips to different colleges to expose them to college life and other activities. They provide tutoring for them if theyve fallen behind, said Chavez. It just has a lot of support for that group of students. The district also provides advanced placement classes through the college board. These are college credit courses for students who want to get a jump-start on their college careers. If they score well enough on their tests, they earn a national college credit recognized at all colleges. Right now, its a state requirement that every student graduates with a dual credit, an AP credit or an online
LOS LUNAS HIGH SCHOOL sophomore Phillip Goff is learning the preliminaries of welding, familiarizing himself with melting metal, a skill be used when welding two pieces of metal together. credit, Chavez said. And that has to be part of the transcript. Another program, Advancement Via Individual Determination, or AVID, is a nationally-recognized program with ties to the college board, and is an elective course offered to all students at both high schools. Its basically for first-generation college students and students who have the potential to excel, but dont apply themselves. Its something that we advocate in our schools, we pay for it, Chavez said. We have bought into it for students from seventh through 12th grades because it supports students in learning about college, and teaches students strategies in critical thinking, career readiness and how to be successful in college. Many of the AVID speakers brought in to speak to students have risen above adversity and made it through college, Williams said. Through this program, students receive online exposure to different careers and take career assessment tests to evaluate their talents and interests to determine whether they would be best suited for an artistic career, a science-related job or a leadership role. Los Lunas and Valencia middle schools are AVID schools. Last year, Los Lunas Middle School had a college day fair. We try to get to kids as early as fifth and sixthgrades, said Williams. The goal is to really start getting fifth- and sixth-graders to think about college.
If you have a desire to get to college, our desire in the district is well help you get there. Students learn about Pell Grants, scholarships and financial assistance available to them for higher education. This is the fourth year the district has had the AVID program. Were just getting to that place where we have juniors that are AVID students, Williams said. As a matter of fact, one of the AVID students came over to sell me a car wash because Los Lunas Middle School is working to raise money so they can actually go to New Mexico State (University), stay in the dorms and spend a day on campus, Chavez said. Typically, the AVID teachers are student advisors. Advisors do weekly grade checks, work with students on their Next Step Plan and generally help students stay on track for graduation. Ideally, these advisors stick with them through the whole four years of high school, said Chavez. Those advisors take a special interest in their group of students, and theyre with them all the way to graduation. So, they get to know them really well, and their parents. Advisors meet with parents twice a year to go over their childs transcripts, grades and what the parents are doing to keep their student on track. Advisors also help students learn how to prepare for the ACT, how to prepare for the standardized assessment and how to fill out financial aid forms. With the high school reform initiated by the district last year, advisors are focusing on intervention. They follow the data collected by teachers from all of the students classes, and direct students who score low in math or in language arts to get extra time during the school day to learn the concepts in the course, get tutoring, or make up homework or tests they missed. Students visit with their advisor once a week and the other four days they are in intervention or enrichment classes. And those intervention classes are small, Salazar said, maybe 15 kids in there so its a more personalized setting than if you had a class of 30 students. AVID strategies include tutoring, learning through Socratic seminars and WCIR, writing, collaboration, inquiry, and reading strategies. Right now, we have about 12 college, UNM tutors that are going into the classrooms, Chavez said. The districts goal is to help students find out what careers they are interested in and suited for, and build a solid foundation from which to launch into postsecondary, vocational, or further certification programs after graduation. That foundation includes core curriculum in reading, science and math, career field electives, and exposure to an assortment of colleges and universities, she said. Last year, the district received a $1.3 million Smaller Learning Communities two-year program grant for both high schools, which began in September 2010. Recently, $165,000 more was awarded for a third year to continue work implementing the grant goals for both high schools. The grant provides for increasing advanced placement and dual credit courses for students as well as continuing the AVID program. It drives the work in developing professional learning communities and common planning time for teachers. The professional learning communities provide teachers the time to maintain curriculum consistency and share data on students so they can develop individualized interventions. We really want to see our kids succeed, Chavez said.
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School of Dreams teaches students more than the basics

Los Lunas The School of Dreams Academy is giving students and parents choices. Thats what SODAs Principal Michael Ogas stresses most about Valencia Countys only state authorized charter school in Los Lunas. He said the school has experienced a tremendous amount of growth in the three years since its inception. The school, which is a public school for grades seven through 12, was founded by Ogas and his wife, Teresa, along with Kathy Chavez, associate director of YDI in Los Lunas. Ogas said they recognized a need in the county for an educational alternative for parents and students that could foster a public school setting while focusing on the arts, science and technology. In addition, the school also teaches character education and service learning to help instill qualities in their students that will help them become sustainable, contributing members of their community. For some, SODA provides a last chance for students who have not worked out in other schools. For others, it is a safer alternative to other public schools, and for others still, it is the only high school environment they have ever known. One reason the school emphasizes character education is to combat high drop-out numbers in New Mexico by providing students with a sense of purpose and belonging in school and in their community. According to SODAs charter document, character education is more than just teaching values and respect. ... Our premise is that we have an opportunity to instill beliefs in our students that there is a world out there that they can engage with and be productive in a number of meaningful ways. SODA wants all students to view school as a relevant and meaningful journey toward achieving their goals and future successes. The school, which is home to 15 teachers, 280 students and six computer labs, utilizes a cutting-edge software, or courseware program, called Education2020, which provides students with a virtual classroom setting on their computers that teaches them their core classes at their own pace. The courseware creates a one-onone experience for students, and since work is completed at a students own pace, a student is able to advance to the next grade level if they are able, as well as work on their assignments at
Ungelbah Daniel-Davila-News-Bulletin photo
SCHOOL OF DREAMS ACADEMY dance teacher Rosanne McNiel, left, leads her class through dance steps. The dance program offers classical ballet, lyrical and traditional jazz, hip-hop and musical theatre.
home. And of course, in addition to E2020, each class has a teacher to instruct and help students in person. The courseware is not only aligned to state standards, but national standards as well, meaning SODA students are being educated at a national academic level. Elizabeth Gonzales, who is a ninthgrader who was homeschooled before attending SODA, said she thinks its a good school and likes that its an art school and that she can work at her own pace. They dont tolerate as much here as in public schools, Gonzales said. The school also offers advance placement classes through the University of New Mexico-Valencia Campus for English 101 and math 120 that allow students to earn college credit. SODA considers itself an accelerated school and requires its students to be goal-oriented, self-disciplined and hard working and does not recognize failure as an option. The school holds night classes where individuals of any age can work toward their high school
diploma. Coach George Chavez, who also teaches history, PE and health, says SODA runs a tight ship; students get busy right away and there is no wasted time between classes. But with so much going on at SODA its easy to see how every minute counts. Along with a pack of extremely dedicated teachers, Ogas says SODA has an off the charts digital arts program, and said our building glows at night we have so many computers. The schools digital arts program includes animation, photography, film and video making. Cynthia Bernier, who teaches digital arts, film and video, said one project her students have done was a multimedia project called My Passion, My Inspiration, which allowed students to investigate historical figures, family members, their faith or other things that inspire them. She said one student did their project on their goal of becoming a nurse, while another did theirs on their dream of attending the Juilliard School.
I think the unique thing about (SODA) is they have a lot of very gifted kids, and some that are coming in as a last chance, said Bernier. Other art departments offer students use of a kiln, darkroom and recording studio. Some other art classes at SODA are guitar classes and dance classes. The dance program offers classical ballet, lyrical and traditional jazz, hip-hop and musical theatre. The dance instructor is Rosanne McNiel, who has 67 dancers, 12 of who are boys. She said some of her dancers performed at the New Mexico State Fair and that her lyrical jazz group performed at the 9/11 Memorial Ceremony in Belen. She said they reenacted the tragedy through dance. Freshmen Kerrionna Mitchell and Felicia Carlson both said dance is their favorite class. I love to dance, and what she teaches is new, said Mitchell. Over in the science and math departments, SODAs robotics team is stealing the show. However, Chloe Grubb,
n See SODA, Page 11
from PAGE 10
SODA: Robots
a 10th-grader, said its not a team, its a company, and their goal is to sell their robot to the judges based on how well the robot preforms. Grubb, who is the CEO of SODAs robotics company, Infestation Investigation, said this year the purpose of the robot they will be creating from the ground up is to capture bugs that have escaped, which will be models of a cockroach, fly and termite. Last year, the company took third at the B.E.S.T. (Boosting Engineering Science and Technology) state competition, and this year the team is hard at work constructing a robot for the competition at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. It seems apparent that SODA students love their school. Its a positive atmosphere, free of drugs and fights, where students and teachers are able to connect, said Sebastion Alvarez, an 11th-grader and transfer student from Los Lunas High School who is in his first year at SODA. I actually have a purpose here, he said. My purpose is to graduate and be a productive member of society.
Ungelbah Daniel-Davila-News-Bulletin photos
CHARLES KENT, a ninth-grader in the robotics class, sands a board that will be used to help construct this years robot.
CHLOE GRUBB is a sophomore at School of Dreams Academy in Los Lunas, and is the CEO of this years robotics company, Infestation Investigation.
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Students at UNM-VC accomplish dreams with education

LOUISE TRUMAN, left, gets help with her Math 119 assignment from Cindi Stock, right, the senior tutor at the TRIO computer lab on the University of New MexicoValencia Campus.
Tom The mantra is you go to school to get a good education so you can get a good job. Sounds simple enough, right? But how do students, once theyve figured out what they want to be when they
grow up, tackle the challenge of taking the right classes, in the right order so they can actually graduate with a degree that will get them that elusive job? Luckily, there are many people at the University of New Mexico-Valencia Campus whose whole job centers around helping students navigate those often dark waters. Lyn White is the program manager for
the campuss TRIO program, and Nanci Nielsen is the student success manager. With a name like TRIO, you would think it is an acronym for something, but White bursts that bubble. It doesnt stand for anything. TRIO is a group of programs started in the 1960s. Originally, there were three programs, thus a trio, White says. The program is funded through the
U.S. Department of Education to assist what are considered at-risk students complete college. Since then, the program has expanded to include eight programs. The original three programs were talent search, Upward Bound and student support services. The program has to apply for grant
n See Trio, Page 13
from PAGE 12
TRIO: Program inspires students and to accomplish their goals

and work skills such as time management and communicating with others, even if youd rather not. One mandatory assignment is for each student to talk with one of their professors for a status update. They learn how to communicate normally and under stress, how to read others body language and stress level, Nielsen said. Not to be manipulative, but to learn how to communicate better. White says students can begin using these skills right away. They are not just for academic growth, White said. Maybe someone can figure out why they argue with someone, why they butt heads with a spouse. The class also helps the students come up with an individual learning program. They take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to figure out what kind of personality they have and thus, what kind of learning style they have. When you can figure out what you like, then you can figure out how to pass a class if you dont like the topic or the teachers style, Nielsen said. That translates into the work world and the need for basic people skills. Who hasnt had a job they didnt like or a boss they didnt always get along with? Stacie Kirtley, the senior academic advisor for TRIO, helps students figure out what their skills are best suited for and then builds an academic plan for them. We map it out semester by semester, Kirtley said. When they start, we send them over to financial aid to fill out applications. If they change classes or drop a class, how does is affect their academic plan? Will they lose financial aid? Accountability is a big part of the program. If the staff finds out a student has been skipping class, they take them aside to talk the first time. After that, the student is addressed in front of the class, so they can tell their peers why they havent been making it to their classes. This is not just about graduation, Kirtley said. Its teaching them they do matter and we do care. Louise Truman, a UNM-VC student since 2008 in the office and business technology degree program, was accepted into the TRIO program. I applied because I knew they would help me get through, Truman said. They are great teachers and great staff. She then quips, They are my heroes. Truman said she decided to enroll because she found herself with two teenage boys to raise and two part-time jobs that werent paying the bills. I always wanted to go to college, but never did, so here I am, she said. Every day, I ask myself Why did I do this? When she entered the program, Truman said advisors gave her an assessment to figure out what she liked to do. That kind of indicated what I might be good at and what I might not be, she said. This program gave me the confidence so I can do anything. It is showing me the things I can do, no matter how hard they are. Her son, Aaron Truman, enrolled this summer and is getting his basic courses taken care of before transferring to Eastern New Mexico University for a degree in forensic science. When asked why he decided to apply for the TRIO program, Aaron mutely hooks a thumb over his shoulder at his mother. She laughs. The class has instructed me on the way college classes are held and how to keep a watch on my scholarships, Pell Grant and other student aid, Aaron n See UNM-VC, Page 14
funding every five years and is in its third funding cycle, White said. Students have to apply to be accepted into the program and must meet one of three criteria: Be the first generation in college, with neither parent having a bachelors degree; have an income eligibility of 50 percent below the poverty line, or be disabled. The UNM-VC TRIO program has a small population, White and Nielsen say, of only 160 students. You can get to know the students a lot better than if there were 2,600, White said. Since the program focuses on students who may not have had any exposure to the idea of going to college, let alone actually doing it themselves, every TRIO student is required to take a class called First Year Experience. The class is taught by Nielsen, and the students are required to pass. It deals with how to be a successful student, Nielsen said. Your work, life and school and how to handle it all. From 16 to 60, college is not easy for anyone. You think you can take 12 hours of classes, work full time and have time for fun, but nobody tells you about the 36 hours of homework. The class teaches students basic life
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from PAGE 13 said. Another TRIO student, Gay Guajardo, enrolled in January 2009 and earned an associate degree in liberal arts this spring. She is continuing on to earn first a bachelors degree then her masters in speech and hearing. Her original plan was to become a Sign Language interpreter, but after the first speech and hearing class she took, Guajardo found herself fascinated with the class. Coming to college as a nontraditional student, Guajardo said TRIO helped her create her academic plan that led to her associates degree. Once that was completed, advisors once again helped her map out the classes she needed to take to achieve the next step toward her goal. They made sure I was on track and ready to go to main campus. They help you to continue to reach your goals, she said. Najib Manea is a man of many titles. He is the teaching and learning center manager, UNM-VCs instructional technologist and an assistant professor. So of all people, Manea is well qualified to say that the campus has state-ofthe-art equipment in every classroom. There are smart boards that can interact with the Internet, overhead projectors, microphones and classroom capture
UNM-VC
technology everywhere. That allows us to capture the classroom experience for students to watch online, Manea said. And its more than just watching a video recording of a lecture. The experience is interactive for the student off-site. If the professor is using a slide presentation, students can interact with the slides to take them to a specific part of the lecture just click on a slide and the video jumps to that point in the lecture. This is great for reviews before a test or if a student cant make if to class because they are sick, he said. They can watch it at home and keep up with their classes. As a professor, Manea engages his students as often as he can in real-world projects. Last year, he applied for a grant for a WiMax network to bring wide area Wi-Fi to the county using an antenna that would cover the entire county. While he did not get the grant, the project provided great experience for his students. The problem was location. So they worked with Google Maps to find the ideal location, Manea said. They looked at Huning Hill, but everything to the west was cut off. They looked at
Tom Hill. I told them that would not fly. This was real. In the design, they would have had to resolve cultural and local issues. And sometimes it all comes down to some good, solid advice. Val Garoza, senior academic advisor, and Diana Torrez, program advisor and coordinator, work together to make sure students find the right path for them. Torrez is also the coordinator for the STEM technology and graduate program. She organizes field trips to main campus where students have an opportunity to visit various departments, such as engineering, biology and digital media arts. She also is a transitional advisor. Current UNM-VC students who are preparing to transfer, or former UNM-VC students who have made the transition, can visit her once a week at an office on main campus to help those who experience the culture shock of going from UNM-VC to the big campus. The goal is to help students transfer from a two-year to a four-year campus, to provide a bridge, Torrez said. Garoza said a lot of students, usually the more traditional students fresh out of high school, start college with an idea of a major.
Its our job to help them make sense of the requirements, Garoza said. And I tell students there isnt a single class that they can take that wont pay back somewhere down the road. When considering what kind of degree to get in pursuit of the perfect career, Garoza warns against becoming too highly specialized. A lot of colleges, ours included, see students enroll in classes that are the latest hot job prospects, he said. By the time they graduate, the demand has dropped. If you have a broad education, you should be able to turn your degree to something else. Torrez said sometimes their job involves talking people out of a major. If you want to be a nurse because you want to help people, but cant pass the biology, the nursing program might not be right for you. There are a lot of other ways to help people though, Torrez said. To keep students inspired and focused on where they want to go ultimately, Torrez said she arranges for professional presenters to visit the campus. Weve had several people from Sandia, she said. We want to be able to show them, This is where you could go someday.
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Work study students make their way through school, life

By Brent ruffner
Some county high school students are striking the balance. Each day, students face an array of challenges from turning in homework to making sure they are up-to-date with the latest fashions with their peers. But a few local administrators say their respective work study programs are a way to give students an added bonus for juggling multiple activities while keeping student achievement as a top priority. Wilson Holland, principal at Century High School in Los Lunas, says students who are involved in extracurricular activities such as sports or a part-time job have higher grade-point averages and better attendance than students who dont participate in additional pursuits. The bad thing about it is that sometimes kids want to work too much, Holland said. They like that money. Theyll end up quitting school and working all day. We dont want those things to happen, she said. That is why we have work study. We offer them work within the school day, and because you do have a job ... we are going to reward you with the work study credit. Both alternative schools in Valencia County Belens Infinity High and Century High School in Los Lunas offer students a work study credit. Students sign up and get pre-approval from administrators and show their pay stubs to officials on a regular basis to earn a credit for every 180 hours worked per semester. Holland said the program has been around for years and has proved to be a winning formula that provides students positive reinforcement and teaches them to become responsible people. He said its a way to show students how to overcome adversity in their lives. But, he said, student achievement comes first. For us, when we pull grades and I see a kid thats not doing well and they are working that kid and I are going to have a conversation, Holland said. I may (say) You are working at McDonalds all night, but your grades are bad. What are we going to do here? Unless you own that McDonalds, we need to do something different. Working at McDonalds isnt bad. But theres that mentality where its, I dont want to work at the gas station I want to own the gas station. Infinity High School Principal Buddy Dillow said the program gives students skills to excel in the real world.
INFINITY HIGH SCHOOL student Guadalupe Deleon works at Belen Middle School on a recent weekday. Infinity High gives students the opportunity to earn credit through a work study program for their hours worked per semester.
One of his students, Guadalupe Deleon, works at the Belen Middle School as a part-time receptionist and tutor. He said Deleon is an example of a student who dresses the part in a professional manner. He says Deleon is understanding and cordial with the students she interacts with on a daily basis. Our program allows students to get real world experience in a setting that allows them to get elective credits, Dillow said. We feel like that is important enough to incorporate and encourage our kids to do. Dillow said a drawback of work study is that the district has to guard against families who own family businesses that dishonestly fill out paperwork saying that their child works at the business when they arent an actual paid employee. But Bill Payne, owner of Custom LTD, says that his daughter, Jennah, has had a good experience earning credit through the program. He said working for the family business has helped his daughter focus in on tasks that need to be done. Custom LTD is a business that does unique glass etching and has had shows in both Albuquerque and Ruidoso. Payne said the job doesnt give Jennah the opportunity to goof off
around her peers as does some other jobs that high school students often take. It gives her responsibility and a sense of freedom, Payne said. It works well. We are in control of what we are doing with school. It makes it easy to schedule things around it. Jennah Payne, a junior at Infinity High, regularly attends glass shows with her father and said adjusting to a job to go with her school day was an easy transition. She said the nature of the shows allows her to prepare ahead of time when she has homework or tests. It took a little bit of adjusting, Payne said. I dont think I was like, I cant do this. I mean, I come to school and go home and do what I have to do. Administrators agree that school, itself, gives students challenges of balancing daily activities in their everyday lives. Lisa Goodman, store director at Albertsons in Los Lunas, said work study gives students the confidence to perform job duties on a regular basis. Albertsons is an employer in Valencia County that participates in the work study program at Century High School. Goodman said a part-time job gives students a sense of purpose and discipline.
We support the program, Goodman said. Its good for our youth and our community. Clovis Cordova of Los Lunas is in the program at Century High and works part-time at Albertsons. Cordova, like most students, said he likes the extra money earned through his job and has become accustomed to a schedule that includes both work and school. He said he wants to go to college to be a video game designer and said the program is a good way to earn extra credits. Its a little bit hard if you have a test, Cordova said. But I can just study at school. Its easy credit and I get money to buy whatever I want. But Holland said some students dont have the luxury to use their job for extra spending money. He said some students rely on their job to help feed their families and must overcome a lot of adversity to finish their required high school classes. Holland said its the duty of administrators to make sure all students achieve academic success, no matter what the situation. They are going to have the rest of their lives to work, Holland said. Our job is to get them to graduate.
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2 LOCALS 2011: Education Valencia County News-Bulletin October 29, 2011
Music education teaches students more than melodies

By Brent ruffner
News-Bulletin Staff Writer bruffner@news-bulletin.com Henry Estrada listens. Estrada, who has been a band director for 33 years, has heard a whole lot of music during his time instructing students. He teaches them to let music broaden their horizons as they grow into young adults. The Los Lunas High School band director, like most of his kind, critiques his group to ensure that his band produces the right sounds at the right times. Estrada has enlisted the help of upperclassmen to help make sure that younger students dont get left behind. They help the younger kids cope with what they are learning, Estrada said. Estrada is like most of the music instructors in Valencia County, who are a group of hard-working individuals who want their students to succeed in the passion that they got caught up in years before. Mike Power, a Belen native, is one of those instructors who came home to give back to his community. Power grew up in Belen in the 1970s and returned to the Hub City in July for the 2011-12 school year at Belen High School. He admits that the year has been a fast and furious process since he was hired in July. But Power said his students are excited at the opportunity to have a permanent band director after the program had five different band directors in six years. Im excited that they are excited about doing those things, Power said. The music teacher of 22 years said those things include expanding the music program to elementary school band and the eventual growth of the high school marching band. This year, band was offered to all schools at the elementary level in the hopes that more students will get early exposure to music. Power plans to implement a curriculum to have a jazz band and a formal color guard class, something that the district has been without for several years. This year, his program has already grown by 20 students from last year. The band director said parents also have plans to start a non-profit organization to help raise money for the program. But Power doesnt think its a fluke that people are getting involved with the band. He said students are genuinely interested and some student leadership met with him when he first arrived on campus to show support. He also plans to have pep bands for both girls and boys basketball and foresees a larger band at Friday night BHS football games. He said students must use a systematic ful performances. Students have a sense of pride and selfconfidence with the new equipment, the choir director said. It makes it easier when everything works, Harper said. Harper, in her fourth year as Belens choir director, said being a member of a chorus group gives students confidence that they wouldnt normally experience in a regular classroom setting. Most students are scared to death, Harper said. Choir allows them to be comfortable to express themselves. You might not be a music major, but you will learn life skills. Harper said life skills include being better prepared for a potential job interview with nice posture and expressing good body language in front of others. But Harper said that singing isnt as easy as it looks. She said some students think singing is as easy as a video game. You learn to never give up, even though you might not be an instant success, Harper said. The music teacher offers students help who are willing to take the time to improve. She said she sometimes burns a CD for students who want to practice over the summer. Harper said its important for all school administrators to embrace music programs. The choir program at Los Lunas High School fell victim to state budget cuts and no longer exists at the school. Former student Vinessa Martinez, 19, knows how tough it is to sing in a competitive group. Martinez plans on following in the footsteps of Harper and becoming a music teacher. I didnt know how hard singing was or how much muscle it actually takes to sing, Martinez said. BHS senior Kristen Steltzer, 17, said she has enjoyed her time in the high schools choir. She, too, plans to teach a chorus group. I like the singing and the experience you get from events, Steltzer said. Estrada says he wouldnt have done his job this long if he didnt like it, and said students become stronger individuals through some sort of music program. His groups have been involved in events that involve mariachis around Christmas time. He said students involved in a formal music program have the advantage of seeing music through advanced eyes. Students that arent, he says, see music in a superficial way. Estrada said students who go through the rigors of practice each week will start to see its beauty in other ways. They see music in a deeper, more meaningful way, Estrada said.
LOS LUNAS HIGH SCHOOL senior Adriana Aramburu waits for her cue during band practice. Aramburu is one of a handful of students who play drums for the schools band. approach to solve musical problems such as reading notes. Its hands-on learning, Power said. (Students) dont want to just sit there and hear the information. They want to actually do something. (Band) uses both sides of the brain. Its physical to play the note, but students have to read the note and be precise. In chorus, students need to be just as precise when they need to hit the right note. Belen High School Choir Director Carrie Harper is quick to point out that new equipment certainly helps. The district recently upgraded sound equipment as part of the schools auditorium renovation. She said fully-functional lights and microphones are a good start to success-
About this section

As students continue to prepare for life after high school, Valencia County educators and administrators continue to offer a variety of programs that enhance and broaden students horizons. In this section, Education, the focus is on what these programs, such as band and chorus, National Honor Society, the Renaissance program and athletics, do to enrich students education. This section also highlights the 30th anniversary of the University of New Mexico-Valencia Campus. The branch campus has grown from a few classrooms in a strip mall to a state-of-the-art facility in Tom.
n See Music, Page 3A
October 29, 2011 Valencia County News-Bulletin LOCALS 2011: Education 3
N e w M e x i c os E d u c a t i o n B u i l d e r f o r n i n e d e c a d e s ! Design-Build | Construction Management General Construction | Utilities & Water
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BELEN HIGH SCHOOL choir students practice on a recent school day. The 2011-12 choir has about 20 performances over the course of the semester.
Music: Students have fun playing from PAGE 2

Enoch Smith, 14, a freshman at Los Lunas High School, plays the sousaphone in the band. A sousaphone is a type of tuba that is used in marching bands and has a full, rich sound. Smith said he has had fun playing music for the band after getting his start while in the sixth grade at Katherine Gallegos Elementary in Los Lunas. Smith has a much more simple take on his involvement with Estrada and the rest of his peers. I get to play music, he said.
Thank you Valencia County & Los Lunas Schools!

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The mission of Los Lunas Schools is to provide an engaging, high quality education where learning focuses on the whole child, and it is the responsibility of each and every one of us to instill the belief that all students can succeed. The Los Lunas Schools are committed to being first in New Mexico in all key measures of student achievement. The Los Lunas Schools District Office and all its schools have completed the rigorous AdvanceEd District Accreditation Process through NCA CASI. We are the ONLY Public School in the State of NM with This National Accreditation. Los Lunas realizes that families like to have choices. We offer Traditional High School Schedules, Alternative Schedules, Secondary Family School and a Distance Learning Academy. Los Lunas Schools has a comprehensive and transparent financial environment. We have consistently balanced our budgets and continue to provide great programs and support to our children.
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Los Lunas Schools have won several awards this past year. Bosque Farms Elementary won a National Blue Ribbon Award, State competition winner in English Spelling Bee and National Spanish Spelling Runner up. Thousands of scholarship dollars are given to our graduating seniors each year. Our band program is recognized statewide. Millions of dollars awarded for State and Federal Grants and our Athletic Programs are highly competitive in all contests.
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National Honor Society is about excellence and skills

By ABigAil R. ORtiz
Participating in National Honor Society in high school does more than look good on a resume. It gives students tools and skills needed to be successful in the future. Los Lunas High School student Joni Love said participating in NHS has pushed her to be her best. It makes me want to thrive more so I can get scholarships and get into a good college, Love said. Belen High School senior Nathan Gayle said the name NHS describes what students learn and are expected to do. It encourages kids to be better people, more honorable people, keep their grades up and do community service, Gayle said. And part of it is helping pass on what youve learned to teach others.
Los Lunas High School
The Los Lunas High School chapter of NHS, which has 40 members, expects students to uphold four pillars: leadership, academics, service and character, said Valerie Mayse, National Honor Society sponsor. To show leadership, students must hold an office in NHS or another school organization. With the academics pillar, students maintain a grade point average of 3.5, but help is available if students are struggling. By doing so, students are given coping skills to track their progress in college, Mayse said. Most of the students wind up being our school tutors, she said. For service, students need to charter a community service project as a group and individually. Mayse said she finds volunteer opportunities and shows students how to find the information. NHS member and Los Lunas High School student Kelsae Adame said she volunteers as a math tutor, and its made her want to continue volunteering. It made me want to do more in the future and help other groups, Adame said. Student Mariah Acosta said completing volunteer service uplifts the communitys spirits. It gives hope and courage to those we work with, because the little kids want to be NHS members when they get big, Acosta said. LLHS junior Zachary Romero said the organization opened up avenues he wasnt interested in. After participating in a service project where he built
If students show a potential employer that they have leadership experience and can work within a group, it sets them apart from other applicants, Himes said. That collaboration of skills to work together toward a common goal helps, she said. VHS senior Kaylee Newey, who is vice president of the schools chapter, said completing the service project helped her find out if she was interested in pursuing the medical field. I volunteered at a nursing home, and now I know that I want to do something in the medical field, Newey said. By abiding by the societys bylaws, keeping grades up, fundraising and completing the required service hours, senior Antoinette Strong said shes learned responsibility. Theres no one to answer to but yourself, Strong said. Youre independent and responsible to be here if you decide you want to stay. Students run the organization with help from NHS sponsors, Himes said, adding the students are really the ones who do it all. As NHS officers, Newey said they have more responsibility on their shoulders since they organize volunteer and fundraising activities. And thats while managing if youre in a sport and homework, she said, adding that this will help her manage her time in college. Being a part of the Belen High School NHS is something students carry with them throughout their lives, which is what Johnna Storey, NHS sponsor, did. For me, I wound up being in college and that mind set stuck with me, Storey said. Applying to NHS shows students what to expect when filling out applications, which will be helpful in college and for scholarships. By doing so, students are taught how to brag about themselves, Storey said. A lot of times, we dont let them do that very often, she said. Maintaining a GPA of 3.5 gives students accountability for their work and shows they can receive something positive from their hard work, Storey said. BHS senior Aley Ahgoins said participating in NHS creates a healthy environment, where students with similar academic interests are brought together and work with one another. This environment, she says, also pushes students to complete NHS n See NHS, Page 5
Belen High School
Submitted photo
LOS LUNAS HIGH SCHOOL student Danayara Flores points to the separate piles of non-perishable goods during the schools National Honor Society canned food drive.
structural diagrams, Romero expanded his personal interests to include engineering. Colleges and scholarships look for students who give back to their community, Mayse said. To fulfill the character pillar, students can be a student athlete or be a part of a community organization or have a teacher identify them as a student who went above and beyond what a normal student would do. By students upholding these pillars, they are given responsibility, as well as consequences if they start slipping, Mayse said. Jeremy Tabet, a second year NHS member, said being in the organization has taught him to be organized and more responsible by meeting deadlines
and requirements. In Valencia High Schools NHS chapter, which has 40 members, leadership is the No. 1 skill promoted, said Alicia Himes, NHS sponsor. Lexie Graham co-sponsors the organization. One way students show leadership is by arriving early to school, during a late arrival day, to tutor students in the library. Students help to promote leadership (in the school community) and develop people skills that they need for life, Himes said. Every semester, Valencia High School students must complete eight individual service hours and eight group service hours.
Valencia High School
from PAGE 4
NHS: Support
requirements. It also gives you incentive, because you feel bad about getting bad grades because you want to stay in, Ahgoins said. In the Belen High School chapter, which boasts 60 members, students are required to complete one community service project per semester, as well as participate in a fundraiser. Alexis Abeyta, a second year NHS member, said these endeavors teach her how to prepare and keep track of deadlines. By requiring more of students, they are pushed to higher levels, Storey said. Youve set the standards, and if kids want to be successful, they will be and theyll get there, she said. But students success can be attributed to the support of their parents, Storey said. They support their kids in what they do and it can be difficult to succeed if you dont have that support, she said.
Submitted photo
DURING BELEN HIGH SCHOOLS National Honor Society pancake breakfast, inductees must stand on top of tables to play games, such as Simon Says.
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Celebrating 30 years of higher education at UNM-VC

Tom A hawk glides effortlessly on an updraft and a gentle wind rustles the leaves of nearby cottonwoods, bringing a whiff of wood smoke. As the sun traces across the sky, wide open vistas and mountain views are glimpsed between buildings. There is a hush just before students begin criss-crossing courtyards and quads. Then, like the fountain in the center of campus, scholars spring forth from academic buildings across the University of New Mexico-Valencia Campus, hurrying on their way to the next learning experience. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the UNM branch campus nestled in Tom. But the home of higher education in Valencia County actually started two years before that, in August 1978, as a satellite center for UNM. The University of New Mexico began serving the educational needs of the county when the Eastern Valencia County Satellite Center opened its doors at the Valley Community Center in Rio Communities. A total of $93,000 in seed money was raised to help open the facility. The creation of the center ended nearly two decades of work by folks in the Los Lunas and Belen school districts to provide a stable source of post-secondary education and vocational training in Valencia County. In 1979, the State Legislative Finance Committee indicated that expanding satellite centers, such as the one in Rio Communities, should be established as branch campuses to be supported by an ongoing mill levy as well as student tuition and general fund appropriations. The residents of the county showed their support by voting overwhelmingly in favor of creating a branch campus. Additional assistance came from the Board of Educational Finance, the New Mexico State Legislature and the Eastern Valencia County Higher Education Committee. As a result, a formal proposal to establish the branch was accepted by UNM in March 1981. Classes began in August of that year. Technical certificates and associate degrees could now be completed locally for the first time in Valencia Countys history. Continued growth in enrollment and program offerings soon created a need for additional space and new facilities. A new campus at the present 150-acre site was built in response to this need. The four-building campus, consisting of an administration building, two
Courtesy of UNM-VC
THE ROAD TO HIGHER EDUCATION, La Entrada, was nothing but dirt when the University of New Mexico-Valencia Campus opened its doors in 1986.
classroom halls and a cafeteria-student center, opened its doors in the summer of 1986. The campus currently utilizes just under 26 acres, so there is plenty of room for expansion. Omero Suarez assumed the duties of campus director in 1981. The leadership was passed down to Ralph Sigala and current UNM-VC Executive Director Alice Letteney, with several interim directors in between. During the years, additional classrooms and space for services have been added, including a library and learning resource center in 1994, student-community center, wellness center and bookstore in 2000 and health science building in 2004. The community college has grown to a current enrollment of nearly 2,500 students with an array of courses and programs. While it has become an integral part of the community and a resource known far and wide, UNM-VC almost didnt happen. The bond passed by the residents of the county had netted $2.5 million, but it wasnt enough to build the campus. In the spring of 1984, $6 million in capital outlay funds were requested from the Legislature for the new campus. That amount was cut to $2.9 million, but on the last day of that years regular session,
the entire capital outlay package failed to pass the House of Representatives. The funding was put on the governors call for a special session in March 1984, where representatives from the Belen and Los Lunas schools boards, the UNM staff and board of regents rallied behind the effort. Valencia County Commissioner Ron Gentry, a state representative at that time, was one of the people who provided testimony on the project before the legislative finance committee. That was a long time ago, Gentry said. It was fun. Gentry threw his support behind the project because of his own experience seeking more education after high school. When I graduated from Belen High School, my parents were of moderate income. My dad was a railroader, he said. They truthfully couldnt afford to send me to college. So Gentry headed west to a branch college in California that didnt charge tuition. He paid $23 for used books and his folks sent him $100 a month. That inspired me to push for this, Gentry said, a branch college like that to provide affordable education in the county. Gentry said the longevity of the campus is a testament of its value.
Our area is still of moderate income. Kids still need the opportunity. You had the right group of people going in the right direction, he said. If you have something you are doing well, it doesnt go away. Im really happy people see its value and they are perpetuating that value. You had Dr. (Omero) Suarez and now Dr. (Alice) Letteney, and a dedicated administration delivering this level of educational training, he said. The project had its naysayers, those who said it wont work, but by golly, it did. A lot has changed since the campus opened. Dr. Alice Letteney, the campuss executive director for 16 years, said when the campus opened in 1981, UNM-VC had a head count of 320 students. This fall, it boasted a head county of 2,493. There were 152 full-time equivalent students the first year and now its at 1,510. Thats an increase of 779 percent in head count and 993 percent in FTEs, Letteney said. Letteney said when she and her husband moved to the community, she wanted the campus to reach out to the community more. I wanted to become active in the community as the CEO of the campus, she said. She joined organizations such as the Rotary Club and the Los Lunas Chamber of Commerce, now known as the Valencia County Chamber of Commerce. This is a great community to live in. In times of trouble, people really come together, she said. Its a wonderful place to live. People care about this college and theyre happy its here. In her years as executive director of the campus, Letteney said many programs have been implemented that have furthered educational opportunities. Acknowledging that sometimes students need a leg up, a transitional studies program, modeled after the TRIO program, was started. When it began, we were turning students away because we didnt have enough spots, Letteney said. The campus has made great strides in its health care programs and now offers an associates program in nursing. Letteney said interest in STEM science, technology, engineering and math programs have exploded. We have nearly 60 students in digital media arts and a new grant for a game design program, she said. These programs feed into UNMs programs. By going into DMA, students can enter fields in business and medicine, as well as the film industry. n See Campus, Page 7
from PAGE 6
Campus: Books
Letteney said the branch campus is sending more and more students on to the main campus in Albuquerque every year. I can only see us expanding as the county expands, she said. The advisory board is very supportive of this campus. Anything they can initiate that they think will help the students, they work for, fight for, Letteney said. We have also had lots of support from the main campus provosts and presidents. We have a lot of fun out here and work on lots of collaborative efforts. Alex Sanchez, a lecturer III in the computer-aided drafting department, has been teaching at UNM-VC for 29 years. Sanchez began his career with the university when it was still located at the shopping center in Rio Communities. With the large glass storefronts, students and teachers alike often felt on display during class, leading to the nickname fish bowl for the original campus. I think students were kind of shocked in classes. People could walk by and see if everyone was awake. If they were, that was the class to take, Sanchez laughed. He says the campus has always been a great place to teach, thanks to a plethora of highly motivated, mature students. I think the average age is a little lower now. We have more high school students straight out of school, he said. But they are all highly motivated. A lot of them are the first in their family to go to college. We have a unique student population in that many of them have to hire a baby sitter and find transportation to even be in class. All you have to do is deliver. They are ready to receive. Sanchez didnt mean to become a teacher though. He was doing a lot of solar consulting in the area and the campus had an adobe/renewable energy program. He talked to Dr. Job Ebenezer, assistant director for vocational/technical education, at the time and was invited to teach a solar class. He offered me a full-time teaching position, and that was 29 yours ago, Sanchez said. I have really enjoyed the whole time. No regrets. Over the decades, the adobe/renewable energy certificate morphed into drafting and finally into the computer-aided drafting program, one of the campuss longest running academic programs, which Sanchez has spent 26 years teaching. The thought was there was a lot more interest and opportunities for employment. We were at the tail end of the oil embargo and didnt think we would need it again, he said. But since history often repeats itself, the campus has been offering a green
building class the last three semesters and will be offering a one-year sustainable building certification program for students interested in becoming energy auditors or LEED certified, Sanchez said. Im glad it came back. There just wasnt enough critical mass then, he said. One of the adobe/renewable energy programs former students, Martin Romero, is now teaching the sustainable building program, Sanchez said. The long-time teacher said the campus has stuck around for many reasons. One being its affordablility. There is a need that I think is part of the economy. We are less expensive than main (campus), and the steep rise in enrollment weve seen is part of the current economic picture, Romero said. People are out of work and looking to update their skills, or they are improving their skills so they can stay at work. The campus also offers students, who are often the first in their families to attempt higher education, an easier ramp into that world. Not with easier classes, but small classes and campus, he said. Were all here because we love teaching, not to do research and thats something were always looking for when we hire. Who can really deliver in the classroom? While not in the classroom, former librarian for the campus, Esther Shir, saw a lot in her 23 years with the branch college. Shir started in 1986, just after the campus moved to Tom and there was a big empty space where the LRC is now. The library and training centers in the LRC were first located in the arts and science building. In the beginning, the library was confined to one classroom and contained a lone table. My biggest job was to get more more books, more shelving, more space, Shir said. We borrowed a lot from main campus. We got taller shelves and after a year or two, we put a door in the wall and expanded into the classroom next door. With more space came those additional books and tall shelves. But sometimes more isnt all its cracked up to be. Those tall shelves held more books, but they were also closer to the swamp cooler. When the campus closed down for summer break, everything was shut up and mold would start to grow in the books. We called the rare books and preservation people at main campus, Shir said. They advised us to freeze the books and vacuum out the mold. One year, the mold was so bad we had faculty members take books home and store them in their freezers. One person went on vacation and there was a power outage. n See Campus, Page 9
THE FOUNTAIN in the main quad at University of New Mexico-Valencia Campus in Tom has welcomed students to class since the campus was completed in 1986. It sits in front of the academic building, one of the four original buildings on the campus.
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Valencia Counties Independent Tire Source For Three Decades
The owners of Craig Tire have kept things rolling in Valencia County for nearly thirty years. When I say they have kept things rolling, I am talking about cars, vans, pickups, SUVs, semi trucks and trailer, tractors and other farm equipment, industrial equipment and of course, four wheelers and wheel barrows. Craig Tire was opened in 1981 by John L. and Carolyn Craig. This business was meant to supply a highly diverse type of tire service for Valencia County residents, as well as the wide trade area surrounding Belen. Because of John Craigs background, he was also able to train his mechanics to do alignments, brakes, shocks, struts and front-end work--all of which effect tire wear. Craig Tire has always maintained its independence to choose the best tires possible, at the best price possible, for our customers. We are not tied to only one or two tire brands, although two of the brands we have always carried are Michelin and Goodrich. Eventually, a second tire store was opened in Los Lunas and after a few years it was moved to Peralta where it has remained for the past 12 years. That location was managed by John R. Craig or J.R. as he is commonly called. He is the son of the original founders. The year 2007 brought about significant change for Craig Tire when its original founder, John L. Craig, died unexpectedly. From that time until present, the supervision and decision making has been done by John R. Craig. He has always taken an active part in the business. As a result, he is very knowledgeable about all of the products and services that Craig Tire offers. He not only worked with his father, but also spent two years in Phoenix at an automotive school. We are proud to say that we have many faithful customers. Some of them are third generation customers--their parents and grandparents have done business with us. We have always been proud to be a part of the business community in Belen and Valencia County. It is our hope that we can keep things rolling in this area for many more decades. Come in and see us or visit us on our website, www.CraigTire.com 19236 Hwy 314 Belen, NM 87002 505-864-4464 HOURS M-F 8-6 SAT 8-4 3593 Hwy 47 Peralta, NM 87042 505-866-1275
Sew Many Memories Carries Sew & Sews

When the former Sullivan sisters speak of the fabrics of their lives, they are talking about the vintage cottons, denim, terry cloth, polyesters, wools, stretch knits and a multitude of other fabrics that are part of their Mothers stash. All washed and neatly bolted, the colorful array of fabrics speaks volumes about the admiration that Bobbie Salaz and Carolyn Craig have for their seamstress mother--the now deceased Carrie Sullivan. The two sisters are the proprietors of a one-of-a-kind fabric store along Highway 47 in Peralta. The business journey that started three years ago for the sisters is truly a trip down memory lane. Many of the pieces of fabric were used to make clothes for the sisters as they were growing up. Some of the fabric was used to make western shirts for their father--the late John L. Sullivan. The fabric store is stocked entirely of fabrics that Mom collected for over half a century from the 1950s to the 1990s. We sell fabric and notions that are pre-owned, but they are not used. This store is not a second-hand store or flea market type of atmosphere. Its more like walking into one of those old time dime stores that used to abound in the fifties. Mom always carefully stored her fabric in a cool, dry environment. She hand picked every piece of fabric that we have sold over the last three years and every yard we have in inventory. We know where our fabric came from, where it has been stored and approximately what era it is from. We are proud to be a part of the Peralta business community and Valencia County. We invite you to come in and see us at 3589 Hwy 47 in Peralta, NM 505-866-0258 OPEN M-T-F 9:30-5 & SAT 9:30-4 CLOSED WED-THUR-SUN
FABRIC STORE
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Campus: Long-time instructor says UNM-VC is important to students

has aged, it has been kept up, she said. For a lot of the people working here, theyve been here since the beginning. You will see professors walking across campus who will stop and pick up a piece of trash on the ground. Its a real pride in ownership. They took care in the master plan to maintain a certain look with the quads and courtyards. It looks like its supposed to be a residential campus. There is a sense that (the students) are really at college and they are proud to be there. Not only does Shir think the upkeep of the physical parts of the campus have been integral to its longevity, but so has the upkeep of the campuss technology. The campus and the administration really do an excellent job in keeping student computers and software up to date, she said. The upkeep of the campus and the technology speaks well of the administration. They have always been conservative in their finances and kept a good reserve so they could support the campus when times were hard. Certainly, the community was willing to take on the burden. There wouldnt be a campus if it wasnt for the taxpayers, she said. They always passed the bonds for the campus and the library. I can say for the time I was there it was such a pleasant atmosphere on campus every day with the trees and beautiful buildings. It was a joy to come to work. Dr. Richard Melzer, professor of history, began teaching at UNM-VC in the spring of 1979 when it was a satellite center for UNM. He was in his last semester in the doctoral program at UNM and back then, students had to pay a typist per page to type a dissertation. I needed the money, Melzer confesses, with a laugh. His first class only had five people. Worried the class would be cancelled, Melzer tried to game the numbers. I would tell the staff to make 20 copies of things, he said. It didnt really fool anyone. When he finished his degree, Melzer took the position of director of instruction at the UNM main campus in Albuquerque in 1983. Five years later, he found out that UNM-VC had an opening for a full-time history position. Thats what I always wanted to do any way, he said. Thats where he met his future wife, Rena Chavez. She was the registrar at the time and the first employee at the
Everything in the freezer melted. Food and books alike were lost. The following year, Shir said the university rented space at Mr. Ice in Los Chavez. At one time, we had 10 percent of our collection on ice, she said. Being a microscopic spore, the mold knew no boundaries and eventually migrated into the faculty offices, infecting the books there. After several years of the deep-freeze treatment, Shir said the library was outfitted with a humidity controller, which kept the humidity lower and the mold under control, but left the library overly warm. In early 1994, the books and Shir finally made the move to the library in the campuss new learning resource center. Shir said the campus has stayed for three decades due to a combination of reasons. We have had, and still do have, wonderful teachers, she said. They are just terrific. Another thing that many might not notice immediately is the overall condition of the campus itself, Shir said. This has always been a beautiful place the campus itself. The maintenance staff have kept it fresh and as it
branch. Melzer remembers life in the fish bowl, complete with a pool table in the staff break room. We had to close the doors to block out the noise of the pool action, he said. So much has happened since then. I remember visiting the Tom site and there was nothing at first. We were standing in the middle of the field and the architect said, This is it. Now, you can get a kindergarten through second year of college education on the old Tom Land Grant. I hope the heirs think thats worthwhile. Over the years, the branch college has attracted more and more students right out of high school, Melzer said. Thats wonderful. The campus offers a great service for young and old who go on to main campus or elsewhere, he said. Its a great combination. Were part of UNM, but dont have the issues like the parking problems, politics or high tuition. Melzer said the college has a really good future in the community. Its a bridge between high school and college, especially for the students whose families have never been to college, he said. Were close to Albuquerque, but were a world away from there.
Student-athletes prepped for work force in many ways

By Jason W. Brooks
News-Bulletin Staff writer jbrooks@news-bulletin.com From teamwork to self-discipline, the countys high school interscholastic athletic programs teach many valuable skills used by young people entering the work force. Here are, in their own words, how a few coaches and Class of 2011-12 student-athletes feel athletics prepares people to be useful and productive in the work world.
Lee Chaves
Belen High School wrestling coach I feel athletes are ready for the work place for several reasons. An athlete has to be at practice everyday and know that they have responsibility. An athlete learns to deal with pressure, which often non-athletes have never felt and have a hard time dealing with it. Many of my wrestlers have gone to the military also, and as many have said, piece of cake. They already were prepared for the physical aspect, but unlike many others, having someone yell at them was no big deal.
Nicole Jenrette
Los Lunas High School basketball, volleyball and track and field athlete Skills from high school sports that I think will be useful at my future jobs are: time organization, knowing when its time to practice, when to do homework, and getting enough sleep, family time, friends time. Being coachable, you learn to listen to what coaches tell you, just like your boss might tell you. Determination: you never like to lose, and part of losing might be not doing your job right. At work, if you do something poorly, you lose social skills. You learn to work with different types of people with different skills, or people you maybe dont like so much. You, as a person, have to learn to deal with it. You will always work hard. In sports, you get punished for slacking, so you have to give it 110 percent to be the best.
News-Bulletin file photo
hard work and patience.
NISA RASCON finishes ahead of Albuquerque Academys Julia Foster to help win the medley relay at the Class 4A state track field championships in May. Rascon said the most important things shes learned from athletics are perseverance, it, and try to work as hard as I can to achieve it. Playing a sport matures you in many ways. You can become a team leader or a motivator. In order to be good at it, you have to practice and have a good mindset. Any sport requires practice, motivation and positive thoughts. Setting a goal is not the main thing; it is how you go about achieving it. I have learned that winning is not the important thing. People more look at how you take losing more than how you win. you had a job. Be on time, or even earlier. Also, paying attention to specific details when being instructed is a must in sports. This would definitely have to be carried onto a future job because the more knowledge you have, the easier the work is.
Nisa Rascon
Valencia High School cross country and track and field athlete The most important things Ive learned from athletics are perseverance, hard work and patience. I think they will all help me in my future job/career, because those three things can overcome even the biggest and most intimidating obstacles, whether those obstacles lie in succeeding in high school sports or suc-
ceeding in the work force after graduating school. Usually, becoming good at something happens over time, and with hard work. Its not just instantaneous. My first year of running, I wasnt very good, but I stuck with it and worked hard, and over time, I got a lot better. I think everyone can succeed in anything they choose, as long as they dont get disheartened if theyre not great at the beginning and just keep working hard toward their goal. Likewise, in a job; everything will not always be easy and there will be obstacles to overcome. But with perseverance, hard work and patience applied to any task at hand, success will be highly likely. Im glad I did athletics, because participating in sports really helped me realize how important those things are in doing well.
Robin Kinder
LLHS basketball player Sports are a lot of fun and keep you out of trouble and focused. I think when it comes to the work world, it gets you thinking in a different perspective. You have to open your mind to things you never used to do, and I know from experience in the work world, you have to put your mind to things youre not used to doing. It also helps with responsibility. You have to show up to practice and games and be there for everything when it comes to that sport. You have to work hard to do good, and that is the same with work. You have to work hard to get farther in life. I am actually not playing this year due to work. Its time for me to focus on school and college, and I know I wasnt
Gabby Moody
LLHS volleyball and track and field athlete Definitely communication, patience and the motivation to always want to do better. You must work hard to achieve what you want to be, or however far you want to go.
Taylar Jaramillo
BHS golfer It is tough for me to sum up my answer for your question. I have been working since I was 12-years old, and been golfing practically all my life. I have always had a good work ethic, and when I set my mind to something, I do
Gerad Garcia
LLHS basketball player Be on time. In high school sports, if youre late to a practice or a game, you are going to have to pay the consequences. This would probably be the same if
n See Sports, Page 11
zation, being coachable and determination.
NICOLE JENRETTE, No. 32, a three-sport athlete at Los Lunas High School, said three attributes for the workplace taught to her through athletics are time organi-
PATRICK ARMIJO, right, battles a Bloomfield opponent at the state wrestling championships in February. Armijo said respect of ones elders is an example of one of the many concepts in athletics that will be helpful to him in the work force.
from PAGE 10
Sports: Believing in their purpose

you to be responsible, dedicated and competitive, while at the same time, humble and respectful. You share what knowledge you have and focus on things that youre good at.
going far in sports, so that is why.
Jeremy Tabet
LLHS football and basketball athlete Working as a bus boy at Sopas restaurant (in Bosque Farms), I already use things I learned from sports, like working with others, relying on co-workers and thinking of a team as one, not a bunch of individuals.
Lynette Padilla
VHS cross country coach Student-athletes can learn that success comes with dedication, determination and hard work. They can learn that true excellence comes from proper training (education), genuine passion (its not about money or fame), and a strong mental attitude that doesnt settle for mediocrity. Student-athletes can learn to pace themselves and maintain a consistent level of effort guided by a logical planfor-excellence. Good athletes believe they have a purpose and are unwavering in their pursuit of realizing their higher self; once they enter the work world, they may re-define their purpose, but they have the ability to continue their path toward excellence. Hopefully, this journey leads the individual toward something that benefits him or herself, and his or her community.
Patrick Armijo
BHS cross country and wrestling athlete I think that the most important thing that I have learned is the trait of dedication. This relates by going through practice all week, and at the end of the week, getting to compete; in the workplace, going to work all week, and at the end of the week, getting your paycheck. Also, respecting your elders. If you dont respect your coach, you probably wont get to compete. If you dont respect your boss, you wont have a job. These are just two.
$100.74
Leah Newton
LLHS volleyball coach Athletics gives you skills youll use throughout life. The real world requires
Renaissance teaches students how to live their lives

By DeBorah Fox
Los Lunas In the work world, salary increases, upward mobility or the chance to shine are incentives to do your best on the job. Likewise, in the Los Lunas School District, the Jostens Renaissance program provides students with the incentives to do their best and improve their performance. There is nobody in the world that doesnt like acknowledgement, validation of some sort, said Dana Sanders, assistant superintendent of staff and student services and Renaissance coordinator. The reason some students have the (negative) attitude, is thats the only way theyve learned to be acknowledged. Renaissance changes the focus from looking to see what students do wrong to seeing what they do right and what effort they expend. What you recognize is what you reinforce, said Brian Baca, director of personnel and Renaissance coordinator. What you reward, is what youll find. While negative behaviors have to be addressed, treating people with respect is the only way to make a connection with them, said Los Lunas Schools Superintendent Bernard Saiz. The Renaissance program isnt just for high performers. In fact, the program isnt for high achievers so much as it is for students in the C- to B+ grade range, the vast majority of students. It rewards any student who strives for some improvement. The Renaissance process gives educators the tools to help students learn another way, a positive way to gain recognition. By helping students learn self confidence through leadership development and step-by-step improvements, the program fosters their ability to be innovative and inspires ambition in the work world. Students from both Los Lunas and Valencia high schools who attended the 2011 Jostens Renaissance National Conference in Anaheim, Calif., in June were able to learn from other educators and students from across the country. Valencia High School senior and vice president of the schools Renaissance committee Raquel Lopez wants to leave a legacy at her school. Renaissance teaches me a lot about leadership how to make a positive impact on the community, Lopez said. Her passion is to create an atmosphere of Jaguar pride through Renaissance at her school. So we can strive to be the best school in academics, in sports, in clubs. Weve accomplished a lot this year through
VALENCIA HIGH SCHOOL students line dance to music deejayed by special education teacher Daniel Romero at a Fun Day sponsored by the Renaissance program for the 500 students who achieved excellent attendance and school performance improvements.
Renaissance, she said. Students learn leadership and public speaking skills that empower them to implement their own ideas and concepts for Renaissance at their school. Lopez learned to be a good public speaker, and attributes winning first place in the district for a Future Farmers of America speech competition to skills learned in Renaissance. Im really good at public speaking, she said. So, it really helps me with giving presentations and communication with the students and their parents. The Renaissance conference was an opportunity for students and staff to find fresh inspiration for the new school year. Students brainstormed ideas to inspire the student body. This is Los Lunas High Schools first year implementing Renaissance. Alexandra Yebra, a senior, and Mykala Moody, a junior, are on the Renaissance student board. They both attended the conference in Anaheim. One of the workshops that we went to was how to start your new year with Renaissance, and on the first day of school, our theme was, Happy New Year, Yebra said. It was like a New
Years party to welcome all the students back to school, starting it off with a positive attitude. One of the things Yebra took away from the conference was how to set a precedent at her school. You dont make your school the back burner, you shine through your school, Yebra said. You try to make your school the best that it can be, and you do that by becoming a good leader. The students enjoyed meeting and sharing ideas with other students from Tennessee, California, Texas, Colorado and New Jersey at the conference. Since this is their first year in Renaissance at the high-school level, they appreciated the experience of the other students and getting some good pointers. The conference really inspired us to step it up, Moody said. The high school already tasted some of the fruits of the program when students got their first report card. Anybody who got an A or a B got excused from their sixth period class, Yebra said. And we had ice cream sandwiches and music going on in the cafeteria to reward those who tried hard.
For me, it (Renaissance) sets the bar to where I want to reach try harder to achieve my goals, Moody said, like go to college and go where I want not have to be stuck where I dont want. The superintendent brought the Renaissance process to the district, because he has experienced the programs ability to get results first hand. Back in the mid-80s, when he was an assistant principal at Socorro High School, Saiz was faced with the challenge of trying to figure out what he could do to change students negative behavior. A vice principal from Los Cruces schools mentioned the Renaissance program, Saiz said. They were trying it out there, and I found out how they set it up with incentives. The Renaissance program has a series of cards gold, silver, and bronze that entitle students and staff to certain privileges as reward for accomplishments and efforts. Eventually, Socorro High School tried the program. It took about three years to catch on,
n See Renaissance, Page 13
from PAGE 12
Renaissance
to start seeing outstanding results, Saiz said. But the GPAs (grade point averages) shot up, national merit scholars doubled from what we had, graduation rates started to shoot up. When Saiz was selected for the principal position at Los Lunas Middle School, he and Dana Sanders, his assistant at the time, implemented the Renaissance program there. Prior to 2000, it had been a school where parents were pulling their children out and transferring them to other places, Saiz said. By 2004, our grade point averages had gone up, our attendance rates had gone up, our test scores had gone up. I really do attribute Renaissance culture to doing all that. Saiz was the Jostens Renaissance Coordinator of the Year in 2004, and was inducted into the National Jostens Renaissance Hall of Fame in 2009. Every school has that program now, Saiz said. I believe the program works. Weve been able to show results at schools that have been using it. Were talking about changing the culture at the schools from the top down, Baca said. From the superintendent to the administrators in the buildings down to the teachers. Were trying to create a culture here, where people know they are appreciated for their hard work. People who feel recognized for their efforts are happier people and tend to work even harder, he said. Happier staff and students create a positive atmosphere, not only for education, but for team work and community building, Saiz said. Renaissance inspires students to be themselves, rather than follow peer pressures or negative trends. It fosters leadership skills through student examples that guide the school in the right direction If you boost a kids self confidence, and you let them see some of the things that they couldnt see in themselves, youre going to have a more successful citizen in the world because they know that they can accomplish things they set their mind to, Sanders said. Whats important is showing all kids, no matter where theyre at, that they are capable of succeeding if they so choose. The bottom line is, its not just learning academically, students are learning how to think about themselves, how to treat other students and the adults in their lives. One of my vice principals from years ago told me, You know, Renaissance is not about teaching students how to act, its about teaching them how to live life, said Saiz. With Renaissance, were not just trying to get an immediate reaction out of them while theyre in
VALENCIA HIGH SCHOOL senior and Renaissance program committee vice president Raquel Lopez has learned a lot about leadership and how to make a positive impact.
MYKALA MOODY, a junior, left, and Alexandra Yebra, a senior, right, are both on the Renaissance student board at Los Lunas High School.
school during the school day, during the school year, were attempting to change their whole philosophy of life and how they treat people and how they treat themselves. Another goal of the Renaissance program is to build community partnerships and relationships. Youve heard, It takes a village to raise a child, said Baca. The job as educators ... we cannot complete our job, or do our job as well, without the support of parents and community members. The Renaissance program encourages these partnerships and gives folks an opportunity to help us help the kids better. Even community members without students in the school system have a vested interest in the students as future employees, managers, business owners and community officials. Businesses are encouraged to partner up with the school district to help fund incentives for the Renaissance program. Thats why we need funding and why were having the brick sale, Sanders said. To help us get where we want to go. The bricks for sale will be used in the entrance patio of the newly remodeled Los Lunas High School. Each brick is $125 and will be engraved with a name and the year of graduation. Businesses interested in a partnership can call Brain Baca or Dana Sanders at 865-9636.
Matanzas have a long history in our community. In fact, the matanza tradition came to New Mexico from Spain. Many who attend a matanza for the first time ask why matanzas are held during our coldest time of the year. Traditionally, matanza season starts before Christmas. The main focus is to bring family and friends together. Its a very social event usually ending with homemade tortillas, red chile and pork, tamales & chicharones to celebrate. In earlier times, without refrigeration, the cold winter kept the food from spoiling and easier to store and dry meat. Though times are different, the culture and tradition are still popular and what a better way to embrace this heritage by joining in on the 12th Annual Hispano Matanza 2012.
Come celebrate our 12th Annual Matanza on January 28, 2012

Chile, Tortilla & Biscochito Contest Artist Tent, Mariachis & 25 Teams Compete
Corporate & Political SPONSORSHIPS AVAILABLE
to benefit our scholarship program and community outreach programs
Call 505-702-9468 www.hispanomatanza.com
MESA program enhances Belen Middle School students

orange if they eat enough of them. While keeping a room of several seventh- and eighth-grade students at a lowered octave is no easy feat, the students managed not to leave the snakes permanently traumatized or deaf. Rather, they were genuinely captivated by the large serpents and awed by the opportunity to touch them and learn about how their bodies work. Houdini, the youngest snake, earned his name for his ability to disappear into small spaces such as between the filing cabinets, Meathenia told the class. During the presentation, Houdini indeed had to be wrangled back into his box on several occasions. Bringing creatures to class is only one way Meathenia engages students in the principles of science, mathematics and engineering every week in preparation for the upcoming regional MESA Day competition, which is the big day. For MESA Day, students will design a paper boat that will be structured to hold weight while in water. Students will be broken up into teams of four to n See MESA, Page 15
Belen Belen Middle Schools after-school MESA (Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement) program is a haven for stray animals and students alike. For some reason, it becomes a stray drop off, says MESA sponsor Kenda Meathenia. Meathenia uses animals such as pythons and bearded dragons to teach students about science in the hour long, after-school program, including a female python that was rescued from owners that did not care for her properly, leaving her permanently scarred. On the second day of MESA, which meets every Thursday from 2 to 3 p.m., Meathenia brought her reptiles pythons Will, Grace and Houdini, and bearded dragon Jack to meet the new 2011-12 MESA group. She explained to the class how snakes respond to vibrations, such as loud children, and how bearded dragons love carrots so much they will start to turn
Ungelbah Daniel-Davila-News-Bulletin-photo
MESA SPONSOR Kenda Meathenia, right, introduces Will, a python, to seventh- and eighth-grade students in the after-school program.
BELEN CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS

What We Offer: Highly Competitive salaries Excellent benefits Great small town values Family-friendly workplace Professional development training
District Mission Statement
To help students acquire the knowledge, skills and character to become productive adults, deal effectively with change, and have a positive impact on their community.
What We Do: Provide outstanding instructional leadership Encourage excellence in athletics Offer a save learning environment Foster academic, social & emotional growth What We Have: Outstanding academic programs State-of-the-art technology Extra-curricular activities Alternative schools 9th Grade Academy & Career Academy Teacher Resource Center
For more information, call (505) 966-1000 or visit us at www.belen.schoolfusion.us
from PAGE 14
MESA: Teacher uses the students imaginations to foster growth
get their boats in fighting form for the annual competition to be held at the University of New Mexico in April. On the first day of MESA, an eager flock of 20 students 13 girls and seven boys congregated in a classroom. Meathenia said she hopes to increase that number to 100 in time for MESA Day. Wasting no time, Meathenia immediately began engaging the students in critical thinking and problem solving. The first thing she asked the class was, Anybody know anything going on in the world that has to do with science? To which several hands shot in the air, each student eager to outdo the last with answers ranging from rabies outbreaks, zombie takeovers to the weather. Weather being the desired topic, specifically about flooding at Dixon Apple Orchard, in particular. From there, students were divided into groups and asked to come up with a plan on how they would stop the flooding. A lot of this is team building, says Meathenia. She said MESA is meant to encourage students to go into the fields of science, math and engineering, and that after middle school, they might have the opportunity to join high school MESA groups. I welcome all, and as I get to know the students, I can help them academically, she said. My goal is to expose them to as much math and science as I can give them an interest in school. However, Meathenia also acknowledges that everyone is not a scientist or an engineer, and that thats OK too. They have different skills they bring to the table, she says, pointing out that students who are exceptional artists are just as valuable when it comes to designing and building a project as a student with an engineers mind. A lot of the projects that Meathenia gives the class are hands on and fun, making learning an adventure and leaving little time for boredom or distraction. Along with the reptiles, during MESAs second meeting the class participated in two experiments. The first was a density experiment in which Meathenia provided students with polymer beads that they soaked in water. While they waited for them to soak up water, the class worked on another experiment using windbags. In 1738, Daniel Bernoulli observed that when you blow into a bag, atmosphere is drawn into or pushed into the bag
Ungelbah Daniel-Davila News-Bulletin-photo
STUDENTS IN THE Belen Middle School MESA program pose with windbags after using them in a science experiment about the atmosphere.
I welcome all, and as I get to know the students, I can help them academically. My goal is to expose them to as much math and science as I can give them an interest in school.
KENDA MEATHENIA MESA sponsor
at the same time, causing the bag to instantly fill. In the class experiment, Meathenia began by having a student attempt to fill the windbag with her breath, as if it were a balloon, as the rest of the class kept track of how many breaths it took. Then, she broke the class into pairs of two and had one student hold one end of a bag while the other held their side open about 10 inches from their face and blew air into it to demonstrate the Bernoulli principle. The class quickly filled with laugh-
ter, static electricity and large, oblong balloons of various colors as the pairs took turns deflating and inflating their balloons. For some, tieing a knot at their end to trap the air inside proved the hardest part of the activity, a fact that amused students immensely. MESA provides a positive environment for students to mingle after school, especially for those whose parents work late. Meathenia says that students enter MESA with a clean slate and the program becomes whatever they choose to make of it.
Eighth-grader Casey Hoyt is in her second year with MESA, and said that it was so interesting the first time she attended that she just kept coming. I thought it would help my education, Hoyt said. From doing MESA, we know how to graph things. Another eighth-grader, Alexandra White, who is also in her second year with MESA, said her favorite activity so far was when they made bottle rockets and got to film the grand launch. She also said that MESA is hands-on, not like youre doing it out of a book. Youre learning from experience. White said its helped her math and science as well as her art because of all the designing. I think they thrive on the attention, said Meathenia. They really need that contact for someone to see them in a different light. She said that in MESA, students also learn that its OK to be smart and successful, and that what initially begins as playful teasing between kids for being nerdy quickly develops into genuine support.
Educating ValEncia county SincE 1981
Dreams Start Here!
he dream of a college campus in Valencia County started in the 1981 academic year with a few makeshift classrooms at the Rio Communities Shopping Center. Faculty referred to the facilities as the fish bowl campus because students could walk by the large plate
glass windows and watch classroom activities from the parking lot. There were 300 students. Headcount at the permanent Tom campus is now close to 2,500, with more than 1,500 fulltime equivalent students. We offer 18 associates degree programs, 12 certificate programs, and 4 health sciences programs. And were just getting started.
280 La Entrada Los Lunas, NM 87031 505-925-8560 Like us on Facebook! (www.facebook.com/UNMVC)
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VALENCIA COUNTY
News-Bulletin
October 29, 2011
2 LOCALS 2011: Enterprise Valencia County News-Bulletin October 29, 2011
New Mexico Travertine invests in success and community

By Brent ruffner
Belen Jim Lardner isnt going anywhere. Larder, who helped start New Mexico Travertine in 1985, has developed what he calls a sterling reputation for his company and has outlasted many of his competitors in the stone business over the past few decades. But Lardner has kept up with technology in his industry and attributes much of the Belen businesss success to being fast and efficient in an environment that has very few companies like New Mexico Travertine. Lardner took over the business last September after his brother, Tim, lost his battle with cancer and passed away at age 53. The business cuts marble, limestone and travertine stone and cuts raw blocks of stone down into more manageable pieces of stone used for the interior and exterior of houses and other structures. The 40,000-square-foot Belen plant does unique work such as cutting different profiles for stone that will go in places such as a federal courthouse in Billings, Mont., to high-end homes in northern California. In Montana, the company will recycle stone from the old courthouse and cut it to size to be reinstalled in the interior of the new building. New Mexico Travertine has built its reputation as a well-known, respected company in its industry. Travertine stone is mined at quarries 15 miles west of Belen. The company also has other quarries that supply flagstone and snapped sandstone as well as crushed rock. We are not the cheapest, Lardner said. But we are the best. But the companys work wouldnt be the best without the proper tools. Lardner uses a computer numerical control, or CNC machine that allows the operator to program commands in the device to cut specific designs on particular pieces of stone. The machine allows the company to craft designs that could be made up of many different pieces of stone. Certain jobs require the company to cut several hundred different pieces with different profiles. Lardner has learned that the company must stay current on the latest technology to keep up with the leaders in his industry, despite the fact that technology hasnt had that many upgrades over the last 25 years. The CNC allows workers to cut stone on a radius rather than cutting designs in the material by hand or having to send the stone out to another company to complete.
Brent Ruffner-News-Bulletin photos
MARTY CORDOVA, a plant supervisor at New Mexico Travertine in Belen, looks over plans for a piece of stone in the local factory. Cordova, who has been with the company for more than 20 years, ensures everything runs smoothly at the plant on a daily basis. He said it takes a true craftsman to cut out specific designs by hand. But after architects do their work, its up to New Mexico Travertine to craft the stone to the customers specific needs. The thing about stone is, its like lipstick, Lardner said. Its cosmetic. The structure is not going to fall down without it. Its whatever, aesthetically, the owners are looking for. Another device, a newer polishing machine, has helped the company maintain its efficiency in being able to ensure all of a particular stone is polished with the help of electronic eyes that can tell which areas need to be polished. The machine has the ability for the user to set the width of a slab that goes into the machine. It also has the ability to scan the slab and determine how fast its coming into the machine. Lardner said the newer machine that he purchased about 10 years ago allows him to reduce labor by having one worker on the machine rather than two or three people. In the past, the other workers were mandated to make sure that all sides of the stone were polished to specification. Now, one person loads and unloads the machine. Lardner said New Mexico Travertine is one of the few in the western U.S., partly because most homes arent made out of materials such as stone and brick like homes built on the East Coast. He said its more common for people to use wood and stucco to build homes in western states. Not only is New Mexico Travertine competing with stone companies in the U.S., but also with companies in other countries such as China, India and Mexico that offer a high level of competition. Lardner said foreign governments pay for high-dollar equipment in other countries since there is an abundance of stone in certain areas. We have the best technology in our factory thats available, Lardner said. The problem you run into is that there are other countries out there that are investing in this type of equipment because they have the raw materials to go with it. He said most of the technology hasnt changed since the market hasnt taken off enough to support huge technological advances. Theres only so much you can do to a piece of stone, Lardner said. Still, the company plans to keep up with the best and is in the process of revamping its website to include a feature where customers can see what is going on at the site in real time. A video of Lardner explaining what New Mexico
ABout this section

This section, Enterprise, is about the increased use of technology in our everyday lives in business, in medicine and in retail. Business owners and their employees have had to obtain a large amount of education and training to keep up with the ever-increasing technological advances of the 21st century. While some have readily and enthusiastically embraced technology in operating their businesses, others are still trying to catch up with todays gadgets and their increasing costs. Even though Valencia County is a rural community, technology has a large presence in what we do and how we conduct business. This section is about local businesses and people who are using technology and making it work for them. On the cover: Matt Montoya, an employee at New Mexico Travertine, operates a bridge saw, which cuts profiles in the stone, at the Belen plant.
n See Travertine, Page 3
October 29, 2011 Valencia County News-Bulletin LOCALS 2011: Enterprise 3
from PAGE 2
Travertine: Stone
Travertine has to offer is also planned. The businessman said the company must weather the tough times its gone through in the last couple of years. He said a struggling economy and the construction industry have been anything but easy. He calls the website a 24-hour salesman that offers customers options. Its all about letting people see theres a lot of work that goes into it, from the quarry to the mill and on to the saws that eventually go onto their job site. Lardners products go into homes and businesses across the U.S., using materials that come from a number of locations, such as Kansas and Texas. While hes made a substantial investment in the machinery, Lardner and New Mexico Travertine have also made an impact in the community. But all of his success didnt come without a lot of dedication to the craft. What you are looking at through those windows is 26 years of work, Larder said. I dont take vacations, Tim never took vacations. We dont play golf every Friday. Its dedication and hard work. You know what, I think anybody can make it, its just, how much are you willing to give up to get what you want? Thats the bottom line.
NEW MEXICO TRAVERTINE in Belen uses numerous types of American- and Italian-made saws, including this park saw that was recently fixed. Parts for these industrial machines are sometimes hard to find, according to the companys owner, Jim Lardner.
Technology affects auto sales, maintenance in many ways

By Jason W. Brooks
News-Bulletin Reporter jbrooks@news-bulletin.com
Los Lunas Watch this. Tillery Pontiac Buick GMC master technician Jeff Kielbasa checks the functionality of a power window in a 2011 GMC Terrain. He rolls the window up and down a few times without even touching the car. Kielbasa is merely using the mouse of a laptop thats wired into the diagnostic port of the Terrain. The laptop allows a technician to not only see if certain on-board computers and parts are working properly, but also to run tests and command the regular function of moving items to isolate problems. The laptops multiple data interface, or MDI, is just one of many forms of hardware and software that have impacted the auto sales and service industries. From Internet inventory searches to shop ventilation systems, technology has driven down operating expenses in some ways, and made overhead costs greater in others. There are 28 computers in a vehicle like the GMC Yukon, said Kielbasa, who recently attended a training session for electric-assisted cars. You need a computer to talk to all of a cars computers. Technology has changed in ways that have made some automotive industry elements easier, and in others, its made it tougher to do business or reduce costs. Brad Francis, owner of Chevrolet and Ford dealerships in Los Lunas, said simply supplying enough computer workstations for his businesses is one example of his many technology costs. On the other hand, that same technology allows customers to see Francis complete inventory with only a few clicks of a mouse. Its not cheap to advertise online, but you have to do it, because your competitors can have that same visibility, said Francis. Everyone can see each others prices and features, so the customer is as well-informed now as ever, so that keeps prices down a little. New technology in the auto service industry is not always a matter of automatically ponying up cash every time a new toy comes along. In some cases, new technology would save lots of time, but only the bigger dealerships have the capital to invest in the newest and shiniest hardware. Tillery moved into its new west Los Lunas facility in 2008, and did get things such as a modern ventilation and exhaust system, but other things had to
Jason W. Brooks-News-Bulletin photo
TILLERY PONTIAC BUICK GMC master technician Jeff Kielbasa checks the functionality of a power window in a 2011 GMC Terrain, using a laptop. Computer diagnostics help technicians zero in on service problems and warning signals.
wait. We could be doing wheel balancing a lot faster, but a top-notch machine was expensive like, $15,000, said Freddy Mora, service manager at Tillery. To the customer, that could do something like turn a $40 job into a $120 job. Francis pointed out other ways in which huge cooperate dealerships are at a different point on the technology curve. We are starting to go digital with some parts of documentation and record keeping, said Francis. There are at least 30 to 40 documents just for the customer to sign alone with each sale. Tillerys general sales manager, Dan Hoagland, said most dealerships have become national outlets by being online. Weve sold vehicles to people in other states, and all we have to do is
pick them up at the Sunport, said Hoagland. This tends to happen mostly with really unique vehicles, or we just happen to have a super-low price on something. Its easier to reach millions of customers, but all the other outlets can reach those same people, too. The ventilation system for the new Tillery facility appears modest for a building of its size and age. However, the six-fan system is typical of lots of technology in the auto industry: simply by being new, the system is up to modern code, meeting current safety guidelines, and able to do a job much more efficiently than its ancestors. Mora said with so much fast-evolving technology, training has become nearly constant. Some training can be done online, but much of it requires travel. Kielbasa recently returned from a GMC facility in Burbank, Calif., where he learned the many precautions
for working on newer electric-assist vehicles. His description of the 300-volt battery and its care makes it sound as if a qualified mechanic must have some of the skills of a high-voltage utility worker. Its enough to cook your insides, he said. Kielbasa described the protocol for working on electric-assisted cars, including a specified type of insulated gloves and how those must be worn. Other elements of the Tillery facility have both benefitted from added speed and efficiency from technology, but also have had to deal with the new overhead. Some of our challenges were augmented by our move, said Gary Tillery, general manger of the dealership. For example, we now have a phone system that uses Internet pron See Automotive, Page 5
from PAGE 4
Automotive: Costs
tocol, but that means if the Internet goes down, we cant do business. We lose phones, GM global diagnostics, credit and sales information, the whole works. Santiago Garcia, Tillerys finance manager, said protecting electronic information about customer data is a concern. Jean Post, the dealerships office manager, has had to deal with technology challenges such as software, computer firewalls, more sophisticated phone and credit card systems and personal customer information. We have to be a lot more diligent about guarding electronic information, said Tillery. Being computer savvy is not the only way to survive in the car business, however. Garcia, who has been in the business for about 12 years, said being a veteran of the industry is helpful when technology gets jammed up. Knowing how to calculate rates and use the right multipliers if an automated formgenerating computer program is down are examples of skills newer auto sales personnel might not have. Still, auto sales and service people have to have some high-tech skills or surround themselves with those who do. Felix Casaus, Tillerys used car manager, has to talk with Moras diagnostic experts in appraising a vehicle.
GARY TILLERY, general manager of Tillery Pontiac Buick GMC in Los Lunas, says technology increases efficiency, but sometimes leads to higher overhead costs.
It takes a lot more time now, because with each newer car, theres a lot to it, said Casaus. It used to be that if an engine was off somehow, you could find the problem. Now, a check engine light could be a lot of things, and without talking to Freddy and his people, Id have no clue.
Jason W. Brooks-News-Bulletin photo
FREDDY MORA, service manager for Tillery Pontiac Buick GMC, shows a diagnostic unit that links directly to GMs global computer system.
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Todays medical technology helps to diagnose and treat

Los Lunas When Valencia Family Medicine opened in February 2009 in Los Lunas, co-owners and certified family nurse practitioners Kathy R. Fresquez-Chavez and Leona Herrell knew the future was not just coming, but already there. A recent federal mandate had come down, notifying health care providers that if they wanted to bill their patients Medicare, and get paid, it needed to be done electronically. Providers have until 2014 to switch over to a fully-electronic billing and records system. We started right away when we opened, so we wouldnt have to go back and upgrade, Fresquez-Chavez said. When patients visit the office, they wont see the medical assistants or the staff of certified family nurse practitioners hauling around cumbersome paper patient files in manila folders. Instead, vitals taken by the assistant are jotted on a slip of paper. The CFNPs make notes on the same paper and all the information is entered into the patients electronic chart after the visit. The electronic records system is linked between their primary care clinic and their new walk-in, express care facility on Main Street in Los Lunas. So if someone goes to the express care and is a patient here for primary care, they can access their records, Fresquez-Chavez said. And if they arent a patient and need to come here for follow-up care, the information is already there. We dont have to wait to get if from someone else. While the records system for the two facilities is connected, Fresquez-Chavez said HIPAA regulations prevents it from being shared with anyone without a patients permission. We can release information to another provider in cases of emergency, she said. Otherwise, that information can only be transferred with the patients signature and approval. Fresquez-Chavez, an Espaola native currently living in the South Valley, comes to Valencia County with almost 21 years in health care and 16 years of higher education, 11 of which have been in the medical field. She specializes in pediatric, mental health and adult medicine. Herrell has 25 years of experience in health care, and 10 years of higher education in the medical field. Prior to her nurse practitioner experience, she worked for the Presbyterian organization in a variety of settings for 10 years. Fresquez-Chavez holds a masters degree as a family nurse practitioner and is currently in her doctoral program with
LUCUS ENSLIN, a certified family nurse practitioner at Valencia Family Medicine in Los Lunas, does a little multitasking as he makes a call on his cell phone while logging into the clinics electronic patient records system.
the University of Alabama. With more than two decades in the medical field, Fresquez-Chavez has seen medical technology and devices change. There is so much research being done and things change rapidly, FresquezChavez said. These changes try to make the job a little easier and safer. One of the most helpful changes Fresquez-Chavez has seen literally fits in the palm of her hand. Using her smart phone, Fresquez-Chavez can access a program called Epocrates. By doing a quick search, she can pull up reference information on prescription medications, images and symptoms of diseases, courses of treatment and even information on the Medicare Part D prescription program. For instance, I can enter a list of a patients medications and check for any drug interactions, she said. The program can even help identify the occasional mystery pill that FresquezChavez deals with. People will tell you, Im taking a pink pill. I can put in a description of the pill, any markings or score marks, and pull up images of various medications to help me identify what it is, she said. Or theyll bring in a bottle with several different pills, so you have to figure out what they are. The mobile application also shows magnified images of different viruses
and ailments such as skin conditions, with a list of symptoms, complications and suggested course of treatment. No provider can have it all up here, Fresquez-Chavez said, pointing to her head. And this saves time having to go back to your office and hunt through reference books. It just makes life a little easier. A more common instrument that has gotten an upgrade is the stethoscope. Fresquez-Chavez uses one that has a black rubber coating over the bell or part that is placed against the patients chest or back. Looking closely at the instrument, you see there are buttons and a small LED screen above the bell. The stethoscope can amplify and record heartbeats, Fresquez-Chavez said. You can upload the recording to a computer, and there is software that can analyze the recording and diagnose things like a heart murmur and tell you what kind of murmur it is, she said. You have the information right away. There are instruments such as temporal artery thermometers that are swept across a patients forehead and down the side of their face, following the temporal artery, which are very accurate and not as intrusive as traditional mouth-held thermometers. There are also forehead strips that can detect a fever. Other kinds of instruments on the market include ear probes that can take a
patients temperature and detect if there is an infection present and skin diagnostic machines that can identify a lesion on the spot. We dont have those at our clinic. One thing we do that is vital is an EKG, Fresquez-Chavez said. But all the technology in the world doesnt give a health care provider the one thing they always seem to be short on time. There are a lot of great instruments, but not a lot of time to learn how to use them, Fresquez-Chavez said. In a lot of cases, you just have to start using them. Thats the only way to learn. There is a huge amount of information available and a large amount of feedback on these instruments to help you decide if something is really useful. It all makes it much simpler for the providers. And advancements arent just happening in instruments, Fresquez-Chavez said. Researchers are taking things we are used to being bad or dangerous for us and finding they can be helpful, she said. Electricity, in general, isnt something people take lightly, but recent studies have shown that mild electrical stimulation helps in pain relief. A new kind of pain reliever, made from Cobra venom, has also shown to be helpn See Medicine, Page 7
from PAGE 6
Medicine: Technology is expensive, rural providers have to choose

Chavez said. We do some testing in a few minutes. Its a matter of spending thousands of dollars on a machine versus sending it to a lab. The clinic is also able to do urine testing for bacteria, blood and dehydration. It also has a machine that can test people for asthma and other respiratory problems. If specimens need to be sent to a lab for testing, the clinic collects them on-site so patients dont have to make an additional trip to the lab. Marianne Randall, a nurse practitioner student from the University of St. Francis in Albuquerque who is doing an internship at Valencia Family Medicine, says the biggest change she has seen in medical technology is in the computer systems they have to use. It usually comes down to speed. As a student, Im trying to establish my rules on charting, a best-practice, and chart after every patient, Randall said. If the computer system is slow or down, you get behind. Being able to perform diagnostic tests on-site and get immediate results both speeds up care and helps put patient anxiety to rest, Randall said. Fresquez-Chavez said she encourages people to go into the medical field. Its growing by leaps and bounds, and, unfortunately, there are always going to be sick people, she said. Valencia Family Medicine, the family practice at 311 S. Los Lentes, is open for appointments 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. The express care, which takes walk-in patients at 328 Main Street, is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
ful in alleviating pain. Its not an NSAID (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug). Its not a narcotic, so its not addictive, she said. It works on the central nervous system to alleviate pain. Even Botox, created from botulism toxin, is being used for more than unsightly forehead wrinkles. It can be injected into a patients armpits to curb excess sweating. It also helps with migraines, to stop the muscle spasms that cause them, Fresquez-Chavez said. While large clinics and hospitals may have the space and resources to invest in lots of new equipment, Fresquez-Chavez said as a small clinic in a more rural setting, she and the other providers have to be careful about what the company purchases. There is a diagnostic machine that measures the thickness of a persons blood, which is extremely important if they are on anticoagulants, she said. But it costs thousands of dollars. We have to think about what our patients need what treatment they are coming to you for, she said. If you only do one (anticoagulant test) a year, its not a wise investment. There is a lot of great equipment out there, but you have to look at how many of your patients will use it. When will it pay for itself a year or five years? What are the consumables going to cost you every month? But thats not to say Valencia Family Medicine is completely without diagnostic equipment. They have several machines that are approved for use in a clinical setting, including a hemoglobin A1C machine to test the
USING HER SMART PHONE, certified family nurse practitioner Kathy R. Fresquez-Chavez, can look up symptoms and treatments for various aliments, as well as drug interactions and pill identifications. Shown on her phone is a magnified image of the H1N1 virus.
blood of patients with diabetes. We see a lot of patients with diabetes, Fresquez-
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Veterinarians use high-tech equipment for animal medicine

By DeBorah Fox
Bosque Farms The technological advances in veterinary medicine have come a long way since 1980 when veterinarian Mike McCallister graduated with his doctorate from Kansas State University. For example, in the 80s there werent any cell phones. We had what was called chunk phones, they were radio phones, McCallister said. When we started this practice (the Village Veterinary Hospital in Bosque Farms) in 1987, we got a computer. Well first, what we did was buy a spread sheet, and then we got a computer, and that computer was a Tandy computer, McCallister said. They were real basic. And then we upgraded to a 256, and then a 480, or whatever they call it. They were just slower than a seven-year itch. For older generations, the computerage has meant learning something totally foreign. So weve had to learn it, whereas subsequent generations, its all old hat to them, McCallister said. The kids today, their brain works so much faster than our brain does because theyre used to everything coming at them so fast video games. They work these video games so fast, and so their eye-hand coordination is excellent. Its good for them, but it makes them bored. Things move too slow for them. Now, McCallisters practice utilizes 12 computers for everything from archiving pictures of animals and their problems to client information. They do everything, they keep track of everything, McCallister said. Its just like any other computer and any other business nowadays. Everything in his practice is digital at this point, he said. For example, the office has a digital ultra-sound machine and a digital radiography X-ray machine. When we bought it six years ago, it was top of the line, McCallister said. It still is top of the line. For a large animal vet, these advances are particularly beneficial. We can take pictures of horses and I can take 40 X-rays of a horse in 30 minutes, where it would have taken me 2 1/2 hours to take that film, McCallister said. And then, I can send those X-rays over the Internet to a consultant, you know, itll take an hour to send them versus packaging them all up in a FedEx and sending them for somebody to look at. And the same thing can be done with ultra-sound. The digital radiology camera collects an X-ray in three seconds, and the
DIGITAL RADIOLOGY is one of the new technologies veterinarian Mike McCallister uses at the Village Veterinary Hospital in Bosque Farms. Using the computers mouse, McCallister can adjust the brightness and contrast of the X-ray to better evaluate the dogs heart, lungs or spine.
X-rays can be emailed anywhere in the world. Telemedicine has really come a long ways in my time, McCallister said. We can do an EKG (electrocardiogram), send it over the telephone or over the computer to a cardiologist, and have a board certified cardiologist consult done within the hour. Same thing with radiology, same thing with ultra-sound. Today its easier for veterinarians to network among themselves and medical specialists to share their experience and expertise. Basically, its like being in a big, human hospital with all the board certified people there, McCallister said. Theyre all the experts. Specialists today can evaluate X-rays from their home computer or anywhere from their smart phones, he said. Technological advances in surgery are mostly instrumentation and radiology, McCallister said. He uses CT scans, MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging) and nuclear scans. Nuclear scans use a radioactive marker to highlight areas inside an animals body. It tells you about different things, McCallister said. Bone uptake and soft
tissue uptake of the marker gives you an idea of what the problem is. Its not used so much anymore with the advent of MRI, although with horses, you can MRI their head and you can MRI their legs thats it. The MRI machine is not big enough for large animals. The CT scan is the same way because they are circular devices. Dogs and cats whole bodies can be CT scanned or MRI-ed, he said. They just have to be under anesthesia. Lasers offer another technological advantage. They have been used to treat everything from arthritis to skin problem and allergies. While veterinarians and veterinarian technicians are trained in radiology in school, new equipment requires further training. Training is provided by the company the equipment is purchased from, McCallister said. Veterinarians learn basic laser safety, manipulation and surgical techniques. We have a surgical laser and a therapeutic laser. So when you buy those machines, the company comes in and trains you ..., McCallister said. The same with the ultra-sound.
Laser surgery causes less post-operative pain, less bleeding and less swelling, the Bosque Farms veterinarian said. The disadvantages of these new machines has been the purchase price and upkeep. Laser surgical units are quite expensive. The other laser is the therapeutic laser. It can be used to reduce pain and inflammation for chronic wounds, back injuries McCallister said. Its actually a laser light thats going in and causing the cells to be excited and work at their utmost capacity, and then they heal themselves. Its a holistic type of thing. It can be used to stimulate and improve the healing of open wounds, ulcers and injuries to soft tissues such as ligaments, tendons and muscles. Its painless and noninvasive. The laser treatment works by stimulating healthy cells in the damaged area to heal themselves and the surrounding tissues, McCallister said. Veterinarians can also use lasers on horses for ligament injury, tendon injury, muscle injury, joint injury, arthritis, disc disease, paralysis, wounds, non-healing wounds, ulcers and pain management as part of an integrative therapeutic pro-
n See Veterinarian, Page 11
BOSQUE FARMS VETERINARIAN Mike McCallisters Village Veterinary Hospital is all digital, he says. The digital X-ray machine allows him to email X-rays and consult with specialists from all over the world.
Deborah Fox-News-Bulletin photos
MIKE MCCALLISTER, DVM, right, aims the radiology camera at a horses pastern while his son, David, left, holds the digital flat screen to pick up the image for an X-ray they will be able to view and manipulate on a computer screen within seconds.
from PAGE 10
Veterinarian: Lasers help treat

the distractions they foster in people. Most of us now, we have to get after our employees, said McCallister. Youre not going to be text messaging and Facebooking while youre here because everything else suffers for that. All-in-all, however, the pros outweigh the cons. The Village Veterinary Hospitals website, www.villagevethospital.com, keeps clients updated on vaccinations, heart worm medications, new products and sales. Clients are also emailed reminders about appointments and annual pet treatments. They have technology now that you can text clients, McCallister said. We dont have that capacity, but its possible. Theres some practices that text clients to tell them they need to give a pill, and I think thats a little bit ridiculous. I guess if you have the capacity to do it, thats fine. The hospitals website also offers more visibility for his business, a definite benefit in the highly competitive field of animal medicine. And all these technological advances make things more fun, too for the most part, McCallister said.
gram. You put the probe on the appropriate spot, move it accordingly over whatever area youre trying to treat, McCallister said. It works quite nice we use it on ourselves. The technology is pretty recent. McCallister bought the laser therapy unit three years ago when it first came out. The technology was brand new when we got it, he said. The digital X-ray was probably only three or four years old when we got it. At the Village Veterinarian Hospital, they take all their own X-rays. Unlike a hospital or doctor, they cant send their patient for X-rays at a clinic, but this is why veterinarians can be so much faster. The cost of all these upgrades is high, McCallister said, which we dont really get to share like human hospitals (can). McCallister has a flat panel digital radiology machine. This allows him to take X-rays of horses, because the flat screen that picks up the images can be hand-held along with the radiology camera. One of the drawbacks to all the new technology are all the gadgets people use today. McCallister is not a believer in the ability to multi-task, and one of the setbacks of the new technology are
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Tractors and farming go hand in hand, technology helps

Los Chavez For more than two decades, New Mexico Tractor Sales, a full John Deere dealership, has been serving the farmers and ranchers of the fertile Rio Grande Valley, supplying them with the equipment necessary to work their land as has been done for generations. From seeding tools to tillage tools to harvesting tools, New Mexico Tractor Sales has it all. However, the tools of the trade have changed a bit since our grandparents were eking out a living along the river. Sales manager Albert Benavidez grew up in the valley and has seen the agriculture business change with the times. In 1978, when I first went to work for the dealer that had this dealership at the time, we were still using Poppin Johnny tractors, says Benavidez. Hes watched the industry evolve from two-cylinder Poppin Johnny bangers to computerized tractors that are fancier than most college students cars. Poppin Johnny, also called Johnny Popper, was the nickname given to all tractors made from the original Model D tractor in 1923 to the last series in 1958. They were called Johnny Poppers for their distinct exhaust sounds. According to the John Deere website, Deere, a blacksmith and inventor from Grand Detour, Ill., began creating the company that would change the face of agriculture in 1837 with little more than a blacksmith shop, a piece of steel and a dream of helping farmers. His initial creation, that over many years would eventually give way to the tractor we know today, was a polished steel plow that allowed pioneer farmers to cut clean furrows in the Midwestern soil. In 1915, gasoline engine tractors hit the market, and in 1918 the John Deere company bought the maker of Waterloo Boy tractors. From there, the company began manufacturing tractors as their basic product, launching the Model D tractor in 1923, the first two-cylinder Waterloo-built tractor to bear the name John Deere. In 1959, another turning point occurred for the company with the release of the 8010, a diesel-powered, 215-horsepower, 10-ton goliath. It was the largest tractor ever built at that time. While only a few sold, it marked a change in tractor technology. By 1972, the first tractor with an operator enclosure, the Generation II model, was on the market. Soon, cab tractors would
Ungelbah Daniel-Davila News-Bulletin photo
NEW MEXICO TRACTOR SALES sales manager Albert Benavidez washes off a tractor that the company recently lent out to the Valencia County Fair. The tractor was put back out on the sales floor to be sold at a discount.
In 1978, when I first went to work for the dealer that had this dealership at the time, we were still using Poppin Johnny tractors.
ALBERT BENAVIDEZ Sales manager
become the new standard tractor for the 21st century. The Los Chavez store keeps relics from the past on display, from old single bottom, horse drawn plows to Poppin Johnnys as a sort of evolutionary tractor time line. It gives us an idea of where we came from, said Benavidez. As technology changed, our farm practices also changed. When Benavidez was growing up, he said a farm was considered large if it was 300 acres. Now, he says, a farm is large if it is 50 acres, and the average farm size in the area is between 10 and
15 acres. Some years a farm or ranch is profitable, some years not as much. Because of this, he says most farmers still have to keep a day job, though luckily, modern tractors and machinery make it easier to be a weekend farmer. In 1984, when cab tractors came out, you couldnt sell a cab tractor to a farmer, he said. Benevidez said the reason farmers were reluctant customers for the new machines was because they felt they were unnecessary since they had never had to rely on them before. Now, he says, you cant sell a trac-
tor without a cab. The cab protects the operator from cold, wind and other harsh elements, that, in the past, a person had to simply bundle up against by layering on their warmest clothes and toughing it out. This advancement, that was first seen as a needless luxury, now allows farmers to have the time and energy to maintain day jobs as well as work their farms without being affected by inclement weather conditions. Another advancement in tractor technology is the compact tractor, which is ideal for farms of 20 acres and below. Women, Benavidez says, have always operated tractors on the farm for as long as he can remember. The reason for this, he said, is that when husbands left the farm or ranch for their day job, it was up to the wife and children to perform the daily chores, such as feeding animals and maintaining crops. Out of necessity, he said, women learned to drive tractors then and still n See Tractors, Page 13
Ungelbah Daniel-Davila News-Bulletin photo
ON DISPLAY AT NEW MEXICO TRACTOR SALES in Los Chavez are antique plows and Poppin Johnny tractors to demonstrate how far farming technology has advanced.
from PAGE 12
Tractors: Dealership equipment

But Benavidez said that its not all fun and games. ATVs are not just for play, he said, they are an important utility vehicle for many people. ATVs, he says, complement a farm or ranch because they are able to get places that a pickup might not be able to, especially during muddy seasons. And on top of that, they are beneficial in terms of fuel economy since they use much less fuel than other types of utility vehicles. However, even still, the folks over at New Mexico Tractor Sales understand the value of a good time and the importance of mixing work and leisure, as well as serving the community they are a part of in the way they know how best. Every year, Benavidez said, the business donates a brand new tractor to be used at the local expos, fiestas and fairs around the county. Afterwards, the tractor is hosed down, cleaned up and put back on the sales floor to be sold at a discounted price, another way, he says, they are able to help out a neighbor.
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do today. With this in mind, he said Deere developed the compact tractor to appeal to women by making them as simple and non-intimidating as possible. The compact tractor is smaller than the standard 101 horsepower cab tractor and has pedals for forward, reverse and the breaks, as well as a steering wheel and not much more. This design makes it easy to operate. Because of its size, this model is also ideal for use in gardens, which Benavidez predicts will eventually outnumber farms in the valley. As a full John Deere dealership, New Mexico Tractor Sales also has on-site mechanic service to keep equipment running at peak performance even after its gone home with you. New Mexico Tractor Sales is not only a full John Deere dealer, it is also a full Kawasaki and Arctic Cat dealer, meeting the needs of those who know how to work hard and play hard. We try and cater to the work and fun side of farms and ranches, said Jennifer Cherry, office manager at New Mexico Tractor Sales.
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Retail businesses, such as Sears, use technology for success

By ABigAil R. ORtiz
Los Chavez One-on-one, friendly customer service is how Ron Richard, owner of the local Sears in Los Chavez, describes what his store provides to customers, and technology is helping them continue providing this. Customers can view in-store clearance items online, receive merchandise that is not available at the Los Chavez location to their home or the Sears store, and match competitors prices on appliances and all with the help of technology. As we learn more about what the Internet is capable of, and what were capable of doing on www.sears.com, technology is able to tweak systems that we have and pursue other avenues of getting merchandise to customers, Richard said. One of the technological advances the local Sears saw in late September was the addition of viewing in-store deals online. Customers can view in-store clearance and closeout merchandise through the Sears website. Before, visiting the store was the only way customers knew about these items. It used to be that unless customers came into the store, they didnt know what we had on clearance and now they can sit at home and click to find out, Richard said. A year ago, Sears added the ability for customers to receive merchandise, even if it wasnt available in the store or in the stores warehouse. Customers can have any merchandise shipped from the vendor to the store on 19554 N.M. 314 in Los Chavez, or to their home, when they place the order in the store, with no additional shipping charge for small items. If customers ordered merchandise online, they would be charged a shipping fee, unless they had a coupon for free shipping. Its shipped directly to the customer, whereas a year ago, there was no way we could have done that. We wouldnt have been able to, Richard said. This has increased sales, since before you were limited to what you see on the sales floor is basically what we can sell, he said. With this option, the local store has access to a larger variety of appliances and repair parts. The stores warehouse has limited space for the number of merchandise units it can hold.
J.T. EDMONDS, Sears manager, points out how sales representatives compare Sears prices to other retail chains. If competitors offer merchandise at a lower price then Sears, the Los Chavez store will match its price and add an extra 10 percent discount from the price difference.
And with the Internet, its opened us to order anything out there. We can get anything from a carburetor for a lawn mower to a heating element for a dryer.
RON RICHARD Sears owner
And with the Internet, its opened us to order anything out there, he said. We can get anything from a carburetor for a lawn mower to a heating element for a dryer. Starting five years ago, sales representatives could compare Sears prices to other retail chains. If competitors n See Sears, Page 15
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J.T. EDMONDS, manager of Sears, describes why the Kenmore Elite washer is energy efficient, including its yearly operating cost and its yearly electricity use.
from PAGE 14
Sears: Hometown store ranked

plish certain processes, we are getting to do more and more, he said. Slowly were getting access to other things that we didnt have before. Many times, the local store doesnt know when additional technological options are in the works until they are rolled out, Richard said. We wont hear about it until right before its launched, he said. Before the Internet took off, Richard said customers would order Sears merchandise through its large catalogs. A catalog store, one located in Belen, held merchandise and customer service representatives who would place merchandise orders for customers over the phone, but this operation was labor intensive and expensive. When the catalog store shut down about 20 years ago, Sears corporation tried to figure out what their next move was and they came up with a model for hometown stores. The hometown stores have the same assortment of appliances as full stores, but on a smaller scale and located in small towns throughout the nation. Out of 900 hometown stores nationn See Sears, Page 16
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offer a product at a lower price than Sears, the local store will match their competitors price and deduct an extra 10 percent discount from the price difference. Most of the time, we are already lower then they are, he said. With the Internet, hometown stores are notified of sales or discounts offered nationwide in full stores quicker than before. They let us know that this merchandise will be available at a great price and we can get it advertised locally, he said. In addition, the local Sears store offers discounts or special events not available at other locations. With the lousy economy, these advances in technology have helped maintain store sales and keep hometown stores stay open. Its helped us maintain what weve got. If the economy was better, there would certainly be an additional percent increase in sales, Richard said. As Sears stretches the services they provide online, hometown stores are able to move forward in the technological front. As they find pathways to accom-
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from PAGE 15
Sears: Internet
wide, the local branch is ranked in the Top 10 percent as the Sears Premier Dealer. The Sears Premier Dealer is based on sales, merchandising appearance and customer service. We deliver one of the top-rated stores in the nation here in Belen, Richard said. Although the store is about 35 miles south of the full stores in Albuquerque, Richard said southern New Mexicans prefer to shop here. We pull a lot of customers from Socorro that shop with us and Truth or Consequences, he said. There is a steady base of customers that have been with the Belen location for the 15 years its been in business, he said, adding that many of them are friends. Theyre not just a customer to us. At some point, theyve become good friends with us, he said. Richard describes their sales representatives as personable individuals who notify customers of upcoming discounted events or sales, and aim to identify and fulfill customers needs.
SEARS CUSTOMERS can use their smart phones to find home appliances available at the Los Chavez location. J.T. Edmonds, manager of Sears, shows how to find information on Sears website.

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October 29, 2011

Citizen of the Year & Unsung Heroes

2 LOCALS 2011: Citizen of the Year/Unsung Heroes