Posts Tagged ‘Las Cruces Public Schools’

Release courtesy of The Bridge of Southern New Mexico

The first early college high school (ECHS) in New Mexico opened its doors to students on Tuesday, July 6, 2010, when approximately 116 LCPS freshmen began classes. The new high school, the fifth within Las Cruces Public Schools, will temporarily be housed within the Dona Ana Community College (DACC) for the 2010/2011 school year.

LCPS Superintendent Stan Rounds said, “This school is the direct result of community and educational partners coming together to address the future of our local students,” said Rounds. “It began with a dream, molded itself through the Bridge initiative, and now I’m proud to announce we have our first class of students.”

The Bridge (formerly known as the REI – Regional Education Initiative) brought together private business, public and higher education, government, and economic development, to find solutions on reducing the dropout rate and better preparing graduates for the workforce.

“This is a really great day for our community and it shows the impact of people coming together to seek solutions together,” said Suzanne Quillen, chairwoman of The Bridge of Southern New Mexico. “The early college high school is nationally a best practice for reducing the dropout rate and preparing young people to successfully enter the work force.”

Rounds said the LCPS ECHS will offer students the chance to earn not only a high school diploma, but also to graduate from high school with an associate’s degree and credits toward a bachelor’s degree. The ECHS will emphasize science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) classes, entrepreneurship, along with career and technical education (CTE) courses.

Students were selected by completing an application and participating in a lottery drawing. The first class of ECHS freshmen (the class of 2014) will begin their high school careers with “a ninth-grade experience that will ignite their interest in education by providing relevance to their academics through high quality career and technical education (CTE) studies,” said Jennifer Amis, principal. “More than half our students will be the first in their families to attend a college or university.”

“This collaborative project has opened up a new avenue to higher education, one that affords greater access for many of our community’s youth who otherwise might have seen college as just a distant dream. Early College High School is about turning those dreams into reality while, at the same time, strengthening our workforce,” said Dr. Margie Huerta, DACC president. “The opening of this innovative school is proof that DACC, LCPS and NMSU can work together effectively to improve educational opportunities.”

“Nationally, early college high schools have a 90% graduation rate,” said Tracey Bryan, executive director of The Bridge. “They offer smaller learning environments and real-world applications in the coursework. This will give students a firm foundation on which to build a strong future for themselves, their families and their communities.”

By the summer of 2011, construction will be complete on a permanent eight-acre ECHS campus on Arrowhead Research Park on the western edge of NMSU. The state-of-the-art classrooms facilities are currently being designed by Studio D Architects of Las Cruces in collaboration with GenCon Corporation, LCPS, and the Arrowhead Development Corporation.

One of the foundational principles for having a spaceport in New Mexico is to provide tangible evidence of what can come from a good education, and enough excitement and incentive to encourage our students to learn and go make a difference. Spaceport America can be that catalyst for many of our youth to go beyond circumstance to a great future!

The April Dona Ana County Spaceport Community Council will feature a panel of leading educators from the Southern New Mexico who will discuss how Spaceport America is impacting our local schools from those that are involved in creating the change we’ve desired.

The event’s facilitator will be Margie Huerta, CEO of Dona Ana Community College.  Panelists include:

• Tom Burton, Department Head and Professor of New Mexico State University’s Aerospace Engineering Program;
• Patricia Hynes, Director of the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium;
• Jerry Welch, Division Dean of Dona Ana Community College’s Technical and Industrial Studies;
• Stan Rounds, Superintendent of Las Cruces Public Schools;
• Steven Sanchez, Associate Superintendent for Learning, Teaching and Research of Las Cruces Public Schools;
• Bill Coker, Superintendent of Hatch Valley Public Schools;
• Cynthia Nava, Superintendent of Gadsden Independent School District; and
• Tom Burris, Superintendent of Truth or Consequences Municipal Schools.

The meeting will be held on Thursday, April 22, 2010 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the Gerald Thomas Auditorium on the campus of New Mexico State University.  The meeting is open to the public and there is no admission charge.

For more information contact the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce, 575-524-1968.

Release Courtesy of NMSU Communications & Marketing Services

Photo Courtesy of NMSU

Bulldozers are rolling through a chunk of desert owned by New Mexico State University. The heavy equipment is building a new road and laying utilities to better connect NMSU’s Arrowhead Business and Research Park with the rest of campus. The project is also expected to help attract new investments, new clients and eventually thousands of high-paying jobs to the park.

The road will extend south for approximately one mile from the intersection of Payne and Wells streets to Sam Steel Way, which runs parallel to Interstate 10. Construction is scheduled to be complete in March 2010.

The project represents nearly $2 million in investments, including a $900,000 grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. Other money for the project came from the state of New Mexico, local road funds, the New Mexico Department of Transportation and NMSU.

“The road will really open up the whole park,” said Kevin Boberg, Arrowhead Center’s CEO. “We can’t do any other development without the utility backbone the road delivers.”

The business and research park is located on the south end of NMSU’s Las Cruces campus between Interstates 10 and 25. The first 11 acres of the 257-acre park are already in development. The most recently completed building, Spaceplex 2, is home to General Dynamics and opened last summer.  The next building scheduled for construction will be nearly 8,000 square feet and be broken into smaller, 1,700-square-foot pads for businesses intending to establish themselves before jumping into larger spaces.

Other plans for the research park include working with the Las Cruces Public School District to construct an early college high school where high school students could take college-level courses for credit.

“Without the infrastructure, we wouldn’t be in a position to take advantage of these opportunities,” said Vickie Galindo, Arrowhead Center’s director of workforce innovation and business development. “We would not have been able to make this happen without the EDA and help from New Mexico Secretary of Economic Development Fred Mondragon.”

Article Courtesy of The Las Cruces Bulletin

The High Tech Consortium of Southern New Mexico, a grassroots organization that fosters the retention and growth of technology and its associated industries, will host its third annual Digital Media Summit from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17, at the Las Cruces City Council Chambers, 200 N. Church St.

The summit will provide an overview of current and emerging digital media applications, needs and opportunities in education, film, government and industry, said HTC President Gary Gomes.

“We are fortunate to have an all-star roster of panelists,” he said. “This is an important event in helping foster a vibrant digital media industry sector in our local area.”

Panel discussions will feature representatives from Comcast Cable Corp., Dona Ana Community College, Digital Solutions, IBM, Las Cruces Public Schools, New Mexico State University, Sony Pictures Imageworks and SoundView Networks.

The program will provide the general public as well as business and civic leaders’ insight into how digital media can solve real world problems and improve the economics and quality of life in southern New Mexico.

Among the topics of discussion will be how to build New Mexico-based media production companies and facilities and education and workforce development.

The summit will also provide a venue for media industry professionals and students to network with your peers and help formulate a “southern New Mexico vision” to present at the statewide New Mexico Media Industries Strategy Project (MISP) conference in January.

MISP is a public-private partnership formed to guide the state’s media industries development over the short, intermediate and long term. Gov. Bill Richardson has said creating a vibrant digital media industry is a high priority for his administration and for the state.

“The Preliminary Strategic Plan for the Media Industries Strategy Project represents a bold step forward to establish New Mexico as a leading center for media arts and sciences,” Richardson said in a statement. “This plan – and its rapid and effective implementation – is a priority for my administration and New Mexico’s economic development strategy.”

The digital media summit in Las Cruces is being sponsored by HTC as a public service and attendance is free. For more information or to RSVP, send email to info@htcnm.com or call (575) 524-4659.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson was on hand today at a press conference announcing New Mexico’s first Early College High School.

Governor Bill Ricardson speaking at ECHS press conference

The new school will be built in the Arrowhead Research Park on the campus of New Mexico State University (NMSU). It is slated to begin holding classes in the fall of 2011.

The Early College High School(ECHS), a regional project, will focus  on increasing the area high school graduation rates, enhancing career and technical education opportunities, and ensuring that students graduate with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in postsecondary education and the 21^st century workplace.

ECHS will provide new and enhanced opportunities for up to 500 Dona Ana County teenagers. Students will experience an academic environment in a small, active learning community, which includes connections to learning opportunities outside the classroom through industry internships, online learning, and independent projects and participation in dual enrollment. Students completing Early College High School will graduate with a high school diploma and up to two years of college credit, with the potential of earning an associate’s degree.

Dignitaries joining the Governor at today’s press conference included: NM Department of Education Assistant Secretary Dr. Gloria Rendon; NMSU Interim President Dr. Manuel T. Pacheco; NMSU Provost Dr. Waded Cruzado-Salas; NMSU Vice President of Economic Development and former Governor Garrey Carruthers; NMSU College of Education Dean Dr. Michael Morehead; Dona Ana Community College CEO Dr. Margie Huerta; Las Cruces Public Schools Superintendent Stan Rounds; and Suzanne Quillen, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Bridge of Southern New Mexico.

The ECHS is a collaborative effort of New Mexico State University, Dona Ana Community College, Las Cruces Public Schools, Gadsden Independent School District, Hatch Valley Public Schools, The Bridge of Southern New Mexico, and regional business and industry partners.