The merger of Alcalde and Velarde elementary schools was the topic of some heated discussions at the beginning of the school year.
While the small elementary school remains, low enrollment is the shoe waiting to drop for Velarde.
During a town hall meeting on Aug. 1 the Velarde community was left with one option: Present the District with ideas, or risk the New Mexico Public Education Department stepping in and closing the school.
A 4-H curriculum is that idea.
“Velarde Elementary is exploring the possibility of adopting a school-wide 4-H program and Mrs. (Dorothy) Valdez is making arrangements to visit a school in Bernalillo that has a school-wide initiative through 4-H,” Española School District Superintendent Bobbie Gutierrez said. “I have been invited to accompany them to visit the school in Bernalillo, which I hope to be able to do. I am also hopeful Velarde Elementary will implement “Cooking with Kids” along with the 4-H initiative. I see the two initiatives blending nicely with the school and the community.”
Gutierrez and Velarde Elementary Head Teacher Valdez will visit Collett Park Elementary School in Bernalillo.
Beginning its second year implementing the 4-H program, after receiving a $50,000 grant to be spread out over two years to purchase curriculum and necessary supplies to enhance learning in the classroom, Bernalillo has already seen positive results.
According to an impact report released by Brittany Sonntag, the urban 4-H agent at Bernalillo County Cooperative Extension Services, the School has seen a decrease in behavioral issues, given that students who act out or are behind in work are not permitted to join in 4-H Friday’s, an increase in school attendance as well as a school point increase, in accordance with New Mexico Department of Education standards, of 6.33 points. That took the School from a C grade to a B.
A 4-H program, according to their website, is a global network of youth organizations whose mission is “engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development”.
The 4-H name represents four personal development areas of focus for the organization: head, heart, hands, and health. The Program is a renowned, and was originally developed for students in rural areas to develop skills to aid their communities.
Since its inception, the program has grown to cover more than just cows and cooking, according to Marcella Talamante program director for the New Mexico State University branch for Rio Arriba County extemsion office, there are a multiple opportunities from agriculture to film.
“Through 4-H, we have the opportunity to bring all of our resources from New Mexico State University to our community and that arm of the University,” she said. “ 4-H has over 200 4-H projects available in the state of New Mexico, and with that we are open to kids from kinder to age 18. Our goal is to help provide additional instructional avenues for the kids to explore that really incorporate all of the items that they are learning in class and translate them to a real life education.”
The Velarde community will certainly have its work cut out for it in the coming months, both on the educational and familial level, Not only is dwindling enrollment a potential issue in the longevity of the School, but the fact that they have not gone above a D grade in their past four school report cards, according to the Department.
As it stands, a drastic move has to be made, not only in terms of improving the school’s grade, but in galvanizing their own community and improving enrollment across the board.
“They are going to be baby steps, I’m going to visit (Collett Park) and figure out the good, the bad and the ugly of the curriculum,” Valdez said. “This strategy is either going to be the death of the school, or the revival of the school. It’s high stakes.”
High stakes, but with a proven track record and curricular approval at the federal and state levels. The beauty of this curriculum is that it hits all four of the tenets that make up 4-H. The Programs goal is simply to elevate the pre-existing curriculum and allow students to delve into every aspect of their daily academic pursuits.
“It’s learned by doing, so we are not only talking about, for example, how to make sugar cookies, we are going to go through the process of ingredients, recipe, making them and then coming back to discuss what worked, what didn’t and what can be done next time to improve upon what they learned,” Talamante said. “That way the students can reflect on their action and move forward. Each lesson has all four tiers and is mixed in with state standards and teacher expectations. The curriculum will allow students an opportunity to explore these skills through a different avenue.”
It will take a non-traditional approach to save what has become, by virtue of time, a non-traditional school, but Valdez and the Velarde community are not in this alone.