CHURCHROCK – Things have really changed in Churchrock. It’s been 56 years since this small village to the east of Gallup had a new school. Before that school was built in 1959, classes were taught in a small collection of what can only be described as sheds; 16’ X 24’ wooden buildings with leaky roofs, inadequate heating or cooling, windows that would not close or open fully, doors with big gaps around all the edges, and floors that creaked and bent with every step.
How does this writer know these details? My mother was a teacher at this school starting in 1956.
The wait is over now, and the community came out in force to celebrate the opening of the Catherine A. Miller Elementary School. The building was named for the woman who used her influence in the community to ensure the new school would be built in the same area, donating the use of the land to the Gallup McKinley School Board for just this purpose. The school was beautifully created and set against the massive red rocks to the north, and the modern conveniences and spaces enclosed by Murphy Builders make this building a masterpiece for learning for all those students enrolled.
Local dignitaries also appeared at this celebration, including Carol Bowman-Muskett of the McKinley County Board of Commissioners, Allan Landavazo of the City Council, and most of the school board, and many of the employees from the Student Support Center. Superintendent Frank Chiapetti was also there to deliver a few words of praise and encouragement for all.
The school at Churchrock has suffered from diminishing returns, grade-wise, in the last few years. The school was rated an F one year, and then received an even lower F the following year. But changes come in bunches, and to go with the new school is a new principal, Joel Copley.
“My job is to establish a good understanding of what is happening here and then turn it around,” Copley said in a phone interview after the ceremony was completed. “This will involve a strong system to aggressively allow the students to learn. We have done well with students that fall behind but not with those in the middle to upper range. Each group needs to grow continuously. Those who do well or excel in their current grade must also be able to advance when they are promoted to the next grade. That has been a large part of the problem.”
Copley does not use the “summer learning loss” as an excuse for the school’s failure, at least not entirely. The school does have a K-3 program, a reduced day learning program that starts about two weeks into the summer vacation and continues until the new school year begins.
“We are not able to fill these vacancies well,” Copley said. “Our main focus is on the New Mexico requirements, but we’re also teaching the teachers strategy and other skills.”
Math and English scores account for over 70 percent of the grade, so learning these two disciplines, if not mastering them, is vital to the success of the school. Academic rigor which will allow the students a choice as they matriculate through high school.
“Catherine A. Miller Elementary School has a staff that is here for students, is focused on foundational skills, and wants the students to grow every year,” said Copley in a final remark.
Part of the price paid for those accomplishments are the bricks and mortar of this new building, over $14 million, but the rest of the price will be paid by the students, teachers, and administrators of the district, in sweat and hard work. That’s what education is all about.
This physical plant is one of four that are currently in the works, or close to it; the other three are Jefferson, Lincoln, and Del Norte. The latter school will replace the facilities at both Washington and Juan de Onate.
Story by Tom Hartsock
Photos by Shepherd Waldenberger
Sun Correspondents
