New Tohatchi High School comes with a pricetag of $68 million

Gallup-McKinley County Schools invited Navajo Nation leaders and New Mexico education leaders out to the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Tohatchi High School on Jan. 19.

Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, New Mexico Public Education Department officials, the Gallup-McKinley County School Board, Navajo Nation Council Delegates Nathan Notah, Vince James, and Dr. Andy Nez, along with Department of Diné Education leaders were present at the groundbreaking and expressed their well wishes for the construction of the new Tohatchi High School building.

“Our children are our future,” Nygren said. “Everything we do is to refine their mindset to prepare them for their future.”

The building is one of 10 that will be built by Gallup-McKinley County Schools along with a new trade school. The new high school will come prepared with up-to-date facilities and a larger gym that can seat up to 2,000 fans.

Construction is scheduled to begin in April. Albuquerque-based firm Bradbury Stamm Construction is leading the project that carries a price tag of $68 million.

“[The new] Tohatchi High School will be more than just classrooms,” GMCS Board Member Kevin Mitchell said. “It will be a hub for inspiration and innovation. Our students will have access to a state-of-the-art facility to help their dreams come true.”

The first Tohatchi school was completed and opened as a K-8 school in 1958. Then in 1964, a land withdrawal was the first step on the path to building a middle and high school combination in Tohatchi. This school opened its doors to students in 1968 and celebrated its first graduating class in 1971.

Before the Tohatchi schools opened, students attended first through fifth grade in Mexican Springs, New Mexico, while high school students from Tohatchi, Twin Lakes, Mexican Springs, Naschitti, Toh-la-Gai, and Coyote Canyon were bused in to Gallup High School.

The second Tohatchi High School, built to serve as a grade 9-12 school, was completed in 1982 and acknowledged its first graduating class in 1985. The next ceremonies were held in the Tohatchi Middle School gymnasium until the Tohatchi High School gymnasium was completed in 1985.

The longest principal to serve Tohatchi High School was Ethel Manuelito for seven years, followed by Fred Milton for five years. Manuelito was also a student in the first graduating class from Tohatchi High School. The longest serving faculty was Fern Spencer, who spent 49 years teaching at Tohatchi High School.

Staff Reports

Gallup hotel now part of  Hollywood history

The Lost Dutchman Chapter No. 5917 of the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus, a fraternal organization dedicated to preserving the heritage of the American West, dedicated a plaque to the El Rancho Hotel, Aug. 10.  The location, at 1000 E. Hwy. 66, is now a historical site.

The El Rancho Hotel was constructed in 1936 for R.E. Griffith, brother of filmmaker D.W. Griffith, and served as a base camp for movie crews and actors. That site and its proximity to western landscapes, made it an ideal place to make movies.

When Lois Lane was trapped on the road as an earthquake struck in the 1978 epic Superman, it was filmed on State Road 43A, east of Gallup.

When Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis took their crime spree on the road in Natural Born Killers (1994), the cameras were filming along Highway 666 (now known as U.S. Highway 491) and downtown Gallup.

Leroy McCray, who worked the front desk of El Rancho for 27 years recalled,“People like Kirk Douglas, John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn stayed here, and made movies, worldwide movies.”

Decades ago, he said, when these actors made their movies, Interstate 40 did not exist, but Highway 66 did. “Anyone traveling on [Highway] 66 can stop here and be where movie stars stayed. And when you see their movies, you’ll recognize these areas.”

As a child who was raised traditionally by his grandparents, McCray recalled the heady experience of seeing nearby locations on the big screen at the former drive-in movie theater.

With all the stage and screen actors and directors who passed through the lobby, McCray still remembers the many westerns filmed in the region, one recent example being The Lone Ranger (2013). He told about how production crews and their trucks would park in a lot across from El Rancho and make the nearly 200-mile drive to and from Monument Valley every day.

But, there was always a slump in business once the movies finished production, McCray said. Then there was a particularly bad stretch that nearly forced the hotel to close.

In 1984, the El Rancho Hotel went bankrupt. The doors were locked, and the marks from the big padlocks are still visible. The hotel eventually became run down.

Locals started to talk about the possibility of tearing down the El Rancho. But some wanted to save it. McCray said area residents began writing in, in support of the landmark.

The idea caught on and in 1986, the El Rancho was auctioned off in its very own lobby, the same place where the dedication ceremony was held, Aug. 10.

“The hotel was sold lock, stock, and barrel to Armand Ortega,” McCray said. “Ortega saved it from closing down.”

Efforts to restore the hotel to its glory days took time, but the hotel eventually reopened to the public in 1987. El Rancho has been owned by the Ortega family ever since.

McCray is excited. He says more restorations are underway. “We want to live up to what the banner outside says, ‘Charm of yesterday...Convenience of tomorrow.’”

Ken Dorsal, one of the Ex Noble Grand Humbug members of ECV, spoke about the El Rancho Hotel joining the ranks of over 65 other historical sites ECV has dedicated.

A plaque was presented to Amelia Ortega-Crowther, daughter of Armand Ortega, the person who saved the hotel from demolition when he purchased it 33 years ago.

“I love it when the hotel gets recognition for anything we do, especially if it’s preserving history,” Ortega-Crowther said after the dedication.

Members of ECV and the Gallup community turned out for the event, which included a history of the El Rancho, song and dance performances by the Zuni Pueblo, and was followed by the adult guests mingling in the 49er Lounge.

“People won’t forget what happened here,” Dorsal said. “We’re so excited to give [El Rancho] this monument dedication.”

By Cody Begaye
Sun Correspondent

Jessy Wommack grew up walking around downtown Gallup and going into shops where people from around town would greet her mother, an elementary school teacher, fondly. Everyone knew her name and was excited to see her. Wommack also spent her summers playing school with her dolls and her younger sisters and brother, using her mother’s old desks and curriculum.

But she never thought she’d become a teacher.

“I think it was always a part of me, I just didn’t know that would eventually be my path,” Wommack said in an interview with the Sun.

Instead, after graduating from Gallup High School, Wommack joined a program at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque for undergraduate students from rural areas who were interested in pursuing a career in medicine. She wanted to go into pediatric oncology initially, but soon learned the field wasn’t for her.

“It turns out I just didn’t have the emotional capacity with sick kids,” she explained. “It wasn’t for me. I saw a kid die of cancer; my first day I had to hold a kid down for epidurals, and I realized I really wanted to work with kids but not in that setting.”

After she graduated from UNM Wommack came home to Gallup for a visit, and that’s when her mom convinced her to apply for a job at the Gallup-McKinley County Schools district.

Wommack began her teaching career at Rocky View Elementary in 2008. She worked at the now-closed elementary school for eight years before transferring to Red Rock Elementary, where she’s been ever since.

And now, 16 years after she started teaching, Wommack has won the Sun’s Teacher of the Month award for January.

PRAISE FROM FORMER COLLEAGES

In her 16 years at GMCS, Wommack has taught kindergarten, first grade, second grade, and third grade. During her time she has had a variety of coworkers, and two of them took time to talk to the Sun.

Georgia Owens retired from teaching in 2020, but she remembers her time teaching second grade alongside Wommack at Red Rock Elementary fondly.

She has an outstanding understanding of children’s developmental and educational needs, from kindergarten on up. She’s just very clear with what the children need in her classroom,” Owens explained. “She’s just able to balance the education with the other needs that the children have, like recess. You know, what else does a child need besides just coming in and learning how to read and how to do math.”

Owens thought so highly of Wommack that she nominated her for the 2024 Golden Apple Award. Wommack didn’t win, but Owens said she has plans to nominate her again for 2025.

Another coworker of Wommack’s has a unique connection with her. Crystal Segura taught first grade with Wommack at Rocky View, but her son also had Wommack as a first grade teacher. Segura said she was one of the best teachers her son ever had.

“She’s one of two teachers in his whole academic career that has differentiated things for him to challenge him so he wasn’t bored. She knew how to push the high kids and the struggling kids, which is really hard to do,” Segura said.

As a coworker, Segura said Wommack challenged her too.

“She always had interesting ways to teach the kids. She always had fun with them. She made me do crazy things that I never would have done if it weren’t for her,” Segura said.

One of those things happened when the two teachers decided to make piñatas for 45 first graders. The original plan was to do the craft outside, but when a rainstorm started, the duo moved the project inside. Segura called the experience a nightmare and a disaster.

“There’s probably still piñata glue in that classroom,” Segura said while laughing.

Wommack said her favorite part about teaching was interacting with the kids and their honesty and forgiveness.

“Kids will tell you how it is; they’re very truthful, but they’re also forgiving and loving. They need you. I know when I go into work every day they want me there,” she said.

Wommack said that one of her goals as a teacher is to make sure her classroom is always welcoming.

I always told myself if I ever did become a teacher, I would want to be the type of teacher the students wanted to have. I never wanted to be one of those teachers where a student walks into the classroom and just hates being there,” she said.

Part of how she does that is by bringing her passion into the classroom. She said that’s one of the main things a new teacher should be able to do.

“Find what you love and share that with your students. So whatever you love, whatever makes you happy, bring that into the classroom and share that passion, and eventually that passion will drive you,” she said.

One of her favorite things to connect with kids about is the video game Animal Crossing.

“My students are always shocked because they play videogames and they don’t really believe that people who are older do the same things they do,” she said.

To nominate a teacher for the Teacher of the Month award, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and provide the name of nominated teacher, what school they teach at, what grade or course they teach, and explain why they deserve the award.

By Molly Ann Howell
Managing Editor

Little ones share culture while having fun

“Hard work pays off” were the encouraging words of one child’s father to help her win in the 2019 Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial Tiny Tots Pageant program held Aug. 5 at the El Morro Theatre.

This year’s 2019 Tiny Tots contestants included five little girls ranging in age from 5 to 7 years old all competing to be “Little Princess”; Contestant #1  5-year-old Maya Faith Morez, of Gallup; #2 6-year-old Samiya Sage Curley, of Window Rock, Ariz.; #3 6-year-old Shanoah Largo, of Gamerco; #4 6-year-old Kimora Liah Hannaweeke, of Waterflow; and #5 5-year-old Destany Jaklyn Lutsie, of Gallup.

In the past couple pageants, competitions included Little Brave Boys contest, Best Dressed Grandpa and Grandma, however no one signed up for those contests this year. Despite the low number of sign-ups, coordinator Fran Palochak praised all the little girls who competed and all who attended the event.

“This year was absolutely incredible, we had five very talented young ladies 5 and 6-year-olds,” she said. “They really showed us how well they know their culture.” Despite the absence of little tiny tot boys, the show was fun and exciting to watch.

“We’re going to start early next year and try to get some boys to compete for our Little Brave contest.” said Palocheck.

All of the Tiny Tots contestants introduced themselves in their own Native language followed by an introduction in English. Then they modeled their traditional dress reflecting their cultures. They also wore beautiful Native American jewelry of turquoise and stunning silver. As the tots paraded across the stage, Master of Ceremony J.T. Willie hyped up the pageant, speaking in both Navajo and English.

Intermission brought on a special performance by the Anshekwe Bear Dance group from the Pueblo of Zuni also consisting of small children. Past performances of groups from Zuni are always a crowd pleaser showcasing the different tribes that surround Gallup.

The next portion of the pageant primarily focuses on the talent of the tiny tots, which ranged from singing and speaking nursery rhymes in their native tongues to demonstrating how to make dough for frybread, as contestant Largo did. Her supplies were brought onto the stage: flour, and not just any flour, but Blue Bird flour, which is a must among all dough makers, salt, water.

“First I’m going to get the dough and pour into it water,” said Largo.

Oohs and aahs went through the crowd as six-year-old Largo mixed the ingredients and finally produced a perfect dough ready for frybread. Emcee Willie chirped in and offered his sentiments on having someone make frybread just for you,” he said.

“My grandma told me that you must be really special in order for some lady to make frybread for you.”

Contestant Hannaweeke sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in Navajo and performed a basket dance as well. Standing beside the stage was the current Little Princess waiting to give up her crown; 6-year-old Sydney Peyketewa, of Zuni. When asked how her reign was and how it felt to be giving up her crown, she had mixed emotions.

“Sad, because it was fun and cool, ” said Peyketewa. “I’m going to do more beauty pageants,” she added.

Peyketewa’s mom said she is going to concentrate on getting through the second grade for now.

It came time for the announcement of who would be crowned Little Princess.

No tot would  go home empty-handed. Each one would win a teddy bear set, while the winner would take home a shawl, sash, crown, and a huge teddy bear, bigger than the contestant.

Taking 5th place was contestant Lutsie; 4th place went to Largo; 3rd place to Curley; 2nd place to Hannaweeke; and 1st place to Morez. Amidst all the picture taking as the pageant ended, Morez nonchalantly said she was just going to have fun with her new title.

“I’m just going to stay home and have fun,” she said.

Dad Liam Morez  said, “The last thing I told her before I went to work was, hard work pays off and you work hard and listen to your mom, you’ll get that crown you want,” as he attempted to contain his joy over his daughter’s big win.

By Dee Velasco
For the Sun