Person of the Month for March 2019

Ever since she was four years old, Goldie Tom says she knew what she wanted to be when she grew up: a cosmetologist.

“I knew what I wanted to do a long time ago, but it took me a while to go to school for it,” Tom said.

Tom, originally from Iyanbito and currently in Gallup, spoke with the Sun March 18 about her path to becoming an independent artist.

A PLAN FOR THE FUTURE

Despite her passion for hairdressing and makeup that goes back to her early years, Tom said that she was told that pursuing those fields as a profession would not be financially sound.

“I was told that if I become a cosmetologist, I would always be broke,” she said. “Then I asked myself, ‘What can I do that will make me money?’”

Tom said going to school to pursue what others told her would be a stable career did not feel right.

“I wasn’t fully invested in it, or interested in what I was going to do,” Tom said.

The lack of passion in the path she was placed on was a turning point for Tom.

“I decided I was going to go to school for cosmetology,” Tom said. “I didn’t care what anyone said or did.”

OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND

Tom then enrolled in the cosmetology program at the University of New Mexico-Gallup, and graduated with honors in 2013.

That same year, Tom’s work debuted on New York City’s Runway for the 2014 New York Fashion Week. She has since done work with PLITZS Fashion Marketing in New York as a backstage creative hair and makeup manager.

Tom’s work in New York was the catalyst for new opportunities, both across the United States, as well as internationally.

“Since then, everything’s taken off,” Tom said. “It’s been an amazing journey ever since.”

Going to New York and seeing her work presented was a fabulous experience, Tom said. She added that this trip was the first time she traveled far from home, which led to a culture shock for her.

“Everything was so different, so fast-paced,” she said.

Despite any initial pressure or doubts she faced, Tom said that she approached the fashion show determined to work hard and be professional.

As a result of her hard work, Tom has been invited to return annually to New York Fashion Week.

Since then, Tom has met numerous fashion designers and worked in various photo shoots, which have allowed her to find new friends and build good connections, she said. These networking opportunities also led her work being featured at LA Fashion Week and Miami Fashion Week.

But the biggest opportunity for Tom came a few weeks ago, when she traveled abroad for the first time to showcase her makeup creations at Paris Fashion Week.

“It felt surreal, like a dream, like I was there but I wasn’t,” Tom said. “This was something I always wanted to do, travel across the ocean and see the Eiffel Tower, see the landmarks that are out there.”

Additionally, Tom has worked in the New Mexico film industry, doing hair and makeup work for select movies that have filmed in New Mexico, such as Voice from an Unmarked Grave.

Tom said that working on a production and helping it come to life brings her joy.

“When I’m sitting in a movie theater and I see the things I’ve worked on, it’s so awesome,” she said. “I think, ‘So long ago I was doing hair and makeup for this person, and now I’m seeing them on the big screen.’ It’s crazy.”

A HOME TO RETURN TO

Throughout her career, Tom said that she has been offered opportunities to move and work full-time in New York or Los Angeles, but she has chosen to live in Gallup.

“My family’s here, and it’s home,” Tom said.

Locally, Tom has worked with both hair and makeup with regular clientele, many of whom were eagerly awaiting her return from Paris, she said.

“I’m really thankful for them,” Tom said. “I work on catering to them and doing what I need to do to take care of them.”

In addition to staying close to her family and roots, Tom said that she sees this decision as an opportunity to inspire local youth and aspiring artists.

“I also want to encourage and motivate our youth and people from the area that it doesn’t matter where you’re from, you can still achieve big things,” she said.

To that end, Tom said that she wants to eventually become a motivational speaker.

“I want to share my stories of my journey, from going to school to where I am now,” she said. “I want to be able to share my knowledge, tell the youth what it takes to achieve your goals.”

This also includes setting up a series of workshops where participants can learn how to apply makeup, Tom added.

LOOKING FORWARD

Tom said that she was once called a trailblazer, a sentiment she found powerful.

“I was honored to be called that,” she said. “It was one of the things that inspires me to keep going forward.”

As for her future projects, Tom said she has work in movies that she was unable to talk about due to non-disclosure agreements. Her next big fashion goal is to attend Milan Fashion Week, she said.

“I do eventually want to own my own business,” Tom said. “[I’m focused on] getting to that next goal and next achievement.”

Tom’s hair and makeup work is heavily featured on her Instagram page, where she said she has amassed a large following.

“They’re excited because they feel like they’re traveling with me,” she said. “These are real people from home who watch me.”

By sharing her work and her story, Tom said she wants to be able to inspire and motivate at least one person.

“It would mean the world if someone were to say, ‘You motivated me to achieve my dream and goal,’” she said.

Goldie Tom is a licensed cosmetologist who provides hair and makeup artistry for all occasions, including weddings, photo shoots, proms, and more. For more information and links to her work, visit her website at https://goldiehamu.wixsite.com/hamu.

By Cody Begaye
Sun Correspondent

Landowner faces scrutiny, debates over ongoing drug concerns

Local attorney David Jordan owns multiple properties around Gallup, specifically on Hill Avenue,  and he has recently come under fire after neighbors in the area expressed concern about people using drugs in the neighborhood.

The latest issue arose at the Nov. 28 city council meeting, where city staff recommended that the council approve the condemnation of 109 and 109B E. Hill Ave. Gallup’s Planning and Development Director C.B. Strain explained to the council that a Nov. 12, 2022 fire left the two properties unsafe, uninhabitable, and a threat to the public’s safety and welfare.

The fire reportedly destroyed the roof of 109 E. Hill Ave., leaving the interior of the building exposed to the weather, which caused further deterioration and damage.

After seeing photos of the damage, Councilor Sarah Piano, Dist. 3, agreed with the city staff’s assessment.

“It’s not a safe structure for the neighborhood, it’s not a safe structure for anyone to even be in, legally or illegally,” Piano said.

The city had reportedly given Jordan a few notices to demolish the property himself before Strain brought the issue to the city council.

After Strain introduced the idea of condemning the property at the meeting, Jordan spoke up, telling the council that he has plans to demolish 109 E. Hill Ave. He said it took some time for him to come up with the fire insurance proceeds. In the time it took him to do so, Bonaguidi Construction needed to update his estimated cost for the demolition.

“As soon as they renew it, I’m going to accept it and we’ll have the building demolished immediately,” Jordan said. “I apologize for the length of time it’s taken; there have been some other issues in the area I’ve been addressing. ...   But 109 will be demolished without any necessary action by the council. ..."

THE DILEMMA WITH 109B

Jordan claimed the other property, 109B E. Hill Ave., which is an accessory dwelling, didn’t need to be demolished.

“109B is kind of a different story,” he said. “It wasn’t burned, it’s a structure that is currently occupied.”

But 109B isn’t without its problems. In affidavits attached to the city council agenda item, four residents of Hill Avenue spoke about the drug problem in the area.

Hill Avenue residents Jack and Janice Bradley said they’ve seen multiple people coming in and out of 109 E. Hill Ave., and that these people have used drugs while on the property. They provided photographic evidence of these events to city staff.

Their report also noted that they’ve seen people load items such as bicycles into a van outside the property. In their statement they said they believe the property is used for drug sales, drug consumption, as a gathering place for drug users, and as a place where “suspicious transactions” such as deliveries of stolen property take place.

Some of that stolen property may be bikes. In another affidavit, Randy Bitsue, an employee of Silver Stallion Bicycle and Coffee Works, which is located at 202 E. Hill Ave., said he has seen a large number of bikes at 109 E. Hill Ave.

The affidavit states in late March 15 bikes were reportedly stolen from Silver Stallion. Bitsue said that four days after the theft, he noticed an older man riding one of the bikes he had worked on and that was reportedly stolen.

Bitsue allegedly confronted the man and got the bike back. After this altercation the older man reportedly walked to the building at 109 E. Hill Ave. Bitsue followed him, and reportedly found “a large number” of bikes stored behind a tarp that was covering one of the building’s entrances.

In total, Bitsue estimated that he’d seen about 25-30 bikes on the property at 109 E. Hill Ave.

JORDAN’S RESPONSE

Jordan acknowledged the affidavits during the meeting, and said he is aware of the problems with the current tenant at 109B.

“… I understand that there is a problem with the tenant that’s there, and he will be evicted immediately, but [109B] is livable, it’s a proper structure, it wasn’t damaged in the fire,” Jordan said.

Councilor Linda Garcia oversees District 1, which includes Hill Avenue. She voiced her concerns about Jordan’s ability to stop the drug activity at his property.

“Mr. Jordan, how are we assured for this neighborhood and for the citizens of Gallup that drug activity will not be allowed [at 109 Hill Ave.]?” Garcia asked. “Because it’s not going to be allowed. We will make sure [of that], but what will you do to make sure?”

Jordan tried to reassure the council the tenant would be evicted immediately, but he also explained that eviction can be a difficult process.

“Eviction has been very difficult since COVID,” he said, sharing a story about another property he has had difficulty with. “There was some drug activity that I believe [was happening] across the street at 102 in one of my units. I had to file an eviction action three times.”

Jordan explained the McKinley County Sheriff helped him with the first eviction, but after the tenant broke into the home the sheriff wouldn’t help him a second time. He said he’s now in court a third time with the same tenant trying to work out the legal issues.

DEALING WITH THE DRUG PROBLEM

Jordan said he’s done all he can to combat the drug activity that goes on around 109 E. Hill Ave.

“I’m doing the things that I can within the limits of what a landlord’s power is,” Jordan said. “I’ve got a maintenance person who goes by there regularly. I’ve asked for extra police activity in the area, to have a better police presence in the area. When things are reported to me, I try to take prompt action. ..."

During the meeting,  Gallup Police Deputy Chief Billy Padavich said that the Gallup Police Department had “beefed up” the police presence in the 100 block of Hill Avenue in the last two months.

“… [We] will continue to work on that area until we get it cleaned up or we get some help from the owner of those properties, and then we can move forward to other areas that we need to concentrate on,” Padavich said.

Jordan appeared to take offense to what Padavich said, and said he was never uncooperative.

“I would be happy to work with law enforcement, I’ve never declined working with law enforcement,” he said. “… I wanted the drug activity ended there because it impacts my property and it impacts my reputation, and it’s a disaster for me. If somebody can suggest more than what I’m doing, I’ll do it.”

MOVING FORWARD

Garcia thanked the East Hill Avenue Neighborhood Coalition, a group of concerned neighbors, for bringing the issue to the city’s attention.

“If it wasn’t for the East Hill Avenue Neighborhood Coalition for bringing it into our sight, horrible drug activity would still be going on there,” she said. “It has affected Hill Avenue, the library, the bank there, the [Greater Gallup Economic Development Corporation, and] so many businesses, and attracted so many unwanted people there. ..."

Garcia noted that the coalition’s outreach has led to a couple neighborhood meetings where the drug activity was discussed. When she said that Jordan was invited to the meetings, Jordan denied this claim.

Despite Jordan’s appeals to table the issue to the next council meeting, which would give him time to work with Bonaguidi Construction to get 109 demolished, the council moved to condemn both 109 E. Hill Ave. and 109B E. Hill Ave.

Jordan has 30 days to demolish both structures before the city steps in. The city will need to send out a bid to find a company to demolish them.

In an interview with the Sun, Strain said Jordan has until Dec. 11 to either turn in a demolition permit to the city or file an appeal with the city council to argue their condemnation decision. If Jordan chooses to appeal the decision the hearing would be at a future city council meeting.

By Molly Ann Howell
Managing Editor

Meet Camille’s Teacher of the Month: Brooke Menapace

Each month, Camille’s Sidewalk Cafe recognizes one local teacher within the Gallup area for his or her determination to help students go above and beyond. Prospective teachers are nominated by students who feel they deserve to be recognized.

Brooke Menapace, of Rocky View Elementary School, has been to numerous cities and countries during her teaching career, but she was given a challenging, yet rewarding opportunity when she came to Gallup.

BACKGROUND

Menapace grew up in Indiana and started her teaching career in southern Indiana after graduating from Oakland City University, a private university in Oakland City, Ind., in 2005. She attended college for special education and then elementary education.

After teaching in Indiana for three years, she moved to Namibia in southern Africa to teach with the Peace Corps. After her time in Namibia was up, Menapace joined a Fellows Program in the Peace Corps that brought her to Gallup in 2010.

It was researching the Peace Corps Fellows Program that led Menapace to Gallup, a town she was not at all familiar with, she said.

“I had never heard of Gallup before researching the Peace Corps Fellows Program,” Menapace said Nov. 15. “The program was with a partnership with Western New Mexico University when they had a branch in Gallup.”

WHY TEACHING?

During her high school years, Menapace had a volleyball coach who was also an elementary school teacher. Menapace’s first teaching experience came when she assisted her coach in the classroom, she said.

“In high school, I was able to go to an elementary school and help her out,” Menapace said. “I always knew I liked working with children, but I didn’t know if I would be cut out for the classroom, so that high school experience of being able to visit an elementary school to find out my career path was really helpful.”

Menapace said the sense of community that forms throughout the school year is one of the most important aspects of being a teacher.

“You get to make the connection with so many kids and families, and the relationships develop over the school year to a strong little community within our classroom,” Menapace said. “It’s important to have that kind of family feel in the classroom to know everybody’s safe and cared for, so they are able to learn better.”

WHY KINDERGARTEN?

The opportunity to teach kindergarten students was not actually Menapace’s first choice, she said.

“My first teaching job, I applied for a fourth grade role. I thought it was going to be the perfect grade for me, and they only had a kindergarten opening,” Menapace said.

Menapace also spent several years teaching second grade students, but eventually came back to kindergarten and now considers it a great opportunity for the students.

“It’s awesome to get kids when they’re fresh, and it’s the first school experience for some of them,” she said. “It’s important to set that foundation. Education can be fun, and learning can be a great experience, and when kids feel that in kindergarten, I feel we’re setting them up for a great career in education.”

THE CHALLENGES AND REWARDS

“I can say in my 15 years of education there hasn’t been an easy year,” Menapace said. “Every year is so different, every class is different. You never know what’s going to walk in the door or what you’re going to face.”

One specific challenge of teaching kindergarten students is working with students who have no prior school experience and thus will need the early learning experiences, Menapace said.

Having to instill numerous early learning experiences into kindergarten students is demanding enough that Menapace admitted a chunk of her time outside of the classroom is spent preparing projects and lessons for students.

However, this significant challenge lends itself to a significant reward, she added.

“You see such huge growth from August to May,” she said. “With some other grades, you don’t feel that big sense of growth like in kindergarten. You can have kids who come in without any letter knowledge and can leave the classroom able to read.”

WHAT MOTIVATES THE TEACHER

A positive and stable school career is something a lot of students in Gallup need, Menapace said.

“It’s important each of these kids have a teacher that cares deeply, each and every year, to make sure they’re successful,” she said. “Early education is important to set them up for the rest of their life.”

The job is exhausting and takes a lot of patience, but the reward of seeing the kids grow up and have success is huge, she continued.

“At Rocky View, it’s really fun to be in this early learning environment and then see a kid move on to first grade, second grade, and see what wonderful people they are as fifth graders moving on to middle school,” Menapace said. “It’s a rewarding thing for the whole staff to see those kids succeed.”

HOW THE AWARD FEELS

Menapace said she walked into the office early this week and was surprised when she was told she was named Teacher of the Month.

“It was a really nice surprise to know somebody nominated me and took notice of the hard work we do here at Rocky View,” she said. “I feel this isn’t just for me, but for so many people who support my classroom and help support my students.”

Menapace wanted to voice her appreciation for Rocky View support staff who keep the building running, as well as classroom assistants, the special education department, physical education and art teachers.

“We’re all working together to help these kids,” she said.

Interested in nominating your favorite teacher for Teacher of the Month?

Contact Camille’s Sidewalk Cafe at (505)722-5017 or stop by 306 S. Second St. in Gallup.

By Cody Begaye
Sun Correspondent

Game goes down to final seconds

Superstar senior guard Sarah Ann Shirley shot Gallup to a 64-62 nail-biter of a victory over Miyamura High Feb. 20 in a first-round district 1-5A girls basketball game played at Gallup High School. Shirley scored on a three-point play with 37 seconds left in regulation to seal the win for Gallup.

As a result of the win, Gallup (13-13, 5-5), the No. 3 seed in the 5A tournament, takes on Bloomfield (17-8, 6-4) in the 5A second round game at Bloomfield. Bloomfield received a bye due to the fact of the better 5A record. The Lady Bengals beat the Lady Bobcats twice this season with a 70-66 win Feb. 5 at Gallup and a 76-74 win Feb. 10 in Bloomfield.

“We had some bad breaks. I wouldn’t call them breakdowns, but just some bad breaks, especially toward the end of the game,” Miyamura head coach Henry Gettler said. “The game came down to defense and opportunities on offense.”

The game was close through the better part of the first two quarters – and then the Lady Patriots found their offensive and defensive grooves behind junior guard Hannah Murphy and sharp-shooting senior Destiny Lee.

Murphy fouled out late in the fourth quarter, but not until she torched the Lady Bengals for 20 points from practically everywhere on the floor. Gallup simply had no answer for Murphy, who produced every time when Gettler called her number – which was often.

Shirley, a threat with or without the ball, was fantastic throughout the entire game. Gallup head coach Wilbert Nez sat Shirley for a few minutes in the third quarter and that, to an extent, allowed the Lady Patriots to shoot and rebound themselves in a back-and-forth lead-changing of a game.

Gallup started the game ahead and never trailed, winning the battle of the first quarter 13-9. Miyamura’s scoring trio of Murphy, senior Phrankkie Pawlowski and Lee couldn’t really find their rhythm early on, but found it a few minutes into the second quarter when Tanya Tolino tied the score at 17-17 on a short jumper from the left side of the court. From that point on, it was a ball game.

Gettler and Nez substituted with excellence and Gettler threw in some offensive plays that showcased Murphy and allowed the Lady Patriots to take big leads in the third quarter. But the Lady Patriots still had to contain Shirley.

Shirley hit five consecutive free throws down the stretch for Gallup. That proved productive as Murphy picked up a fifth foul after fouling Shirley on one of the pair of free throws. Murphy connected on four 3-pointers in the second half and got valuable loose balls for the Lady Patriots.

“We came ready,” Nez said. “And we’re ready for Bloomfield again.”

The packed Gallup High School gymnasium had a lot of Bengal fans who wished the Lady Bengals well Wednesday against Bloomfield.

“I hope they win. They beat that team before so it should be a good game,” Jackie Yazzie, a 2000 graduate of Gallup High, said. “If they beat Bloomfield again, then they’re going to state.”

Murphy led Miyamura with 20 points. Shirley recorded a game high 28 points for Gallup and senior forward Kalisha Kinsel scored 17 for the Lady Bengals.

By Bernie Dotson
Sun Correspondent

Box Score

Gallup 64, Miyamura 62

Gallup (13-13, 5-5)

Sara Ann Shirley 28, Kaisha Kinsel17, Leona Smith 5, Amanda Mitchel 4, McKleigh Begaye 4, Brittany Charley 4, Kamryn Yazzie 3.

Miyamura (9-18, 3-7)

Hannah Murphy 20, Destiny Lee 11, Lauryn Thomas 10, Sarah Gilmore 9, Tanya Tolino 7, Phrankkie Pawlowski 5.

Gallup 13, 12, 15, 23 – 64

Miyamura 9, 15, 19, 15 – 62

Fouled Out: Murphy (Miyamura). Total Fouls: Miyamura 18. Gallup 16. Total Free Throws: Gallup 21-28. Miyamura 11-16.