Oct. 8 – There are 86 elementary schools within the Albuquerque Public Schools, but if you ask Principal Paula Garcia, no staff works harder than hers at Ventana Ranch Elementary.
“We have the hardest working teachers here who are always focused on knowing every student and helping them grow, not just academically, but socially and emotionally,” she said.
Garcia took over as principal of the West Side school two years ago and was immediately impressed with not only the work ethic of her staff, but also the eagerness for her students to learn and the support the school received from parents and the surrounding community.
“The people, the teachers and the community work so well together,” she said. “We are like a well-oiled machine.”
That working relationship paid off when it came to the school’s rising scores on standardized tests. These improvements in test scores led to Ventana Ranch being nominated by the state last year as a recipient of the U.S. Department of Education’s Blue Ribbon Schools award. Started in 1982, these awards are given to schools based on their academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps.
When she first heard about her school’s nomination, Garcia said she was both thrilled and intimidated when it came to the application process.
“It took us hours and a team of people to gather all the information and put it together,” she said. “Staff from across the school contributed to answering the (application) questions, and then we did all the editing and fine-tuning to make it fit within the working boundary.”
They started the application process last October and completed it in November. The final product was a 19-page document describing the school’s demographics, core curriculum, instructional methods, interventions, and assessments.
“It was the hardest work I have ever done, but also the most satisfying,” Garcia said.
The school sent its application and did not receive notification until September, when they were informed that they had been selected as one of three Blue Ribbon Schools in New Mexico for 2024. Zia Elementary School in Clovis and White Sands School in White Sands Missile Range was also selected.
When Garcia heard the news, she ran to share it with the staff who had helped her put together the application.
“There were high-fives and lots of tears of joy,” she said. “I was like, ‘Guys, we did it!'”
To celebrate this success, the school organized a party on the field on Tuesday afternoon. The entire student body gathered for a ceremony that included a performance by the nearby Volcano Vista High School cheerleading team and a speech by Gabriella Blakey, superintendent of Albuquerque Public Schools.
“It’s really exciting to show the state, the city and the country that we are doing great things here in Albuquerque,” Blakey said. “I talk a lot about kids believing in themselves and not always being told they’re last in everything, and this means our schools can achieve anything.”
For Garcia, she shared the same hope for her students, saying the award is just the beginning of their successes in life.
“We always want them to be successful and see that hard work leads to success,” she said. “They have so much more to achieve and do in life, but this will always be a great sign for them.”
