Count Down To Graduation: 51 Christa Lemmons Kyle Dunning Staff Writers
Mayor Interview: Part Two
Kyle-Do you have anything to do with, or any control over, speed Mr. Lansford – Not really. I am capable of making an appeal to the city commission, and say that I believe that the speed limit on this particular street is too fast…or slow. But we have a traffic committee, that is part of the police department, and the speed limits are set by a consensus. And I can’t think of anytime that a department other than the traffic committee has messed with the speed limits. Kyle – What kinds of laws and regulations and the like do you, as mayor, have a say in?
March 31. 2015
From Pharmacist to Mayor
give you an example of something that happened many years ago. There was a proposal to have a curfew here in Clovis. It was going to affect people under sixteen years old and require that those individuals be off the streets by eleven o’ clock at night. The ordinance came to the city commission and there was some support behind it but there were also people who objected. It ended up being killed before it ever got off the ground because it was a violation of civil rights, and so it never really got any legs on it. Now that was a city council decision and they said ‘hey, this isn’t a very lawful thing of us to do. We want to ask our legal advisers if this is appropriate or not.” Kyle – Nice. So on a more personal matter, do you have any hobbies or…antique cars…or anything we don’ know about? Mr. Lansford – Nooo… My hobby is primarily Wildcat sports. I love Wildcat basketball. I played basketball when I was in high
plan on retiring, from pharmacy, for a while. Now politics…that’s a different story. Kyle – Have you considered running for mayor for the next election cycle?
David Lansford, Mayor of Clovis, CHS Graduate 1977 school and now I do Kyle – When do you think you’re going to the radio broadcast for retire? the Wildcat games. That is, I guess, my Mr. Lansford – I’m hobby. I like to play golf, I like to shoot fifty-six. I would be guns, I like to collect eligible for Medicare coins. And I really like in nine years. My son, whom is coming into creative things that show dedication and the business, is an originality and the like. excitement for me, especially since I’ll I like watching golf because I appreciate get to work with him. what it takes to become And I still love being a as good as the people pharmacist. I’ve never complained about it, on TV. It takes a lot of determination, skill, I always enjoy work, and I’ll even have and strength to get to days off where I think that point. It’s not by ‘I could have been at accident. work today.’ So I don’t
Mr. Lansford – Well, if somebody of a good caliber were to run then I might not have to. I’m still contemplating on whether or not I’m going to run. This city needs someone with a lot of energy, enthusiasm, and a lot of forward thinking and some understanding of what is possible and what is not. I would get behind someone like that. I’m fifty-six, and if someone were to come along with new ideas and lots of enthusiasm, then that person could be the next mayor. Kyle – To wrap up, do you have anything you’d like to say to the city of Clovis or the students at CHS? Mr. Lansford – I graduated from CHS in 1977. That will be forty years in two years, and that seems like a while but for me it really wasn’t. The basics in life haven’t changed.
Understanding that your character, and the way you treat others and yourself, and the effort that your put in to whatever you do in life, and your ability to never give up…well all of these are some of the most important attributes that someone can have. Sometimes, it doesn’t take very long after high school to get discouraged about the world, but there is still a lot of good people and opportunities out there. There are a lot of roses to be picked; go smell the roses. So I would say… Be realistic. Set your goals high but don’t be disappointed if you don’t reach those goals. You might fall short but you’ll still be farther ahead than when you started. If you don’t have goals then you’re a ship without a rudder; the wind will just blow you around. Become a habitual goal-setter. Kyle – Thank you for putting some time on hold to talk to us, we very much enjoyed it. Mr. Lasnford – Well, if there’s one thing I can do…its talk!
PARCC Is No Place To Play
Mr. Lansford – I can
Berta Sanchez Maria Hudson Staff Writers
PARCC came into full operation for the 2014 – 2015 school year in the late winter early spring. The subjects covered will be mathematics and language arts. Q: How did you feel about the PARCC practice test? Christly Springs 10th - I didn’t care for it, personally. Izaah Escoto 9th – I honestly thought it was boring and unnecessary. Jose Barrera 10th - I didn’t find the PARCC testing useful. PARCC, Partner For Assessment Of
Readiness For College And Careers, is a test that is to help teachers assess the extent to which students are on the track of mastering the Common Core Standards. A Total of 19 states, a few of which are Arkansas, Colorado, New Mexico and Massachusetts! The grades eligible to take PARCC start from third to eleventh year. Q: Do you feel you did well on the PARCC practice test? Christyl Springs 10th - I don’t think I did as well as I would have done on a written test. Izaah Escoto 9th - I don’t think I did as good on the English as I did on the math test Jose Barrera 10th - I
believe that I most definitely failed the test.
There are three people who run PARCC for New Mexico; the Secretary of Education, Hanna Skandra; PARCC program manager, Lynn Vasquez; and Secretary of Higher Education, Dr. Jose Garcia. The scoring for PARCC will be different than others, as no individual students' test scores will be released. Only school averages will be given. Also grades 3 -8 will be given the opportunity the retake the PARCC once a year. Q: Personally do you think you're ready for the actual PARCC test?
Christyl Springs 10th - No, I definitely need more practice.
Izaah Escoto 9th - No, I really need to practice on my short answers. Jose Barrera 10th - I’m 50% ready for the actual PARCC test. Paper-based tests area are also available for schools that are not yet ready for the technology. The states in PARCC educate almost 25 million students and include 16 out of 19 Race-to-the-Top winners! There will not be a different version of the test for students with a mental disability. KOB 4 News from Albuquerque, NM reports “opting out of the PARCC testing has consequences for
students and schools.” KOB reports that over 800 parents are opting their child out of the school the day of PARCC testing. Also it was stated “if more than 5% of students at a school don’t take the test, it will automatically lower the school's letter grade with the state. That’s what parents say has happened in Georgia O’Keeffe Elementary School.”
Q: Should there be any PARCC testing? Christyl Springs 10th - Yes but not in that format. Izaah Escoto 9th - No but have NMSBA. Jose Barrera 10th – Yes, I think there should be a type of PARCC testing, but there should be
a study guide to help prepare.
This could cause a problem for most students who plan on going to college because most colleges will only accept diplomas or GEDs, not certifications. Even worse, if less than 95% of the school takes the PARCC, the school will be downgraded.. Students will be given a one-year “safety net” if they do not take the test. This year, if your child does not take the test, his or her school will be “held Harmless,” so they cannot stop the school's rating from coming down. However, they can keep it from coming up.