GALLUP BENGALS, MIYAMURA PATRIOTS FACE OFF COMMUNITY, B2
a Gallup Sun VOL 11 | ISSUE 514
www.gallupsun.com
January 31, 2025
Teacher of the Month
Gallup High teacher helps students go off the beaten path
Gallup High School vocational teacher Jeff Taylor helps a student with his welding project Jan. 28. Photo Credit: Kim Helfenbein By Molly Ann Howell Managing Editor
E
ach month, the Sun recognizes a local teacher for his or her determination to help students go above and beyond. Anyone can nominate a teacher by emailing the Sun at gallupsunreporters@ gmail.com and providing the teacher’s name, where they teach, and why they should be selected as that month’s winner. This month’s award went to Jeff Taylor, a vocational teacher at Gallup High School. CHOOSING A CAREER Taylor’s family moved to Gallup from Denver in the ‘70s, and he eventually graduated from Gallup High. In an interview with the Sun, Taylor said he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do after high school, but he knew he wanted to coach football. He decided to go to New Mexico Highlands
University, where he decided to pursue an industrial arts degree. He said this degree opened up some options for him. “[I thought if] I get into this and I don’t like it I can always go to construction,” he explained. “I’ve always kind of liked building things.” After college he returned to Gallup, and he is now in his 39th year of teaching at Gallup High. He did go into coaching; he held multiple coaching positions with both the Gallup High football team and the Miyamura track team. He was the head coach of the Gallup High football team from 1994 to 2000. GIVING KIDS OPTIONS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL In the almost 40 years that he’s been teaching, Taylor’s job has changed quite a bit. He has switched between teaching woodworking classes and metal classes, but currently he teaches the metalworking classes. He said one of his favorite aspects of his job is
the fact that he’s helping kids realize there’s other options besides the traditional four-year college path. “I think it’s hard for kids to fi nd something to do when they graduate from high school,” he said. “There’s so many options, and everything’s gotten so expensive. Right now, there’s such a big push to get everyone to go to college, but there’s a lot of good jobs that pay good money where you can go trade schools and get certification and a job with seven months of training.” Taylor took time to applaud many of his students, noting that many of them have gone to the SkillsUSA competitions. SkillsUSA is a workforce development organization that empowers students to become skilled professionals, career-ready leaders, and responsible community members. “It’s not an academic area, but I’ve found that a lot of the kids I have in class have a lot of talent with hand-eye coordination,” Taylor said. “I have a lot of kids who are just good at welding.” Taylor truly encourages many of his students to look into trade school. But he said he also enjoys it when they come back and ask him about teaching the industrial arts. One former student recently asked him about teaching, and he had one suggestion. The student had spent some time working in the industry and was now looking to come back to the Gallup area. “You’ve got to be patient, especially if you’re coming out of the industry,” Taylor explained. “Being a teacher is not like being a pipeline welder.” Gallup High Principal Khristopher Latson spoke highly of Taylor. “He’s one of the teachers who really connects with the students,” he said. “He advocates for the students to fi gure out what they want to do after high school.”
Two expert spellers recognized at GMCS school board meeting
MIYAMURA SENIOR MAKES THE ALL-AMERICAN BOWL By Molly Ann Howell Managing Editor
S
et h Tor res g rew up play i ng football with his two younger brothers. A s he looks towa rd college and the possibility of playing the sport he loves at a D-1 school, he jumped at the opportunity to play with 199 of the top football players in the countr y at the Of fense -Defense A l lAmerican Bowl at the AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys Jan 17-19. Two hundred football players from around the country flocked to the A rlington, Texas stadium to play a game with many college recruits watching. The players also receive top-notch coaching advice leading up to and during the bowl game. At the end of the weekend, every player received game fi lm that they could use to enhance their recruiting profi le. In a n inter v iew w it h t he S u n , S e t h said competing in the
Seth Torres A l l-A mer ica n Bowl helped him boost his confidence. Now, he’s ready to move on to the next challenge. In a n inter v iew with the Sun, Seth said competing in the AllAmerican Bowl helped h im boost h is con f idence. Now, he’s ready to move on to the next challenge. Fifteen universities have show n i ntere st in him, and now he’s narrowing it down to his number one pick. He said he’s interested i n pos sibly goi ng to Middle Tennessee State University, New Mexico State University, Ottawa University in Arizona,
or A r izona Chr istia n University. “It’s God helping me get through this a nd motivating me to keep bettering myself every day and never settling for less,” he said. Du r i ng h i s sen ior season as a Miyamura Patr iot, Seth ra n for 1,274 yards. He scored a touchdown in every game except for one, coming out with a total of 12 touchdowns for the season and 81 points. These high stats and a highlight reel he posted on his X account, formerly Twitter, got some attention from college recruits. Seth said his favorite part about playing football is the physicality of the sport. “It’s a very physical game, but I kind of like the way the pain feels and I have a lot of drive,” he said. Jay a nd L enel le Torres couldn’t be more proud of Seth and their other two sons, Nikcolii and Sean. N i kc o l l i r e c e n t l y competed in the New
Mex ico H ig h S chool Coaches A ssociation Red vs. Green All-Star Game. Jay said seeing his two oldest sons play at such a high level has been truly an honor. “Seeing two boys of your own go and experience this at a higher level as top notch players with competition from all over the U.S. is a ma zing,” he sa id. “We’re in a small town, a nd t here’s so much hidden talent here. It’s huge when players from Gallup are able to go out there and represent their families and their schools. M iya mu ra seems to get overlooked a lot, and it’s pretty nice to have student athletes from this area go out and represent.” Lenelle said Seth has always been driven by his passion for football. Their family motto is to never give up. We always tell our kids ‘You can’t say you can’t do it,’” Lenelle said. “Don’t fear it, just overcome it and play your best ball game.”
Rehoboth Elementary student Christine Neilson and Thoreau Elementary student Arika James were recognized for their success at the Jan. 14 district-wide spelling bee competition at a recent GMCS school board meeting. Both of the girls are in fourth grade. Neilson won first place and James won second. Photo Credit: Jenny Pond
Gallup Living Rentals
OPEN HOUSES! Saturday February 1st 11:00 am to 2:00 pm 509 Cactus Rd., Broker George Anast 3317 Box Canyon, Broker Kaul Corley Grab the keys to a place where unforgettable memories and cozy moments are just waiting to happen! Keller Williams Gallup Living Realty 505-488-2344