UNM-Gallup expands mental health services EDUCATION, A3
Gallup Sun VOL 10 | ISSUE 465
www.gallupsun.com
February 23, 2024
The square root of fun Graduation REHOBOTH CHRISTIAN STUDENTS RAISE ALMOST $12,000 FOR PET PROJECT By Holly J. Wagner Sun Correspondent
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ot all of life’s lessons can be learned in a classroom, but there is often overlap. A perfect example is a student project at Rehoboth Christian High School to build a community common area for the campus. The idea started with geometry teacher Emily Wuestwald. She made a point of taking her classes outside “to look at what’s been given to us and [how to] bring beauty to it, but also fi nd beauty in what’s there.” “This is something I have been dreaming up for the past five years, fi nding a space for the high school students, just giving them a place to enjoy and a place to be during lunch break, before school and after school as well,“ she said. Jonathan Zylstra, a sophomore who’s working on the project, put it another way. “A lot of us were kind of bored and didn’t have anything to do other than be on our phones during lunch or during breaks,” he said. “We were trying to fi nd a way to get outside and be more active rather than just sitting around. We designed this kind of project for things we would enjoy doing at lunch if we had the opportunity.” At the top of their list is a 9-square, a game that’s sort of a mashup of foursquare and volleyball. Players in squares in a cagelike frame bounce a ball through the air and try to keep it from touching the ground without leaving their squares. About the recreational opportunities available for students on campus currently are ping pong and a donated golf simulator. “Only a couple of kids can use it. You have to prove you can hit the ball straight,” junior Morgan Arsenault said. Looking for a more inclusive option that didn’t require special skills, the students turned to something they’d had before: a portable 9-square setup the school has that became popular with students and helped them fi nd new friends. “All of our students really love the 9-square. We’ll get mostly all the high schoolers out,” Zylstra said. Irelynn Delgado, 14, agreed. Freshman Irelynn Delgado said the portable 9-square has helped build a lot of friendships. It helped with communication between peers who wouldn’t usually talk to each other and interact,” Delgado said. “It brings a lot of unlikely friendships.When we play we have a lot of teamwork happen and a lot of just fun to bring up student morale.” The teachers get a kick out of it, too, Wuestwald said, because it lets them interact with students in a fun, low-pressure way. The permanent setup will take up 25 sq. ft. of a planned 50-ft.-by100-ft. space that will eventually also have shade structures, trees and more. At some point that might include a giant outdoor chess board. “We’re hoping to make [the space] grow over the yea rs,” Wuestwald said. But let ’s not for get t h a t Wuestwald teaches geometry,
requirments changed for fi rst time in 10 years Staff Reports
S From left: Teacher Emily Wuestewald with students Irelynn Delgado, Morgan Aresenault, and Jonathan Zylstra. The three students are part of Wuestewald’s geometry class that is raising money for an outdoor recreational space that both Rehoboth Christian middle schoolers and high schoolers can share. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Rehoboth Christian High School
Rehoboth Christian High School students have a dream of what they want an open space community common area to look like. So far, they’ve raised almost $12,000 of their $30,000 goal. Image Credit: Courtesy of Rehoboth Christian High School
Image Credit: Courtesy of Castle Sports not recess, so bringing the project into the classroom was also important. Her geometry class started the project by looking at blueprints of the high school. Then she challenged students to use their math skills to fi nd the dimensions of their classroom and use different ratios and similar fi gures to fi nd how to cover the ground with various materials. They discussed logical thinking and budgeting. They had a landscape engineer come in to talk about planning, what types of plants would work best and issues like drainage, erosion, sustainability and maintenance. When it’s ready, the space will be there for middle and high school students, whose classrooms are on either side of the chosen space, and for the resident campus community. “We have a big community of people who live on campus as well, so their children and adults will be able to use the space,” Delgado said. The church community can also use the space after services
or for socia l events a nd for Wednesday after-school meetings of Gems and Cadets, scout-like youth ministry programs. Like almost any project, part of getting it up and running is money. The group has raised almost $12,000 but that’s been donations from Wuestwa ld’s parents’ congregation, Shalom Chr istia n Refor m Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, who chipped in after she brought it up on a visit home. Some of the donors are planning a trip to Gallup in April to help start building what their donations were made for. “They will come and help us build this space, and create a community and connection with Shalom in different ways,” Wuestwald said, “Whether it’s this project, student tuition aid, or just having them come out and be part of our community for a week.” The budget goal is $30,000 a nd the school is gratefully accepting donations at https:// factsmgt admin.com/give/appeal/ sX5k6FAav.
ANTA FE — Gov. M ichel le L u ja n Grisha m signed H B 171 i nt o l aw, a bill that updates high school g raduation requirements in New Mex ico for the f irst time in over a decade, on Feb. 10. “High school should be about prepa r i ng st udent s for the real world while providing more opport u n it ie s to pu r sue their unique interests a nd future ca reers,” t he go v e r no r s a i d . “These changes will lead to more you ng New Mexica ns staying engaged in school, graduating, and continuing that success in their adult lives.” The requirements outlined in HB 171 will impact students entering the ninth grade in the 2025-2026 school year. The bill makes key changes to graduation requirements that better align with New Mexico’s workforce and higher education la ndscape. T hese i nclude t he addition of two units decided on by loca l school boards or charter school governing bodies, as long as they meet Public Education Department academic content a nd per formance standards. “This allows f lexibi l it y for d i s t r ic t s to tailor the requirements to the needs of their communities and allows students to gain
Public Education Department Secretary Dr. Arsenio Romero
Gallup-McKinley County Schools Superintendent Mike Hyatt va luable ex per ience a nd receive cred it a t t he s a me t i me,” Public Education Department Secretary Dr. A rsenio Romero said. “A modern, flexi ble , for w a r d - lo oki ng cu r r icu lu m w i l l help engage students, address chronic absences and improve student achievement.” HB 171 would keep a requ i rement for a minimum of 24 credits to graduate, remove the Algebra II requirement for graduation (wh i le s t i l l r e q u i ri n g t h a t A lgebr a I I be offered), increase flexibility for electives which could be used for Career Technical Education or foreign
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