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"Tis distance lends enchantment to the view,
and robes the mountain in its azure hue"
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- Thomas Campbell
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 Stone fifth-graders were up in arms over the state's centennial celebration during performances on Friday. The group spent a week learning songs, dance and history of New Mexico and Lea County. Click on the picture for highlights.
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The Road to Enchantment Program was written by Karen Salb with the historical consultation of Calvin Smith, the Director of The Western Heritage Museum and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame.
The presentation of Road to Enchantment at Stone Elementary was organized and produced by Karen Salb and the Maciolek School of Dance.
The goal of the project is to spotlight the cultural influences of New Mexico and specifically Lea County, New Mexico. The format consists of students creating art, narrating, singing and dancing through the diverse cultural roots of the last 100 years of New Mexico statehood.
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Students from Stone Elementary performed a morning performance at Stone Elementary in front of their peers and a distinguished guest, the Superintendent. Their afternoon performance was performed at the New Mexico Junior College's Watson Hall for a group of parents and people from the community. Click on the pictures above for highlights.
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Congratulations to Stone Elementary 5th Grade Class for representing their school, region and state with excellence!
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I was driving back from Albuquerque after hanging a New Mexico State Fair art exhibit for Hobbs Municipal Schools. I took the old Route 66, now Interstate 40, back east and turned onto 285 at Clines Corner. My FM radio started breaking up once I passed Vaughn and I had a while to think to myself or listen to AM talk radio. This trip, I chose to think. It was in the evening.
I started seeing the shadows creep long across the range. I could see mountains far in the distance on one side and a meandering train on the other side. With every mile the sky took up more and more of the landscape. The clouds were stunning as the sun was setting. Once I passed Roswell, I started smelling oil, the industry that helped this state through the latest tough financial period when the economic status of the country had really taken a turn for the worst. Finally, I arrived in Hobbs and passed the brand new city limit sign where the city boasts of over 43,000 people. I was home.
What draws people to this area? What enchants them to stay especially in the southeast corner of Lea County? Is it the vistas of 2/3’s sky and 1/3 land, the industry or the people? Is it because it is a great place to have students in school? After all, the state has wisely invested substantially in the arts in the elementary through the Fine Arts Education Act. The community interests like the Maciolek School of Dance have also met the schools with matched intensity. The strength of Lea County is that the community has supported the schools as equal partners not enemies.
This week, I watched Karen Salb work with her talented team of dance teachers like Mika Newey, Janey Roan, Brittney Sisson and observed the students giving their best everyday. The Stone Elementary students did a great job practicing scenes about the cultural influences that have made New Mexico what it is today. The exciting thing about New Mexico is that the students are part of the enchantment. While these 5th Grade students are celebrating an important milestone in the states history, they are beginning the first miles of the next 100 years of statehood. One can only imagine what lies ahead for these students. And so the Road to Enchantment continues…
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If you have any questions about the Elementary Fine Arts Program you can e-mail ledgerwoodt@hobbsschools.net. Thank you for your interest in the arts.
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Tyson Ledgerwood
Elementary Fine Arts Coordinator
Hobbs Municipal Schools
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| “We all march to the beat of a different drum but we are learning to live under the same sun.” - Mrs. Heister's 4th Grade Class |
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"Oh Fair New Mexico"
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BTW kindergartners got decked out in their best Pilgrim/Native American attire for an American Education Week performance. As part of the AEW celebration, each elementary school put on a program dedicated to New Mexico's centennial birthday party this year. Click on the picture for highlights.
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'I don't know,' is a favorite phrase for fourth graders - but that's now what these Jefferson students are saying. They're actually acting out parts during a musical salute Thursday to New Mexico's centennial birthday.
If we want students to really grasp what they learn about a subject, we should provide opportunities for them to teach that subject to someone else. The fourth grade classes taught their elementary schools across the Hobbs Municipal School district about New Mexico through cultural songs and dance. Every elementary school decked their halls in art work including colorful lizard paintings and papier-mâché Hot Air Balloons. This spotlight of New Mexico was part of the American Education Week celebration.
The week was welcomed by clear turquoise skies which is typical of Lea County during this time of year. The parents and students in attendance experienced a collage of culture representing the different groups in the state. Rhythms from the Navajo focused on the indigenous nations that have called New Mexico home the longest. There was music about how to spell Albuquerque, eating spicy jalapeños and getting your kicks on Route 66. Student narrators moved the musical presentations along by speaking about the symbols, legends and famous faces of the state. They asked the state question – “Red or green?” One audience member answered back “Red!!!” There were tunes about the railroads and oil industries that have established the economy of the state. A whirlwind of student dancing ensued and represented the Hispanic Culture much to the enchantment of their parents. The performing students displayed many elaborate costumes celebrating the colors of the state. This district-wide presentation would not be complete without the state of New Mexico’s official song “Oh, Fair New Mexico”. Some schools also chose local arrangements about the state written by our own music teachers Mary Ann Brown and Cindy Roberts. Most importantly our district observed the initiative of our music teachers in collaboration with their 4th Grade teachers and the 4th Grade classes. There were also a few younger grades that joined in leading the celebration. In typical New Mexico fashion these teachers and students worked tirelessly for the last few months getting ready to teach their schools about New Mexico.
At the end of the day, as the sunset painted itself across the eastern New Mexico sky, we reflect on the lessons learned during the New Mexico Centennial Celebration. This week about New Mexico has taught the students their place in the state’s past, present and future and is summed up best in the words of Mrs. Heister’s classes’ last song: “We all march to the beat of a different drum but we are learning to live under the same sun.”
If you have any questions about the Elementary Fine Arts Program you can e-mail ledgerwoodt@hobbsschools.net. Thank you for your interest in the arts.
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Tyson Ledgerwood
Elementary Fine Arts Coordinator
Hobbs Municipal Schools |
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Southern Heights first graders Juan Garcia III, Moses Sepeda, Santana Sanchez and Kloee Chagnon use props for their American Education Week performance on Wednesday - including Smokey Bear and a roadrunner, New Mexico's state bird.
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Clad in the legendary state colors: red and yellow, Will Rogers fourth-graders delivered a spicy performance celebrating our state during American Education Week. The program which included state notables such as "O Fair New Mexico" and playful dance numbers such as "La Raspa" was directed by Elementary Music Coordinator Kesa Gill.
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Broadmoor kindergarteners expressed themselves in individually unique ways during Tuesday morning's American Education Week performance that featured a song about Hobbs written by teacher Mary Ann Brown. AEW activities continue through Friday at Hobbs elementary schools. |
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