Prep Enters Phase of Growth and Excitement
If you read Head of School Heather B. Mock’s Weekly Wrap-Up, you know that Prep’s campus is buzzing with activity all day, every day. This school year has been no exception.
Here are some highlights of this jam-packed year.
Through the Managing A Small Business course, Prep’s student-run Pitchfork Café launched into business and quickly became a campus hub, hosting special events, pop-up shops, and crafting specialty beverages for everyone on campus to enjoy.
The Outdoor Leadership Program (OLP) ventured around the state and region for caving, downhill and cross-country skiing, a senior yurt trip, hiking, rock climbing, backpacking, kayaking, and more. This summer, OLP will tackle the Tour du Mont Blanc, one of the most popular long-distance walks in Europe, covering a distance of roughly 103 miles through parts of Switzerland, Italy, and France.
Engineering 4 Us All (a dual credit course with the University of New Mexico) students spent time learning about students with special needs at Shining Stars Preschool in Rio Rancho. They met with occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech therapists, and students to try and understand the preschoolers’ needs. Engineering students took that knowledge to develop and prototype an adapted toy for a specific student. Students then returned to the school to work with the students and show off what they made.
Astronomy classes beta tested a project that is a partnership with Harvard University, Smithsonian Institution, and NASA. NASA's Universe of Learning is an integrated astrophysics STEM learning and literacy program. The project will allow students everywhere to download photos taken from several remote telescopes and manipulate the data with a variety of filters.
Prep collaborated on two shows with Landmark Musicals: Irving Berlin’s White Christmas and Newsies. Sandia Prep students, faculty, and alumni participated in the show, and all promotional materials and show programs were created by the Applied Digital Design class. Faculty and students performed music for the shows.
Heritage Spanish 3 - 5 and Spanish 5 students’ Border Doors project caught the attention of PBS, which filmed a short documentary on the students’ experiences at the El Paso, Texas border. The focal point of this year's art projects was the complex theme of the union and separation of families as they migrated to the United States. The students employed symbolic elements such as safety pins, scissors, needles, and thread to express this sensitive issue visually. These objects served as powerful metaphors, effectively capturing the heart-wrenching realities and emotions of family separations.
Faculty and staff collaborated on long-range vision and strategy work for the school, deep work on anti-racism activation, conscious leadership; and more.
Over the winter, Sandia Prep launched its ski/snowboard club in partnership with Ski Santa Fe. Nearly 20 snowdevils hit the slopes over four weekends at Ski Santa Fe. Mornings were devoted to skills clinics, with afternoons open for students to free ski and explore the mountain.
Three members of the class of 2023 were named National Merit Finalists. Garrett Beard '23, Michael Lawyer '23, and Giovanni Pascetti '23 were named National Merit Semifinalists after scoring high on the PSAT/NMSQT the previous fall.
Upper school theater hosted a wildly popular and lavish production of Mamma Mia!, while middle school theater students staged Moana.
Throughout the year, choral, guitar, and jazz band students shared their talents both on campus and in the community at such venues as the Family Cancer Retreat and La Vida Llena Life Plan Retirement Community.
In their first year as a team, Prep’s chess students took third place in state competition.
Odyssey Scholars embarked on deep dives into projects including resilience as it relates to Black artists; poetry, modern languages, and literacy; women’s rights, nutrition, and workouts; increasing awareness about people on the neurodivergent spectrum; and much more.
Prep’s SummerPrep program grew exponentially, with new and expanded classes offered for summer 2023. In addition to three two-week sessions, dress-up days, and performances, our campers collaborated with community partners such as Fish Factory and Elevate Gym.
Multiple student-athletes signed to play college sports.