Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy

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Congratulations to the Las Cruces Public Schools students who auditioned for and were selected to our first annual LCPS All-City Dance Ensemble! Students will present a dance performance ensemble showcase in April. Date and more information to come. #wearelcps Middle Schools: Victoria, ZMS Abigail Brown, MVLA Jazel Camarillo, ZMS Nika Pivkina, MVLA Rachel Snow, ZMS High Schools: Pearl Carter, MHS Madison Figueroa, LCHS Layla Gonzales, MHS Aliyah Juarez, LCHS Marielena Simental, LCHS Amanda Tapia, LCHS

The Organ Mountain High School Knights of Stage are getting ready for the premier of the new Broadway Musical, Anastasia. Check out these photos taken by OMHS student Sebastian Garcia, as he takes us behind the scenes for rehearsal. Be sure to catch the show on February 2nd and 3rd at 7:00p.m. and on February 4 at 1:00p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Organ Mountain High School. Click the link more information: https://5il.co/1o1ye

Every February, the CTE community celebrates CTE Month® to raise awareness of the role that CTE has in readying learners for college and career success. CTE Month is also a time to recognize and celebrate the achievements and accomplishments of our CTE partners at the local, state and national level.

Celebrating Black History Month Historical Person in Focus Bessie Coleman 1892-1926 Bessie Coleman soared across the sky as the first woman of African American and Native American descent to earn her pilot’s license in the U.S. Known for performing flying tricks, Coleman’s nicknames were: “Brave Bessie,” “Queen Bess,” and “The Only Race Aviatrix in the World.” Her goal was to encourage women and African Americans to reach their dreams – and this became her legacy. Though her life and career were cut short in a tragic plane crash, her life and legacy continue to inspire people around the world. Born in Atlanta, Texas on January 26, 1892, Bessie Coleman had twelve brothers and sisters. Her mother, Susan Coleman, was an African American maid, and her father George Coleman was a sharecropper of mixed Native American and African American descent. In 1901, her father decided to move back to Oklahoma to try to escape discrimination. Coleman’s mother decided not to go with him. Instead, Coleman, her mother, and siblings stayed in Waxahachie, Texas. Coleman grew up helping her mother pick cotton and wash laundry to earn extra money. By the time she was eighteen, she saved enough money to attend the Colored Agricultural and Normal University (now Langston University) in Langston, Oklahoma. She dropped out of college after only one semester because she could no longer afford tuition. At age 23, Coleman went to live with her brothers in Chicago. She went to the Burnham School of Beauty Culture in 1915 and became a manicurist in a local barbershop. Meanwhile, her brothers served in the military during World War I and came home with stories of their time in France. Her brother John teased her because French women were allowed to learn how to fly airplanes and, in the United States, Coleman could not. Her brother's stories, along with other news of pilots in the war, inspired her to become a pilot. She applied to many flight schools across the country, but no school would take her because she was both African American and a woman. Robert Abbot, a famous African American newspaper publisher told her to move to France where she could learn how to fly. Since her application to flight schools needed to be written in French, she began taking French classes at night. Finally, Coleman was accepted at the Caudron Brothers' School of Aviation in Le Crotoy, France. She received her international pilot’s license on June 15, 1921 from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. She then returned to the United States. Click the link to learn more about Bessie Coleman's life: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/bessie-coleman By Kerri Lee Alexander, NWHM Fellow, 2018 | Updated December 2022 by Rebecca Ljungren, Education Programs Manager

Today, 5th graders from Monte Vista Elementary School presented a bill they helped draft with New Mexico State Sen. Bill Soules. Students presented SB 188, before the Senate Committee during their legislative session. These young lobbyists asked legislators to consider adopting the smell of green chile roasting in the fall as New Mexico's official aroma. Students answered questions from the committee and highlighted that New Mexico would be the first state with an official aroma, which would help boost tourism. The bill passed unanimously, 5-0 by the committee and moves on. What a victory! Great job, students! More about SB 188: Senate Bill 188 establishes the official state aroma of New Mexico as the smell of green chile roasting in the fall. This bill does not contain an effective date and, as a result, would go into effect June 16, 2023, (90 days after the Legislature adjourns) if signed into law. No fiscal impact.

Every day is enriching at MVLA! Just this week, our fabulous staff created such incredible experiences for students. Students got to work on a mural for the school. Others went downtown to explore the science museum. Still others worked on their film to enter into the Film Prize Jr. Competition. Then to wrap the week up, everyone participated in the House Challenge with an Engineering quick engineering project.

Spring Break Camps!

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Winter Weather Forecast Prompts Delays, Cancelations — Inclement weather in Monday night’s forecast, expected into Tuesday, has prompted administrators at Las Cruces Public Schools to call a two-hour delay for all students and staff on Tuesday, Jan. 24. According to officials, bus schedules have been adjusted to accommodate the late start. Tuesday’s delay prompted the cancelation of all morning DD preschool classes. A girls basketball game Monday night between Mayfield and Alamogordo was also canceled and rescheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 24. The ninth-grade teams will play at 4 p.m., followed by junior varsity at 5:30 p.m. and varsity at 7 p.m. All games will be held at Mayfield High School. Wrestling matches between Mayfield, Las Cruces and Organ Mountain high schools set for Tuesday, Jan. 24 at Mayfield were rescheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 5 p.m. Updates will be posted on the LCPS Athletics page, linked here. For any additional weather delays or updates, please monitor the LCPS homepage, www.lcps.net.

Parents, please keep an eye on your email for important information from LCPS regarding the 2-hour delay tomorrow, 1/24/23. You can also check lcps.net for further information.

Tonight's the night Rockets! Can't wait to see you out at our Winter ball at Arrowhead Early College High School!

Tonight's the night Rockets! Can't wait to see you out at our Winter ball at Arrowhead Early c College High School!

We are starting to recruit for our Guardians of the Biosphere After School Program with Ms. Mikesell!!

After a two year hiatus, the El Paso Symphony Youth Orchestras - EPSYO held its annual Concerto Competition on Monday, January 16, 2023. Las Cruces HS sophomore violinist, Chloe Morris, has won this year’s competition. As grand prize winner, she will be performing the 1st movement of Édouard Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole on March 26 at the EPSYO Side by Side concert with the El Paso Symphony Orchestra. The competition was open to all musicians under the age of 23. BRAVA, CHLOE!!! Las Cruces Public Schools is so very proud of you! #wearelcps p/c: Lauren Morris

The Southern New Mexico Trail Alliance brings you the 11th annual running of the Sierra Vista Trail Runs. This event serves as the primary fundraiser for the Southern New Mexico Trail Alliance, a 501 (c)(3) corporation. The 2023 event will include the 50k, half-marathon, 10k, 5k, and 1-mile kids fun run. We keep the registration cost low to make trail racing financially accessible for more people. As always, race registration requires the donation of an old pair of shoes. Bring the shoes to packet pick up or race day. Donated shoes will be offered to the Mesilla Valley Community of Hope, http://www.mvcommunityofhope.org/. Click here to register: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=98958 Runners in all distances get a pair of race socks. Sizes cannot be guaranteed after February 18, 2023. Extras will be ordered but sizes and quantities will be limited and available on a first come first serve basis. There will be awards for top three men and women in all distances. Post race food will be provided. All races will take place on Saturday, March 11, 2023. All distances will start at the Sierra Norte trailhead off of Dripping Springs Road. The 50k will begin at 7:00am The half-marathon will begin at 8:00am. The 10k will begin at 9:00am. The 5k will begin at 8:30am. The cutoff time to finish will be 5:00 pm. All proceeds will be donated to the Southern New Mexico Trail Alliance to preserve and enhance the trails and outdoor recreation in the area. Visit us at snmta.org. Funds support trail work days, trail building workshops, training, and tools. Visit our website, Sierra Vista Trail Runs, for more information. Review the race manual at prior to the event. Come join us for a fun, low key community trail event. Banner photo of Ian Maddieson courtesy of Organ Mountain Outfitters, one of the past partners. The Sierra Vista Trail Runs is authorized under a Special Recreation Permit from the Bureau of Land Management Packet Pickup Packet pickup will be Friday, March 10, from 4-7 PM at Bluebird Running Company 300 N Main St, 2nd floor, Las Cruces, NM 88001

Hi MVLA Families. Here's a quick look at our January Parent Newsletter.https://www.smore.com/7wprf

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR 8TH GRADE PARENTS. Your address in our system must be updated by today to ensure your student can register at the correct high school. Please be sure to contact the school to get your address corrected if it needs to be.

Hi MVLA Families. Our PTO meeting has snuck up on me. It is tonight at 6pm. Hope to see you there.

High Schools will be at MVLA on January 31st at 9am to pre-register your 8th graders. Please make sure to have your student here on time and that your address is correct in our system.