Pictured from left to right: Kyra Shay, Abbey Beckworth, Mia CookAldo Leopold Charter School (ALCS) teachers Pete Rankin and Ray Cressler took their classes to tour Chino Mine on Wednesday, March 18. Rankin’s 9th grade cultural geography class was learning about the history of mining in Grant County and the role of this industry in our economy today. Cressler’s mixed grade level economics class was understanding how this industry fits into the profile of local, state, and national economies.

Megan Golden, Senior Mine Engineer at Freeport-McMoRan, provided students with on-site safety training, the opportunity to view the mine operations area, and a pit and mill tour.

12th grader Zion Lopez states: “Going to Chino Mine showed me the giant size of the whole operation. From giant trucks to giant factory machines, it was a land of giants.”

Joseph Montenegro, a 9th grader, says: “The tour was better than I expected. They (Chino Mine staff) were so interactive. I thought it was cool how they extract the copper.”

Freeport-McMoRan has supported ALCS students throughout the years with technology initiatives, hard hats and safety glasses for Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) trails and water harvesting crews, and more.

Aldo Leopold Charter School is a tuition-free public school with a focus on stewardship of the community and the natural environment. The school offers small class sizes, after-school academic support, opportunity for paid internship with YCC, dual-credit coursework with Western New Mexico University, and the opportunity to play team sports with either Silver High School or Cobre High School.