By Margaret Hopper
The Cobre school board met at the Administrative Offices Building on Monday, April 28. All members were present: Frances Kelly, Frank Gomez, Robert Montoya, Frank Cordova and Toy Sepulveda, board president. After meeting in closed session to discuss limited personnel and student identifiable information, in which no decisions were reported to be made, the public session was called to order at 7:13 p.m.
Jason Allison asked the board for permission to use the high school football field on April 19 as a fundraising effort. Allison hopes to take two youth teams to the Roswell Pop Warner Event over the Memorial Day Weekend, May 23 through 25 for competitions there. The board approved the request.
The Grant County Clerk's office asked for the use of San Lorenzo Elementary as a polling place on June 3 during the primary elections. That was approved. The board also approved the March check expenditures of $970,086.29 for the district.
WNMU personnel Karen Whitrock and Professor Walker brought three students with them to address the board about the HERO program, Higher Education Reaching Out, which gives dual credits to high school students who take certain classes at the college.
Cobre's concert band has done it again. After ten consecutive first place wins at state, a single second placing and another five consecutive first place wins since then, Chuck Earhart's students have a total of fifteen state wins, an astounding record.
Senior Student Emanuel Reynolds reported student events for the board, starting with the Prom, which is scheduled for Saturday, May 3, from 8:00 p.m. to midnight, then activities will transfer to an after-party at the Silver Bowling Alley, which will end at 3:00 a.m.
Reynolds said students want to know about the status of the cafeteria lunch program, for which they made a number of requests and changes, and they also want to know if the proposed ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training) program will be available for the 2014-2015 school year.
Superintendent Mendoza announced that the Cobre graduation would be held in the High School Gym, starting at 6:00 p.m. on May 30.
During public input time, high school principal Frank Quarrell told of the Skills USA students, 11 of whom placed at state recently. The three first place students are scheduled to go to nationals in June. High school cheerleaders also won a state trophy. Board members Sepulveda and Cordova attended the New Orleans National School Board meeting and told of information they received there, as well as the meeting in which Magic Johnson was the motivational speaker.
The late May board meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 27, to avoid conflict with the Memorial Day recess. Closed session begins at 6:00 p.m. and the public session is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.