Meetings watch: Portales school board

The Board of Education of Portales Municipal Schools met Monday night at the district Administration Building. Board members:

• Acknowledged Destination Imagination students, including a Portales student who designed the T-shirts for this year’s competition.

• Honored Portales High School drama students who received excellent ratings in costuming and acting at the 55th annual Eastern New Mexico-West Texas Drama Festival.

• Recognized Portales Junior High School science teacher Shareen King, who received the New Mexico Science Teachers Association Award at the 2010 Regional Science Fair.

• Acknowledged the PHS Math, Engineering and Science Achievement Robotics and Wind Energy Challenge teams, who won first in their events at the regional competition, and the Math and Roller Coaster teams, who took second. The PHS group won the overall competition, and the first-place teams are advancing to the state level in April, said science teacher Jack Willis.

• Recognized Steiner Elementary School first-grade teacher Marea Smith for receiving the 2010 Golden Apple Award. She was one of seven teachers chosen from 100 applicants.

• Heard Kirk Kindred of solar energy company on Sunrise Energy Ventures say the district could work with Sunrise Energy Ventures to get solar energy panels and see a 13 percent reduction in energy costs.

• Approved a resolution asking for New Mexico law to allow teachers to request an exemption from jury duty during the school year. Superintendent Randy Fowler said he hoped to gain support from the state school board and find a legislator to sponsor a bill.

• Approved a resolution supporting the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, which is federal legislation supporting the college education of alien students who are long-term U.S. residents.

• Nominated Willis for the 2010 Excellence for Student Achievement Award.

 
— Argen Duncan, PNT senior writer