GRANTS, N.M. - The Grants Cibola County School meeting that took place on December 16 last nearly two hours, during which two retiring board members were recognized, the GCCS Profile of a Graduate was discussed, two out-of-state travel for GHS were approved, and there was a SEL award recipient.
Two Board Members Retire
“I don’t know how to say thank you enough to our retiring board members.” Superintendent Lane Widner said “They are the board that hired me in this role and I’ve gotten to work for them for the last two and a half years and have appreciated their guidance and their leadership. So I’m going to read the plaque and we have two board members that are retiring tonight. Unfortunately, I don’t think Mrs. Hunt Dailey is here, but we’re going to make sure that she gets her recognition… Mr. Ortiz will be retiring tonight and I’m going… to read his plaque to him. It says ‘Presented with gratitude to Ron Ortiz in recognition of your dedicated service, steadfast leadership, and unwavering commitment to the students, staff, and community. Your guidance has strengthened our schools and enriched countless lives. With gratitude, the Grants Cibola County School District’ 2017 to 2025, last eight years, two terms, and we are so thankful to Mr. Ortiz and his leadership.”
President Francie Lee stated “Tonight, we gather with deep gratitude as we honor two exceptional leaders who have given so much to Grants Cibola County Schools. Ms. Emily Hunt Dailey has served our community with unwavering dedication for 12 years, bringing her experience as an educator and her deep roots in the community to every decision she made. Mr. Ron Ortiz has served for eight years, offering steady leadership grounded in a lifetime of service to Grants, including his work as our former mayor and community leader. Together they helped guide the district through some of its most significant moments. They supported the creation of Early College High School and stood behind the rebuilding of Bluewater and Mesa [View] Elementary Schools; projects that will impact generations of students. They provided thoughtful leadership through the challenges of COVID-19 always focused on the well-being of students and staff and families… They have represented their constituents with integrity and heart. On behalf of the Board of Education, I express our deepest gratitude for their years of service, their commitment to excellence, and the many ways that they have strengthened our schools and community. We wish Emily and Ron continued health and happiness and fulfillment in the years ahead.”
Profile of a Graduate
Staff and students from the Early College High School, Grants High School, and Laguna Acoma High School were tasked with creating a “profile of a graduate” three years ago.
The role of this group, particularly for the students involved, “is to give others the voice that should be heard.”
This group got together about once a month to discuss their plans in building the profile of a graduate. These meetings typically consisted of discussions concerning different milestones each grade should be taught and should achieve, and how they could better prepare students for graduation.
This group prioritizes student led, facts first, and community outreach. They found that it is important to gather the students’ voices in order to build a profile that best represents the students. This led to the inclusion of surveys for the students, teachers, and parents, receiving feedback in the community focus group. This focus group assisted in the creation of the national milestones for each grade level.
The decisions that were made were always supported by both the entire team and the research that they had conducted throughout the different communities. Now, after three years, they are ready to share the profile with high schools across the district for implementation.
The next step will be to focus on creating a profile for sixth grade classes and middle school, in which milestones will be identified to aid in their transition to the new educational environments.
Out-Of-State Travel
The Grants High School Jazz band was approved to travel to Durango, Colorado. This travel will include performing in Farmington, New Mexico on March 4 at the Poncha Band Festival at San Juan College, the Jazz Festival in Durango on March 5, and returning on the 6.
The Grants high School boys wresting team was approved to travel to El Paso, Texas for their competition. wrestling Coach Tommy Gabaldon explained “We have a lot of kids this year.” With there being 24 girls and 22 boys.
SEL Award Recipient
The Social Emotional Learning Award recipient for the Month of November, Edwina Gamboa, was recognized at this meeting, as she was unable to attend to the recognitions in November.
Superintendent Widner said “She wears multiple hats… and balances it very well. She does a great job and is constantly doing what’s best for the kids… she’s helping us make sure that we have good nutritious food that’s edible… She serves as the liaison between the district and SF, works with the bus drivers and the mechanics and the fleet and keeps us on the road, keeps us safe… so to honor her tonight, I want to recognize her with our SEL award for the month of November and December.”
Upcoming
January 2, 2026: 240 Day Staff Returns January 5, 2026: Teacher Work Day, No Students January 6, 2026: Regular Board Meeting (Swearing in New Board Members) January 6-7, 2026: Staff Only Professional Development (No Students) January 8, 2026: Spring Classes Begin