Center of Focus

August 24, 2025

Focus on the Fabulous-  Welcome Back, Vikings!

We had a fantastic first week of school and were thrilled to see our students back on campus! Our staff lined up to cheer as students rolled in on Monday morning, setting the tone for an exciting year ahead.

We’re also celebrating some exciting updates within our Viking Family. At the elementary level, we are proud to share that we had 100% staff retention this year! With some additional hires and a few staff members moving into new roles, our teams are stronger than ever:

Janet Sanchez and her fantastic team keep our early childhood program solid!

Kindergarten Team: Denise Martinez moved from 3rd grade to Kindergarten, joining Mariah Villagomez and Jaton Najera.

1st Grade Team: No changes here—Jade Cantello, Kristin Enquist, and Lindsay Stillwagon are back together again.

2nd Grade Team: A brand-new team! Laura Duran moved up from Kindergarten and is joined by two new staff members to our district, Brittany Laske and Sabrina Martinez.

3rd Grade Team: A newly restructured team of familiar faces. Martina Thompson returns, while Juliann Quintana and Joy Massey moved up with their students from 2nd grade.

4th Grade Team: No changes—Nikki Pepper and Ashley Lane continue to keep things strong in 4th grade.

5th Grade Team: Cydni Cordova continues in 5th grade and welcomes Lauren Strain as her teammate.

Christy Mikeljack is joining Alex Magness in the CLD program and Tara Phillips and Michelle Sisneros stay on as our elementary Spec Education team.

At the secondary level, we’re also welcoming several outstanding educators:

Middle School: Lindsay Whalen joins us as our new Social Studies teacher. She brings veteran teaching experience, and we are excited to have her on board.

High School: We welcome Dan McGill as our new Social Studies teacher.  We were fortunate to have him subbing in the building last year, and are very excited to have him as a permanent member of our Viking team. 

Career & Technical Education (CTE): Our program is growing! Adam Sperandio will lead our Culinary Arts program and serve as Athletic Director, while Gabrielle Roberts will build our FFA program as our new Agriculture teacher and also teach Health classes.

Intervention: Jody Abeyta will provide intervention support at the high school, ensuring students get the targeted help they need. Elizabeth Soden continues as our K-12 Art teacher. The rest of our high school team remains the same group of outstanding educators!

We are thrilled to have built such a solid instructional team of high-quality teachers. With this strong foundation, it’s going to be a great year at Center Schools!

On Thursday evening, we hosted our annual Open House, and it was the perfect way to wrap up the first week of school. We were excited to welcome families, friends, and community members to campus for an evening of connection and celebration.

Our very own Raul Quintana kept the energy high as he DJ’d the event, treating the crowd to his own original compilation created just for the Center Vikings! Guests also enjoyed a delicious BBQ dinner while visiting with staff and friends, meeting teachers, and learning more about our District Ownership Plan.

In addition to connecting with staff, families had the opportunity to explore a variety of fun and helpful stations- from the library and clothing donations to cotton candy and other treats. We are especially grateful for the many organizations that joined us and for the ongoing partnerships that provide such meaningful support to our students and district.

The evening ended on a high note with our always-popular raffle prizes, sending many families home with big smiles. We thank everyone who came out to celebrate the start of another fantastic school year with us!

Fast Forward

Monday, August 25th- Federal Programs App., Haskin PWR Expectations

Tuesday, August 26th- NWEA District Testing Begins

Wednesday, August 27th- Rural Schools Alliance, Preventing Violence Grant Mtg. SLV Superintendents PLC

Thursday, August 28th- OAC Meeting, X Country @ Antonito

Friday, August 29th- Viking Football Game vs. North Fork and Future Town Celebration